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Part 3

It's Friday afternoon before they see each other again and their meeting is somehow awkward. It feels unnatural for things to be this tense between them, this rigid. Yet they can't seem to escape it lately.

Nathan had been thinking about her all morning, hadn't gotten anything remotely productive done, and felt like a complete waste. What he didn't know was that she'd been thinking about him too. Was thinking about him the exact moment she'd run into him actually. So when they did bump into each other coming outside of Karen's café, it sort of blind-sided both of them in a way that they hadn't expected.

"Hi," she said first, as she let the door shut behind her, still managing to stay close to it.

Nathan could tell she seemed somewhat apprehensive, and he's not sure if it's because of their meeting or just his presence in general. His body tenses up. "I thought you weren't working today," he replied and squinted his eyes when the 3 o'clock sun bends and flares out at his face.

"I wasn't. Just saying hi to Karen, asking about Lucas and stuff," she spoke softly, moving to the side of the staircase, as another customer came out the door.

Nathan stuck his hands in his short pockets, shuffled his feet nervously. "So how is he?"

Haley let out a little giggle at his question. Nathan's way to seeming nonchalant is just to act like he just doesn't care, when she knows he really does. She thinks about calling him out on it, but decides against it in the end. No need to cause added stress to their already fragile situation. Whatever, situation means anyway.

"Pretty good. A little homesick, but I guess he's adjusting. He made friends with the next-door neighbor apparently. I think Karen's still trying to convince him to come home," she sort of half laughed at the thought of her surrogate mother trying to coerce Lucas into coming home, her hints here and there about people missing him. She hopes that he'll listen to her. Hopes that, for all their sakes and not just Karen's.

Nathan could see that her chuckle was a desperate sort of laugh, the kind that stills in your throat and stays there because it has nowhere else to go. He hated seeing her so miserable without Lucas, like a part of her was missing or something. He wished he could be enough for her, or at least make it better on occasion.

"He'll be back eventually. He just needs time to cool down. Get away from all this Tree Hill drama," Nathan reassures her, although he's not entirely positive if it's the truth.

She smiles at him in response to his effort and the void between them closes a little bit, for the first time in two weeks.

'Wait a minute, why are you here," Haley shakes herself away from Nathan's face and the distraction of his smile, and remembers that he was going in the café as she was coming out. Not a regular occurrence for him either.

"I was hungry," he shrugs in half-truth. She knows when he's deflecting to make it seem like he's indifferent about how he feels for Lucas and so she glares back at him, her mouth curved up and waiting.

"And I wanted to see how he was doing," he finished with a guilty sigh, irritated at how hard it is to keep anything from her, even the tiniest of little things. There's really no chance of saving face now.

"See I knew you cared," she poked him in the side and he smiles.

"Yeah you caught me," he replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. So she shakes her head and giggles, as he watches her. The sunlight cascading off her shiny hard, her sparkling eyes, her pink lips, and for probably the thousandth time that week he realizes just how beautiful she really is. Not the kind that people throw around casually in a conversation, or the kind that the magazines label movie stars, the real kind of beautiful, the kind of beautiful that aches inside your heart it's so remarkable.

They both stand there in silence for a moment, Nathan staring at her staring at a solitary leaf floating down on the sidewalk. And again it's awkward. But more so than that, it feels lonely. Neither of them saying what they really want to say, out of fear, or pride, or resentment, or maybe all three.

Haley can feel Nathan's eyes on her in the silence, and she keeps thinking about what they said to each other the night they became husband and wife. No regrets, they'd said, and had meant at the time. Still do mean it most of the time. Although the words have taken on a different definition now.

And so has their relationship.

"Are you busy later," Haley asked as she twirled the strap of her purse around her pointer finger. She forced her eyes up to Nathan's and he shakes his head.

"No. Do you want to come over," his voice is more desperate than he would like it to sound. Funny how she always brings out the most extreme of emotions in him, more than anyone else. He figures it's a fair trade off though, being vulnerable, but being loved. Many people think they would pick that option over the latter, however when it comes down to it most would rather be alone. It's not very poetic to think about, he figures, but people as a whole hate to feel weak. And as much as you feel strong while you're in love, you end up feeling twice as weak when it's all said and done. It's a feeling you can grow to get used to though, if you love someone enough.

Haley sucks in a breath of air, her own eyes wide and big as she forces herself to meet Nathan's. " I think we should talk about…. some things," she spoke more confidently this time, as if she'd been wanting to have this conversation for a while.

Her words cause a lump to form in Nathan's throat, but he remains calm and cool on the outside. One of the many behavior's he learned from his father, something he's rather grateful for, right now.

"Yeah. Whatever you want," he through out casually.

Haley held back the remark that stood at the tip of her tongue. She hated when he acted so blasé about their marriage, about their relationship, like he didn't care. Inwardly she knew he did care, or he wouldn't make the time to see her tonight. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt that he didn't seem more concerned about what she wanted to talk about. She supposed that was one of things she could bring up when they did talk. Maybe he'd really listen this time, and things would get resolved.

"I'll see you at seven then," she asked, reaching out and running her hand along his cheek. He grabbed onto it softly and pulled her closer to him so that he could place his lips against her gently. They stood together under the warmth of the sun and held each other, letting their lips and hands hold onto to what they could for as long as possible. When the moment passed, Haley pulled back slowly as Nathan whispered in her ear.

"See you at seven," he answered, and let her hand fall from his as she stepped to the side of him, her hips swaying gracefully as she made it down the concrete stairs to the sidewalk below. He stood motionless, and watched her walk all the way down the street and turn the corner onto Hudson, before he moved again, his stomach clenched into knots, and his breathing a little less even now that she wasn't with him anymore.