Chapter Four: When You Can't Trust the Truth
"Do you want to wear my shoes?" asked Taylor eagerly. Haley rolled her eyes.
"Which ones?" asked Peyton, before Haley could speak.
"Dolce and Gabbana. New. Ish. Come on, they're gorgeous! I can't believe you're taking Lucas Scott," pouted Taylor.
"I can't believe you'd seriously think I'd consider taking you," said Haley.
"Well yeah! What are friends for?" asked Taylor.
"I don't know, I just never figured it was this. Sweetie, you know I love you but I have to prove to everyone at the stupid office that I am capable of finding a man," said Haley.
"Apparently, you're very capable," said Peyton.
"I really wish you guys would just drop it," said Haley, slipping in an earring.
"We would, but you just keeping flaunting the evidence," said Taylor, nodding toward the noticeable hickey on Haley's neck. Instinctively, Haley put her fingers over it, blocking it from view.
"Curling iron burn," she explained quickly.
"Right. You know, we don't care. It's not like you're a virgin, it's fairly obvious," said Peyton.
"Here," said Taylor, reaching into the drawer and handing her the cover up. Haley smiled gently at her big sister, relieved that they'd stopped.
"Speaking of which, what's this that I found in Taylor bedroom?" asked Peyton, reaching behind her to reveal a pair of gray boxers.
"I'm not denying it," said Taylor, grinning as she began to curl her sister's hair.
"It doesn't bother you, people thinking you're a slut?" asked Haley curiously.
"Sweetie, you get used to it," said Taylor, handing Haley a tube of lipstick.
"You ready to go?" asked Nathan, calling out to his wife.
In a moment, she appeared in the doorway. She relished in the moment when Nathan Scott, her husband of ten years, let his eyes travel up and down her Vera Wang clad body.
"You look great. Now come on, we're late," he said.
"We're not late," said Brooke.
"Yeah we are. Come on, car's waiting," he said.
The two of them sat stiffly at the back of the limo. There had been a time, a very long time ago, in which they wouldn't have been able to get their hands off each other in such a car, in such clothing. That time had passed.
All three girls were visibly excited when the buzzer rang, and even more excited a moment later when Lucas Scott appeared in his single breasted Armani suit, crisp white shirt, silk tie and intoxicating cologne.
"Haley," he greeted, appreciatively eyeing her (Taylor's) white, one shouldered, curve hugging dress.
"Stop ogling me. Though I know it must be difficult," she said, laughing.
"Terribly. This is for you," he said, handing her a single red rose. She gestured for him to pin it to the front of her dress.
"You look great too," said Taylor.
"Thanks Tay," he said. Peyton smiled at him, always a bit uncertain in the presence of the man she crushed on so deeply.
Lucas offered Haley his arm and they went off into the night.
Haley squealed in excitement as he led her to their own long black limousine.
Brooke forced herself to hold in the boredom that was bubbling inside of her. The party was full of wealthy, intelligent people. The food was sublime. The decor was tasteful and elegant. She was on the arm of the wealthiest, sexiest man on the room.
And she was born out of her mind.
Brooke and Nathan both smiled when they saw Lucas arrive. The two couples met.
"Good to see you again man," said Nathan, shaking his brother's hand. Lucas nodded at his sister-in-law while Nathan's eyes took in hungrily the sight of Haley in clothing that were so much more revealing than her demure office clothing.
"Brooke, you've met my secretary, Miss James?" asked Nathan.
"Yes, we've met. Mrs. Scott, please call me Haley," said Haley, shaking her lover's wife's hand. Wondering if Nathan remembered her real name.
"It's good to see you again. I love your dress," said Brooke.
"Yours is beautiful too. Thank you," said Haley.
"Miss James, when is my lunch meeting with the people from the New York Times?" asked Nathan of his secretary.
"Um, Thursday at one," she responded.
"Come on Nate, no business talk on a night like this. Come on Hales," said Lucas. The mismatched group of four nodded politely at each other before parting ways.
"Brooke actually had a favour to ask of you," said Lucas, once they were out of earshot.
"Really? Then why didn't she ask me?" wondered Haley, craning her neck around to look at Brooke Scott.
"It's a private thing. She thinks her husband is having an affair," began Lucas. Haley forced her face to remain questioning and neutral. Nathan had been so sure she didn't know. "… and she'd like you to see if you notice anything."
"She wants me to spy on my boss?" echoed Haley in disbelief.
"Please, Hales? She's really nervous, and I'd just like to set her at ease," pleaded Lucas.
"I can't! I could lose my job! And I mean, Mr. Scott would never cheat on Mrs. Scott," said Haley, forcing herself to meet Lucas' gaze.
"I know that. Of course he wouldn't. But just keep your eyes open? Please?" he asked.
"Fine. I'll keep my eyes open," said Haley. It was perhaps a good idea-she could report back to Lucas that she'd noticed nothing amiss, and if he reported the same back to Brooke, her suspicions would be quenched.
"Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh, want to dance?" he asked.
"Not particularly. Oh God, Mr. Scott's coming over here. Probably wants to drill me some more. He's always like that, even in functions," complained Haley.
"Miss James, can I speak with you for a moment?" asked Nathan. Haley nodded, and glanced sideways at her date. It was a good thing that Lucas was so sweet, so trusting.
The two of them walked away, Haley walking a respectful distance behind like a courtier worshipping royalty. Nathan led them to a conference room and locked the door firmly behind him. Haley waited expectantly, her body preparing itself.
"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded angrily as he turned around.
"What?" she asked in confusion.
"With Lucas! My brother! What the hell!" yelled Nathan.
"You said I should come. I needed a date. He's one of my best friends," she said in confusion.
"You needed a date and you picked Luke? Do you know how many girlfriends he's had in the past year?" asked Nathan.
"Yeah, actually, seeing as he's practically my best friend," fired back Haley.
"I don't like you seeing him."
"Seeing him? Seeing him? What are you on? And besides that, why the hell do you care?" asked Haley.
"I don't care. He's just doesn't have the latest rep," he said.
"So you don't care. Then I might as well go home and get under him," said Haley crudely, testing her theory.
"Miss James, I'd watch your mouth if I was you," he said warningly.
"But you're not me. You don't own me. You don't even know me," challenged Haley.
"You think I don't know you? That I don't know that Peyton has been your best friend since you were nine, that you and Taylor grew up being very distant, but everything changed when you moved into the city? That your favourite colour is blue, the colour the sky is in summer? That your parents, Lydia and Jimmy, had seven kids and sometimes you wish you'd just been an only child? That you got your first kiss in grade seven by Frank Green, and you kneed him in the groin when he put his hand up your skirt?" yelled Nathan, his voice getting louder and more intense as he went on.
"You hear me?" asked Haley, backing down.
"No, I listen to you," he said. He took three steps forward, and drew her into his arms, cradling the back of her head in one hand as he kissed her deeply. Her hands went immediately to unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt as his flew to the zipper on the back of her dress.
"Your wife's in the next room," said Haley, much later when they were finished.
"She has no idea," said Nathan easily.
"She does. She got Lucas to tell me to keep my eyes open," admitted Haley.
"I can't believe she told him and not me," said Nathan disbelievingly.
"Maybe we should…" began Haley guiltily.
"No. Five years after we got married, Brooke had an affair with the doorman. We're not in love like we used to be," he said.
"I'm sorry," she offered.
"Me too. We got to get out there. Don't have sex with my brother," advised Nathan, laughing as he kissed her one more time.
By the time the combined efforts of Brooke and Lucas had convinced Nathan into a cab, he was completely sloshed. So sloshed that the entire existence of Haley flew out of his mind as his hand began to run gently up and down his wife's thigh in the car.
Brooke felt partially that it was wrong, to accept her husband's intentions after such a long dry spell, particularly when he was drunk. But the two glasses of champagne she'd had had gone directly to her head.
Not bothering to make for the bedroom, the two of them fell onto the couch. Nathan found himself in unfamiliar territory: he knew exactly what to do with Haley, but his wife of ten years made him feel completely lost.
"Haley…" he panted at last, when he'd entered her. Brooke jerked her head in surprised, but convinced herself that she hadn't heard what she thought she'd heard.
Lucas dropped Haley off at the entrance of her building and waited while she went inside, and trudged up the stairs to her apartment. She was relieved to find it empty: Taylor and Peyton had gone out partying. In the dark, she silently made her way to her bedroom and to the tiny bed that stood in the corner over it.
She knelt down and stroked the feather soft cheek of the small child that was inside of it.
"Good night, baby," she whispered.