Author's note: Just wanted to thank my Beta Amanda…she's been a huge help these last couple chapters!
Chapter 32- Nobody Else
"We have to talk Hales."
Nathan propped himself up on his elbow. He and Haley had been lying in his bed watching movies for the last few hours, and despite the fact neither wanted to admit it, there was some tension in the air.
Haley grabbed the remote and stopped the movie. As she sat herself up, so she was sitting Indian style facing Nathan, she nodded. She had known this was coming, she had just hoped it could wait.
"Okay, well…I didn't push this issue enough back when it happened. Partly because you already seemed upset and I didn't want to make things worse, but, now I need to know. What's really the reason for this whole open relationship thing?"
Haley gazed down at her lap, wondering if she should just tell him the truth and get it over with. She realized that the truth was probably the only way to go.
"It's just that I was starting to worry. I didn't know what you were doing while you were there, but I did know that you were surrounded by all those pretty college girls, and that kind of freaked me out. Then, I heard those girls I told you about talking in the bathroom, saying that you were going to cheat on me and find someone else and all that. That scared me so much Nathan, it made me worry that you would find someone you wanted to be with more than me. So…I figured that if you could hook up with whoever you wanted, I might have a better chance of hanging onto you."
"I guess I still don't see your line of reasoning Hales."
"Okay, short and sweet, I figured that if you could do whatever you want with whoever you want and still be with me, then you'd stay with me. I felt like if you couldn't hook up with these other girls because of me, then you would break up with me so you could hook up with them. Make sense now?"
Nathan slowly nodded, trying to digest it all. He couldn't believe that he had made Haley feel as though she had to open up their relationship in order to keep him.
Nathan wrapped his arms behind Haley's back and pulled her towards him, so she was practically sitting in his lap. He placed his hands on her legs and looked her deeply in the eyes, "You're not realizing something very important to this whole picture Hales."
"What?"
"I don't want to hook up with other girls. I haven't wanted to at all, not even once. If you want to know the truth, I tried, right after you opened things up, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it Haley, I couldn't even kiss another girl. It just felt so wrong to me."
Haley's eyes widened as she listened to Nathan's words. She had often wondered if he had hooked up with anyone else, but she had been afraid to ask. Hearing that he hadn't, that he couldn't because he only wanted to be with her, well, it was the best news Haley had heard in quite a while.
"Really?"
"Really. Look at me when I say this Hales," Nathan paused until Haley locked eyes with him, "I wish I could promise you that we'll be together forever, but that's impossible for me to do, I have no way of knowing what the future holds for us. But what I can promise you is that right now, all I want to be doing is loving you, you and only you. Do you understand me when I say that?"
Haley nodded, "I do Nathan."
"I wish I could say that I won't meet anyone else I want to be with, but you know I can't say that, just like you couldn't say that about me. Neither of us knows who we might meet. I think all we can do is promise each other that we'll be open about it. If I find someone I want to be with you have to know I'll tell you that, I'll be up front about it. I won't just up and cheat on you, I care about you way too much to do that. I ask the same from you, if there's someone else you want to be with, just tell me. Okay?"
"I can't imagine that ever being the case, but if it is, I promise I'll tell you." Haley gazed down at her lap again. Slowly she lifted her head and looked at Nathan, "So does this mean this whole open relationship thing is over? We can go back to it just being you and me?"
"Absolutely. I don't think it was ever really open anyways, unless you're hiding something from me, because I only entertained the thought of it for all of 10 minutes before I realized that I just couldn't be with someone else."
"Nope, I'm not hiding anything. I didn't do anything either. The only real reason I opened things up was for you, I never even really considered it for myself."
Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley and pulled her into his chest, "I love you Hales, I'm glad we cleared that up."
"I'm glad too Nathan, really glad."
ooooOoooo
Haley couldn't believe it, when she was running late somewhere she hit every red light, but now, when she was driving towards the airport and was definitely not in a hurry to get there, she hit every green light.
Haley looked over towards Nathan and felt as though it was August again. She dreaded these next few days, knowing how empty she would feel. But, she knew that this was going to be her life for the next four years, at least. She'd have a couple of days, or weeks, even months over the summer, with Nathan and then she'd have to say good bye. He'd have to head back to school. Thankfully this time he'd be back in less than a month for Christmas break.
Nathan got out of the car once Haley pulled into a parking spot and headed towards the trunk to get out his luggage. As he stood there, looking between the airport and Haley he wondered how he had gathered up enough strength to walk away from her before. It was killing him to know that he was going to have to do it again.
Nathan reached out for Haley's hand and held it tightly as they made their way to the metal detector.
"Well, just think, I'll be standing here again in less than a month waiting to pick you up." Haley smiled, even though tears had already begun to stream down her face.
"Don't cry Hales, I'll see you again soon."
"That doesn't make this any easier. It doesn't make me feel any better as I watch you walk away from me."
"I know this sucks, I really do, but it's the way it is. We'll get used to it, after awhile me leaving will be like no big deal."
"Yeah…right. I think that you leaving will always hurt, I don't care how used to it I get." Haley looked up towards Nathan and saw that he too was hurting. She knew she wasn't making it any easier for him. "I'll be okay though. It's just that saying good bye is the hard part."
"It is hard."
Nathan leaned down and captured Haley's lips in his. He kissed her with softly at first, but then she reached her hands up behind his neck and pulled him into her, with that his kiss became harder, passion building between them.
Haley was the first to pull away, "You'd better go catch your plane, as much as I'd like you to miss it, I know that wouldn't make you stay for any longer than a few more hours."
Nathan looked down at Haley, his eyes were asking her if she was going to be okay. It had always amazed Haley how she and Nathan could hold conversations by just looking at one another, and today was no exception.
"Really, I'll be okay. Go, get your plane, call me tonight when you get there."
Nathan nodded and started towards the metal detectors. After successfully passing through he turned and looked at Haley, she nodded, assuring him that she'd be okay. Nathan gave a little wave and began to walk away.
Haley stood there watching him walk away, until he was out of her sight completely. She turned and slowly made her way through the airport to the parking garage. Somehow, she managed to hold back her tears, but once she was in the quiet of the car she could feel the flood gates giving way.
As Haley sat there crying she thought she heard her cell phone making a noise. She pulled it from her purse and saw she had a text message, from Nathan.
Always remember Hales, forever together but never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart. No matter where I go, my heart is always where you are.