"Glad to see my favorite girls were able to make it." Lucas sweet talked while walking over to the bleachers.
"Hey." Brooke feigned hurt as she came up beside him.
"Well I already knew you were here." Lucas laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head.
"Excuse me while I hurl." Haley pretended to clutch her stomach in discomfort, Karen rubbing her back soothingly.
"Alright, on that note, I'm gonna head back to the café." Karen laughed, giving Haley a squeeze on her shoulder.
"Thank you Karen for waiting with me." Haley smiled before moving to stand beside Brooke and Peyton.
"Anything for you kid. And you, I'll see at home." Karen reminded before leaving the gym.
"Okay roommate. I know you're probably not up for this, but I think you deserve some celebration, and Bevin is having a party-" Brooke spoke as soon as Karen was out of earshot.
"Brooke…" Peyton scorned.
"No, it's okay Peyton. I think I could do it if we kind of all stuck together. I mean I doubt you'd want to-"
"Alright party it is." Brooke interrupted with a grin.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
"You okay?" Peyton asked Haley after entering the party.
"Yes. And I'll tell you if I'm not." Haley answered tiredly. It had been the 5th time she had answered that same question. She liked that her friends cared so much about her, but they had only been at the party 10 minutes.
"Hey." Nathan greeted the group, settling in between Haley and Brooke.
"Hey, you did awesome tonight." Haley congratulated, nervously slipping her left hand into his, much bigger, right hand.
"I have you to thank for that." Nathan told her, dipping his head to speak only to her. "How you holding up?"
"I'm good." Haley pressed out, failing in confidence.
"Hales…" Nathan hissed, knowing she was lying.
"I'm a little scared."
"We all got your back. You're not going anywhere without one of us." Nathan promised her, giving her hand a squeeze for reassurance which elicited a deep calming sigh from her.
"Hey we're gonna grab some drinks. You want?" Brooke giddily asked Haley and Nathan.
"No, thanks Brooke." Haley answered with a fake smile plastered on her face as Nathan held up his own cup in silence.
"You know she's gonna bust you for that later." Peyton smirked after Brooke and Lucas had made their way through the crowd.
"For what?" Haley feigned interest, leading them outside to the almost deserted balcony, her hand still in Nathan's.
"That. You, faking it." Peyton pressed as she followed the two, weaving between the random partygoers.
"Whatever. You guys have been there for me for the past week the least I can do is pretend to want to be here."
"Haley we can leave at anytime, don't put yourself through hell because you think we need to party." Peyton explained.
"I'm not. Now go, have fun." Haley shooed before turning to lean on the railing, looking out at the view the balcony offered. Nathan, realizing that it was suddenly only him and Haley outside followed suit and stood beside his wife, unsure of her comfort level.
"What are you thinking about?" Nathan asked quietly, turning his head to watch her.
"The first time I was here."
"You've been here, to Bevin's before?"
"Yea, back in like tenth grade. We had a project and we were partners. Lucas was jealous and I thought I was being sent to hell."
"And was it as bad as you thought?" Nathan asked, much like a knowing mother would. Haley sighed as she laid her head on Nathan's shoulder.
"No. Bevin was really nice, which made me feel horrible for thinking shit about her."
"Kinda like me." Nathan teased, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Ha ha. I had reasons for not liking you, like oh I don't know. Maybe how you treated everyone, mainly Lucas, like crap." Haley laughed while turning in Nathan's embrace causing her to be between his body and the railing.
"And then you changed that." Nathan told her softly, his eyes studying her face.
"Yep, I definitely take all the credit on that one." Haley replied with a teasing smile, locking eyes with her husband. Both lost in the moment Nathan lowered his head and met Haley's lips with his own in a sweet, feathery light kiss. But as soon as the moment had come it was gone as Haley jerked back, willing the tears not to fall.
"I'm sorry." She cursed before attempting to make away from Nathan.
"No, Hales. Stop okay?" He pleaded, keeping her in his embrace.
"I just…It happened and then it all of a sudden wasn't you…" Haley trailed off, letting herself breakdown, again in the arms of her estranged husband.