DREAM ON
I would rather live and love where death is king than have eternal life where love is not.
-Robert G. Ingersoll-
Barely a minute passed between the time Haley excused herself from the table before Dan did the same. He strode back to her room with a sense of purpose; whatever was wrong with her, he would do his best to make it better. He didn't stop to think of the reason behind his actions. His good side was one thing he closely guarded, sharing it only with a few. So when he felt the urge to be caring, the need to be gentle, he did so without question. After all, for Dan Scott, those kind of things only happened once in a blue moon.
He knocked softly on her door. When she didn't answer, he walked on in. Haley looked up from her place on the bed. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to barge in someone's room without asking?" "I knocked." She rolled her eyes as he sat down beside her.
"What's wrong?" he asked, "One minute you're sitting at the table and the next you r hiding out in your room." "Nothing," She said, refusing to meet his gaze. "Haley," He said as he tipped her chin up. For the briefest of moments, she thought he was going to kiss her. She turned her head quickly before he could see the blush rising up over her cheeks. what would it be like to kiss a man like Dan Scott? She doubted he would be gentle and teasing as Nathan's had been. She pictured Dan as a more forceful, more possessive kisser.
She mentally shook herself. God, who was she kidding? Dan Scott would never kisser her. Even if he did, Why would she want him to? She turned back to face him, hoping he couldn't read the emotions playing out between her eyes. This had to be some warped reaction to Nathan dying. That coupled with hormones was the only logical reason as to why she suddenly found herself attracted to Dan Scott.
When she finally trusted herself enough to speak she looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I just really wasn't up to making small talk ." Dan looked at her searching her face, trying to find an clue, something, anything. He sighed. "Are you sure that's it?" "Positive." she said, hoping that the dishonestly didn't show in her eyes.
The answer seemed to satisfy Dan. He stood up. "I've got to go, I have some paperwork I have to go over." She tried not to let her disappointment show. "Alright." Haley said. As though noticing the despondency in her voice, Dan looked over at her. "I'll stop by tomorrow if that's alright." Her face brightened, "That…..that would be great."
Before leaving the room, Dan gave Haley a hug. "Take care of your self and my grandchild," he said. Haley smiled, "Don't worry, I will." As she watched him go, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of guilt. Dan was right, the child she was carrying was his grandchild. What right did she have to be thinking of Dan that way? What would Nathan think? She sighed as she made her way to the kitchen to help Peyton do dishes. Life was far to complicated.