This is just horseshit!" Nathan exclaimed, looking at the magazine photo for what seemed like the hundredth time the following day. Nathan and Lucas had grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe and were discussing the fall-out.

"I know...but man, I don't know why you let something like that happen again. I know Lisa has a profound effect on you and all--" Lucas said but Nathan interrupted.

"--whoa, hang on...she 'had' an effect on me as in the past tense....this picture says nothing! It was a split second of something that I never intended in the first place and they're making it look like some torrid affair," Nathan said.

"I know...they caught a glimpse of something that wasn't quite how it looked...but the bad news is, it will look suspicious to people who know your history together and you do have to face that," Lucas said.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "why? Why do I have to face it?? Let them say whatever the hell they want! I'm not married...."

Lucas shook his head, "...yeah, speaking of which, have you talked to Haley?"

Nathan got silent, "No...I haven't been able to get in touch with her. I've been trying to call but with the time difference, I haven't been able to get her."

Lucas nodded silently. "Does anyone at work know about the two of you?"

"Not as far as I can tell...I haven't said anything...she and I had decided it was best to keep it under wraps," Nathan replied.

At that moment, Lucas' cell phone rang.

He answered it promptly.

Nathan sat there, quietly eating his sandwich and thinking.

Lucas was responding to the caller, "...yes...I see...alright, thanks for the warning."

This last part got Nathan's attention.

Lucas hung up a second later and looked at Nathan. "This could be worse than I thought...apparently, several other magazines jumped on the bandwagon -- this photo has appeared in 3 magazines that we now know of...and several of them actually hit news stands yesterday."

"Oh sh%$," Nathan said. He had been hoping that with only one magazine, the photo could create minor issues at best. If it was turning into a media blitz Haley was sure to have heard about it by now.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I have to try to call Haley again."

~~~~

Haley sat on her bed, her cheeks stained with tears as she pulled her ringing cell phone out of her purse.

One look told her who was calling and she clicked the button to send the call to her voicemail.

Despite Brooke's best efforts to not let Haley see the magazine at the newsstand, gossip had later circulated the office the following day -it had been inevitable.

Haley had been sitting at her desk when Melissa walked back from the conference room.

"Well, our campaign is getting premature exposure in the form of tabloid fodder," Melissa said in an exasperated tone.

"Why? What do you mean?" Haley asked, not looking up from her files.

Melissa took a magazine from her desk and opened it, throwing it on Haley's desk.

It may have been construed as a mean-spirited act, had Melissa actually known the truth about Haley and Nathan. Although, Haley figured Melissa had to have been curious, she didn't know the level or extent of their involvement. Chances were, Melissa had seen Nathan spend time with countless females who didn't turn out to be much more than acquaintances.

Haley looked up to the glossy page before her and pure instinct took over.

She could feel her cheeks flush with anger and humiliation as she picked up the magazine to see the large photo of Lisa and Nathan together, kissing.

The accompanying story went on to depict how the model and PR executive had once been a couple and the image campaign had brought them together again. The kicker was the quote 'mutual affection had once again won out and taken over despite their torrid past and apparent bitter break-up.'

Haley could feel tears stinging behind her eyes.

"I just think its really ridiculous, all of it," Melissa spoke up, sitting behind her desk and shuffling her papers, completely oblivious to Haley's reaction to the magazine. "I mean, they're humans, ya know? They're not like circus animals to be put on display and analyzed."

Haley shook her head, setting the magazine back down on the desk. She quietly excused herself to the restroom.

Melissa furrowed her eyebrows at Haley's hasty exit and a knot formed in her stomach that perhaps she had just created an even bigger problem - if she had been wrong about a casual friendship between Nathan and Haley.

~~~~

"What a son of a bitch!" Brooke said, looking at the magazine again.

Haley sat on the couch, furiously wiping away the tears that had been virtually endless throughout the afternoon. It was all she could do to make it through the afternoon, pretending to be casual and upbeat around Melissa.

"I just don't get it...." Brooke said. "I mean...there has to be a mistake here somewhere."

"How can there be a mistake?" Haley said. "It's a picture, Brooke. If it was just a printed story, it could be fabricated...but not with photos."

"Are you kidding, in this day and age? It could have been photo-shop'd!" Brooke said.

Haley gave her a look, "Brooke...its real...no matter how much I don't want to admit it or think about it or see it...its real...all of it...and the only mistake here is my being naive enough to think that Nathan had actually changed --."

"Have you talked to him?" Brooke asked quietly.

Haley shook her head that she had not.

"Why don't you call him and talk to him?"

"...because there's nothing he can say to make any of this any better," Haley said. "I don't feel like listening to him make up lies to calm me down...try to convince me that I'm seeing a scene out of a damn commercial."

"...maybe it is, part of the commercial?" Brooke asked hopefully.

"...no, its not," Haley said. "They don't kiss in the commercial."

Brooke looked down at the ground, trying to think of something to say.

"I have a confession," she spoke up.

Haley looked at her.

"I kind of saw that picture yesterday, but didn't mention it - because I didn't want you to be hurt...I was hoping that it had just been a misunderstanding and was something that wasn't even worth mentioning."

"You saw this yesterday?" Haley asked.

Brooke nodded.

Haley shook her head, "I can't believe this...so you actually wouldn't have told me about this if I hadn't found out otherwise."

"It's not like that, Haley," Brooke said. "It was more trying to figure out a right time to tell you -- I saw it on the street corner right before you were going back to work, that wouldn't been the right time to break it to you."

"You could've told me last night! Instead, I have to get blind-sided by it at work!"

Brooke winced and looked at the ground again, "Haley...I'm sorry...I didn't know what to do...no one wants to have to be 'that friend'...the friend who destroys the very idea of something you care about."

Haley was quiet for a moment. She was too exhausted to be angry anymore. All she had felt all afternoon was anger- anger and humiliation.

She shook her head, "okay...but please, don't keep something like this from me...even if you know it will hurt me...I'd rather know...and I would rather hear it from you as opposed to co-workers or strangers."

Brooke nodded in silence.

~~~

Haley went back to her room and changed into a t-shirt and boxers. She immediately realized the t-shirt belonged to Nathan - it had been one that he'd left there before.

This reminder only fueled more tears.

A few moments later, her cell phone rang.

At that moment, Haley got a streak of courage. She was going to face this thing head-on. No more hiding and dodging Nathan's calls. He needed to know that she knew what was going on and how it made her feel.

~~~

"Hey!! You answered!" Nathan exclaimed as Haley picked up the phone.

"Yes, I did," was all she said in a flat and cold tone.

Nathan closed his eyes. It was crunch time.

"Listen...I'm sure you have seen these ridiculous magazines."

"Yeah, I'd say they're pretty ridiculous," Haley said. "Pretty ridiculous and accurate."

Nathan was taken aback at her hostility, "...wait...Haley...listen, its really not what you think."

"Oh really? Well, why don't you fill me in then? What it looks like to me is a hot shot PR executive with a world-renowned womanizing side, romancing a gorgeous model who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend..."

"That's not how it is," Nathan said, reeling from her words. He'd seen Haley's feistiness since day one, but this was on a whole new level...'Womanizing' --he'd always hated that word, even when perhaps it could have been applied to him - but to hear Haley use that word to describe him only added insult to injury.

"Listen, she and I were talking outside -- and she kissed me...and--"

"...and you just didn't stop her," Haley sighed.

"No, I did stop her! You don't see that in the photo but that's what happened!" Nathan said.

Haley shook her head in frustration, "Listen, I don't know about you but there has never been a guy in my life who has kissed me when I didn't want him to...the fact that she actually managed to kiss you speaks volumes to me -- you can actually pull away before someone gets that close to you, in case you didn't know that," Haley said in a venomous tone.

Nathan was quiet- there was honestly nothing he could say to that...at least nothing that she would hear or believe.

"...I'm very sorry that all of this has happened...but you really do need to understand that there's nothing going on between me and Lisa...you have to know that…I'm so sorry..."

"I'm really tired of hearing you apologize -- and I don't want to talk about this anymore," Haley cut him off. Her anger had taken every ounce of energy from her body and she was tired of arguing about something that they clearly didn't see eye-to-eye on.

"Can I call you tomorrow?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know...I don't really think I'm interested in your excuses," Haley said, defeated.

Nathan sighed, "...I'll call you tomorrow..."

"Fine," Haley said.

"Fine," Nathan replied.

With that, the two hung up.

Nathan laid back on the bed, milling over everything that had happened and trying to think about what he could do to make things right.