Part II Chapter VIII
Thank you for the reviews and to those who've stuck by me with this story. You're feedback really works wonders for getting over a writer's block so please share your thoughts! I used Clay's words last chapter because it fit so perfectly with this story, I was actually a little floored by how well it blended in. I haven't gotten as much feedback lately as I would've liked especially since your words inspire me to help write so please let me know what you think. I'd hate to think that I'm losing my "touch." Anyways, enjoy this next chapter, once again thanks to Kelly for beta-ing.
. . . . . .
Haley fidgeted with her hands as she sat at the very coffee shop she was just at yesterday. Her cup of coffee had been long gone as was the croissant she ordered. She took a napkin and wiped her brow, she didn't know why she had a cup of coffee since today was unseasonably warm. This is stupid, she thought to herself. She finished her last appointment and was zigzagging through town to go back to her hotel, but then she noticed she was by NYU again and decided to exit the train.
She'd be kidding herself if she said she didn't know why she was here. She knew why, it was that guy. James was his name, which she found ironic considering her own personal connection to that name. It was if something was pulling her to come back here, which was ridiculous because she was here to check out a guy who she never met. God, she felt like a stalker, she wished that Amanda had never told her his name. Before he was the guy with the nice butt, now he was James Lafferty, NYU student who at least was taking e-con. She must be going insane and she wished Brooke hadn't left town to go tend to business in LA. Her sister was also busy with work and it would be such a hassle leaving the city to see her. She still had other schools to check out.
Haley shook her head, she grabbed her things and was about to take her empty cup to the trash. Just then she noticed him walking towards the court. She watched as he stood there, looking on as a group of guys were playing. She still couldn't get a good look at him because of that damn black baseball cap but instead of playing, she was surprised to see him keep walking.
She was about to follow him but she turned on her own heels, no she scolded herself as she walked in the opposite direction. Still, she couldn't help but glance back towards him and for a second, she saw him turn around and removed his hat, running his hand through his long dark hair. She quickly turned back around and walked away. She really was going out of her mind, she thought.
. . . . .
Lucas traced his hands along the lettering on the granite headstone, his heart slightly heavier at the moment. In the background he could hear the ruffle of leaves and he looked up to see Jamie running and playing by himself along the grassy field. Jamie had bounced back from his little sickness and was once again a ball of energy. He smiled at the sight of his nephew being so free and happy, even in this place of eternal sadness. He sighed and looked back at the headstone.
"I still have your number on my cell." Lucas said softly. "Last week, I saw this sick game on TV and for a second I forgot and reached to my phone to call you. You know I still find it hard to believe you're gone, that I won't ever get to se you again, but then I see Jamie and I see you. You'd be so proud of him, he's getting so big. Despite everything we've been through, when I found out Haley was pregnant, I knew you would've made a great father Nate." Lucas said softly.
"You sure you're okay?" Lucas asked.
"I'm fine." Nathan replied.
"You look anxious?"
"Thank you Mr. Obvious." Nathan rolled his eyes.
"Ass." Lucas joke as he took a seat next to Nathan but then he quickly stood up.
"What happened?"
"The seat was wet." Lucas got up and started wiping his but and Nathan just laughed.
"That's not funny, I can't believe you set off the sprinklers in the hospital, no less."
"Haley wanted rain." Nathan shrugged.
"You're unbelievable." Lucas shook his head.
"Haley's fine right?"
"Yeah, she's just worried about you, we all are. You should be resting especially for a guy who got ran over.""
"I'm fine. It's her I'm worried about, especially with the baby."
"The baby and Haley are fine." Lucas chuckled. "I still can't believe, you a father, with Haley as the mother no less." Lucas teased.
"Is this how you pictured your senior year going?" Nathan gave a small smile.
"No, not at all. But she's happy Nate, and it's because of you."
"I'd do anything for her." Nathan said softly. "Her and my son."
"Son?"
"I'm a Scott, we're having a boy." He smirked.
Lucas extended his hand and the two pounded their fist, a smirk forming on Lucas' face as well. "Damn straight."
"Hey Nate, I just want you to know that I think.. no I know you'll make a great dad."
"Wow, than.. thanks Luke, that means a lot coming from you."
"Besides, he's going to have one hell of an uncle."
Nathan chuckled and then looked a little more solemn. "He will."
"We'll do it together." Lucas added. Nathan shuffled his hands and tried his best to smile at Lucas. "Yeah, together." Nathan said nervously.
"Hey, Luke, look after them."
"Huh?"
"If I'm not here, look after them."
"Nate.."
"Lucas, just promise me."
"Yeah of course, I promise." Lucas stated, not sure where this was coming from. He just assumed Nathan was still on edge after being run over.
"You are supposed to be resting … and so should you." Haley glared at both her best friend and husband and both Lucas and Nathan whipped their heads to see her best friend.
"I think that's my cue to leave." Lucas said standing up. "Don't keep him up too long." Lucas smirked and gave Haley a hug. "I think I'm going to go home too and freshen up.. I'll see you later." Lucas turned to Nathan.
Haley took her seat next to Nathan and turned to him. "I think I got it."
"Got what?"
"Our son's name."
"God, I should just leave you and Brooke together.. she's convinced it's a girl."
"Well, she's wrong and in 8 months, she'll see." He said proudly. "But on the off hand chance it is a girl.. I have a name that suits both."
"What?"
"Jamie."
"Jamie?"
"Yes.. James Scott… and you can also call him Jamie .. and Jamie works for a girl too.. you like it? I named it after you of course." Nathan smiled and Haley couldn't help but nod.
"It's perfect."
"And since it is a boy.. what do you think of …" Nathan pulled her close and whispered into her ear.
Haley giggled. "I love it!" She said giving him a big hug and kiss. "My family will love it too."
"Have you spoken to them yet?"
"No… I'll call in the morning.. Hey it's Haley.. we won the championship game, Nathan got hit by a car, I'm pregnant.. see you at the wedding." Haley laughed.
A sinking feeling suddenly came over Nathan. "The wedding…" He mumbled. "I forgot about that."
Haley shook her head and held Nathan tighter. "Me too."
Lucas smiled from across the door and turned around and went to get something from his car, little did he know that that would be the last time he would see his brother, alive.
"God, why'd you have to go?" Lucas sighed. "Jamie was supposed to have more, more than either of us growing up. He was supposed to have it all, with you and Haley." Lucas continued to trace his brother's name on the head stone. "I've done what you asked, I watched over them but Haley is leaving and I'm trying to be okay with that, she needs to move on but I don't know what to do. I need your help, anything." Lucas sighed.
. . . . . .
Haley tossed and turned, no matter what she did, she couldn't go to sleep. Her mind was all over the place, Jamie, school, everything. After tossing for the millionth time, her eyes finally felt heavy and she soon drifted off to sleep.
Haley blinked a few times and it was then that she felt someone push up against her. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she looked around and saw that she was in the middle of a crowded street. Someone bumped into her again."Hey!" She called out. She couldn't believe the nerve of some people. It was then that she noticed the blue skies, the tall buildings. She was in New York, but she wasn't sure where she was. She looked around again and noticed people with backpacks and then she looked up and saw an NYU banner. Sure, enough she turned around and she was right back at the coffee shop. This is weird, she thought to herself. She was going to head back into the subway but she stopped.
She heard the sound of a basketball dribbling and an eerie feeling came over her. She tilted her head and noticed the basketball court and a couple of guys playing. She was about to turn her head back around but then she saw it, the same guy with the same black baseball cap on. She should turn away, by all means she should. But this time she couldn't she was rooted at her spot and that's when he turned around back to her. His face was still hidden but then she saw him remove his hat and run his hand through his dark hair, and that when she noticed his eyes, his deep blue eyes.
Haley gasped for air as she sat up in a dark and lonely New York hotel room. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she was drenched in sweat. She went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She saw her reflection in the mirror and saw the bags forming underneath her eyes.
She was now convinced she was going insane, there was no way, her mind must be playing tricks on her. It couldn't be him, it just couldn't.
She turned off the lights and went back into bed, hoping for sleep to come. Just then she heard the sound of thunder and she instantly opened her eyes. The next thing she knew she hears the sound of raindrops against the window. The trickle of the water calms her down but only for a moment. She laughed sarcastically to herself, finding her situation completely ironic and her mind automatically drifts back to him.
. . . . .
Nathan got up from bed and went into the kitchen and fixed himself a glass of water. His throat was dry and a thin layer of sweat covered his bare chest. Maintenance said that the AC would be fixed by tomorrow and he was hoping that would be the case. He finished the glass in one big gulp and then placed the cup back in the sink. He ran his hand through his long dark hair. He hated having his hair this long, especially in this heat and then there was the fact that he couldn't sleep.
It wasn't anything new. But tonight, he felt more off than usual. He has always been paranoid being here in New York, this was the capital of the world, what if someone sees him. He never took off his baseball cap in public but today when he was by the basketball court, he fixed his hair because it was so hot. He would've liked to play but he didn't want to play with other people, the less people who knew him the better. He felt as if someone was looking at him, he couldn't explain it but today he felt even more paranoid than before.
Just then he heard the sound of thunder and the clouds open up as rain descended on the city. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest at the loud bang but he calmed down once he heard the sound of rain drops hitting against his window. The sound of rain always left him with a feeling of longing.. and loss.
. . . . .
The next day Haley finds herself back at the coffee shop and as soon as she sees him approaching, she bolts out of there. She already missed her appointment with Pace and she had to reschedule. Once again she sees him and she wanted to at least get close to him, walk by him and put her doubts and suspicions to rest but she couldn't, she couldn't go through with it.
The day after that, she finds herself at a bookstore directly opposite the basketball court. Her body is leaning against the wall near a very tall window, giving herself a better view of the basketball court. Ever since it rained, the weather had cooled down and the temperature became cooler. She had a shawl around her head and wore oversized dark sunglasses. With a book in her hand she kept an eye out on the basketball court. She just had to see him, see it for herself and prove her mind wrong.
A group of guys were playing a pick up game, Haley had been here for 20 minutes now but still nothing. Just then, she saw him. She still couldn't get a good look at him but she could tell that he was just about the same height, same build as him. She watched as he stopped at the court and paused to take a look at the guys playing. It seemed that he wanted to play but she didn't understand why he just stood there. Then he started to walk away and Haley immediately put her book down and headed out of the bookstore.
She was leaving soon and if she didn't do this now, then she would be plagued by this mysterious man when she returned back to Tree Hill. She was even one call away from dialing Amanda's cell and asking her where she was taking her econ class. She needed to put her mind at rest, she just had to. Once it was done, she can laugh at herself for being so silly.
. . . .
Haley removed the dark oversized sunglasses from her eyes and the shawl she had wrapped around her head. She had followed him for 10 blocks now, keeping her distance, making sure that he had not seen her. After nearly 2 years of sleepless nights and endless doubt, she started to think her mind finally did let itself go. But he had enthralled her the moment she met him, well she technically hasn't met him per say, but rather even from a distance he intrigued her. It was stupid, clinging to some fantasy but she had to do this, just to keep her mind sane.
The mysterious James Lafferty she saw playing basketball only days ago had now enveloped her mind. Her attempts to see him up close and to talk to him had failed. She started to wonder if he knew she was looking at him and that he was avoiding her on purpose. Still, she only had a day before she had to get on a plane back to Tree Hill and before she left New York, she was determined to find and meet this man.
She entered the same apartment building she had seen him enter, but now cursed to herself. There must've been a million units in this place. She smiled to herself when she looked at the wall. Just her luck though, the directory clearly spelled out his apartment number for her. "Laff., J" it read, apartment 203 on the 23rd floor. She assumed this to be him. For a second she wondered how she was going to get inside the building but then a couple, who no doubt lived in the building, opened the door right for her and she sneaked in. She got on the elevator and she started to get nervous, more so than before.
This is silly. She hadn't even met the guy, let alone seen him in person but for some reason she knew she had to see him. Her friends, the few that remained, would find comfort in this, to know that Haley James-Scott was finally moving on with her decision to go back to school. It saddened her for a moment, to move forward, but she had no choice. Take Jamie out of the picture, she would've gladly joined Nathan 6 feet under ground, but no she had to keep living for Jamie's sake, even though the sight of her own child brought her eternal sadness.
Breathe. She told herself as she stepped out of the elevator and wandered the hall. She reached the apartment, #203. Taking one last breath, she knocked on the door. She would see him, claim that she knocked at the wrong apartment and that would be that. She would put her doubts at ease and then she can go back home in peace.
She heard the sound of jingling from the other side of the door and a second later the door flew wide open.
Haley's mouth dropped, time stood still, and felt as if her heart literally stopped beating. There he was, right in front of her. His hair was longer and it seemed like he hasn't shaved in weeks. His eyes were heavy and dark, as if he hadn't slept either, but there it was, the same shade of blue she'd recognize anywhere, the same shade that her son carried.
Nathan stood there frozen, this couldn't be, it was impossible. There was no way in hell, Haley was in front of him, no way she just knocked at his door.
She took a step back, as she held her breath and it wasn't until she bumped up against the opposite wall that she finally stopped. This had to be a dream, she told herself. There was no way she came to New York to find her dead husband, no way she completely missed college appointments to follow some stranger and stalk him. No, this had to be a dream, it wasn't the first time she dreamt that Nathan was alive, she reasoned. She was moving on with her life, it was natural for her mind to go back into the past. Although she didn't understand why she would dream of him unshaven and with long hair, either way she was convinced this was a hallucination.
She closed her eyes and once they were open she would find herself back at her hotel room or back at Tree Hill, anywhere but some random apartment in New York City with a man who looked like her husband. But once she opened her eyes, she wasn't back home or at her hotel, no she was still here and so was he.
Breathlessly, she muttered. "Na.. Nathan.." No, she shook her head as tears started to form in her eyes, she turned to leave but Nathan finally took that as a sign to do something and he reached out and grabbed her arm, a surge of electricity running through them.
"Haley.." Nathan said so softly, she almost didn't hear it. She was so close to him and before she knew it, he was right in front of her. She looked up and stared into those blue soulful eyes. He was so close now, it all seemed so surreal. She reached out and gently, caressed his cheek, her hand barely grazing his skin and she felt his beard brush up against her fingers, afraid that if she prodded too much he would vanish like so many of her dreams before.
All rhyme or reason went out the window as soon as he felt her touch, the last two years didn't matter, the fact that she thought he was dead didn't matter, all that mattered was that she was here, now. The whole world was tuned out and it was once again just him and her. He did the only thing he could think of, the only thing his heart and mind would allow him to do.
He kissed her.
To Be Continued.. . . .