Haley was in the middle of throwing clothes into the washing machine. When she came across one of Chris's shirts, she started to go through the shirt pocket. The moment she pulled money from the shirt pocket, Haley gasped in shock as she started to wonder where the money came from and why Chris was hiding it. Dropping the shirt back into the basket, Haley started to count it. After she finished counting, Haley quickly walked out of the little laundry room, completely forgetting about the basket of laundry, and went to find Chris.
Walking into the living room, Haley found Chris sitting on the couch, strumming his guitar. Without saying a word, Haley dropped the cash on the coffee table and then placed her hands on her hips as she glared at him for a moment.
Chris suddenly stopped playing with his guitar when he noticed the money on the table. "Where did you find this?" He asked as he reached over, picked it up, and examined the money in his hand.
"I found it in your shirt pocket when I was doing laundry. Wanna tell me why you have that kind of money? Did you get paid for your studio time?" Haley asked, wanting to understand why Chris was carrying around $500 in his pocket.
" $500? I'm actually holding $500 in my hands?" Chris asked as he started counting the money himself.
"Are you saying that you didn't know how much money you had in your pocket?" Haley asked, more confused than ever. "Okay, I think you need to tell me what's going on and why you're carrying this kind of cash around."
Chris blew out a breath as he nodded his head. "Okay, there's something I need to tell you, but before I tell you, I need you to promise me that you won't freak out or slap me." Chris really couldn't tell Haley the real reason why he had the money, so he had to tell her something.
Haley exhaled deeply as she sat down on the coffee table in front of Chris. "I can't really keep that promise, Chris. But I will try. Just please tell me why you have this kind of cash."
The night I drove around to clear my head, it wasn't just for twenty minutes. It was longer than that. I ended up meeting someone that night.
"Okay. Who did you meet?"
"It was Renee," Chris said, rubbing the back of his neck, as he started to feel nervous all of a sudden.
"Renee? Is there any particular reason why you would meet her?" Haley asked suspiciously.
Chris couldn't quite tell Haley the real reason why he met up with Renee or the real reason why Renee gave him that money. So he said the first thing that came to mind: "She wants to record a song for Red Bedroom Records. She paid me $500 to talk to Peyton into letting her record a song." It was the lamest lie he ever told. But he just couldn't tell Haley the truth without risking losing her.
"Please tell me that you didn't really talk Peyton into letting Renee record a song in her studio. Please tell me that you didn't actually take Renee seriously," Haley said as she looked straight into Chris's eyes. "Just please tell me that you didn't actually go through with it."
Chris sighs deeply and shakes his head. "Of course not, since Peyton already said no when I asked her."
Haley exhales in relief, nodding her head. "Oh, thank God." The last thing Haley needs is for Renee to completely take over her life. It was bad enough that Renee took Nathan from her. But the thought of Renee in that studio trying to record a song is even worse. As a matter of fact, the whole thing sounds ridiculous to Haley.
Haley then looked down at the money in Chris's hand. "Then why did you keep the money? Why didn't you give Renee back her money when Peyton said no?"
Chris shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head. "I've been so busy in the studio that I haven't had the chance to give it back to her."
"Well, then you can give the money back to her the next time you see her," Haley said as she stood up, leaned forward, and kissed his cheek before turning around and going back to finish the laundry.
Chris blew out a deep breath as he placed the money in his pocket. He knew better than to leave the cash in his shirt pocket, knowing that Haley would find it. He also knew that he shouldn't have lied about why Renee gave him the money in the first place. But he just couldn't tell her the truth, without risking losing her.
"How long do you think the distance thing between you and Haley will last?"
"I don't know, Skills, but hopefully it won't last forever." Nathan answered as he took a drink of his beer. Nathan invited the guys over to watch a basketball game. Well, except Julian and Chase. Julian is working on a new movie, and Chase has been spending all of his time with Alex.
"Have you ever tried talking to her?" Lucas asked a moment later.
"No, I haven't," Nathan answered with a sigh. "She wanted space from me, and I'm trying to respect that." Nathan had thought about calling Haley multiple times over the last few weeks. But he decided against it. He would talk to her when she was ready to talk to him.
"Maybe, I can talk to her," Lucas suggested when Nathan shook his head.
"Luke, seriously, I don't need you to talk to her. Haley and I are fine. She wanted space, and I'm giving it to her," Nathan said as he got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing another beer from the fridge.
Lucas sighs deeply as he gets up from the chair he was sitting in and goes to check on Nathan. "Nate, I'm just concerned. Mostly for Jamie and Lydia. I mean, not being able to see your kids has got to be hard on you."
"I do see them every weekend," Nathan replied, taking a drink of his beer as he leaned back against the kitchen counter.
"How?" Lucas asked in confusion.
"Haley drops them off at my mom's, and my mom will either drop them off or I'll pick them up from her place," Nathan answered with a shrug.
"That doesn't sound like Haley. I mean, I know things between you two haven't been so great. But..."
"She feels guilty about the kiss," Nathan said, cutting Lucas off.
"Oh... and I'm guessing you don't feel guilty about it," Lucas asked, smirking a little.
Nathan sighed softly and nodded. "I don't know, man, but ever since Haley left for the tour, all I could do is think about her, even when I was trying to pretend that I wasn't, I was still thinking about her. For a while, I've buried my feelings for Haley and tried to focus on my relationship with Renee."
"But..."
"But the moment I saw Haley again when she came over, it seemed like all my feelings came back to the surface, and I wanted so badly to kiss her right there, but of course, I held back. I let her leave with our kids and Chris." He said with a sigh as he finished his beer.
"Sounds like you're still in love with her."
"I am. It's always been Haley, Lucas. It's always going to be her," Nathan said as he tossed the empty bottle into the bin before grabbing another beer from the fridge.
Lucas nodded. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
Nathan heaved a sigh as he set his beer down. "I have no clue." Nathan wants his wife back; he wants his family back. There's no denying that. He just has no idea how he's going to get them back. But he'll come up with something—he always does.
After Haley finished the laundry and cleaning the house, she curled up on her couch with a cup of herbal tea and just relaxed until she had to start dinner. When Haley took a sip of her tea, she sighed softly as she started thinking about Nathan and their last conversation. When she told him that she wanted space from him, she honestly didn't expect Nathan would actually be okay with it. A part of her thought Nathan would fight her on it. She was kind of hoping that he would, but instead, Nathan said he would give her the space she needed and promised to keep his distance.
For three weeks now, Haley hasn't seen or even heard from Nathan. No text messages and not even a phone call. Haley should be relieved that Nathan is keeping his distance and respecting her decision. She should be happy that she and Chris are spending more time together, now that he's been coming home to her every night. But she's not, and that's because she's sitting here thinking about Nathan. Even worse, she can't help but miss him.
To be honest, Haley has missed Nathan for the past two years. She misses the way Nathan's hands felt on her skin every time he touched her. She misses the way Nathan would look at her; Chris could never look at her the way Nathan did. Haley even misses the way Nathan kissed her, leaving her breathless every time they kissed. But most of all, Haley misses the way Nathan made her feel whenever they were together.
The night Nathan kissed her after so long, Haley could feel everything explode inside of her. She could feel her heart beating against her chest. She felt her body getting tingly and warm as soon as she felt his hands against her skin. Oh, how Haley had missed those hands on her.
If Chris hadn't made his way into her mind and if Haley hadn't stopped the kiss, Haley would've slept with Nathan that night. Even though Nathan wasn't her ex-husband, Haley wasn't that kind of person. She would never hurt Chris like that. But the way Haley's body was reacting to Nathan, she wanted him, and there was no denying it. However, she couldn't do it. She had to end things before they went too far.
Haley suddenly jumped a little when she heard her cell phone ringing. Looking down at the screen, Haley noticed it was her sister Quinn calling. Haley hadn't really been visiting her sister since she came home from tour. Haley wasn't trying to avoid Quinn or anything. She just wanted to avoid Clay for as long as possible. Haley still blamed Clay for what happened between Nathan and Renee. Not to mention, she wasn't ready to talk to Clay or forgive him either.
After a few more rings, Haley blew out a breath and finally answered Quinn's call. "Hey, Quinny."
"Finally, I was just about to hang up. What are you doing right now?"
"Nothing really, why?"
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over because there's something I kinda wanna tell you and I don't wanna say it over the phone. So, can you come over?" Quinn asked as she bit her bottom lip, waiting for Haley's answer.
Haley deeply sighs. "The only way I'm coming over is if Clay isn't there. Because if he is there, then no, I'm not coming over."
Quinn rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You gotta get over it and try to forgive him, Hales. But he's not here. He's working at the office all day. So can you please come over?"
Not in this lifetime, Haley thought as she sighed heavily and nodded her head. "Alright, I'll be there in about ten minutes," Haley answered, hung up, got up from the couch, grabbed her keys and purse, and walked out of the door.
AN: Here's another new chapter. Will update again soon. Naley will start talking again soon. I'm just waiting for the right moment. Plus I don't plan ending this story anytime soon. Which is why I'm not rushing the Naley reunion plus there's so much I wanna tell in this story. Also I started a new Naley story called Life Of The Scott Family. So Feel free to check it out. Happy Holidays everyone and as always leave reviews xD.