Chapter Fourteen

It was barley six A.M when Haley walked into Karen's Café. She had tried desperately to sleep the night before but after her conversation with Lucas sleep just wouldn't come. She knew Lucas was right and she wanted to talk to Nathan. Every possible outcome played in her mind through out the night, keeping her up and making he sick to her stomach with the worse case scenario out comes.

Haley was surprised to see Karen there so early, she usually had one of the high school kids open. At least she had let Haley open to get extra hours. At sixteen Haley couldn't take her parent's erratic behavior anymore, after hours of discussion her parents finally agreed to let her emancipate herself. She loved them so much but they were like kids most of the time and she was tired of acting like a parent to them. Once the papers were signed she moved into a small one bedroom apartment. Not long after her parents sold the house and started to travel all over the place. Karen had been kind to her, knowing she still needed some parenting, and let her work at the café as often as she was able.

"Haley? Isn't it a bit early for you to be up?" Karen asked laughing, snapping Haley out of her trip down memory lane.

Haley laughed, "Yea, but I couldn't sleep so here I am. What are you doing here so early?"

"My opener called out sick last night, I'm not feeling so well myself but someone has to open," Karen told her.

Haley looked at Karen's face and noticed the dark circles under her eyes, she didn't look like she slept any more than she had. "Why don't you head home? I can handle the café for her shift," Haley offered.

Karen looked around at the few customers that were there. She really wasn't feeling well and she knew she could trust Haley. "Are you sure you don't mind? Her shift was supposed to be until twelve thirty, I can stay," Karen said feeling guilty. Haley was a star, she wasn't meant to run a café.

"Karen, I don't mind. I loved working here. I missed it when I was on the road, so go home," Haley pleaded.

"Okay, almost every thing is where it was when you worked here, a few things have moved but-"

"Go! I got it," Haley yelled cutting her off.

"I'm gone, I'm gone," Karen said laughing. "Thank you Haley," Karen told her as she walked out the door.

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Nathan tossed and turned most of the night, getting little if any sleep. At five thirty he gave up trying to sleep and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. The scalding spray felt good on his back and helped to ease some of the tension out of his muscles. As soon as it was an appropriate hour he was going to go to her house and finally try to talk to Haley about their relationship.

With his mind wandering he was shocked to notice that the water was no longer hot but freezing. He quickly washed his hair and body, opting to shave at the sink, then got out. Once his face was smooth he dressed in his usual jeans but put on a dark blue button down instead of his everyday polo shirts.

Nathan tried to keep himself busy but by nine o'clock he couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed his keys and jumped in his SUV. Thanks to his heavy foot he got to Haley's house in no time. After parking in her driveway he looked around and noticed her car was missing, he hoped she just put it in the garage but he knew in his gut she wasn't home. He went to the door anyway and rang the door bell. He wasn't surprised when she didn't answer but his hope slightly deflated. He couldn't keep the thought, that maybe she left again without a word, from entering his mind.

With little else to do, since he didn't have to work today, Nathan decided to go to the café to grab breakfast and talk to his mom. He didn't know how she always managed to know what to do but she had never steered him in the wrong direction.

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Haley was waiting tables and busing them as she walked by them to the kitchen. As soon as she started to move around the café it was like she was transported back in time to when she sixteen. To a time that, even though she was newly on her own, was simple. She had been so happy and carefree with Nathan then, it felt like another lifetime ago now.

Haley was waiting on a customer when she heard the door open. She didn't turn around to see who it was but she heard them sit down behind her at the counter. She would wait on whoever as soon as she was done handing the order into the cook. Before Haley went back out into the dining area she picked up a plate of food ready for a customer. Haley quickly carried it out to a young woman sitting at the counter and almost dropped it when she locked eyes with Nathan.

She shouldn't be shocked to see him here, after all it was his mother's café. After carefully setting the plate down with shaking hands Haley walked over to stand in front of Nathan. His back was straight and his elbows were resting on the counter top, he looked almost nervous, she thought.

"Um, what can I get for you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Where's my mom?" Nathan asked her. It was the first thing that he could think to say, and when he seen her face fall he felt like an idiot.

"I sent her home, she was tired and didn't look like she was feeling well," Haley told him, sounding more like herself.

Nathan smiled, his Haley was still in there, that knowledge gave him the courage he needed to see if they had a future. "Thanks Haley, for looking out for my mom. Do you think when you're done here maybe we could talk?"

Haley didn't try to hide her surprise, she knew he could read her so it would have been pointless anyways. "Uh, yea, yea sure. I get done at twelve thirty if that's okay."

"That's fine," Nathan replied nodding.

"Did you want anything to eat? Or drink?" Haley asked unable to keep a small smile off her face.

Nathan laughed, he had been so caught up he had forgotten about eating. "Pancakes, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs. Oh and a cup of coffee please."

"You haven't changed have you," Haley laughed putting his order in and pouring him a cup of coffee.

Nathan didn't get a chance to respond when a group of people dressed in business attire walked in. With a grin Haley grabbed menus and went to tend to the group, leaving him waiting anxiously for twelve thirty.