Loving You Too Long

“Nath, are you okay?” Loretta grabbed his shoulder. Nathan chose not to answer. He glanced back at his mother, who shrugged and walked away from the bar table with a bowl of snacks in her hand.

Nathan then turned when he saw Haisley being led by Gilbert. Suddenly, he reached for Loretta’s waist, surprising her, and then tilted his head to the left, so from Haisley’s perspective, it looked like Nathan was kissing Loretta.

Annoyed, jealous, angry-while intoxicated, he felt all of it, but he tried to ignore it. He chose to grip Gilbert’s arm tighter and simply followed his friend’s steps, who helped him upstairs.

What was really in that drink that made the floor feel like it was twisting like a snake? He wondered to himself. The drink tasted sweet and refreshing, but its effects made him feel weak and miserable.

Gilbert opened the door to his old room and led him inside. Slowly, he seated Haisley on the bed. “Lie down, the dizziness will go away,” he said gently.

Haisley looked up, gazing at her friend with a furrowed brow. “Why didn’t you just take me home, G?” she asked, confused.

Gilbert sighed. The man chose to crouch in front of Haisley so that their heads were at the same level. “I’m the host, H. And we’re celebrating a birthday, can’t I escort my guest?” he said slowly with a smile on his face.

Haisley frowned in frustration. The image of Nathan kissing Loretta filled her mind again. “Then call a taxi, or let Steven take me home,” she suggested.

Gilbert shook his head. “With the risk of you being mistreated by a taxi driver?” he said disgustedly. “Or what if Steven takes advantage of the situation while you’re vulnerable in your intoxicated state?” he asked, making Haisley shiver.

Haisley looked at Gilbert with narrowed eyes. “Steven would never do anything indecent,” she said confidently.

Gilbert smiled. He agreed with what Haisley said. If Steven had any intentions, he would have acted on them long ago. But still, Steven was a man, and Haisley was at her weakest right now. So Gilbert chose not to trust anyone.

“Go to sleep. If you wake up and still want to go home, I’ll take you,” he said. Haisley looked at him with a dazzled gaze but then nodded. Gilbert rubbed Haisley’s head before retreating and closing the door behind him.

Haisley dropped her body onto the bed, with her legs hanging off the floor. She closed her eyes with one hand, hoping that this way she could fall asleep and wake up with a clear head. However, once again, the image of Nathan kissing Loretta as he passed by earlier disturbed her. A strong pang in her heart made her eyes moist, and then the tears fell, touching the left side of her face and dripping onto her ear.

Roughly, Haisley wiped away the tears, muttering to herself. “Don’t be foolish. They’re engaged and will get married. So why should you feel jealous? Nathan is not someone for you. He’s just your friend’s brother, who happens to be also a good friend of your brother and the child of your parents’ friends. That’s it. Period,” Haisley said to herself.

Haisley sat up again, shaking her head to ward off the dizziness. The feeling of thirst now dominated her throat. She looked up at the bedside table; usually, she found a small teapot and a glass there. But since she no longer lived there, those simple things were no longer present.

She got up from her seat and then stumbled as she walked out of the room. She didn’t care if she saw Nathan and Loretta being affectionate. Right now, quenching her thirst was more important. Dehydration could be fatal, and Haisley didn’t want that to happen to her.

Haisley descended the stairs, holding tightly onto the wooden handrail. Her eyes were down, observing the steps that somehow seemed to double in her vision. She didn’t want to misstep and tumble down headfirst. So she took each step very carefully.

On her way to the kitchen, she heard the voice of someone she knew too well. “Looking for a new victim, Haisley?” The question made Haisley turn around. She had to tilt her head back because the man was taller than her.

“Victim?” Haisley asked in return.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Victim, for you to hunt,” Nathan replied with a sly smile on his face.

Haisley chuckled, making Nathan, who was looking at her, frown instantly. “Well, I’m looking for water if you call that a victim. Because I need it right now as my prey,” she replied.

Haisley then looked into the office area. Seeing a glass on the table, she walked over. She grabbed the glass and took a sip of the golden liquid inside, frowning immediately. “What is this?” she asked, coughing as she felt the bitter liquid burning her throat.

“What do you think? Sweet tea?” Nathan answered, pulling the glass still in Haisley’s hand and placing it on the table, out of her reach. “It’s whiskey, not sweet tea,” he continued. He then walked to the other side of the room, opened a small fridge, and took out a bottle of water. Opening it, he handed it to Haisley.

Haisley mumbled a thank you and then gulped down the clear, cold water without pause until only half of it remained. Nathan watched her, observing how she quenched her thirst in a manner that was both greedy and far from graceful.

Haisley wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and handed the bottle back to Nathan for him to close. Drinking the cold water didn’t seem to alleviate the throbbing in her head; instead, it felt like it was getting worse.

“Don’t sleep here,” Nathan’s command echoed in Haisley’s head. She leaned her hips against the desk, both hands gripping the edge to maintain her balance. Her head tilted back, and she looked at Nathan with narrowed eyes, hoping her gaze could focus on the handsome figure before her.

Haisley smiled, a gesture that puzzled Nathan. “You know,” she said, “whether you’re angry or not, your face still looks handsome.” She chuckled. “It’s no wonder many girls in our school used to like you. And now, Loretta seems to be a very lucky girl to have won you.” She continued.

Nathan scoffed. He walked closer and placed the cold water bottle on the table. He deliberately stood towering in front of Haisley with his hands folded in front of his chest. “And was the girl who liked me among them you?” Nathan asked casually, even though he knew Haisley’s answer.

Haisley nodded quickly in response. Then she shook her head. “I didn’t just like you. But I,” she pointed at herself. “love you.” And she directed her index finger at Nathan. “You’re handsome, you’re smart, you’re great at everything, and more than that, you’re a good and gentle man.” She spoke rapidly, with her finger still pointing at Nathan. “Even though you never show that to me.” She said with tears now starting to fill her eyes. “You’re always cold to me. You’re always cynical. You never smile. But I still like you.” She continued.

Tears now completely filled Haisley’s eyes and fell onto both of her cheeks as the round orbs couldn’t hold them back any longer. Haisley wiped away the tears harshly.

“I don’t know what makes you hate me. Even when Crystal rejected you, you openly rejected me in front of her. But I still didn’t want to give up. I still wanted to get you. Am I stupid?” She asked more to herself. “I should have stepped back since then. I should have looked for someone else to like. Instead of daydreaming and hoping that slowly your love for Crystal would fade, and then I would replace her.

“I should have, when you decided to stay here, I should have looked for another guy.” Haisley then laughed. “I even became a bully to people I didn’t know just because there was a guy who liked me. You know, I didn’t realize it because my eyes were closed. My heart was closed to someone other than you. If only at that time I accepted his confession. Maybe now I would still be dating him. Or maybe I would have dated several people by now.

“You know, six years after that, I’m always alone. Even though occasionally I go out with Abigail and Flavia, but still. I’m single.” She chuckled again. “I also want to be like most girls. You know, spending Saturday night dating. Just watching a movie at the cinema or going for a walk. Holding hands and maybe by now, I could know what it feels like to kiss.” Haisley looked at Nathan and then closed her mouth. “I forgot. You’ve already stolen a kiss from me while I was unconscious, right?” she asked innocently.

“Gilbert said you pounced on me while I was sleeping. What else have you done to me, Nath?” she wondered. “And why didn’t you do it to me when I woke up?” she asked challengingly. “You know, I wouldn’t refuse it at all. Because I’m also curious about how it feels. Would your lips taste as sweet as candy?” she asked with hopeful anticipation in her eyes. Then her expression turned into a disgusted grimace. “Or would it be bitter and burning like that drink?” She pointed to the whiskey glass that was fifty centimeters away from her reach.

Nathan still stood in place, looking at the girl without expression. “What do you think?” the man asked in return.

Haisley immediately stood up quickly and staggered again. Nathan quickly grabbed her waist with both hands to help Haisley regain her balance. But Haisley pushed him with all her strength until Nathan ended up falling backward, landing on his butt first. Fortunately, the office floor was lined with thick Turkish carpet, so Nathan’s fall didn’t cause any pain, just a muffled thud.

Haisley chuckled, seeing Nathan looking at her with an annoyed expression. But that expression changed when Haisley walked closer. The girl stood tall above Nathan, opened her legs, and then threw herself, sitting on his lap. Still not tall enough because Haisley still had to tilt her head to see his face.