Loving You Too Long

Haisley seemed to ponder for a moment. Her day off was still a while away. But should she become Loretta’s tour guide? She wondered in her heart. And risk hurting herself by seeing Loretta’s intimacy with Nathan or hearing the girl constantly recounting her beautiful moments with Nathan?

No, Haisley wasn’t a fool.

“My day off is still a long way off. I even forced my coworker to switch shifts with me today,” she confessed. “It’s not that I don’t want to accompany you, Loretta. It’s just that my two friends are also here, and I already made plans with them first. If only I knew you were coming here, I definitely wouldn’t have made plans with them,” Haisley said, half of it being a fact and the other half just her invention. Because if she knew Loretta was coming too, she definitely wouldn’t have picked up Dean and Gilbert and let them vacation in Miami without her.

Loretta looked at her with a pouty face. And Gilbert, the man who was lying down earlier, now looked at Haisley with a curious gaze.

“Don’t worry, Nathan will accompany you everywhere,” Dean finally spoke. “Aren’t you two also preparing for your engagement? So, it’s better if you plan everything together. Because I’ll also do it with Haisley, right, Haisley?” Dean raised his head and looked at Haisley. Haisley looked back at him and then nodded.

“Y-you’re also getting engaged here? With Dean?” Loretta asked enthusiastically and incredulously at the same time.

Haisley shrugged. “Yes, because he insisted,” Haisley replied in her flat tone. “I got tired of seeing him whining and saying that everyone should know that a Haisley belongs to Dean. Finally, I joined in the game my two friends created.”

Loretta clapped her hands in excitement. “How about we celebrate together?” she suggested.

Haisley shook her head. “No, I think that’s not appropriate. We should be the main figures at our respective parties, right?” Haisley looked at Dean again from the corner of her eye. And the man who had now put his head back on Haisley’s shoulder nodded in agreement. “Besides, our event with Dean won’t be as festive as yours. I think it’s enough to have dinner with our friends watching, that’s all,” Haisley said again.

Dean nodded again. “Yes, Haisley is right. Just me, Haisley, some friends, and a few close family members. After all, we’re not from the business world like your family. So, we can keep it more private,” Dean said again, receiving another nod from Haisley.

They heard Nathan scoff, and for the first time since seeing him at the airport, Haisley lifted her head and looked at Nathan with a challenging expression. “Got something to say, Nath? Why do I feel like you have a complaint?” she asked sarcastically.

Haisley knew he was glancing at her from behind his sunglasses, as he slightly lowered his head to see her sitting. But Nathan didn’t say anything, only tightened his jaw. Dean could notice the bulge in his cousin’s pocket. It was clear that Nathan was clenching his fists inside the pockets of his short chino pants.

“Haisley, can we order some snacks and cold drinks from here?” Dean chose to steer the conversation.

Haisley shifted her attention and nodded. “Of course. What do you want to eat?”

“You know the good food here, just order for us,” Dean said, and Haisley nodded in agreement. He lifted his head again and rested it on the pillow.

Haisley patted her thighs and then stood up. “Alright, then. I’ll order some delicious food and refreshing drinks. Do you guys want anything?” she asked Loretta and Nathan. Loretta nodded enthusiastically, but Nathan chose not to respond. Seeing that, Haisley decided to purse her lips and shrug. She then walked into the room and searched for the phone.

Haisley sat on the bed with her back to the exit. She reached for the phone on the bedside table and pressed the restaurant button. “Hello, Kak Ben. It’s Haisley,” she mentioned her senior’s name and then informed him of her current location. They discussed for a while about the menu that Haisley could order, and after a few moments, she hung up after expressing her gratitude. She placed the phone back on its handle. As she stood up, she was quite surprised to see Nathan standing against the wall that led to the minimalist kitchen of the bungalow. His arms were folded in front of his chest, and his eyes were sharp, focused on Haisley. He had also taken off his glasses, and they now hung on the top two buttons of his open shirt.

“What are you doing there?” Haisley asked curtly.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“You finally ask me,” Nathan replied in his cold tone. “Why didn’t you greet me at the airport and instead ignored me?” He reproached her with a disapproving tone.

Haisley stared at him and then scoffed. “Is that an obligation, Nath?” She asked challengingly. “I don’t have an obligation to greet you or be polite to you. Considering all this time, you’ve never been polite to me either,” she replied in a mocking tone, lifting Nathan’s eyebrow upon hearing it.

Haisley, now, was back. And the rebellious spirit within the girl seemed to be even stronger than before. In recent times in England, Nathan had seen her looking downcast. And now, he didn’t see that anymore.

“Are you really going to get engaged to Dean?” Nathan inquired.

“Of course, you’re really going to get engaged to Loretta, aren’t you?” Haisley countered.

“Don’t turn my question around like that, Haisley. Just answer. Yes or no?”

“I don’t feel obligated to answer to you, Nath. It’s my business with Dean, not yours. Why? Don’t like it? Don’t approve of our relationship?” Haisley asked challengingly. “I don’t care about your approval. We don’t care. After all, Dean is just your cousin, not your brother. If I were engaged to Gilbert, maybe your approval would matter. But Dean’s brother is Juan, not you. So, I don’t care much about your opinion,” Haisley continued with her blunt tone.

Haisley walked away from the bed, but unfortunately, to get back to the pool area, she had to go around the bed where Nathan was standing. She walked toward him, hoping Nathan wouldn’t do anything untoward like what happened at the restaurant before when he cornered her against the wall, leaving not only a mark on Haisley’s back but also in her heart. However, her hope vanished as Nathan grabbed her left arm.

“You can’t get engaged to Dean,” Nathan whispered so quietly. Haisley looked up, staring at him with narrowed eyes. “You still love me, you want me, and you’ll just make Dean a substitute.”

Haisley tried to release her arm from his grip, but instead of letting go, Nathan’s hold tightened. “So whether he’s a substitute or not, that’s between me and Dean, Nathaniel Chayton,” Haisley replied with the same hushed tone as Nathan. “It’s not your concern. Your concern right now is your own fiancée whom you’ve left outside. Not me.” Haisley then yanked her hand forcefully and managed to break free from Nathan’s grasp. She glanced at her hand and saw the reddish mark left by him.

Haisley lifted her gaze again and looked at the man with her sharp eyes. “Do you know why I came back to America?” she asked challengingly. “Because I’m sick of seeing you. I’m disgusted with your ego,” she said with a mocking laugh. “All this time, you could mock me because I loved you. But, unfortunately, I realized first that a Nathaniel Chayton is not a man ‘worthy’ for me to love. Because, as it turns out, out there, there’s a man who looks at me with full love, who can appreciate me, accept me, and love me wholeheartedly. And that’s Dean.

So why should I waste it? It would be foolish of me to still hope for an arrogant and heartless man like you,” she said with a scornful tone. “But don’t worry, I sincerely wish for your happiness and Loretta’s as well. Because no matter what, if someday Dean and I get married. I will also become your cousin-in-law, just like Crystal’s status right now,” she said with a smile on her face and then left Nathan, who was frozen in his place.