Loving You Too Long

The next day, after a thorough physical examination, including a lung check, Haisley was allowed to go home. Her return to Gilbert’s house was greeted by Aunt Jody, who intentionally came home late just to see Haisley’s current condition. It was also because the woman felt guilty for not visiting when Haisley was being treated.

Gilbert escorted her to her room. Although Haisley asked him not to. For God’s sake, she felt like a seriously ill person with all of Gilbert’s attention.

Gilbert didn’t allow Haisley to go to class either, despite her pleas and sweet persuasions. But Gilbert remained firm. He used Haisley’s health condition as the reason, although he was eager to meet Reia and ask about the flat issue he inquired about at the hospital earlier.

It was her fault, really, because she hadn’t had the chance to ask for Reia’s phone number. Another reason was, she actually forgot where her phone was. All she remembered was the last time she used it before boarding Nathan’s rented yacht. And now, when she needed it, she only remembered. Could it be that she lost her phone? Haisley wasn’t gadget-dependent, so she didn’t feel the loss. Except for moments like this, when she needed it to contact someone.

Fortunately, the phone was returned to her by a courier in the afternoon after her return from the hospital.

Haisley could have asked Gilbert for Reia’s number. But considering their not-so-close relationship, Haisley was afraid that Gilbert would ask her a lot of questions about why she wanted Reia’s number.

No, she hadn’t intended to tell Gilbert that she was moving. Not until she received confirmation from Reia. She was afraid that she wouldn’t have a valid reason to defend herself later on. But if she had already completed the transaction for the flat, Gilbert wouldn’t prolong the issue either.

Three days passed at home. That meant Haisley had missed a week of classes. Finally, on Monday, Haisley returned to her lectures. She had to catch up on points so her attendance wouldn’t affect her grades. Luckily, the professors didn’t give quizzes while she was absent. If there had been a quiz, Haisley didn’t know how she would fix her grades later on.

During her class break, Haisley tried to find Reia. Unfortunately, she couldn’t locate her. Fortunately, she ran into Steven. He wasn’t in the same major as Reia. However, because they had known each other for a long time, Steven surely had Reia’s number.

Oh God, how foolish Haisley was to forget about him.

After getting Reia’s number, Haisley tried to message her, informing her that the number belonged to Haisley and asking her to reply when Reia was free.

In the evening after dinner, Reia finally contacted her.

“How is it?” Haisley asked without preamble.

“Hold on a minute, ma’am,” Reia chuckled on the other end.

Haisley took a deep breath. “Okay, one minute,” she said, met with Reia’s laughter. The girl had become much friendlier when she realized that Haisley wasn’t one of the girls chasing after Gilbert, her crush.

“There are a few vacant places. One studio apartment and another one-bedroom flat. When do you have time to check them out?” Reia asked.

“I’ll go by your schedule,” Haisley replied.

“Alright then. My classes tomorrow are until two. We have time until five before my next class. How about that? Can you make it?” After deciding where to meet, Haisley finally ended the call.

The next day, Haisley saw Nathan at the breakfast table, which was unusual. Just seeing his back made her heart beat faster than usual.

It hurt, realizing that the man she loved so much didn’t care about her at all. But what could she do? Nathan didn’t tell Haisley to fall in love with him. It was purely her own heart’s doing.

And on the other hand, Haisley couldn’t force Nathan to love her back. Because clearly, love was not something that could be forced.

Haisley took a deep breath, trying to act normal as usual. Even though her eyes felt hot, remembering Nathan’s indifference over the past week.

“Morning,” Haisley greeted. Nathan merely nodded without lifting his head from the tablet in his hands. His face was even less attractive than the news he was reading.

Where was Gilbert? Haisley looked around the room, searching for the tall, big man. But his head was nowhere to be seen.

“Gilbert has a photoshoot. He didn’t come home last night,” Nathan answered, not even raising his head from his tablet.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“Oh,” was all Haisley said before she grabbed a slice of toast and spread chocolate spread on it, then layered it with a slice of cheese before closing it with another slice of bread that she also spread with the spread.

There was no conversation during breakfast. Just silence. Even the sound of their chewing seemed to echo in the quiet room.

Nathan realized that Haisley wasn’t as chatty as usual. Had the girl truly made up her mind to forget Nathan? Nathan asked himself. But why did Nathan feel disappointed? He felt unsettled. Should he express it?

No!

Immediately, Nathan shook his head. That would be equivalent to humiliating himself.

Haisley finally got up from her seat. “I’ll go first,” she said, excusing herself. Nathan only nodded indistinctly in response. But a moment later, Nathan lifted his head and watched the girl walking away.

Haisley left him in the dining room just like that. Instantly, Nathan’s forehead creased. Not like Haisley at all.

Yes. Usually, if Gilbert wasn’t around, she would sweet-talk him into giving her a ride to campus. But this time, she didn’t. What was going on with her?

Nathan immediately got up and followed her with his wide steps.

“Haisley…” He was about to offer her a ride when the honk of a car swallowed his call. Steven waved at her from inside his classic black Ford. The girl approached Steven without even turning to look at Nathan.

Was she intentionally ignoring his call, or was she pretending not to hear? Nathan asked himself.

“Steve? Are you purposely picking me up?” she exclaimed loudly.

Nathan saw the slender man nodding his head with a smile on his face. “G asked me to pick you up,” he said just as loudly. “He said he’s not going to campus today and didn’t want to let you take public transportation,” he continued, loud enough for Nathan to hear. Haisley only nodded at him and eagerly circled the front of the car before getting into the passenger seat.

Once again, Haisley didn’t look at him. She didn’t even wave, knowing Nathan was there. And Nathan could only watch the car drive away, feeling annoyed.

For God’s sake, what was happening to him?

He gripped the car keys tightly in his hand and went back inside the house.

In the evening, after exploring as promised with Reia, Haisley finally decided to rent a flat that wasn’t too far from the campus area.

The place wasn’t overly spacious. In fact, Nathan’s bedroom was larger than the entire flat. However, its location was quite strategic. For Haisley, the room, measuring six by six, was satisfying enough. The bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom were all integrated directly with the living room. A significant advantage was the tall window that led to a fairly large balcony, allowing Haisley to enjoy the view and safely hang her clothes there.