Chapter 5 - "No promises."

24.3K 1.7K 772
                                    

Haley rolled over and hit her alarm, shutting off the chiming music. Staring up at the ceiling, she listened. Past her door, she could hear the tread of footsteps and the gentle patter of the shower, but no voices. Despite herself, she let her shoulders relax. Shoving aside the blankets, she got up.

Her room looked like a library had thrown up on it. Stacks of books lined the walls, crooked and half toppling into the pile beside it. She had requested new bookshelves but wasn't holding her breath. The chances her parents even remembered her asking was slim to none.

Through her open balcony doors, she saw Jace was already awake, a miracle in its own right. He sat on the edge of his bed typing away at his phone. When Haley walked over to close the doors, he looked up. His hair was a tangled mess and it somehow softened his normally overwhelming good looks. It gave him a boyish air.

"Morning, Haley Day," he said, smiling.

Unable to figure out why he sounded so chipper so early in the morning, she said nothing. It was the first time he had ever greeted her that way. She wasn't sure what the reasoning behind it was. Instead of responding, she closed the doors and pulled the curtains shut, blocking his unconcerned grin. Through getting ready she listened, trying to decipher the mood of her family through the silence. It wasn't until she was downstairs that she felt the weight of what wasn't being said.

In the kitchen her mother was getting coffee while her father leaned against the counter, sipping from a mug and looking over emails on his phone. Though they occupied the same space, breathed the same air, Haley felt as if her parents were on two different planets. There wasn't any point in ignoring each other since they couldn't even see the other person.

Feeling as if she hadn't slept at all, Haley joined the distant pair. In a weighted silence that made Haley feel like she might have gone deaf, she got cereal and hurriedly ate it wishing to get away from the amount of words that were being stuffed away. It was only when she was putting her dish in the dishwasher that her mother became aware of her presence.

"Morning, honey," she said, brushing a kiss over Haley's hair.

She was a petite woman in her late forties with flawless chestnut brown hair, subtle makeup, and a smile always at the ready. A result of her job as a real estate agent.

"I have an open house at three and I was wondering if you wanted to help me bake cookies this afternoon when you get back from school?"

The memory of her mother - with her hair in a knot on the top of her head - and her surrounded by pans of hot cookies filled her mind. The sweet scent was always mixed with her mother's warm laughter as they both stole bites of the sticky batter. No matter how meticulous her mother would be both of them would end up with smudges of flour on their faces and clothes. The images felt as if they were from ages ago unable to remember the last time they had baked together.

"Sorry, I have a project I'm working on after school."

Her mother smiled but the smile wasn't as cheery. There was a touch of tiredness around her eyes.

"Alright, maybe another time. Have a good day."

With a light kiss on Haley's cheek, she left the kitchen, giving no notice to her husband.  Haley tried to ignore the tinge of pain in her chest at the complete disregard.

"Dad?" she said.

He gave a hum in response, though he never took his eyes off his phone. He was dressed in a tailored suit and his trimmed brown hair was speckled with gray.

"I was wondering if you could give me a ride home today," she asked.

He glanced up at her and pulled on a regretful expression. "Sorry kiddo, I'm in court until this evening."

Holding Back [COMPLETED]Where stories live. Discover now