Holding Back [COMPLETED]

Chapter 19 - "I might have to take you up on that offer sometime."

"What's behind the door up there?" she asked.

Isaac's face went wild with excitement.

"It's my telescope! Come on, I'll show you."

Dropping the towel, Isaac half ran to the porch. Haley slipped in as he held the door open for her. Inside was a yellow painted kitchen that smelled of freshly made tea and cinnamon. A young, curvy woman in her early thirties, with dirty blonde hair, which was pulled back, was sweeping up the remnants of Isaac's cut hair. When they entered, she looked up, a welcoming smile coming to her round face.

"Hey mom, this is Haley," Isaac asked, his words rushed. "I'm going to show her my telescope."

He was already halfway across the room when his mother spoke.

"It's nice to meet you, Haley. Isaac."

At his name, Isaac paused and twisted around. His face was full of eagerness to keep moving.

"What's up?" he asked.

A smile that contained a held in laugh stretched across his mother's lips.

"Maybe you should put on a shirt, sweetheart."

Isaac looked down at his naked torso as if only then remembering he hadn't been wearing a shirt the whole time.

"Okay." He spun around once, searching. Spotting his shirt on the back of a chair, he grabbed it and tugged it on, already moving again. "Haley, it's this way."

Trying not to seem as amused by the whole thing as she was, Haley nodded to his mother.

"It was nice meeting you," she said.

"Same. Once he comes out of his excitement he'll bring you back for a real introduction."

"Haley?"

She looked and found Isaac practically bouncing with excitement. In that moment, he reminded her of Cal and the overjoyed look he got when he was around Isaac. Giving a small wave to his mother, she followed him. They cut through a neat, homey living room. On one wall was a setup of photos. Besides the family trio, there was one of Isaac's parents on their wedding day. From the look of it, they couldn't have been more than teenagers at the time.

They passed through an archway and climbed up a flight of stairs. Along the walls were glimpses of Isaac and his parents. As they ascended, he seemed to grow younger with each photo. At a glance, she saw that he got his father's build and face structure, and his mother's blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

All the photos held carefree smiles and looks that spoke of affection. Haley almost believed it was true. That the fondness within the family was real. That this perfect life was real, but part of her couldn't believe it, because in her own home they had these types of photos. Before she could be dragged further down that line of thought, Isaac reached the top of the stairs.

He led her down a hallway and into a room at the very end. Though he had once told her he was a neat freak, the sight of his immaculate room was still surprising. A sharply made bed with a dark blue comforter lay on one side, a nightstand with a stack of books sitting beside it. At the base of the bed was a well-used dog mattress sprinkled with short black hair. A desk stood opposite the bed, the top free of clutter.

In the center of the room was the balcony and the telescope Haley had spotted. It wasn't like any telescope she had seen. It was three times the width of her arm and was half the length of her body.

Isaac stopped next to it, his grin bursting with pride.

"My dad and I made it," he said. "It took us a whole month. We almost didn't get it done before he went back to sea."