The intense sound of heavy beats died as Haley pulled up to the curb and turned off the engine. She stared at the quaint house right outside the window. The lawn was trimmed and there wasn't a patch of the wall where the paint was chipping or in need of repair. It was the perfect package that held the perfect wholesome ideal family.
Taking a breath, she reached for the door handle. The urge to call Lettie that morning and get advice on what to wear that day had been strong. She didn't make the call as usual but the twinge of loss hadn't been as prominent either.
When she opened the door, Haley was blessed with a rare cool breeze. Though the sun had banished the early morning clouds, the heat wasn't unbearable. She closed the door and pocketed the keys. As she moved to the white picket fence, she wondered if she was being watched.
Knowing there was nothing to do but keep moving forward, she unlatched the gate and pushed it open. It gave out a whine as it swung back into place. Haley was halfway to the front door when a shout made her pause. A second later, Cal came racing around the back of the house. The puppy's pink tongue hung from his mouth and water bounced off his soapy black coat. Right behind him was Isaac chasing after him.
Where Cal had Haley smiling, the sight of Isaac made her freeze. Besides the fact that he wasn't wearing glasses, his hair had been cut and was a short wild mess, he was shirtless.
It wasn't merely seeing him shirtless that had Haley surprised. It was the realization that he was fit as well. Though nowhere close to Jace's sculpted physique, Isaac was still toned like a runner.
It was for this fact that Haley pulled at her ugly, paint-splattered shirt, wishing she found something a little more attractive. Even her baggy shorts were three years old, faded and frayed at the edges.
Isaac didn't seem to notice any of this as he smiled at her in greeting. Even his current shirtless state didn't phase him. Grabbing Cal by the collar, he held the puppy back before Haley could be given a wet doggy hug.
"Hi," Isaac said.
It took Haley a second to remember her words, still shocked his different appearance.
"Uh hi," she said. "Am I early?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm late. Do you mind waiting while I rinse him off?"
Haley shook her head.
"Come on."
Scooping up Cal, Isaac led them back around the house. On the lawn was a plastic baby pool filled with an inch of water. After plopping Cal back into the water, Isaac pointed to the back porch steps.
"You can sit if you want."
He reached down and picked up a hose. A jet of water splashed over the dog, getting both pool occupants soaked. Trying not to laugh at the sight and blush at the same time, Haley looked away, staring up at the house. On the second story, there was a balcony that could barely be called that, being only about two feet wide. Behind the door leading to the room, Haley noticed a circular object. Squinting against the window's glare, she tried to decipher what it was.
"Cal, hold still," Isaac said.
Unable to stop herself, Haley looked back. Isaac was kneeling beside the dog, rubbing a towel along his fur. Cal broke free and shook furiously, spraying Isaac. Haley couldn't help but laugh. The sound caught Isaac's attention and he smiled at her, then snagged the puppy back. Finished, Isaac let Cal go and walked over to Haley. He ran a new towel over his hair and arms.
Standing near a shirtless Isaac, Haley was blatantly aware that he was taller than her. Though she had known this before somehow it seemed more prominent at that moment. Fighting down a fierce blush, she pointed up to the balcony.
"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."
Taking the spot across the telescope from Isaac, Haley rested one hand lightly on the massive device.
"It's really impressive," she said. "Wait, what do you mean back to sea?"
Isaac's smile diminished slightly.
"He's in the Navy, so he's gone for long chunks of time."
Before she could stop them, the words popped out of Haley's mouth, feeling as if the whole picture came together then.
"That makes sense. I was wondering how a family could seem so happy. Helps if one parent is gone, there's no one to argue with."
She said it all with a half smile, but the words snatched away Isaac's cheerfulness.
"Are you serious?" he asked, his forehead creasing.
Haley's grin fell away and she shrugged, trying to lighten what she had said. "I'm just saying most parents find it hard to stay together and constantly being around each other is usually the source of the problem."
Isaac waved as hand as if to banish her words.
"Stop," he said, for the first time the brightness was gone from his voice. "My parents love each other and it kills my mom every time he has to leave. Distance or not, that wouldn't change anything." He shook his head. "Don't presume to know anything about their relationship."
The air in the room felt heavy. Isaac took a step back as if to distance himself from her and what she had said. At the moment, Haley felt like she was slapped with the stupidity of her words. The gap was like a physical blow. She felt her thoughts scrambling as she tried to grab hold of the friendly mood that had been there a second before.
"Isaac...I'm sorry," she said, suddenly scared she had ruined everything. Her chest tightened at the thought. "It's just...my parents...I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Isaac nodded, staring at the floor. His whole manner was closed off. In that instant, Haley wondered why she was even there. She shouldn't have come. But even as she felt herself pulling away, the hurt look on Isaac's face made her stop.
"I'm really sorry," she said, quiet.
After a tense pause, he looked at her.
"Haley, I miss my dad all the time. I would give anything to have him be here."
In an attempt to physically close the distance between them, Haley moved forward. Forgetting she was standing in from of the telescope, she bumped it. Instantly, they both reached for it, their arms encasing it, keeping it from falling. The action brought them close together and Haley felt her heart hiccup.
"I'm sorry again," she said. "And I'm sorry for almost breaking your telescope."
As he stared at her, the hurt look in Isaac's eyes was replaced with something Haley couldn't understand. Clearing his throat, he straightened, keeping a stabilizing hand on the telescope.
"It's okay," he said.
Haley shifted back. As the silence began to grow, she looked around the room, trying to find something to say. What she found made her pause. On the wall across from them was a map of the world that took up most of the surface. On it were dozens of colorful pins. But instead of pins sticking out of landmarks they ran through the water in weaving patterns.
"What is that?" she asked, unconsciously moving forward until she was standing before it.
Stuffing his hands into his short's pockets, Isaac followed her.
"Umm...it's this thing I've been doing with my dad since I was twelve." His voice was unsteady as if cautious to share anything.
Guilty, Haley looked at him. "I'm sorry again for being a jerk. Just because my parents have problems doesn't mean everyone's does."
Isaac's expression softened. "I'm sorry that they do."
Suddenly feeling she had given away too much, Haley made a dismissive gesture.
"It's fine." She pointed to the wall. "Do you mind sharing what this is?"
Isaac hesitated as if he wanted to ask her something but instead focused on the map.
"It's how I track where my dad is," he said. "Each color stands for a different route he's been on." He pointed to the dark blue pins. The line was stopped in the middle of the Pacific. "This is his current route. Once a week we get a call from him. Besides talking about normal stuff he'll give me a position of the stars. From there I calculate where he is at sea."
Haley stared at him. "Seriously? You can do that?"
He laughed, the sound breaking the remaining tension between them. "How do you think sailors knew where they were going before GPS and all that stuff?"
"It makes sense but still that's really impressive."
"Thanks," he said, smiling. "My dad is obsessed with the stars. I feel like half of my time with him has been spent outside at night looking up at the sky or looking through a telescope. He says it's the only true map anyone needs to know."
Isaac studied the map, his gaze distant with memories.
"I can't remember the last time I looked at the stars," Haley said.
Coming out of his thoughts, he looked at her.
"You should do it more often. My room is always available." She raised her eyebrows and Isaac blushed. "No! I meant...just if you wanted to use my telescope...you could come over and you know...to use it if you wanted to."
Cringing, he ran a hand through his newly shortened hair.
"Thanks," Haley said. "I might have to take you up on that offer sometime."
Dropping his hand, Isaac smiled at her and she was quick to return it.
**********************************************************************
Bongu, Ariel!
(Maltese)
Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! I am definitely freaking out! I mean Isaac shirtless with a puppy! AHHH *faints* I guess you will have to tell me your thoughts while I recover! 👉🕳👈
Okay let's hear it, who is Team Isaac and who is Team Jace!
So I may not be a doctor but I have diagnosed Haley with a serious case of Foot-In-Mouth syndrome and I hope she finds a cure soon.
Now this question was delivered to me by krazekidd: There's like a tiny bit of u in all your books right?
Answer: sometimes, but it's not always in the main character. For explain, I'm not like Haley at all. Honestly, I have the personalty more like Jace, smiley and wanting to make people happy.
For Carter (A Secret Service), yes, I have some of that in-your-face, don't-back-down-from-a-fight sort of spirit.
Elliot (Mr. Write) - she got my writing insecurities poor girl, I got none of her humor.
Sky (Celebrity Cruise), Lennon (A Second Chance) and Kit (Three Weeks) are actually more JoymomentsSISTER's personality than mine. Though like Kit I am determined to find the fun in everything!
Amelia (Every Second) - The quiet sensible side of Aims is more me, but honestly she's pretty different from me. Though like her, my art is a big part of who I am.
Louie (Beyond the Barrier) - 100% my sister, murphnturf. I am nothing like Louie though I wish I was as cool as her.
Gigi (A Vagabond's Tale) - yeah, she is completely her own person. I'm more Davin than anything.
Do you feel like there are any of my characters that you really connect or relate to?
Also! Do you want a double update next week?
Vote, comment, follow cause who doesn't love a shirtless guy with a puppy moment!
Also meet Cal!