Muscle Memory

Chapter 4

NATHAN

The music throbbed in the background as Haley and I stood at the edge of the dance floor, the crowd around us a blur. I couldn't take my eyes off her — couldn't shake the feeling that this was the moment, the one where everything either fell into place or slipped through our fingers again.

She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing. There was so much unsaid between us, so much history that we'd both tried to bury. But now, standing here, it all felt closer than ever — like we were teetering on the edge of something that neither of us could ignore anymore.

"Haley," I began, my voice low so only she could hear. "Let's get out of here."

She blinked, surprise flickering across her face, followed by something else—something that looked a lot like relief. "Where?"

"Anywhere," I said, my voice growing more certain. "Just... with me."

She hesitated for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor as if she was weighing her options. But then she looked back up, her eyes meeting mine with a resolve that made my heart race. "Okay," she said softly. "Let's go."

I didn't waste any time. The club's lights dimmed behind us as I led Haley out into the cool night air. The noise of the city buzzed around us, but my focus was entirely on her. As we walked toward my Silverado, I could feel the tension between us, a mixture of unspoken words and unresolved emotions that had been buried for years.

I opened the passenger door for her, and she slid in without a word, her eyes catching mine for a moment — long enough to send a familiar shiver down my spine. I closed the door gently, taking a deep breath before moving around to the driver's side. The night had taken a turn I hadn't anticipated, and I wasn't entirely sure where it was headed, but I knew I didn't want to let this chance slip away.

As I pulled out of the parking lot and into the quiet streets of Los Angeles, the silence in the truck felt heavy, almost suffocating. I could sense Haley's nervous energy beside me, her fingers tapping lightly against her thigh, a rhythm that seemed to echo the beating of my own heart.

"I'm glad I came tonight," I said, finally breaking the silence. My voice was softer than I intended, the vulnerability in it surprising even me.

Haley glanced over at me, her expression unreadable. "I wasn't sure if I should," she admitted. "But I'm glad I did."

I nodded, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. "It's been a long time. Too long."

"Yeah," she agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. "It has."

The quiet stretched between us again, but I couldn't leave things unsaid. Not this time. Not when I'd finally gotten her here, at this moment. "I owe you an explanation, Haley," I began, my eyes fixed on the road ahead.

She turned toward me, her brow furrowing slightly. "An explanation?"

"About what happened back then," I said, my throat tightening around the words. "The night we... hooked up."

Haley's gaze dropped to her hands, and I saw her take a deep breath. "Nathan, we were both drunk. It was a mistake."

"It wasn't just the drinking, though," I said, shaking my head. "I wasn't in a good place then, Haley. Basketball was everything to me — still is, in a lot of ways — but back then, it consumed me. I was obsessed with it, with being the best, and I wasn't a good person because of it."

Haley looked at me, her eyes softening as she listened. "You weren't a bad person, Nathan."

"I wasn't the best, either," I countered, glancing at her before looking back at the road. "I was selfish, focused on my career, and I wasn't thinking about the people around me — about you. That night, I wasn't ready for anything real, and I knew that. I knew I'd just hurt you if I tried to be more than what I was."