Muscle Memory

Chapter 6

NATHAN

I woke up to the soft light of morning filtering through the curtains, the warmth of Haley's body pressed against mine, her head nestled on my chest. For a moment, I just lay there, savoring the feeling of her in my arms, the steady rhythm of her breathing, the way her hand rested over my heart like she was holding on to a lifeline.

Everything about last night felt like a dream, like something too perfect to be real. But as I shifted slightly, feeling the pleasant ache in my muscles and the soft press of her skin against mine, I knew it wasn't a dream. It was real, and it was happening. We were happening.

But as much as I wanted to stay in this moment, reality started creeping back in. My phone, which I'd left on the nightstand, buzzed incessantly, the screen lighting up with a string of notifications that I couldn't ignore any longer. Reluctantly, I reached over, careful not to disturb Haley, and grabbed it.

I had several missed calls and texts from Lucas and Clay. My heart sank a little as I read through them, the sense of calm I'd woken up with slipping away.

Lucas: Where the hell did you go?

Lucas: Hales is MIA too. Do you know anything?

Clay: Hey, man. What's going on? Lucas says you dipped early. Everything okay?

Lucas: Nathan, seriously, if you know where Haley is, you need to tell me.

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. Lucas was worried, and I couldn't blame him. It wasn't like me to just disappear without a word, especially not from his birthday party. And Haley... well, I knew he was protective of her, maybe more than he let on. But I also knew that if I told him she was with me, he'd have a million questions—questions I didn't have answers to yet.

I typed out a quick reply, keeping it simple.

Me: I'm fine. At my apartment. I'll call you later.

I sent a similar message to Clay, letting him know I was okay and that I'd check in with him later. For now, I just wanted to focus on this—on Haley, on what we'd started. We needed to figure out what this was before we brought anyone else into it.

As I set my phone back down, I felt Haley stir against me, her hand shifting slightly as she let out a soft sigh. I looked down at her, my heart clenching at how peaceful she looked, her face relaxed, her lips slightly parted. God, she was beautiful.

I couldn't resist the urge to touch her, to remind myself that this was real. Leaning down, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then her cheek, and finally, her lips. She responded with a sleepy hum, her lips curving into a smile as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

"Good morning," I replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "How'd you sleep?"

"Really well," she said, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at me. "I haven't slept that well in a long time."

"Me neither," I admitted, my thumb tracing idle patterns on her cheek. "Last night was... amazing."

She nodded, her smile softening. "Yeah, it was."

For a moment, we just looked at each other, the silence between us comfortable, full of everything we didn't need to say out loud. But then I remembered the texts from Lucas, the reality of our situation pressing in on me again.

"Lucas was blowing up my phone," I said, trying to keep my tone light. "He was worried when he realized we both left the party early."

Haley's eyes widened slightly, and she sat up a little, pulling the sheet with her. "What did you tell him?"