Something's Gotta Give ღ Haylex

scars on our future hearts

Hayley walked out of her apartment, and down the stairs. Her purse was hanging from her arm as she started down the street. It had become almost a daily routine. Get up, go to the farmer's market, and get to work. When she moved to France, she changed her first name back to Hayley, but kept her new last name, Chapman.

"Bonjour, Hayley! Sommes-nous encore sur pour le déjeuner?" ((Good morning, Hayley! Are we still on for lunch?)) She knew almost everyone who lived on the same street as her. She considered everyone her friend, and they all considered her a friend too.

"Bien sûr, Marie! Rendez-vous dans quelques heures." ((Of course, Marie! See you in a few hours.)) Hayley called, and then continued on. She said good morning to everyone that was outside as she walked by.

Hayley had walked this path for a couple years, but it felt different. She felt like someone was following her. She glanced behind her a couple times, but there was no one. She told herself that she was just being paranoid, and continued on.

But she knew she wasn't being paranoid. Over the past couple weeks, there had been people after her. She didn't know if Tay had sent them, but she had her suspicions. She'd gotten rid of Alex, and now she was after her.

She tried to ignore her paranoia and focus on the market. She had her favorite vendors, and she knew which ones to avoid. She'd made friends with some of them, and she couldn't make eye contact with some others.

"Hayley!" Addie, Hayley's best friend, yelled. Hayley ran over to her, and hugged her from across booth. "Comment allez-vous?" ((How are you?))

"Ah, je vais bien. Comment allez-vous?" ((Ah, I'm fine. How are you?)) Hayley asked.

"Les choses ont été mieux. Richard et moi sont un peu sur les rochers en ce moment. Qu'en pensez-vous et Tom?" ((Things have been better. Richard and I are kind of on the rocks right now. What about you and Tom?)) She asked. She sighed as she leaned on the booth. Her relationship was always having problems, and Hayley felt bad. Richard didn't treat her as well as he should, and Hayley knew it. But it wasn't something you discussed out in public.

"Nous allons avoir une date de nuit ce soir. Je me sens comme je l'ai pas vu depuis des semaines!" ((We're having a date night tonight. I feel like I haven't seen him in weeks!)) Hayley told her with a big smile. She smiled back, and Hayley knew what she was going to say.

"Oh! Puis-je faire votre maquillage? S'il vous plaît?" ((Oh! Can I do your makeup? Please?))

"Oui oui! Je le rencontre à Paris à sept heures, alors plus de trois heures." ((Yes, yes! I'm meeting him in Paris at seven, so be over by three.)) They talked a little longer, and then Hayley had to move on. She needed to get to work, too.

With bags full of goods, Hayley started to work. Her paranoia was back, and she was sure someone was following her. She picked up the pace to try to get there quicker. She could clearly hear footsteps behind her.

She shifted all of her bags to one arm, and reached into her purse. She was prepared for this. Tom had given her all kinds of tips when they lived together. And when she moved out, he got her precautionary things for her purse. At the time she thought it was stupid, but now she thankful.

She turned quickly, and swung the small blade. She hit the guy's shoulder, and froze after that. She stared at the guy's face and tried not to fall apart. "Alex?" She asked softly. He had his hand over his shoulder.

"This isn't exactly the welcome I was expecting," he said with a small laugh. She put the blade back in the purse, and evened out her bags again.

"Je suis désolé, tu me fait peur. Qu'est ce que tu fais là?" Hayley asked. Alex stared at her, not comprehending a word she just said. "Oh, sorry! I said: 'I'm sorry, you scared me. What are you doing here?'"

"It's a long story," he said. He offered to carry some of her bags for her. She handed him one, and then continued on to work. He walked beside her.

"Your parents said I'd never see you again. How did you get away from Tay?" She had so many questions, but she knew she was so close to work.

"Why don't we sit down somewhere and talk about all of this?" Alex suggested. Hayley looked at the time and started to panic.

"Alex, I really have to get to work."

"Oh, sorry. When do you get off?"

"I have a date tonight. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming. It's great that you're here though. But I need to go. I'll see you again soon?"

But Alex had other plans. Rian came from around the corner, and walked right in front of Hayley. She jumped slightly, and gave Alex the opportunity to put his arms around her waist. He pricked her side quickly before she could move away.

"What are-" She started to say, but her mind went fuzzy. She started to fall over just a little bit, and Alex rushed over to catch her. He supported her, and Rian took her bags. They got a cab, and got everyone and everything in.

A few hours later

Tom got off the train, and started out of the station. Tonight was finally the night. He and Hayley had been dating for about four years, and he was going to ask her to marry him. He nervously checked his pocket again to make sure the ring box was still in there. He smiled as walked down the street. Paris was so romantic, and he knew it was going to be the perfect night.

He checked his phone, and then called her. He knew she would still be on the train. When she didn't answer, he put his phone back in his pocket, and went back inside. He found where she would be getting off the train, and sat on a bench nearby.

Hayley's train showed up, but Hayley didn't. Tom looked for her as the people poured off, but he didn't see her. He checked his phone, but there were no messages. He took the box out of his pocket, and looked at the ring. He sighed, and put it away again. If she were going to be late, she would have told him. If she wasn't going to show, he hoped she would tell him.

He didn't know how long to stick around and wait. After a hour, he took the train to Reims to see if Hayley was at her apartment. He knocked, and then tried his spare key. He looked all over, and there was no sign of her. No note, no packed clothes, nothing missing. Now he knew something was wrong.