Chapter 252: Counting Down
After Claire disappeared upstairs to shower and regain some version of composure, the house fell quiet again.
Gael stayed on the couch for a while longer, staring at nothing in particular while the morning replayed itself piece by piece in his head.
Haley opening the door.
Haley getting in the car.
Haley admitting she missed the easy version of them.
Small moments.
Still enough to shift his entire mood for the rest of the day.
Eventually he checked the time.
11:47 AM.
Too early.
Painfully too early.
Then his phone buzzed in his hand.
Haley.
His pulse reacted instantly before he even opened the message.
haley: just so you know one of my coworkers said i looked happier today and now i blame you for that
A slow smile spread across his face before he could stop it.
Then another message arrived immediately after:
haley: which is annoying because i'm still mad at you
God.
Even her contradictions felt familiar.
He typed back carefully.
gael: multitasking is a great skill to have
Three dots appeared almost instantly.
haley: don't flirt your way out of accountability
He laughed quietly to himself.
Then replied:
gael: i'm picking you up at six either way
This time her response took longer.
Long enough that he caught himself staring at the screen waiting for it.
Finally:
haley: confident for someone on probation
The warmth that moved through him at that nearly caught him off guard.
Not because things were fixed.
Because they were talking like themselves again.
Then another message appeared:
haley: also alex threatened your life this morning after i texted her
He smiled immediately.
Accurate.
Then:
gael: sounds right
A pause.
Then one final message from her:
haley: she's really protective of me lately
That one hit differently.
Because beneath the casual wording sat something deeper:
Haley leaning on Alex more than ever,
trusting her completely,
finding safety there.
Gael stared at the screen for a moment longer before replying carefully.
gael: she loves you a lot
This time Haley didn't answer immediately.
And somehow, that silence felt thoughtful rather than distant.
Then finally:
haley: i know
Simple response.
Heavy one.
Because neither of them realized just how much weight those two words carried now.