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Our morning and lunch was spend inside the heart of the Charleston, we walked through the market for a good two hours. There is always new stuff being made under the wicker, cloth long houses. People selling pictures taken of Rainbow Row, the Battery Park, hurricanes and Fort Sumter. Bags of sea-shells put together or bottled sand. Home-made soups, weaved baskets and shelled necklaces. Anything you would want if you were a tourist, this market was for you.

We had a sea food lunch at Folly Pelican since we'd be spending the majority of the already scorching summer day at Folly beach. This beach is where most of the surfers come to catch decent sized waves.

It was about 1:30 when we chose are spot on the crowded white sand and began to lather on the sun lotion.

"Hey I'll be right back," Brian said putting his sun glasses on and took off in the direction we had came in.

"I can't believe you had us buy bogey boards Hails,aren't these for kids?" Katie asked me examining her board.

"They're a lot of fun trust me."

"Oh, I am going to like this!" Alex yelled and handed Trish the bottle of lotion to get his back. I took my tank top off and put it in my bag, leaving on my board shorts. I figured it would be easier to keep my suit on under my clothes.

"Let's go!" I stood up, took my board and started walking towards the water.

"I'm going to catch some sun first," Howie lay on his towel.

"You're no fun," Katie remarked and walked with her board towards me. Trish and Alex followed and we went into the warm waters.

"Look who I found," Brian said. Howie held up a hand to his eyes to see who Brian did find.

"Ahh, couldn't resist the beach could you Nicky? Or perhaps resist someone else."

"Shut it Howie." Nick put his bag into the sand and sat down.

"Where did everyone go?" Brian asked.

"Body boarding or whatever." Howie threw his hand towards the water. Brian and Nick both watched as I ran into the water holding the board.

"How the hell did you get her to go in the water?" Nick asked.

"Who, Hailey?"

"Yeah," Nick kept his eyes out on the water.

"I don't know, it was her idea for the boards though."

"Hmm," was all Nick had to reply.

"You want to come out?" Brian asked taking his shirt off.

"I don't know, I may sit for a while, my ankle and all."

"Maybe we should get that checked out?"

"Nah."

"What are you thinking?" Brian was putting on some sun screen now. "I know it's about her, you haven't taken your eyes off." There was a brief pause and then Nick answered.

"Bri, is she healthy? Like okay?"

"Maybe that's something you'll want to ask her."

"Just tell me, she looks too thin still."

"Nick, she's still recovering. I tried to tell you all about it but you never wanted to hear."

"I was afraid," Nick spoke softly. That was the first time Nick had opened up anything about his feelings for Hailey since he broke up with her. "I didn't want to know because she was killing herself because of me."

"Nick you're not the soul purpose. You know it went much deeper than that and it was something, it is something she's struggled with years before she met you."

"She was doing a lot better and I did just over react that day," that day being Nick's birthday. "How low was her weight?"

"Katie said she was just above eighty pounds, she looked like a skeleton I guess." Nick ran his hands through his hair. "So she looks really healthy now and is doing almost a hundred percent better with it."

"Hey guys come in the..." I had jogged up the beach to tell Howie and Brian to get their butts in the water but saw Nick sitting down and my voice trailed off. "Water."

"On my way," Brian stood up. "Howie coming?" When there was no answer Brian laughed. "He must be asleep. Nick you coming?"

"I um, my ankle."

"Oh suck it up, Hailey take a look at it and tell him he's fine." Brian grabbed a board and ran down the beach. There was another one of our awkward pauses but then I knelt into the sand and unwrapped his ace bandage.

"You don't have to do this, Hailey." My heart skipped a beat when he said my name.

"It's alright." I picked his foot up and began turning it different directions, looking at Nick's face to see if I could tell where the pain was. "It's actually not too swollen but here where it's black and blue already, this is the typical spot for a sprain. I think you'll be alright if you go in the water." I winked at him and set his foot down gently.

"Since when are you a fan of the water?"

"Since about a year ago." I stood up and reached my hand out towards Nick to help him up. Hesitating at first but Nick took my hand, butterflies began to fill my stomach again and he stood up. "Let's go," I smiled and we walked down the beach.

*Nick's POV*

I couldn't keep my eyes of Hailey as we headed into the water. Her board shorts were rolled over, showing off a a new tattoo on her hip bone; it was a fairy curled up into a ball. I was about to ask her about it when I was tackled into the water.

"Good of you to join us Nick!" Brian had pulled me. I shot him a glare and stood up in warm shallow water. Hailey was now on her boogy board next to Katie trying to catch a wave.

"You want her," Alex said coming up to me. I shook my head and looked down at the water.

"We're done, we have been for almost two years now."

"But haven't moved on," Alex reminded me.

"Obviously I have if I'm with Sarah."

"Nick seriously you don't love her." I didn't say anything because I knew AJ was right. There was no reason not to love Sarah, she was beautiful, sweet, caring. She wasn't in it for the money and was always doing anything everything for me. Still, I couldn't figure out why it wasn't enough.

"Stop the girl talk and come play with us!" Trish came and interrupted our thoughts. I first went and swam up to her and the other girls.

"You really think he still loves Hails?" Brian asked.

"How can he not? Look at the way he looks at her and the kid has done nothing the last two years but be depressed. But she won't give him the time of day, which I can't blame her." Alex shrugged and swam up to Trish.

To hear Hailey laugh in the waves was like a gift from God I had been yearning through the two painful years. I knew that no matter how much I wanted things to be right between the two of us, it could never be and I kept my distance from her. We would exchange smiles to one another whenever one of us would catch the other steeling glances. I could feel the tension of both of us wanting to just catch up on one another, to hug and kiss...but on the other hand; I knew we both wanted to just yell out the pain we both had endured.

I'm the one who broke up with each other this time and this time around, neither had even attempted to reconcile. Being around her today though, despite the distance, it felt right still and this drove me crazy inside. I needed to get her alone at some point and talk.

She was about to catch the next wave into shore where I now was sitting because my ankle had been bothering me. I'd ask her to meet me later that night, just to talk. As the wave rolled her small body frame into shore, I had stood up to meet her and watched as she slipped off the board and went under. As Hailey stood up from the water, she fell back into the water and she grabbed her chest.

I was about to make my way to her but Brian had come out of no where and was helping her walk into the shore. Once again he was her Knight in Armor and who was I? I was the idiot who lost the best thing to ever happen in my life.

Ch. 7 Brian's POV

After spending a few hours at the beach, we decided to head back into Charleston where we could do some more site seeing and have dinner before going onto a Ghoast Tour. The day had gone by fairly well, I really wasn't sure how it would all be especially when Nick had decided to come.

"Do you think we'll see any Ghoast tonight?" Howie asked with Katie's fingers intertwined with his.

"If you're going to see them, it's going to be in the hotel where you're at D. We didn't have to sign up for a tour, I could've taken you around and said the exact same stuff." Hailey laughed.

"Yeah but this is more fun. I mean it's been so long since all of us hung out," Howie replied back.

"Too long," I said looking at Hailey and she bit the corner of her lip and looked down at the coblestoned ground and walked up to the pier we were one.

"Look Dolphins!" She called out. We followed her out and watched as the dolphins swam around the water. I watched as Nick went up to Hailey's side, his eyes never leaving the dolphins and then he spoke.

"They're amazing to watch huh?" Nick asked.

"Uh hmm," she agreed and she began to play with the rings on her finger. Something she did when she was nervous. Nick made her nervous or was it butterflies he was giving her?

"Hailey I was wondering something." Nick continued and now had his back against the wooden rail and looked at her. Hailey's eyes never left the water.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Meet me tonight when we get back."

"I don't know Nick?"

"Please, just to talk. I think we both owe it to each other for that." She reamained silent for a moment and let out a sigh.

"Nick-"

"Just a half hour."

"It's going to be eleven by the time we get back."

"Since when do you go to bed early?" Hailey smiled as Nick said this.

"A half hour. Now I just want to get through today without any problems."

"You got it, Hailey just one more thing."

"Yes?"

"You looked hot out in the water today, told you nothing to be afriad of," Nick rubbed her shoulder and walked away towards the other's leaving Hailey with a small grin on her face.

~*~*~*~That Night~*~*~*~ Hailey's POV
"That was sweet, now I hope we have some ghoasts come visit us tonight!" Alex said draping his arm over Trish's shoulder.

"Not in our room, I don't think so!" She defendend.

"You're dragging your feet there Hails, let's move."

"Sorry Bri, I'm just a little tired."

"Well, you can sleep back in the hotel tonight, it's already eleven and its a half hour drive to your place."

"Maybe, I'm supposed to talk to Nick tonight when we get back."

"You think that's a good idea?"

"I think it needs to be done B. You know maybe some real closure."

"Well, come find me after if you decide to take off." Brian's eyes were sincere and he gently lay his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to be careful with him okay?" I stopped walking and looked at Brian.

"Me be careful with him?"

"I just mean be careful when you're with him. Nick, he's not the same as you remember."

"He seemed fine today, besides the obvious akwardness between the two of us, which is to be expected."

"Today was the first day in a long time I've seen Nick be some-what normal. He can get a temper without much notice and it's a hell of a temper."

"Please, Nick wouldn't hurt a fly," I stated and began walking towards the hotel again.

"Be careful," was all Brian had to say as we reached the building. "See you later?"

"Of course, thank you for today," I pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. I said good-bye to the others and then followed Nick up to his room.

The walk was quiet, as was the elevator ride. Butterflies in my stomach began to multiply and my heart was racing as reached the door. I began to think about what Brian told me and realized that I really didn't know Nick any more.