The next few hours were disdainful. Between the testing and asking of at least a hundred questions, they barely had any time to rest or close their eyes. As workers constantly shifted in and out. Clayton continued to dart a wave of anger and resentment to the other. It's not like it was his fault, either way they would have been persuaded to say. But the idea of giving him the cold should have given the detective some type of release.
As he laid there, he couldn't help but think about the time Yasmine was having. She was with her mom right? She should be. Although her not answering back was… concerning. Was she eating? Knowing her mom, it was probably some sort of shrimp alfredo or something like that. Since the woman spent years working in an Italian restaurant, fixing up some past was basically her forte. Heck when he first met her he was forced to scarf down any left over that might've been left alone. She was a good cook, but eating an entire pot of spaghetti was satanic.
"Alright, Let's go guys." The sound of Clayton's never ending thoughts were held to a halt as a middle-aged woman made her way into the room. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and her eyes shone a bright hazel. She almost looked nice, if it wasn't for the fact that she also stared daggers into Nathan. "Well, don't just sit there. Get up." Clayton watched as Nathan gave somewhat of a groan, but complied anyway.
Not gonna lie, Haliya seemed different. Not in a bad way, but… different. For one she grew her hair out. Lord knows how much everyone hated seeing her with a bowl cut. Everyone, except Nathan. For years and years to come, the crazed man always talked about how he found her flaws attractive. The short hair, the masculine outfits, everything. Back then, it seemed like he truly loved her.
So what changed?
Clayton's eyes continued to track the divorced couple as he made his way up. Right now, He knew he was an open book with his expressions. How could he not be? He was seeing Haliya for the first time in years, and not under good circumstances. And picking up your Ex-husband wouldn't be something to get excited about. As he watched her face, he could see questions as well. Did she not recognize him? Or maybe she did and wondered why he was here. Either way, it was clearly not a time to exchange confusion.
As they walked to check out, the detective noticed Nathan's face getting more… guilty. He looked as if he was a child and his parents were called for his behavior. His eyes would always make their way from the other's gazes and he couldn't help, but bounce his leg in anxiousness. And although his hair was gelled back, The brown eyed man wouldn't stop combing his fingers through it. Not wanting to draw attention to his behavior, Clayton slightly moved his hands over to the other's. Only to receive a look of anger. Yeah something wasn't right. But instead of overstepping a clear boundary, Clayton decided to not tease the lion anymore.
"Clayton, you sit in the back alright." Haliya's voice sounded like rubber bands slapping his skin as she pressed her keys to unlock the car. He didn't know why, but something told him to hate her. He didn't want to, he just did. She had to have done something right? To make Nathan feel as uncomfortable as he does. Did she cheat? Did she simply not want to be together anymore? What happened? Instead of taking any more time, he just nodded before simply slipping himself into the navy blue SUV.
"You didn't have-" He watched as Nathan grabbed a hold of Haliya's forearm before speaking. He heard a small bit, but nothing that sounded too cloudy. Nathan began to speak one more time, but was shut down. The woman before him quickly retracted her arm and began yelling things. Things Clayton could make out from the back of her head. All he knew was that whatever she said left Nathan distraught as ever.
After a while of eavesdropping, Clayton decided to lean his tense body and try to get somewhat of a good sleep. Trying to find something else to put his mind on, he found himself counting flowers on the pink colored car seat beside him. The flowers were drawn the same, but in a weird way, they seemed charming. Colors of yellow, orange, and purple stained his memory as he counted. For some reason, it soothed him.
As the seconds passed, Clayton could feel his eyes getting more and more heavier. Honestly, it felt nice after worrying the past 12 hours, all he wanted to do was sleep.
"All I'm saying is that you could be there for your daughter!" or not.
"Really? Because the last hundred times I've tried, I've been denied by YOU." Nathan's voice seemed so different when he was upset. Clayton would have commented in his face, but to stay hidden, Clayton decided to keep his eyes shut. "Seriously, what's the point of trying, when you're only gonna use my own daughter against me?" The conversation seemed to be the same thing for a while. Haliya complains about how she does everything for Charlene and Nathan, combating with the denial of seeing her. Everything seemed so… arbitrary. There was clearly a reason underlying everything. All their arguing is talking about after the divorce, but what about before? What caused it in the first place?
"So tell me," Haliya began to speak finally of some substance. Her tired eyes and messed up hair, made her words ever more hard hitting. What did you leave for, besides wanting to go to fairyland?" Although her question invoked silence, Clayton couldn't help but wonder what fairyland she meant. They were together before and after Nathan got the job, so what fairyland did she refer to.
"I left because I needed to. I wasn't… feeling this." He motioned his hand between the two of them before talking. "I'm gay, Hal. When I found out… It hurt me as well. But I… couldn't do this. Not anymore." After he spoke he pushed his body back into the chair. Leaving a harsher silence than Haliya could ever form in a lifetime.
After processing those words, Haliya sighed one last time before pressing the key into ignition.