173 Chapter 173: Haley’s Observation. 

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– Flashback, 4th of July, Night –

After the Dunphys returned home from celebrating at Edward's house, Claire and Phil headed to the kitchen to talk and clean up.

As Phil lifted the pot from the stove, he paused, sensing some weight inside it.

"Claire! Quick! Haley left some soup behind," he exclaimed with an excited grin. Claire set down the wet cloth she was holding and hurried over to Phil.

"She made it for the whole day, but she took it all to Edward's. She didn't even think about her parents," Claire complained jokingly.

Phil laughed and said, "Grab a spoon. Let's taste it together."

Having asked Edward about the soup earlier, they expected it to be delicious. They were proud of Haley for making it.

As they scooped the soup and tasted it, their eyes widened, and they quickly spat it out.

"Oh my god. Is this supposed to be good? Maybe his taste buds are broken too," Claire remarked, hastily drinking a glass of water. Phil went to the sink and rinsed his mouth directly from the faucet.

While gurgling, Phil said, "Honey, throw it out. Quickly."

Claire nodded and swiftly cleaned the pot to prevent anyone else from finding out.

After calming down, Phil smiled as he stood beside Claire. She looked confused and asked, "Why are you smiling?"

"He didn't tell her about it," Phil revealed.

Claire was puzzled. "What do you mean? Shouldn't he have told her?"

Phil shook his head and wrapped his arms around Claire. He looked into her eyes and said, "Honey, remember all those times when you started cooking and almost ruined the entire meal for nearly half a year?"

"Half a year? You said I was doing well!" She widened her eyes, expressing disbelief.

Phil chuckled and replied, "I didn't mean that I regretted eating it. During that time, my heart was filled with happiness, and it still is now. I didn't want you to get hurt after putting in all that effort, so I didn't say anything because I love you so much."

Claire's eyes widened in realization. "You mean?"

Phil chuckled and said, "Either that, or Edward's taste buds are really... really bad."

[Edward POV]

I had a deep scowl on my face the moment I pulled the car into the parking lot.

"Seriously? The beach? At night, nonetheless?"

"What? Come on! It'll be therapeutic for you!" Haley said in excitement as she jumped out of the car. I wanted to call her back and leave the beach, but she had already taken off her shoes and run to the sand.

"Damn it," I grumbled as I reluctantly closed the car's cabriolet and the windows to prevent the wind from carrying the sand into the car.

"EDWARD! COME ON!" Haley waved her hand and shouted towards me from afar. I stood by the concrete pavement and shouted back, "No. I'm good from here."

She dropped her head in disbelief and pouted, "Seriously? You're really not coming?"

"Gee. These are new shoes," I said with grumpy reluctance. Her face fell in disbelief, and her big eyes stared at me angrily. "COME HERE!!!" She shouted.

"NO!" I shouted back. Then, she stomped her feet on the sand as she ran in my direction. She stopped in front of me and said, "Take off your shoes then if you're so worried about them."

"And then what? Walk on the sand with my bare feet? I don't know if there's a used needle here, or torn condoms, or any other disgusting stuff like human poop."

"Not dog or cat poop?" Haley asked in astonishment.

I smirked and said, "It's funny to see a girl so interested in types of feces."

She kicked the sand towards me, which I skillfully dodged.

Then, her face lit up, and she laughed. She patted my shoulder and mocked, "I didn't know you were so phobic. It's just sand!"

"My problem isn't with the sand. My problem is with the limited visibility of what I'm stepping on. I won't have any problems doing this... DURING THE DAY."

"Hmmm... which part will you feel safe stepping on?" She asked.

"Huh? The area where the wave breaks, I guess," I answered, puzzled.

She thought deeply before she chortled, "Alright. Then, take off your shoes. I'm going to carry you until we get over there!"

I widened my eyes before I laughed out loud. The thought of a small girl carrying me was a bit heart-tickling for me.

"Don't laugh! I'm serious!" she said before she turned her back and squatted in front of me. "Come on! Hop on me!"

"I'm not going to-"

"Just do it!" Haley said decisively as she patted her back. I was baffled, and then I smirked, "Alright. Since you asked for it."

…

"It was a quiet and peaceful night by the beach. There was no one nearby, but sporadically dispersed couples were enjoying the romantic moonlight reflecting on the surface of the ocean together.

Suddenly, chaos ensued. Haley sprinted as hard as she could, with me on her back, my feet dragging on the sand and making it difficult for her to walk.

"AHH!" She let out a warrior's shout, but after taking her tenth step, her tiny legs gave up, and we both tumbled into the sand. I rolled several times, feeling the tiny particles infiltrate every crevice beneath my clothes.

I glanced at Haley, who had suffered the same fate. As we locked eyes, both of us looking utterly pathetic, we couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Ah, I knew this would happen," I muttered.

Haley made a cute grimace. "Didn't you have faith in me?" She playfully threw a fistful of sand near me, narrowly missing her target.

Looking at her, I asked, "Isn't it a little late to ask that question now?"

She chuckled and slowly stood up, walking closer to me and pulling me up by my hands.

"We're already covered in dirt. Let's sit by the water."

I sighed and wearily agreed, "Alright."

A look of concern briefly crossed Haley's face. As we strolled along the beach together, she held onto my arm, searching for a suitable spot. Eventually, we found a large rock nearby with a flat surface, positioned to face the ocean.

I listened to the gentle sounds of the ocean, and my nerves began to relax. We exchanged a few words initially, but now we sat in silence, which left me puzzled.

"Why did you bring me here? And why are you being so quiet? Are you preparing for something?" I inquired.

She chuckled slightly and replied jokingly, "Don't overthink it. I brought you here because it seemed like you needed this."

"Huh?" I was perplexed. "Why would I need this?"

"Because...you always look so exhausted when you come home. I guess you didn't have any time for yourself during the tour, right?"

She guessed correctly. And, reluctantly, I had to admit that when she accurately discerned my emotional state like this, it felt as if she was becoming a mini-Phil. I had mixed feelings about that thought.

I let out a tired sigh and leaned back, trying to adopt a more relaxed posture. "Yeah... But it's worth it, though."

She rolled her eyes and remarked, "I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. Just make sure to take breaks. Your schedule is insane, you know?!"

I chuckled and responded, "I still have to film a music video tomorrow, so I can't stay for too long."

"See! You maniac! Is money THAT important to you?"

"Well... yes," I playfully replied.

She fell silent for a moment before asking, "Is this really what you want to do?"

I hesitated and replied, "Maybe. I mean, I like singing. But I don't like being a 'star'. Do you get what I mean?"

Before she could go any further, she looked at me with shaky eyes and said, "Well, if you don't like it-"

"Haley, can we just watch the ocean?" I interrupted her. Haley stumbled in her speech and stared at me with her doe-eyes. Then, she crossed her arms in anger and refocused on the ocean.

"I'll close my eyes for a little while," I said, using the sound of waves to relax. We stayed there for almost an hour, intermittently engaging in conversation.

Haley grinned and said, "Who's the one who wanted to go back home earlier? Now, you might not even go back home!"

"Notify me if I fall asleep," I requested.

She slapped my hand to wake me up and said, "Don't sleep here! You'll catch a cold. Let's go back."

"Just five more minutes!"

"This isn't your bed!"

"It can be."

"GET UP! Don't be a child!" She attempted to tickle me, but I retaliated. Quickly, she jumped up and ran away. Reluctantly, I sat up and smiled in the direction she had gone.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"What was that?" she shouted from afar.

"Nothing!" I replied as I stood up and chased after her. As we walked back to the car, I unexpectedly hugged her from behind.

Startled, her face turned red. Trying to appear unaffected, she asked, "Ed, what are you doing?"

"Just... hugging you," I replied, swaying her slowly. At first, she smiled, but then she realized my intention. Hesitantly, she asked, "Are you... trying to shake the sand off on me?"

...

...

"Yes."

"UGH!" Haley rolled her eyes and pushed me away. Laughing at her reaction, we brushed off the sand before getting into the car. She pouted for a while, but after incessant teasing, she finally brightened up.

"I have to confess. When you called me out today, I genuinely thought you were going to ask me to be your boyfriend," I told Haley.

She smirked and said, "Why would I want a boyfriend like you who has no time for me?"

I nodded and said, "That's true. You're like a houseplant. You would wither from lack of attention."

"HEY! Are you calling me clingy?" she angrily roared.

"A bit. Yes," I replied with a sly smirk. "I kept imagining you saying, 'Would you love me if I were a worm?' to your boyfriend."

She scoffed and said, "I could be a cute worm. Just imagine that!"

Disgusted, I scowled before playfully adding, "I don't have to. You're a worm right now."

"Uh!" she exclaimed, taking offense. Upon entering our neighborhood, I asked, "Do you want me to drop you off at your house?"

"Huh? Right, that's the normal thing to do, huh," she muttered to herself.

"Yeah... Because there's no way I'm going to let you bring all that sand into my house. If you do, I'll have to call you Sir Crocodile."

"Crocodile is from One Piece, right?" Haley asked.

Suddenly, I slammed the brakes, causing her to experience whiplash.

"Why?" she asked in shock, peering out to see if I had hit something.

My eyes still shaking, I turned to her slowly and asked, "How do you know about Crocodile?"

"Huh? Alex watched One Piece all the time with dad at home. So I know a few things. Why does that surprise you?" she asked, her face displaying confusion.

Shaking my head slowly, I said, "Just... Um... Nothing."

Disbelieving, she looked at me as I resumed driving. Eventually, I stopped in front of her house and said, "Do you need to sneak in?"

"No need. It's only an hour past my curfew. I'll just walk in through the backyard door," she said, opening the door and stepping out.

"Alright. Goodnight, Haley," I said, waving at her.

"Goodnight, PopStar!" she replied, waving back. She turned a few times while walking toward the door, smiling at me. I waited until she had gone inside before driving back to my house.

…

[Haley's commentary]

"Yeah, I had thought about it. But then I realized he would never say yes, so I didn't want to make it awkward for him."

"Why wouldn't he say yes? I'm not entirely sure, but after talking to him almost every night during the summer, I think it's because he doesn't want me to get hurt. Not by him, but by his crazy fans. Abby faced harsh criticism the second there were some rumors about them dating after the whole Taydward ordeal."

"I may be popular, but I'm not popular enough to handle being in a relationship with him," she explained, her eyes welling up with tears.

– Flashback, 4th of July, Night –

As Phil and Claire spat out the soup, Haley, wearing a smile on her face, walked towards the kitchen. However, upon hearing her parents' conversation, she froze and quickly hid behind the walls. Eavesdropping, her eyes revealed traces of complex thoughts.

– End of Flashback –

"It's better for me to just stay by his side. I don't want things to become complicated between us, like what happened between him and Abby, him and Taylor, and even him and his mother. Wow!" she exclaimed, realizing something.

"No wonder he didn't want to date me! He probably thinks that I would leave him too if we ever broke up, huh?"

[Commentary ends]

…

[General POV]

In the Dunphy's house:

"Luke, go to sleep!"

"But I don't have school tomorrow!"

Luke whined as Claire gave him an order. "It's almost 11! Phil, talk to your son!"

Phil hurriedly approached to defuse the situation. "Luke, didn't you say you wanted to go to practice with Manny tomorrow?"

"But they wouldn't let me use the sword!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU USED IT TO STAB PEOPLE!" Claire exploded.

Alex came downstairs, clearly frustrated. "Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep!"

"No, you're not! You're on the phone with your boyfriend!" Luke teased, making kissing sounds to tease his sister. "Alex got a boyfriend~ Alex got a boyfriend~"

"Luke, that's disgusting!" Alex scolded, throwing a tissue box at him. Claire grabbed Alex by the shoulder and asked, "Alex, is that true?"

Alex was startled for a moment before she composed herself and replied, "Why are you so surprised? Haley got her first boyfriend when she was 8. I'm wayyyy too late to start at 13."

"Haley!" Claire widened her eyes in disbelief and was about to lecture her children. However, at that moment, Haley sneaked into the house through the sliding door but froze when she saw her entire family in the living room.

"Oh, hey... I was just in the backyard--"

"Did you just get home?" Alex asked, a smirk on her face.

"Haley! You were supposed to be home an hour ago!" Claire said, aggrieved.

Phil chuckled and grabbed Claire, steering her away. "Why don't we all go to sleep now and talk about this tomorrow when we're well-rested and can approach it calmly?"

"Phil, that won't solve anything!" Claire protested.

"Yeah, but at least we'll be well-rested and have a clear mind when we need to talk to our children about this sensitive issue."

"You think I'm not calm?" Claire said angrily.

"Kids, her attention is on me now! Go!" Phil whispered to his children.

Haley, Alex, and Luke quickly ran away while Phil took the heat for them.

"Wait! Haley!" Claire called out before Haley could run upstairs.

Concerned, Haley furrowed her brows and asked carefully, "What is it?"

"One of the neighbors called and asked if you could babysit for them."

"Huh? Who?" She asked, confused.

"Can you do it or not?" Claire asked with an angry face.

Haley hesitated before asking, "When?"

"Tomorrow evening," Claire replied. "I'll tell them you can do it."

She cut off Haley's escape route immediately. Claire held the moral high ground, leaving Haley unable to refuse. Haley knew that if she tried to say anything, Claire would bring up the fact that she sneaked in past her curfew.

After the hectic night came a calm morning.

Edward joined the Dunphys for breakfast after Phil invited him earlier that morning.

"Phil, you won against Claire, right? Didn't she used to run marathons? I guess she hasn't been keeping up with her exercises now that she's working," Edward said, indirectly teasing Claire.

He knew she had let Phil win, but she couldn't admit it to her husband, so Edward enjoyed seeing her frustrated expression.

"Claire, should I make exercise time mandatory for employees?" Edward asked Claire.

She rolled her eyes as she flipped a pancake, then glared at him. "Phil won one time! If we race again—"

"Honey, honey, shhh... Don't be a sore loser."

Claire was taken aback and then glared at the gloating Phil.

"Wait, Edward, why are you signing up for the football team? Do you even have time in your schedule?" Claire asked, her concern evident.

Alex scoffed and said, "He's only doing it so the team can get a sponsorship—"

"Alex, don't talk nonsense. I really want to play with the guys. And Claire, do you think I can get Cam to coach the team?"

Claire, Phil, and Alex paused, looking at Edward in disbelief. Haley continued smiling as she put more pancakes in front of Edward before returning to her mother's side.

"What?" Edward asked.

"Why... Cam?" Claire asked, confused.

"You know he was a starting offensive lineman at the University of Illinois, right?" Edward asked.

Phil and Claire looked astonished, while Alex seemed to have just remembered. "Yeah, he told us that when Uncle Mitchell first brought him to Grandpa's house, and every chance he's had since then."

"Ahh, right!" Claire finally remembered.

"Why do you need a coach? And why not me?" Phil asked, sounding slightly jealous.

Edward laughed and said, "We have a coach, but he doesn't care much about the team. It's better to have someone like Cam."

"But with Lily..." Claire trailed off.

Edward nodded. "Yeah, it might be hard to convince him to take the job. Right now, all he cares about is being a stay-at-home dad/trophy husband."

Edward then checked his watch and exclaimed, "God, I'm late."

"Wait! Ed, where are you filming today?" Phil asked.

"Malibu. Beachfront mansion. And I get to drive an Audi," Edward said with a sly grin. "Want to join? We need backup dancers—"

"NO!!" Claire interrupted Edward, stopping him from continuing, and Phil from agreeing. Phil looked deflated as his wish was denied. It made sense for Claire to intervene since all the people in the music video were young and Phil would look out of place there.

"Too bad." Edward said before he waved them goodbye.