Ugly Beautiful by Sean-Paul Thomas Page A

anymore. The sole reason for his sudden change in mood. So he turned his head away from the picture and faced up towards the ceiling. After a minute or so of deep, calm breaths, he closed his eyes and let himself drift away into a calm and surprisingly trouble free sleep.
     
    ***
     
    Two hours later Jason awoke with cleaner thoughts and a clearer, happier state of mind. He got up from his bed and made his way towards the young woman's bedroom. The door was closed so he knocked three times. There was no answer. Maybe she was still on the hill? Or maybe she'd just upped and left because of his recent angry attitude towards her and was now wandering helplessly through the lonely highlands looking for some glimpse or trace of her forgotten identity. A small glimpse of her lost thoughts, memories and past and a faint sparkling clue to who she really was.
     
    Jason entered the woman's bed room, surprised to see her lying on the bed. Her body was turned away from him as she lay facing the far wall.
     
    'Are you awake?' whispered Jason. There was no answer so he turned to leave, but she moved and turned her body around to face him.
     
    'I'm awake.'
     
    Jason turned back to the woman, yet choosing to come no further inside the room and remain beside the door.
     
    'I'm sorry about what I said up on the hill.' she continued. 'My mind's still racing in all kinds of crazy directions trying to adjust to these new surroundings and new information. It's like one moment I want to ask a million questions and the next, I don't want to ask anything at all.'
     
    'It's okay.' Jason reassured her. 'I should be the one apologising to you.' He paused, almost in anguish 'It's just, it's just a difficult subject for me that's all. My parents, my life. It's something that I'm not too comfortable talking about... to anyone. Even myself.'
     
    The woman nodded, understanding him completely. Jason turned to leave then turned quickly back again like he'd forgotten something.
     
    'You know, this might sound a little bit strange coming from me right now but... I think I'd feel a lot more at ease if I could just call you something, you know.' said Jason with an embarrassed smirk.
     
    'You mean like a name?'
     
    'Yeah, like a name.' said Jason grinning slyly. 'Nothing too rude of course. Just a plain and simple old name, that's all.'
     
    'Okay.' The woman said feeling more at ease. 'What would you like to call me?'
     
    Jason paused. He'd clearly been thinking about this for some time, well, ever since their little frank conversation on top of the hill. Since then it had been festering at the back of his mind, yet he did not wish to just blurt it out, when, in actuality, that was what he did exactly.
     
    'How about... How about Haley?'
     
    The woman fell silent. She restrained herself from asking the question burning upon the very tip of her tongue. 'Why Haley? Was this your mother's name? Grandmother? Or an old lover perhaps? A daughter even? Or maybe someone close to you who you painfully lost once upon a time.' Those were the thoughts that continued to cycle away deep inside the woman's head, but she bit her tongue. There would be a time and place for more questions later.
     
    'Haley.' She smiled, still biting her tongue. 'Okay, Haley it is.'
     
    The two held each others stare. Damn, she really was beautiful Jason thought and it was eating him up inside. Then he read Haley's burning curiosity glazing in her eyes, burning all over her body language about the name.
     
    'It's just a name that's all.' said Jason smiling. 'Someone I knew once upon a time. You just, you just remind me of that person in small, little ways, that's all.'
     
    'Well I'm honoured. Thank you Jason.' replied Haley, sounding truly grateful. Jason turned away for the third and last time and left the bedroom.
     
    ***
     
    Jason turned on the large set of hot and cold brass bath taps on top of the large cast iron bath. As the water splashed and spurted out, blasting water