"Hmmmm…good morning," Nathan heard a voice say to him, as he felt arms wrap around his naked torso.
"Yeah, it is," he smirked, suddenly shifting their weights and pouncing on top of her, reaching to tuck her blonde curls behind her ear.
"Do you really have to go?" she whined, reaching her arms up to wind them around his neck, pulling him down so their lips touched.
"Peyton, this weekend was…amazing, but tonight could be the biggest game of my career," Nathan replied, "Don't you want me to make the big bucks?"
"Ugh, fine," she sighed, catching one last kiss before pushing him off of her, wrapping the sheet around herself as she slunk into the bathroom, "I'm going to shower before I head into the studio."
"I think I'm going to go for a ride, clear my head," Nathan said, crawling out of bed himself.
"Nate, it's pouring outside," Peyton retorted, "I'd like to get out of this shower knowing you're alive and not dead on the side of the road somewhere."
"Fine," Nathan relented, "How about I make you breakfast?"
"Since when do you cook?" she laughed.
"Maybe we can make it a game day ritual?" he suggested, "I'll just run to the market and grab a few things. I'll be back before you know it."
"You better," she winked, before dropping the sheet.
As his girlfriend had informed him, when Nathan stepped outside, he regretted not bringing an umbrella. He pulled up the hood of his grey sweatshirt and began to jog down the road. As he ran, his phone rang.
"Luke, hey, what's up?" he said.
"Hey bro, I just wanted to call and wish you good luck tonight," Lucas, Nathan's half-brother said.
Nathan reached the crosswalk, and stepped out to cross to the supermarket.
He heard the squeal of tires, saw the bright headlights, and the next thing he knew, everything was black.
ONE YEAR LATER…
"Have a good night Stan," Haley smiled, wiping her hands on her apron, locking the door behind the last customer of the night at the café.
Turning to face her boss, who usually wore a smile, she was surprised to see her looking rather distraught.
"Karen, is everything alright?" she asked.
"Haley, I…I don't know how to say this," Karen stammered, "I'm closing the café."
Haley's jaw dropped, "Karen, I know it's been slow lately, but it's almost summer and business will pick up."
"It's not about business, Haley," Karen assured her, "Well, it partly is but, I'm not getting any younger. Andy and I, we want to see the world."
Haley sighed. All of Karen's life, she'd only thought of others, always put others' needs before her own. She couldn't blame her for wanting to live her life.
"I understand," Haley nodded, "I want you to be happy, Karen. You've always been so good to me, and I can't thank you enough for everything."
Karen reached under the counter, pulling out an envelope, "This is the best I can do. I'm sorry it's not more."
Haley accepted the envelope, and hugged the older woman.
"A month's pay? After all you've done for her?" Jimmy James yelled, after Haley had gotten home that night, "You've slaved away in that café for four years."
"Jimmy, calm down, everything is going to be alright," Lydia James tried to assure her husband, "Haley will find another job."
"There are no jobs, Lydia, I should know," he sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table, resting his head in his hands.
"Let's not panic, hm?" Lydia put on a smile, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders, "She'll find something."
"Babe, I'm sure you'll find another job," Chris said, as he plucked the strings of his guitar, "And until then, don't worry about the tour. I'll pay. I gotta have my best girl there with me."
"Thanks," she managed to force a smile, as he placed a rough kiss to her lips.
The two were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.
"Karen, hey, how are you?" Haley said, leaning on the edge of the couch in Chris' apartment.
"I'm good, Haley, I'm actually about to leave for the airport," Karen replied, "I just wanted to apologize again. I wish that I could've done more."
"Karen, you don't have to apologize," Haley assured her.
"Have you found a new job yet?" she asked the young woman.
Haley gulped, "Um, no, not yet, I'm still looking."
"Well, maybe I can help you," Karen responded.
A few days later, Haley sat nervously in a large mansion, pulling at the edge of her skirt. She still couldn't believe that Karen had gotten her this interview.
All she had said was that she knew of someone who was looking for a caregiver for a disabled man. They were desperate, and when Haley had heard how much they planned to pay, she'd dropped her cell phone. After a strange look from Chris, she'd readily accepted the chance.
"You must be Haley James," a voice pulled her from her daydreaming.
Haley looked up to see a woman with long blonde hair, in her early forties.
"I'm Deborah Scott, you can call me Deb," the woman smiled, "Please, come with me to the sitting room."
Haley's eyes widened, as she quickly moved to follow the woman. She thought the room she'd been sitting in was the sitting room. They entered a large room, with a fireplace and a chandelier.
"Please, have a seat," Deb ushered her the white leather couch opposite the one she was seated upon, "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Yes, thank you," Haley replied.
"Now, Miss James, do you have any experience as a caregiver or an aide?"
"No," Haley admitted, "But, um, I'm willing to learn."
"What about paralysis? Do you have any knowledge or experience about that?" Deb asked.
Haley sighed, "Not really. I've seen the Paralympics on TV."
"Miss James, we're talking about loss of leg function and limited arm and hand function," Deb retorted, "Would that bother you in any way?"
Haley chuckled, "Not as much as it would bother him."
Her laughter immediately ceased as she saw Deb's eyes narrow slightly, "Oh, I'm sorry, that was inappropriate."
Deb took a deep breath before continuing, "Karen says that you're a warm, bubbly, and life-enhancing presence.
"Yeah, I totally paid her to say that," Haley said, immediately regretting her statement that had just come out. When she got nervous, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, often rambling to no avail.
"So, Haley, what exactly do you want to do with your life?" Deb asked, her body stiffening slightly.
"Um, well…I…uh…" Haley stammered.
Deb sighed, obviously frustrated, "Miss James, why should I give you this job?"
"Mrs. Scott, uh, Deb, I am a fast learner, and I never get sick, I only live a mile away, and I make the best mac and cheese you'll ever eat. You know, there isn't much that can't be solved by a good, home-cooked meal," Haley continued, "Not to say that your husband's paralysis could be solved by food…."
"My husband?" Deb questioned, interrupting Haley, shaking her head, "No, it's not my husband. It's my son."
Haley's eyes widened again, "Your son?"
"Yes, Nathan was injured in an accident last year," Deb stated.
"Oh, Deb, I'm sorry," Haley managed to stutter, "When I'm nervous, I say stupid stuff."
The two were interrupted by a man entering the room. He had dark hair and dark eyes; Haley thought he looked slightly menacing.
"Another interview?" Dan Scott said.
"Will you be back tonight, dear?" Deb asked.
Dan sighed, "I'll do my best. Why, do you need me for something?"
"No," Deb quickly replied.
"How rude of me," Dan said, extending his hand to Haley, "Dan Scott, I'm Nathan's father."
"Haley James," she introduced herself.
"I'll see you later Deb," Dan said, before walking out.
Deb turned back to Haley, "So, when can you start?"
Haley couldn't help but choke on the tea she'd been drinking, "Wh…What?"
"Can you start tomorrow?" Deb asked.
"Yes, yes, of course," Haley replied, "Thank you Mrs. Scott, I mean, Deb."
Deb smiled, "Alright, let's go meet Nathan."
"So, this is the guest house," Deb said, leading Haley into the massive backyard, complete with inground swimming pool and hot tub, "We'd never used it until…the accident. Nathan lives out here, separate but close enough, you know."
"Of course," Haley replied, following Deb into the guest house. Just like the main house, it was large, spacious, and extravagant.
Deb continued, "I'll get you a set of car keys and I'll put you on our insurance. The cupboards and fridge are fully stocked, help yourself to whatever you'd like. Now, I'll leave it to you and Nathan to figure out how much you'll interact. Obviously, I'd like for you two to get along. It would be nice if he could think of you as a friend, rather than someone who's only here for a paycheck."
Haley nodded, as they approached a large door. Deb knocked. With a loud grunt as a response, Deb opened the door.
Haley saw a dark haired young man sitting in a wheelchair. His hair was longer and shaggy, touching his shoulders. And from his profile she could see a scruffy beard on his face. But before any of that, the first thing she really noticed wasn't the wheelchair he sat in, but his piercing ice blue eyes.
"Hi," Haley managed to stammer, "I'm Haley." No response. Just his eyes locked with hers.
"Nathan, this is Haley James," Deb introduced. Nathan stared intently at her, not saying a word, before turning his wheelchair around to stare out the window once more.
"I'm sorry, he has good days and bad days," Deb apologized.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here Mom," Nathan finally spoke, "My brain isn't paralyzed….yet."
A moment of silence passed before Haley broke it, "I'm Haley."
Nathan looked at her, "You already said that."
"The Scott's?" Jimmy said in astonishment, "My daughter is working for the Scott's? Looks like we're moving up in the world."
"I really don't know too much about them," Haley answered honestly.
"Honey, have you not looked at magazine covers or watched the news in the last few years?" her father retorted, "Dan Scott owns Scott Enterprises. He owns half this town. Deb works with a bunch of different charities all over the country. And Nathan. God, Nathan was a basketball superstar at Duke, and he got drafted to the Lakers before…"
"The accident," Haley completed her father's sentence, "Yeah, I don't really know what happened. I guess it's not entirely my business, but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough."
"So, what's he like?" her father questioned.
"Rude," Haley immediately said, "But I mean, I just met him. He can't be that bad."
"Alright, you have my number and Dan's," Deb said, clutching her purse as she waited to leave for a charity meeting, "Nathan's painkillers are in the cabinet. You can give him one if he asks, but try to avoid giving him sleeping pills. They tend to make him…a little irritable."
Haley bit her lip, nodding slightly.
"Well, more irritable than usual," Deb elaborated, "Anyway, don't worry, you're not here for anything physical, besides medication."
Haley looked confused, "Then, what am I here for?"
Deb sighed, looking into Nathan's room, where he sat in his chair, headphones on, staring out the window, "To cheer him up, I guess."
Haley had been sitting in the kitchen, paging through a cookbook for almost an hour, before she finally worked up the courage to talk to Nathan. She slowly approached the door, knocking softly.
His head turned, taking off his headphones, "What?"
She took a deep breath, "I thought we could go out for the afternoon."
"Oh really?" Nathan replied, the fake enthusiasm clearly evident, "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, your mom said that you have a car that was adapted for wheelchairs," Haley began, before Nathan cut her off.
"Oh, and you thought that a drive would be good for me?" Nathan questioned, "Some fresh air, hmmm?"
"Well, okay then Nathan, what do you usually do here all day?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I sit," Nathan snapped, "I don't do anything."
Haley sighed, "Fine, why don't you just tell me what you do like to do, and maybe we could do that?"
Nathan tossed his headphones onto his bed, wheeling his chair close to where she stood in the doorway, "Look, Haley, you seem nice enough. But, my mom says you like to talk…a lot. Let's make a deal, hmm? Where you don't talk a lot, around me."
Haley took a step back, like she'd just been punched. Nathan's words had stung a little, "Uh…okay. I guess I'll just be in the kitchen, if you need me."
Hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter of my Naley version of "Me Before You!"
I know I haven't updated Break Down My Walls or my songfic Say You Won't Let Go. I am working on those chapters now, but this idea came to me when I reread the book, and I couldn't stop thinking about Naley as Will and Lou from Me Before You!
Let me know what you think! Please review and let me know what you'd like to see!