"Hi."
Nathan looked at her and realized that this wasn't another dream about Haley coming back to him. She was here. She was actually here and no one had asked her to come. She had done it on her own.
She stared into his eyes through her tears and somehow, she knew things were different. All of the anger, all of the hostility, all of the resentment from the past few weeks, melted away. He might not have wanted to show it, but she could see it in his eyes.
"Nathan, I'm so sorry. I just—"
He came down to her level and embraced her. With her head on his shoulder he could hear and feel her sobbing. Her wet tears soaked through his shirt. He ran his hand through her hair and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to hold in all of the emotion. He had waited so long for this, for her to come back to him. He had imagined how it would feel to hold her in his arms again, but this was different, better, like nothing else in the world mattered as they held each other close.
He let her go and looked into her eyes. She didn't have to explain. He'd thought that all of the resentment he'd had over the past weeks would keep him from forgiving her. She'd hurt him, worse than he'd ever been hurt before. But when he looked into her eyes, he could see how sorry she was. He could see the regret and the confusion and most importantly, the love.
"Nathan…"
"No, Haley, I know. C'mon, let's go inside."
He gently took her hand and they walked hand-in-hand into the house.
---
"Looks like it's just you and me this summer."
He sat down next to her and saw the pain in her eyes.
"Peyt—"
She turned to him and hugged him, crying into his shoulder. He stroked her back reassuringly, not knowing what was causing his friend so much pain.
She sat up and looked at him. He was there, and she needed him. She had told herself she didn't need anyone, that Peyton Sawyer could take care of Peyton Sawyer, but she was wrong. She needed someone, she needed Lucas. Brooke was gone, Jake was gone, her mother was gone, her world was being turned upside down. He hadn't been there. She knew she shouldn't trust this easily. But looking into his strong eyes, she knew he would help her. He would be there, and she needed him. She let the tears flow freely, showing him without words, but with emotion, what she was going through. He embraced her once again, and for the first time since everyone had left, she felt safe.
---
…"I gotta go…"
The scene played over and over in her mind as she sat on the plane, looking blankly out the window. Why couldn't she have told him how she really felt? What was holding her back? He had told her what she had been wanting to hear for so long, and she couldn't respond. She'd dreamed of when he'd say this, and how he'd say this, and how she'd respond to it, but when he showed up at her door that afternoon, her mind was gone. If she could only rewind just a couple hours, she'd tell him. But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. She also couldn't imagine a whole summer, possibly the rest of her life, without him. She wanted him to know this, desperately wanted him to know this.