Cause I don't shine
If you don't shine
Before you go
Can you read my mind?

Nathan Scott calmly took in the scene of all the older adults and children that had showed up to his going away party. It was the weekend before he was going away to High Flyers and his father had insisted that a congratulatory party was in order.

Even though Nathan was growing quite fond of parties, he had to admit that this party was completely dull. His dad had the best intentions for him but sometimes he went over the top, especially when the issue at hand was related to anything basketball.

For being a small town, Tree Hill was filled with rich and influential people. Nathan's father was the one of the most influential out of all of these people. So when Dan Scott had announced that he was throwing a party in the honor of his son's future basketball career, everyone who was anyone showed up.

Nathan had to admit there were quite a number of interesting people at his party whom he would have liked to talk to. His little brother, Lucas, was surrounded by two girls that he recognized to be Peyton and Brooke like always. Nathan smirked at the way both were obviously falling hard for Lucas. He almost wished that he could stay around just to watch all of the drama unfold between that disastrous love triangle.

Another one of his brother's friend, a scrawny and somewhat geeky kid by the name of Mouth walked past him, every once in a while glancing over his shoulders to watch Brooke and his brother. It was so painfully obvious to everyone but Brooke how much this boy liked her.

There were plenty of people to socialize with at the party but Nathan Scott was only in the mood for socializing with one person. He could already tell by the lack of electricity that he felt whenever she was present in a room at the same time that he was that she wasn't anywhere to be found.

It didn't take him long before he knew sort of by instinct exactly where she was. He always knew where to find her. Ever since they were little, the small beach house that Nathan's parents owned had become their own private getaway whenever they wanted to be alone.

Haley was sitting alone underneath one the life guarding towers immersed in her own thoughts before she heard him walking up to her. She greeted him stoically, not allowing him to see any of the emotions that she was feeling at the moment. She was bitter. She was angry. She was confused and lonely. And she would be damned if she would let him know any of this. Haley refused to send Nathan off feeling like he was obligated to stay and try to make her happy.

"You're not at the party," he noted as he sat down next to her, digging his toes in the sand. He didn't know what else to say so he just said the first thing that popped up in his mind.

There was no need for her to answer him. Instead, she just leaned into him, placing her head between his neck and his shoulder, a secret comfort cushion that shielded her from anything outside of the reality that she built for herself when she was in her utopian land. Although they were both restless people, they found their center of all things calm whenever they were together. There could have been storms of emotions thrashing violently on their exterior but at, the center of all that chaos was a sense of comfort that they both openly reveled in.

"I remember when I first met you, Nathan. I hated you. I thought you were an arrogant little brat."

Nathan smiled, taking in the scent of her hair mixed in with the salty ocean water on that warm summer night. There wasn't much that he needed besides what he had right next to him.

"You had wanted me to come in and keep you company. You were so cute in that dress of yours that I almost would have, if you weren't acting like such a damn princess."

"And then you kept on playing with that stupid, insipid basketball of yours. I remember being so mad because you kept on bouncing it while you were making fun on my 'cute' dress. I remember wanting to throw the ball at you so that you would stop."

Nathan laughed. He placed one hand over her shoulder pulling her close to him. He always liked the way her tiny body fit against his. It never failed to amaze him how well they fit together.

"You didn't want to throw that ball at me, hales. You actually did. You stomped up to me with your face all pink and you grabbed away my ball. Then you took the ball and threw it with surprising strength and aim at my head. That was when I first knew that you were something special. You weren't like all of the other girls your age. Heck, you weren't like any of the girls my age either."

Haley smiled and snuggled in closer to him. He smelled like summer. There were a lot of people who argued that seasons weren't something that couldn't be smelled but Haley begged to differ. Maybe her sense of smell was much more heightened than a normal person but she could tell the difference. Just like how winter smelled like gingerbread, peppermint and cinnamon, summer smelled like Nathan. That was just the way things were for her.

"And instead of going to your mom and crying like some of the other boys might have done, you looked at me and demanded to know why I threw the ball at your head. You were fearless and confrontational. I knew you never would have hurt me but you were still scaring me."

"I could never hurt you."

Nathan said this with such sincerity that Haley almost believed him. Too bad almost doesn't really count. Maybe if she could believe everything that he said, they could have a chance at that fleeting fairy tale relationship. But he was leaving. And she didn't even believe in fairy takes. Not for people like them anyway. They were people who were far too complex to be reduced to one of those rainbows and sunshine fairytales. She preferred it this way. Their unlikely story of romance and love wasn't idealistic as the normal tales but it was by far more intriguing than any of those typical Cinderella stories.

"Nathan, you'll always come back for me won't you?"

Nathan takes a second to think about her question. Not because he was trying to figure out the best way to answer her. Instead, he was desperately trying to decipher what she had meant with her carefully selected words. With Haley, it was always about double meanings. When it came to Haley, nothing was ever taken at surface value.

"I don't think that I could ever leave you. But yes, if one day something takes me away from you, I'll come back for you."

Haley shifted away from him so that she could look at him while he was talking.

"And what if when you come back for me, you find that nothing is the way it was when you left. What will you do then Nathan?"

His forehead crinkled up the way it did whenever he was thinking hard. She knew that whatever he had to say was going to come from his heart. Deep down, she knew that everything he said to her came from the heart. But sometimes it was better to pretend to be oblivious to such things.

"We're so young, Hales. We've got the rest of our lives ahead of us. That day that you threw that ball at my head, I was thrown away by the audacity and courage that you had. You refused to put up with all of my bullshit. I think that was the day that my infatuation with you started. I was so caught up in the web of golden thread that you spun for me and I haven't found the way out yet. I haven't wanted to find a way out yet. No matter what changes in the future, I'll still be yours even if you might not want me anymore. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us and I can promise you that I'll be yours every step of the way."

Nathan's speech had left her speechless. Haley blinked away the pool of salty tears that were forming underneath her eyes. She wanted to be angry at him for ruining everything but she couldn't find the strength to. It wasn't healthy how much she cared about him. This boy was going to be the end of her.

After she wiped away her tears inconspicuously, she shifted her body so that she was sitting on his lap. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and looked into the most piercing cobalt eyes that she has ever laid eyes on. She had no doubt inside that young mind of hers that somehow, someway they would find their way back to each other. That warm sense of comfort was all she needed.

Haley pulled him closer until their lips were almost touching.

"I can promise you that in some way, a part of me will always be with you too. But I'm not sure how fair it would be for me to wait around for you. And you, you're going to be so busy pursuing that dream of yours that the last thing I want you to do is waste your time worrying about me. You take care of yourself Nate because I'll be okay."

It was Nathan's undoing. He could barely contain himself when she was so close. He moved towards that empty space between them that was keeping his lips from her lips, closing the gap.

They've kissed before but this kiss was nothing like any of the others. The kiss was filled with heat, passion, love, and promise wrapped together neatly in a controlled fight for dominance between their mouths and their tongues. It left them both completely content and satisfied but at the same, the need for more of each other was something that they couldn't shake off.

Her lips were unbelievably soft, touching his soul in places that no one else had reached before. He didn't think that anyone could ever reach that place that he only reserved for her even if they tried. When the issue of air had started to make its appearance, Nathan pulled away holding her tightly in his arms.

He knew with absolute conviction that he didn't need to worry about their future, not when their bond was so strong. Their bond was untouchable even by the powerful concept of time.

--------------------------------------

"Hey little brother."

Despite instinct setting off warning bells in Lucas' head, Lucas walked over to his brother and greeted him cautiously. After pulling away from the brief hug, Lucas folded his arms over his chest. He wasn't going to make this easy for Nathan.

"What are you doing here?"

"Heard about your party all the way from Durham," Nathan replied casually.

By now, the whole entire room had stopped what they were doing in order to observe the interaction between two of the most devastatingly beautiful men in the room. Though there was no similarity between the two besides from the pair of blue eyes that they both were genetically endowed with, they both possessed a sense of power that was not to be ignored. Even though the only similarity that they shared in their blue eyes was the category in which the color was placed in, Nathan's dark blue eyes were much more dangerous and cunning in comparison with Lucas' deep baby blues that were much more safe and careful. Both of the brothers were clouded by such mystery bottled up with such fire and passion that they unknowingly commanded the unwanted attention of many bystanders.

After Lucas had gotten over the initial shock of seeing his older brother at his graduation party, he finally had the sense to take the conversation outside where they could be apart from all of the eavesdropping bystanders.

"I don't have time for your bullshit answers right now, big brother," Lucas said immediately as he found an empty spot somewhere on his driveway. "Why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here, Luke. Same reason as always."

"You don't have the right anymore. You can't just show up here unexpectedly after being gone all of these years."

"Lucas, if you're going to take the time to use my leave of absence against me, I strongly advise you not to," Nathan calmly warned. "There's a lot that you don't know. It would just be wiser if you didn't press that issue any further."

The years had nurtured Nathan into a much more mature and composed character that was hardly recognizable. But Lucas knew better than to be fooled by his display of passive aggressiveness. Though Nathan had changed a lot, there was a reason for why he had decided to come back to Tree Hill. Tree Hill was the place where everything had started for him. All of his passions in life had been nurtured in this small little town. Nathan had come back for a certain girl who had captured their hearts with a force so strong that it was hard to overcome.

"She's not going to be happy to see you."

They both knew who he was talking about. Nathan refused to give Lucas a reply. Truth is, he already knew how hard he would have to work to gain back her trust.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her again. You weren't here, Nate. You weren't the one who watched as she would lose sleep night after night because she believed in you. She believed that you would never break her and you did. You left her. You don't have the right to come back."

"Touching speech, Lucas. You were always the one for extravagant words. I'm here whether or not you like it."

Nathan made a move towards the door but was soon blocked by Lucas' body. Instead of pushing the issue even further, Nathan realized that Lucas still had more to say. He figured that it would be wise to not piss Lucas off even further. He prepared himself for some more harsh words but was genuinely surprised with what had come out of Lucas' mouth next.

"We're not the same people anymore. We're not the same people that you left Nathan. I know you well enough to know that you're not going to go away. But give us tonight Nathan. She's happy right now, don't ruin it."

If Nathan were hurt by Lucas' choice of words, he didn't show it. He really didn't come to stir up any trouble. He had only come back to fix things again. If they needed tonight, he wasn't going to stand in their way. He wasn't the stubborn brat that he used to be. Although Haley had helped to make better that selfish part of him, time had done the rest.

Glancing past Lucas and towards the house behind him, Nathan did not feel discouraged in the least. Though his original plans of stopping by and surprising everyone had been somewhat ruined, he didn't mind. Things were most interesting when they were unplanned anyway.

"I know," Nathan said quietly. "I'll be seeing you around, little bro."

They were brothers by blood so it was hard to have any ill-feelings towards each other. Besides, Nathan was well aware of how close Lucas held Haley to his heart. All those years when he was away, it comforted him to know that haley was safe under Lucas' watch. Even now, he was still relieved to find that Lucas was still protecting Haley. It was going to be quite an obstacle for him to over come but he would find spme way around it. He always did.

Allowing one look back at his brother, Nathan turned around and walked away.

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Haley walked through Lucas' house searching for the tall, blonde haired boy who made it hard for her to control herself whenever he was within a certain radius of her. She had left the room where the rest of her friends were, complaining of stuffiness. They never suspected anything. She had learned how to be careful a long time ago, when she and Lucas were in jeopardy of getting found out every single time they would disappear together.

"Hey, do you know where Lucas is?" Haley said, stopping a cute guy who she recognized to be one of Lucas' classmates that she helped tutor last year.

The boy smiled at her nicely and told her that he saw Lucas stepping outside. Thanking him, Haley walked past the crowds of people dancing on the floor while ignoring the horny teenagers making out in various corners of Lucas' house.

As soon as Haley was outside, she took a second to revel in the warm night air. One of her favorite things in the world was a summer's night. She loved everything about summer actually. The warmth, the love and laughter. She even loved the smell. Suddenly, she heard low voices talking intensely that had snapped her out of her thoughts.

She couldn't place what they were saying but she recognized the voices. One was a voice that she heard every day. The other voice was a vaguely familiar voice. It was a voice that had once made her heart beat faster whenever she heard it. It was a voice that held so much power over her. Its melodic arrangement of deep and low notes would always cause her to wake up in the middle of the night with shivers running along her spine.

Haley cursed at herself silently for even thinking about the owner of that supposed voice that she was hearing. The boy was no longer in the picture at all. He was a part of the past but for some reason, her mind could not accept this fact. Much to her disliking, she would see glimpses of him everywhere almost all the time. Sometimes, it would be late at night as his ghost would sometimes visit her in her dreams. Other times, it would be when she was wide awake like right now when her mind would again play tricks with her.

Though it was warm outside, Haley suddenly got cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked towards the voices, since she already knew that it was probably Lucas socializing with one of his friends.

When she got closer, the voices became more distinct. Her heart began to start racing just like how it would years ago when she had known a boy by the name of Nathan Scott. She prided herself on being well-prepared but this was a time when her practicalities escaped her. She was prepared for a lot of things but not this.

As she rounded the corner of Lucas' porch in order to get to his driveway, she was almost disappointed to see that he was standing there alone kicking a piece of dirt.

Though she wasn't aware of how it was even possible since she had convinced herself a long time ago that Nathan Scott meant nothing to her, Haley's heart dropped when she noticed Lucas standing there alone. She forgot all about her own demons when she noticed his disheveled appearance. He looked so preoccupied and worried that Haley was almost afraid to approach him.

"Hey. You okay? Who were you talking to? I thought I heard voices."

"Haley, I…"

Haley saw something disappearing into the darkness that caught her attention. That walk. That build. She could recognize the retreating figure anywhere. Three years ago, he had walked out of her life for good. Call her pathetic, but him walking away from her was something that she couldn't erase from her head if she tried.

Haley looked up into Lucas' eyes and saw everything that she needed to know in order to confirm her suspicions.

She didn't know what had spurred the reaction in her but she picked up her dress and she ran. She didn't know if she was running away or if she was running towards something. She just needed to keep on running. Haley was scared that if she stopped running, the world might eventually catch up to her.

A/N: So that's it for right now because I'm super, super tired and I've got lots of homework to do. I'll update soon. Please review and let me know what you think because it makes me happy.