Haley closed her eyes as she felt the comforting stroke of her mother's hand over her hair. Her head was currently in her mother, Lydia's, lap; a position that Haley frequented as a child when she was upset. She would run to her mother and immediately snuggle into her warm embrace. All of her problems would melt away. The world would disappear and all she could feel was comfort. There was no pain, no suffering, no hurt. Her mother's remedy had never failed. It had never failed, until it met Nathan Scott. Now, as Lydia stroked Haley's hair, it wasn't just the two of them. Haley couldn't escape the thoughts of Nathan. What was he doing here? What did he want from her? What should she do about it? Ignore him? Try to be friends?
"Haley James," Lydia interrupted Haley's thoughts, "Your thinking is going to wake up the whole neighborhood. Now, what's going on? You come home from your show and just crawl into my lap. Tell the mama, Haley."
Haley let out a brief sigh, "Nathan came to see me after the show Mom. He was there during my entire set, just watching me from the crowd. He tried to explain what happened and I wouldn't let him. I told him that it was nothing more than a youthful indiscretion and to forget it. When I tried to leave, he stopped me and said that it was so much more than a youthful indiscretion. What the hell does that mean?"
Lydia chuckled softly, "It means he loves you Haley Bob, I never had any doubts about that."
"Well, I sure do," Haley mumbled
Lydia just smiled, "Oh my Haley. This is one of those times where you can't rationalize what's going on. You just have to let your heart decide. I know Nathan hurt you in the past, and Lord knows I wanted to kill him for what he said to you, but I've learned a lot since your father died. I remember what you and Nathan were like together, you can't let a love like that just pass you by. You'll regret it in the end."
Haley just sighed in response. She had no idea what to do.
"Why don't you go up and start a bubble bath? I'll bring you some tea in a few minutes" Lydia suggested
Haley sat up and nodded. She kissed her mother's cheek before responding, "Thanks, Mama"
"You don't have to thank me, Bob, it's what I'm here for," Lydia said smiling
--
Haley was searching through her old bookcase looking for a good novel to lose herself in while soaking in the bathtub. The names of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, and Toni Morrison looked back at her, but the only name that plagued Haley's mind was: Nathan Scott. As Haley was trying to shake the thoughts of Nathan from her mind, she heard a soft tap on her window. Opening the shades, she was met with the face of Nathan perching on the tree outside her house. Against better judgment, Haley opened the window. As she looked at his sad face, she remembered a similar scene outside her window, just short of five years ago.
--
"Why are you here?" Haley spat out
"I'm here to see the girl I love and tell her I want her in my life," Nathan responded
Haley laughed bitterly, "The girl you love, huh? You tell the girl you love to shut up? You dismiss her like some piece of trash? Because last time I checked, you don't treat people you love like that, Nathan"
"Haley, I had to act like that. Just let me explain, I know you'll understand, please," Nathan said desperately
"Understand?" Haley asked incredulously, "Nathan, the only thing I understand is that you're a coward. You don't have the courage to act like you love me in your world. I deserve so much better than you Nathan, we're done."
"Haley, no, will you just wait?" Nathan asked trying to maneuver himself into her room
Haley shook her head sadly, "You're too late."
Nathan watched desperate and aching as she shut the window and closed the blinds. From his spot outside her house, he could hear her gut wrenching sobs, and wanted nothing more than to prove his love to her.
--
Haley shook the painful memories from her mind, "What do you want from me Nathan?"
"Haley, I know that you don't want to listen to anything I say, and I can't blame you for that," Nathan began
"Wow, you're such a saint," Haley said sarcastically
Nathan couldn't help but smile. She was still the same feisty girl he fell for, "Haley, I love you and I have always loved you. The past four years without you has been pure hell. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of you or want you next to me. God, I am so sorry for what happened, but I need you to listen and I need to explain why, please, Haley"
Haley took a moment before responding, "You know, my mom told me that I should give you a chance. She said that ever since my dad died she learned about life and love. She said that she remembered what we were like when we were together and that we shouldn't let a love like that just pass us by."
"She's right Hales," Nathan cut in, "We were so good together and I love you more than anything. I can't live without you anymore,"
"Were we? Nathan, I'm finding it hard to believe. If you can't live without me, why did you wait for me to come back to Tree Hill to tell me all this? And, if our love was so great, why were the only people that we could tell were my parents? God, Nathan, you didn't even let me tell my best friends. Do you know how much that killed me? You never showed any indication that you knew the effect our relationship had on me. Nate, all you would talk about was how much trouble you would get in if your parents ever found out and how risky this was. I can't gamble everything I've built, everything I've worked for just for some teenage love affair!"
"Is that what you really think? That I didn't care?" Nathan asked in disbelief
"Nathan, I knew you cared. Otherwise you wouldn't risk everything to be with me. What I'm trying to say is that part of being in love is showing the world. Showing that you care, showing that you'd do anything for the other person, no matter how much it would cost you. I saw you today. I saw how you were surrounded by the same people. You haven't left that world, Nathan. You're still controlled by your parents and if you think that they'll just suddenly accept me because of my accomplishments, you're dead wrong. They will always see me as the piece of trash their son played around with for a few months as a teenager. I won't put myself through that again!" Haley said trying to hold back her tears
Nathan nodded solemnly, "There's obviously nothing I can do to convince you tonight. I want you to know two things though. One? I love you. Don't ever doubt that. I'm going to prove that to you. Two? I'm not going anywhere."
Haley watched, awestruck, as he leaned in, kissed her cheek, and then climbed back down the tree and walked away. All thoughts of a bubble bath were abandoned, as Haley sought out her mother and the comfort of her lap.
I'm not going anywhere.
--
Hey guys! I really appreciate all your feedback. Is there anything you'd like to see next? A certain scene between characters? Don't worry, in the next couple of chapters you'll see both Nathan and Haley interact with characters other than each other, including Lucas, Dan, and a few others! Keep replying!