AN: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews. I know most of you are upset that Haley said that it was Jake she saw standing next to her when all her dreams came true but that'll change of course. She's confused right now about her feelings and that will continue to play out. In all her life she's only been with him so she's freaking out over this thing with Nathan.
I know that there aren't a lot of Jaley scenes and that is due to the fact that I hate writing them together this way. I'm sorry but I do. So we'll only see them together a little but that doesn't mean that they don't spend time together…lol. But mostly I just want to focus on Naley and the relationship that is developing between the two of them now because from here on out it will only grow.
Quote of the Day:
Captain Awesome: That is so not awesome!
Chapter Nine –I Want To Lay Like This Forever
The sound of breathing was the only thing that he could hear. It was two hours into practice and already he was tired. They had been running suicide drills for the last thirty minutes. The whole team was breathing hard as they started on their last stretch. It wasn't long until the whistle blew. The whole team gathered in a circle as Coach K talked to them.
Nathan was out of it though. He couldn't hear a word. His hands were on his sides as he tried to catch his breath. He glanced to his right and still she wasn't there. He had been doing it all practice, looking over at the cheerleaders just to get a look at her. But just like in class earlier that morning and yesterday at practice as well, she hadn't been there. In fact, the last time he did see her was when he left to go to Peyton's on Sunday. Either way he missed her.
"Where's your head at?" Lucas questioned from beside him. Lucas wasn't any help either seeing as how he had been held up with Skillz playing NBA Live over at his dorm room. So he hadn't been home since Sunday. Some kind of big tournament they were having with some of the guys on the team. It still wasn't over and most of them were going back there tonight for the finals. It was against Jake and Lucas. Nathan was praying that Lucas would win.
"Nowhere," Nathan lied.
"You want to come watch me kick Jagielski ass tonight?" Lucas smirked while nodding his head.
"As much as I would love to see that," Nathan smiled. "I've got tons of homework to do and I've got this English assignment…"
"Enough with the boring school stuff," Lucas held up his hand. "If you change your mind the rest of the team will be there, it'll be a way for us to bond…you know, as a team!" He pressed his hands together before they both started laughing.
"I think I'll pass," Nathan chuckled. "But maybe next time."
"Get me a date with Peyton yet?" Lucas questioned as he wiggled his eyebrows.
"Yeah, about that," Nathan mumbled. He really hadn't realized that Peyton had a boyfriend. The worse part of the whole thing was that Lucas kept on asking about her and he didn't know what to say.
"What is it? She's not into you is she?" Lucas questioned as his smile faded.
"No, man, It's nothing like that…I'm just working on it," Nathan stated with a soft smile.
"You've been talking me up?" Lucas questioned.
"Of course," Nathan laughed. "I'll get you a date with her relax. In fact, I'll ask her after the concert tomorrow night."
"Sweet," Lucas nodded. "I should be home tonight but this thing could last pretty long."
"As long as you win, right?" Lucas just had to win. It was bad enough that Jake got Haley. He couldn't have this punk beating his cousin in this tournament as well.
"Hell yeah!" Lucas smirked before they dumped fist.
The guys started walking towards the locker room and he instantly turned the opposite direction. It wasn't long until he made it towards the girls. Both Lindsey and Brooke immediately noticed him. He waited a few seconds as Brooke dismissed the rest of her squad. They were in front of him soon after.
"Nice practice, Scott number two," Brooke smirked at him.
Lindsey giggled from beside her. "Yeah, you were great out there. Sorry you had to run so many suicides." She moved her hand over to his shoulder rubbing it softly up and down as she gave a little pout.
"We're just getting in shape for the start of the season," Nathan shrugged. His body was killing him. He hadn't work this much in all his life. Yesterday at practice had been the worse though. Vegas and Jake were goofing around during the last set of drills and the whole team had to pay for it. An hour later Tim was throwing up all over the court. It was pretty disgusting. But it was the reason Coach K decided that they had enough.
"It looks like you're already in shape," Brooke mumbled eyeing the rest of his body.
"Forgive her," Lindsey smiled at him before laughing. "Did you want something?"
"I kind of noticed that Haley hasn't been here for the last two days…and I was wondering if…everything was ok?" Nathan asked looking between the two girls. They were both smiling at him with a knowing look. "Is she ok?" They continued to smile up at him and it was making him uncomfortable.
"You noticed that, huh?" Brooke smirked at him while raising her eyebrows.
He nodded his head. "Is everything ok?"
"She just has the flu," Lindsey replied. "She's been in bed since after we left Sunday afternoon from your place. She was looking better this morning though. She'll be fine."
"Flu?" Nathan mumbled.
"Yeah, the flu," Brooke stated while reaching down and grabbing her bag.
"I picked up her homework from today. We have this assignment due Thursday and I didn't want her to miss it," Nathan mumbled.
"I can…"
"You should bring it to her," Brooke said interrupting Lindsey in the process. Lindsey looked at her confused as Nathan nodded than walked away. Brooke waited until he was out of sight before turning to Lindsey who was glaring at her. "What?"
"Don't give me that innocent crap," Lindsey declared. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Nothing," Brooke said innocently.
"You're trying to push them together," Lindsey said knowingly.
"No, I'm not," Brooke replied lifting her pompoms. "He did a nice thing for her and all I'm saying is he should go and give it to her. You know she goes crazy about missing school. She even tried to fake feeling better this morning so that she wouldn't miss another day of class. I'm not trying to push them together."
"Well, good," Lindsey said reaching for the rest of her things. "She's confused enough without you playing Match Maker."
"Get a grip. It's just homework," Brooke mumbled before they started walking out of the gym. They walked in silence for minutes before Brooke finally remembered what their plans were. She smiled before looking over to her side. "Yay, shopping time!"
"I know," Lindsey smiled. She was the only person that enjoyed shopping with Brooke. It took a lot of things to be ok with shopping with Brooke. Patience was one of them. With Brooke you could spend two minutes in a store or two hours. Lindsey didn't mind shopping with Brooke because she loved it almost as much as Brooke did. Haley on the other hand would totally crack under pressure and Jake would be there within the hour to pick her up. It happened often.
He stood nervously in front of her door for what felt like forever. A few girls had left their rooms and were passing by looking at him like he was some idiot, which he did. It wasn't that hard to just knock on someone's door. Either way he was nervous as hell. He had never been up to her room before. He took a deep breath before reaching up and knocking softly a few times. It wasn't long before she was opening the door.
The look of surprise was evident on her face. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Haley smiled as she opened the door fully. He was smiling at her and she could only imagine how she looked. Here he was sexy as always and she was still slightly sick. The fact that she was in her sweats and an old Duke shirt didn't help things. She moved her hand brushing a few loose strains of hair out of her face.
"I heard you were sick," Nathan said as he looked past her. On her side of the room were Kleenex balled up all over her nightstand and her desk. There were a few boxes of medicine also.
"As you can see I am," Haley mumbled throwing up her hand and pointing to her face. Her nose was red and her eyes were still a little puffy. He laughed softly before shaking his head.
Even as she stood before him sick she still looked beautiful. He didn't know what it was about her but every time he saw her she gave off this glow. He really didn't know. But one thing for sure was that she was the only girl that looked that way to him and he was glad for it.
"Pick a hand," Nathan told her. It was then that she looked down and noticed that both of his hands were behind his back.
She looked up at him. His blue eyes were sparkling once again and she quickly looked away. Her eyes landed back on his chest as she thought about which hand to pick.
"Um, that one," Haley mumbled as she pointed to his right hand. He smiled at her before moving his hand from behind his back and holding out the white rose to her. She smiled at him before taking it. She brought it to her nose smelling it before looking at him. She held his intense gaze for a few seconds.
She wanted to tell him how beautiful it was but she couldn't. Instead she said the next thing on her mind.
"What would you have done if I had picked the other one?" Haley questioned as one of her brows went up slightly. He could only laugh as he pulled out his other hand from behind his back. In it was a brown teddy bear.
"He's for you," Nathan mumbled handing it over to her. He watched as she looked it over smiling the whole time. Her smile had his heart racing.
After a few minutes of silence she finally spoke. "Does he have a name?"
"He does," Nathan nodded. "Mr. Waffles!" He smiled as she started laughing while still keeping her eyes on the bear. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. It wasn't long before she looked up at him still smiling.
"Mr. Waffles, huh?"
"Well, it took me five blocks to name him," Nathan pointed out.
"I love him. Thank you," Haley smiled. "Come in and excuse the room. My roommate is Brooke Davis after all." He walked inside and shut the door as he caught sight of what he could only assume was Brooke's side.
"You weren't kidding about the clothes," Nathan stated while looking at the mountain of clothes on her bed. He didn't know why the images that not only Lucas gave him but Haley as well didn't compare to actually seeing it. It really looked like her side of the room exploded.
"Nope," Haley mumbled shaking her head as she crawled back into her bed. She wrapped her blanket around her as she rested her head against her pillow. Right next to her, she placed Mr. Waffles. "Have a seat." He nodded his head as he made his way more into her room.
"Where exactly does she sleep?" Nathan questioned as he took off his book sack and took a seat on the side of Haley's bed.
"She's really hardly ever here," Haley shrugged. "She mostly sleeps over with Vegas but when she's here she sleeps with me." He laughed as he started unzipping his bag.
"Are you feeling any better?" Nathan questioned as he looked over his shoulder at her.
She smiled. "A lot. I'm seriously not missing another day of school." And she wasn't. It was bad enough that Brooke practically locked her in their room this morning. She had felt fine this morning. Brooke was the one that made her miss yet another day of school.
"I brought your homework," Nathan stated as he reached in his bag pulling out the worksheet for her. He placed it on her desk before reaching in his bag again. "It's nothing really. It shouldn't take that long."
"Thank you," Haley mumbled.
"Are you hungry?" Nathan questioned as he turned to face her again.
"Yeah," Haley smiled. "Jake promised that he would bring me something after the 'Legendary' game night finals." They both started laughing as he moved closer to her with the white bag in his hand. It wasn't long before he was sitting closer to where her body was laid out.
"What's this?" Haley questioned while pointing to the white bag.
"Chicken noodle with extra noodle," Nathan smiled as he took out the white container from the bag. He opened the lid before handing it over to her. He then reached for the spoon and gave it to her as well.
"Who told you that?" Haley questioned in shock. She hadn't told him that this was her favorite food when she wasn't feeling well. But still the fact that he was here. The fact that he was doing all of this with the rose, the bear, and the food. It had her heart racing in her chest. It was the sweetest thing.
He laughed softly. "I have my sources. Besides if I tell you I'd have to kill you and I don't want to do that." Their eyes locked for a few moments before she spoke.
"So Lucas, huh?" Haley questioned with a smile.
"I beat it out of him," Nathan shrugged.
"Thank you…thank you so much," Haley repeated. Their eyes locked again and she still couldn't get over the fact that he had done all this. She was feeling better by the second.
"It's no big deal," Nathan shrugged once again.
But it was a big deal to her. It meant a lot. The fact that he was here when he didn't need to be, she couldn't get over it. The girls had been taking care of her but she finally talked them into shopping today. Lucas and Jake had been busy with the tournament. She had been alone all day and bored out of her mind. But now he was here and all that other stuff didn't matter.
She took the time to take in the sight of him. He was still in his basketball shorts with a plain white t-shirt that fit him perfectly. It was obvious that he came right over after practice.
She couldn't help herself. "How is that you don't have a girlfriend?" She had regretted it once the words left her mouth but there was no taking them back. They were out there and he only smiled at her.
"Just never had one," Nathan mumbled.
"Like ever?" Haley questioned softly. She could feel her eyes getting bigger as he nodded his head. Seriously, how could he not have girlfriend? He was…well, he was perfect. Any girl would be lucky to have him. Seriously any girl, Brooke, Lindsey, Peyton…the list could go on.
"Nope, never," Nathan replied. And he really hadn't ever had a girlfriend. The girls back home weren't his type. It was rare to actually find a girl that was interested in him and not the family name or money. But in the world that he grew up in, those were the only kinds of girls they had. The girls that wanted you to take care of them and support them. The girls that really would never love you but only love the lifestyle that you provided. If you asked him, it was all crap and he didn't want any part of it.
"Why?" Haley mumbled.
"I just…I guess I'm waiting for the right girl. I mean if you don't see a future with someone then what's the point, right?" Nathan shrugged. It was the truth though. What was the point in starting something if it was leading to nowhere? It was just a waste of time and effort if you asked him.
"I guess," Haley muttered. Silence filled the air for minutes. It wasn't long before his eyes were back on her before looking down at her uneaten soup.
"Eat your soup while it's hot," Nathan said softly. He watched as she gave him a nod before she started eating. He turned away and took the time to look at her side of the room. It was perfect just like her. And unlike Brooke's side of the room, everything was cleaned and organized. Well, except for the Kleenex.
He really couldn't believe that he was sitting this closer to her. He couldn't believe that he was sitting on her bed –one that he fantasized about often. He was just inches from her. All he had to do was turn around and reach out to her, touch her, feel her soft skin. He quickly knocked that thought out of his head as he noticed a picture of her and Jake on her nightstand. She was kissing him. He quickly looked away from that.
"All done," Haley stated minutes later as she placed the empty bowl on her nightstand.
"Did you enjoy?" Nathan questioned turning around. He lifted it up and tossed it in the trashcan just a few feet away from her nightstand.
"It was very good. Thank you again," Haley said smiling.
"Just want you to feel better," Nathan smiled.
"I do," Haley said softly. It got quiet again and she quickly starting talking. "I probably look horrible." She said it more to herself than him. She reached for a Kleenex and blew her nose.
"You look beautiful," Nathan said honestly.
She laughed. "I find that hard to believe."
"You're still the most beautiful girl in the room," Nathan smiled as she continued to laugh. God, did he love her laugh. He could listen to it all day long. He loved the way it made him feel. The fact that it made him all warm inside was enough to listen to it forever.
"I'm the only girl in the room," Haley pointed out in between giggles. He only smiled. What was he supposed to say? You'd be the most beautiful girl in any room? She would just love that. It was bad enough that she had been looking at him weird on Sunday. He didn't want her thinking anything crazy. He accepted the fact that she was with Jake and they would never be. He didn't need to give her a reason to end their friendship. Despite all those other things, namely Jake, he felt the most closeness to her. Even closer that he felt to Lucas or Peyton. "Why aren't you with the rest of the guys?"
"I have ton of homework," Nathan replied.
"Oh, right. I'm sure. Me too," Haley nodded. Lindsey had been kind enough to get most of her assignments that she missed and Nathan as well. "I should probably stop holding you up from doing that."
"Well…"
She smiled at him. "Well?"
"I brought over something for us to watch. I mean, if you're up to it? Which, if not that's cool also. Whatever you want to do," Nathan shrugged.
"No, no. Please stay. I've been bored out of my mind these last two days," Haley smiled.
"You sure?" Nathan questioned.
"More than sure," Haley nodded. "What did you bring?"
"Well, Skillz was telling about Lost so I went out and bought the first season. I figured we could start it. It sounds like a really cool show. I mean, if you haven't watched it yet," Nathan mumbled nervously.
"I haven't," Haley smiled. "But Lindsey's obsessed with it. We can totally watch it. But I must warn you, I just might like it."
"Don't worry," Nathan chuckled. "I bought the second and third season too, just in case."
"Awesome," Haley smiled as she watched he walk over to the TV. He put the disc in and reached for the remote before making his way back to her bed.
"Let's just watch the first episode first and go from there. For all we know it could be the worse show ever," Nathan pointed out.
"True," Haley nodded. She watched as he sat back on the side of her bed and faced the TV. She moved herself completely over so that she was touching the wall. "You can make yourself comfortable."
"I'm fine right here," Nathan mumbled as he skipped the previews.
"Just lay down," Haley mumbled slapping him playfully on his shoulder. "Make yourself comfortable but don't get to close to me." She realized how mean that sounded and quickly corrected herself. "Because I'm sick…I don't want you to catch what I have."
He laughed before sitting next to her on her bed. He rested his head against the wall and made sure to keep himself as far away from her as possible. It was bad enough that they were on a small bed. But it wasn't catching the flu that he was worried about. No, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Even though she had offered, he knew he had to keep his distance. The picture next to him reminding him why he needed to. She wasn't his. She never would be. She was just his friend. And even though he knew it was wrong. He wanted to lay next to her forever.
"I've got you all figured out, Miss James," Jake smirked as he took another one of her fries.
"What?" Haley smiled innocently.
He shook his head. "I knew you only wanted to miss practice with the Cheerleading Nazi. You're such a bad girl."
"Hey, I had to miss school, too," Haley pointed out.
"Well, now you're just turning into a daredevil, aren't you?" Jake teased as she started laughing.
"You've finally turned me," Haley shrugged.
"No, but seriously, I'm glad you're feeling better," Jake smiled genuinely.
She turned and kissed him softly. "Me too. God, it was driving me crazy to lie in that bed all day with nothing to do."
"Some people actually like to lie around and do nothing all day," Jake pointed out with a huge grin.
"Who are these people you speak of?" Haley joked.
He couldn't help but laugh. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."
"Oh yeah?"
"Of course," Jake smirked. "If I remember correctly you wouldn't let me kiss you."
"Right," Haley nodded. "You so only have a one track mind."
"True," Jake laughed. "But now that you're feeling better I can do this." He bent his head down and kissed her softly on the lips. They pulled away seconds later.
"So you want to talk about last night?" Haley questioned.
"I lost," Jake shrugged. "I'm over it."
"Well, you're taking it better than you did last semester," Haley pointed out with a smile. He had been pissed when Vegas had beaten him last year in that same little stupid tournament.
He laughed. "Sorry, I didn't make it last night," Jake repeated for the hundredth time that day.
She laughed as he kept running his hand up and down her arm. "I told you it was fine. Nathan came over and we watched Lost. It was no big deal. I know the tournament was important to you. Besides, it's not like you left me hanging. You did call." She felt the need to point that out again. He had called and told her he was running late but she told him not to worry about it.
"Yeah, but not as important as you," Jake pointed out once again as he watched her eat the rest of her fries. They were currently eating at this local burger place called Joe's. They had some great food and she loved it there.
"Baby, it's fine," Haley smiled before placing a fry in his mouth. And it really was. He was hanging out with his friends last night and she was hanging out with hers. Last night had been so much fun with Nathan. They stayed up half the night watching almost half of the first season of Lost before she fell asleep on him. When she woke up the next morning he had left a note telling her that he left around two when she passed out on him.
"I'm just happy Nathan was there to keep you company," Jake mumbled as he finished the rest of his drink.
"Yeah, me too," Haley smiled as she continued eating.
"Is he and Brooke…you know?" Jake questioned with a smirk. "Cause I kind of feel the vibe between the two and let's just say that it's driving Vegas nuts. He hates the guy." He started laughing and she rolled her eyes at the thought of Vegas. The nerve of him to get jealous of Brooke and another guy.
"I don't think so," Haley mumbled shaking her head.
"I thought there was," Jake shrugged before wrapping his arm over her shoulder and pulling her more into him.
"He's talking to Peyton now," Haley said glancing up at him.
"Peyton?" Jake asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, your lab partner, Peyton Sawyer," Haley mumbled. She didn't tell Brooke or Lindsey about that fact when Peyton had walked into the apartment on Sunday. Jake had mentioned her the first day of school. They were taking Microbiology together and their professor had paired the up.
"That's weird," Jake mumbled.
"Why is that so weird?" Haley questioned.
"I just…well, I talk about you a lot. And when I was telling her about you she just mentioned that she had a boyfriend," Jake mumbled. "I might of heard wrong though. Maybe, she was talking about Nathan."
"I guess," Haley smiled up at him.
"So the movie starts in like an hour," Jake mumbled looking at his watch. He had left practice to meet her, so he was still in his basketball clothes.
"Go change," Haley kissed his cheek. "I'll meet you in front of the theater ten till."
"You sure you don't want to come watch?" Jake asked smugly. He wiggled his eyebrows at her for a few seconds before widening his smile.
"As tempting as that offer is, I think I'll pass," Haley laughed as she picked up the rest of the trash and tossed it on the tray.
"Don't say I didn't offer," Jake shrugged before leaning in and kissing her for a few minutes. It wasn't long before he pulled away and stood up. "I won't be that long."
"You better not make me wait," Haley said sternly.
"Yes, Ma'am," Jake smirked. "Be careful."
"I will. I love you," Haley smiled up at him.
"I love you, too, babe," Jake stated before blowing her a kiss and walking away. She stood up then and saved their tray back up front. She left right after he did and made her way to Luke's. She took her time walking there, trying to let the time pass so that she wouldn't have to wait long for Jake to change. She knocked softly on the door once she got there. Lucas opened the door minutes later with a slice of pizza in his hands.
"Hey, Hales," Lucas smiled. "Glad to see you feeling better."
"Thanks," Haley smiled as she followed him in.
"You miss me?" Lucas questioned as they made it into the living room. He was playing video games once again with Skillz.
"Always," Haley smiled looking around the living room for Nathan. She noticed that he wasn't there and his room door was closed. Lucas smirked at her.
"Just not enough," Lucas chuckled. "He's in his room."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Hey, Skillz."
"Hey, Baby James," Skillz mumbled keeping his attention fully on the game.
"Oh and Hales," Lucas stated with a huge smirk. "Sorry, I had to kick your boyfriend's ass last night but…"
"Get over yourself," Haley said sweetly as Skillz started laughing.
He laughed before shaking his head. "Some bestfriend you are."
"And yet you still love me," Haley smiled at him. He nodded his head before turning his attention back to the game. She watched for a few seconds before making her way towards Nathan's door. She didn't bother to knock as she walked right in. He was standing in his closet looking at his clothes. He wasn't wearing a shirt and she focused her eyes on his face.
"Hey."
He turned quickly at the sound of her voice. "This is a nice surprise. What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to say thank you again," Haley smiled softly as she took a seat on the edge of his bed. "You going somewhere?"
"Uh, yeah. The concert with Peyton," Nathan mumbled as he pulled two shirts out of his closet. "Can you help me pick one?"
"Of course," Haley smiled as she stood up. She walked over to him and took the time to look at both of the shirts. She pulled the black one out of his hands and handed it to him.
"You're a lifesaver," Nathan smiled as he tossed the other one aside. "I've been debating these two for the last thirty minutes."
"You really like her, huh?" Haley mumbled softly. She was still standing right in front of him as he took the shirt off of the hanger.
"Yeah, she's great," Nathan smiled.
"Is she seeing anyone?" Haley questioned. Ok, technically Jake had told her that she was but that didn't mean that Nathan knew. He put his shirt on before going to button it up.
"Yeah, she is but he lives far away," Nathan mumbled. He didn't know if Peyton wanted people knowing that she was dating Pete from Fall Out Boy so he wasn't about to say anything. He stood there frozen as he watched her reached towards him and start buttoning up his shirt for him. "W-we're just friends." He couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Like we're friends?" Haley asked softly refusing to look up at him. Her eyes stayed glued to his shirt and that perfect chest of his as she continued buttoning up his shirt. He didn't answer right away and she waited to hear his voice. She didn't know where the hell that question came from but it was there. She didn't know why she asked him but she did and there was no taking it back now. It felt like forever before he finally answered.
He took a deep breath. "Definitely not."
AN: Please review. Next chapter is the Boy Toy Auction!
