Hey, everyone. Thanks for the reviews, you are awesome! Please keep them coming and I hope you enjoy chapter 11.

Quote of the day: Malcolm in the Middle

Lois: (about her parents): But at least we can be happy when they're gone.
Malcolm: You mean when they drive back to Alaska?
Lois: Yeah. That's what I meant.

Chapter 11. Speed, My ADD-Friend, Speed.

Day 7

We're in Denver, Colorado. It's day 7 of our road trip and against all odds, we're both still alive and actually enjoying the trip.

Today Nathan and I were on the road for almost seven hours and for once, most of it was done in silence. He knew I needed my space, peace and quiet. I needed to think things through and boy, did I just do that today.

See dear diary, I've had a long couple of days. Yesterday I went from being Chris Keller's girlfriend to the cheated ex-girlfriend. After that I tried to drown my sorrows by drinking lots and lots of tequila. Then I made a fool out of myself in front of Nathan and this morning I had the hangover of the century. Now, 7 hours later after waking up, I'm finally starting to get over it.

Get over Chris or the hangover?

Both, I hope. It still makes me sick to even think about him and the hangover sure isn't helping. But all in all, I'm getting over him more quickly than I thought I could. I mean, it's not like we were spending that much time together to begin with and now I realize that what I thought was love between us, was only loyalty and trust. And even that was only from my part.

It still hurts to think what he did but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as the fact that I was so naive. I can't believe that I, the one who's supposed to be the smart girl, could be fooled so easily.

But luckily Chris didn't ruin me for good. I still believe in true love. Even more than before. I refuse to think that it doesn't exist. But now I know to be more cautious and not trust everything everyone says... Not everyone can be trusted, especially scumbags like Chris fucking Keller.

Did I mention how awesome Nathan's being? I swear to god, I wanna kiss him for being so sweet. First of all, he took care of me last night after I found out about Chris Keller and also when he found me blastered in some sleazy road side bar. And after carrying me to my bed after I had my breakdown, he went and kicked Chris Keller's ass! Literally! He gave him a black guy and a broken nose. I told him it was the sweetest thing anyone has even done for me and I meant it.

I'm really starting to see the real Nathan and I almost feel guilty for not getting to know him in high school. I think we could've been really good friends... or something. Anyways, Matt just called... We're meeting him tomorrow once we get to Utah. Can't wait!

We're in some random motel close to the downtown of Denver. I'm dead tired from all the sleepless and restless nights so I've gladly decided to skip the Denver night life scene and catch up on my well needed sleep. Nite, nite...

Haley set the diary in her purse and covered herself with the blankets. She slept 14 hours that night.

Day 8.

"Favorite book, nerd?"

"Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None'. I would ask you the same but I know that the only thing you read is the sports pages, jock. So, favorite holiday?"

"My birthday. Which is in 10 months. June 3rd. You're welcome to start planning what to get me. Remember, June 3rd. I accept checks. And gift cards. Booze is always appreciated. And hooker-"

"Moving on..."

"Fine, favorite candy?"

"Skitt-"

"JUNE THIRD!"

"-les. I'm ignoring your stupid ass comment, by the way. Favorite clothing store?

"Abercrombie. Favorite piece of clothing? And please let it be your tiny, sexy Victoria's Secret see-through bra and thong that you definitely wanna show me?"

"Sorry, but the answer is what I'm wearing now. Sweat pants and a top. Comfort comes first. Favorite non-basketball sport… you little perv?"

"I only like basketball but I guess if I had to choose some other sport than maybe soccer. Or hockey. Golf. Tenn- I don't know! They all suck! Favorite movie?"

"Notebook. Favorite TV-show?"

"Prison Break."

"Mine too!"

"Yeah right."

"It is."

"Sure."

"Fine, it's the Bachelor. But I do watch Prison Break."

"Uhhuh."

"Moving on!"

"Favorite color?"

"What are you, in second grade, Nathan?"

"Just trying to ask easy questions."

"I don't have a favorite color, unlike you Mr. Color-Coordinated."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look at what you're wearing! Baby blue sweat shirt and matching shorts."

"Oh, shut up. Favorite food?"

"Mac and Cheese. Favo-"

"Oh, who's the second grader now?"

"What, you don't like Mac & Cheese?"

"It's overrated."

"It's pasta and cheese, Nathan."

"So?"

"So, who does not like pasta and cheese?"

"I just don't think it tastes that good."

"What?! Well, you obviously have only eaten the shitty types. I'll cook you some time from scratch and prove you wrong."

"It's a date."

"No, it's not."

"Sure, it is, Haley. You're cooking, we're eating. Sounds like a date to me."

"Um... Whatever."

"Yeah. Um... New question!"

"Fine, what is your favorite food? Since you don't like pasta or cheese, you freak..."

"Meat."

"Could you be more of a guy?"

"Do I have to?"

"Next question."

"Favorite fish?"

"What kind of a question is that, Nathan?"

"The kind that you ask after two hours of asking questions."

"True... Wanna play a new game?"

"How about no game?"

"What? That's no fun. You wanna add 'a bore' to your list of 'freak' and 'perv'?"

"You wanna add 'a hitchhiker' to your list of 'sarcastic' and 'loud'?"

Silence.

"Touché." Haley said and looked at Nathan with a smile before reaching out to play with the radio.

It was Thursday, the 8th day of their road trip and as always, they were on the road.

After finally getting on the road around 1 am, they had been playing at least three different games after finally settling on just asking questions from the other. They had been on the road for almost five hours now.

For anyone else, 5 hours might seem like a long time in a car but Nathan and Haley had learned to deal with it. They listened to music, talked about school and home and everything possible. Haley told Nathan random tidbits she knew (Did you know that Utah's state bird is a California Seagull?) while Nathan concentrated on making fun of cars that were uglier than his (Dude, did you see the ugly ass painting that shithole had?).

The day had been very easy, mellow and relaxed which was exactly what Haley had needed after her stress-filled couple of days. She was slowly but surely getting over Chris. Nathan had done his best to keep her positive and was luckily succeeding. She was back to being her snappy, happy self. Sure, she was still hurt but she didn't let it control her life.

"How can you have so much energy?" Nathan asked yawning.

She was sitting on the passenger side, letting her bare feet rest on the dashboard as she tapped her fingers to the sound of the music against her legs.

"Must be the 14-hour-sleep." Haley said and then added something under her breath. "And the 4 cups of coffee."

"You're crazy." He said laughing.

"Just a bit ADD." She said with a smirk as she finally chose a radio channel.

We've been on the run

Driving in the sun

Looking out for number one

California, here we come

"Oh, my god!" Haley squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"What?"

"Listen to the song!" Haley yelled.

After listening it for few seconds, Nathan looked at Haley in confusion.

"It's the O.C. song, so what?"

"Listen to the lyrics! That's like totally our song!" Haley said excited and turned the volume to the maximum.

California, California,

Here we come

"Get it? We're going to California too!"

"Okay, so it may be pretty suiting-" Nathan said but got cut off by Haley's loud, off-tune singing.

"Californiaaaaaa..."

"My god..." Nathan said laughing.

"Come on, stop laughing and sing with me!" she yelled over the music.

"I can't sing."

"Neither do I and yet I'm still doing it. Californiaaaaaa..."

"You really don't want me to hear me sing."

"Like I care, Californiaaaaaa... Californiaaaaa... CALIFORNIAA!"

Nathan looked at her like she was crazy but finally opened his mouth and sang the song quietly with her.

Having so much fun laughing with her, he never noticed pressing the gas pedal a bit harder. Having already driven over the speed limit, it didn't take long until they saw the flashing lights of a police car behind them.

"Shit!" Nathan cursed as he turned the radio off and slowed down. He pulled over to the side of the road, still cursing loudly.

"Dammit..." Haley said and turned around to see a young, hansom police officer step out of the car.

Haley suddenly started to grin widely.

"Why are you smiling?!" Nathan hissed as he pressed the button to open the window.

"Relax... Let me handle this." She said and opened the door and stepped outside.

"Wait! What are you doing? You're not supposed to get out!" Nathan said and looked at the cop nervously.

"Calm down, it's gonna be ok." She said through the open window and started to walk towards the cop. Nathan sighed and got out of the car also.

"Ma'am! Sir! Please, stay in the car." The cop said to them.

"Oh, come on, officer. It's such a pretty day outside." Haley said laughing.

"Get back in the car!" the cop said with a very stern look and put his hand on top of his gun holster.

"Dude, relax." Haley said and almost burst out laughing at the horrified look Nathan gave her. He was certain she was going to get them arrested.

"In the car! Now!" he yelled while pouting his lips tightly in a stern manner.

"Or what? You're gonna beat up a girl? Kick my ass and twist my hands?" Haley asked sarcastically and smiled even wider when Nathan shook his head mortified. He was so gonna get arrested.

"What?" the cop asked almost laughing but still keeping the straight face as Haley walked closer to him.

"Listen up, donut boy." Haley said while poking him in the chest which made the cop grin. "You couldn't kick my ass 10 years ago, so what makes today any different?" Haley asked and grinned widely at the cop.

"Huh?" Nathan asked confused. His mouth opened in shock when Haley jumped up to hug the man tightly.

"I see you haven't lost your sarcasm, sis."

"Never. Good to see you, Matt."

"But 'donut boy'? Kinda harsh, Hales." Matt said.

"Wait, what?" Nathan asked more confused than ever.

"Nathan, meet my oldest brother Matt. Matt, this is my friend and road trip buddy, Nathan."

The guys exchanged hand shakes and nods.

"You do that little show to all the strangers?" Nathan asked referring to before.

"Sometimes... Keeps things interesting." Matt said with a wink to his sister.

"So, are we gonna spend the whole night here on the road or are you actually gonna take us to a dinner like you promised?" Haley asked.

"There's a nice Italian restaurant about five miles from here. Just follow me." He said. "Hales, you're driving with me." he added when she started to automatically walk towards Nathan's SUV.

Haley looked at Nathan with raised eyebrows.

"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you." He said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I know but..." she said quieting down.

"But what?" Nathan asked quietly.

"Oh, nothing. It's stupid..." she said.

"No, tell me." He said.

"It's just... It just feels weird, you know. It's been a week and like 2500 miles... I guess I've just gotten used to driving with you." Haley admitted.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He said. "It's just for few miles. And you should spend all the time with your brother."

"Yeah..." Haley said half disappointed and half embarrassed for making such a big deal about something so insignificant.

"Just remember that we still have like 800 miles left. You'll have plenty of time to get sick of me."

"Too late." She said and winked before following her brother.

"So, what was that about?" Matt asked once she sat inside the police car and buckled up.

"What was what?" she asked innocently as they got back on the road.

"Don't play innocent. I'm a cop. I can tell." Matt said with a half grin.

"Nathan and I are just friends!" she suddenly yelled startling Matt.

"Okay. Good to know... Not that I even asked but good to know." He said grinning.

"Oh, shut up." Haley said smiling. "I know you've already talked to Quinn and the twins and they've gotten your head all messed up."

"Nope, not really." He said and looked at Haley concerned. "I'm really sorry about what happened with Chris."

"Thanks." She said quietly. "But I'm good. Really. I mean, yeah, I'm pissed and sad that he cheated on me but I'm getting over it. Better than I thought actually." She said.

"You've always been strong." He said.

"I kinda had to... Considering who I grew up with."

"Hey!" Matt said while laughing. "We taught you tough!"

"You sure did." She said with a smile.

"So, how the hell did you know it was our car you stopped?" Haley asked after few minutes of silence.

"Just a lucky guess." He said grinning as Haley looked at him suspiciously.

"You checked his car from the DMV, right?"

"And his record."

"What?" Haley asked. "Nosy much?"

"Protective much." He answered seriously.

"Look, I already went through all of this with the twins. Nathan's a good guy and I'm a smart girl. I'll be fine."

"We know. Just making sure..." he said as he pulled over in front of a nice looking restaurant, Nathan right behind them.

Haley gave Nathan a smile which didn't go unnoticed by Matt, as they walked to the restaurant.

The dinner went surprisingly well even though Matt kept harassing and trying to "profile" Nathan by asking the most random questions such as 'if you could save only one of your parents, which one would it be' or 'if you had to choose between being paralyzed or blind, which one would it be'...

Nathan wasn't sure what Matt thought of him, especially after he answered 'being rich, successful and staying hot' as his goals in future.

After saying their goodbyes, Nathan and Haley got back on the road with the goal of getting as close to Las Vegas as possible. They were still in Utah so they had long ways of going but neither minded the driving.

After about an hour of driving and light, relaxing conversation, they both noticed the change in the nature. Gone were the dusty, gray highways. There were trees, lakes and real nature around them.

"Welcome to the national forests..." Nathan mumbled as they looked around in awe.

"Wow..." Haley said under her breath while breathing in the fresh air.

"It's just so surreal..." Nathan said but turned to look at Haley concerned.

"Did that sound gay?"

Haley looked at Nathan and burst out laughing.

"No, it sounded very smart. I mean, look around. It is gorgeous!" she said and they both concentrated on the nature around them again.

Throughout the trip and amongst all the bickering, talking, getting to know each other and supporting when times were tough, neither had really paid attention to the actual road trip. Neither had realized how lucky they were to get to explore their country more. So many people always talked about doing a road trip across the nation and visiting states and places they'd never been to, but so few did it.

They had been to New York City, Chicago, Denver and they still had Las Vegas before their final destination of Los Angeles. They had seen the skyscrapers in NYC, the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, the cornfields in Iowa, the mountains in Colorado and now the national forests.

Haley not being used to traveling that much, took in everything around her. She couldn't believe how much she had gone through and seen just in the past 8 days.

"We should probably call it a night soon..." Nathan said after a while of driving in silence.

"Yeah, I agree. It's already dark outside and I haven't seen a motel, gas station or any sign of civilization in almost an hour." Haley said digging her cell phone out of her purse. "And there's no cell service. Jesus, which exit did you take?" she asked joking.

"No need for cell phones in the nature, darlin'." Nathan said in a deep southern cowboy accent. "You're supposed to go rural, sleep on the ground, eat berries, find your inner self while battling the bears and the snakes."

"There are no snakes or bears here, right? Right? Right?!" Haley asked in a panicked voice while looking into the darkness around them.

"Sure there are, gorgeous. And spiders and bats and lizards and dragons." Nathan said with the same accent.

"Dragons? So, what does that make you? My knight in shining armor?" Haley asked with a smile.

"As long as you're the damsel in distress." He said matching her grin.

"Great..." Haley said. "You know, that's a pretty old fashioned way of thinki-"

Haley got cut off by a loud banging sound and the sudden swerve of the car.

Nathan hit the breaks hard until the car stopped. There was a short silence and he turned to look at Haley worried. She was holding on to the dashboard with a death grip while remembering being in the same situation about a week earlier when Nathan had fallen asleep on the wheel.

Haley looked at Nathan with a glare.

"Are you trying to kill me?! Again?!"

Nathan quickly unbuckled and jumped outside while mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

"Dammit!" he yelled once he got outside.

Haley quickly hopped outside and looked at Nathan who had sat down with a defeated look next to the front tire. The flat front tire.

"Flat? So, all we need is a spare tire." Haley said.

"That is the spare tire." Nathan said.

"You're kidding, right... Please, tell me you're kidding."

Nathan stared at Haley without saying anything.

"Oh my god..." Haley said with a shaky voice as she slowly sat down next to Nathan as they both leaned their backs against the car.

"Come on, it's gonna be ok." Nathan said reassuringly.

"What?! We're in the middle of a national forest!" Haley said in a high, loud voice.

"Calm dow-" Nathan tried but she was having a rant.

"We have no food, no water, no spare tire! It's been forever since we've seen a motel or gas station! Jesus, I haven't seen a house in hours!" She yelled having a panic attack.

"Come on, how bad can it be?" Nathan said surprised by how strongly Haley was reacting. Usually she was very calm and smart in the times of crises.

"Bad? Bad?! Nathan, BAD?! More like disastrous! We're gonna get eaten by a bear or a snake or a lizard or a FRIGGING dragon! There are monsters out there! Or have you not seen Harry Potter?! Oh my god, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die and never have my own family and kids and a real job and great, now I'm hyperventilating." She said breathing deeply.

"Hey, calm down. It's gonna be ok." Nathan said throwing his hand around her shoulders and pulling her against him while rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder.

"You promise?" she asked weakly after calming down a bit.

"Yeah, of course. I have a plan."

"Yeah?" she asked and smiled at him proudly. He really was her knight in shining armor.

"Of course, babe. We'll be out of here in minutes. We'll just call Triple A and-"

"That's your plan?" Haley asked her voice starting to shake a bit again.

"Um, yeah?" he asked and looked at her worried when she went pale.

She took a deep breath when she felt another wave of panic attacks coming. She looked at him with a tight, forced smile.

"Sounds great and all except, for a tiny little detail... You see, as we already established, THERE'S NO FUCKING CELL SERVICE!" she screamed in a high, loud voice, once again in a full panic mode.

"Oh my god..." he mumbled as he held his ear in pain.

"Sorry..." she said weakly. "But we're gonna die. I knew you were the death of me Nathan Scott. We're gonna die." She said hugging her knees and swaying slightly back and forth.

"Come on, it's gonna be fine. We do have some food and I'm sure there will be cars driving by and even if not, we can always sleep in the car." He said desperately looking around to find something to calm her down while Haley mumbled something about wanting to have her funeral in Tree Hill.

"And look around, Hales. Luckily we're in some sort of a small semi-camping area." He said. "Look, there's a picnic table and a fireplace and I think I see a Port-a-Potty. You don't even have to pee in the woods."

Haley immediately lifted her head and looked around hopefully.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. See? It's gonna be ok." He said getting up. "Come on, let's go check out the place." He said and helped her up.

"You were right, Nathan..." Haley said as they turned the head lights of the car on so it lid up the place. "It's like a tiny camping area only there are no campers."

"Except us." Nathan said trying to see into the distance. "Oh my god!"

"What? What? A bear? A snake? WHAT?!" Haley yelled.

"No, a lake!" he said walking fast forward while pointing into the distance.

"Huh?" she asked confused but followed him quickly.

"Look." He said once they got to a huge, dark looking lake.

"So? It's a lake. It's not like we can swim to get help." Haley said.

"No, but we can have fun. Come on! I know you have a swimming suit." He said with a wink when he remembered the tiny, red bikini she had worn when she had sun bathed on her brothers' back yard in Iowa.

"What does my bikini have to do with the lake? Because there's no way I'm getting in there." She said pointing at the lake.

"Come on, don't be so dull." He said and started to walk back to his car to get his swimming shorts.

"Nathan! You can't be serious! Did you not look at the lake? It's dark, dangerous and totally disgusting! And I'm pretty sure I just saw the Loch Ness monster in there." Haley said to Nathan who had just opened the trunk and was in the middle of going through his bags.

"Live a little, James."

"And die a lot? No thanks." Haley said crossing her hands over her chest. "I fucking hate camping!" she declared.

Nathan looked at her when he found his shorts and towel.

"Fine, you wanna add a 'bore' to your list of 'bitchy' and 'moody'?" He said leaving the trunk open for her and starting to leave while muttering under his breath. "And after tonight I can definitely add 'paranoid' and 'psychotic'."

"Nathan! You can't leave me here!" she yelled after him.

"So, join me!" he yelled without stopping or turning around.

Haley looked in annoyance as he walked away. Soon, she heard a splash in the water knowing that he had just jumped in the lake.

Haley looked around while hugging herself. She heard a tweak or a caw or something, probably her own foot steps, but it freaked her out nevertheless.

"I hate camping!" she yelled.

She took a deep breath and started to change into her bikini while mumbling something R-rated under her breath.

"Damn you, Nathan, for getting me killed in the goddamn woods in the middle of the goddamn nowhere..." she muttered while walking fast towards the lake.

She walked up to the wooden platform that had a set of stairs at the end of it that disappeared in the water.

"Yeah, like that's not totally creepy." She said sarcastically and set her towel next to Nathan's on the platform. She looked down at the calm water but could only see her own reflection.

"Nathan?" Haley hissed when she didn't see him. "Nathan!"

Again no answer or sight of him.

"I will so kick your ass if you have already drowned and left me alone with the bears..." she muttered.

"Booyakasha!" Nathan yelled somewhere behind her. Haley turned around with a scream only to find Nathan running full speed towards her. He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and jumped in the water, and he did that all faster than Haley could say 'I hate camping'.

"Nathan!" she screamed once she hit the surface. Shivering in the cold water, her wet hair on her face, she screamed in anger. "I fucking hate camping!"

"Oh, come on... Chill." Nathan said behind her. Haley swam around to face him with a glare.

"That was not funny." Haley said.

"You should have seen your face." Nathan said with a grin.

"Oh, but it's so much more fun to see yours... after I give you a black eye!" she said holding her other fist in the air while dog paddling furiously with the other to keep herself from drowning.

"Jeez, calm down, woman." Nathan said.

"Fine. I just really hate-"

"Camping, yeah I know." Nathan said with a smile which earned a smile from her too.

"And swimming and water and everything related to that." She mumbled under her breath.

"You wanna go back?" Nathan asked. "If you want, we can." He said seriously not wanting to force Haley if she really didn't want to. Haley smiled at him thankfully.

"Sure, we can go back... Right after I dunk you!" she yelled with a laugh and dunked the unexpecting Nathan under the water while trying to swim away as fast as possible.

Too bad her dog paddling wasn't fast enough because soon after Nathan was right behind her dunking her under the water. Haley pulled Nathan under water also and they both got up to breathe in air at the same time. Immediately after, with matching grins, they both started to tackle and dunk the other as much as possible.

A while later, in the midst of fighting and trying to dunk Nathan by pushing his head down while he hold her by her waist to keep her away, Haley realized just how physically close they were. And how much she was enjoying it.

Slowly, they both stopped the screaming, laughing and playing. Nathan let her fall a bit lower on his arms until they were face to face. His arms wrapped around her waist, Haley let her hands rest on his shoulders.

Enjoying the almost complete darkness and quiet of the nature, they both just stared at the other with a deep, passionate look while forgetting everyone and everything around them. Slowly, the distance between their heads narrowed and they both automatically tilted their heads. They were so close to each other that they could easily feel the other's heart pounding and their heavy breathing on their face.

As they closed their eyes, Nathan closed the gap between their mouths but as soon as their lips touched, they heard a loud roar somewhere in the distance. Their heads snapped towards the noise but neither saw anything.

"What the hell was that?" Haley asked with a shaky voice, partly because of being scared but mostly because of trying to calm herself down from the moment they had just had.

Her stomach was doing flip flops from all the butterflies and her hands were shaking slightly around him.

They turned to look at each other still hoping to continue where they had left, but knowing that the moment was gone. Haley looked at Nathan with an uncomfortable look, not really knowing what to do next.

"Sorry 'bout that." Nathan mumbled.

"Don't worry about it." she muttered while avoiding looking at him.

Nathan, also being incredibly disappointed that the moment was gone, cleared his throat while trying to think of a way to end the uncomfortable silence.

"Still scared of the monsters?" he asked with a small grin.

"I think they're more scared of us." Haley said and they both laughed first uncomfortably but then more naturally.

"So..." Nathan said. "Maybe we should head back to the car."

"Yeah, before the Loch Ness monster decides it's hungry." Haley said as they swam to the end of the platform where the stairs were.

To Nathan's fortune, Haley was the first to climb out of the water, giving him a wonderfully close view of her butt. Haley wrapped her towel around herself and reached to grab Nathan's. As she turned around to hand it to him, he was in the middle of climbing the stairs. And boy did he look good being all shirtless and wet. Haley bit her lower lip as he took the towel from her.

"How ya doin'?" Nathan said in a deep New Yorker accent and giving her the nod which made Haley burst into a loud, happy laughter.

As they started to walk back to the car she bumped her shoulder against his in a friendly manner because that's what they were, friends. Haley's smile turned into a slight frown at the thought of that.

She was so confused about her thoughts and feelings. All she knew was that even though she had caught red handed her cheating s-o-b of an ex-boyfriend only few days before, in her mind Chris Keller was just a distantly familiar annoying little punk who she couldn't care less. She could barely even remember his face or name. And it was all because of Nathan.

For some reason she couldn't stop thinking of Nathan and lately she had started to seriously think that she didn't want to stop thinking of him. She tried to tell herself that it was only because they had spent every waking moment for the past 8 days together but even she wasn't naive enough to believe that for too long.

"Is it me or did the temperature just drop like 20 degrees?" Haley asked shivering once they made it back to the car.

They both looked at each other quickly, knowing that the only reason they had been warm before was because they had been on each other's arms.

Nathan coughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah, it must be the Utah night weather... Getting cold and all… Freezing nights and stuff..." he mumbled while opening the trunk and taking a change of clothes from the back.

Haley looked around while holding her clothes trying to think where she could change. She looked at Nathan.

"So, um... Can you like turn around so I can change? I'd go to the woods but they kinda creep me out." She mumbled.

"Yeah sure..." he said and walked to the other side of the car and turned so his back was towards her.

Haley did the same and quickly untied her bikini. She hurriedly changed into a pair of comfortable sweat pants and a t-shirt. She turned around to look at Nathan who had just finished a putting a sweatshirt and pair of shorts on. He turned around to look at her.

"So, now what?" Nathan asked.

Still staring at him, Haley wondered whether Nathan meant them or the fact that they were stranded on the side of the road.

"Umh, I guess we should decide what to do about getting out of here." Haley said while hanging her bikini on a tree branch to dry.

"Yeah..." Nathan said and hopped to sit on the hood of the car as Haley followed his lead.

"The way I see is that we have two choices, either try to walk somewhere to get help or stay here until the morning when there are probably more people and light." Haley said pulling her legs up to hug her knees. "What time is it anyways?"

"Like 9.30, maybe 10 pm." Nathan answered. "It's kinda late and not to even mention dark. Maybe we should just stay here. We don't know how far we are from the rest of the civilization."

"Yeah, I agree." Haley said and leaned down so that she was fully lying on the hood of the car. "And the woods completely freak me out." She added quietly.

"It's gonna be ok, don't worry."

"Yeah, I know." She whispered as Nathan also laid down on the car.

They both just stared at the sky and the stars without saying anything but still knowing exactly what the other was thinking, because it was the exact same thing they were thinking themselves.

The kiss.

Or was it even a kiss? Their lips had touched but only barely. They certainly had had a moment and a connection so deep that it went beyond anything physical. But as Quinn had noticed many days ago, they were both totally clueless. Clueless of how they felt about the other and even more clueless of how the other felt about them.

Haley was still very much aware that it had been only two days since she had broken up with Chris. She didn't know if all those feelings towards Nathan was only her unconsciously not wanting to be alone and since he was the only guy around, it only made sense for him to be the one.

Nathan glanced at Haley quickly before looking at the sky again. With a sigh he realized that it was exactly what he had been doing lately; looking at her. For the past few days he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her.

Seeing her go from happy to miserable because of Chris had been the worst feeling he had ever experienced. He had understood why Lucas and Haley's brothers were so protective of her. He had only been friends with her a week and he was already more than willing to rip Chris Keller's head off, among many other things.

He didn't know what to do. He definitely wanted to keep the light, fun and flirty conversations and be close to her but he couldn't help but think of her as more than a friend.

She was by far the most beautiful, nice and smart girl he had ever met and he had a hard time believing that any other girl would ever come close to her. Hell, even join the same league. Because that's what she was: totally out of any other girl's league. In his head, she was frigging a goddess and with a sad sigh, Nathan realized that also he was out of her league.

"We should probably get in." Nathan said sitting up.

"Really? But it's so nice out-" Haley said and then suddenly heard an animal sound somewhere in the distance. "Then again, inside the car sounds great. Perfect. Come on, let's go." She said practically pulling Nathan off of the hood of the car.

"Front seats or back seats?" Haley asked.

They opened both front doors at the same time, Haley by the passenger side and Nathan by the driver's side.

"The passenger seat doesn't go down." Nathan said pointing at the seat in front of Haley.

"Why? It worked befo- Oh yeah..." she said when she remembered her breaking it after she had found out about Chris cheating on her. "Sorry about that. I promise I will get it fixed."

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Unfortunately this seat is broken too. It's been jammed since I can remember."

"So, no sleeping in the front seats?" Haley asked.

"Nope. Unless you wanna do it sitting." Nathan said and they both blushed at the double meaning. Nathan coughed uncomfortably.

"So, I guess we're sleeping in the back." Nathan said slamming the front door shut as Haley followed his lead.

They opened both back doors and looked at the second and third row seats that were completely full of their stuff, and not to even Brooke's precious dress bags.

They looked up to stare at each other at the same time.

"So, exactly how are we supposed to fit in there?"

20 minutes later...

"You're hogging the entire blanket."

"Are you kidding? You have like the entire thing!"

"You have the pillow!"

"Is there any room on your right side? And please don't touch my hair, Nate."

"Room? That's a negative... Watch out, I'm turning around."

"What? I don't think that's possibl- Ouch!"

"What did I hit? What did I hit?"

"My breas- umh, never mind. Just be careful. And watch the hair."

"Damn, my arm is twisted in such a weird angle that I'm glad it's too dark to see it. I'm actually touching the middle of my back with my palm without even trying!"

"So, you can touch your back. Marvellous. I can't feel my left hand anymore."

"Oh, quit bitching. I haven't felt my left leg in like 10 minutes."

"Whatever."

"Are you sure there's no more room there?"

"No... Wait, what's that?"

"What's wha- Ouch! Haley!"

"What?"

"You poked me in the eye!"

"Sorry... Wait, are you touching my leg?"

"No, your leg is touching me!"

"Sorry, but it's a bit tight here and I- Did you just touch my hair?

"Uh... No?"

"I told you not to touch my hair, Nathan."

"We're in the middle of the woods. Nobody gives a crap what your hair looks like, princess."

"You do not get to call me a princess! We're sleeping in a frigging car, for god's sakes! Move to the left a bit."

"What?"

"Can you just move to the left a bit?"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, if you're sure."

"Not your left! My left, Nathan, my left! God, get off of me!"

"You said left... Hold on, I'm turning around again..."

"Could you be more annoying?"

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing from you."

"Great."

"Wait, you're not taking all of that space, are you?"

"I'm a girl, I need my beauty sleep."

"I think I should have that space."

"Oh, yeah? Give me one good reason why."

"Oh, how about the fact that I'm, you know, A FEET TALLER!"

"So? Be a gentlemen and move your feet!"

"It's not like I can just pack them into a neat pile and pocket them. You're just gonna have to get used to them."

"You have about 90 percent of the total space."

"More like 80."

"I want my 20 percent back!"

"You do? Sure, no problem. You know, as soon as you grow 20 percent taller. It's all about making it fair, Haley."

"Fair? Fair?! My face is approximately two inches from your armpit and your feet smell so bad that I'm seriously thinking of clawing my nose off. 'Fair' has left the building or the vehicle in our case, a long time ago, buddy."

"Yeah? Deal with it."

"Or?"

"Well, you're always welcome to sleep outside with the dragons and the bears."

"Goddammit... Let me try to turn around."

"Whoa... Easy with the knees, Hales. Three inches to the left and it wouldn't have been pretty."

"Oh, whatever. Move a bit. I'm seriously having trouble breathing here."

"I can't. My back is literally crashed against the back of the seats! And did I mention that my hand is still twisted in a seriously disturbing angle? Which wouldn't be a big deal if I wasn't planning on using them for, I don't know, my career!"

"Oh, whine, whine, whine. Why don't you be a guy and get over it?!"

"Whoa, someone's having that special time of the month again!"

"Goddammit, Nathan! I need more space!"

"Too damn bad!"

"Argh! Shut up!"

"Knees, Haley! Watch your fucking knees! You're very close to doing some serious damage."

"Oh, zip it, Scott. If I really harmed your manhood, I'd do the world a favor."

"Whoa, what is that Elton John song in my head that reminds me of you right now? Oh yeah, 'The Bitch is Back'."

"You listen to Elton John?"

"My mom does. And that was so not the point."

"You have a point?"

"Yep, the point is that you're being a brat."

"Shut. Up."

"As soon as you quit whining. The knees, Haley!"

"Arrgh! Let me out of this car!"

"And do this whole thing again from the beginning? It took us 10 minutes to get a semi-comfortable position. So, no thanks."

"I hate this car!"

"Me too, Haley, me to- Watch the fucking knees!!"

"Find your happy place. Find your happy place."

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find my goddamn happy place!"

"And you're obviously not succeeding..."

"Find your happy place... Happy place... Whooozaaa..."

Silence.

"You OK?"

"In so many ways not."

Nathan sighed in the darkness as Haley tried to shift her position so the pain in her back would ease.

They had somehow managed to move all of their stuff from the second-row seats to the trunk and the back seats without harming the wedding dresses. Then they had put down the second-row-seats so they could lie on the floor where there was more space.

Still, the space was very limited, especially when both tried their best not to touch the other and keep as far away as possible. The uncomfortable silence after their almost kiss had turned into their familiar, almost trademark bickering. It was easy for both and it kept their mind off of the more serious stuff.

"Try to get some sleep, Hales." Nathan whispered softly.

"You too. Good night."

"G'nite."

Nathan felt as Haley's tense body slowly relaxed. A while later he could hear her breathing slowing down as she finally fell asleep. Her steady, deep breathing as his lullaby, Nathan slowly drifted to sleep as well.

Around 3 am Nathan woke up.

For a split second he couldn't remember where he was but soon everything came back. He looked at the dark figure right in front of him and frowned when he realized that Haley was shivering in cold in her sleep. Looking to his side he realized guiltily that he had the entire blanket over him. He grabbed the blanket, inched as close to her as possible and threw the blanket over both of them.

She snuggled closer to him in her sleep, letting her back rest against his warm chest. He wrapped his hand over her and pulled her a bit closer before falling asleep again.

Neither woke up until the morning.

So, any thoughts on the chappie? What was good? Bad:)

-Fes-