Hayley's P.O.V
Rain was pattering against the high windows, pat pat pat on the glass, reminding me strangely of bare feet slapping against asphalt. The sun was covered by a thick, dense mist, hanging idly in the air like tangled cobwebs. Cars passed leisurely through the winding roads encircling the small neighborhood, tires rolling through deep puddles filled with murky rainwater. I stared out at the rainy day, similar yet so different from the countless others I'd observed since arriving in North Carolina.
A familiar black Mercedes pulled up beside the curb, small droplets of rain glimmering like tiny magnificent diamonds on its windshield. My heartbeat quickened as my eyes caught sight of the head of dark brown hair that emerged from the car, a sizzling, electrifying feeling that I had come to associate with Nathan surging through my bones. I rested my face against the cool glass of the window in hopes of calming my burning cheeks.
He raised his head tentatively to the sky, rain cascading down his face, soaking his hair and matting it to his forehead. He stood there for a moment, immobile, a soft smile spreading across his face. The rain continued to pour down his face, and he embraced it, as though it were a thick blanket he found himself sinking into.
My fingers were trembling as I watched him, awe-struck, completely fascinated by his behavior, his total lack of inhibition. I found my thoughts straying to myself, my restraints, my complete lack of spontaneity and fun. It was almost as though I was incapable of recklessness, of throwing caution to the wind. As though staying within the sturdy enclosure of my safety net was all that mattered. As though Jake's words of advice had meant nothing: 'sometimes, you've got to forget everything and take a chance'.
Something was growing steadily within me, a strong desire to break free of the fears and doubts that kept me locked inside of my apprehension. As I watched Nathan standing there, now soaking wet, I felt my body tingling all the way to the tips of my toes; something was happening, something bigger than anything I could've ever imagined, something completely amazing.
Not bothering to slip into my shoes or throw a sweater over my shoulders, I leapt from my bed and raced down the stairs, catching a fleeting glimpse of the bewildered faces of Brooke and Peyton. I pulled open the front door and stopped, my heart beating rapidly; Nathan was still standing there, his eyes now falling upon me. And without another moment's hesitation, I began running, running until I could feel fire burning in my chest.
My hair was flying wildly behind me. It became thicker, damper as each second passed, rain falling upon me heavily from the charcoal sky. And soon I was drenched, sopping wet from head to toe; my T-shirt clinging tightly to my skin, my jeans soaked through and dripping, I looked into Nathan's twinkling eyes and smiled.
"I thought you preferred warm, dry places!" he shouted above the onslaught of rain, his voice holding a hint of amusement. He grinned, lopsided and cheeky, familiar and new all at once.
I shook my head, raindrops rolling down my cheek and off of my chin. I thought of replying, thought to explain myself to him, but instead allowed myself to smile wider as I raced towards him, my eyes blazing, fingers still trembling.
His arms wrapped around my waist instantly as my arms found their way around his neck. And without hesitation, I managed to throw caution to the wind as I sent my lips crashing against his, kissing him like I'd never kissed anyone before.
It was amazing, passionate, completely indescribable; soft lips upon soft lips, breath hot on my skin, the slight brush of his tongue against my own. I felt as though I would explode if I kept kissing him, but in that moment I would've welcomed it if it meant I could be that close to him for only a moment longer.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I repeated over and over in my mind, my head spinning as each dizzying second in his kiss passed. I love you, I love you, I love you.
And it didn't matter to me then that I'd never be able to say those three words to him. All I cared about was then, that wonderful moment in time, the lips that moved against mine fervently, passionately. All I cared about then was right now.
"Okay," Nathan said, ushering me into his flat, "I've just got to shower and change, and I'll be out."
I nodded, wrapping my towel closer around my shivering body. I pushed my hair away from my face, still damp and slightly dripping. Nathan smiled at me, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on my cold lips.
"Actually," he said seductively, his voice low and suggestive, "we could save time and shower together."
I looked up at him, a grin spreading across my lips. "Okay," I replied, leaning into him and kissing him deeply.
He pulled away sharply, disbelief evident in his clear blue eyes. "Are you...do you...I mean to say...are you serious?"
I chuckled, shaking my head slightly. "Ye - no." I laughed as his face fell, his hopes crushed.
"Tease," he mumbled jokingly, throwing his towel at me. I grabbed it and raced into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I laughed even harder as he yelled for me to let him in, but I wasn't relenting. I climbed into the shower and smiled to myself, the sound of Nathan's complaining faintly audible as hot, soothing water fell onto my body.
Nathan and I sat on his plush, comfortable couch later that evening, his arm wrapped loosely around my shoulders. It was the closest I had ever allowed myself to get to him; it was almost as though we were two people folded into one, a tangle of arms and legs and beating hearts.
A movie was playing on the television in front of us, but neither of us were paying it much attention. Occasionally, we'd steal a few kisses, but mostly we were content just being with each other, the electricity between us cackling and snapping like a live wire. It was strange, almost, how willing I was to let myself fall into this, a situation I knew could only end in disaster.
But disaster wasn't on my mind as I sat there with Nathan, warm shivers racing down my spine. I wasn't thinking at all.
And for once, that was okay.
Nathan shifted beside me, turning his face so that his eyes were staring straight into mine. His lips turned upward in a small smile, his eyes sparkling brightly.
"I have something for you," he said, removing his arm from around me and reaching for something in his pocket. He pulled out a small box, and I felt my throat constricting. I felt dread forming within my stomach - surely what I thought was happening wasn't really playing out before my eyes.
"I haven't given this to anyone else," he said seriously, his fingers tracing the outline of the box slowly. "Trust issues, I suppose."
"Nathan..." I began, my throat becoming even more constricted. We had been getting along fine; why did he have to foul it up now?
"So," he said, ignoring the fearful expression on my face, "this means that I trust you. And respect you. And...well, here." He placed the box into my shaking hands, looking at me expectantly.
Oh, goddamnit, I thought angrily to myself, my cheeks burning a deep shade of crimson.
"Go on," he urged me, smiling eagerly. I looked up at him, suppressing the urge to cringe.
I opened the box slowly, afraid of what I would see once the top was removed. Holding my breath, I lifted the lid and peered in to see a shining, gleaming gold key.
"A key," I said, releasing the breath I'd been holding. I almost wanted to laugh. A wave of relief washed over me; to think, I had been fearing a ring!
"Yeah," he replied excitedly, removing it from its box. "A key to my flat."
"To your flat?" I repeated, my mouth hanging open. "As in...this flat?"
He laughed. "Yeah, this flat. My flat. In Tree Hill. The one you're in right now."
"But..." I paused, at a complete loss for words.
"But what?" he asked, his smile fading slightly. "I thought...well, I thought it would be nice for you to have access to the flat whenever you wanted. And like I said before, I trust you. I really do."
"Nate," I said, placing the key back into its box, "I can't take this."
"Why not?" he asked, his face falling.
"Because...I'm leaving soon," I said, ignoring the twinge I felt in my stomach. "Would it really make sense for me to have this?"
He looked at me, his eyes burning into my own. I saw a truth lingering within them that I hadn't noticed before. It was striking and clear, obvious yet hidden.
"You're here now," he said simply, his eyes never leaving mine. "And that's what matters."
He placed the key back into my hand and closed my fingers around it. I felt the cool metal beneath my fingertips, tracing its grooves and designs absentmindedly.
"Okay," I said, nodding, placing the small, shining key into my pocket. "Okay."
The key fit into the lock perfectly, and with a resounding click throughout the small entrance hall, the door creaked open. Stepping tentatively inside, I shut the door behind me and called out, "Nathan?"
When I didn't receive a response, I frowned and made my way down the hallway towards the bedroom. I could see that he hadn't tidied up since I'd been over a few nights previously; dishes were left on his bedside table, his bed was a rumpled mess, and a disgusting, smelly heap of dirty clothes lay in a corner, a pair of underpants thrown carelessly across the top. I wrinkled my nose up in disgust as I surveyed the room, a peculiar odor wafting into my nose.
"Ugh," I mumbled to myself, walking across the room to the dirty laundry. "Oh god. This is so gross."
The clothes had a putrid, moldy odor to them, indicating that they'd been sitting there for weeks, maybe longer. I resisted the urge to gag and left the bedroom, heading in the direction of the kitchen. I knew that Nathan would never do this on his own; in fact, he was probably waiting for his mother to come over and do his washing for him.
"The helpless moron," I muttered under my breath, grabbing a pair of rubber gloves from his cleaning cabinet. I wasn't about to touch those clothes without proper protection.
I reentered Nathan's bedroom equipped with a large trash bag, my hands covered securely with the gloves. Carefully, cautiously, I made my way over to the disgusting heap of clothes, grabbing handfuls of his garments and throwing them into the bag.
After I'd gathered all of the laundry, I removed the gloves from my hands and scribbled a note to Nathan and left it on his bed, one of the few places I knew he'd see it.
Nate the note read,
You're disgusting.
Hayley
"Hayley," Brooke said suspiciously, her eyebrows raised in surprise, "what the hell are you doing?"
I looked up from the washing machine, dropping in the cup of detergent I'd been holding in my hand. I glared at her in annoyance, breathing a bit heavily. "What does it look like I'm doing, Brooke?"
Brooke ignored my sarcastic tone and continued questioning me. "I know what you're doing. I'm not that stupid." I scoffed and she rolled her eyes, ignoring me once more. "What I meant was, why are you doing a guy's laundry?"
"Who says I'm doing a guy's laundry?" I said, adding a bit of color-safe bleach to the soapy water.
"Well, the last time I checked, you didn't own any tighty whities or boxer shorts. Unless, of course, there's something you're not telling me about yourself." She smirked, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
"You're just hilarious today, aren't you?" I said, shaking my head. "If you must know, I'm doing Nathan's laundry."
"Nate's laundry," she repeated, as though she couldn't believe I had actually said it. "You're doing Nate's laundry."
I nodded. "You've figured it out. Congratulations."
"Since when have you done anything for a guy, Hayley?" she questioned me, not bothering to hide the surprise and disbelief in her voice. She was staring at me intently, her wide brown eyes conveying her shock.
"Believe me," I said as I threw in some of the clothes, "this is nothing more than a charity case. I was afraid that some new breed of animal that feeds on dirty underpants was going to form within that disgusting heap."
"Right," she replied, smirking. "I believe you. Honest."
"I'm being serious," I insisted, hurling more clothes into the washer. "I couldn't stand the stench. It was revolting."
"Then why didn't you just tell Nathan to do it himself?" she asked me, that damn annoying smirk still spread smugly across her lips.
I sighed exasperatedly, running my fingers through my hair roughly. "Because I know him well enough by now to know that he won't do this for himself. He was probably waiting to have his mother come to wash his things. And since I spend such a considerable amount of time in his flat, I have to deal with the smell of his dirty clothes, so I decided to do something about it."
"You are so falling for this guy, Hayley," Brooke squealed, grinning broadly. "What did I tell you before you left? Didn't I say this exact thing would happen?"
"You have three seconds to get out of here before I throw Nathan's dirty underpants in your face," I said threateningly, watching as she turned and ran up the stairs chanting, "I told you so!" repeatedly. I cringed.
Scowling, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Nathan's number, waiting impatiently for him to pick up. When he finally did, I growled into the phone, "Come pick up your clothes, you lazy sod," and hung up before he had a chance to utter a word.