Everything is dark
It's more than you can take
But you catch a glimpse of sunlight
Shinin', down on your face
''I'm so sorry,'' Haley whispered against his chest a minute later after he had arrived on her porch and she had hugged him immediately.
Nathan hugged her a little tighter. After Clay's story, it scared him. It made him realise how sudden death was, what if one day Haley just wasn't here? He's not sure if he would be able to handle that. Despite their fight, and the fact she kept the secret from him. That doesn't mean he still isn't crazy about her, and it doesn't mean that he no longer wants to keep her safe. She's his girl. And she's not going to not be anytime soon if he's got anything to do about it.
''I know,'' he finally whispered back, placing another soft kiss onto her head.
''I missed you.''
''I missed you, too.''
Haley pulled away from their embrace and grabbed his hand. She led him into her house quickly, as if if she let go of him he would just be gone. She's not sure how long they're going to have to talk, so she wants to make the most of all of this. So she asked the first thing that appeared in her mind, ''What are you doing here?''
Nathan rubbed the back of his neck nervously, her dejected tone disappointed him. Does she not want me here? Did she mean what she said? ''I-uh, I've been thinking... a lot. And you're right, it wasn't your secret to tell, and you were gonna tell me, right?''
Haley nodded quickly. '''Course,''
''Good,'' he smiled. ''And I guess I just need to know if you really think that we're not meant to be together... Because I really think that we are, I've always thought that we are.''
Of course she does. Fear, that's why she said it. She was just terrified in case he didn't want to be with her anymore, so she had to protect herself somehow. And how she did that was by pretending not to believe in them anymore, so he couldn't hurt her first. Even though she had already hurt him from the start. But he was killing her by shouting at her in the quad, and ignoring her in the morning, and walking away. But what hurt the most was when he didn't call her back after she said it, did he not want to fight for us? She had wondered. But now, obviously, he does.
''I think we are too,'' Haley whispered, taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers. ''I was just scared in case you didn't want me anymore.''
''Want you? How could I never not want you?'' Nathan asked in disbelief, smiling at her. The first smile that's appeared on his face all day. He missed the smile that he got when he was around her.
A blush started to form on her cheeks, so she looked away from embarrassment. ''I'm going to make it up to you,'' she declared. ''We can go bowling... and see a basketball game. What was that team you like?'' she paused. ''The Bobcats! And we can go and see that movie about the gnomes, but we'll actually watch it this time.'' Haley started to make her way towards the kitchen, still holding onto his hand lightly. ''Do you want some cookies? I can make you prime rib if you want... but I don't think we've got any.'' she paused again. ''But I can go and get some...''
Nathan watched her with his eye brow raised in amusement. Her rambles were so damn cute. He pulled her hand back, causing her to stumble into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose lightly. ''Just be you. But I do really wanna see the gnome movie. And of course I want some cookies, too.'' he said, with a cheeky grin.
''So does this mean you don't hate me?''
''I could never hate you, remember? It's like... Brooke not saying Naley for one day. It's impossible.'' he assured her with a laugh.
Haley giggled, then looked at him with serious expression on her face. ''Let's promise to always be honest with each other, no matter what.''
Nathan nodded in agreement. ''Like, tell each other whatever's over our minds?''
''Exactly,'' she grinned, sticking out her pinkie finger. ''Promise?''
''Promise.'' he laced his pinkie with hers, then kissed their joined little fingers softly. ''So are you gonna tell me what happened?'' he asked, with worry clear in his voice. He was scared about what he was going to hear (she had to tell him now, after the promise she made), yet he needs to know, too. Nathan needs to know why she's so insecure about her knee, or why she doesn't want to be brought into the popular world. Or even why she wasn't even popular already, she was beautiful enough to be.
Being in a coma for a week, that's almost dying.
Haley nodded silently, positioning her hand so it was holding his. She led them into the living room and sat down on the couch. Immediately she started to fiddle with their hands, something she did when she was nervous. ''I don't- I don't know where to start.'' she whispered. God, how would she tell him? He was going to look at her in pity, she knew he was. And he was the last person she wanted pitying her.
''From the beginning,'' he encouraged, turning his body so he was facing her on the couch, cross legged.
A sense of déjà vu washed over them, they were sat across from each other on the small couch, like the night they told each other how they felt.
''Okay,'' she took a deep breath. ''Don't laugh, but in Oak Lake I was actually popular.''
He raised his eye brows in disbelief. ''Really? But you're a...'' Nathan stopped himself from using the nickname he had for her, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
''Nerd,'' she laughed uneasily. ''I know. But I was best friends with the new jock, and new awesome cheerleader, Chase got along with everybody, and it turns out I did, too. Freshman year was great, I didn't go to many parties because I just didn't enjoy them. But the popular kids still talked to me, some guys even asked me out... until Damien scared them off.''
Thank God, he thought with a sigh of relief. He felt the familiar kick in his stomach at the thought of her with another guy, for once he was actually glad that Damien West was best friends with his girlfriend.
''I remember the first day of summer after that,'' she continued. ''Me and my dad went to the grocery store, and we were singing to some song on the radio, we were really cheesy. Then this car... it just came out of no where.'' Haley stopped as the memories clouded her mind, the tears automatically started to well up in her eyes.
She remembered the car smashing into hers. She remembered feeling the pain everywhere. She remembered how her head throbbed from the impact. She remembered how she glanced at her dad and saw the blood pouring from his head. She remembered screaming his name, but he didn't move or say anything. She remembered the pain getting too much, causing her to pass out and not wake up for another week. She remembered everything.
''Hey, hey.'' Nathan hushed, bringing her hand up to his lips and placing a couple of soft kisses on her palm. ''It's okay, you're okay.'' he said, trying to reassure himself, too. The thought of a car hitting the one that was she was inside, it made him feel sick. His blood was almost at the point of boiling, he wanted to kill whoever did this, even more than they hurt his girlfriend.
She nodded her head, the tears now visible. ''My dad died before they could even get him to the hospital. Then I slipped into a coma after hitting my head, my injuries weren't too serious... except for my knee.'' she explained. ''I injured one of the bones in it. I lost...'' one tear fell from her eye, and her voice started to break slightly. ''I lost dancing.''
''You were a dancer? Like, a real dancer?'' he asked in surprise, squeezing her hand comfortingly.
''Yeah,'' she breathed with a nod. ''I was great at it, too. But now, I'm not allowed to put pressure on it too much. It's pretty amazing that I can actually do the kids dance class. That's why it was hurting the other day.'' she paused. ''I had to do physical therapy, I could walk properly when I got to Tree Hill, but I had to train to be able to run and dance again without it hurting.''
Nathan's eyes widened. ''So... on your first day, you were still having physical therapy in Tree Hill?'' he questioned anxiously.
''Yeah, but that was so I could dance again.''
''I'm so sorry,'' he responded immediately. ''I'm such a bad person.''
Haley frowned at him in confusion. ''Why? You didn't do anything.''
''I knocked you.'' Nathan stated. ''On your first day, I knocked you. It was an accident, I swear, but I didn't help you or anything.''
She was knocked out of her thoughts by something slamming into her side. Some one.
Her books flew out of her hands, and fell on the floor with a thump.
She glanced at Mr. Slammy, and saw him not even turn and offer her help. He continued to walk his confident walk, until he stopped at his locker. Then she realised that it was the same boy from her English class. The one with the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. The one who had made her blush like an idiot. The typical jock.
''Oh,'' she realised, and then shook his off with a smile. Haley was already grateful that he had taken her mind away from the accident. It was funny, she was the one who needed comforting, but she felt the need to comfort him instead. ''Nathan, we didn't even know each other then. How could you have known that the new girl slash nerd had been hit by a car three months earlier and hurt her knee?''
''I still feel guilty.'' he insisted lamely.
Haley rolled her eyes mockingly. ''Anyway, that was the moment I met Lucas, so I guess you got your comeuppance.''
''Great,'' Nathan grumbled, feeling the familiar kick. ''I am sorry, Hales.''
''I know,'' she smiled softly.
Nathan stayed silent then, he just fiddled with her hand which he was holding absentmindedly, before saying, ''Your mom's really brave, going through all of that on her own.''
Haley smiled proudly. ''She's amazing. Of course, she had my siblings, too. But they were probably all a mess. My mom and me are the usually the one's that are strong for everyone else who isn't. So she had to be strong, after the death of her husband, and me in a coma. It didn't look good.'' she lifted up the bangs from her forehead and revealed a small scar. ''That's where I hit my head.''
''Ouch,'' he winced. ''Does it still hurt?''
''Not really,'' she shrugged.
''I know what will cheer you up,'' Nathan announced with an excited grin. ''So now we're being honest - and I kinda forgot about this - I should tell you something. You know, if you didn't figure it out.'' he paused as she looked at him in curiosity. ''Remember Valentines Day?''
How could she not? The day she got an anonymous Candy Gram. While a small part of her was hoping that Lucas had sent it her, an even bigger part of her was hoping that it was from Nathan. Even though they were just becoming friends, she already had these intense feelings for him, even though she didn't realise she had them at the time. Stupid Haley, she thought.
''Yeah,'' she nodded, her eyes widened slightly. ''Do you know who it was from?''
''Me.''
Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Nathan, arrogant, cocky, her almost friend sent her the Candy Gram? That Nathan was different to her boyfriend. She couldn't believe that Nathan would be so sweet. Of course, this Nathan would do something this cute. She likes to think that she brought the soft side out of him. Maybe she was wrong, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
''You?''
Nathan rolled his eyes in annoyance. ''Sorry to disappoint ya.''
She shook her head. ''No, I'm just... surprised. Why didn't you tell me?''
He snorted, quite unattractively (even though she didn't seem to think so...). ''Why would I tell you? You were hoping it was Lucas. And anyway, it was Valentine's Day, it was supposed to be a secret, that's the whole point.''
''Still,'' Haley insisted. ''You may have been given a kiss in return.''
''Really?'' Stupid Nathan. He cursed himself, unknowingly thinking what his girlfriend did minutes earlier. Nathan smirked with a certain glint in his eye. ''Maybe I can just redeem my kiss now?''
Haley scoffed with an eye roll, shaking her head. ''Pfft, you're too late now.'' she teased lightly, shuffling on the couch slightly self consciously under his intense, hungry gaze. A small blush started to rise on her cheeks as she glared at him. ''What? Stop staring.''
Nathan started to lean towards her, knowing she wanted to kiss him just as much as he wanted to kiss her. His arms boxed her in on the couch, so he was hovering over her with his childish, playful grin on his face. ''You're my Valentine, you always have been.'' Nathan whispered hotly, inching his face closer, and closer toward hers.
She smiled against his lips as their tongues tangled together. Her whole body was tingling under his as she moved her arms and wrapped them around his neck so he would be even closer to her, (also so she could play with the hairs on the nape of his neck, something she now loves doing when they make out) she knew he wanted that, too (he is a guy, after all).
They broke apart for breath minutes later, and she whispered breathlessly, ''I missed you.''
''You already said that,'' he chuckled, his mind still spinning from their kiss. But that wasn't new, his brain turns to mush when he's around her anyways.
''That's because I did.''
''Me too,''
Knock. Knock... Knock. Knock. Knock. ''Open the door!'' a familiar voice shouted through the door. ''It's cold, and it's raining! Bbrr.''
Nathan and Haley glanced out the window, it was raining, pretty badly actually.
The tutor quickly pushed her boyfriend off her and quickly ran to the door. Even though Brooke was stood on the porch, it was still raining, which meant it was probably freezing cold outside. Once she opened the door she was greeted by the sight of her new friend, who was snuggling into Haley's best friend's chest to keep warm. So it wasn't a problem for her then...
''Tutor Girl!'' Brooke exclaimed as she barged through the door to get out of the cold. ''Took you long enough,'' she teased, walking into the living room and smirking at the sight of her friend with dishevelled hair and slightly swollen lips. When Haley walked in followed by Julian, Brooke looked at her, and saw that her clothes were creased and she had a ditsy smile on her face. ''Sorry for interrupting,'' she quipped.
''Apology not accepted,'' Nathan grumbled from the couch, before lying down on it sulkily and turning on the TV by the remote.
''Oh hush,'' she waved her hand dismissively, plopping down on the other available seat. ''We heard what happened today and thought we'd come and see Haley, but it turns out you've already made up...'' she trailed off in thought, before grinning successfully. ''Let's watch a movie instead.''
Nathan groaned audibly. ''Brooke, you don't hav-'' he effectively shut up when Haley smacked him on the back of his head. ''Ouch.'' he muttered, before sighing loudly and turning his attention back to the TV, which was just showing a commercial about meerkats.
It's not that he doesn't like Brooke, he does. She just happens to be one of the most annoying people he's ever known. Sure, his annoyance for her had died down since she's started to actually be nice to people, which is probably since she's happy with Julian, and is with him a lot. But Brooke Davis has to know everything, and he doesn't want her butting into his relationship with Haley, more than she has already, despite the fact he's thankful for the help she's given him. And, she's just interrupted his private time with his girlfriend.
Haley sat down on the arm of the couch that Nathan was lay on considering he'd taking all the room. ''So, what movie are we watching?''
''I know what I want to see...'' Julian trailed off suggestively, sitting down next to his girlfriend.
''Darn,'' Brooke sighed dramatically. ''I bet Haley doesn't have Mamma Mia, babe.''
''No worries,'' he grinned, pulling it out of his man bag (which isn't a purse) and passing it to his best friend. ''I brought it.''
Nathan groaned again, more louder this time. ''You've got to be kidding,''
''C'mon, Nate.'' Haley said lightly, standing up and popping the DVD in the player. ''Take a chance...''
As she returned to sit down, her boyfriend grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down on the couch with him, causing her to laugh as she positioned herself in between his legs as the movie began to start while he place a soft kiss on her temple.
''At least it's not Grease 2, Brooke.'' Haley commented, hoping to make Brooke feel a little better about seeing another one of Julian's girly films.
''Hey, you said you liked that!''
Brooke rolled her eyes. ''Of course I said that,'' she said. ''You're my boyfriend, and you sit through all of my cheer practices just so you can take me home. I want to return the favour some how, and this film isn't awful, just long.''
Nathan scoffed with an eye roll. ''Julian surrounded by cheerleaders, I'm sure he doesn't mind.''
Haley gaped at him for a moment before punching his arm. ''Hey! Girlfriend, right here.''
''I didn't say I would like it,'' he recovered. ''Why would I want to look at cheerleaders when I've got a beautiful girl already?''
''Nice save,'' she grumbled, fighting the smile that so desperately wanted to appear on her face as she turned to face the TV screen.
''Oh my God,'' Nathan groaned for what felt like twentieth time during the movie. ''They've been singing for like an hour, I could have gone to the bathroom, and back, twice.''
''Stop moaning, Nate.'' Brooke snapped lightly. ''You know you like it.''
''Shush you two,'' Haley commanded. ''My favourite song is starting in a second.''
Julian laughed with his typical grin. ''Mine too,''
Haley jumped up and grabbed his hand, pulling him up from the sofa. ''Sing with me, JuJu-Bee, you do when we watch Grease 2.'' she stated, handing him a remote control to act as a fake microphone before standing in the centre of the living room, waiting for it to start. She grinned before she started to sing, ''It was like shooting a sitting duck... A little small talk, a smile and baby I was stuck...'' she trailed off with a laugh. She wasn't sure why she had wanted to sing, this movie always just made her want to dance.
Nathan grinned at her proudly. There was no way he was actually going to get up and sing at dance, because he sucked at both. Plus, he was perfectly fine with watching her and Julian look like fools. Plus, Haley's voice always made him all mushy, so he was more than content with listening to her.
''Don't go wasting your emotion. Lay all your love on me...'' Julian sang from where the film was then up to, knowing he sounded like a complete fool, but he was with his friends, so he didn't really care.
The two best friends then continued to sing cheesily as they dance around like complete fools around the living room, while their partners laughed at their stupidity.
Haley let out a tired breath when the song was over, laughing at her mathlete best friend before going back to her previous position of cuddling with her boyfriend on the couch.
''You're crazy,'' Nathan told her with a chuckle. ''You and Julian are complete fools.''
''And proud, aren't we JuJu-Bee?''
''Yeah, I'm just not exactly proud of the JuJu-Bee part.'' he grumbled with a smile.
Brooke laughed at the two best friends. ''At least I know now that Julian can't sing.'' she said. ''I thought you were choking.''
''Thanks,'' he said dryly. ''My dancing was good though, you can't deny that level of talent.''
''Mr. Scott,'' a thick Australian accent rang through the office doors of Dan Scott Motors. ''The photos have arrived.''
''Bring them in, Andy.'' Dan Scott commanded, waving his hand as he glanced across the files in front of him. Once his assistant walked in, he looked at the thick envelope in his hands with a satisfied smile. ''Ah, I'm actually starting to like the idea of having a male assistant if you think of amazing ideas like this one.''
''Well, you've gotta win the mayor vote from the people of Tree Hill somehow, and if they see pictures of you looking like a family man then people are going to want to vote for you.'' Andy responded, tapping his temple lightly. ''You won't regret hiring me, sir. Promise.''
Dan chuckled and shook his head. ''I don't think I will, thanks Andy.''
Andy bowed his head slightly after placing the envelope of his boss' desk. ''Shout me if you need anything, sir.''
''Always do.''
When the New Zealand born man turned around, the smile immediately fell from his features. He walked out of the office and sat back down at the seat at his desk. Andy then pulled out a photograph from his pocket, the one he had stolen from the envelope, and stared at it intently. The photo was of Nathan Scott sat at the river court next to a boy with a gloomy expression on his face, as the raven haired guy tried to comfort him somehow.
Andy smiled in satisfaction as the plan ran through his mind.
His perfect plan.
AN: ANDY:D Ah, I love him. Just to clear it up, Dan was the one who organised the photographs to be taken so he looks like a good, hard working, family man. You know, just in case that wasn't clear. Anyways, I really hope you liked this, even though it felt kinda all over the place. Anyone who hasn't seen Mamma Mia, it's a musical full of Abba songs. Watch it, it's awesome. SONGS: IN MY VEINS by ANDREW BELLE and LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME... THE MAMMA MIA VERSION. But it's originally from Abba, but I don't own any of the songs.
mazzy - Well, she opened up. I hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!:)
C - Thanks for reviewing! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you liked this chapter, too:-)
goldenbabe - Thank you for your review. Haha, Cupid Clay, huh? Well, she told him what happen, I hope you enjoyed it. Lucas told Clay because Clay is the closest person Nathan has to a best friend, and he knew Clay could help and that he should know. Brooke was in this chapter. And the chapter was all about Naley, she's not Haley or Nathan's best friend, so they wouldn't feel the need to talk to her about it like they would with Mia and Clay. Well, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks again!
Please review! And what do you think Andy's up to? x