Haley's POV
"I hope you're right Nate." She had heard every word Nathan and Lucas had said, and let it sink in that she was cared for by both Scott brothers. What Nathan had said hit her hard. Any guy would gladly cower to a raging Lucas Scott, but Nathan stood his ground and made it clear that he was never going to hurt Haley, not in a million years.
She saw him returning to the house, and ran off the porch to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged his tall frame while burying her face in his chest. He lifted her up, and brought her inside. Although she had forgotten about her appearance, and the fact that she was wearing an almost see-through robe, Nathan most certainly had not.
"Let's get you inside before the neighborhood sees you." Nathan said hurriedly. Haley, once inside, put her hands on her head, and thought about how awkward and tense the next time she spoke with Lucas would be. "God, what he must be thinking!" she exclaimed, and Nathan stepped back from her. "Why are you so upset about this Hales? You're acting as if Luke is the guy you love, and I'm some drunken hook up that you never meant him to catch you with!" Haley couldn't believe her ears. How dare he! Lucas had been her best friend since she was born, and they hadn't been anything but friends.
Nathan's POV
"How dare you!" Haley screamed. Nathan knew what he had said was entirely out of line, but his jealousy had taken over what little reason he'd possessed. "Hales, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean it like that" he said. "Then how DID you mean it Nate? Did you mean to compare the best night of my life to a 'drunken hookup'? God only knows how many of those you've had, great Nathan Scott, king of hearts." Haley was screaming at him now, but he was furious that she didn't know just how much he cared. He broke down, and sat on the stairs with his head in his hands, fighting back tears that wanted desperately to rain out of him like a storm.
"Nate... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Haley said, before being silenced by Nathan. "Haley, I don't know how else to convince you that I love you. I know that sometimes I get jealous, and suspicious of you and Luke, and I know that sometimes you worry you're not enough for me. Haley, the girls that I've dated in the past are nothing compared to you. You've taken my whole world and turned it upside down. When I'm with you, my guard comes down, and I am vulnerable to all sorts of emotions I've never dreamed of feeling. You've become my everything, and without you, I'm nothing. I love you so much, it hurts me, and when I'm not with you, I'm not myself. I love you so much, and no matter what happens, I will always love you, forever. You are my world."
Nathan looked into Haley's eyes. He couldn't believe he felt this strongly about her, he'd never felt emotions like this in his entire life. He sat staring at her, capturing every detail of her face in his memory. He was deathly afraid of her not feeling the same way, and he waited for what seemed like days for her response.
Haley's POV
Haley began to cry. She didn't know what else to do, and it was a reaction she wished she didn't have. Every time she looked up, he was staring at her, and every thought that crossed her mind was of him, and the intensity of which he loved her. She got up and walked to the bathroom, slammed the door and sat on the toilet crying. She'd never known anything of love, and at the first instance of it, she ran scared. She couldn't understand why either.
Nathan Scott was an attractive young man, accomplished, with a strong heart and a will to love. Any girl would find themselves lucky to have such a catch, but Haley doubted it's sincerity. Why on earth would Nathan Scott love her? She was a dork, to say the least, and throughout her whole life it had been her and Lucas against the world. She'd hung out with the guys all her life, having only one sister who was 10 years her senior. A hardcore tomboy, and she never dreamed of her wedding day, or her babies. She dreamed of being the first woman on the moon, and the All-State spelling bee champion. Why on earth would Nathan Scott be interested in such a plain girl?
Deciding that she had to come out sometime, she turned the knob, and expected Nathan to be waiting outside the door for her. She opened the door to find a note on the floor:
Haley;
I couldn't handle you not accepting what I just admitted to you, so I left. Call me when you want to, if you ever want to again.
I love you, if that means anything. –Nate
Nathan's POV
'What have I done?' Nathan thought to himself. He wondered what Haley was thinking, if she was scared of him after what he had said, and if he would ever speak to her again. He was at the River Court, a place that he knew Luke would be at one point during the day, and he sat on the bleachers and waited.
Lucas' POV
"I can't believe she would dive into something like that without telling me, or even consulting me first" Lucas told Peyton, outraged at his best friend's behavior. "Luke, you have to understand that you're like her brother, and if I had a brother, I would never tell him when I was considering having sex, let alone who it was with. You have to come to grips with the fact that Haley isn't that same 11 year old girl in overalls digging holes in your backyard anymore. She's a woman, like it or not."
Peyton spoke with such wisdom, and although he swore to himself that they were just friends, he couldn't handle her not knowing how much he cared for her. He'd held his tongue for entirely too long, and knew that it was now or never.
"Peyton?" Luke said softly. "Yea, Luke?" Peyton replied. "When are we going to stop fooling ourselves, and just admit that we can't just be friends?"
Peyton had an element of surprise drawn on her face, which quickly washed away into a look of guilt. "Luke, I don't want to hurt Brooke. I know you two have broken up, but she's devastated, and she's the most important person in my life. Brooke is my Haley, and even though I have feelings for you that go beyond friendship, I have to stay true to Brooke and keep them on a friends only level."
"I understand, and I think it's amazing how good you are to Brooke" Lucas said, before realizing the irony of his words. Here Peyton was, denying love, killing herself for the sake of her friend, and even though it hurt her, she did it for someone else. She put Brooke's needs before her own, and Lucas knew that he definitely had failed to do so with Haley. He scolded her, when he should have been understanding, and made her feel guilty about the one person she was truly happy with, Nathan.
Haley's POV
Haley heard a rapping on her door, and opened it up to find Lucas there, bringing over a batch of his mom's famous cookies. "Can I offer you an 'I'm sorry' gift?" Lucas said, and Haley gave him a look of anger. "Luke, give me the cookies and spare me the lecture. And while you're at it, why don't you go act out a play on the lawn, 'cause I know it's your favorite spot to make a scene." Haley was furious with her best friend, and wanted nothing more than to put him in his place.
"I deserved that" Luke said with sorrow. "Yea, ya think?" Haley bit back. "Hales I don't know what I've done, but I want to help fix it" Luke said, and immediately, Haley screamed at him with tears in her eyes. "LUKE! How can YOU fix things! My boyfriend, who I just happen to be in love with, is out somewhere moping because of ME. He told me everything, how he felt about me, how he needed me. And all because I defended YOU. So once again, I put my life on the backburner for you, and now you want to insult my efforts by offering to 'fix' things? Just get out, and maybe you could find your brother and tell him that I need to see him."
Possible ideas for next chapter:
-Haley tells Nathan that he scared her and they should take a break -Peyton tells Brooke how she feels about Lucas, and Brooke understands -Haley tells Nathan that she feels the same way, and Lucas is jealous. -Lucas and Nathan talk, and Nathan goes to Haley.
Read, Respond, and be merry. And give me some more ideas!!
"I hope you're right Nate." She had heard every word Nathan and Lucas had said, and let it sink in that she was cared for by both Scott brothers. What Nathan had said hit her hard. Any guy would gladly cower to a raging Lucas Scott, but Nathan stood his ground and made it clear that he was never going to hurt Haley, not in a million years.
She saw him returning to the house, and ran off the porch to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged his tall frame while burying her face in his chest. He lifted her up, and brought her inside. Although she had forgotten about her appearance, and the fact that she was wearing an almost see-through robe, Nathan most certainly had not.
"Let's get you inside before the neighborhood sees you." Nathan said hurriedly. Haley, once inside, put her hands on her head, and thought about how awkward and tense the next time she spoke with Lucas would be. "God, what he must be thinking!" she exclaimed, and Nathan stepped back from her. "Why are you so upset about this Hales? You're acting as if Luke is the guy you love, and I'm some drunken hook up that you never meant him to catch you with!" Haley couldn't believe her ears. How dare he! Lucas had been her best friend since she was born, and they hadn't been anything but friends.
Nathan's POV
"How dare you!" Haley screamed. Nathan knew what he had said was entirely out of line, but his jealousy had taken over what little reason he'd possessed. "Hales, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean it like that" he said. "Then how DID you mean it Nate? Did you mean to compare the best night of my life to a 'drunken hookup'? God only knows how many of those you've had, great Nathan Scott, king of hearts." Haley was screaming at him now, but he was furious that she didn't know just how much he cared. He broke down, and sat on the stairs with his head in his hands, fighting back tears that wanted desperately to rain out of him like a storm.
"Nate... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Haley said, before being silenced by Nathan. "Haley, I don't know how else to convince you that I love you. I know that sometimes I get jealous, and suspicious of you and Luke, and I know that sometimes you worry you're not enough for me. Haley, the girls that I've dated in the past are nothing compared to you. You've taken my whole world and turned it upside down. When I'm with you, my guard comes down, and I am vulnerable to all sorts of emotions I've never dreamed of feeling. You've become my everything, and without you, I'm nothing. I love you so much, it hurts me, and when I'm not with you, I'm not myself. I love you so much, and no matter what happens, I will always love you, forever. You are my world."
Nathan looked into Haley's eyes. He couldn't believe he felt this strongly about her, he'd never felt emotions like this in his entire life. He sat staring at her, capturing every detail of her face in his memory. He was deathly afraid of her not feeling the same way, and he waited for what seemed like days for her response.
Haley's POV
Haley began to cry. She didn't know what else to do, and it was a reaction she wished she didn't have. Every time she looked up, he was staring at her, and every thought that crossed her mind was of him, and the intensity of which he loved her. She got up and walked to the bathroom, slammed the door and sat on the toilet crying. She'd never known anything of love, and at the first instance of it, she ran scared. She couldn't understand why either.
Nathan Scott was an attractive young man, accomplished, with a strong heart and a will to love. Any girl would find themselves lucky to have such a catch, but Haley doubted it's sincerity. Why on earth would Nathan Scott love her? She was a dork, to say the least, and throughout her whole life it had been her and Lucas against the world. She'd hung out with the guys all her life, having only one sister who was 10 years her senior. A hardcore tomboy, and she never dreamed of her wedding day, or her babies. She dreamed of being the first woman on the moon, and the All-State spelling bee champion. Why on earth would Nathan Scott be interested in such a plain girl?
Deciding that she had to come out sometime, she turned the knob, and expected Nathan to be waiting outside the door for her. She opened the door to find a note on the floor:
Haley;
I couldn't handle you not accepting what I just admitted to you, so I left. Call me when you want to, if you ever want to again.
I love you, if that means anything. –Nate
Nathan's POV
'What have I done?' Nathan thought to himself. He wondered what Haley was thinking, if she was scared of him after what he had said, and if he would ever speak to her again. He was at the River Court, a place that he knew Luke would be at one point during the day, and he sat on the bleachers and waited.
Lucas' POV
"I can't believe she would dive into something like that without telling me, or even consulting me first" Lucas told Peyton, outraged at his best friend's behavior. "Luke, you have to understand that you're like her brother, and if I had a brother, I would never tell him when I was considering having sex, let alone who it was with. You have to come to grips with the fact that Haley isn't that same 11 year old girl in overalls digging holes in your backyard anymore. She's a woman, like it or not."
Peyton spoke with such wisdom, and although he swore to himself that they were just friends, he couldn't handle her not knowing how much he cared for her. He'd held his tongue for entirely too long, and knew that it was now or never.
"Peyton?" Luke said softly. "Yea, Luke?" Peyton replied. "When are we going to stop fooling ourselves, and just admit that we can't just be friends?"
Peyton had an element of surprise drawn on her face, which quickly washed away into a look of guilt. "Luke, I don't want to hurt Brooke. I know you two have broken up, but she's devastated, and she's the most important person in my life. Brooke is my Haley, and even though I have feelings for you that go beyond friendship, I have to stay true to Brooke and keep them on a friends only level."
"I understand, and I think it's amazing how good you are to Brooke" Lucas said, before realizing the irony of his words. Here Peyton was, denying love, killing herself for the sake of her friend, and even though it hurt her, she did it for someone else. She put Brooke's needs before her own, and Lucas knew that he definitely had failed to do so with Haley. He scolded her, when he should have been understanding, and made her feel guilty about the one person she was truly happy with, Nathan.
Haley's POV
Haley heard a rapping on her door, and opened it up to find Lucas there, bringing over a batch of his mom's famous cookies. "Can I offer you an 'I'm sorry' gift?" Lucas said, and Haley gave him a look of anger. "Luke, give me the cookies and spare me the lecture. And while you're at it, why don't you go act out a play on the lawn, 'cause I know it's your favorite spot to make a scene." Haley was furious with her best friend, and wanted nothing more than to put him in his place.
"I deserved that" Luke said with sorrow. "Yea, ya think?" Haley bit back. "Hales I don't know what I've done, but I want to help fix it" Luke said, and immediately, Haley screamed at him with tears in her eyes. "LUKE! How can YOU fix things! My boyfriend, who I just happen to be in love with, is out somewhere moping because of ME. He told me everything, how he felt about me, how he needed me. And all because I defended YOU. So once again, I put my life on the backburner for you, and now you want to insult my efforts by offering to 'fix' things? Just get out, and maybe you could find your brother and tell him that I need to see him."
Possible ideas for next chapter:
-Haley tells Nathan that he scared her and they should take a break -Peyton tells Brooke how she feels about Lucas, and Brooke understands -Haley tells Nathan that she feels the same way, and Lucas is jealous. -Lucas and Nathan talk, and Nathan goes to Haley.
Read, Respond, and be merry. And give me some more ideas!!