Chapter 11: From the Heart
When they were done with the food, Haley stood up and put their plates on the sink. They sat beside each other by the fireplace, leaning on the big couch behind them. They still had a lot of the sparkling drink in the bottle and they decided to drink and talk by the fireplace.
They talked about a lot of things, basketball and their friends mostly. After awhile, things quieted down a little between them as they both took a sip of their drink. Haley suddenly turned to look at him, "I'm really glad that you and Luke are in better terms now. I didn't want to be torn between the two of you, you know?"
Nathan was quite surprised at what he heard, "I actually thought you would stand on his side the moment we declare war on each other."
Haley just laughed and shrugged, "Perhaps when I still didn't know you this well, I would have done just that. But now, my decision on which Scott brother to stand- should that time come- would be pretty difficult to determine."
Nathan got a little more intrigued upon hearing this, "So, I'm not jerk to you anymore?"
Haley just laughs as she playfully punched his arm, "You were never a jerk to me, Nathan. I just didn't know you too well and never bothered to get to know you."
Nathan couldn't help but blurt out another question, "But, do like knowing me better now?"
Haley nodded firmly as she looked straight at him, "I do Nathan, I'm really glad I got to know you better."
Nathan smiled before he took another sip, "Me too."
A moment of silence has once again settled between the two of them. All of a sudden, Haley thought about sharing something with Nathan. "You know you're brother said something intriguing to me in the café this afternoon," she told Nathan with a quizzical look.
"What did he say?" he asked as he wondered if Lucas actually told on him. He started to feel a little nervous, but tried his best to hide it in front of Haley.
Haley took a sip of her drink before she went on, "Well, he said that you two actually have something in common other than you father now. He said it was something very special and priceless."
Nathan smiled as he realized his brother actually tried to set up something for him, "Yeah, he got that right. It's actually a someone, though"
Haley looked at him, even more intrigued. "And who might that be?" she asked as she looked at him with a somewhat puzzled expression on her face.
Nathan turned to her, "For starters, it's a girl we both know. "
Haley just laughed, "C'mon Nate, there are a lot of girls you both know!"
Nathan laughs as he realizes that, "Oh yeah, sorry. Well, here's another. It's a girl who means a lot to both of us."
Haley just rolled her eyes, "Uh, there's a lot of that too."
Nathan was starting to get nervous but he did all he can to pull himself together. He found himself, finishing up a whole glass of the sparkling drink, "Okay, it's a girl we both love."
Haley just stared at him curiously, "Now that's a tricky one."
Nathan didn't know what to say anymore. "Can I have another glass of that thing?" he asked while trying not to show how nervous he has really become.
Haley just nodded at him, "Yeah sure."
Nathan stared into the fire as he figured out his next move in his head, "Should I tell her? Would she believe me? Would she even think I'm serious about this?"
Suddenly, Haley's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You've gone so silent, Nathan Scott. It makes me wonder what's making you anxious in that head of yours," Haley casually remarked as she took a sip of her drink.
Nathan just looked at her, "Me...anxious? What do you mean?"
Haley laughs a little as she turned to him, "Well, your hands have been shaking."
Nathan looked down at his hands and noticed that his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He decided to put the glass down before he does anything stupid.
Finally, he decided to speak up. "Ever wanted something so bad?" Nathan asked casually as he turned to look at Haley.
Haley smiled as she nodded, "Yeah, from being the best in class to craving for chocolate...you name it!"
Nathan just laughs, "I mean something you want so bad that when it's finally close to you, you can't help but wonder if it will run away the moment you try to get even closer to it.
Haley looked at him curiously, "Your thoughts are running deep tonight, Nate. Are you okay?"
Nathan took a long sip from his glass and kept his eyes fixed at the fireplace as he continued, "You know what's funny? Some people around Tree Hill have known what I've been wanting so bad for sometime now. I've never really consciously admitted it to myself until they pointed it out."
Haley got even more intrigued, "Well, tell me Nate. What is it?"
Mustering all the courage that's left inside him, Nathan looks up and stares at Haley with longing eyes, "This." Suddenly, Nathan pulled Haley even closer to him and gave her one long, passionate kiss. To his surprise, Haley responded to his kiss.
Haley was very surprised at what Nathan had just done. She liked it, nevertheless. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her tongue roam around his mouth. She felt him lay her down on the carpet by the fireplace. Still, they kept kissing each other. It's as if they were both waiting for this all their lives and they've been hungry to feel each other's lips.
Once their lips parted, Haley just looked at him. "Are you trying to say that the one thing you want so bad is...me?"
Nathan nodded. He smiled at her, "I love you, Haley James. I've been dying to tell you that all this time!" He leaned down to give her another kiss.
After the kiss, Haley looked straight into Nathan's deep blue eyes. "Well, looks like there are things that we both want so bad. I love you too, Nathan Scott." She smiled at him. It seems that no words were needed to be exchanged any longer...at least for the remainder of the night. Things just felt like they were falling right into place.
Later that night, Nathan did not feel right about leaving Haley all alone in her house. He called my mom and told her he's staying over Haley's for the night. They remained laying by the fireplace with arms around each other. While stroking Haley's hair, Nathan decided to ask Haley something, "Who was the first person that you thought about when I said the girl was someone Lucas and I both love?"
Haley just laughs as she remembered the moment earlier that night, "Um, I actually thought you were talking about Peyton."
Nathan just laughs, "I don't believe this!"
Haley just giggles softly, "Me neither."
"Hales?" Nathan asked quite nervously.
Haley just looks at him, urging him to go on.
"How do you feel about this? I mean if I'm rushing you too much, we could just...."Nathan was trying to make Haley think he's not the type who just wants her for one moment in his life, he really wants her forever and he feels strong about that. Before he can finish though, Haley just gave him another kiss.
"Nathan Scott, you're not rushing me...just so you'd know," she said after the kiss that overwhelmed Nathan, but in a good way.
Later that night, Nathan fell asleep with Haley still lying on his chest and his arms around her. Haley remained awake for awhile, looking at a soundly sleeping Nathan beside him. She smiled to herself. She couldn't be happier with Nathan by her side.
Her face glowed as she stared at the fireplace. She slowly pictured everything that had taken place that day, from her dream to tonight. She glanced at soundly asleep Nathan and smiled, "This is absolutely better than my dream!" She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "Perhaps, my dream tonight would be even better. But then, I don't think there's anything better than this!" she thought as she allowed her mind to drift into another blissful dream...
A/N: This ends Dreaming to Life, I really hope you like it. I would like to thank everyone who kept encouraging me as I worked on the chapters of this story. This is my first fan fic and I'm glad that it's been warmly received. othlov3r23, meagan191, Barbara (HotG92886), MissingOppion, onetrueself, Chookstar, volleygril710,evcrules and lysser8312, you have all been very supportive readers. I hope you enjoy my next one just as much! =)