Holding On To Letting Go Chapter 16, an one tree hill fanfic

Hey guys! So sorry I don't have much time, but to Sophie and April thank you so so much for the great reviews. To Sophie, thank you for leaving such a long review. It was so thoughtful. :) And to April, once again you've blown me away by reviewing to every chapter even when you missed some. :) Love you guys!

Well, here's the next one. Sorry I don't have time to say more.

Chapter 16:

Haley knew that the ride from New York to California would be a long one when she had accepted Nathan's offer. She hadn't expected there to be so little conversation. The silence only made it longer.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Nathan reached over and turned on the radio, the music filling the car, chasing out the silence. He glanced at her before his eyes flicked back out to the road. "You can pick a station." They were the most words he'd spoken to her since they'd departed twenty minutes earlier. She sighed and scanned through stations, finally settling on a soft rock one. He looked at her again and smiled. "You always did like this kind of music."

She watched the smile spread along his face as he turned back to the road; the corners of his mouth turning up, the small dimple that appeared, the light shining in his eyes. She smiled back. "I guess some things don't change."

Her thoughts returned to the last few days as she contemplated what had happened to their relationship. She thought of how it began and what it had been like for them in the beginning. They knew it was wrong, they both had other people they should've loved. But they didn't and that propelled them toward each other.

Get a load of me, get a load of you
Walkin''down the street, and I hardly know you
It's just like we were meant to be

Holding hands with you, and we're out at night
Got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right
And I've got someone waiting too

No matter how they resisted, they would've found a way to be together. Somehow, they'd both always believed, deep inside themselves, that they were soul mates. Corny as it may sound, they couldn't help having faith in each other, in their love. They'd been through so much, but somehow they were both still standing. Together.

This is, this is just the beginning
We''e already wet, and we're gonna go swimming

Haley turned, so she could stare at Nathan as he drove. It didn't matter that he only moved when turning the steering wheel or shifting into a more comfortable position. He still took her breath away.

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you
It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it
So tell me
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you

For a while now, she'd regarded their relationship as a failure. She couldn't help but see the hopelessness in their situation, the impending doom looming before them. So, to be here now, with him, in itself was a blessing she never thought she'd have.

It didn't matter who she dated or f ucked. It didn't matter how many boyfriends she had, how many men she pretended to love. It always came back to Nathan. He wasn't just a rebound though, he was the love of her life. And she'd made the mistake of letting him go. She was ecstatic that he would give her any kind of a chance after that.

Isn't this the best part of breakin' up
Finding someone else you can''t get enough of
Someone who wants to be with you too

'We always knew we'd meet again,' she thought. She remembered all the promises they'd made, how she would whisper to him how much she loved him in the quiet stillness of the night. She never expected they'd wind up here, but somehow she wasn't disappointed.

It's an itch we know we are gonna scratch
Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch
But wouldn't it be beautiful

Haley reached out and gently traced his jaw line with her index finger. "Nathan, do you think this could be a fresh start for us?"

He lifted a hand off the steering wheel and offered it to her. She took it and waited for his answer. "I think it can be anything we want it to be." She smiled, satisfied with his answer.

Here we are, we're at the beginning
We haven't f ucked yet, but my head's spinning

Every time she thought about Nathan, she had to remind herself to breathe. She couldn't believe she'd found such an amazing man to love her. He was everything she wanted, showing her everything she couldn't be before.

He looked at her for a few seconds. "You can go to sleep if you want."

She smiled sleepily at him. "But aren't you tired too?"

He smiled back at her. "Yeah, but I was just thinking you could take a little nap while I find a nice motel for us to stay the night in."

"OK," she didn't change her position, simply closed her eyes and a few seconds later, she was out cold. Nathan chuckled to himself. She never was one to waste time. It was one of the things he loved about her, one of those little quirks that didn't seem that important but that only made her better. He didn't know where they were headed, but he was determined to find out. He wouldn't run out on her as she had on him. They'd both been doing too much running.

I'd love for you to make me wonder
Where it's goin'
I'd love for you to pull me under
Somethin's growin'
For this that we can control
Baby I am dyin'

He kept sneaking glances at her, even though she was asleep. It was a habit he still couldn't shake. Ever since they were younger and he'd first fallen in love with her (though it took him years to realize it and find the courage to tell her), he'd never been able to get enough of looking at her. When he thought she wasn't looking, he would just stare at her, taking in her beauty, captivated it. Her beauty was one of the few things she hadn't changed over the years.

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you

He didn't know what had come over him when he offered to let her stay with him, but now, despite the possible repercussions, he was happy he had. And even happier that she had agreed. Maybe this could be, as Haley had put it, a fresh start for them. Maybe they were finally getting their second chance. He stole another glance at her. She had hurt him and it would take time to put that behind him, but he couldn't risk losing her again. He had to keep her close.

Sneaking one last look at her, he smiled at the peaceful contentment that had settled over her features. He only hoped it would last.

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Hey, I already have next chapter written. And there's much more naley. Won't have time to post for the next few hours, but leave me some reviews and I'll see if I can't a little later. :)