Chapter 2 Part 1
When I see you smile...
Two figures lay amongst the many sheets that were on the bed. Their bodies mangled and twisted between them. Like the sheets somehow came to life and captured them, making them their willing captives.
The room was set a glow with the light streaming in from the window. It lit up, giving it a heavenly look. It shone and seemed to emanate a warm air of comfort. The curtains seemed to cascade as the summer's breeze blew in through the half open window. The sweet aroma of summer floated around in the room. The birds on chirped happy as they flew around enjoying the sun's warm rays. So happy. So free. So alive.
Remember today, for it is the beginning of always.
Derrek lay there, his torso half exposed, and the rest covered by a thin sheet. He ran a hand across his face, and yawned, and squinted his eyes until they adjusted to the new found light. He took in a deep breathe and let out a little sigh of contentment. The air smelled like strawberries, Haley's one trade mark. It was her unique scent. It lingered on all of his clothes, and clung to him constantly. Not that he minded. It soothed his nerves and did its magic by relaxing him in stressful times.
He turned his head to find a mess of auburn hair on a pillow. He slightly chuckled at her disheveled appearance. Her creamy colored skin was hidden by the sheet, that she had wrapped her petite little figure in. She looked so peaceful, so calm. It let a feeling of sheer content and serenity course through him. He moved closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the new feeling of contact.
He had never been one of those "touchy feely" kinds. It was more along the lines of, "I'll stick to my side, you stick to yours". But it didn't surprise him all that much. Things were different with Haley. He was different with her, he managed to care. He didn't find himself zoning out when she was talking. Nor did he mind spending a night in, watching a movie and just cuddling. He didn't really mind the change either, it was something new. She made new experiences more memorable. It was like her charm, to infect everything around her with a radiance of happiness.
Him being example number one.
He was falling, and falling hard. In fact, he might have already fallen. He would have never thought that he would be hopelessly in love with his little sisters best friend. But life always has twists.
And this twist was definitely good.
Derrek let out a deep breath. He felt content. Like he was on cloud 9, and nothing could bring him down. That feeling of light heartedness, the one when you felt you were flying. When you were on a roller coaster and just about to fall, the shear excitement and thrill. The mixed feelings the pit of his stomach, making him feel a whole new level of liveliness. He felt so many things, words were mere letters put together, they had no value, because they couldn't even describe the feeling he was going through at this very moment.
Haley James. The girl who had captured his heart. The same girl who's sand castle he had destroyed at the beach when he was five. The same girl who bit him when he tried to eat her fruit roll up at the age of 9. There were so many memories there. Some good...some painful. She had always been that girl who his sister was attached to the hip by. But she became so much more.
She became that girl who he called before he went to bed at night. Just to hear he voice, until they both fell asleep. She became the girl who consumed his mind constantly. She became the girl that was lying right next to him. He reached out and slowly brushed his fingers across her cheek. He wanted to wake up to her every morning. To see that smile that seemed to brighten up even the darkest room. To hear that laugh that was contagious. He wanted her to fill his life with happiness, as she seemed to do to all those that were around her. He had never been serious about anyone before, because it didn't seem to fit, they didn't seem to fit.
But now they did.
He continued to stare at the ceiling, as he contemplated the many things in his mind. He was broken out of his reverie by a soft kiss being placed on his bare shoulder. A smile seemed to instantly graze his lips as he turned to face her. And green orbs soon met brown ones, and a look of contentment passed through them. Their feelings were unspoken, a mutual understanding, the silence spoke to them.
What they didn't know was that sometimes things need to be said, to be heard out loud, so the full effect sets in. To know that something is there, to clarify it, to embed it in stone.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked as she snuggled in closer to him.
"Waffles" he replied faking seriousness.
They both started laughing, and Derrek pulled her closer and dropped a small kiss on her forehead.
" First we take showers, separately that is, or we will never leave. Then waffles it is, dahling" she laughed and said.
"You suck the fun out of everything"
"Everything?" she asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow.
"Well maybe not everything" he said, stressing the word everything.
"Good answer, so I'm off to shower, you can use the one in the guestroom"
Derrek mumbled some inaudible words and stalked off in the direction of the guest room. Haley laughed and shook her head playfully and she got up slowly. She wrapped the sheet around her and tied a knot to hold it securely. She gathered up the mess of hair and tied it into a ponytail and ventured to the bathroom.
Both of them being unaware of the oncoming danger.
His blue eyes seemed to hold a new kind of intensity. One they had been lacking for the two years he had been gone. They seemed to yearn for something, for someone. There was no more confusion, he was no longer unsure of his wants. He had matured over the past two years, gained a new sense of understanding to the world an people around him. But nothing that he had come across in the past two years, could ever fill the void in him. Nothing could compensate for what he had left behind. Enough was enough. Time was something that there was never enough of, and he wasn't going to waste any more. He knew what he wanted.
He knew he was going to get it.
He unconsciously increased the pressure on the pedal, and speed across the empty highway. Driving away from his life for the past two years. To a life had left behind. Something that he couldn't get to fast enough. He turned to his blonde companion, and smirked, and they shared a knowing gaze.
Welcome to Tree Hill, read the sign.
"Welcome back home Nathan" said the blonde.
The unsuspecting soon-to-be victims continued on with their day.
The door to the bathroom slowly creaked open, and steamed rushed out quickly. Haley emerged from amidst the steam, clad in nothing but a white towel. She let out a little sigh as she observed the mess of sheets, that she formerly referred to as her bed. Maybe she had OCD, or something but she couldn't stand looking at it. She walked over and started fixing it.
"BOO!" yelled a masculine voice behind her. She shrieked and turned around quickly. She looked at him wide eyed, as one hand lay upon her heart.
"I hate you" she scowled.
"No you don't" he replied knowingly, in one of those irritating childish voices.
"You irk me to very core of my being" she said, as she looked at him challengingly. He suddenly jumped forward and tackled her onto the bed, and tickled her. She started to squeal and her face got flushed.
"Derrek stop!" she shrieked, struggling to catch her breath.
"Nope" he answered simply, as he continued on with his torture.
"Please, I, I can't breathe!" she managed to get out.
He finally agreed and fell down on the bed next to her. They sat their in silence as Haley tried to catch her breath. Derrek slowly turned around to face her, and she gave him a evil glare, and they both started laughing.
"I love you" he said suddenly.
She stopped laughing.
"Did you just"
"Yea"
"Oh," she replied, still in shock from what he said.
Different emotions were coursing through her veins at the moment. Her mouth went dry and the muscles in her throat habitually constricted. She took in a shaky breath and looked down at her hands. She had managed to avoid all eye contact with him for the past three minutes, which seemed more like eternity to her. Those words just seemed like a jolt to her.
Her heart rate seemed to rapidly increase. She couldn't understand if it was from excitement or fear.
This was her predicament.
She nervously started fidgeting with her hands and she kept her eyes away from his, feeling his intense gaze upon her, awaiting an answer.
The three most important words to a girl in a relationship had just been uttered by him. One of those things that confirmed the importance of their ties to one another. It intensified the meaning of even little actions. Truthfully she was awaiting it, but when the time actually came it was startling. Maybe a little unnerving too. She felt like she had just been thrown into a dizzy spiral, in which she was intensely lost and confused. The girl who always knew what was coming had just been thrown off course.
And she didn't like it.
She looked at his face after a few moments. She was mentally calculating the pros and cons. She looked at his eyes. The same green eyes that were radiating love and sensitivity at this moment, as they bore into hers, waiting for an answer.
'No pressure?' she recited to herself the understatement. 'What the hell am I supposed to do now?'
"I um love you too" she drawed out hesitantly.
"You don't have to say it, if you don't want to" he said, as he lowered his gaze, the disappointment clearly evident in his voice.
"No, um, I do mean it, but I guess I was just overwhelmed" she said, unsure whether she did mean it or not.
He carefully looked up at her, and studied her face for any signs of regret. Finding none, a wide smile broke out across his face, and his eyes lit up.
"I'm glad wasn't some freaky Ross and Emily scenario with the thank you" he said and grinned.
"Yea" she nodded, absentmindedly as he wrapped his arms around her.