A Reconciliation to Remember (Chapter 12)
Haley opened the door widely and let Nathan inside. Nathan looked at Tamyra and then at Haley. "What are you doing here?" Tamyra didn't answer him. She looked at Haley.
"She was just leaving," Haley said, looking at Tamyra who just smiled and left. Haley grabbed Nathan by the hand and sat him down on the bed. "So, apparently, she's been a little less than honest with the both of us." Nathan smirked.
"She told you?" he asked. Haley nodded. "Everything?"
"I know it all, Nathan. I know she drugged you, I know she is pregnant by another man, I know you two never slept together, I know she entrapped you and I know that Dan is the one who hired her," Haley replied.
"It still seems like a dream to me, Hales. I mean, one minute I'm a guy who lost the only person he's ever really loved and is stuck with a girl who's pregnant with a child he never planned on happening and now…" he started but stopped. Haley raised her eyebrows in amusement.
"Now?" she prodded.
"Now everything's different. Yeah, Tamyra lied to me and broke us up and I hate her for it, but I can't really blame it all on her, can I?" Nathan asked. Haley shook her head.
"No, you can't," she agreed.
Nathan nodded as he said, "I was the one who believed my dad in the first place and even though I never could've cheated on you, I had planned to and I know that you can't instantly forgive me for that." Haley nodded.
"But I'm willing to work on it," she said and smirked at him when she saw his eyes light up with hope. He looked at her and smiled.
"Really?" he asked.
"Don't get too hopeful. I'm willing to work on our relationship, but I can't be in a relationship with you…" she started but he interrupted.
"I'm lost," he said.
"A romantic relationship, Nathan. I can't be that way with you right away. I've been too vulnerable with you as it is and I don't like what that feeling did to me. I want to be able to trust you; I really do, but…" she said. Nathan dropped his head and nodded.
"But you don't know how to," he said. Haley shook her head.
"No, that's not what I meant at all," she said. He looked at her in surprise.
"What'd you mean?" he asked.
"It's going to take some time before I can again, that's all. Until then, I think we should just remain as friends," she said. Nathan had to laugh. She looked at him quizzically and then her eyes narrowed in annoyance as he laughed harder.
"I'm sorry, but weren't you the one who told me that I was deluded to think that we could ever be friends again, given our history?" he said, still chuckling. Haley smirked.
"I was hurt, Nathan, and I was angry; you can't blame me for that," she said sternly. He shook his head.
"That's not what I mean, Hales. I just meant that it's kind of ironic that you said we could be friends after you went into a whole lecture on exactly why we couldn't be friends," he said. Haley rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Don't throw my own words back in my face. It's annoying," she said and he laughed harder.
"So, we're friends? Exactly what does that entail?" he asked.
"Whatever we want, just no romantic stuff. So no holding hands," she said. He looked at her in annoyance. "And absolutely no kissing," she added. Absolute horror didn't even come close to describe the look of shock on his face.
"You're killing me here," Nathan said mockingly. Haley looked at him mischievously.
"Be careful what you wish for, Scott," she said. It would almost be convincing if she hadn't burst out laughing five seconds after he looked at her.
A month later…
"Hey, buddy," Nathan said, coming up behind Haley who was in one of the many cafeterias at the school, sitting down and eating. She jumped and turned around and looked at him.
"Hey, Nathan," she said as he sat down and put his duffel bag on the chair beside him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Nothing much. Just picking songs for a demo project we have to do," she said.
"Didn't you do something like that in LA?" he asked.
"New York, but, yeah," she replied.
"And how's it going? You seem a little stressed," he said. Haley shrugged.
"I guess it's just because we have to write six of our own songs and collaborate on two and four have to be covers of songs we've never done before," she said.
"Well, you're probably collaborating with Maria, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know. I might want to collaborate with someone else," she said.
"You could always collaborate with me, you know," he said, smiling. Haley burst out laughing.
"Sorry, but rap will not be appearing anywhere on my demo," she replied. He looked at her in surprise.
"I don't only listen to rap," he said. Haley looked at him doubtfully.
"What else do you listen to?" she asked jokingly.
"Well, I listen to you when you sing and I've heard Maria sing. Heck, I've even heard Jake sing," he said. Haley's face brightened.
"You know, Jake does have a good voice. Maybe I could collaborate with him on one of the songs," she said. Nathan looked at her doubtfully.
"One problem, genius," he said. Haley looked at him. "Jake doesn't go here." Haley shrugged.
"There's no rule that I can't collaborate with someone outside the school," she said.
"And what makes you think that Jake would even agree to collaborate with you?" he asked.
"Well, I'm sure he would if I asked him to," she said.
"And if he doesn't?" Nathan asked.
"Well, there's away around that," Haley said.
"Such as?" Nathan asked, chuckling.
"Peyton's my best friend," Haley said. Nathan looked at her in confusion. "And Peyton and Jake are dating," she added.
"What's that got to do with anything?" he asked.
"Oh, you don't know Peyton at all, do you?" Haley asked.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that Peyton can get anyone, especially Jake, to do just about anything," Haley said. Nathan laughed.
"You're going to get his girlfriend to force him to do it?" he asked incredulously.
"If it comes to that, yes," Haley said. Nathan shook his head. "So, what's new in the land of basketball?" Nathan sighed. Haley smirked.
"Nothing much. Dad's an ass as well as an overbearing coach," he said.
"So basically nothing new?" Haley asked and laughed when Nathan glared at her. He looked at his watch.
"Speaking of, I'm late for practice," he said. He got up and walked over to her. He wasn't planning on it, but he leaned down and brushed a kiss against her lips. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he pulled away. Haley looked shocked. "I'm sorry." Haley smiled and pulled him back down to her. She kissed him gently and then again more fiercely.
"For what?" she asked, when she pulled away. He smiled at her as he gave her a peck on the cheek and left.