The Ties That Bind (Chapter 10)
"Nathan, I fall on my face half the time," 16-year-old Haley James complained as her boyfriend led her somewhere.
"So?" he asked.
"So, that's when I can see where I'm going. Now, you have me blindfolded! Gravity plus me plus blindness equals disaster," Haley said, reaching to the back of her head to try and untie the blindfold. Nathan snickered and grabbed her hands and held them in his hands as he led her the rest of the way.
"We're almost there. Just be patient," he said.
"Fine, but if I trip and bring you down with me, don't say I didn't warn you," Haley said. Nathan laughed. Then, he came over and picked her up.
"Well, in that case, I'll carry you the rest of the way," he said.
"Ok," she said. Haley put her arms around his neck and snuggled against his chest. He walked for about five more minutes and then put her down gently. He came over behind her and untied the blindfold. He took this opportunity to pulled her closer and leaned down and spilled kisses along her neck, eventually making his way to her mouth. When the kiss ended, Haley smiled as she looked around. Nathan had brought her to a secluded part of the beach. It seemed untouched from the rest of the beach and there were little purple flowers growing all around the grass. "This place is beautiful."
"I thought you might like it," he said.
"I do. But why did you bring me here?" she asked. He put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"I wanted to show it to you because this is going to be an important place to us someday in the future," he said. Haley stared at him blankly.
"Oh, and what will it be?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.
"Our wedding spot," he replied. Haley turned around in his arms and looked at him for a minute.
"You think about that stuff?" she asked.
"With other girls, no, I didn't. With you, I do because, Hales, I can't imagine my future without you in it," he said. Haley's smile widened as she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him.
Three months later… (from where chapter nine left off)
The sun shone down on the beach that Sunday. The wind was blowing, but not too much. Everything was just perfect as Haley peeked out of her tent and saw the set up. There were white chairs lined up in two distinct rows with an aisle in between them. There was a little platform that counted as a stage with a piano off to the side. Haley was dressed in a simple white, strapless dress that fell two inches above her knees. She wasn't into the whole long draping train that most brides wore. Knowing her, she'd probably get it caught under a chair and the skirt of the dress would be torn off. She chuckled at the thought.
Brooke, Peyton, Taylor, and Quinn were all dressed in light blue dresses similar to Haley's wedding dress. They all had bouquets of the purple flowers that grew around them, except that they had come from a flower shop in town. Haley put her literally killer shoes on her feet and stood behind her bridesmaids as the music began to play.
Nathan watched as Brooke, Peyton, Taylor and Quinn all walked down the aisle and moved off to Haley's family's side. They lined up. Then the music to "Here Comes the Bride" started to play and Haley began to walk down the aisle. Nathan felt his heart caught in his throat as he watched her. She looked like a vision. Her dress was simple but somehow on Haley it looked elegant. He smiled as he noticed unshed tears in her eyes. He smiled as she neared him and took her hand. Haley smiled up at Derek who had given her away in her father's absence. The priest when through the usual speech and then when it came time for the vows, Nathan took his hand and smiled at her.
"I don't know how many times I've dreamed of this moment. I swore I'd never tell anyone this because most of the time, it's girls who dream of their wedding day, but ever since I met you, Haley, I've thought of the day where we would be tied together in marriage. I even picked out the place at sixteen if you remember the day I brought you here," he said. He paused to look at her as she nodded. There were a few tears running down her face as she smiled at the memory.
"But nothing I dreamt could have compared to today and what I'm feeling standing here with you. I once told you that I would always be there for you. And to that I hold. I will never leave your side and I will love you for the rest of our lives together. I promise to cherish every moment we have together and I love you," he said. Haley's face quivered as tears came streaming down her face but she smiled through them. Now it was her turn to say her vows. She took Nathan's hand, led him over to the piano and sat down bring him down beside her. She removed the sheet music that the player had had and started playing a melody that she had memorized and wrote herself.
/We met in high school
We were in love
We were inseparable
Things couldn't get much better than that
But then our dreams clashed
We went our separate ways
Pretending we didn't feel the way we did
We met years later when things were different
I was in hell and you were lost
Then you pulled me out of that place
We reconnected but were torn apart again
A year later I was drawn back to you
We had both been through life changes
And we literally collided
When I think back on the past,
I smile because I know that despite the bad things
I wouldn't change a thing
I never knew love could be this way
And with your love you showed me
A reason to go on/
Nathan waited for her to stop playing. "I love you, Nathan," she whispered. He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and smiled.
"I love you too," Nathan said. Haley smiled and then he winked. "Mrs. Scott." Haley kissed him again.
The End