What Lies Within (Chapter Five)
Nathan walked up to Haley's front door and lightly knocked on it. He heard someone walking around and then the door opened. Haley smiled at him. "Hey," she said, taking his hand and pulling him inside. He had their books in his bag and he dropped the bag when she closed the door. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly.
"So, when you never came back, I assumed you were upset because things probably didn't go so well with Lucas," he murmured into her hair. Haley nodded. She pulled away just enough to look up at him.
"No, things didn't go well at all. I'm sorry I just left like that," she said.
"Don't worry about it. I understand," he said and kissed her again. He followed her into the kitchen and walked over to the chair that had his jacket around it. He looked up at her thoughtfully. "I've been wondering where I left this," he joked. Haley laughed. "So, are you and Lucas in a fight?" he asked. Haley smirked.
"More like a hiatus or we're cancelled. I don't know," she said.
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked. Haley shrugged and looked at him.
"Well, the last thing he told me was to not expect him to be around when you dump me," she said, laughing. Nathan walked over to her and lifted her head up.
"Lucas is an idiot and sooner or later, he's going to realize what an ass he's being. And about my dumping you: it's bull shit. If anything, you'd dump me," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
"I would not," she insisted.
"Exactly. It's ludicrous. I'm happy with what I have and that's you. I don't want anyone else, Hales," he said.
Haley smiled softly.
"For once in our relationship, I know exactly where we stand with one another. I know you care about me, Nathan and I don't doubt you. I care about you too," she said.
"Well, good. I'm glad," he said, leaning down and kissing her again. He pulled her up onto the kitchen counter and continued kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
Haley walked into school nervously. For the first time in her life, she felt completely alone at school. Lucas was no longer there for her as her best friend. And Nathan and she weren't public so he couldn't exactly be there for her. She walked to her locker and started feeling anxious again. She grabbed her books, looked around, spotted Lucas and then looked away. He was chatting with Brooke and Peyton. This was not a familiar feeling with Haley although some people might be surprised. She felt like an outsider. Then a strong arm came around her shoulder and squeezed her tightly. She looked up and smiled at Nathan. He leaned down and kissed her hard. "I'm always here for you," he promised.