Hey...
So it didn't take that long to update, but it could have been quicker. The next one should be. Anyway, just want to say thanks for reading and reviewing...
This chapter is kind of short and maybe a little confusing, I dunno, but I hope you will like it anyway...
Summary: Lucas Scott is just a boy...who seems to control his life. What is Nathan supposed to do when Lucas slowly takes away everything he has ever known? Two brothers, brought together by the love for the game, and the love for the girl. Naley, Brucas
RECKLESS ABANDON
CHAPTER 7
"Are you…" Nathan leaned closer toward Haley, his face mere inches from hers. He had come out here seeking peace, knowing that sleep wasn't going to come to him tonight. What he didn't expect was that Haley had the same idea and had already beaten him to the river court.
He leaned slightly closer, their lips almost touching. She could feel his warm breath lapping against her face, warming her slightly chilled nose. His brow wrinkled as her breath met his. "Are you drinking?"
Haley smiled giddily at him, her hand instantly wrapping around his neck and pulling his lips against hers. His lips stayed still, the shock of the situation getting the best of him. She pulled back abruptly, a frown fixed on her face. "What's wrong?"
"You're drunk." He stated, the taste of alcohol still lingering on his lips. He slowly leaned over her, ignoring the way her fingers played on the exposed skin of his back and retrieved her coat from the other side of her.
He opened the pocket and pulled out a medium sized bottle, half of which was empty. He frowned at her; she wasn't his Haley. He could count on one hand how many times he had actually seen her drink, and even then, it was never to the point of be inebriated.
"You're cute." She retorted, her body pressed up snugly to his chest. He shifted against the cement, pulling his legs up and crossing them before him. He kept reminding himself that she wasn't his Haley; and no matter how sexy she look underneath the star-splattered sky, he wasn't going to condone her drinking.
"Hales, what are you doing baby?" He questioned lowly as she took a swipe at her bottle, her fingers grazing the glass before he pulled it away and secured it behind his back. "Why are you drinking?"
"Cause." She stated indignantly. She fixed a pout on her lips; how dare he take away her drink? It wasn't like he was some saint or anything; she couldn't remember the last time they had gone to a party and he hadn't gotten totally smashed. He probably just wanted it for himself. "Give it back."
"No." He leaned away from her, his eye studying her disheveled appearance. She sat up on her knees, her small frame wobbling unsteadily as she fought to rid the dizziness from her mind. "You've already had enough."
He slowly stood up and brushed the dust from his jeans before tucking the bottle securely into his coat pocket. "Nuh-uh." She fought back childishly. He extended his hand, sighing gratefully when she took it. He slowly pulled her to her feet, wrapping a supportive arm around her waist when she stumbled.
"Come on." He instructed quietly, his feet only shifting minimally as she struggled to keep her balance. He glanced around the abandoned park, silently wishing that he had chosen to drive earlier. "Let's just…get you home."
Within a second he was falling on his back with a thud. He clamped his eyes shut for a second in pain; how in the hell had that happened? He slowly opened them back up to find Haley sitting on his waist, her small hands fumbling uncoordinatedly through his jacket to find the bottle.
"What the hell?" He groaned irritably. He made a mental note to remind himself never to let her drink again; apparently she became violent. He quickly swatted her hands away, shooting her a glare as stared down at him.
"Give it to me!" She pounded on his chest with her fist. A small smirk graced his lips for a moment; she was definitely sexy in that position. As soon as he though it, Nathan quickly chastised himself.
Before she even knew what was happening, he managed to flip them over so he was now sitting on her legs. She tried miserably to protest but was no match against him as he pinned her hands to her stomach with one of his own. "Stop." He warned.
"I hate you." She spit up at him, ignoring the momentary frown that flashed on his face. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that she was drunk. She still loved him; it was just the alcohol talking. Wasn't it?
"What has gotten into you?" He questioned angrily as she struggled to break free from his hold. He settled his bottom against her legs, foiling any plot of hers to break free.
"You wouldn't understand." She mumbled quietly, the situation sobering her slightly. Wit his free hand he whisked away the defiant stand of hair that always seemed to be blocking her face. His fingers trailed against her cheek, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"I will."
"No, you won't." She stated determinedly. She paused for a second, meeting his gaze and taking a deep breath. Obviously she wasn't getting the alcohol back; but the least he could do was let her up. "Nathan, please. Just let me up."
"And have you tackled me again?" He questioned jokingly, a small smile playing on his lips as she smiled up at him. She was quick to wipe it away though, the stony look on her face overcoming it as he continued to stare down at her. "Tell me."
"I can't."
"Well then." He shrugged as he rolled from her legs, allowing her to sit up. She cautiously pulled her legs toward her, eyeing him warily as he watched passively. She knew better than to trust him; once Nathan Scott set him mind on something, he rarely gave up, and when he did, it was never without a fight.
She hesitantly began to push herself from the ground, her hand planted firmly against the cement for support. As she balanced on her knee, he griped her arm and pulled her back to the ground, smirking with satisfaction. "Dammit Nathan."
"Oh, please." He scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "We both knew it wasn't going to be that simple. Now, tell me why you're drinking."
With a huff she resituated herself on the ground, making sure to put a few inches between them. His fingers sought her chin, pulling her face back toward him, making her meet his gaze. "He's leaving tomorrow." She sighed after a second. "Today actually."
"Lucas." He nodded in understanding. A part of him knew that was why she was drinking; he just needed her to confirm it. That part of him wanted to beat his brother for being so selfish.
"He's leaving." She stated again, more to herself than to him. He scooted against the cement, his hip touching hers as he leaned her head onto his shoulder, his arm wrapping around her waist. "It's not fair, everyone is¾"
He leaned his head back, his eye meeting hers, waiting patiently for her to continue the sentence. She quickly adverted her eyes, not daring to look within them. "Everyone's what?"
Her head hung low, her hands coming up to cover them, shield herself from his inquiring eyes. Only he could read her so easily and at the same time know nothing that was going on in her head. "Everyone's what?" He prodded again.
"Leaving." She mumbled quietly. "Everyone's leaving."
"That's not true Hales." He smiled lightly, forcing her chin up once again to meet her eyes. His brow knitted together in confusion, his smile slightly crooked. "I'm here."
"God, Nathan." She blew out in frustration, jumping to her feet to distance herself from him. She began to pace in front of him, ignoring the questioning eyes of the boy still sitting on the ground.
He slowly stood up, his hands resting on her shoulders gently to stop her from moving. She shrugged him off quickly, missing the hurt filling his eyes. "I…I don't get it."
"I know!" She threw her hands up desperately. She knew it was her fault; she wasn't that naïve to think it wasn't. "Everyone is leaving! That's…that's why I can't be here."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Us Nathan!" She groaned. Maybe it was only making sense in her mind. "That's why I can't be us! Everybody leaves! And I just can't handle that again."
"Haley, I know you're still a little drunk…" He talked slowly, his mind just as foggy as hers. "But I'm still here…"
"Not for long." She grumbled. He cocked his head to the side at the comment; Haley sure did get weird when she drank. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"
"Yeah…"
"My parents; I was dependent on them for so long. And then bam, one day they decided that they want to drive an RV across the country, leaving me to fend for myself most of the year." She explained quietly as he listened intently. "And then Lucas; I leaned on him for everything. He was always there, always dependable. And again; leaving."
"But I'm not leaving!" He protested.
"But you will." She murmured sadly. "You¾I feel like I lean on you for everything. You're always there, waiting to be my shoulder to cry on. You make me laugh when I'm down or you listen when I need to get something off my chest. And I just can't help but to think that you'll…that you'll lea¾"
With one swift stride he was standing in front of her, his lips pressed firmly against hers. His hands instantly clamped to her waist, pulling her body flush against his. He made a vow in those few brief seconds that he would never let her finish that sentence; finish that thought.
He slowly pulled back, his breath labored, his heart beating a mile a minute. And a smile formed on his lips, the first real one in weeks as he watched her stand there in the complete dark. Her eyes were closed, her chest heaving. She never looked more beautiful.
"Nate." She breathed out, her lids slowly fluttering open. He smiled at her, his body still pressed against his. Her hands rested gently on his chest, her palm pressed against his rapidly beating heart.
"Don't you ever…" He threatened sternly, his eyes fixed on hers and his jaw rigid. "Ever, think that." She nodded obediently, knowing better than to challenge him. She shifted herself onto her tiptoes, her lips meeting his again. It was a missed feeling.
"I love you." He breathed out quietly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, clenching her to his body, never wanting to let her go. She easily returned the hug, her small arms flung haphazardly around his neck.
"I love you too." She mumbled into his shirt, smiling to herself as he kissed her head. She buried her nose into his chest, muffling her quiet sob. He chuckled lightly, knowing exactly what she was doing.
"Come on." He coaxed reluctantly, slowly peeling her arms from his body. She stood in front of him, her head hung low, avoiding his eyes. He forced her to meet his, smiling reassuringly at her. "I'll miss you."
"Of course." She attempted a joke, a small smile playing on her lips. He laughed, pushing her away slightly before quickly pulling her into another hug. "I'll miss you too."
This time she pulled away fully, stepping back to allow the other's access to him. He slowly turned to her right, smiling sadly at the next person in line. "Come here." Keith grabbed him into a hug.
Keith patted him on the back as he pulled away a little, keeping one hand clamped on his nephew's shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you kid. You know, I'm always willing to talk. And I'm only a short plane trip away."
"Thanks Uncle Keith…for everything." Lucas smiled sheepishly at his uncle. Keith stepped back, pulling Haley against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist as she leaned back into him.
"Do I gotta?" Brooke eyed him warily as he stepped down the line to her. He nodded reluctantly, pulling her to him. Brooke melted into his touch, her nose savoring his smell as she pressed against his chest. "I don't want you to leave."
"I know." He smiled sympathetically; they both knew he had to go, but that still didn't make it any easier. He took a step back and shrugged off his hoodie, placing it gently in her arms. "Just for you." He winked.
"Thanks." She smiled as she inhaled his scent off the old worn cloth. She wrapped it securely in her arms before leaning up and pressing her lips against his. She would have deepened it if Keith hadn't cleared his throat, alerting the two that other people were in fact still around.
He gave her one last kiss before moving to the last person in line. "So…" He cleared his throat nervously. What was he supposed to say?"
"You, uh…" Nathan shifted uncertainly before offering his hand. Lucas shook it, pulling him in briefly for an awkward hug. "Take care of yourself man."
"Take care of my girls." Lucas glanced between Brooke and Haley before turning back to the boy in front of him. "Keep an eye on them."
"I will." He promised as Brooke leaned against his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his hand rubbing circles on her back as she sniffled back a sob. He bumped fists with Lucas before the blonde waved goodbye and boarded the plane.
