Hey! I hope you guys liked that last chapter! I know it was super short but hopefully you had something to say because your words are my life when it comes to what I write.
Anywho, here's the next...
It all started with a black eye; a big, nasty, purple black eye. A shiner some call it. It wasn't his first, nor would it be his last.
It all started with a black eye and a girl. This was no ordinary girl, no. This girl was an angel, a fallen angel, sent to the earth to bless, not just him but, everyone with her presence. This girl was sunshine and flowers. She was wishing on the tufts of a dandelion and blowing them on the breeze. She was rainbows and the gold at the end. She was jumping in rain puddles and reaching towards the sky on the swing set. She was laughter and joy. She was not just these things, but everything. She was the perfect all american girl. He knew she wouldn't touch him even if she could.
The sun shinning off of her hair was caramel and honey. Her eyes were a deep chocolate color, that if you looked closely enough you might have felt like you were drowning in warm dark chocolate. She was beautiful, this girl, and she didn't even know it.
There are only a few reasons one gets into a fight. In this case, it was about a girl, this girl to be exact. So really it all started with just the girl.
On this peculiar day in the young boys school career, he found himself being pushed to the ground by another boy just a little bit older than him. Fast forward a few minutes and at the ripe old age of nine years old, Nathan Scott was once again being dragged to the principal's office. It wasn't a completely regular occurrence for the raven-haired boy, but he did have his fair share of visits with this particular adult.
Sitting in this spot in the office he had the perfect view out the window behind the desk; therefore, was not paying attention to anything the older gentlemen was saying. He had heard it all before anyway. 'You're nothing but a troublemaker, never up to no good.'
No, he tuned out the lecture and instead watched the girl outside the window as she made her way inside. He only looked away when he could no longer see her. And just when he thought he had missed her again, he saw her passing by the door to the room he was sitting in. That's when she glanced his way, pursed her lips and kept walking.
He would remember that singular moment for the rest of his life. Years later, after the boy and girl became friends the memory stuck with him and he often mentioned it to her, thinking it would make her laugh and it usually would.
He remembers running to the door and watching her as she walked down the hallway. She looked back at him and for one split second she smiled. Then the next moment she was gone.
These are the moments that he would never forget.
...
"You remember that time I got in that fight?" He asked.
"Which time?" She commented, laughing at her retort, because there were in fact many fights. She raised her eyebrows and waited for him to answer.
He smiled at her, giving her the victory this time. "You know which time."
She pretended to ponder his first request for what felt like a few minutes. Then she gave him a knowing smile and said, "I think I do."
"You know, I often remember that fight but I don't remember what it was about. I don't even remember the jerkwad's name."
Haley laughed at the memory, just as she usually did when he told it.
There were times she remembered in the early years as well. She remembered riding on the back of his bike around the town and climbing the oaks that surrounded her yard. She also remembers always having to sneak out at night to meet him and riding shotgun in his car.
...
Haley James sat on her bed with the phone to her ear. Her best friend Brooke was on the other end, talking her ear off as usual. Haley wasn't really paying attention to the conversation. It had to be something about the latest boy Brooke was seeing or something like that.
She heard the familiar rumble of a car's engine on the street in front of her house. Quickly, she ended the phone call with Brooke, hung up the phone and made sure she was presentable.
In the next few minutes, she was closing her bedroom door as quietly as she could and climbing out her second story window onto the roof. It was a familiar spot to her. She would often come out here and watch the stars at night. More often than not she would use it to meet up with her best friend, Nathan. As she was doing now.
She made her way down the trellis against the side of the house and raced to the old beat-up black mustang that was waiting for her in front of her neighbor's house. Before she could jump in, the automatic porch light turned on behind her.
For some reason, even though she knew it was automatic, it would always freak her out a little. It was as if, her parents were watching from the front window as she escaped and knew just when to turn on the light. No matter how many times it happened, she would always look back.
Nathan would have the door waiting open for her. She jumped in as usual.
It was always exciting meeting up with Nathan. He would speed off as if their life depended on it.
They made their way to their spot on the river, an abandoned park with a basketball court.
When they were little, they would play there sometimes on the old almost broken down climbing structure, slide and swings. In their teen years, instead of the playground that interested them, it was the basketball hoops. Haley often watched him shoot hoops with a ball that they found under the bleachers, cheering him on from the sidelines.
This is also where he taught her how to shoot. Sometimes, she would shoot with him. She would often beat him at a quick game of horse. Although, she always thought he let her win. If they didn't feel like doing that, they would lay in the grass, watch the stars and just talk to one another. They could talk about anything, from their home lives to what they wanted their futures to look like. This became almost a nightly ritual.
In the most recent year their relationship had taken a turn for the better. One particular night in their junior year, they were laying out under the stars as usual and Haley, even though she knew it was a bad idea, decided to start a tickle fight. Nathan would not have that. He came at her, wiggling his fingers and finding just the right spot to get her. Soon enough she was on her back and he was on top of her, tickling her sides mercilessly. She begged him to stop and he obliged.
In that moment, there was a spark between them. Nathan stared at her, a smile on her face and he knew that he needed to kiss her. And that's just what he did. He pulled back a few seconds later and watched her as she slowly opened her eyes. A lazy smile on her lips and a look of pure genuine joy graced her visage. He leaned down and kissed her again, her hands finding her face this time, pulling him to her.
Things started to progress from that first kiss and soon enough they were dating. And the kissing turned to more than kissing.
Tonight they did a little bit of everything. They reminisced about the old days on the playground and shot a couple of hoops. Soon enough they found themselves in a heated make-out session on the court. And thought perhaps tonight would be the night they do more
Tonight they definitely went a little too far. Just a little though. Eventually, looking at the time, he knew he had to get her home. They had school in a few hours anyway.
...
They were young and in love for the first time. And it was wonderful! She would say he was her forever and he would say she was going to be his wife someday. They just didn't know any better, didn't have a clue what life had in store for them. She wanted him and he needed her.
As these things go though, life has a way of messing up your plans.
...
Soon enough, high school ended but a new chapter began. She was off to college; Duke on a full-ride scholarship. She packed up her stuff into her new Toyota, a graduation gift from daddy. Before getting in her car for the last time in her parent's driveway, she saw him on the old two-speed she spent many a day on as she was growing up.
She had to make sure her parents weren't looking and when they weren't, she jogged over to him. He set his bike down and embraced her for what felt like the final time. Pulling away from him, their fingers lingered as she turned to walk away from him. She pulled out of the driveway and left him behind.
That had been a hard time for Nathan. He was learning about life. His dad found him a job working at the steel factory down the river, 9 to 5. He never stopped dreaming of the days he had held her in his arms. When he had felt so alive all because of her.
When he wasn't working, you could almost always find him out at the bar drinking away his sorrows, howling at the moon and anyone who would listen about the days to come when she would come back to him. He would often look at the door whenever it opened, hoping it was her and she had come back to him. For him that day wouldn't come too soon.
It was different for her. Sure she was a little sad about leaving but not enough to turn back around and return home. She was looking forward to her life as a college student. She was looking forward to what was to come. And something eventually came along.
One day, during her Sophomore year, she was sitting in a quaint little corner of the library, studying. It was a beautiful Spring day. She looked up and caught the eye and attention of another student. He was very handsome, blonde in fact. He had a very classic look about him. They spent hours that day in the library talking and getting to know each other. With the promise of seeing each other again, she left the library all warm and fuzzy inside.
They fell hard and fast for each other and soon enough, she was in love once again.
Ultimately though, they didn't work out. Four long years later she returned home after graduation. It took a couple of weeks but she finally worked up the courage to search out her oldest friend.
One night she walked into a bar and there he was, sitting at a table with an old high school buddy, reminiscing about their old glory days. He wasn't facing the door and had long since abandoned his old habit of watching the door for her. In fact, his friend at the table with him pointed her out to him as she walked in with one of her old high school girlfriends.
They exchanged pleasantries and with the awkward silence that followed decided to get a few drinks together. They had to find out who they were now after all the time spent apart. They ordered drinks long into the midnight hour, playing pool and getting to know each other once again. They were still there when last call was called out.
They had shut the bar down that night and many night after that. Sure they had changed since high school but feelings like their's never really go away.
They were back together before anyone could come between them. Months later, he went to a very special store because when you know you know.
One day, he was driving her back home and before getting out of his car to walk her to the door he checked his pocket. Once he exited the car and closed the door behind him he stopped her and took her hand in his. She watched with bated breath as he got down on one knee and he said...
"I'm gonna be your forever
So baby will you be my wife
Now that we know a little better
We could have a real nice life
Cause I'm what you wanted and you're what I needed
So let's meet in between
I think we are gonna be the greatest love story this town has ever seen
So baby say yes to me"
There was nothing else for her to say except one little word. So she said yes, the two embraced and the rest is history as they say.
Did ya like it? Did ya hate it? Let me know what you thought in a review! When I had started this, I thought it was going to turn out so different from what it did. I mean I like it, but I still dream of what could have been. I just really needed to write something even if it wasn't what I thought it would be. If I remember how I wanted it to turn out I might someday rewrite it. Let me know what you think?
I have a few more one shots I'm working on and can hopefully post in the next few weeks sometimes. As always, please let me know if there is a song that you love or think would be perfect for this amazing couple. If you have a different couple in mind please let me know as well! Have a great night!