Author's Note: Hey guys! I am so sorry that I haven't updated this story in so long! I've been really busy. I've had some college things to do like orientations, scholarships, financial aid and all that kind of crap. Plus, it's nearing finals time for two of my classes, because they're only nine weeks long, so I've been preparing for those too. Anyways, to make up for the long absence, this chapter is pretty long and FULL of Baley fluff! I hope you guys like it! As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.
Rating: PG to PG-13
P.S. – In the Presence of an Angel has reached over 100 reviews! With ITPOAA on both and on the OTH Central board, it has been given amazing feedback since the start. I know I can't thank every single one of you personally, but I would like to thank everyone for reading this story and reviewing. Your reviews make me so happy and brighten my dark days. Thank you to everyone one who has been with me for this roller coaster ride through the relationship of Brooke and Haley and also to those who didn't start reading until later and caught up. I'm glad to those of you who stuck by my story. I can't thank you all enough. And don't worry, ITPOAA isn't going to be finished any time soon, so there will be lots more chapters of Baley!
In the Presence of an Angel
Chapter 15
Later that day when school let out for the seniors, Haley met Brooke by her locker. "Hey, so how was your first day back," she asked as she placed her hand on Brooke's back. "It was all okay except not having you in my other two classes," Brooke answered quietly with a grin. "Well I missed you too. Come on, let's go. I've gotta drop you off at home then I have to go to work," Haley replied. Brooke pouted, "But I haven't seen you almost all day. Now I'm going to be home all alone for five or six more hours? That's no fair." "You could come with me to the café if you want. It will probably be kind of boring there, but I suppose you could do homework or something," Haley suggested as they walked to Haley's car. "Or I could watch you," she smiled widely, her dimples showing. Haley laughed at her comment, "Sure, like that won't be completely obvious." "I can be subtle, like sneak little glances at you every once in a while," Brooke responded. "Oh please Brooke, being subtle is not your forte."
Brooke gave her a sad puppy face and faked a pout as she crossed her arms, "Fine, if you don't want me there, then I won't come." Now in the confines of the car, Haley hugged her and kissed her neck, so as not to raise suspicion if they were to share a kiss on the lips and anyone were watching. "Of course I want you there." "Then I'll come," Brooke stated. "Good," Haley replied, "now let's get going. We might be able to have lunch together if we get there before the midday rush."
A few hours later, Haley came over to the booth that Brooke was sitting in and leaned down to whisper quietly as she quickly looked to see if anybody were watching. "Would you stop staring at me? People are going to notice," she hissed. Brooke just smiled up at her, "I can't help it. You're just so damn beautiful." Haley blushed a bright red and lightly pushed Brooke, "Stop." "What? I'm just simply stating the truth," she grinned with her dimples showing, "can't a girl compliment her girlfriend?" Haley blushed even more, "Yes, but not in public where everyone can hear." "Well, we will have to do something about that, won't we," she responded with a flirty smile. "Not now Brooke, I have to work," Haley replied. An idea struck Brooke's mind and she asked, "You're closing tonight, right?" Haley nodded and Brooke continued with a grin, "I have an idea." "Uh oh, that's never a good thing when Brooke Davis has an idea," Haley joked. "Hey," Brooke protested with a pout, "I have good ideas." "Like the time you were drunk and thought it would be fun to go swimming in Nathan's pool? You would have drowned if you hadn't been in the shallow end of the pool."
"Okay, I'll give you that, but it was just a moment of stupidity in my intoxicated state. But this idea is really good. You'll love it." "What is it," Haley inquired warily. "I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait and see," she replied with a secretive smile. "Fine," Haley sighed, "I have to get back to work now. I'll see you later." "Wait," Brooke replied, "can I have your car keys?" Haley asked with a confused expression, "What for?" "I need your car to go get some stuff," Brooke replied. "No way Brooke. I know how you drive. You're worse than Peyton," Haley responded. "Hey, I'm not worse than Peyton," Brooke said then pouted with her lower lip sticking out and sad puppy eyes, "please Hales? I'll be really good with it." "Fine," Haley sighed then gestured Brooke to follow her behind the counter to retrieve her purse and said quietly to her in a stern tone, "but if I see even one scratch, one small little scratch, no more cuddle time for a week." Brooke looked at her with a shocked expression, "I wouldn't be able to survive without cuddle time with you." "I know, so you better not hurt my car. That car is my baby," Haley replied. "I thought I was your baby," Brooke responded with a sad expression and a frown.
"You are. Now turn that frown upside down. You shouldn't frown, you know, because you never know when someone is falling in love with your smile," Haley grinned as she put a finger on each side of Brooke's lips and tried to pull the corners of her mouth up into a smile. Brooke giggled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I'd kiss you right now but we're in front of all these people. So I'll kiss you later. See you in a while, crocodile." "Definitely later, alligator," Haley replied as they said their trademark goodbye phrases to each other. Brooke took the keys from Haley and sauntered her way out of the café, moving her butt from side to side, knowing Haley was watching. Just before Brooke exited through the door, she turned her head and gave Haley a wink and a dimpled smile. Haley just laughed.
Later that evening as Haley was closing up, Brooke entered the café, changed from her previous clothes. She now wore loose-fitting plaid flannel pajama pants and a light blue long-sleeved tee that said, 'Angel in disguise' on it. There was a little cartoon person on it with devil horns and also with angel wings and a halo hovering over its head. "Hey, where have you been all day," Haley asked, moving from the counter and kissing her lightly on the lips, the customers now gone. "Oh you know, the usual. Getting stuff together, shopping, wrecking your car, preparing for tonight…" she replied nonchalantly. "You what! You wrecked my car? Are you alright? Brooke, I told you to be careful," Haley exclaimed with wide eyes. "Chill Hales, I'm only kidding," Brooke responded with a short laugh. "Good, because I would seriously have hurt you if you did." Brooke handed her a duffel bag, "Here, go get changed." "What's this," Haley asked. "It's a sexy little leather number I bought for you at the lingerie shop, now go put it on," Brooke grinned then burst out laughing at Haley's expression, "that was SO priceless. Really, it's just pajamas. Once you put them on, our night will begin." Haley raised an eyebrow before peeking warily into the duffel bag and Brooke replied as she ushered Haley to the bathrooms, "Go on, hurry up. No time for delay." "A little eager much," Haley inquired as she opened the door to enter. "Very. Now get in there," Brooke closed the door between them so Haley wouldn't take up more time.
"Finally. Took you long enough," Brooke replied when Haley exited the bathroom, dressed in similar clothes as Brooke. "Very impatient tonight, aren't we," Haley asked. "I just want everything to be perfect," Brooke responded then took her hand and began leading her towards the stairs to the roof, "come on." When they stood before the door to the roof, Brooke said, "Close your eyes, no peeking." "What are we doing up here, Brooke," Haley asked confusedly as she closed her eyes. "You'll see," she replied as she put one hand over Haley's eyes to make sure she couldn't see then opened the door and grabbed her shoulder, guiding her outside onto the top of the building. "Okay, open your eyes," Brooke requested and Haley gasped at what she saw. It was a little chilly out that night so Brooke had laid down two sleeping bags and some blankets with some candles surrounding them. Some red, white, and yellow rose petals had also been scattered about the area and a picnic basket sat between the two sleeping bags. "You did all this," Haley asked in a soft, emotional voice as she stared at the sight before her then looked up at Brooke with tears in her eyes.
Brooke nodded, "We never really had a first date because I was on house arrest and I wanted to show you how much I love you and how much I appreciate you being there for me all this time. It's not much, but it's what I could do in such a short amount of time." "It's beautiful; I love it. And I love you," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist and pressed her lips firmly to Brooke's. They parted then went to sit on the sleeping bags and Brooke opened the picnic basket then set out plastic plates and silverware. Brooke took out a small bowl and Haley asked in a joking tone, "Should I be worried about food poisoning?" "No, it's nothing fancy. Just some sandwiches and your favorite food of course," Brooke smiled. "The food of the Gods? You made macaroni and cheese?" "Yep." Haley let out a light squeal and clapped her hands as she bounced up and down a little in her spot, "This night is perfect!" Brooke replied with a secretive grin, "The night isn't over yet."
After they had eaten, both lay back on their sleeping bags and relaxed. "Mmm, that was so good," Haley responded as she rubbed her stomach, "I don't think I could eat another bite." "Glad you liked it," Brooke replied. They lay in a comfortable silence for a few minutes then Haley said, "Come here." Haley gestured her over with her hand and scooted over to make room for her on the sleeping bag. Brooke laid down beside her and Haley took her hand in hers, entwining their fingers. She stared into Brooke's deep brown eyes, almost a golden orange in the candlelight, seeing all the love they held just for her. "I love you," she said before kissing Brooke passionately on the lips. Haley slowly, carefully, climbed on top of Brooke as they kissed and when Brooke realized what she was doing, she pulled away. "Hales…" she looked confusedly at her. She gave her a small smile, "No, it's okay. I just want to lay here with you for awhile." Haley laid her head on Brooke's chest and wrapped her arms around Brooke's back, closing her eyes in contentment.
They must have laid there for over two hours because when she looked at her watch, it was nearly midnight. Haley had dozed off and Brooke now gently shook her awake, "Hales sweetie, you have to get up. It's almost time." "Time for what," she asked groggily as she slid off of Brooke and shakily stood up. "Come with me and I'll show you," Brooke took her hand and gathered all their belongings then led her downstairs to the car. They drove for about ten or fifteen minutes and they finally arrived at the beach. "What are we doing here," Haley asked as they got out. They joined hands again in front of the car and took off their shoes, letting the sand sift between their toes as they walked down the beach to the water. "Every time something major happens in my life, I come down here at midnight when the tides are high. And like the date, I didn't get to do that because I was on bed rest. This is the biggest and the best thing that's happened in my life so far and I want to share this with you," Brooke explained as she squeezed Haley's hand. "It's beautiful out here at this time of night," Haley observed a little breathlessly, taking in the waves and ripples, the moon's reflection in the water, and Brooke's beautiful face illuminated by the moon's gentle light.
"Yeah, it is," Brooke said softly, she too staring out at the water. Haley wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek to get her attention. "Hey, what's on your mind? What are you thinking about in that head of yours," Haley asked concernedly as she brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen away from Brooke's face. She could tell by the expression on her girlfriend's face that something was bothering her. Her body felt a little tense too and she had let go of Haley's hand to cross her arms over her chest, now staring down at the ground and kicking at the sand with her foot. "Talk to me, Tigger," Haley encouraged her by patting her on the hip with the hand around Brooke's waist. Brooke sighed as she pulled away from Haley and sat on the sand, curling her legs close to her chest and resting her arms on her knees as she stared straight ahead into the dark depths of the water. Worried, Haley carefully settled down beside her as she watched her and waited with concerned eyes.
Brooke sighed again as she continued to stare into the night, responding quietly, "I-I was thinking about you, me, us… how we're going to tell everyone, how everyone will react… I mean, not many people will-" Haley silenced her by putting a finger to Brooke's lips, "Sh, let's not worry about that right now. We'll talk about it when the time comes. It's a beautiful night and we're together, that's all that matters at this moment." Haley smiled as she placed one hand at the back of Brooke's head and pressed her forehead against Brooke's, placing a kiss there then moving down to her lips. Brooke smiled as she stared into Haley's eyes, "How do you know when to say all the right things?" "It's a gift," Haley chuckled as she curled both arms around Brooke's torso and laid her head on her shoulder. Brooke rubbed her back and smiled down at her as she lightly brushed her lips against Haley's, "You're amazing, you know that?" Haley grinned, "Yeah, I tell myself that every day." "Would you stop that," Brooke replied. "Stop what," Haley asked.
"Acting sarcastic whenever I compliment you or say something nice about you," Brooke responded as she looked at her girlfriend. "I-I'm just not used to it, okay? It's how I deal. I don't get complimented that much and if I do, it's usually by Nathan, Lucas, or Jake and they're my friends," Haley replied. "I'm your friend too though," Brooke pointed out. "I know, but it's different because you're my girlfriend. You have to compliment me," Haley gave her a quirky smile. "You're doing it again," Brooke responded as she nudged the other girl. Haley sighed, "It's sort of hard for me to take compliments because I've never gotten them outside my circle of friends. I mean, my parents obviously want nothing to do with me so why should they say anything to me much less compliment me. Plus, I've never really had a boyfriend before so…"
"Come here," Brooke gestured for her to enter her open arms. Brooke kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair then cupped her cheek and stared into her brown eyes. "I guess I have a lot of making up to do then, huh," she replied after a few moments and grinned. Brooke pulled back and took both of Haley's hands into her own. "I love your eyes and your nose, especially when it wrinkles up like when you're looking at something really hard or you're studying and you don't understand something. I love your hands," Brooke said as she lightly squeezed her hands then entwined their fingers, "they fit in mine just right, like they were made only for each other. And I love you lips. God, how I love your lips. They're so soft and it makes me want to never stop kissing you, to never not be able to kiss you. I love the way you make me feel. I've never felt like this before and it feels so… I can't even put it into words… it's just… it's amazing… you're amazing. I love you so much Hales. I know it's no secret that my past relationships have had anything but love and, having the same kind of parents as you do, I didn't know what love was. That is, until I met you. I have never felt this way about anyone and I know when I look at you that this is love. I know that I often close up a lot and hide my feelings, but I promise you that I'm going to love you more than anyone because I have never loved someone as much as I love you."
By now, silent tears were cascading Haley's cheeks in waterfalls. She lowered her head and wiped them away, sniffling as she did so. Haley placed her hands on Brooke's shoulders and stood on her knees, leaning up and pressing her lips to Brooke's in a soft, yet passionate kiss. "Same here," Haley replied in a quiet tone after they parted, trying to swallow past the large lump in her throat. Brooke looked at her with an astonished, wide-eyed expression, "That's all you have to say? I lay my heart out here and all you have to say is 'same here'?" "I'm still trying to get past being speechless," Haley replied as she smiled up at her girlfriend, her eyes still watery from crying.
Haley just simply stared into her girlfriend's deep chocolate brown eyes for several moments, toying with the hair at the back of Brooke's neck. She then gently pushed Brooke to lay down on the sand and carefully straddled her hips. "Haley…" Brooke began but was silenced by Haley's index finger on her lips. "Sh, it's okay," Haley replied before pressing her mouth hard to Brooke's and running her hands up and down the sides of Brooke's body before skimming the edges of the bottom of Brooke's shirt and slipping them under the material. She lightly caressed the smooth skin of her stomach and her hands followed the curves of her hips, moving her hands around to her lower back. Brooke moaned; just her touch alone caused wonderful sensations to filter throughout her body. Haley began to kiss her shoulder then her collarbone then kissing across the neckline of her t-shirt…
-
The next morning, Brooke was the first to awaken and she lie still for a while so as not to disturb the beautiful woman lying half on top of her. Haley had her arms wrapped around Brooke's waist and her head resting on her chest with one leg thrown over Brooke's, a serene smile on her face. She frowned for a moment, her thoughts being invaded by memories of last night.
Haley was kissing along the neckline of her t-shirt when Brooke responded, "Hales, wait." "Really, it's okay," Haley whispered against her skin as she moved up and covered Brooke's mouth with her own. Brooke replied in a stern tone as she gently pushed Haley's shoulders away from her, "Haley stop." Haley moved off of her, a hurt expression on her face, and stood then ran down the shore a bit and collapsed to the ground. Brooke followed her and as she approached, Haley replied in a weak voice, trying to hold back the tears threatening to burst from her eyes, "Take me home." "Hales, please let me explain…" Brooke began as she sank down onto the sand beside her. Haley fought not to cry but a few tears escaped as she responded, "You don't need to explain, Brooke, I get it. You don't want me." Haley stood and started walking away when Brooke stood and grabbed her shoulder, shouting as she turned her around, "Did you not hear me just ten minutes ago? I love you!" Haley replied sarcastically, "Nice way you have of showing it."
"Let me explain…" Brooke said firmly as she grabbed her hand. Haley tried to pull it away, but Brooke's grip remained tight yet gentle, "My whole life since I was fifteen has been about boys and sex and one night stands. This relationship is unlike any I've ever had; I've never felt like this before, I've never felt so much for one person as I feel for you. This relationship is still all new to us and I don't want to ruin things by moving too fast. What I'm saying is that I want to wait. I want to take this slow." "You really want me," Haley asked uncertainly. Brooke's heart broke at seeing such vulnerability in her eyes and her lower lip trembling like a leaf. Brooke cupped Haley's cheek as she stared into her eyes, "Of course I want you. Why would you think that?" Brooke mentally scanned her mind, trying to remember anything she'd said or done to lead Haley to believe otherwise, but found none. "I-I don't know…I guess this all seems like a dream to me and soon I'll wake up and-and… you won't be there. And sometimes I feel like I'm beneath you. You could have someone so much better, Brooke. Why'd you choose me? Unpopular, shy, loser Tutor Girl," Haley responded as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ground.
"Hey hey, enough of that talk. You are not a loser Haley. I don't care if you're not popular or that you're shy. I love you because you're you and because you have an amazing heart," Brooke cupped Haley's cheeks in her hands again and pressed her forehead against hers, staring deep into her eyes, "Sometimes I feel like I'm the one who's beneath you. You are such a wonderful person, Hales. You're nice and you go out of your way to help others. Me, I don't have anything like that. Everybody thinks I'm some bitchy cheerleader slut." By now, Brooke's hands had drifted back to her sides and she stared down at the ground as tears fell. Haley wiped them away with her thumbs, "You're not a slut Brooke. You're just…misunderstood. Nobody really knows anything more about you than what you show them. If you show them the 'bitchy cheerleader' then that's all they see. They don't look past the mask, they only see what is in front of them. They don't see what I see in you. You are a nice person, you're loving and caring, you're intelligent, and many other things. If you showed others a different side of you, they might see you in a new light. Oh, and I did forget one thing…" "What," Brooke asked. "I forgot to add that you're the best girlfriend ever," Haley replied with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Brooke's neck and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Right back at ya, sweetie," Brooke grinned as they kissed again.
Brooke smiled as she gazed down at her girlfriend and gently skimmed her hands over Haley's hair then softly caressed her cheek with an index finger. Haley stirred and smiled as her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning," she said groggily as she yawned. "Morning sleepyhead," Brooke responded as she rubbed her back. "What time is it," she asked. "Almost seven," Brooke replied. "We need to get ready for school," Haley said as she stood from the bed. "You go ahead and take your shower first," Brooke laid her head back on the pillow and gave her a small smile. "Please, like I don't know what you're doing. You just want to stare at my butt," Haley rolled her eyes. "Maybe," she grinned coyly. Haley blushed and shook her head then retreated to the bathroom.
Later that day at school, Haley and Brooke were walking down the hallway talking and laughing when Jake caught up to them. He wrapped an arm around Haley's back and leaned his head against hers for a moment, "Hey Hales, how are you?" "Great, really great," Haley beamed with happiness as she glanced at Brooke from the corner of her eye. "Hey, what about me," Brooke protested, a somewhat jealous look in her eyes at seeing Jake's arm around her girlfriend. "Oh, well, excuse me," Jake replied, drawing out the last two words then continued, talking in a mocking tone like he was hanging on every word she spoke, "how are you, Brooke?" Brooke rolled her eyes at his actions and crossed her arms, "I'm good, thank you." "Just good? Not great like James over here," Jake asked with a raised eyebrow as he curled an arm around her shoulders.
"Eh, life hasn't been too bad lately," Brooke responded with a tiny grin, knowing Haley would get irritated by her comment and later pull her aside, "How about you, Jake? How's Jenny?" "Everything is going fine. Jenny's growing like a weed. I swear, one day some of her clothes fit then the next they don't. She misses you Hales. Whenever I mention your name her face lights up and she giggles. It's so cute," Jake smiled as he chuckled at his daughter's actions. "Aww, that's so sweet. I'll have to come see her sometime this week," Haley replied. "Well guys, I have to head off to class. Oh, and," he pulled the girls closer to him whispering so only they could hear, "you might want to stop being so touchy-feely with each other and exchanging googly eyes. And Brooke, you could stop with that jealous glare. I'm not going to steal your girl." Jake gave them a wide smile and waved goodbye as he walked away, leaving the two astonished girls with their mouths hung open and eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.