Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait guys. I just couldn't get satisfied with this chapter at all. IIt wasn't lack of inspiration so much of wanting to get it just right. I kept erasing a zillion times and I'm still a bit unsure but oh well. LOL I really hope you enjoy it.
On another note. Thank you to all who PMed me about a story that is much like mine. I want you to know I am aware of it and am just ignoring it. After all, the greatest compliment is to have someone influenced by you, so I'm choosing to be flattered by it vs. anything else. I just hope my own story speaks for itself, but that's not my decision since I'm not a reader. ;) Thank you all for your concern though and really I'm just going to stay focused on my own work and hopefully keep making you guys happy with it. :)
Thanks to Jess who's hounding finally got me focused(haha) and to Ellie for being an amazing beta.
This is dedicated to all the girls at Fanforum who have been waiting so patiently. You guys rock!!!!
Chapter Eight "All Crushed Out "
Haley attempted to get the key in the front door, however, Nathan kissing her neck and pressing his hard length into her from behind was beyond distracting on top of incredibly maddening.
"Let me help you. I'm good at sticking things in" Nathan's husky voice taunted her as he took the key from her hand and effortlessly unlocked the door.
She giggled, as they tumbled through the door, her now facing him with their lips fused together.
Reluctantly ripping his lips from hers. Nathan swiftly pulled his jersey, she was wearing over her head and tossed it on the floor.
Moaning, as he massaged as breasts through her thin cotton tank, she started to rub him through his Laker warm up pants. "Are you sure you parents don't mind staying at Lucas's?"
He mumbled an incoherent no as he undid her jeans and helped her step out of them, leaving her only in a white lace thong that drained whatever blood was left in his brain down south.
"Jesus baby." He groaned as she hopped up on the table in the entryway and flung off her tank leaving her perfect round breasts with their hard rosy nipples eagerly awaiting his attention.
"I love when you call me that." Haley breathed as his mouth found her right breast and began to suck greedily, much to her satisfaction.
And she did, for some reason hearing Nathan call her that was the ultimate aphrodisiac, not to mention made her want to break out into a fit of giggles like a ten-year-old who's crush just walked her to class. Sure, it was a simple word and if it came from any other guy she'd slap them, but from Nathan's lips it was exquisite.
Bending down slightly Haley pushed Nathan's warm ups semi down and finished the job with the help of her legs, freeing his throbbing member from its confinement.
Laying her down flat on her back, Nathan stepped out of his pants. For a second he paused and just soaked in the beauty of her sprawled out before him. Her hair cascading off the end of the table, her breasts heaving begging him to come back, her legs spread with only a thin moist strip of lace in between, one that he couldn't wait to push to the side so that he could sink completely into her. 'She was so damn beautiful.'
It was then, in that exact moment, his love for her prevailed over his lust, which was not an easy task seeing as he thought he'd literally die if he wasn't inside her soon, and he knew he had to tell her he loved her, before he showed her. "Haley, I…"
"Ding Dong" The ringing of the doorbell sounded softly amongst their moans.
Both their mouths dropped open in shock and Nathan's blood boiled. Someone was about to die.
"Who the hell got past the gate?" Haley wondered out loud, annoyance dripping from her words. It couldn't have been Brooke, because while she could get past the gate she just would have used her key and come waltzing in.
"Just ignore them." Nathan instructed, kissing her deeply to which she greedily complied until the persistent ringing of the doorbell left them not choice but to throw in the towel.
Pushing Nathan off her, Haley quickly got up, slipping her jeans and white tank back on. Nathan begrudgingly followed her example, but only got as far as his pants.
After checking her appearance in the mirror and combing down some wild hairs, Haley flicked on the porch light and spotted Peyton pacing back and forth, wringing her hands.
Swinging the door open. Haley ushered an obviously been crying Peyton inside. "Peyton what's wrong?"
Surveying Haley and Nathan's disheveled appearance Peyton instantly knew she had interrupted something big. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come here."
"Damn straight." Nathan muttered and Haley shot him a look that left no room to doubt he'd better shut up.
"Peyton, it's no problem. Why don't you go into the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine or a bottle a tequila depending how big this is and I'll be there in a minute."
Giving Haley a quick hug and whispering a sorry, Peyton made her way to the kitchen.
Turning back to a pouting Nathan, Haley closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, but she needs me."
"I need you too." He whined and for some reason it was more precious than annoying to Haley at the present moment. Probably because she was craving him just as he was her.
Rubbing his neck soothingly she kissed his slightly protruding bottom lip. "Why don't you go relax in the bedroom and I promise I will be there as soon as I can."
Holding her closer to him, he rested his chin atop her head, as she rested her cheek against his strong chest, both taking the chance to inhale each other's scent.
"All right." He finally relented, sliding his hands down to cup her firm butt, "You just better haul that tight little ass back upstairs at warp speed once she's out that door."
Tilting her head back she gazed up at him. "You're such a charmer." She playfully mocked.
Dipping his head down, he kissed her cheek, her lips, then her other cheek. "And yet you still married me." He whispered as his lips came back to hers, sending shivers down her spine.
"You play dirty." Haley half-moaned as she wiggled out of his embrace, blowing him a kiss good bye before she disappeared into the kitchen.
After lingering for a few moments to properly cool down enough to be able to will himself up the stairs away from her, an idea came to him. One that had never occurred to him before due to he fact he'd never cared. Say what you will about how he treated girls in the past, the fact was why waste time and give false hope to someone that's not worth it in your eyes. To him that was crueler and caused much more damage in the long run than just telling it like it was; no lies and most importantly no expectations.
Then when you found the one, you'd finally want to be a better man, be someone that would be good enough to be a part of her life. And no one else could ever touch upon what you had together, for the singular fact that you were saving the man you were always meant to be just for her.
…
Approaching Peyton, who was sitting at the kitchen table with an open bottle of tequila, Haley cringed. This had to be big.
Sitting down next to her, Haley snapped her fingers in front of Peyton's face to grab her attention. "Okay, spill."
Blinking a few times, Peyton gathered her thoughts, but only one phrase seemed to keep forming over and over. "Lucas asked me to marry him." She finally revealed in a timid voice, which threw Haley off a bit, seeing as timid was never a word to describe Peyton.
"Like marry marry?"
Peyton glared at her. "No, I mean he asked me to ride the fucking merry go round. Christ Haley, it's hard enough saying it without having to explain the damn definition."
Now that was the Peyton she knew. "Sorry. Can I ask what you said back?" Haley hedged hoping her head wouldn't be bitten off again.
"I said 'Oh', ran out, and ended up at your door. It's just Haley I'm not the marrying kind. I don't have the bride gene let alone the happily ever after one."
Giving herself a moment to take in Peyton, Haley could tell she was terrified. She could only pray she found the right words to help her. After all, it was clear Peyton's issue was not due to a lack of love for Lucas, just a lack of confidence.
"Peyton, you may not have the bride gene, but there is no gene for having a happily ever after. There's only your heart Pey and all you have to do is look in it to know if you see the rest of your life with Lucas or not."
A wistful smile came across Peyton's face. "I do. I know I do, but I'm just so scared he's going to wake up one day, see the moody emotional mess he married and realize he made a mistake." Her smile faltered.
Haley placed her hand on Peyton's shoulder. "I haven't known Lucas for very long and even you for that matter, still when you two are together, Peyton, you both just glow. It's as if you two create this own little world that no one can penetrate and when he talks about you, you can just feel how much he adores who you are."
A hint of a hope shined in Peyton's eyes. "Maybe you're right. I guess I just never saw myself as someone who could actually be happy."
"Well, quit running from it and just enjoy it. Plus, I guarantee you and Lucas will have plenty of moody days together, even days you both might want to strangle each other, but the goods days are the ones that will make it all worth it." Haley wisely spoke, remembering her late Grandmother telling her the same thing when she was just eight years old and had witnessed a screaming match between her usually happy go lucky grandparents.
Glancing down at Haley's rings. Peyton sighed. "I guess I need to look at the ring he got me." She muttered taking a blue velvet box out of her pocket and placing it between her and Haley.
Haley snatched the box up. "You're telling me you didn't even look at the poor boy's ring?"
"What? He put it in my hand, said the M word, and I ran."
Opening up the box, confusion promptly replaced anticipation in Haley's eyes. Carefully, she picked up the piece of paper that was intricately folded to take on the shape of a round diamond and held it up for Peyton to see. "I'm all for the simplistic approach, however, this is just a wee bit on the cheap side.
Just as confused, Peyton grabbed it back from Haley's hand and hastily began undoing the gem shaped object. What she found at the end was just the push she needed to take a leap of faith with Lucas. "I can't believe he did this." She exclaimed in awe, thrusting the piece of paper in Haley's face to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
Focusing her eyes, Haley's confusion didn't waver. "He bought you painting to propose?"
"It's a masterpiece Haley." Peyton immediately informed her. "It's a Chagall entitled 'Autour Du Coq Rouge' "
The French flowed effortlessly from Peyton's tongue as if she spoke it everyday. Haley figured in the art world you almost had to speak a little bit of everything if you truly wanted to connect with the masterpieces of foreign lands, as she was sure Peyton did.
"My mother took me to see it the year before she died. This is the very piece of art that made me want to paint so that I could make my mother smile the way it had." Peyton whispered, tears shining in her eyes. "The colors are just so vibrant and beautiful just like she was. I told him that on our first date…I can't believe he remembered."
That's when Haley lost it, tears shining in her own eyes, as she pulled Peyton into a tight yet very comforting hug. "Can I marry Lucas?" Haley joked softly into Peyton's hair.
Joining Haley in laughter, Peyton backed away and dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her long sleeved vintage Zeppelin shirt. "Hey now I may have arrived late, but I was in time to see that spectacle you and Nathan made at the game, plus I know I interrupted something hot and heavy when I came over. Don't you even try to tell me that was all an act."
Blushing profusely, Haley diverted her line of sight to the crystal salt shaker her hand had just discovered. "Honestly…I don't know what that was, but I just couldn't stop myself" She admitted shyly flipping the shaker over and spilling a small amount of salt onto the table.
Licking her finger first, Peyton dipped it into the small mound of salt and brought it back to her lips. While most people had a sweet tooth, she definitely preferred the salty side of things. "Well, you know what they say, you can't stop love."
Haley scoffed as she followed Peyton's suit and tasted the spice. "What happened to the girl that just one minute ago was bitching she didn't have a happily ever after gene?"
"That was before my guy bought me a Chagall and any man that knows I would never prefer jewelry over a painting, apparently knows me inside and out and still wants to marry me. So my outlook has changed. Don't fight it, embrace the new Peyton." She grinned dabbing at the remaining grains of salt on the table.
"Dear God, if you start singing Lindsey Lohan and calling Lucas honey I will kill you."
"Um yeah, if I ever utter a pop princess lyric feel free to kill me. I'll supply the gun. But anyway my point is you and Nathan seem to open up new things for the other and it would appear you both have the time of your lives when you let you guard down. I mean why else would you marry each other after one night together?
Haley glanced at the bottle of liquor on the table. "Because we were drunk?"
"Or because you wanted that feeling to last forever." Peyton astutely divulged with a wink for good measure to which Haley actually smiled. It was then that Peyton knew Haley was actually attempting to lay her armor down, as Dashboard would say.
Standing up Peyton grabbed the bottle of tequila and the salt shaker. "Ok I'm off to celebrate and replace my "Oh" with an "Oh hell yes", even though I can't scream it thanks to his parents relocating to his place so you and Nathan could you know…'bow chicka bow wow' till the cows come home."
"First, don't ever say that again and second, you're taking my tequila why?" Haley questioned, standing with her.
"Because Peyton Saywer does not do champagne." She explained as the two made their way to Haley's front door.
"OH MY GOD!" Haley suddenly shrieked, sending Peyton's into panic mode.
"WHAT?" Peyton shouted, her hand over her now rapidly beating heart.
"You're going to be a Mrs. Scott too and that means we'll be sisters. I've never had a sister before." Haley grinned widely, very pleased with the new development.
Matching Haley's smile, Peyton opened the door. "Yes we will be sisters as long as you keep your head out of your ass with your own husband, however, you and Karen will be the only Mrs. Scotts. The only change you'll have to make is calling Lucas, Mr. Sawyer."
"Lord and knowing Lucas he won't mind in the least." Haley mused pushing Peyton out the door. "Have fun and congratulations!" Haley yelled after her retreating figure on the steps of her front porch.
Just when Haley had almost turned to go back into the house Peyton's blonde curls came bounding after her, yanking her into a bone crushing hug. "Thanks Haley. I may have made the biggest mistake of my life if not for you."
When Peyton unclasped her death grip, Haley patted her head. "This happy Peyton is freaking me out, but you're welcome. Now go put that poor boy out of his misery!"
"Same goes for you, Scott." Peyton advised with a parting wave as she ventured down the driveway towards her car.
Turning to face her house, Haley looked up to where she knew Nathan was and her stomach felt as if a million butterflies had decided to inhabit it. She was actually nervous to be alone with him. After all they had done their first night together, she still was completely flustered by his presence.
Sure she put on a tough act, but the reality was that even when she was yelling at him her insides were a complete wreck wondering what he would do or say next. He was unlike any guy she had ever known. Being surrounded by her cousins and their friends her entire life she thought she knew every type of man and even the men of Hollywood you could fit into certain categories. Nathan didn't fit anywhere among them.
On the surface, Nathan had this cocky athletic persona, but under that were layers she was still trying to grasp and discover. There were just these moments when he said something that would throw her completely off guard or times when she'd look into his eyes and see a flood of emotions she at first thought he could never encompass. She had a feeling that not many people ever saw those other sides of him and a part of her relished the fact she could, even when she didn't want to face them at times.
…
Standing at the foot of what truly could become their bed, Nathan offered Haley a sincere yet timid smile as she entered the room, shock clearly written all over her face.
Glancing around Haley took in the site of all the candles, the furniture pushed back, Nathan in a tux, and soft romantic music floating through the air. "Nathan? What is this?"
Walking up to her, he extended his hand. "You told me once you loved to dance and I just realized we never have shared a dance together, let alone our first one as man and wife."
Haley was speechless until she suddenly became aware of how unkempt she must look and that she was severely underdressed. "Damn you." She groaned as she placed her tiny hand in his much larger awaiting one.
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "That wasn't the reaction I was expecting."
"No I mean, this is amazing I'm just feeling…. not very attractive at the moment." She blushed, looking down.
Pulling her hand up to his lips, he kissed it softly. "Trust me when I say this. You have never looked more beautiful." There was just something so breathtaking about her when she let him in and didn't play a role in his presence. When she was just Haley her beauty was unfathomable.
Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed in his eyes and saw nothing but honesty. "You look pretty good yourself." She admitted making a show of checking him out.
"I know." He cockily agreed. "Now may I have this dance?"
Letting him pull her flesh against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to try to even out their height. He had another solution, though, and she couldn't contain her giggles when he lifted her up by the waist and placed her back down so that her little bare feet were atop his shiny black dress shoes.
"Are you sure I'm not hurting you?" Haley smiled up at him as he swayed them back and forth; his arms wrapped firmly around her petite body.
He gave her an odd look. "You probably weigh like a hundred pounds soaking wet, I think I can handle this. Besides having you up a little higher makes it much easier for me to do this." His seductive words informed her a second before he captured her lips in a soft kiss that didn't stay that way for long.
Haley felt warmth spread throughout her body as Nathan's tongue traced across her bottom lip, begging for entrance, to which she didn't hesitate giving. Her hands moved up and began to play with the hair on the nape of his neck; something Nathan found immensely erotic. It was amazing the sensations she could create with those delicate fingers of hers.
Once their tongues finally wrapped around the others they both moaned into each other's mouths. Haley felt him harden against her stomach and while a part of her wanted to rip his pants off and have him deep inside her another part of her—a part she was sure she'd later curse—wanted to stay in this moment with him forever. She was without a doubt starting to see the truth in Peyton's words.
When air became a necessity they both breathlessly parted, yet kept their eyes locked in a heated gaze.
"I want you Haley," Nathan's voice thick with lust, revealed.
She stroked the side of his cheek. "I want you too Nathan." She promised as she tried to pull his lips back to hers.
His right hand came up and pulled her hand away from his cheek, placing it above his heart, with his own hand staying firmly on top of hers to keep it in place.
"You're not getting it Haley. I want you…all of you."
Confusion masked her features. She could tell he wanted her, so what was stopping him? "I know and I want you too." She reassured him wondering if that's what he was hung up on. Maybe he just wanted to be extra sure."
He looked away for a second trying to find the right words. "I'm not good at all this, Haley, in fact this is probably going to come out all wrong, but I don't want to have sex with you."
He groaned frustrated by his verbal skills as Haley hopped off his feet and turned away from him rejected.
"I mean I do, I just don't want to only do that. Look c'mere." He softly instructed as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her with him to the bed and forcing her to sit across his lap. Her jeans clad legs dangling off the right side of his own, with no chance of reaching of the floor.
She wouldn't look at him and began nervously swinging her legs to which he stilled quickly with one touch of his domineering hand.
Taking that same hand, he lifted her chin up so that he could meet her eyes. "Promise you'll listen and wait till I finish before calling me an ass and storming off?
Nodding, she nervously tugged her lower lip between her teeth. She knew he was right, but he scared the hell out of her pure and simple, so it was technically his fault she usually jumped the gun with him. 'Yep all his fault.' She proudly stated in her mind.
A second later, though as she watched him struggle to tell her something, she realized it was her…all her. She could just see her Grandmother in heaven having a hissy fit over Haley's reluctance to believe and trust in something she couldn't control.
So gathering all her nerves she faced her demons and focused on the one person that invoked the strongest feelings she ever experienced in her life. "I promise to listen."
That was all he needed to make it over the edge. Seeing her look up at him with what he saw as trust and hopefully a little love gave him the strength to say his next words. "I want to try us Haley."
"Huh?" She blurted out, interrupting him.
He chuckled at her impatience. "Okay, this may sound stupid since we are married, but I want date you…really be with you."
Haley turned in his arms, so that she could straddle him and when she faced him she wore the brightest smile that melted his heart, as well turned him on. Of course, everything Haley did seem to turn him on.
He shifted a tad uncomfortably. "Um, Haley you're not really helping my attempt at being a gentlemen."
Scooting back some so she wasn't directly sitting on his obvious desire for her, she eyed him warily, but the playful gleam in her eye told Nathan she was anything but unsure about this. "Are you going to court me Mr. Scott with no expectation whatsoever of sex?"
Titling his head to the side he pretended to ponder. "Damn I should have thought this through more." He joked and she slapped him on the arm. "Hey watch it that's my shooting arm and yes that's the plan. My intentions are honorable…even if my lower half says otherwise.
She giggled, truly getting giddy over this notion. "Then my answer is yes, but can we not call it dating? That just sounds weird since we are married."
"You can call it anything you want as long as we can still make out and maybe even hang out on third base from time to time." He bargained as his fingers danced along the small section of exposed skin that her slightly raised tank had unveiled to him.
"Going steady?" She said slightly unsure before she repeated it a few times in her head. "Yep, I like going steady and to go along with the steady theme, we definitely should make out like a couple of horny teenagers whenever possible " She deduced with her eyes full of mischief, at the mere thought of the hours she could spend just making out with Nathan.
"What about third base?" He asked, placing a hot open-mouthed kiss on her neck for a little incentive.
Closing her eyes briefly, in an attempt to keep her hormones in check, she teased him. "Hmm, that's just heavy petting right?"
Biting her suddenly on her naked shoulder, she jumped in his arms. "Don't tease about the bases baby. Those are sacred to us horny males."
Giving him a quick kiss on the nose, she absentmindedly began playing with his hair again. There was just something unconsciously soothing in the act for her. "Aw, I'm sorry."
"Sorry enough for third base?" He looked at her hopefully, his signature smirk appearing in a second flat.
"If you're a good boy…but not until you at least buy me dinner first. What kind of a girl do you think I am?" She admonished him with a teasing tone.
Picking her up with him as he stood, he carried her to her side of the bed and plopped her down. Then without a word sauntered out of the room.
In shock, she was just about to yell after him when the phone beside her rang. Glancing at the caller ID she saw it was Nathan and quickly answered with laughter in her voice. "What are you doing?"
"Is this Haley?" Nathan's serious voice asked.
Finally she caught on. "Yes it is, may I ask who's calling?"
Taking off his jacket, Nathan laid across his own bed. "This is Nathan Scott. I know this is short notice, but I was wondering if you would do me the honor of going to dinner with me tomorrow night?"
"You're right this is awfully short notice, let me check my schedule." Pausing for a moment, that was clearly in jest, she flipped around to lay on her stomach, her legs happily taking the opportunity to bounce against the bed in a rhythm that she had adopted in her early teenage years.
Back then cell phones weren't everywhere like they are now, so every night she spent hours lying on her bed catching her friends and sometimes boyfriends up on what she did all day or just to talk about nothing. It was always so much fun, although doing this with Nathan now sure put all those endless nights talking about sports to whoever she was going out with that week to shame.
None of them made her this giddy and that was saying a lot since your pre-teen and teenage years are usually when pathetic bursts of 'gaga-ness' reach their peak. 'Wasn't she suppose to be out of this stage?' Oh well, it felt amazing and she was going to enjoy every second of it.
Feeling the right amount of time had passed she finally answered. "Well, I'll have to move some things around, but I would love to."
He grinned widely. "Great…so is eight 'o'clock okay?"
"Perfect. I need to be home by midnight though, or my father will kill me." She joked and she could hear him chuckle.
"I think I can handle that. As long as I can sneak into your window after." He compromised.
Getting up, she waltzed into her bathroom to run a bath. "That might be nice, so long as you keep certain body parts to yourself."
Hearing the sounds of the water running, his blood got running, picturing her wet naked body "I could come over right now, since it seems you might need help washing some hard to reach spots."
After removing her last shred of clothing, she slipped into the almost too hot water, her skin tinkling from the warmth. "Pushy, pushy. This was your idea mister, so keep repeating the word slow."
"Slow huh? Yeah, I'd like to slowly slip behind you in that tub and…"
"Nathan!" She scolded, stopping him from finishing his dirty thought. "Don't make me hang up on you."
Taking a deep breath he apologized. "Sorry, this chivalry stuff takes some getting used to it."
"Look, we don't have to do this" She offered weakly, fear creeping into her voice.
"No, no we're doing this. I can do this…I want to do this." His promised her and they both smiled.
"Good, because I want this too."
Two hours later…
"I'm telling you he forced me to do it!" Haley argued as she finally stepped out of the tub, after realizing she was becoming a prune.
Nathan couldn't stop laughing. "Bullshit…did he have a gun to your head?"
"No." She huffed out. "But why would I swallow a nickel?"
"To show off?" He suggested and he figured he probably wasn't too far off. He could just picture an eight year old Haley trying to impress her boy cousins.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she ventured back into her bedroom. "You are such an ass, but you're probably right." She conceded, as she cradled the phone against her shoulder while attempting to find something to sleep in.
"Now, if only you would just adopt that philosophy."
"Oh you said a big word." Haley taunted, with a wicked grin even though he couldn't see her.
Hearing his cell warn him, in regards to his battery, Nathan reached down on the floor and grabbed the charger, securing into his phone before settling back against his pillows. "Hales, you know everything about me is big, I don't know why my vocab should surprise you."
"Sorry, vocabulary just seems more a Lucas thing. Not that I don't think your brilliant in other areas" She swiftly praised him, hoping the latter statement would counteract any annoyance the previous one may have caused. She had come to find Nathan was very intelligent, he just chose not to flaunt it and a part of her respected that.
"Nice save, and actually I probably learned that word from the professor himself. Did you know when we were little he'd actually try to get me to play school with him?"
"School? You mean like playing house?" Haley tried to contain her laughter at the image of Lucas and Nathan playing mommy and daddy together.
"Yeah, he'd set up desks and make fake homework for me. The only time I ever played, though, was when mom forced me and even then Lucas would end up getting so pissed off at my reluctance that I always ended up in his detention. Or as I liked to call it, locked in a closet. Seriously he was damn lucky he was older. I still need to kick his ass for that shit.." He laughed, remembering.
"Lucas is lucky he's so hot." Haley piped up, making a mental note to let Peyton in on this little gem later.
"Haley." Nathan warned and she shut up after a hint of a giggle passed from her lips.
They had made a pact an hour ago to never mention the word hot and Lucas in the same sentence ever again or any family member for that matter since Haley had started rambling about all the men in his family being extremely good looking.
"Lips are zipped." She swore and even made the hand motion across her lips. "Can you believe we're a room away from each other and have been talking on the phone for the last two hours." Haley mused, clearly still amazed by their new situation.
Nathan, who was now, only in his boxers and underneath the covers, stifled a yawn before answering "Hey, now you're the one who said I couldn't sneak in your window."
Giving up, Haley slipped on some sky blue cotton panties and went to another dresser in the room that still housed a lot of Nathan's clothes. "You sound exhausted Nathan." Her worry over him at the sound of his yawn ceased any earlier train of thought she may have had.
"I'm fine." He assured her, even though his body was feeling anything but. After waking at five am to work out, then practice, then warm-ups, then a full game where he played every second, there was no way he couldn't be. Nevertheless, spending time with Haley, even if it was just via the phone suppressed his basic fundamental need for rest.
"You're lying." She accused, as she whipped out an oversized gray T-shirt with Duke written across the front in faded navy letters. Smiling in satisfaction, she slipped it over her body, feeling immense comfort the second it made contact with her naked skin.
"You really shouldn't be able to tell that this soon." He grumbled, as his eyes fought to stay open.
Turning around Haley faced her empty bed and frowned. "Yeah, well and I shouldn't be this addicted to sleeping in the same bed as you already."
"You getting lonely for me baby?" He baited her, wondering if she'd relent and let him in there with her.
She rolled her eyes, more over the fact that he was right, than his cockiness. "Only because my number one sleeping partner is gone from my life."
"Please tell me you're talking about a lesbian lover." Nathan probed and while his tone was flirtatious, she knew he was holding his breath waiting to know who the hell she was talking about.
Grabbing her lotion she sat on the edge of the bed. "Actually, it was my bear, Mr. Waffles." She clarified as she began moisturizing every inch of her body, enjoying the soft scent of magnolias floating through the air as she did. "I lost him in a tragic washing machine accident before I left for college."
Relief flowed through him and his muscles relaxed. "Good." He yawned again, this time before he could even attempt to stifle it.
"Nathan go to bed now." She clicked her lotion bottle shut and placed it back on her dresser.
"Hales, you sounded way too much like my mom there and again I'm fine."
She held in a sigh and reigned in the mom voice after deciding on another approach. "Sorry, it's just we have this big date tomorrow, if you recall, and I don't want you falling asleep on me." Her sultry voice pouted.
"Oh I recall, as a matter of fact, I'm already fantasizing about how many times I can cop a feel."
"Then those dreams should lull you to sleep. Nighty- night." She declared and promptly hung up on him before he could protest.
After staring at his phone for a brief second, a tad bewildered by how abruptly she'd ended their conversation, he decided to let it go. After all, he could go a few hours without seeing her or talking to her…right? 'Damn, he was becoming such a freaking girl.'
Closing his eyes, he'd almost let sleep win its battle when he heard his door open and Haley tip toe into the room.
Climbing on, from the foot of the bed, she paused on all fours when she could make out his smirking face in the dark.
"Hi." She smiled shyly.
Pulling the covers back, he helped her climb underneath them, then pulled her into his side; her head lying upon his shoulder, her hand resting on his heart.
"I thought you said we couldn't do this." He whispered into the darkness.
Ever so softly, she kissed his bare chest, then snuggled as far into him as possible, her head now in the crook of his neck and her arm now stretched out across his stomach, as his own arms protectively enveloped her.
"I said you couldn't sneak in, I never said anything about me." She answered after a moment of relishing in their intimate position.
Chuckling, he placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
A few quiet moments later, with their grips still as tight as ever, they both slipped into unconsciousness, knowing that when they awoke a new chapter awaited them and for once neither was afraid.
Cath