Disclaimer: I do not own OTH or any of it characters places or such. I am simply borrowing them
AN/ Here is the next update! Thank you so much for all the reviews! They are really encouraging me to write.
As always suggestions are welcome!
"Haley?" Nathan asked when Haley didn't say anything
"I…I don't know what to say"
"Well, that is a first""You know Bevin told me that she knew that you loved me, but I didn't believe her."
"She said something to me about you loving me before we started dating" Nathan replied
"She did?"
"Yea, she came up to me in the hallway about three months after that day at the docks. She told me that she had a feeling that you were in love with me. She told me that I should go for it and ask you out"
"Why didn't you?" Haley asked turning her head to face the ceiling waiting for his reply
"I was afraid that something bad would happen if we dated and then we would never be like we once were. All my life, you have been one of the only people I can talk to beside Peyton and Lucas. You guys were there when things were rough and I just didn't want to lose that"
"So, you just decided not to say anything?"
"Yea, I told Bevin that she was nuts and that you could never love me like that and it was never brought up again. Until a few weeks before she died"
"What do you mean?"
Nathan remembered that day like it was just yesterday. As he told Haley about his conversation with Bevin, he relived it.
Flashback
They finally had a little time alone. Michael was down for the night or at least a good portion of the night and Lucas had gone over to the dorms to find Mouth. Nathan and Bevin sat on their living room couch with the TV on.
"Nathan?" Bevin asked with her head in Nathan's lap
"Yea"
"What would you do if something happens to me?" Bevin asked
"Bev, what are you talking about? Nothing is going to happen to you"
"You don't know that. What would you do if something does?"
"I don't know. Why?"
Bevin sat up straight before looking into Nathan's eyes, "If something happens to me. I want you to move on. I want you love again and get married again and find someone to help you raise Michael"
Nathan looked at Bevin realizing that she was being very serious about this, "You want me to find someone to love again?"
"I think you have already found that person"
"What are you talking about?"
"Haley"
"Haley? What about Haley?"
"You love her Nate"
"Yea, I love Haley. I have always loved Haley. We grew up together"
"No, Nathan. I know that you Love Haley"
"What are you, crazy? Bev, you are my wife. I Love you"
"I know that you love me. I have never doubted that, but I also know that you love Haley."
Nathan was silent. His wife had found out that he was in love with another woman. He felt like a cheating husband.
"I don't love Haley like that"
"Nathan, you don't have to lie about it. I have always known. I married you knowing that you loved her"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember when we were in high school and I told you that Haley was in love with you and you told me that I was crazy?"
"Yea, what about it?"
"That was the day that I knew that you were in love with her also and don't you dare try to tell me that you were not. I could see it in your eyes. Deep down inside you have always been in love with Haley, just as I have always been in love with Chris."
"Okay, I admit it. Is that what you want? I loved Haley, but I didn't marry Haley. I married you"
"You know, I use to worry when we first started dating and even when we got engaged that you were going to realize that you wanted to be with Haley and not me. Then I realized Haley was your safe haven. Haley had been with you your entire life. You didn't want to ruin your relationship with her and that is why you didn't tell her."
"Yea, I loved Haley then"
"And you love her now" Bevin said she looked towards her husband
"Are you trying to make me feel like I am cheating on you cause you doing a pretty good job at it?"
"No, I know you would never cheat on me."
"Then what are you trying to do?"
"I am trying to make you realize that if something happens to me that you can go on. That you can love someone else"
"I…" Nathan started to say looking away from his wife
"Nathan" Bevin said as she touched Nathan's face and moved it to look at her, "Promise me that if something happens to me that you will move on. That you will love again"
"Bevin, I can't think about that. I can't imagine my life without you"
"Nathan, you have to think about it. Tomorrow is not a guarantee. If something happens to me I want to make sure that I know that you will be okay"
"Bevin…"
"I want you to be happy again. I don't want you to crawl into some hole and spend the rest of your life there. I want you to live. Promise me, Nate, if something happens to me you will move on"
Nathan looked into his wife's pleading eyes. He knew that he could not deny her that final wish, "If something happens to you. I promise that I will move on"
End of Flashback
"It was the weirdest conversation of my life, next to that day at the docks. My wife was sitting in front of me telling me to love someone else" Nathan said as he finished
"Yea, I had one of those weird conversations with her also. That was the day that she made me promise to take care of you if something were to happen to her"
"Why haven't you said anything before?"
"Honestly, I had forgotten about it until we were all sitting around the cemetery." Haley said turning her head to look at Nathan again
"Where do we go from here?" Nathan asked
"I have no idea what to do next"
"I think it has been an emotional weekend"
"Yea" Haley said sighing, "I second that"
The two did not say another word as they drifted off to sleep thinking about this newfound information. Nathan wondering if it was too soon to commit to a relationship like that with Haley without feeling like it was a rebound. Haley thinking all that time he had loved her and had not told her. She wasn't mad about it, more like happy that he had chosen to not say anything to her that day the docks. That decision had allowed each of them to experience life.
The following morning, Brooke woke to the feeling of a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She missed this, waking up and finding Lucas beside her with his arm protectively around her. Sure, she had had boyfriends since Lucas, but none of them had made her feel the way that he did.
She felt Lucas start to pull his arm away "I am sorry. I guess old habits die hard," Lucas said slightly embarrassed
"Don't be sorry. I miss that feeling"
"Me too" Lucas said
"Then let's not miss it anymore" Brooke said as she reached behind her and found his arm pulling it around her waist again.
"Brooke…"
"Shh, Don't speak. Just enjoy the moment"
Lucas placed his head back on his pillow and looked into Brooke's brown hair. Maybe she did feel the same way. Maybe after all these years apart, they could a relationship again
They laid there for another fifteen minutes before Brooke spoke, "Have you ever thought about what it could be like now, if we had stayed together?"
"Yea" Lucas answered quietly
"What happened to us, Broody?" Brooke asked turning her body to face Lucas while holding his arm in place around her body
"Honestly? I think we both got scared. I think it was moving so fast and getting so deep that we just didn't know what to do"
"Do you think that we still be together?"
"Yea, I know we would" Lucas said as his mind drifted back to that summer after senior year of high school
Flashback
They had been meeting at the rivercourt every Saturday morning all summer. It was time for just the two of them to get away and be together. Lucas sat on the picnic table waiting for Brooke to arrive. She was late as usual. Lucas smiled as he saw Brooke coming across the grass shuffling her feet. She had her arms folded, her head down and his hoodie on.
"Hey Cheery" Lucas said when Brooke got close enough still with a smile across his face
Brooke raised her head to look at Lucas and his smile quickly faded as he realized that she had been crying.
"Brooke, what is wrong?"
"Lucas, I don't think we can do this anymore"
"What are do you mean? Meet here on Saturdays?" Lucas asked
"No, I mean I don't think we can be together anymore" Brooke said. She watched as Lucas's face fell and his eyes lost their spark.
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't think it is going to work out for us. I think we are two different people. We are starting college in a few weeks and things are going to change"
"Brooke, that doesn't mean that we have to change also"
"I am sorry, Lucas. I just can't be with you anymore," Brooke said before quickly walking the opposite way. Lucas couldn't move. He had just lost the love of his life
End of Flashback
Lucas came out of his memory to find Brooke staring at him. "Sorry did you say something?"
"Daydreaming again?" Brooke asked
"No, just thinking"
"About?"
"That day at the rivercourt when you told me that you couldn't be with me anymore" Lucas replied honestly
"Lucas…" Brooke sighed, "Lucas, I am sorry about that. I have regretted saying that all these years. I regretted saying it five minutes after I said it. I wanted to turn around, run back to you, tell you that I was sorry and that I wanted to be together."
"Why didn't you?"
"I thought you hated me. And I thought that you would never agree to it"
"Brooke, I could never hate you and even today, if you said that you wanted to give it a try again. I would agree with you."
Brooke took in what Lucas had just said. He had basically just told her that he wanted to be with her. She looked into his eyes and said the words that she had wanted to say for years.
"Let's try it again" Brooke said before leaning in to kiss Lucas
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