Chapter 3
Peyton and Brooke lounged on the leather couch in Nathan's apartment. They had all agreed earlier to meet there to move all of Luke's things to Brooke's new building. But the boys had kept them waiting. As one of them smothered a yawn with the back of their hand, the other opened their phone to check the time. The Scott brothers were now twenty minutes late, and counting.
It had been grueling day of cheer practices and drills, both young women were exhausted and about ready to doze off. But the sudden slams and bangs coming from down the hall jolted them awake. They listened to the pair of familiar voices approaching in their direction.
"You what?" Luke yelled loudly.
"It was nothing! Don't be such a little bitch about it," they heard Nathan out back.
Without warning, the door slammed open and the dark haired sibling stormed into the room. He took one glance at his two guests sitting on the sofa, but didn't seem the least bit alarmed. Instead he narrowed his eyes, and without looking back announced, "I'm taking a shower!"
Just as Nathan moved further into the apartment, Lucas showed up in the doorway. "Nate!" Luke called after him. But the only response was the slam of the bathroom door. The all listened as the water began to run through the shower.
"Trouble in paradise?" Brooke inquired as he made his way over to them. Brooke pulled him closer after encircling her arms around his neck, slowly bringing his body closer to hers.
Lucas sighed, "Something like that, yeah,"
"What happened?" Peyton stood up slowly, an edge of concern in her voice, "Was it Dan again?"
"No," Luke shook his head. The situation at hand might be bad, but he could gladly say it had nothing to do with the same familial complications they'd faced in the past. "Not this time,"
"So then what's wrong?" Brooke asked. "I haven't seen Nate that worked up since P. Sawyer dumped his ass after senior prom," The brunette smiled into Luke's neck, both of them chuckling lightly at her comment.
Peyton scoffed, "Yeah right, he was so absolutely upset that he slept with half the squad the week after it happened,"
"That's the Scott boy charm," Brooke raised her hand to pinch Lucas' cheek, "But you're not allowed to use it on anyone but me," she chastised before leaning forward and they shared another kiss.
The blonde girl pretended to gag at the couple's public display of affection.
"So what's the story? What's going on with Nate?"
Lucas opened his mouth to answer, but closed it promptly as he thought about it more. This disaster might be better if kept on the down low. Nathan was already at risk for his wrongdoings, he didn't need them spread around campus.
"Nothing,"
-p-
Haley didn't know what she was doing anymore.
For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why Nathan Scott of all people had left such an impressionable mark in her memory. She couldn't concentrate after he left the coffee shop. The incessant whispers she would hear when she turned her back contributed to her distracted state, but it was mostly the image of the dark haired boy than remained carved in her conscious.
She let out a silent whimper as she shifted her weight away from her bad ankle. It was Sunday night, and the coffee shop was closing earlier. He had told her that her ankle was sprained, and she had no reason not to believe him. She felt her entire leg throbbing, as if ignoring her minor injury had dramatically worsened her overall condition.
Perhaps she had been too cold to him. After all, he was only trying to help her out. But then again, he was only doing it so she wouldn't press charges. Running over pedestrians wasn't quite the desired reputation an athlete wanted his scouts to hear. He was exchanging kindness for her silence.
She would have laughed at the irony. No one had to pay her anything to keep quiet anymore.
She untied her apron, slipping a comfortable and oversized knit sweater over her outfit in its place. She limped pathetically over to the front entrance, reaching over onto the wall to pull the light switch. In the blink of an eye, the entire shop was covered in a blanket of darkness. Her fingers fumbled with the set of keys in her right hand as she searched for the right one to lock up.
She pushed through the door outside, depositing the key and turning it until she heard the reassuring click. Before she could turn around, someone had interrupted her. She cringed involuntarily as she recognized his identity.
"Haley," he began, a clear strain in his voice.
They hadn't seen each other since she left him four months ago. He'd left her countless voicemails, sent her handwritten letters and apologies. But thinking t was better for both of them, she ignored any of his attempts to contact her.
Her first thought was to run away, but the pain shooting through her leg inhibited any of her plans.
"Haley, don't leave. We need to talk,"
She felt his hand on her shoulder, willing her to turn around and face him. He looked the same as he did before. Tall, thin, light hair and light eyes, everything about his appearance screamed the Chris Keller she once knew. But upon closer inspection, there was a slight difference. A rare serious expression now sat across his newly jaded features. He looked older now too.
All of the pent up emotion she'd been holding back came rushing forward, dizziness and fatigue running through her body at a rapid pace. The energy drained for her legs, it was a miracle she was still standing. She closed her eyes, wishing he would just disappear.
She decided a long time to bury him along with the past. But it didn't look like he was going anywhere without a fight.
-p-
Nathan shoved his hands into his jean pockets, walking down the street to return to the same destination twice in one day. After the foursome had finished moving Luke's stuff, Brooke started to whine about how they should all go out to celebrate the oh-so-grand milestone in their relationship. Surely enough, his half brother had given in without a single word of protest.
If that wasn't already reason enough not to join in on the outing, Peyton decided to invite that Jagielski kid to come with them. Jake was a fine basketball player and a valuable asset on the court, but he'd be damned if he was going to pretend to pal around with the loser shacking up with his ex.
After returning to his apartment, void of Luke's things, he started to feel lonely. Before he could take a sip out of the beer he grabbed out of his fridge, he realized how empty things were. He didn't care to admit it often, but he'd grown pretty attached to Lucas. They were brothers, and Nathan regretted how their friendship had started so late in their life.
Maybe Nathan shouldn't have blown up at Lucas when he'd confronted him about the accident.
He spotted her purse on his kitchen counter, and guilt began to pour through his chest. He hated how much she bothered him. She was some stubborn stranger with no place in his life, so why did she feel so significant? She didn't fall for his charm or wit like other girls, and he couldn't figure out why.
Determined to get his answer, he grabbed her stuff and headed out of his house. Too revved up to take his car, he just started walking. He was going to find her, shove her belongings back to her, and hand her some money to take care of her leg.
He was about to make it to the coffee shop, when he heard a conversation taking place. Or at least, a one sided conversation.
"Haley, don't leave,"
Her name caught his attention immediately, and he stopped in his tracks. Instead of continuing his path to the front of the café, he hid behind the building. He peered over the edge of the corner, taking in the scene before him.
Sure enough, it was her again.
The pent up anger he'd been hoping to lash out at her immediately dissipated. He lost his breath, his lungs constricting as he looked at her cowering form. Even from a distance, he could see she was clearly uncomfortable with whoever was speaking to her.
He noticed that she was talking.
It occurred to him that maybe she hadn't kept quiet in his presence to spite him. Maybe she didn't speak to anyone at all.
"We need to talk," the man standing next to her stated solemnly. He paused for a short moment before continuing, "You didn't return any of my calls, so I went to your house looking for you. Your mom told me you came back to school,"
Nathan held back the urge to roll his eyes. Nathan had dealt with his fair share of scrawny looking posers before, but they weren't necessarily a force to worry about. Realizing that none of this was his business, Nathan debated walking away. But before he could properly decide, the man spoke up again. If he had planned on not getting involved, he should have left earlier.
Because after hearing what he was about to hear, there would be no going back.
"Will you just look at me?" the guy pleaded. "I know you're still shaken up about the whole accident, but none of it was your fault."
What accident?
"I'm here for you Haley, and I've been waiting for you to open up. For God's sake, I just want you to let me in,"
Still processing the information he was overhearing, Nathan almost didn't catch what happened next. Almost.
Haley's heart was beating uncontrollably, she swore she was going to pass out. Her knees began to wobble as her throat closed up again, the memories coming forward all over again. She felt Chris' hand shoot forward, wanting to steady her.
In a panic to avoid his touch, she jerked backwards. Her elbow crashed into the wall behind her, and before she knew it she was on the ground. The noises around her amplified as she shut her eyes in a mixture of pain and fright. She listened as Chris muttered something under his breath nervously, she felt him reach down to pick her off the floor when another voice suddenly joined in.
"Don't touch her," he growled, surprised by the aggression in his tone. He couldn't explain why he jumped out in that instant, his instincts had taken over at that point. He knew he wasn't jumping into action because some random person was in danger, but that it was because she was the one in potential jeopardy.
It was common sense for Chris to back off in that moment, even if his intentions hadn't been malicious to begin with. It was the fact that a larger, more athletically built man was intuitively intimidating.
"Who are you?" Chris questioned lowly, trying to contain his composure.
Ignoring the question, Nathan went forward and kneeled down next to the blonde girl on the sidewalk. Her eyes were closed, but somehow she knew it was him. He was taken aback when her hand grabbed tightly onto the fabric of his shirt as he pulled her up. He was careful not to place too much pressure on her ankle. From the looks of it, standing on it while waiting on tables all day had made it worse.
"What the hell?" the other man exclaimed, obviously bothered by what was happening.
In this situation, Haley thought in her head, it was better to trust someone she hardly knew than face someone she'd been avoiding for months.
"Haley, do you know this guy?"
"Back off," Nathan answered roughly for her. His voice was commanding, and a chill was sent down the other boy's spine. He softened his tone, now addressing Haley. "You okay?"
She was practically clinging onto his arm now, hiding behind his protective stance. She didn't know why, but at that moment she felt safe. She felt as if this man wouldn't let anything happen to her. It was a comforting yet disturbing sensation.
Finding the courage somewhere in the pit of her stomach, she opened her eyes. What she saw stole her breath away. Blue eyes, his blue eyes. They were filled with concern, something most didn't find synonymous with his name. Still shocked, she managed to nod her head in confirmation of his inquiry.
"Good," he clenched his jaw. He changed his gaze in the opposite direction, stepping in front of her so he acted as a barrier. "Now get lost," he spat at the other boy.
Chris didn't respond, but he didn't walk away either. This was too strange, the circumstances too eccentric. No one had ever mentioned this guy before.
"I'd listen to me if I were you," Nathan warned, growing impatient. "Any guy threatening my girlfriend doesn't usually get off walk away without a few bruises,"
Girlfriend?
Now that term astounded all three of them.
The word slipped out of his lips before he could even think to stop it. Honestly, he had no idea what he was doing. This wasn't his territory, helping out people he didn't know. But if there was anything he had experience with, it was playing the jealous and overbearing boyfriend. Peyton had hated it, but hey, it seemed appropriate for the current condition at hand.
Chris' jaw dropped. Finding no point in holding his incredulity back anymore, "Tell me he's kidding. This punk, really?"
Throwing his arms up in defeat, he finally resigned. "You know what Haley? Do what you want, just know that you'll be the one apologizing to me next time. I tried, you were the one who refused to talk to me," Desiring to give Nathan no more incentive to beat him to a pulp, Chris took off in the other direction.
Once he left, it was just the two of them remaining.
A pregnant, heavy tension fell over them. For a minute that felt like a lifetime, neither of them said or did anything.
Growing aware of what was happening, Haley thought it best to walk away. Before she could even try to take a step away, he was there in her way. He blocked her escape route, looking down at her, asking himself whether or not he should ask her what the initial altercation had been about.
But before he could do any of that, he knew what how he would need to act before that. Not speaking a word to her, he turned his back as if to leave. But instead of heading off, he stayed in place, only bending his knees to lower his height. He had his arms out at his sides.
"Get on," he said curtly, offering his back. When she didn't make a move to do anything he added, "We're going to fix your ankle. Now get on, or I'll just throw you over my shoulder. Your choice," He tried to sound unaffected, but a hint of worry was still present.
He was wrong, she didn't have a choice at all.
She didn't know why he was here, but she felt compelled that he was going to help her. He'd been right about her injury, and he seemed to know what he was doing. Anyway, it wasn't like she could run away this time. It was a rare occurrence, but she decided she was going to trust Nathan Scott. Even if it was just this once.
With unsure moves, she placed her weight on his back. He stood up without warning, and it made her uneasy how far up off the ground she was. He held her legs up, but his hands never wandered inappropriately. Hesitating slightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. After a couple minutes into their walk, he found herself growing more comfortable in his grasp.
She knew he wasn't going to drop her. She was so at ease that she even allowed her tired head to rest on his shoulder.
By the time Nathan made it back to his apartment, he realized that the girl he was carrying had fallen fast asleep. He took his keys, opened the door, and set her down on the couch in the middle of the living room. Unsettled by his gentleness, he removed the sandals she wore from her feet.
She began to stir at these movements, glassy brown orbs opening and taking in her surroundings. She shied away from him, tucking in her foot, giving him a confused and questioning look. He realized how strange it was for him to bring her here without a proper explanation.
"Hold on, it's not like that," he put his hands up slowly, "I told you we were going to fix your foot, remember?"
She nodded, still skeptical.
"And I'm not judging you for it, but you're afraid to go to hospital, right?"
She bobbed her head up and down again, slowly beginning to let his words sink in. He watched as she relaxed a bit, her shoulders losing their tension.
He spoke up again, "Alright, good. Well since you're not seeing a doctor, I'm the next best thing," a confident but warm grin spread over his boyish features, "I haven't been careless enough to do it in years, but I know my way around a sprained ankle,"
Normally she would have found his comment condescending, but somehow she managed to see the humor in it. What he was saying did make sense. He was an athlete, it wouldn't be unheard of that he knew how to treat an injury like this. She mouthed an 'okay', attempting to hide her smile by turning away.
"Okay then, I'll be right back," he stood up and headed down the hallway.
She took her moment of solitude to observe their location. It was clearly someone's apartment, presumably his. It was sparse, empty, nothing homey about it. There were a few pieces of furniture, a kitchen that looked untouched, and blank white walls. She shifted in her place from the sofa, trying to sit up when she heard him returning.
"Elevate your foot," he instructed, taking her ankle and propping it up on a pillow. He placed something that looked like a black brace on the coffee table. In his other hand he held a large ice pack. He pressed it down on the afflicted area. She winced at its frigidity, but tried to hide her discomfort. He saw through her anyway. "I know it's not the most comfortable thing, but you'll need to keep it iced for a while. It wouldn't have been so serious if you got it checked out last night,"
Again, he was right. But she had her own reasons, and even he wouldn't understand.
He stepped back and sat on the edge of the coffee table, waiting. There wasn't much he could think to do for her at this point except for wait for the swelling to go down. "Feel better?" he asked offhandedly.
She nodded curtly.
Another silence came over the pair. He let out a breath, rising to his feet to get a beer. "Want anything?"
She shook her head from side to side.
He sighed again, sitting back down. "You don't talk much, do you?"
She didn't answer.
Again, he didn't know what else to say. So he decided he'd just wing it.
"Who was that guy back there?" he wondered aloud, "The one outside the coffee shop?"
She didn't look him in the eye, she was a terrible liar. So she shrugged.
"An old friend?" he guessed.
She did nothing to deny or confirm the accusation.
"A boyfriend?"
That one in particular struck a nerve. Her nose crinkled up in distaste, remembering how tumultuous and unstable her relationship with Chris used to be. She was going to shake her head, when she heard him chuckle.
"So that's a yes. I suppose that guy was your ex," it was a flat statement, no uncertainty at all.
It hadn't ceased to amaze her, how well this boy could read her. Even when she was trying to hide her emotions, he was flipping through her like an open book.
"I get it, exes are pains. I can't stand mine,"
Oh, she was sure he had enough experience with ex girlfriends. Half of Duke's female population claimed to have held some kind of relationship with him.
"You know, you're the first girl in my apartment."
She stopped, shooting him a dubious expression.
He found her reaction amusing, "My brother moved out a couple of hours ago. You're the first girl I've brought home since this place has been made mine alone,"
How charming, she thought.
"Annoying as hell, my brother. I'm gonna miss him," he stopped to ponder it a bit, "He's pretty much the only family I have,"
Now that was something she hadn't heard along the rumor mill. People painted him as this type of party boy with no remorse, some kid who loved to waste his nights away basking in his own selfish glory. But when you stripped away all of that bravado, she swore she could see a normal guy.
"Anyway," he segued, coughing into his fist, "I'm sorry about last night,"
She lifted her chin to see him better.
"I was having a crap day, and wanted to blow off some steam. I didn't mean to hurt anyone in the process,"
She'd heard apologies before, but none quite like this. He wrung his hands together, clearly not all too familiar with the concept of an sincere apology.
"And I'm sorry for blowing up at you this afternoon. My temper can get out of control sometimes-"
He felt her place a hand on his knee, and he lost track of his thoughts. Blue connected with honey brown, and they just stared at each other for a while. She pulled away slowly, giving him a soft and subtle smile. Almost as if she was accepting his sentiments, almost like she had forgiven him.
He couldn't really believe himself. He wasn't sure anyone find the past hour plausible. She hadn't uttered a single word, but she had communicated something so seamlessly that he wondered if this was even possible.
"Thanks," he muttered lowly. An idea came to him, and he extended his hand out to her. "We got off on a bad start, why don't we start over?" he offered.
Without having to think about it, she reached over and shook his hand. He squeezed her smaller palm in his own, not knowing why he liked it so much.
"Nice to meet you, Haley James,"
After that, they didn't discuss too much. He did all of the talking, and she didn't seem to mind. Nathan had never quite met anyone like her, someone who was so expressive yet still such a wonderful listener. He liked her, he liked her a lot.
Losing track of time, both of them dozed off. She fell asleep first, and he followed soon after. He knew someone more responsible like Lucas would wake the poor girl up and offer to drive her home, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She was petite enough that her entire height covered a little less than three-fourths the length of the sofa, so he was able to fit comfortably in the space she didn't take up.
Before letting himself fall asleep, he secured his old brace around her foot. He had to tighten it various pulls in order to make it fit her smaller ankle, but he nonetheless made it work. Even in the short span he began working on it, the injury had healed quite a bit. He sat back down, ready to nod off, when he decided to take one last look at her.
When she was awake, she looked so uptight, so paranoid, so bothered by something that wasn't there. But here she was, soundly asleep, her features finally at peace. She looked angelic, her chest heaving slightly with every small breath she took.
She was beautiful.
Subconsciously, he told himself she was the most stunning sight he'd ever seen in his life.
When he opened his eyes the next morning, it was bright. He rubbed his eyes lazily, asking himself what had happened last night to make him sleep on a chair. When he remembered, he sat straight up. His gaze fell to the place he'd left her only hours ago.
But she was gone.
He stood up, wondering whether or not she had moved to a different room or something. It was futile though, because she was nowhere to be found. Her purse and the rest of her things were gone as well.
In the spot he'd last seen her, he spotted the little slip of white paper.
He swiped it into his hand, unfolding it and reading what it had written on it. He paused, swallowing hard as he read it several times over again.
'Thank You. It was nice meeting you too, Nathan Scott.'
The short message spoke volumes to him. Running a hand over the bottom portion of his face, he let out a loud sigh. He fell back onto the couch, still staring at the short note she'd left him.
Nothing made sense anymore. She was a true enigma, and the more he thought about it, the more desperate he was to figure her out.
But if anyone knew Nathan Scott, they could tell you one thing for sure. Whatever Nathan Scott wanted, he'd find a way to get it.
End Chapter 3
A/N: Ah, couldn't help but write Nathan as her savior. What did you guys think? Leave a review if you would like me to continue this story with another chapter.