"I still can't believe you turned on me like that," Brooke huffed, sitting at the counter opening mail while I was making macaroni and cheese.
"Brooke, I wasn't trying to turn on you…I just couldn't stand there and be the reason Rachel got kicked off the squad."
"You came there knowing it was going to happen," Brooke reasoned.
"I guess, it sounded better in theory," I replied. "…I don't want to be some pathetic girl who can't move on; always trying to get Nathan's attention again…"
"Oh girl, you have his attention already," Brooke smirked, opening another envelope.
A surge of energy struck my heart upon hearing that.
"Why do you say that?" I asked calmly, stirring the pasta and cheese.
Brooke rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "he couldn't take his eyes off you today."
"He was probably trying not to keel over from shock," I said wryly.
Brooke laughed, good-naturedly.
"Let's face it, I'm not the cheerleader type…I'm a tutor…I'm a nerd," I said.
"You're a rock star," Brooke said in her defense.
I shook my head, "not anymore."
There was a knock at the door at that moment.
Brooke jumped up to answer the door, greeting Lucas with a kiss.
"Hey Pretty girl, hey Hales, heard this place was open all night," Lucas said, stepping over to the kitchen island.
"Hey, you heard right. Want some mac and cheese?" I asked, holding out a spoonful.
Lucas nodded, "now how would I guess that Haley would be making mac and cheese?"
"Maybe because she makes it everyday…I feel sorry for your future kids, hope they like mac and cheese or they may starve," Brooke said as Haley swatted her arm.
"I make it every other day, thank you," I winked and smirked.
The three of us ate dinner around the kitchen island, discussing the events at practice.
"So, Luke, was Nathan totally freaking out that Hales is a cheerleader?" Brooke grinned.
Lucas shook his head, "I don't know really. I kind of gave up on Nathan."
I nodded silently. I hated that there was such distance between the two brothers again. They had come such a long way to have it all disintegrate.
"Luke, I'm sorry about your relationship with him and how it's turned out," I said.
"Hales, it's not your fault. He makes his own decisions…Nathan's a big boy," Lucas said.
"I'll bet, size fourteen," Brooke winked at me. I threw a dishtowel at Brooke, feeling my cheeks redden immediately.
"I may barf," Lucas said, making a disgusted face.
Lucas hung out with Brooke and me a bit longer and then decided to call it a night.
"I thought non-exclusive was supposed to be more 'scandalous' than this," Brooke said, lying back against the couch cushions.
I laughed, sitting in the armchair. "Why don't you two just get together already, for real? This non-exclusive stuff is silly considering neither of you are even trying to date anyone else…"
"I want to keep my options open," Brooke stated but I only smirked. I didn't buy it.
I knew that Brooke was afraid of being hurt again but I had a good sense that this time, things could be different for Brooke and Lucas.
~~
The next day at practice, I was sitting on the bleachers, getting my tennis shoes out of my bag when Nathan jogged over.
"Hey Haley," he said in a nice manner.
I looked up and smiled, "Hey Nathan."
I could tell he wanted to say something but he was hesitant. That was a side of Nathan Scott rarely seen by anyone.
"Listen, I was going through some boxes in the garage and I realized that I still had one of yours, ya know, from the old apartment."
I nodded, "you mean my current apartment?" I smirked.
"I thought I heard that," Nathan replied. "That explains how you and Brooke are so chummy now."
"Yeah, she really helped me out when I first got back…" I trailed off, realizing I didn't want or need to discuss the past further, especially with Nathan.
"Well, the thing is, it's a pretty big box, so I couldn't bring it with me to school…so if you want, I can drop it by the apartment," Nathan said.
I smile genuinely, "thank you, I would appreciate that."
"Tonight, alright?"
"Sure," I reply.
"Okay, I'll run home and get it after practice."
"Okay, thanks," I said with a smile.
Nathan nodded and jogged back over to start stretching.
Rachel walked over to the bleachers next to me.
"Hey Haley," she said with an even tone.
"Hi Rachel," I said, lacing up my sneakers.
"Listen, it was nice of you to help me out with Brooke…but don't do me any favors. I can take care of myself," Rachel said, stretching on the gym floor beside where I was sitting.
I was caught off-guard by her statement; she seemed almost irritated.
"Okay," I said quietly.
Peyton walked up on the other side of the bleachers.
I smile, "hey girlie, so, are you talking to me yet?"
"No, but I guess you're talking to me," Peyton sighed, dropping her gym bag on the floor.
"I guess I just don't know what I did to you…I'm sorry if I lost touch…it was hard to keep up with people," I blurt out in frustration.
I couldn't see it, but Rachel was in front of me smirking on the floor.
"No, Haley, it wasn't me, I'm not that needy…I just don't like what you did…you left your husband without so much as a phone call and when you decide to come back, you expect us all to act like nothing ever happened."
"I don't expect anything from any of you," I said getting up from the bleachers. I stalk past Brooke as she's coming in.
"Hales, hurry back, we need to start," she calls to me.
As I'm out in the hallway, Brooke approaches Peyton.
Peyton sighs deeply and Rachel has a satisfied look on her face.
"What's up with you two?" Brooke asked, almost afraid to find out.
"Nothing, just another friendly run-in with your roomie," Peyton said sarcastically.
"Can the sarcasm, Goldilocks, I'm not in the mood," Brooke said. "What did you say to her? She looked pretty upset."
"She just said what we were all thinking," Rachel spoke up.
Brooke cut her eyes to Rachel.
"Please see your way out of this conversation, Red, before I see you out of it," Brooke said snidely before returning her attention back to Peyton
"I just told her that I don't like what she did," Peyton explained.
Brooke sighed and rolled her eyes, "Well she's back now, so maybe it's time to move past all of that…"
"Maybe it's not so easy for everyone to move on," Rachel said.
"It certainly seemed easy enough for your boyfriend…they have a term for that, I think it's called 'rebound,' Brooke said with a sharp tone.
Rachel narrowed her eyes at Brooke. "Don't talk about things you know nothing about."
Brooke rolled her eyes. "I really don't want to have to pull that red hair out…we don't want a bald cheerleader on the squad, so I'm going to walk away right now. I'm going to find Haley. In the meantime, maybe you all can start warming up and make some productive use of your time."
Nathan's P.O.V.
I rushed home after practice, took a quick shower and changed into a polo shirt and khaki shorts.
I glanced again at the cardboard box on my bed. I hadn't been vindictive enough to throw all of Haley's things away when I moved out. So I had packed up the apartment, haphazardly throwing things in boxes, marking HJ in marker on the side for anything that needed to go into storage for Haley. Somehow, this box hadn't been marked and had missed the trip to the storage unit and instead was mixed in with my other things.
I opened the lid of the box, just as I had done the night before in the garage. I'd been out there looking for an old basketball when I had come across the unmarked box.
My breath caught in my chest as my hands once again skimmed over the contents of the box. The pale pink nightgown I had bought for her on our first date, the glass bottle of sand from our wedding day, souvenirs from our trip to Atlanta, it was all there. Many shared memories, but other belongings of hers as well. Haley's old sheet music was there, old tutoring notebooks and the few photos that had survived when I had broken and burned the wedding wall.
I took out one picture of the two of us, placing it on my nightstand before closing the box and grabbing my keys.
Haley's P.O.V.
There was a knock at the door and I quickly answered it.
Nathan wore a half-smile, holding the heavy awkward box.
"Hey, come on in," I said, opening the door to allow him inside.
Nathan carried the box over to the kitchen table, setting it down.
"This is pretty big, I knew it wouldn't fit in Brooke's car," Nathan explained.
"You figured right, she has that thing so piled with cheerleading stuff, she and I can barely fit," I laugh.
Nathan smiles. He had been trying to offer another explanation, any explanation as to why he had to come here to give her the box…other than the explanation that was true; he had just wanted to see her.
"Well, thanks again…" I said with a smile. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Uh, yeah, sure…thanks," Nathan responds and I'm pleasantly surprised. I had figured he would literally drop the box and run.
He steps around, looking at the living room, "it looks so different now."
"Yeah, that would be Brooke's creative design not my own," I laugh at some of the wall murals that seem mismatched but Brooke had insisted they were 'fashionable and trendy'.
Nathan can't help but grimace when he sees that his own personal wall mural had also remained. The picture of me from the reception, covered in pink paint, was now framed with a black border.
I too cringe when I realize it has his attention. I walk over handing him his drink.
He's thankful for the distraction and doesn't care to have to explain that further.
"Thanks for the drink."
"Sure, no problem."
We make a move to sit on the couch.
"So, how is life as a cheerleader?" Nathan asked.
"Different," I reply.
"Different good, different weird?" he asks and I'm struck by the familiarity of that question.
"I guess different good," I respond. "It gets me out more, ya know…and it means something to Brooke for whatever reason."
"Where is she anyway?" he asks.
"Out with Lucas on a 'non-date," I reply to which he looks confused. I only laugh, "don't ask."
"Yeah, that's still pretty funny that you all ended up roommates."
"Yeah, me and Brooke Davis…I never saw that one coming," I laugh. "…but I've really gotten to know her and she has this amazing heart."
Nathan nodded. He'd known Brooke since Kindergarten and they'd certainly had their up's and down's…but he knew I was right. When it came right down to it, Brooke was a good person.
"Lucas and I always made predictions before the first day of school, about the upcoming year, and I can honestly say, I couldn't have predicted this past year if I tried."
Nathan shook his head, taking a sip. "Yeah, it's definitely been a ride for all of us."
I am quiet suddenly. I go from laughing to feeling like I could cry – the familiarity of Nathan and I alone, in this apartment hits me head on emotionally. It sends my senses into overload. I'm overcome with memories of our time together. The things we said to each other, the moments we spent here reading, talking, watching movies and making love...all of our past hits me at that moment
He can sense it and he looks at me. His expression softens when he sees me bite my lip, a sure sign that I am about to cry.
"Haley, what's wrong?"
I just shake my head, remaining silent and afraid my voice will break if I try to speak. I can't let him see how this is affecting me. It seems like we're really making progress here…I can't shatter that by becoming weak to my old emotions.
Before I know it, he is enveloping me into his arms and I fully lose it. I'm crying into his shoulder as he strokes my hair.
"Shh, Hales, please, don't cry," Nathan says soothingly. I'm further struck by the fact that this is the first time in months he's used my nickname. He had always affectionately called me "Hales," and I hadn't heard him say it since before the annulment.
He's rubbing my back as I continue to whimper, trying to rein in my emotions. I smell his aftershave and it's intoxicating.
"I'm sorry Nathan…I'm so sorry for everything," I whisper, not even sure if he can hear me until I feel him nod against my head.
He pulls away to look at me and I'm dumbfounded to see that he has tears in his own eyes. I have never seen Nathan Scott cry; not during our tutoring sessions, while we were dating or even during our marriage.
I bite my lip again, "I've never seen you cry."
He sniffles a little, trying to will them away. "You would have seen a lot of it over the past few months, when you were gone."
I bury my head in his shoulder again, feeling a new wave of tears wash over me.
"I cried everyday for you," Nathan said quietly. "I hoped everyday for you to come back and I cried every night when you didn't."
I pull back to look into his eyes again. He looks down as brown meets blue and then his gaze shifts. I can see he is focused on my lips. My head is dizzy with emotion.
I know what's he going to do and I know that he shouldn't…I'm sure somewhere deep down he knows it too…at least not right now. I know things are complicated and this will only make it worse…but neither of us can help it – we're slaves to our own emotions, they've taken over.
Nathan leans forward and touches his lips to mine. He's tentative at first and then passion takes over. Our lips and tongues tangle together feverishly, each trying to reach more. It seems like we can't get enough of each other. Months of pent up aggression and passion are manifesting themselves in this kiss.
He pulls back after a second, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that."
I sigh, in a daze from his kiss. "…but I wanted you to."
He looks up at me again before reaching for me again. He pulls me into his lap and we continue to kiss. He's rubbing circles under my shirt along my bare back, his fingers searing my skin like fire with his touch.
I'm rubbing his arms, running my hands through his hair, just trying to get closer to him…as close as I can, terrified that any second the spell will be broken.
I feel him shift under me and I realize he's moving to get up, pulling me with him. He's holding me in his arms, kissing me as he walks through the living room and I can see he's headed down the hallway.
He makes his way to the bedroom door and looks at me with a silent question that he already knows the answer to.
He carries me through the threshold of the bedroom and locks the door behind him.