Chapter Sixteen

Haley walked through town, zigzagging through the different streets. She wanted to forgive Nathan so bad, she wanted everything to be fine. She just couldn't forget what he did.

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"Nathan, I'm so sorry," Karen said, rubbing his shoulder for comfort.

"You told her, didn't you," Nathan said, as he glared at Karen.

"Nathan, I had to, she deserved to know the rest of the story," Karen said.

"I haven't told anyone that," Nathan said, as a few stray tears dropped from his cheek.

"That maybe so, but if you love this girl like you say you do, then she deserves to know everything," Karen said.

"I know, it's just, she looked at me, with those same apologatic eyes," Nathan stopped himself, consumed in his own tears again.

"Nathan, your past will always be with you, but your future, that belongs to you. What you do with it, is completely up to you. If you want to be with Haley, then fight for her. Fight like hell for her, and don't give up. When you are down and have nothing else, have faith that she will see the man you have become, and have faith that she will see that you're a different person," Karen said, as she went back behind the counter.

"Your right Karen, I need to fight for her. I'm going to fight for her," Nathan said, as he jumped up off the stool he was sitting on, and ran out the door.

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Haley heard her cell phone ringing, she looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Nathan. She knew that she didn't have the ability to talk to him at that particular time, so she sent the call to voice mail.

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"Hey you've reached Haley James leave a message and I'll call you back," is what her voice mail said.

He didn't want to leave her a message but he knew she was avoiding him.

"Hales, I know you know it's me, but I'm not giving up on you, and I'm not giving up on us. You mean the world to me, and I know that we haven't known each other all that long, but I damn sure know that I love you. I also know that I cannot spend the rest of my life without you, not after knowing you. I ask you to give me the benefit of the doubt, long enough to say what I want to say to you in person. You're my everything, I love you, Always and Forever yours, Nathan," he said before hanging up the phone.

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Haley heard her phone beep, she knew he had left a voice mail. She went into her voice mail, and began listening to what he had to say. Always and Forever, stood out to her. She knew as soon as she heard those words that she had to see him. She looked at her phone, and carefully dialed his cell number. It was time to actually listen to him.

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Nathan ran up and down streets looking for any sign that Haley had been there, when his cell started to ring.

"Hello," he answered as he ran up a different street.

"Hey, it's me, let's talk," she said.

"Not over the phone, in person," he said.

"That's fine, where are you?" she asked.

"I'm not to far from Karen's, what about you?" he asked.

"I'm near the pier," she said.

"I'll be there in ten minutes, please wait," he said, as he hung up the phone, and took off running toward downtown Tree Hill.