Thank you to everyone for your continued reading and replies...I really appreciate it! :)
And a big thank you goes out to Shannon for being my first ever beta! I feel like a real writer now! lol :)
Here's chapter 7..enjoy!
-Lindsay
Kissing Nathan again was something Haley James never pictured herself doing. And she had pictured herself doing a lot of things. But the night they had ended it, or rather, he ended it with her if she was completely honest, she thought it was the total end. She figured she'd see him occasionally, and they would exchange terse smiles and that would be that. She knew she would always love him, but she didn't expect anything to ever come of that again.
It had been hard accepting that. Accepting that she and Nathan would never get back to the couple they once were was really difficult. But it was accepting the fact that they would never be a couple at all that was the hardest. The man she had promised to spend her life with didn't want her anymore, and that was devastating. And she thought she had gotten over that…until her return to Tree Hill.
She wasn't over Nathan, and she was kidding anyone who thought she really was. But from what she had realized, people weren't buying it anyway. Everyone knew how she felt about him.
She pulled back a few seconds later, her thoughts just going too fast and too hard to be kissing him anymore. Running her hand along his cheek, she smiled down at him. "That was…" She trailed off, not sure what she could say to even describe how she was feeling.
"Wow," he murmured, smiling back at her. "That was…wow."
She nodded, unable to think about anything else besides Nathan and everything that had happened between them six years ago until this very moment. He had been her everything back then, and if he'd allowed it, he would still have been her everything. "Nathan…"
"You don't have to say anything, Haley," he said softly, placing a finger on her soft lips. Lips that had been attached to his own not one minute ago. "Everything you're feeling…everything you've felt…I've felt it too."
She kissed him again, loving that they had the opportunity for this again. She was so thankful she had come back for the wedding. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to reconnect with Nathan. She wouldn't have been able to feel like this again. And that would be a shame. Because what she felt with Nathan was nothing like she had felt with other men. He had her in a way that no one else would.
"You always get it," she whispered when they pulled apart again. "You always have."
"Always will," he replied, raising his eyebrows at her. "Do you want to know something?"
"Sure," she responded, her smile still wide on her face. God, she couldn't remember the last time she had smiled like this. She thought she was happy in California with her new life, but she really wasn't. Kissing Nathan and just being around him again made her realize that. She was only truly happy when she was with him.
"When we were kissing just a minute ago, the only thing I could think that Tree Hill felt like home again. Because you make it that way, Haley. Tree Hill is only home when you're around."
"Want to know what I was thinking?"
"Yeah," he replied, brushing her hair back from her face. "Always."
"I was just thinking that I'm not truly happy unless I'm with you. I thought I was happy in California, with my career and all my friends there and with all my friends back here, but I'm not. Nathan, I'm not. I didn't realize that up until I saw you again, I was faking my happiness. I was faking it all, and I didn't know it until you walked back into my life."
"Thank you," he said, not sure what else he could say to her admission. He had never heard words that sweet before. He'd heard a lot of great things from girls over the years, and back when he and Haley were together, she said a lot of sweet things, but none even compared to what she had just said. He was the way for her to be happy in life, and he loved that he was that person for her.
Before either could make another move, Nathan's phone was going off. Haley suddenly was shaken out of the trance Nathan had on her and jumped up. "Oh my God," she whispered, staring down at him like he was a monster. "Oh no."
He knew what was going through her mind, and he hated himself for it. They had both messed up. Sure, the mess up felt good, but in the end, it would cause nothing but trouble. He got up too, going for his phone. He sighed when he read the name on the caller ID. Alyssa. Shit.
"Girlfriend?" she inquired, sitting on her own bed. She didn't want to be anywhere near Nathan's bed anymore. No way.
"Yeah," he said quietly, setting his phone back down. He couldn't talk to Alyssa yet. Not after all this. He didn't have the heart to lie or pretend right now. "We fucked up, Haley."
"We did," she agreed, nodding.
It wasn't that she regretted the kiss itself. She didn't. That kiss was one of the best kisses she had experienced in six years, and it felt good. But she regretted how they went about it. She had a fiancé in California, and he had a girlfriend. They had broken up a long time ago, and they just had no business kissing each other anymore. None.
"It was a good kiss, Nathan," she informed him, blushing a little. "But it can't happen again. You have Alyssa and I have Jared, and it's not fair to them."
"You're right." He ran his hands through his dark hair nervously. "I don't want to tell her, Haley," he said quietly. "Things are really good with us, and I don't want to screw that up…yeah, I'm not over you, but I really don't think we have a future anymore, do you?"
Ouch.
Slap in the face to Haley. She knew that was the truth. She knew that they always ended up hurting each other and that they didn't need to be together anymore. Sure, it was the same thing she thought, but he didn't have to say it like that. There was no need for him to be so…blunt.
She was hurt, so she did the only thing she knew in that situation. She picked a fight. "We could have if you hadn't been so damn stubborn back then."
"Shit, Haley!" He stood up, pacing the room like a caged animal. "You're seriously going to bring that shit up again? I thought we were fine! I thought we got it worked out! We were getting along!"
"No," she denied hotly. "I remember fighting and then not fighting and then becoming friends but realizing it was too hard. Then we kept getting accused of wanting each other again, and next thing I know, we're kissing!"
"Okay, so maybe it wasn't as worked out as I thought it was," he admitted, cringing. "I don't know what to do."
She wrung her hands nervously. "I don't either. Everything is so screwed up right now, Nathan. And maybe they've always been like this, and I'm just now seeing it. I don't know…but this can't happen again. It was a one time thing, and it's done now."
Before Nathan could speak, a knock sounded on the door. Haley sighed and got up to answer it. "Brooke," she said tersely when she came face to face with her friend.
"Jeez." Brooke backed up a little bit, shocked at the cold reception. "I thought you'd be at least semi-happy to see me!"
She sighed again. "No, I am…it's just turning out to be one of those long days. You want to come in?"
"Thanks." She sauntered in and threw her purse on a nearby chair, looking back and forth between Haley and Nathan. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah," Nathan confirmed immediately. "Why wouldn't we be okay?"
"Oh, I don't know." She shrugged. "Probably because your face is red and you look pissed and Haley's hair is just a bit too tousled for taking a quick nap in her hotel room." Brooke fingered a lock of Haley's hair. "You two were doing something you probably shouldn't have been doing," she said accusingly, pointing at them.
"Brooke…" Haley shook her head.
"Don't even lie to me, Tutor Girl and Boy!" she exclaimed. "You two totally had something going on up here just a few minutes ago, didn't you?"
"Brooke," Haley repeated, giving her a look that basically told her to shut up, "don't worry about what was going on up here, alright? Everything is fine."
"Yeah because you two were going at it hot and heavy!" she cried out, her mouth dropping open. "I knew this was going to happen! I knew it!"
Nathan frowned and stood up, wanting to get Brooke out of the room so he and Haley could continue talking or fighting or whatever it was they were about to do. "There something you needed, Brooke?"
"Actually, I just came by to tell Haley I was sorry for how I was behaving earlier. You know, thinking you and Nathan still had something?" she asked, looking at Haley. "But now that I'm here, I'm thinking the apology doesn't matter. Because I was right!"
Haley's eyes pleaded with Brooke. "Please don't do this," she whispered. "It's not what you think, Brooke."
"Oh, it is exactly what I think! You two got caught in a little situation where your lips couldn't help but gravitate towards each other! I'm not stupid, and I'm willing to bet that any of our friends that saw this would think the same thing I am. Or maybe not…because I'm brighter than everyone." She smirked at them. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone and I'm not going to meddle."
"Thank you!" Nathan burst out. He didn't need anyone knowing about this, and neither did Haley.
"But." She held up her hand. "I am going to give you two my opinion before I'm on my merry way again and leaving you to make out or something."
"Well then let's have it," Nathan muttered. He didn't really want to hear it, considering Brooke hadn't been that friendly towards him since he got into town, but really, what choice did he have? She knew what had just happened and he was willing to bet that unless they heard Brooke out, she wouldn't just sweep it under the rug.
"I was going to tell you whether you wanted to hear it or not, so I'm glad you're urging me on, Nate." She smiled a devious smile and Nathan rolled his eyes. "Look, you two are some of the best people I know. Nathan, granted you're an ass a lot, I still love you, and I know you have a good heart. And Haley, just because you made mistakes back then doesn't mean you're not a good person either. But when you guys were together in high school, you were even better people than who you are when you're alone. I think that you two belong together, and I always have. I know you're both going to be stubborn and not do anything with what I'm telling you, but you need to know.
"I remember that you made the rest of us believe in true love. I looked at you guys back then and wanted to find that same thing someday. It sucks that you guys lost it, but Nathan, Alyssa is not the girl for you. And Hales, Jared? No. He might be a good replacement, but he is no Nathan. You are each other's soul mates, and I really, really wish you would figure that out. You know, I was scared for you guys to see each other again because I figured it would be all arguing and shit like that…but it's not. The fact is, love has once again showed for the two of you, and you need to realize that. Before it's too late."
Haley felt a tear roll down her cheek and looked up at Nathan. His blue eyes were full of vulnerability, and that scared her. She was worried that with Brooke saying these things, Nathan was going to put it all on the line, and she couldn't handle that. Not now.
"Well." She wiped under her eyes and cleared her throat. "Thank you for your opinion."
Brooke's face softened as she looked at Haley. She knew that Haley was going to think long and hard about this. She just didn't know if she would realize what everyone else knew - that Nathan was it for her, and not Jared or anyone else.
"Just think about it," Brooke urged quietly. "Everyone knows you two are perfect together. We're just waiting for you to figure it out."
She swung the door open to leave but stopped dead in her tracks when she realized someone else was on the other side of the door.
"Jared," she said, surprised.
Haley and Nathan's heads both whipped towards the door, and it felt like time had stopped.