S1 - What if Haley and Nathan meet again after she broke up with him over the photos she found on his computer?
The pair was kissing furiously. He had her pinned up against the wall, while she pushed herself closer to him. The music was playing loudly and there were red cups and all kinds of alcohol all over the floor. The other students were dancing widely, throwing up in the back yard or kept drinking.
Nathan pulled the girl even closer. „I want you.", he whispered huskily and grabbed her ass with force, so that she let out a shriek. The girl giggled drunkenly and took his hand to guide him upstairs.
The next morning Nathan woke up with a headache. He couldn't quite remember what had happened the night before but when he looked beside him and found some strange girl he imagined it was no other than the nights before. He pushed himself out of bed and looked for his clothes, throwing them on and making his way quietly out of the room. He could care less about the girl, but he didn't want her to start a scene. He made his way out of the house and hoped into his car to drive home and sleep some more before his game.
Haley watched the Blue Devils step onto the court. She watched him with adoring eyes and let out a loud sigh. She didn't know why she still missed him so much.
„What are you looking at?", her best friend Brooke Davis asked her and followed her gaze.
„Nathan Scott?! Are you still into him? I told you a million times that you need to move on!"
Haley nodded with a sad smile. „I know. Its just so hard. I still love him. And he was the first boy who made me feel like myself."
„Haley, I love you. You are my best friend but you need to focus here. The jerk proved that he has moved on more than once! Yesterday he hooked up with Rachel again!"
Brooke's hand flew to her mouth just as fast as she spelled out those words. „I shouldn't have said that! I'm sorry."
Haley shook her head, jealousy making its way down her spin.
„I am glad you told me. They deserve each other though."
She watched him move gracefully on the court and she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she didn't break up with him in high school. She had found photos of Peyton on his computer and her insecurities lead her to end things with him before he could have hurt her.
He begged her to take him back and she had never seen him show so many emotions.
Looking back now she knows that she had overreacted but she couldn't change things.
Sometimes she wondered if he still thought of her as well. He still had her heart. And she never got it back.
After their relationship had ended, Haley had closed herself off and she hadn't had a boyfriend since.
When she decided to go to Duke, a part of her did because Nathan would be there and somedays she still hoped for them to rekindle things.
It was at a party a few weeks later that Haley and Nathan would meet again.
Brooke had finally convinced Haley to go to one of the college parties and helped Haley get ready and even though she didn't feel comfortable in her neckless dress and the pumps she had to admit that she did a great job.
Haley stood at the bar ordering her another beer when she heard someone approach her.
Her breath got caught when the other person stepped closer to her and leaned in to whisper in her ear. „You sure have changed since high school, Hales."
She smelled the alcohol on his breath but for once she didn't care. This was her chance. Her chance to talk things out so she could finally move on and be free from him. It didn't help that he smelled so good, though and that she was by now very tipsy. She took another sip of her beer.
„You have, too.", she bit out and he chuckled. „The first and only girl I really loved, broke my heart because she couldn't deal with her insecurities and because she couldn't trust me, so excuse me for giving up the fairy tale love. Its not worth it, so I decided to go back to my old ways. Less hurtful."
Haley looked at him with sad eyes. „I am sorry, Nathan. I really am."
She had broken up with him, because she was insecure. She had never had a real boyfriend before him and she had felt the need to compete with all the girls, throwing themselves at Nathan. And finding those photos of Peyton hadn't helped much..Now she knew that he hadn't cared about any of these girls.
He shrugged his shoulders. „I am over you, Haley. No need to be sorry." His tone was harsh but she could see the pain in his eyes. She moved closer to his face, almost falling off her chair.
„Are you, Nathan?" Her heart beat wildly and all she wanted was to kiss him. She giggled at that thought and finished her beer to order another one.
„You are drunk, Haley. And I drank a lot tonight, too. Now is not the time to talk about it."
He hated how reasonable he sounded. The Nathan in front of her sure was not the same that spend every night with another girl. „Now is perfect.", she let out huskily. Her brain didn't quite function anymore. She moved her hand up to touch his face and she smiled. She gulped down her new beer. „Take me like you take all these other girls, Nathan. I am no different, right?" She didn't know where that came from but she didn't really care in that moment. „And then we can talk and I will tell you how much I regret breaking up with you!" She giggled.
„Ups, I have already told you. Now take me!"
Nathan shook his head. He missed Haley but he couldn't take advantage of her. She was never the kind of girl to hook up and he wouldn't do that to her. However he knew he couldn't leaver her here and he was sure Brooke was off hooking up with a strange guy.
„Come on, I will take you to your dorm." He was sober now and took her hand so she wouldn't fall.
„Are we going to hook up there, Nathan?" She grinned and kissed his hand that was clapped around hers. Nathan ignored the sparks and wrapped her arm around her waist to guide her out, hoping no one would notice them. She leaned into him and kissed his neck. He groaned. What was this girl doing to him? It took them almost twenty minutes to reach the dorm that was just a few meters away
„Haley, where are your keys?", he asked her and she showed him her purse. He looked through it but couldn't find them. „They are not here.", he stated. „Think about it. Where are they, Hales?"
„Brooke!", she shout out, happy that she could remember. He sighed and took Haley's mobile phone out of her purse to call her.
„Tutor girl!", she exclaimed. „Where the hell are you?!"
„Listen, Brooke. Its me."
„Who is me?"
„It's Nathan, Brooke."
„Nathan? Nathan! What did you do to my Haley?!"
He could tell Brooke was just as drunk as Haley.
„Calm down. I am just taking her home, but she doesn't have her keys with her. Do you have some spare keys or something?"
„No! Noo! Natey you won't take her anywhere! Not happening! Jerk! Leave her alone!"
„Brooke I won't do anything. I just want-"
He heard a clicking sound and looked at the phone. She had hung up. Nathan tried calling her again but her phone was off. „Great. Your friend is just as drunk as you."
He turned around, only to find Haley leaning against the wall, passed out, so he decided he would just take her to his dorm tonight. He couldn't leave her out there.
„Nathan?", he heard her murmur when he was scooping her up in his arms, her arms encircling his neck. „I still love you, you know? You are still the only boy who ever really had me. No one else will be able to take that place in my heart."
He didn't answer her as he continued walking to his dorm with her in his arms.
When they arrived he let himself, glad that his roommate spend most of the nights at his girlfriend's dorm. He lowered her to his bed and sat down on the space that was left.
„You can stay here. My roommate is not here, so I will just take his bed."
He kissed her forehead and was about to stand up when she called out to him. „Do you still love me?"
He lingered in the door way. „Always and Forever, right? Loving you is not the problem Haley."
Just as he was going to leave again, he heard her whisper. „Don't leave me please."
Her voice trembled and Nathan knew she was near to tearing up.
„Please stay, Nathan. Stay with me."
He felt like she asked for so much more than just staying the night in the same bed but he couldn't say no to her, so he lied beside her with his back turned to her, not facing her. The minute she felt his weight next to her she leaned closer to him, wrapping her arm around him from behind, before she searched his hand to intertwine her hand with his.
When she woke up, she felt Nathan stir next to her. It was surreal to wake up in his arms. His arms were wrapped around her small frame and her head was lying on his bare chest. She didn't want to leave this place. She felt at peace and she felt like herself again. A part of her got lost, when they broke up and now it was finally back.
She looked at his sleeping form and sighed. When he woke up there would be a lot to talk about. Even though she was drunk the night before she remembered everything, even admitting that she still loved him and the strange thing was she didn't regret anything, because as much as she wanted to move on, she couldn't. Nathan was the one for her. And she would prove it to him.
She felt him move under her and when his eyes met hers she smiled shyly at him. „Hi."
He smiled, running his fingers through her long her hair. „Hi."
Her breath got caught by the way he looked at her.
Maybe there was still a chance. She hoped so. She knew they needed to talk, but she hoped desperately that they would find their way back to each other. And somehow looking at Nathan, for the first time maybe, she had faith in them and she believed him that he didn't want anyone else.