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CHAPTER 7

The room was quiet, the atmosphere thick, the occupants of the room tensed for two different reasons. Both lost in thought debating in their heads on how to start the pending conversation, their minds drifting to their train of thoughts a few hours ago.

Nathan had gone straight home after school. He wanted to go to Haley's place but thought she might need some space to cool off. He wanted to slap himself for almost calling her a slut. Of course he didn't mean to but he couldn't control the words coming out of his mouth. He thought back to the time when he told her that he loved her for the first time.

A month ago...

"Hey, please call me back, I just wanted to know where you are, I hate how we left things", she spoke into the phone. She wanted to say more when someone responded to her.

"So do I", Nathan was standing by her bedroom door with a defeated look on his face. He had collapsed on court today and the last thing that he thought about was getting to Haley and telling her how he felt. His father had pushed him too much and in an attempt to break his father's record, he had used performance enhancers. He was doing exceptionally well on court until his body gave out due to dehydration and he collapsed on court.

"Nathan! Why did you run off like that? We were so scared" Haley was so relieved to see him. He had been taken to the hospital but after he gained consciousness, he ran away from the premises without letting his family know.

"I'm so sorry Haley", his voice sounded so broken "I just wanted my father to stop" he almost let a sob out. He behaved in a brash way with Haley when she started worrying about his behaviour in the morning. He didn't mean to be rude but he was afraid that Haley would find out what he was doing and be disappointed in him. He still was.

"What happened to you? The people at the hospital won't tell me anything", she knew something was off about him the whole day but she figured he was just tensed about the game.

"I took some enhancers", he looked at her and she had shock written all over her face. She took his hand in hers and led him towards her bed. They sat down at the edge of the bed. Nathan was nervous about her reaction, his only comfort being her hand still holding his.

"Why did you do it?" Haley was scared of the answer but she had to know.

"My father kept driving me so hard and I was so blinded by that", talking about his father was hard for him but he had to do it for Haley "I just wanted to break his record and get him to back off. I was so scared today at the court. I told myself that if I could just reach you then everything would be alright".

Haley began to hate Dan on a whole new level. She was happy that Nathan had confronted to her out of all people. She hated to see him so broken and wanted to make the pain go away. Instead of saying anything she placed a soft lingering kiss on his lips. When they broke apart, their foreheads touching, they breathed in each other's scent.

"I love you" Nathan couldn't take it any longer he had to tell her how he felt. She pulled away from him completely and he was greeted with her shocked expression. He looked at her expectantly and she let out a small smile. This action caused him to release a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Haley was caught off guard by his confession but elated all the more because she felt the same for him. "I love you too", letting those words out felt like a stone was lifted from her chest.

Until this moment, Nathan had never known the true power of being so connected to someone but her words let him know that he could trust her no matter what. He wanted to say something but Haley had already closed the gap between them and kissed him. They fell back onto her bed.

The kiss started off slow but soon became more passionate as they moved their bodies to the centre of her bed, Haley lying on her back with Nathan on top of her. Haley snaked her hands around his neck in an attempt to bring him closer and Nathan's hand went lower until he reached the hem of her shirt. He slipped his hands under her shirt to feel the soft skin of her stomach, the action causing the shirt to rise above her abdomen. When air became necessary they broke apart only to have Nathan sucking on her neck. This caused Haley to let out a moan. She was lost in the sensations she was experiencing due to his mouth and his hands on her heated up skin. It wasn't until his fingers grazed against the underside of her breast that she came back to her senses and suddenly slipped away from under him and sat up on the bed within the span of 2 seconds.

"What the hell Haley?" Nathan was beyond frustrated and had no intentions of hiding it. His frustration turned to confusion upon seeing her nervous posture. "What? What happened?"

"I haven't done this before" she said.

"Haven't done what?"

"This!" she pointed between the two of them.

Nathan found it adorable that she was sceptical around him and he couldn't help ease her doubts. "Haley I love you and I just want to be closer to you" his voice was soothing as he placed a little kiss on her forehead "I have never felt this way about a girl before and I just can't get enough of you" he tried to kiss her again.

"No Nathan we can't" she stopped him placing both her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

Nathan was hurt by her actions. Didn't she say that she loved me? "I don't get it Haley. You say you love me but I don't seem to be special enough to be closer to you" his voice was rising at the moment "I would really like to think I mean more to you than all those other boys who got to be with you..."

"There is no other boy!" she exclaimed in an equally loud voice. There was a moment of silence and Haley saw a flicker of shock spread across his face but he quickly recovered himself.

"What do you mean no other boy?" he asked.

"No one has ever slept with me or rather I have never slept with anyone ever" she explained. She wasn't stupid, she knew all about the rumours in school. All that commotion was just because she dated a college boy for two weeks. "So yeah basically I'm a virgin".

It was Nathan's second chance to look shocked. He never considered her a slut but he could have sworn that she would have had a boy in her life that she was physical with, or at least that's what the people in school said. It's not like she never got the chance, she was gorgeous as hell.

"All those rumours were false" she wanted to help out in his state of confusion "apparently getting a bike is like wearing a placard saying I'm a slut!" she let out a smile in the end. On the inside, she was nervous as hell. She didn't know how he would react to this.

Nathan was amazed by the person in front of him. So much has happened to her in the last two years and yet she was strong enough to not lose her way at all. She could have drowned her sorrows through anything – be it Drugs, alcohol, her morality – but she held her head high and dealt with the pain head on. "I can't believe I got so lucky with you".

Haley blushed at his comment and gave him a small smile.

At that moment, he saw how innocent she really was and he realised the level of trust she held for him and he could never let her down. "Haley I promise you, it's never just about the sex for me as long as you are concerned. I love you so much and when you're ready, I'll be ready". He gave her a loving smile which she reciprocated with one of her own. They both lied down in bed, wrapped up in each other, relishing in the emotions running through them until sleep took over.

Present day...

That was one of the best days of their lives. It was also the day that Nathan decided to never let her go which brought him to his current duty of apologising. "Haley I'm really sorry about what I said, I was just getting so frustrated about those guys and... I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you". He looked at her to gauge her reaction.

She still looked hurt and that was his queue to explain himself even more "look I've never felt this way about a girl before so I don't know how to deal with all this..." he was struggling to find words and decided to just take a deep breath "Before you, I was with girls who wanted me just for my popularity, I mean they were just a fantasy..."

"Is Peyton a fantasy too?" interrupted Haley.

Nathan was confused by this question until she turned her laptop screen towards him and an image of a topless Peyton filled the screen. These were a few screenshots Nathan had taken when he was dating Peyton. Nathan had completely forgotten about that folder. Until now! "Haley these were taken long back, her webcam's not even in her closet anymore".

"I know that Nathan but why haven't you deleted it yet?"

Does she think I cheated on her? "Do you seriously doubt me here?" he was getting aggravated with her accusations "I totally forgot about that folder"

"I think I have a right to doubt you. After all, these girls were able to give you something that I couldn't"

Is she worried about sex again Am I pressuring her too much? "How many times do I have to tell you? It's not about sex for me anymore"

"So you say" she knew she was being unreasonable here but here insecurities are getting the better part of her. "You don't get it! Peyton is not one of those bimbos, you liked her"

Nathan wanted to give her a harsh retort but stopped himself when he saw the hint of insecurity flash across her face. Haley was pretty good at hiding her emotions and to the whole world she seems to be wearing a steel facade but Nathan could see right through her. "Yes I liked her" he watched as Haley held a pained expression "but I never loved her. You don't get it Haley! I can't even look at another girl these days" to which Haley let him know with her eyes that she didn't believe him one bit. "Okay that's not exactly true, but all of them come short to you no matter what they do"

"Yeah right" she snorted.

"It's true. You're the only girl I have ever loved and I don't want anyone else I just want you, just the way you are. When everything seems to fall apart, you give me the strength to get back up" he never exposed himself so much but he wanted her to know how much she meant to him "so naturally I would get pissed off if someone tried to take you away from me. I admit I didn't deal with the situation in the best way but..." his words were cut off by a pair of lips descending upon his. He was a little shocked but immediately responded to her kiss.

She was brimming with emotions during his speech and she couldn't take it any longer. So she kissed him with all her passion. They were making their way towards her bed. Nathan sat down at the edge of the bed with Haley straddling him neither of them breaking the kiss. He let out a groan of frustration as Haley pulled away from him and got up from the bed and stood in front of him. She looked quite nervous and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

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