Another short one-shot, this time focusing on Haley. The title and italicized lyrics are from one of my favorite songs, Peter Gabriel's "The Book of Love." Like the previous one, this was written on the fly this afternoon so apologies in advance if it sucks. These are mostly written for my benefit, to get niggling plot bunnies written, so the quality may not be there like it is (hopefully!) with my other stories.

As I mentioned in the first one-shot, there are separate one-shots inspired by various songs. A few may be inter-connected but I'll make it clear if they are. These are merely short reflections on the Nathan/Haley relationship. They won't all be character reflections as these first two have been. I promise there will be actual Naley interaction in some of them!

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you for your kind words on the first story.

Disclaimer: OTH does not belong to me. Lyrics belong to Peter Gabriel.

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know

She's nervous. Heart-pounding, palm-sweating, nerves-jangling nervous. She's not sure she's ever been this nervous before—not before her driving test, or even the first day of high school when her older sister Taylor tried to scare Haley by telling the incoming freshman horror stories about what to expect. Today is something different than anything she's ever experienced before.

Raising a shaking hand, she fastens the small earring. She stares at herself in the mirror, wondering who the girl before her is. Same long brown hair, deep brown eyes, and petite figure, nothing spectacular in her eyes. The physical appearance is the same image she sees every morning, but Haley knows the difference is beyond the physical. She's changed over the last several months—changes that happened so subtly, she doesn't even realize it until she's standing in her bathroom, unable to recognize the girl in the mirror.

She's always been the smart, studious girl. The responsible James sibling, the one who can be counted on in a crisis. The cautious girl who overthinks every decision and always does the right thing. She's not like the other girls who giggle and flirt shamelessly in the halls at school. She has her head in the books and sure, she knows how to have fun but she's still Haley James, Responsible One.

Then she meets Nathan Scott and everything in her carefully planned world turns upside down. She finds herself intrigued by the cocky basketball star, but wary of his intentions. Growing up with Lucas as her best friend, she heard all about Nathan and his father courtesy of Lucas. Even when she agrees to tutor Nathan it's more for Lucas's sake than for any altruistic reason. As they start tutoring, she's still hesitant to believe that there is anything more to Nathan than just being an arrogant jerk and initially, he proves her right. But then he begins to open up to her, revealing vulnerabilities she never imagined, and soon, Haley finds herself falling for the dark-haired boy.

Her normal, unremarkable world is completely transformed one morning when Nathan shows up at her house, intent on apologizing for his most recent screw-up. Tired of his apologies, Haley is intent on forgetting Nathan Scott but then he does the unthinkable: he kisses her and everything is changed.

She finds herself becoming one of those girls—the ones who have their heads in the clouds, dreaming of their boyfriends. The ones who doodle hearts and flowers around their combined names on notebooks. The ones who giggle with their friends about boys and first loves and hot kisses.

She knows they're moving fast, maybe too fast, but it feels right, more than anything else ever in her life. She hears the warnings about Nathan, about how he treats girls and how he's simply a selfish jerk who's using her. She listens to the concerns that they're too young to know real love, they don't really know anything about one another. She listens, but she knows they're wrong because she knows Nathan. She knows him better than anyone in her life, and more importantly, she knows his heart. He's vulnerable with her in ways he's never been with anyone, and Haley is simply awed at the pure trust he has in her.

It is scary and exciting and wonderful and nerve-wracking and beautiful and every other word she can think of. It is, in its simplest terms, everything she has ever wanted.

And I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me wedding rings

Their relationship isn't perfect; they have their ups and downs. From finding out the initial reason Nathan asked for tutoring to pressures and insecurities about sex to declarations of love, it's a rollercoaster. It is sometimes challenging, but always amazing.

Being with Nathan opens Haley up to an entirely new life—new experiences, new people, new emotions. Everything seems so much brighter and more vibrant when she is with him. She can't explain it other than she is ridiculously, stupidly, deeply, head over heels in love with Nathan Scott.

So when she finds herself in his room one night, rain pouring down outside as they dry off after being caught in the deluge, and Nathan looking at her with such love and desire and adoration in his eyes, she knows everything she has experienced since she met him has been building to this one moment. Even still, when Nathan tells her she is his family and that he wants to marry her, she is surprised. But what surprises her even more is just how right it sounds. She can't deny that she has had those same thoughts, unspoken for fear of scaring him away because what sixteen year-old boy wants to get married?

Apparently her boy.

It feels like the most natural thing in the world when she tells him yes, she will marry him. There are no thoughts of what her parents will say, what Lucas will do, or even what they will do after they are married. It's just her and Nathan and their love.

Even though she knows how right this is for her and for Nathan, as she stares at herself in the mirror of her childhood bathroom, the nerves begin to creep in as she finishes getting ready.

They're so young.

How are they going to support themselves?

What is Lucas going to say?

What is Dan going to do?

They're so young.

They're so very young.

But then she glances at a picture of her and Nathan stuck in the mirror frame. It's a goofy picture, one they took one night shortly after Nathan moved into his apartment. Even with the silly expressions on their face, it's easy to see the love that had not yet been expressed between them. Staring at the picture, Haley feels a stillness settle over her, calming her fears. She takes a deep breath and smiles at her reflection.

She's ready to step into her future with Nathan.

fin