My Beautiful Mistake

By Sam

Haley James was humming an upbeat song with a catchy tempo, her chocolate brown eyes dancing to the melody she herself was creating, her reddish brown hair swirling as she bobbed her head up and down, well aware that her best friend was dramatically covering his ears with his hands, spouting feeble remarks of her out-of-tone singing attempts.

“What do you have against angry femme rock, Lucas Scott?” she asked, her eyes sparkling and mischievous, her mood a lot happier then the past few days she’d been moping, or so Luke observed with a slight sense of neurotic worry.

“It’s up there with emo and bubble gum pop for me, of things to vehemently destroy. You’re tarnishing my youth, making me listen to that crap,” Luke replied cheekily, his own eyes dancing to her banter, as he moved from her side of the locker and opened his own.

“Keep that up and all of your Travis CD’s will very mysteriously disappear into the voids of nothing,” Haley quipped, holding on to Luke’s cheek, knowing very well how much it annoyed him when his girlfriend Brooke would do it.

“Well all Hail King Nathan,” Haley vaguely heard him mutter.

She laughed at what she supposed was his attempt at bitter humor, and the minute he turned around it fell. Haley wondered if her best friend had any idea the emotions coursing through her face, hoping, wishing, pleading with whatever higher person in the universe there existed, that he did not see what she was so clearly feeling.

Haley couldn’t believe that just three months ago, Nathan Scott had been just that—a name to her, who fell deaf on her ears and blind in her eyes.

She had always seen him as the jerk that liked to leer at her for no reason other than seeing her discomfort. Asshole.

She had never quite begun to assess him properly. Hadn’t seen past it to discover that his dark black hair was unruly, spiked and mussed up every morning that he forgot to brush it. That his eyes weren’t any kind of blue, but that more often than not they shined a color that reminded her of a burning sky. He wasn’t like any other boy—man—she’d ever met before. Never had she seen a more dangerously perfect looking male, with the perfect jaw line and the rugged features and the irresistible charm that seemed to radiate off him.

Haley swallowed the lump that had unconsciously been garnering in her throat and threatening to strangle her. She felt his eyes burning on the back of her neck but she willed herself not to turn around, knowing perfectly well he was playing games, the kind that they had engaged in a while ago.

Haley, however, was always weak in her resolve.

Her breath was caught in her throat, her mind seem to forget how to think, her heart was stunningly beating with wild carelessness in her chest, and it was then she realized that he was looking at her, deeply, and it didn’t matter if anyone found out, and she traveled back to all the times they had done more than just stare at each other.

Inconspicuously, Haley’s cheeks began to burn as she scratched the back of her neck, her hair in a messy ponytail as she attempted to clear her throat.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked with a frown, his hand resting on her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Haley echoed, clicking her feet together as she awkwardly stood next to him, well aware Nathan was talking with his friends a few feet away.

“You can tell me anything, you know that Hales… right?”

His eyes seemed so innocent, so caring, and wondrous. She could not remember a significant moment in her life that Lucas Scott was not a participant in. The mere thought of raw pain in his eyes because of something Innocent Little Haley James was doing… broke her heart further then necessary.

And all she wished to do was will herself to forget the raw pain that was slicing at her every vein, because surely, she was bleeding herself dry. She was trying to hold on to a small shred of sanity she had left. She was scared that she could not bring herself to cry, to feel anything but the numbing pain swallowing her up inside, leaving her hollow.

She couldn’t do this anymore… not to Luke. He was her best friend, and what kind of girl was she?

“I tell you everything, Luke,” she chided him, her eyes going as wide and big as she knew they should, because it marked her innocence. It was tearing her apart… how easier it became, lying to him, lying to everyone that she knew would get hurt. Luke, Peyton… did she just not care anymore?

He grinned, kissing the top of her head. “I’m gonna go meet Brooke. You coming?”

Haley shook her head, blocking the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. “I… I have to tutor someone,” she barely whispered, the words slicing at her as she did so.

“Alright. See you at my mom’s café. Bye Hales!”

She waved half-heartedly and almost involuntarily began walking to where she was sure he was waiting.

She hadn’t even entered the center when he was already locking the door and backing her against it, his mouth covering hers. It was a wild, bruising, searing kiss, the kind that had to be hotter than fire. His hands, that had been clutching her hair almost desperately, slowly made their way from her arms to her hands, where he began to trace circles with his thumbs lazily, biting her lip teasingly. It was completely and utterly intoxicating, filling her senses and her body and her spirit.

Nathan Scott was sex on a stick. His mouth did things that should be illegal, his hands were an art form themselves, and every little bit of him just screamed sex. The way he walked, the way he fit in a pair of jeans heavenly, made you want to just throw him up against a wall and have your way with him.

His lips sealed hers, bruised hers, enticed her magically and wholly. He clasped his mouth to her neck. She was devoid of thought, devoid of reason, she threw it all to abandon and embraced this feeling, this sensual, adrenaline-filled rush that she had certainly never felt before, as if she would die if he stopped.

She could never deny him.

But for once she was half-awake in her hazy, sexually-induced stupor. She could see behind her desiring lust, and Luke’s grinning, innocent eyes stared back at her. She jumped away from Nathan as if he had burned her.

“We…”

“Can’t do this?” he mocked, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms and staring at her expectantly.

She looked to the floor, knowing that if her eyes met his she’d drown in them. “No we can’t,” she whispered softly.

“Haley,” he drawled, nearing her, his breath already against her neck, his eyes dark as midnight, reducing her to a melting puddle of heat. His voice was so silky smooth, so damn sexy. It made her perfectly aware of his hands, leaving a feel of liquid heat wherever he touched her, aware of him. He filled her senses, so electrifying she felt like she was going to explode in flames. She breathed and tasted and smelled him, and it was so deliciously exhilarating she never wanted to do anything else in the world.

He took his luxurious time in exploring every detail of her face, trailing fervent open kisses in her neckline, to the column of her jaw, crushing his lips ardently back to hers when she moaned softly, running his tongue along her lips before she caught it with hers fiercely.

“Nathan,” she hissed, once again pulling him away.

“Come on, Haley, we’ve certainly done more than kissing before,” he remarked to her with confused and annoyed eyes.

“I know!” Haley whispered, the flush back in her cheeks as she remembered exactly everything they had done, how much he knew her body, better than she did.

“I heard you have a date tonight,” he declared, his stance changing as he moved towards her again, “So you’re going out with Jake now?” he asked.

Haley inwardly bit her lip, well aware of the nonchalant way he was trying to ask her. His hands were in his pockets and his stride screamed confidence and sex. She didn’t need to ask what was on his mind for her to know. He was angry. He didn’t know why he was angry, which only made him angrier.

“Yup,” she answered shortly, making sure her eyes never once landed on him.

“That’s nice,” he drawled again, the nonchalance once again in his voice.

“We’re not at all exclusive though, remember?” she reminded him spitefully. She wanted to keep the poison out of her mouth, didn’t want to let Nathan know their beneficial no-strings relationship was not enough for her anymore.

He backed her into the corner of the wall, she felt his hot breath tickling her cheek and his eyes piercing towards hers, his hand stopping her from moving as the other rested way too lowly on her hip, blue irises burning holes into hers, defying her, challenging her, and for once, they held no lust.

“Of course not, babe. Wouldn’t dream of it, would you? Too scared of letting the white trailer trash that is your best friend find out you’ve been fucking his half-brother,” Nathan sneered spitefully. There was so much venom and anger in his voice she winced as if it pained her, but he was too selfish at the moment to care. He wanted her to hurt, Nathan wanted to see the shock in her face and the pain in her eyes, only for the sheer gratification of the knowledge that she would be hurting one iota of what he had been feeling but would never let her know.

He shrugged it off. “Whatever. You want the pussy boy, you got him.”

“Nat—”

“We’re just fuck buddies, right?” Stop it! His brain was crying out. Stop being an ass!

Haley wondered if she’d ever stop wincing at his hurtful words.

“You know, I woke up in a perfectly good mood today, James,” Nathan spoke up, his entire body pressed against hers, hips grinding against hers, leaving Haley perfectly aware of his arousal. “Even thought, with a little luck, I might get Haley in the janitor’s room. She liked it so much there the last time…”

“Shut up,” Haley warned him.

“And I go to the locker room because Coach has this stupid idea that if we train earlier that it’ll somehow also stimulate our minds,” Nathan continued, completely disinterested in her plea. “Imagine my surprise when I hear all about your little date with Jake. The guys were giving him a pretty hard time, it’s a pity Luke wasn’t there to hear the colorful things they were implying. It might have helped his virgin ears a little.”

“Please…”

“And all I could keep wondering was how little Jake and Lukey would feel if they knew I fucked your brains out a million times before, though I never tell them. You wouldn’t like that, and, well, our association would surely finish if I dared utter a word about our clandestine trysts, correct Haley?”

“You’re such a jerk,” Haley whispered softly, her eyes glued to the floor once more because she knew, despite the colorful words and hurtful intentions, his eyes held nothing but pain. And she needed to believe there was nothing good about him, she needed to think that there was nothing salvageable. It was the only way that this would ever stop. And it had to stop.

“Does he know how you like to be bitten, Haley?” Nathan asked huskily, his mouth taking tender assault at the nape of her neck, no gentleness in his intent as he sucked the hollow base of her throat. He’d always been careful before, had always respected what he was sure she wouldn’t like. Right now, his anger and his passion clouded all of his judgment, and a small, animalistic side of him was thrilled to see the proof of his assault. She was his.

Haley, who had never really been impatient, anxiously locked her legs around him, bringing him closer, pleading him shamelessly to deepen their feral kiss, plunging his tongue sensually, teasingly into hers, exploring every nuance of her mouth, the upper corner of her lip, sucking and nipping gently, Haley meeting him with equal passion. She didn’t know where it was coming from, much less knew she had ever possessed it, but at this moment she had heat exploding from within her, and she needed to swallow him whole or she’d stop existing. The desperation with which she needed to meet his tongue half way with hers was scaring her, but she didn’t question it. She held it close, reveled in it, imploring him to continue his exploration.

He kissed her devouringly, his teeth clashing against hers, and once again she was bowled over by the need he was displaying. According to Nathan, he never needed of anything or anyone. She purred in satisfaction as his tongue delved back into her mouth, teasing her the way he’d learned she’d liked. His blood was hot, his entire body trembling with desire for her, hot mouth searching hers eagerly.

The oxygen deprivation soon began to be a problem, and she parted from him, panting heavily as she stared at him.

Her heart broke as she shook her head. “Believe it or not, Nathan… I never wanted it to be like this,” she whispered softly.

His eyes seemed strange to her, different somehow. With her they were never cold, but today they seemed unmasked, his vulnerability for her to see. Her index finger traced the outline of his jaw, which she’d always been fascinated with.

“I’m sorry… about earlier…” he had the decency to almost look ashamed. “I… I didn’t mean any of it.”

“Yes, you did,” Haley answered, smiling at him sadly.

Haley’s eyes almost fly open, agape with shock. Not because he was kissing her again, it seemed to be what they did best. No, that was not it… it was the manner with which he used his mouth against hers… soft and tender, gentle and almost… almost whimsical. He didn’t kiss like that. Not Nathan. Nathan bruised her lips with kisses that took her soul out of her body. He dangerously possessed her mouth and ravished her skin in such ways she felt her rib cage always threatened to burst. He was passionate and rough and out-of-this-world sexy. He didn’t—he didn’t take his languid time to gently press his lips to hers.

“Don’t go.”

The words were simple, but it had taken all the energy out of Nathan to whisper them in her ear, and the soft, almost vulnerable manner in which he had positioned himself left her breathless with want, with need. She wanted to kiss him, she needed to have him.

And so she stayed.

Because he was Nathan Scott.

And Haley couldn’t deny him.

The End