An: Hey guys! I literally just came up with this idea for a Naley story yesterday in my film class. Something just inspired me, and I'm utterly thrilled about this story. I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I do and are willing to take this journey with me! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!! And please check out my other stories if you have time! I have to give a shout out to Allie for helping me with this story and editing it for me. Thanks girlie!

And remember Review, Review, Review! Thanks xoxo

Free Falling

It was late, and dark, and cold but that's how Haley liked it. She could see the cold air release from her mouth as she breathed out and she wore her hair down her back, so the wind could twirl freely through her auburn hair. Haley found herself waking up nightly around the same time these past couple of weeks and the feeling of loneliness found its way into her heart each night. From the outside Haley appeared to have a wonderful life. She had a loving family, friends, she was popular in school and a guy she could always count on. Everyone in Tree Hill adored her but sometimes a person's heart is still searching for something more, despite all the great things it already has.

As Haley walked down the river walk she spotted him. He was dressed in black, as usual, his hair a mess and smoking a cigarette. Except he looked different tonight, his eyes didn't look angry but sad, as if he was just as lonely as Haley was…as if, he was searching for something more too.

"Hey." Haley found herself saying. She didn't understand it but she felt this gravitational pull towards him the moment she saw him.

"What do you want?" The boy asked, still with his back turned towards her.

She had never heard his voice before. She imagined it to be distant and bitter but it wasn't. His voice was soft, nearly a whisper. She felt his frustration and loneliness when he spoke. It was much like her own but there was a touch of vulnerability in it. She appreciated it. His voice started a fire within her. For the moment he spoke, her heart began to race.

"I don't know really. Does anybody know what they want?"

Nathan turned to look at the voice that dared to speak to him but when he turned around he saw her. She was heartbreakingly beautiful and her eyes were bright with understanding. He simply couldn't look away. Something had changed inside of him the moment he saw her but he wasn't aware of what it was. All he knew was that he had to have her, which was something he wasn't used to feeling.

"I guess you're right."

"Can I?" Haley asked him, motioning to sit next to him on the bench. Nathan nodded yes immediately.

They both sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying the night and looking far beyond the waves of the water. For the first time, in a long time, Nathan wanted someone to sit beside, someone to talk to. He had far been gone to believing that trust was a lie and love never last. His past haunted him and he struggles to forget the pain he's been through.

"You've made quite a reputation for yourself here in Tree Hill."

Haley looks to Nathan to see his reaction but he stays focused on the water, silent.

"It's sad really, to see a town so focused on one individual, a boy they don't even know, a boy they don't want to know."

"And I don't want to know them."

"I don't blame you. This town, it's beautiful but the people are all gossip and politics. No one ever says what they mean or do what they want to do, except for you. I've noticed you, many times actually. You aren't one to mess with, are you?"

Nathan ignores her question and instead moves slightly closer to her. He reaches up to move the hair from her face and gently places it behind her ear.

His hands are gentle, she notices but the exterior is rough and hard. It isn't hard to tell that he's been in his fair share of fights.

"Do you?" Nathan wonders.

"Do I what?" Haley's nervous. His hand moves from her ear to behind her neck and stays there, almost as if he was going to kiss her.

"Do what you want?"

"Never." Haley lets out quiet laugh as she comes to that realization.

"You can leave."

"I wish I could leave but I can't."

"What's stopping you?"

"I guess I just don't have a good enough reason yet."

Haley looks up at Nathan and sees that he's staring at her, intensely. There goes her heart again.

"You're different than I thought you'd be."

"I'm different than I thought I'd be too."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I wish I knew."

"Well," Haley moves her hand over Nathan's and releases his hold on her while she stands up from the bench. "It's late. I should probably head back home and at least get a couple hours of sleep tonight."

"Yeah, okay."

"You're staying?"

"Yeah, for a little while longer."

Haley puts her hands in her pockets and looks around. She honestly, doesn't want to leave but knows that she should, it's what is expected of her.

She looked back at Nathan who was still silent and looking at the water. Nathan represented everything Haley was told to stay away from, which only made her want him more. In that moment, Haley was inspired. She finally did something for herself, whether it was small or not, it didn't matter, what mattered was that for the first time in her life she felt different, liberated.

"Then I'll stay too!" Nathan smiles at Haley and motions for her to come and sit down next to him again. Haley smiles back at him.

"So, how does it feel?"

Haley looks at Nathan confused as to what he's asking. Nathan smirks at her and grabs a hold of her hand.

"To finally do something for you, to do something you want."

"It makes me feel…free."

"I wish I could feel free." Nathan looks down and quickly takes his hand away from Haley's, almost like she was burning him somehow. Nathan was hard to understand for most people but Haley didn't feel that way towards him. She understood the need to run away and leave behind every bad memory, every struggle, and every ounce of pain. However, there was one thing she didn't understand. Why didn't he feel free? He lived his life according to his plans, his rules, why wouldn't he feel liberated by that.

"I don't understand Nathan. I thought you wanted to do all those things, I thought-"

"I do. I do whatever I want, say whatever I want, be with whoever I want, everyone else be damned but I don't want to be a bad person Haley."

"You're not. You're the best person I know."

"You don't know me Haley. You know what the town has told you. Which is why, I'm kind of surprised you came up and talked to me in the first place. People in this town, it's like they're afraid of me or something."

Haley snorted. "That's ridiculous! You're nothing to be afraid of."

"I don't scare you?"

"No."

Nathan can't help himself, he moves and grabs a hold of Haley's waist and picks her up and sits him on his lap. He brushes his nose lightly against her cheek and then whispers into her ear. "Are you scared now?"

"Yes." Haley lets out in a hushed breath but Nathan hears her.

"You should be. I'm dangerous. You shouldn't be this close to me."

"I want to be."

"Good, because I don't think I can stay away from you now."

"I don't want you to."

Haley woke up the next morning feeling like a completely different person; almost has if she had changed over-night. But hadn't she? Nathan was practically a stranger but at the same he wasn't. They could feel each other's hearts; they understood each other in that way. They saw the vulnerability in each other's eyes and they desperately needed each other. Something magical happened between Nathan and Haley last night and neither one of them wanted it to ever go away.

She no longer felt lost. She felt as though she finally fit somewhere in this world and where she belonged was with Nathan.

She had always noticed him. She could never deny the attraction she had towards him. His dark and piercing blue eyes could stop any girl's heart. She always noticed him but never felt the urge to speak to him, until last night. It was like something was forcing her little by little into Nathan's life and last night was the final pull.

She always thought if ever she were to encounter Nathan she would be afraid of him, not because of what his reputation was but because of how much she felt for someone she never had spoken to before. However, she was proven wrong last night. Talking to him was easy, being with him was easy. It was like being there, with him, was where she was supposed to be all along, like she was finally home.

Arriving at school, Haley made her way towards the senior garden where she met up with her friends every day before school.

Haley only spotted Clay. Where were the rest of her friends?

"Hey Clay!"

"Ah, the beautiful Haley James, how are you this morning sweetheart?" Clay asked, as he stands up from the table he was sitting at and gives Haley a hug.

"I'm great!" Haley replies with a grin, her eyes looking far off into the memories of last night.

Clay laughs at her behavior. Haley is one of his best friends, he adores her. "I can see that."

"So where is everybody?"

"Brooke and Lucas are fighting…again. Something about one of the guys from the team hitting on Brooke and she did nothing about it. You know how Lucas gets." Haley nodded in agreement, Lucas could be overly jealous sometimes when it came to Brooke, but his heart was always in the right place. "And Quinn is in the dark room, developing pictures from the other night at Tric."

"So, it looks like it's just you walking me to class then huh?"

"I guess so. It's my lucky day." Clay reached out and put his arm around Haley, like he did everyday and began to walk her to class. Clay has known Haley all his life and all his life he's only wished for one thing, to be with Haley. He was faithfully in love with her but Haley was completely oblivious to it, which is probably why a certain dark haired bad boy was clenching his fist and tightening his jaw at the sight from the parking lot across the street. Haley hadn't noticed him yet, which only made Nathan more frustrated.

Haley suddenly began to feel nervous and her heart began to race as she was walking towards the school building with Clay. He was talking about Friday night's game, something she could care less about right now. She knew that feeling. She had been anxiously waited for that feeling to hit her all morning. She had quickly become addicted to that feeling, to him. Turning her head to the right towards the south buildings parking lot she found him, staring at her. His stare was powerful and unlike last night, it wasn't one she particularly liked. She could feel his anger radiating off her body and so she began to be concerned.

Haley stepped away from Clay and it eased up Nathan's powerful stare a bit, something Haley took notice to but he was still fuming with animosity. With every step that she got further away from Clay, the calmer Nathan seemed to get.

"Haley, where are you going?"

"I have to do something. I forgot. Take notes for me in class. I'll see you later Clay!"

Haley yelled while never turning her eyes away from Nathan. She began to walk across the street, Clay still calling her name but she kept right on walking, she had to get to Nathan. Clay was confused at Haley's behavior. As he watched her leave him he noticed Nathan Scott standing across the street leaning against his motorcycle. Clay suddenly began to worry. What was Haley doing with Nathan?

"Nathan?" Haley quietly called to him as she came to stand in front of him. He was still staring at Clay, heated with anger but still Haley wasn't afraid. She just wanted to reassure him somehow so she reached her hand out and gentle caressed his cheek with her palm. Nathan moved his eyes away from Clay's at the feel of Haley's touch against his skin. He looked into those striking brown eyes of hers and leaned his head against hers. He closed his eyes and took a breath before he softly whispered to Haley. "Can we get out of here?"

Haley brought up her other hand and cradled his head into her open neck and lightly spoke the words he wanted to hear into his ear. "Let's go for ride, Nate."

Smiling to himself, Nathan kissed the sensitive skin on Haley's neck and released himself from Haley's hold and got onto his bike. Haley had never been on a motorcycle before. She was utterly thrilled to get onto the back of Nathan's bike and take off to any destination Nathan desired.

Nathan cranked up his bike and Haley hurriedly got onto the back of his motorcycle and wrapped her arms tightly around Nathan's torso. Then they took off down the street towards an endless journey of passion, intimacy and commitment. With the wind blowing in her hair, and the feel of Nathan's warm body pressed against her, Haley knew this is where she wanted to be. She was free falling right into the pits of love and she, by no means, was ever coming back from it.