Chapter 9 – My Immortal Forever I drove home and for once, I stayed there. I just didn’t feel like going anywhere or talking to anyone. I turned off my phones and just lay on my bed, listening to music and watching the rain falling outside my window. Then my favorite song came on, and I don’t know if it was because of the song itself, or the rain, or all the shit that’s been happening lately, or what, but I started crying. These wounds won't seem to heal, This pain is just too real, There’s just too much that time cannot erase. When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears, When you'd scream I’d fight away all of your fears, And I’ve held your hand through all of these years, But you still have all of me. I know that song by heart, and I’ve loved it since the first time I heard it. I’ve just never really understood it, until now. In a way, it sounds kind of like what’s happening to me. I was always there for Nathan, and he broke my heart in a very unforgivable way. However, in the end, he still had all of me, and as much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn’t. I picked up my cell phone, turned it on, and dialed his number. He answered. “Hello?” “Hey, Nathan.” I said quietly. “Lily! I-” I cut him off. “Are you’re parents at home?” “No... but Lily-” he sounded confused. “I’m coming over.” I said, hanging up. I got to his house and walked right in. He never locks the door. I went into his room. He stood up when he saw me in the doorway. “Lily, I…” I didn’t even let him finish. I just walked over, grabbed him, and kissed him. I could tell he was surprised, but that didn’t stop him from kissing me back. I hadn’t been in his arms in two weeks, and I never realized just how much I missed being there. Every other time we’d been together, he had always wanted to take things to the next level. I had always said no. This time, I was the one asking, and I knew he’d say yes. By the time it was over, I was sure that Nathan had forgotten all about Haley. I held him close as he fell asleep in my arms. At first I was going to get up and leave, but it was so peaceful lying there, listening to the rain falling outside, and to Nathan’s rhythmic breathing... I woke up the next morning when Nathan’s alarm clock went off. At first, I had no idea where I was, but then I looked beside me and smiled. Nathan smiled back. “Good Morning.” He said, kissing me lightly. “It’s only good because I’m with you.” I answered, truthfully. We lay there for a while, just holding each other. Then he looked up at me, and for the first time, noticed the bruises. “Lily! What happened?!” he asked, looking horrified. “It’s ok, Nathan, I just… Um… I ran into a door. Stupid, huh?” I said, laughing weakly. Nathan looked at me seriously. “No,” he said softly, “You didn’t.” He reached over and touched my face lightly, tracing the bruises with his fingers. “Someone hit you.” He said. It wasn’t a question. He knew. “Who was it?” he asked, his voice soft but serious. I started crying. But this time, it was different. They were tears of happiness. I knew that no matter what happened, I had Nathan now. I had someone who cared. Someone who loved me. So I told him exactly what had happened. I even told him about how I had been in love with Jesse. I knew that I could talk to him about that now, because even though I still cared about Jesse, it didn’t hurt anymore. Nathan didn’t say anything for a while. He just laid there, deep in thought. I looked at my watch and sat up. “Shit Nathan, we gotta go. It’s Friday, remember?” “Don’t remind me.” He growled. I could tell that he wasn’t a morning person. I walked over to his side of the bed, leaned over, and kissed him. “You know, if you come to school today, you’ll get to spend most of the day with me. Maybe we can figure out a way to make the classes a little more... interesting.” That got him up. I looked at my watch. As much as I wanted to stay there and watch him getting dressed, I had to go home and change too. People tend to give you funny looks if you show up in the same clothes that you had on the day before. I just barely made it to my first class on time, but it was worth it when I saw the way Nathan smiled as I walked in. “Good morning.” He said happily. “Morning.” I answered, smiling secretively and laughing at all the people who were staring at us. I sat down next to him and pretended to be paying attention to what the teacher was saying. What I was really doing was sneaking looks at Nathan out of the corner of my eye. He’s still the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.