Brandon looks up from the entrance of the limestone cave where Haley and him were having a picnic, when he realizes the sun had stopped shining. "Great, now it looks like rain." He says before he takes a deep, unhappy, breath. He side glances at the horses under the nearest trees and wonders if he should get then or not.
Brandon:I'd suggest we'd go back to the ranch, but I doubt we'd make it on time.
Brandon tells Haley, while he looks up again and wrinkles his nose at the black clouds over them. He decides to leave the horses where they are for now and waits to see what Haley is going to decide.
Haley: Hopefully it won't last too long.
Haley says pondering the sky.
Haley: But if it's like most of the rest of the rains I've seen here, the first half hour to hour will be the heaviest.
Brandon: Yeah, it will stop eventually.
Brandon nods as he picks a sandwich from the blanket they were using as table cloth and starts eating it.
Haley leans against the cave wall, watching the clouds for a few minutes, before turning and returning to the blanket and picking up her own sandwich.
Brandon takes some bites at the sandwich in silence, while he frowns at it, he could feel his mood was turning like the weather.
Brandon: I'm getting sick and tired of this, you know? It was fun in the beginning but now...
Brandon shrugs hoping she'd get the idea. He takes another bite and sighs unhappily.
Brandon: Sick and tired of hiding.
Haley shrugs.
Haley: You're the one who insists on hiding it from Liam.
Haley points out.
Brandon: Yeah, I know but he's sort of like a second father to me and you're here with Nikki and it was already embarrassing what happened at the barn.
Brandon tries to explain while he looks at Haley, wondering if he should tell her what has been in his mind lately or not.
Brandon: And he's kind of old-fashioned, no need to shock him?
Haley: I suppose.
Haley chuckles a little, thinking that Liam wasn't old-fashioned, he was just old.
Brandon: In fact, maybe I'm also a little old-fashioned or I wouldn't feel the need to hide.
Brandon admits chuckling at himself. He takes a deep breath as he prepares to continue, then hesitates again if he should say it right there and then, maybe he should wait till later?
Haley: Nothin' wrong with that.
Haley says, thinking that it's actually a nice change, from the guys she's been with before, or her dad for that matter.
Brandon: I'm glad you think that way because ever since I found out I was in love with you, I've been trying to find a way to...
Brandon trails off and swallows as a thought comes to his mind, what if she told him no, or laughed on his face?
Haley: Find a way, to what?
Haley asks looking over at Brandon, and raising her eyebrows slightly.
Brandon takes a deep breath to prepare himself, when he realizes he's gone too far to stop now.
Brandon: I think we should get married.
Haley looks at Brandon in surprise. A range of emotions flicker over her face, before she shakes her head.
Haley: You don't want to marry me.
Haley says softly, turning to stare back out the mouth of the cave.
Brandon frowns at Haley's answer, he was expecting anything but that.
Brandon: Hmm, I do. Maybe it's you who don't want to marry me?
Haley shakes her head.
Haley: You shouldn't want to marry me.
Brandon: Why not?
Brandon asks as his frowns deepens trying to understand what's she's trying to tell him.
Haley: You should marry someone whose... well, not like me.
Haley replies softly.
Brandon shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts, too confused to know what to think, it seemed they were speaking two different languages here.
Brandon: Not like you? What do you want to mean by that?
Haley: Someone who isn't tainted.
Haley says flatly.
Brandon rolls his eyes at her choice of words.
Brandon: Now who's being old-fashioned? I know I wasn't the first, of course, but that doesn't make you tainted.
Haley: You want to know what is tainted?
Haley says sharply turning back to Brandon.
Haley: My "first" was my own father.
Haley spits out, and then moves to her feet and moves to the mouth of the cave, not actually leaving the cave, not mad enough to leave the cave, and not mad at Brandon. But knowing the only reaction to her statement can be disgust, and not wanting to see that in Brandon's face when he looks at her.
Brandon is too dumbfounded to do anything but stare at Haley's back for a long moment, then he slowly gets to his feet and walks to the entrance of the cave to be near her, even thought not near enough sensing she might need some room.
Brandon: I'm sorry. I had no idea.
Brandon says just loud enough for her to hear him.
Haley: Now you know why you shouldn't marry me.
Haley says, not looking at Brandon, not wanting to see his disgust.
Brandon frowns thinking for a while looking outside, then shakes his head.
Brandon: Still don't see why that would make you tainted, it wasn't your fault.
Haley: I know that it wasn't my fault. But you should still marry someone better than me.
Haley says.
Brandon: You judge yourself too harshly.
Brandon says shaking his head again.
Brandon: Besides I don't want to marry anyone else but you, so that settles it, no?
Haley turns to look at Brandon, tears in her eyes.
Haley: How can you still want to marry me, knowing the truth?
Haley whispers.
Brandon: Maybe that's what love is all about? I just know that whatever you did in your past, isn't going to make me stop loving you, so...
Brandon shrugs not knowing how to explain it.
Haley felt her eyes over flow slightly, and felt the trickle of wetness go down her cheek.
Haley: I don't deserve you.
Haley whispers.
Brandon: Ah come on, Haley. Don't turn me into a saint, I know I'm not.
Brandon smiles softly as he slowly wipes her tears with his fingertips.
Brandon: So Haley Colson do you want to marry me?
Haley nods her head.
Haley: Yes.
To be continued