The Madness of Flyin' High

By Jean

Chapter One

Haley eyed the clock, wishing she had the power to change time or stop it all together. She often thought it would be wonderful to be able to stop a magical moment in time and just have that moment last forever. She had so many moments like that with Nathan that she wouldn’t be able to pick just one. If forced, her wedding day would be the winner. No wait, her wedding night! The thought of it brought color to her cheeks. But right now, she just wanted to make the second hand stop ticking because it was bringing them closer to D Day. Departure Day. Nathan was leaving today for High Flyers. She cursed herself for picking the right teams for the Final Four and cursed her Dad for upping the stakes with his bookie buddy at the same time that she rejoiced that they were so blessed that it worked out in order for Nathan to actually be able to participate in such a prestigious opportunity. The prospect of him being chosen by a scout while he was actually there was high and she giggled as she daydreamed of sitting in a college stadium watching her husband sink the winning basket for the Men’s NCAA Tournament Finals.

As if on cue, the traitorous alarm sounded, blaringly interrupting her daydreams, causing Nathan to stir beside her. He rose up on his elbows and watched as Haley quickly turned off the alarm and grunted as she climbed on top of him stilling any further movement from him. “No, no, no, no,” she said in a whining tone, pressing her body upon his full length and laying her head on his chest.

Nathan rubbed her back, rocking her slightly. “Hales, it’s D Day, I have to go. We have been prepping for this for the past 3 months!”

Haley listened to the rumble of the vibration of his deep voice in his chest as a traitorous tear, cousin to the traitorous alarm, formed in her eyes. She blinked it away aggressively before the floodgates opened, refusing to make him feel bad for leaving her here. They had made this choice together, realizing it was the most mature thing for them to do. Otherwise, they would lose the apartment, leave Karen in a lurch and blow most of the money she won on somewhere for her to stay in Florida for three months since Nathan would be sleeping in the dorms at the camp. They had looked at it every which way to figure something out until coming to the inevitable conclusion. She had to remain in Tree Hill. They had budgeted in a weekend trip mid way through so they wouldn’t be separated the entire three months.

“I know,” she pouted. “It just came so fast and now it's real!”

Nathan placed his hand under her chin moving her face off his chest so she was looking at him. “Look how fast these three months went,” he said, trying to convince the both of them.

His palms were actually sweating at the thought of not seeing her. He knew that this was an opportunity of a lifetime but he questioned his overall dedication to basketball in being able to survive for three months without her. This must be what addiction was like. You lived without something for most of your life till that first taste and then you can’t conceive living without it. He was sure they didn’t sell a nicotine patch for weaning off your lovers. He wished that the concept of the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was real so that he could forget her for three months and then return his memory just in time for when he returned to Tree Hill. He missed her already and he hadn’t even left yet. Instead, he had to survive on the sage advice of some old sentimental geezer like Whitey. That which doesn’t kill you, can make you stronger or in other words Nathan, Deal. Leave it to the old man not to mince words.

Nathan suddenly became aware of Haley removing herself from his body and he grabbed her back to him. “Where are you going?” He lifted his head up to hers to kiss her as her hair fell forward and sheltered their faces. It was a cherishing kiss, bittersweet, their lips moving gently together, nipping, caressing, loving. There was no tongue thrusting or sucking, they just fed their need to taste each other and luxuriate in the feel of their lips against one another’s, bringing them both a unique peacefulness, uniting them together, breathing in unison as if they were one being.

Nathan pulled back slightly to gaze into Haley’s eyes, whispering softly. “What am I going to do with myself when I can’t wake up and look into your eyes?” Haley’s eyes glistened as she lifted her hand and swept Nathan’s hair off his forehead. “I don’t know, close your eyes again and think of me wondering what I am going to do in the morning when I wake up without your arms around me?”

Nathan nodded his head and grinned at her. “We are pretty sappy Hales. I didn’t leave the video camera on from last night did I? I don’t want this to be caught on tape.”

Haley reared back. “Nathan Scott!” she said horrified remembering their heated lovemaking session last night. “You…, we were…, I was…, you…, you didn’t!” Haley’s body shook as Nathan’s body rocked her from trying to contain his laughter. “C’mere.” He took her head between his large hands and gazed at her intently. “Haley, I would never do that to you without you knowing. Not last night anyway.”

“Nathan!” She attempted to pull away but couldn’t break free of his grip.

He brought his lips to hers again and mumbled against them. “I would never do that to you Haley. Never without your knowledge. I promise. However, if you consented, I can say I would be a very happy man.” He flashed her his side smirk.

Haley smiled at him giggling, returning his kiss with a bit more fervor. “You are one of the sexiest perverts I know.”

Nathan’s hand went behind her head and pulled her hair gently. “I better be the only pervert you know!”

“In the biblical sense? You are definitely the only pervert I know.”

“Biblical huh? Care to demonstrate exactly what that means?”

Haley sat up straddling him, tossing her hair back sexily. “As a matter of fact, I can,” she said huskily. She gyrated herself against him and watched intently as Nathan’s facial expression immediately changed, a small moan emanating from deep in his throat. She slowly unbuttoned her pajama top and slid it sexily off her shoulder, turning sideways, showing him her bare shoulder and back, “You like?”

Nathan’s hands gripped her hips tightly. “I love,” he responded throatily. Haley pulled her top off slowly and tossed it behind her with flourish loving the look Nathan gave her breasts. He would constantly praise them while they were making love but it was the look he gave her when he would first see them naked. He looked at them like someone would look when appraising an art piece they found fascinating. She saw dime store art but she could tell he saw priceless. She was going to use them to her full advantage now to make sure this last lovemaking session before their separation was imprinted indelibly in his mind.

Nathan sucked in his breath as Haley leaned forward, her breasts swaying over his face as she grabbed his hands and placed them over his head. He must have imagined that she deliberately let them slide along the side of his face, the sensuality of it making him break out in a light sweat. “Imagine a silky scarf tied around them so you cannot move. And I mean it Nathan, no moving them.” She took her hand and closed his eyes. “Keep those closed too.”

“You are pretty demanding this morning Mrs. Scott,” he choked out. Her hands slid down his strong arms lightly but with enough pressure to feel the contours of his well defined muscles. She loved the lanky muscularity of Nathan’s arms from the years of basketball training. Her hands traveled to his chest, caressing it and she followed the path with her breasts, lightly leaning over him so that they whispered over his chest and abdomen and then back up. Nathan arched himself up to encourage more contact and he reached his hands down to cup them or mold her to him so he could feel them flattened against him but she grabbed his hands and brought them up above his head again, once again letting her breasts slightly caress his face. He felt them whisper across his lips and his breathing became labored.

“Haley,” he groaned. “You are killing me here.”

She wasn’t prepared for the quick movement of his head. She hadn’t told him that he couldn’t move his head or his mouth and it was her turn to gasp as his mouth found her like a heat seeking missile. It felt like electric shocks running through her body and she cried out as he changed sides. He pulled away for a second, “Balls in my court now Hales, we don’t have that much time.” He fervently went back to his task and Haley found herself melting into him, willing him to feed his frenzy as she reaped the benefits.

~*~

Nathan came out of the shower to find Haley looking at the suitcase on the bed with her printed list in front of her. He looked at her twice noticing her eyes were slightly red-rimmed and puffy but saw no other indication that she was crying so he chalked it up to staying up so late. She was handling this much better than he had anticipated. “Haley, you have had me packed for over two weeks and checked that list like ten times. Look at all the check marks. The man in red may try to recruit you around Christmas time.”

“I know Nathan, but I just want to make sure you're prepared.”

“Hales, a needle and thread are not prepared. That is just gay, particularly for a guy going to an all male basketball camp. Shorts, T-shirts, jock strap, sneakers, Playboy magazines… that is prepared. Oh, and one other thing. It’s Florida Haley, not Ethiopia or some other third world country. From what I hear they have stores there.”

“Perv boy strikes again! My Nana told me to never go away without a needle and thread. You never know when you might need it. And you know what, you will thank me when you don’t have to run out to get Imodium AD after eating that camp food. Because you won’t feel like going anywhere.”

“Are you wishing the scoots on me? Nice Haley,” he teased. “Fine. Keep the needle and thread, just make sure you throw in the Playboys.”

“Nathan, why do you need those?”

Nathan grabbed her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the familiar scent of her freshly washed hair. “No whining Haley.  You promised. You want to give me some naked pictures of you to get by? I’d much rather have those.”

Haley crushed her heated face into his shirt. He barely heard the muffled response but knew there was no way in hell she would do that. He saw her reach over and toss the magazines in with several other books while he was heading towards the closet. What he didn’t see was Haley opening one of the magazines and slipping something into the middle and the crocodile tear that slipped down her cheek that was brusquely wiped away.

~*~

Nathan dragged the suitcase and his carry on out of the apartment door and took a last glance around the extremely clean apartment, breathing in the smell of fresh baked brownies that Haley had insisted on making for him to pack. She was scurrying all over the apartment all morning, cleaning, baking, adding last minute items to his bag and he knew she wouldn’t allow herself to sit still to dwell. He nodded his head at the hominess of it and closed the door, turning to start down the stairs.

Haley looked up as he came down the stairs and smiled tremulously. She could tell he was trying to contain his excitement about going so she didn’t feel bad but she could tell by the way his leg jiggled as they ate and the whistling in the shower. He was keyed up and ready to go and she was truly happy for him. They both felt great knowing they were the reason he was now finally going and not Dan paying the way so he could ultimately hold it over Nathan’s head one day in the heat of some argument.

Nathan leaned down and kissed Haley and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hugging her tightly to his side. “I don’t know why your parents have to take you to the airport. I thought we would have just a half hour more alone time.”

“I know Hales but blame yourself. You are the one that caused my Dad to call a semi-truce so let’s do this one little thing to make him and my Mom feel like they still have some kind of control over my life.”

“You're right Nathan, I'm sorry. I am happy that we can be civil with them again. It feels better than avoiding them at all costs. But I swear, if he tries to goad me at all, I may flip, I am trying to hold it all together here.” Her voice caught and she choked back a sob as Nathan kissed the side of her head and murmured. “I know you have babe. You are a rock.” Just as he finished his last word, a Black Expedition pulled up and Dan hopped out, clicking the automatic door opener of the back.

“Getting it all in now kids? No time for the lovey-dovey at High Flyers. Pure focus on a the future there.” Dan passed by Haley and grinned at her. “Haley,” he said in his jibing tone. “Mr. Scott,” she said flatly.

Nathan laughed softly. Truce or no truce, that greeting, similar to the day Dan had found Nathan teaching Haley how to play ball out on their court, had now become their standard shtick, as if warning each other that even though they were on speaking terms, they had a far way to go before they trusted or completely accepted each other.

Haley rested her head on Nathan’s shoulder as she made polite conversation with Deb as they drove to the airport. She gazed down as Nathan played with her hands in his lap, pushing her ring up and down on her finger as he so often did with his own. Her boy was a fidget, pure and simple. She was really going to miss all his drumming of his fingers, tapping of his knife at the dinner table, the jiggling of the sofa as he frantically played NBA Live. It would be ok. She would catch up on all her reading for the Summer Syllabus, maybe paint the apartment, cry a river… she had time.

~*~

Nathan held Haley in an excruciatingly tight embrace, his face buried in her hair. She wasn’t saying a word, just holding on to him just as tightly, her breathing erratic like she was trying to maintain complete control. Now was the time for reality to hit him. He was getting on a plane and leaving her and he was freaked. He listened as the voice over the PA announced “Flight 455 to Daytona, Final Departure.”

He could feel his parents, Lucas, Tim, Brooke and Peyton watching them, the girls getting teary eyed. He knew Tim would be there, he kept telling him he would and that he would take good care of Haley. Whatever that meant. Probably coming over and squelching meals out of her just like he did when Nathan was around. But he was glad. Tim was good people, regardless if he was missing a few brain cells. He would look out for Haley. He hoped Haley didn’t kill him in the process. He hadn’t known that Lucas, Brooke and Peyton were going to surprise him by saying good-bye at the airport but he felt happy that they did. Because they cared about him enough to do so and because now they would be there for Haley when the plane took off. He knew she was freaking about standing there with Dan and Deb after he left. It’s not like they were going to comfort her.

He felt his Mother’s hand on his shoulder. “Nathan honey. You really have to go. They won’t hold the plane for you.”

Nathan nodded his head into Haley’s hair and pulled away from her. His eyes red from suppressing the pressure behind them. No way was he going to break down in front of Danny Boy. He kissed her gently on the forehead and turned away abruptly, catching Haley taking a faltering step backwards, and he waved his hand over his shoulder to the rest of the well wishers. He almost made it to the ticket counter but turned on his heel and ran back to Haley and picked her up in his arms and placed his lips upon hers, ravaging them, sucking on them as if he were trying to extract some essential essence from them. He felt her tongue assault his roughly as she mewled like a lost kitten. He faintly heard the flight attendant reprimand him. “Sir, you really must board the plane now. We cannot wait any longer.”

He whispered roughly in Haley’s ear. “God, I love you.” And heard her reply. “I miss you already Nathan.” He took off running and only turned back slightly as he passed Dan who murmured the word pussy in his ear. He immediately responded so only Dan could hear. “Better than being jealous though isn’t it Dad.” He knew Dan would both respect his response and hate it for the ringing of truth in it.

Haley stepped back into the circle of her friends and was immediately enveloped in their embrace, Tim included. They almost formed a shield from Deb and Dan as they hugged her and let her release the tears that she so valiantly held back while saying good-bye to Nathan. Without looking back, they moved her forward towards the airport exit because she didn’t wish to see the plane take off with her heart in it.

Chapter Two

Haley withdrew herself from Lucas’ protective arms and wiped the remnants of her tears from her face. She looked around at her friends. She was drained. “Thank you, you guys. I really appreciate that you were here for me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Peyton said sarcastically, “hugged the ever loveable Dan?”

Haley rolled her eyes, “Please. Truce or no truce, I don’t see that ever happening.”

Peyton smiled at her sympathetically. “Are you sure you want to ride home with them?”

Brooke put her arm around Haley pulling her in close adding cheerily. “Yeah, come on Tutor Wife, you can ride shot gun.”

Haley smiled half-heartedly. “Thanks Tigger, but, I really should ride home with them. We are really trying so… I think it is the right thing to do. I did come with them.”

Brooke sighed. “Polly, you are the purest.”

“It’s a curse.” Haley acknowledged.

Lucas brought her into another hug, “It’s why we love you Hales. Good Luck. Call me when you get home, ok?”

“Sure.”

“Me too,” chimed Tim.

“Uh, um, ok Tim,” Haley chuckled, giving him a curious look. She sighed and walked towards the Expedition that was parked at the curb.

Haley opened the door and climbed into the car. She was momentarily taken aback by the look on Dan’s face. “I am so sorry for making you wait.”

~*~

Nathan closed his eyes, drumming his fingers to the beat piping through his headphones as he stretched his long legs out into the aisle of the plane. Leave it to Haley; she had taken everything into consideration for this trip to make sure he was comfortable. Downloaded all his favorite songs to several CDs, packed all his favorite junk food, bought all his favorite magazines; even booked him an aisle seat. She probably had only flown once in her life but she insisted he would hate a window seat and would be much happier with an aisle seat. He looked across the row at a guy that was probably 2 inches taller than him and broader and felt for the dude. He was continuously shifting in his seat and was obviously miserable. He had the look of a baller and Nathan wondered if he was on his way to High Flyers while at the same time thinking, the dude needed a Haley.

Nathan felt his stomach rumble and fished under his seat for his backpack. The flight from NC to Florida was pretty short so no meal was provided. Instead they got a bag of pretzels that would satisfy a five year old. He pulled out his care package that was filled with different kinds of nuts, Sun Chips, beef jerky (the food for the real man), power bars, breath mints, a bottle of Power Aide… Nathan laughed softly as he noticed two items that were certainly for affect, a box of Cracker Jacks and a bag of Rold Gold Honey Mustard nuggets, Haley’s favorite. She was slick; she was making sure he was constantly reminded of her. Like that was a problem. He found himself longing to call her but pushed it aside since no cell phones were allowed in flight; knowing that he would as soon as he landed in Florida.

He inspected the bag further and almost let out a woop of joy when he came upon a separate bag with several sandwiches. When had she packed all this stuff? It certainly explained why his backpack was much heavier than he had anticipated. Nathan ripped open the bag and bit down on a Haley special, ham and swiss on rye with mustard and mayonnaise and lettuce. He didn’t know what it was about her sandwiches but he could never recreate them like she made them. He savored the taste while glancing around him and couldn’t help but notice the look of envy from the uncomfortable dude across the aisle. Nathan picked up one of the remaining sandwich bags and nodded his head across the aisle, silently questioning if he wanted it. He saw the guy make a face like he wanted to say yes but shook is head, trying to be polite.

“Dude, take it. I have two more,” he said a little too loudly since his headphones were still on. Nathan looked shocked when several people in the other aisles ripped their heads around to glare at him. He removed the earphones glaring back, never admitting that he was somewhat embarrassed.

"If you're serious man, I'll take it. I didn't get to eat before I left, I was pretty unorganized." He extended his hand as Nathan threw the sandwich over to him, the bag whizzing by the face of an older woman sitting in the aisle across from Nathan, causing her to let out an exclamation. Nathan mumbled an apology while thinking about the size of the guy's hand. He had to be a baller. Nathan thought his hands were big but this dude had him beat by a long shot. He had to have an incredible dunk.

Nathan put his earphones on and resumed eating his sandwich, his head bobbing to the tune. He felt a gentle hand touch his elbow and looked up quickly. The woman across the aisle caught his attention and motioned to the guy by the window. He was holding up some kind of envelope. Nathan looked puzzled and once again removed his headphones.

“Hey, hate to interrupt you but this was taped to the sandwich bag.” Nathan looked at the envelope and felt his heart beat harder at Haley’s familiar writing. He turned slightly pink as the envelope was handed to the woman on the aisle so she could pass it over. She smiled at him as she passed it over. “Smells pretty, I think I recognize the scent. My daughter wears Clinique Happy too.”

Nathan smiled and cleared his throat before mumbling thanks. Without thinking about it, he raised the envelope to his nose invoking the memory of his penchant for nuzzling Haley’s neck just to smell her perfume. Most people would think that Haley was a flowery perfume girl but she wasn’t. She loved the smell of anything clean. She would make him walk around the department stores endlessly, searching for that clean smell. She would leave with a bottle of perfume and he would leave with a headache from smelling what seemed like 100 bottles of perfume. However, once it was on her and she would walk by him, he couldn’t let her walk by without a nuzzle. Nathan cleared his head abruptly. No need to embarrass himself by getting too deep into daydreaming about their escapades. It might cause a reaction that he didn’t want observed by a plane full of people.

Nathan pondered opening the letter right now but couldn’t help himself. He had to. He turned the envelope over and grinned at her artistic doodles of hearts and kisses. She was such a girl. He withdrew the paper and smiled at the initials at the top. NSH. Haley’s Mom had sent them monogrammed stationary as a gift. He had scoffed at anyone ever using stationary anymore with email and IM but was immediately silenced by Haley admonishing him not to poke fun at people’s gifts. She was going to make a hell of a mother some day.

Nathan smirked at her first line, she had so many nicknames for him, he couldn’t keep up.

My baby Bobcat,

You are probably only a half an hour into the flight right now and I bet you have already torn into the sandwiches I made for you. Is it silly that I cried as I made them because it will be the last time for the next several months that we can sit at the counter and have lunch together while you scarf down your sandwich and then eye mine until I give you a bite? I will probably gain weight now since you are not there to help me eat my meals. In fact, don’t be scared when you come back and I am a big fat cow that moos when you open the door! Oh wait, I am supposed to make you miss me, not be scared of returning home. In that case, as you so like to say, I am hot. I am going to be even hotter when you next see me. So hot you will not be able to keep your hands off me. Not that you do now but… it will get even worse. Is it funny that I am blushing? You are not even here and just the thought of you and how you make me feel makes me blush.

Oh well, I miss you already but I am so thrilled for you that you are doing something that will make you even better than you are now. I hope it is the best experience ever, (besides marrying me, that is) and that you feel great that you are doing it because in the end, it is all about our future together. Me and my Final Four winning handsome hunk of a husband that goes on to be an NBA champion while I sit home and polish my nails and eat bon bons. Oh wait, rewrite. I would be bored to tears. While I sit in the stands and cheer loudly as the letter advising me of my Nobel Prize Award for my breakthrough research on curing cancer comes in the mail. Much better, don’t you think? Or maybe I will be waiting for my Pulitzer Prize for my outstanding photojournalism depicting the real world behind March Madness. Ok, that is stretching it but as you know, I still get teary eyed every time I look at that picture on our refrigerator of the UNC players lying on the court hugging each other and crying. It spoke to me and maybe one day I will do something like that that speaks to people.

Nathan, I love you so much. Do well, play hard, drink lots of water, don’t look at any girls, think of me often and kick some High Flyin ass! Yes, I said ass. You are a bad influence.

Loving you and missing you madly,

Hales

Nathan found himself smiling broadly as he reread the letter several times before sighing, folding it up and sniffing it one more time. It was going to be a long three months. Suddenly, he felt that eerie feeling you get when you sense people are staring at you. He looked up and found the uncomfortable sandwich guy and the Clinique Happy lady both staring at him grinning. Had they been watching him the whole time? Geez get a life. However he couldn’t help but smile good-naturedly at their comments. “Man, you are gone,” which was followed by a big booming laugh that caused Nathan to chuckle and several people to once again turn their heads.

“Out of the ball park,” the woman replied. “Young teenage love is so wonderful.”

Nathan was non-plussed and returned their smiles and comments with a nod of his head as he reached in his bag and turned his body towards them both, extending his left hand out with a snack offering, his wedding ring in full view. “Beef Jerky.” The Scott grin was in full view as their jaws fell open and their eyes got wide.

~*~

“Interesting definition of what you teenagers now call one minute,” Dan commented dryly.

“I know, I'm sorry, we were just making some plans how I could occupy myself while Nathan is gone and…” she found the tears once again welling up in her eyes.

“Oh God. Deb, give the waterworks a tissue would you?” He flashed Haley a look of irritation in the rearview mirror.

“Dan,” Deb said admonishingly as she reached in the glove compartment and handed Haley a tissue. “Haley, he will be back soon. It will go faster than you think, especially since you told Karen that you would also help out at TRIC this summer. We have some great things planned. You will be so busy, he'll be back before you blink an eye.”

“Yeah Haley, besides you better not waste your time pining over missing him because it is not going to be reciprocated.”

“DAN!” Deb screeched horrified. “That is…”

“It’s ok Mrs. Scott. He is right. Nathan is going to be so busy, he is going to have very little time to think about me. He needs to focus while he is there. From the looks of his schedule, he is booked solid most of the day and from what I read on line, the competition is going to be really rough so Nathan will really have to bring it, if he wants to be picked out of the crowd. But, I WILL waste my time missing him,” she added defiantly. “I’ll do it for the both of us.”

Haley smiled when she heard Dan hrmmpfh from the front seat. Blocked that shot she thought smugly as she childishly stuck her tongue out at him as he drove.

“I saw that.” Dan said snidely.

“I meant you to,” Haley countered.

Haley suppressed a giggle as she saw Deb’s had snake around her seat and silently give her the thumbs up sign.

~*~

Haley slowly climbed up the stairway to the apartment, dreading the quiet that would greet her there. She had come home to an empty apartment numerous times but this would be different because she would know that she couldn’t watch the clock and count the minutes until Nathan got home from work or from basketball practice. She wouldn't be able to run towards him and jump in his arms, reveling in his strong arms around her, his wonderful lips upon hers giving her kisses that had her ripping at his coveralls or sweatshirt. She retrieved her keys and was looking down, lost in her soon to be erotic thoughts, when she tripped over a pair of feet extending out from the apartment door. She cried out in alarm catching herself before she flew into the wall.

She heard a shrill scream of surprise as she turned around cautiously to see who it was.

“TIM! What are you doing? You scared the daylights out of me!”

Tim yawned. Obviously she had just disturbed his nap. “Sorry Haley,” he said sincerely. “I just wanted to make sure you got home alright.”

“Tim! It is five o’clock in the afternoon. Not midnight. I am fine.”

“Well, I was home hours ago. What took you so long?”

Haley looked at him exasperatedly and couldn’t help but smile. Timmy Smith was worried about her. He had sworn to Nathan he would look out for her and she hadn’t realized how loyal he was to his word. “I went out to dinner with Deb and Dan.

“Ewwww.”

Haley giggled at his response.

Tim had risen and was shuffling his feet as he looked at the ground. “Oh, so I guess that means you are not hungry? I thought maybe you would want to get something to eat.”

“Me and you?” Haley said laughingly, abruptly stopping at the look on Tim’s face. She hadn’t thought about it really. She was too busy worrying about how much she was going to miss Nathan. This was Tim’s first summer without him too. He was going to miss him. “You know what Tim, I think I have a Ham and Swiss on rye that is calling your name inside.”

“Really,” he said excitedly. “Can I play NBA Live while you make it?”

Haley shook her head as she unlocked the door. “If you must,” she teased. "By the way Tim, where did you learn to scream like that? I might need that if I am ever attacked." She saw Tim's eyes widen in fear at her words. "TIM, I'm kidding." She pushed him inside. Something told her she was going to have a lot of “Tim Time” this summer. Perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. It would be like having a child and it would help her take her mind off Nathan. Like that was possible

Chapter Three

Nathan felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him, startling him out of a semi coma. “Sir, you will have to put your seat up. We will be landing now.”

Nathan nodded in compliance and felt a grin creep upon him in remembrance of the semi-conscious replay he had just had of his last evening with Haley. She had been intense and he wondered if he had marks on his body that would prove it. Haley was not big into the look of the “love bite”, the kiss of the “violet vampire.” In fact, she had nearly killed him one day before they were married when he had threatened to give her a hickey if she didn’t tell him her most embarrassing moment. She hadn’t fessed up so he felt it was his duty to carry out his threat. There was no doubt she enjoyed the process but when she saw the result, she flipped. She must have worn a turtleneck or her scarf for a week.

Last night was a different story; she was crawling all over him, kissing him fiercely, biting him, clawing at him, needing to be as close to him as possible and he knew he didn’t come away unscathed. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been much better and he hoped that he hadn’t hurt her or marred the creamy complexion of her soft skin. He searched for a word to sum up their love making session until he settled on frenzied. Freakin frenzied man, like it was the last time they would see each other and the end result had rocked both their worlds. Explosive. He felt a traitorous sensation between his legs and quickly pulled his backpack into his lap and pretended to look for something. He changed the course of his thoughts and willed himself to run through the drills he thought they would make them do, counting them off as he commanded his body to get control of itself. Conditioning, ball handling, defense, footwork, passing, shooting, mental toughness, rebounding and vertical to improve dunking capabilities.

The plane landed with a bump, causing Nathan to grab his stomach as it flipped over, similar to what happened to him when he went on a roller coaster. He shook his head at the betrayal of his body. No one would have thought that the virile Nathan Scott got butterflies on rides and bumpy airplanes. Since he was towards the back of the plane he sat patiently waiting for the people in the seats before him to deplane. He gathered his belongings as he watched “uncomfortable guy” extract his legs from under his seat, actually having to pull them out with his hands under his knee. Nathan stood up, slightly bent over, due to the bulkhead and motioned to the older woman from the other aisle seat to go before him. He smiled as she murmured a pleased Thank You at his good manners and wished him luck with his marriage. As he fully extended himself and picked his head up, his eyes widened in surprise as the top of his head measured up to the guy from the window seat’s collarbone. He had obviously misjudged his height. He wasn’t two inches taller than him; he was Sasquatch.

~*~

Haley closed the door behind Tim after having to physically remove him from the apartment. She giggled as she thought about their night together, realizing that she never really had the time to talk to Tim one on one that much since Nathan was always around and he tended to focus all his attention on him. He was actually a very good storyteller. Nathan had told her about the first time he and Tim had met when she had questioned Tim’s extreme loyalty to him. He had told her that he had saved Tim from some bully’s when they were in grammar school and they had been friends from then on. But Tim told the story with much more passion and detail. She loved details. Especially when they concerned anything about Nathan and how he was when he was growing up. She reflected on how the conversation even began, surprised at Tim’s sincerity.

Tim finished his second sandwich and looked up at Haley. “That was freakin awesome Haley. Nathan is a lucky guy.”

“Because I make a good sandwich,” she scoffed.

“Yeah, and….” Tim stopped momentarily.

Haley turned to him from the kitchen sink. “What Tim?”

“I, um… because you are helping him find the guy he used to be. Or maybe just helping him show it, instead of burying it.”

“Tim! Have I discovered another secret?”

“DON”T SAY IT HALEY!” Tim said excitedly.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I was going to say have I just discovered that Tim Smith has a deep, introspective side?”

“Oh,” Tim said embarrassedly. “I thought, I thought you were going to say something like I was in love with Nathan or something.” His voice trailed off. “I do love him, I mean, not like THAT. I like tits! And asses! And big luscious lips with red lipstick…” he added hurriedly.

“STOP! Haley held out her hand in protest. T M I Tim!

“Oh sorry, But, he is like a brother to me. I wouldn’t put up with all his abuse if I didn’t love him right?”

Haley looked at him introspectively. She had always laughed when Nathan abused Tim, he was such a goof ball sometimes, she thought he had deserved it.

“So why do you,” she asked softly. Torn between remaining loyal to her husband, but wanting to know what it was that kept Tim so tight with him.

“Because, he needed me. I saw Dan at his worst Haley. My Dad basically ignores me, he is always so busy working but… I found myself happy that that was the case after seeing Dan with Nathan. He needed to lash out at someone after all the crap he took and when that someone became me… I just went with the flow. I think sometimes I would even do or say dumb things so Nathan would take his mind off of the pressure.”

“So what, you become his own personal Court Jester?”

“Hey, he is the King?” he teased back.

“So, what is your version of when you and Nathan met?” Haley sat down genuinely interested in hearing what Tim had to say.

Tim blurted out. “He saved my ASS!”

“And?” Haley motioned to him for more details.

These three dudes that were from Smithfield, the town next to Tree Hill found me walking down the Railroad tracks one day and dragged me down to the creek and tied me to a tree. I was all crazy crying and shit, cause I had sneaked downstairs the week before and sat on the stairs while my Dad was watching Deliverance. Have you ever seen that movie? If you haven’t- don’t! I still have nightmares about that sucker. There are some crazy people out there that think of these stories. Anyway, I was begging them to not make me squeal like a pig, all freaked out and they were like, what the hell are you talking about kid. We want to play William Tell. The next thing you know, this fat porker kid comes and puts an apple on my head and tells me to stand real still and stop crying or else I am going to make William miss! So I spit on him. Dumb move. He spit right on my face and I couldn’t wipe it off because my hands were tied behind my back.” Tim ignored Haley’s cries of disgust and continued. “Anyway, I look up and John Castleman, alias William and resident badass, has a bow and arrow in his hand. So I laugh then, thinking that it is some kiddie bow and arrow and they are just playing with me. Until he lets it go and it sinks into my arm.”

Tim lifted up his shirt sleeve and revealed his scar causing Haley to gasp. “TIM!”

Well, I let out a scream that rang through Tree Hill I think. Scared the crap out of those bastards until they shoved some kind of sock or something in my mouth and told me to close my eyes because he was going to try for the apple this time. I am standing there blubbering, practically peeing in my pants imagining an arrow in my head and all of a sudden I hear this grunt. I opened one eye and Porker boy’s cheek is bleeding but I don’t see anybody. Next thing you know, the other dude, who was really just standing there all nervous grabs his arm. And then William’s head bobs forward and he nearly let’s go of the arrow right at me until something hits him in the back, making him drop the whole bow and scream out in pain. Before you know it, rocks are streaming in, just pelting these cats until they ran away yelling and hollerin, leaving me tied up. It would have been really funny if I hadn’t been so scared and then peed myself in relief.”

“Ohhhh,” Haley began empathetically. “Ewwww Tim.”

Well, next thing you know, I hear this rustling of leaves and I am thinking it is the trio coming back to get me until I look up and I see this tall lanky kid with dark black hair standing before me smirking with a sling shot in his hand. He raises the sling shot and aims it at me and before I can say a word, the apple splats and falls off my head.

“Oh my God! Nathan shot the apple off your head after all that! How could he?” Haley felt an anger build up in her until she heard a loud rumble of laughter.

“Nah, I made that up.”

The whole story! Haley lunged forward at Tim as he held up his hands in defense.

“NO! The rest of the story was completely true. I just thought it would be pretty cool if he had knocked the apple off my head so I added that in for effect. He then just walked forward and asked me if I was ok and untied the ropes.”

“And then what,” Haley questioned.

“And then, he held out his hand and introduced himself, telling me his name was Nathan Scott and did I want to come back to his house and change and have some ice cream. He brought me home and his Mom cleaned up my wound while I salivated all over her and we were inseparable after that.”

Haley slapped her hands against the counter. “Wow! That is an incredible story Tim. You almost had me in tears for you.” She found herself internally beaming that her husband had been the hero, totally unsurprised, yet inspired by his skill with a sling- shot.

“Are you kidding me, it was an awesome day! It was like I was in a movie or something and then top it off with me getting a view of Deb’s cones while she was leaning over me cleaning me up. I went to bed a happy boy.”

Haley rolled her eyes. There was the Tim she knew again. “OH LORD. Time for you to go Timmy. I have to be at work early tomorrow morning and I really want to call Nathan.” She hadn’t meant to whine when she said that but she was going through withdrawal. Why hadn’t she heard from him yet?

“Well, I could stay a little while longer if you want, say hi to Nathan?”

She looked at Tim witheringly and pointed to the door. “I am fine Tim, OUT!”

When he didn’t budge, she pulled him up from his chair and pushed his back playfully towards the door. “Tomorrow is another day. You can come check on me at the café.”

“ I can?”

“YES, now get out!”

Tim turned his head around as Haley shoved him out the door. Hey Haley? I like that you called me Timmy. It would be nice if we could be friends. You are easy to talk to.”

She smiled in agreement. “Goodnight Timmy.” And with one final shove she pushed him out and closed the door.

~*~

Nathan immediately withdrew his cell phone from his pocket as he walked through the airport to baggage claim. He had told Haley he would wait until he got settled at camp so he could give her all the details of what it was like but he couldn’t wait. He turned it on and watched as the light came on and it chimed indicating it was ready to use. He punched the number one and watched as the phone dialed Haley’s cell. As he brought it to his ear, he felt the excitement build about being able to hear her voice. His face fell as he heard her recording come on. “Haley James Scott, reached me you have not. Leave a message at the tone and I’ll get back to you on your phone!”

“Wife,” he said deeply. “You really need a course in phone messages. Corny with a capital C babe. I’m at the airport. Call you later. I love you.”

“That’s beat, you can’t reach her? I could have thanked her for the sandwich.”

Nathan looked up in surprise. “He hadn’t realized Sasquatch was behind him. “Hey, uh no, I’ll try her again later.” He stopped walking and wiped his sweaty palm on his pants, extending it out. “Nathan Scott. I am heading to the High Flyers basketball camp and I’ll quit school if I am wrong in guessing that you are too.”

Sasquatch laughed. “Nate Mullins. But my friends call me Puff. And no need to quit school since you have it down man. I am heading to High Flyers myself. It’s my second year there.”

Puff? Nathan said quizzically trying to get the connection.

“Yeah, after Puff Daddy, who is a major pretty boy if you ask me but we had class pictures in my freshman year and my Grandma made me wear this suit of my Grandpa’s from way back when, complete with his gold fob watch and his hat and that got me stuck with the name since obviously I don’t look a damn thing like the player. The freakin guy gets his nails polished. Pansy.”

“He gets some girls though, throws some kick ass parties.”

“Yeah, can’t help but respect that I guess. But since your name is Nate too, might as well keep my nickname.”

“Or ahh, I could call you Sasquatch.” He grinned as he looked up to check Nate’s reaction. He’d figure a way out if he got mad.

Once again, Nathan heard the booming laugh he heard on the plane. “Damn boy, that is what my Grandma calls me. Go for it. I’ll have to think of a name for you, I’ll let you know when I think of one.”

Nathan smiled. Camp might be fun, this guy was cool.

~*~

Haley cleaned up after Tim and found herself wandering around the apartment, absentmindedly moving things around to busy herself. She couldn’t believe that Nathan had not called yet. She had told him that she would wait for him to get settled at camp so she could get more of the details of what his life would be like. Now she just wanted to hear the sound of his voice before she went to bed. She sat down and flicked channels some more before throwing the remote down and running for her purse. Forget it, she wasn't waiting anymore. She frantically searched through her purse for her phone but couldn't find it. She then went from room to room in search of it, almost pulling the apartment apart in her desperation. They did not have a regular phone and relied solely on their cell phones for communication. She was going to miss his first call and felt a slight hysteria about to claim her. What if she couldn’t find her phone? She brushed her teeth furiously as she tried to remember where she could have left it and groaned out load when she realized where it was. She had left it in the back seat of Dan Scott’s car and it was too late to go get it now. She was going to have to go almost a full 24 hours before speaking to Nathan. She had not done that since they had met. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Four

As Haley prepared herself for bed, she fought off the desire to jump in her car and drive to Dan and Deb’s to get her cell phone. It was eating away at her that Nathan might call and she would miss it. She could just go over and see if the car was open but knew that it was probably locked and Dan probably had the latest security technology installed in it, not to mention, it was probably in the garage. However, her primary roadblock was Dan himself. Every time she envisioned his reaction to her coming over this late, she quickly changed her mind. She had spent the majority of the day with him and things had gone relatively smoothly. She didn’t need to test her good fortune by rushing over there like the frantic love sick female she was. He would have a field day.

She walked into the bathroom in her bra and panties to brush her teeth and grab her nightgown off the hook on the back of the door. As she did so, Haley glanced over at her reflection in the mirror. She gasped when she saw the discolorations on her skin. She and Nathan had gotten dressed so fast that morning after making love; she had barely looked in the mirror. She stepped up closer and peered into the mirror, clawing at her shoulder to push her bra strap over where she had noticed one of the marks. She had a hickey the size of a small country! As she ran through the aggressiveness of their night together, her hands reached behind her to unclasp her bra. She was intent on investigating any further damage based on another tell-a-tale sign on the crest of her breast. Although she normally hated hickeys, the sight of Nathan’s love bites conjured the events of last night vividly in her mind. It had been exhilarating and she had been out of control.

The night before….

Nathan and Haley said goodbye to the gang at Karen’s after they had all met there to bid Nathan farewell. It wasn’t really meant to be a party; more like a gathering of really good friends and family. However, people had generously brought gifts, wanting to make sure Nathan was fully equipped for his extended stay away from home. As they put the last of the items in the trunk, Nathan slammed the trunk down and turned to find Haley staring at him intently. For the past week he had caught her gazing at him every time he looked up. She had told him that she was trying to look at him as much as possible so that she could store it up for while he was away. Nathan had scoffed at her originally but now as he saw the look upon her face, he understood. He was leaving in less then 24 hours and he wouldn’t be able to see her, touch her and smell her for over a month and a half. It would feel like an eternity.

“C’mere,” he said softly, as he pulled her slowly towards him, his hands on the curve of her waist. She came willingly, a soft sweet smile upon her face, a trademark murmur escaping her lips at the feel of his hands upon her waist and the look in his eye. “I thought we never would get out of there,” he whispered in her ear. “I mean it was cool and all but, I couldn’t wait to get out of there just to be with you. Especially after you goosed me under the table! Who are you and what have you done with Haley James?”

“Haley James Scott,” she admonished. “See, you are forgetting about me already.”

Nathan moved his hands up to cup her face and shook his head, “Not likely Hales.” He touched his lips to hers gently, savoring the feel of them against his as the night air enveloped them. Haley pressed herself up against him, feeling her breasts flatten against his hard chest, as she stood on her tiptoes to get better access to his mouth. She caressingly slid both her hands up his muscular arms and across his broad shoulders until her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down closer so she could deepen the kiss. Nathan willingly obliged, smiling on his way to meet her mouth. Haley bit at his lower lip and then sucked it into her mouth. His lips could make her feel such delirium that she wanted to show him how much she worshipped them. Her tongue slid gently into his mouth, teasing his and then retreated causing Nathan to lean forward to nip at it.

His hands grasped her tighter to him. His blue eyes shone brightly under the street light as he looked at her intensely. “No teasing tonight,” he said gruffly. “We are going to mate like we have never mated before.” He heard Haley’s swift intake of breath and grinned as he once again captured her lips between his. He twisted his head from side to side needing to make sure he covered all of them, his tongue forcefully pushing against hers as his arms lifted her feet slightly from the ground. Haley did not retreat, completely oblivious to the small crowd that had gathered outside Karen’s.

A shrill catcall whistle was followed by girlish laughter and the unmistakable voice of Brooke rang through the night. “Tutor Wife is getting a piece tonight!”

“A piece? She is getting the whole 10 or 11 in … OW Broooke,” Peyton screeched shrilly. “That hurt!”

“I’m sorry.” Brooke whispered loudly, “I just don’t want you to ruin it. You know how Haley gets when you show any familiarity with Nathan’s “prowess” in the bedroom.”

“Oh nice use of the quotation marks Brooke,” Peyton teased.

“Well, seeing as I have never experienced it myself, I only have your word and half the…”

“WE CAN HEAR YOU!” Nathan called out to them warningly, his lips barely separated from Haley’s.

“Ooops, Sorry” they called out. “Take no prisoners Haley! You are woman, hear you roar.”

Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet against the concrete as he shook his head at the interchange between Peyton and Brooke. He called out to Nathan, “Don’t be a stranger Nate! Talk to you tomorrow Hales!” He nodded his head towards the girls indicating for them to come with him.

“Are you kidding? NO WAY!” said Brooke. “I want to see these two in action. I want to see what it was that made two young and non-pregnant teenagers get married. It has to be the sex,” she said vehemently.

Nathan looked at Haley’s face to see if she had any reaction to Peyton and Brooke. She smiled up at him apparently unphased. His eyes opened wide as Haley yelled out in response to Brooke.

“We can still hear you Brooke and the sex is un-fuckin believable!”

"TUTORGIRL?" Brooke shrieked.

"HALEY!" Lucas yelped.

"OH YEAH! OUR LITTLE HALEY!" Peyton hollered.

Tim had come out of the café only hearing Haley’s response and those that followed. “Got any tapes?”

He felt himself pelted on both sides as Haley, Nathan, Lucas, Brooke and Peyton yelled his name in disgust. “ TIM!”

“What?” he said innocently. “Wouldn’t you want to see them?”

“Ugh, come on Tim. Let’s go find a hole to bury you in.” Brooke and Peyton pulled him by the arms towards Lucas and the foursome walked away laughing.

Haley looked up at Nathan’s proud face and stroked her hand down his face lovingly, rising up to kiss him as she did so. “What? I HAD to say something! You are mine now. All other girls should now be completely erased from your memory, including Peyton.”

“Unfucking believable huh?”

“More than.” She replied sincerely, trying not to look up at him expectantly.

“I agree Hales.”

“Good” she whispered in finality, opening her door and once again kissing him forcefully. “Now let’s go mate.”

Nathan laughed as he watched her eyebrows rise suggestively. “Don’t have to ask me twice.”

Nathan pulled away from Haley noticing the fog building on the windows of the car. As soon as he had pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Haley had jumped him. Not that she hadn’t been driving him crazy before that, running her hand up and down his thigh, straying further towards his engorged anatomy each time as he drove. He gasped as she flung off her seatbelt and straddled him all in one swift movement. His girl had moves! He felt her tightly pressed against him and intuitively reached his hand down to the lever of the car seat to push it back farther. It only clicked one more notch due to the length of his legs but she definitely had more wiggle room because she was doing just that.

“Hales, you are killing me. You really want to do it out here on our last night?”

“Out here, over there,” she tossed her head outside. She proceeded to nod her head towards the apartment, “in there, anywhere,” she said breathlessly. She was consumed with Nathan at the moment and she wanted him consumed by her. This was their last night before their first separation. Also, she wasn’t jealous of Peyton but Brooke was right, their history, his history did bother her sometimes. She wanted this night to be something he never forgot. She wanted to make her mark.

As she thought that, Haley leaned against Nathan and bit gently down on the strong column of his neck, causing Nathan to grasp her tighter and groan. Her hands raked through his hair as he leaned back against the headrest giving her better access. Instinctively, she proceeded to suck on his neck, tasting the saltiness and flavor that was uniquely Nathan. She wanted to feed on it, bring it into her body so he was always one with her. As Nathan’s hands caressed her, she lost herself in what she was doing.

She faintly heard a voice talking to her. “Hales, Haley…” It was Nathan. She pulled herself up and ravaged his mouth with her own. “Haley,” he said between labored breaths. “I think you gave me a hickey!”

Haley’s eyes went immediately to the lower portion of Nathan’s neck. She had! She had never given Nathan or anybody a hickey before. She thought they were gross, something that the burnouts and whores wore like a badge of honor demonstrating that they got some the night before. She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled as Nathan smirked at her. “You hussy. You are trying to make sure everyone knows that I have something going on at home.”

She snuggled into him, her hands running up and down his chest as she shifted herself on his lap. “I was hoping that the ring would take care of that but I think you are forgetting that you are going to an all boys camp. So I don’t think you will be getting a lot of this. Her hand grazed across him. “Or this.” She grasped his hand and placed it on her breast. Nathan’s hand immediately shifted feeling the roundness as he listened to Haley’s quickened breathing. He flung open the door and nodded his head to her, adding sexily, “Get out of the car, it’s time to get busy.”

Haley giggled and crawled off of Nathan’s lap and stepped out into the parking lot, feeling giddy with anticipation. Her eyes watched as he gracefully extracted himself from the small car. He could make squeezing out of a tin can look easy and sexy. Her eyes traveled down to his jeans and she licked her lips unknowingly. She heard Nathan breathe out the word “shit” and before she knew it, she was thrown over his shoulder screaming as he ran towards their apartment. Haley squealed as Nathan fumbled with the lock as she was still strewn over his shoulder.

“Hurry up Nathan! I can’t breathe!”

Nathan kicked open the door and effortlessly flipped Haley from his shoulder into his arms in front of him with barely a grunt. “Prepare yourself,” he warned.

“You too, she replied, giggling at the lavish grin that Nathan gave her. He strode towards their room and flung her on the bed. “My turn.” He stripped off his clothing as Haley watched admiringly. As she went to remove her shirt, Nathan stopped her. “That’s my job.” His voice was deep as he reached for the bottom of her shirt and lifted it over her head. She sat silently as he ran his hands down her legs and then came back up again to unzip her skirt, sliding it and her panties from her body, while kissing his way back up. Haley sighed as she felt Nathan’s body rest gently above her, his hands wandering, caressing, squeezing, coaxing.

Haley controlled her panting as Nathan stopped momentarily and looked at her longingly. “I am going to miss you so much Haley.” His voice caught in his throat, bringing a tear to Haley’s eye. The look on his face brought back her fever and Haley brought her face up to his nipping at his lips.

“Me more,” she said teasingly as she rolled him over and kissed her way all over his body, nipping, sucking, devouring, as she had never done before. Nathan stretched himself out and luxuriated in the feeling, grabbing and feeling Haley when given the opportunity. She was on a frenzied mission and he was in ecstasy. They had all night and there was no way, he was not making his visit to the candy store. He knew it and Haley knew it; she was one smart girl.

Haley shook her head as she realized the water had been running the whole time she had relived her evening of lust with Nathan. She smiled when she realized that her face had actually become flushed while thinking about it. At least she had memories if she couldn’t talk to him. It wasn’t going to be that long anyway. She would talk to him tomorrow and everything would be all right. She slipped her nightgown on and turned off the light, wondering how she was going to get herself to sleep without Nathan by her side.

~*~

Nathan threw his suitcase on the bed and turned to survey the room. Somehow the sight of beige painted cinderblocks did not give him the same sense of home as the warm and rich colors of their drywalled apartment did. He immediately reached for his phone as he once again thought of Haley. As he dialed, Sasquatch walked through the door and threw his things down on the other bed. Nathan looked over in shock as he dejectedly heard Haley’s message once again play in his ear. “Babe, check in was interesting. I am finally in my room and unpacking. I’ll call you later. Love you.”

“Dude, what are you doing here? I thought my roomate’s name was Robert or something?”

“It was. But the fine looking lady at the check in is my girl so I finagled it. Hope you don’t mind. I know Roberto from last year and he can be a dick. Since you and I had already met, I figured, what the hell. You seem like a cool guy."

“Dude,” Nathan said sarcastically, “that chick is like 50!”

“I’m not saying I hook up with her man! You just have to charm the ladies. You will find out that it can give you a lot of added perks around here.”

“What are you like one of those dudes from the prison movies that keeps everyone in supply?”

“Obviously, you haven’t seen the schedule yet if you joke about this place being a prison. You just stick with me Nathan, I’ll show you the ropes. It’s the least I can do for that totally awesome sandwich. Get on your gear man, we are supposed to be down at role call in ten.”

Nathan looked up in surprise. “Role Call, I didn’t even unpack. I am still trying to get in touch with my wife.”

“Nathan man, are you whipped or what? Should I call you Whippet?”

Nathan jerked his head up a bit perturbed by his words. He ripped off his shirt and threw it on the bed. He could take ribbing about being whipped AFTER he talked to Haley.

“Hey, man, I meant no offense. I was just playin with you. Ignore me, I just say what comes to my mind sometimes you know?”

Nathan laughed. “Do I know? Let’s just say that our names are not the only things we have in common.”

“Hey man, not that I am checkin you out or nothin but you are covered with some serious hickey’s man. That must have been some goodbye or a very thirsty vampire!”

Nathan looked across the room in the mirror and laughed as he saw the hickey he knew was on his neck. His eyes opened wide at the one he saw on the side of his abs and the upper portion of his thigh. Holy Shit! Haley was going to die. He looked over at Sasquatch and shrugged his shoulders innocently. “As you say, you have to charm the ladies…”

Nathan and Sasquatch walked towards the main entrance of the camp where they saw several campers sitting on the bleachers in a semi circle. A very large man stood in the middle of it with a megaphone in his hand. As Nathan walked closer, he once again attempted to call Haley and was abruptly stopped as he walked to sit on the bleachers. A loud voice rang through the air.

“PRETTY BOY! Perhaps you didn’t read your rule book? NO cell phones at assembly and absolutely no cell phones on the courts or during workouts. Tell your little lady, your Mommy or your best boyfriend that contact is going to be minimal while you are here. Now please kindly put your cell phone over in that basket over there and it will be returned to you on your way back to the dorms for lights out!

Nathan looked over at Sasquatch in disbelief, who gave him the eye to be quick about it. He ran over to the basket and placed the phone in it, wondering what he had gotten himself in to. He ran back to the bleachers and sat next to his roommate.

“Violet, we are going to have to run through the rules so you don’t get your ass in lock down while you are here.”

Nathan looked perplexed. “Violet?” he whispered, his hands out questioningly.

Sasquatch scratched his neck, his waist and the inside of his upper thigh as he looked straight ahead, grinning.

Nathan shook his head good-naturedly. It was a hell of a lot better of a nickname than Whippet or Pretty Boy.

Chapter Five

“Gentlemen, Listen up!”

Nathan turned around and surveyed the bleachers as the commanding voice stilled the murmurs of the crowd almost immediately. He appraised the sea of faces around him, smirking as he imagined it was similar to a United Nations convention. Boys of all colors, shapes and sizes filled the seats, ranging in age from fourteen to eighteen. He recognized a few faces from tournaments and reading the newspaper but was immediately interrupted in his survey when he felt a very large elbow dig into his side, followed by a deep whisper, “You DON’T want to piss this cat off.” Nathan silently nodded his understanding as he focused his eyes on the man in the middle of the quad. He looked like he belonged on a football field as a linebacker rather than a basketball court. He had a thick head of reddish brown hair with a full and bushy mustache that he stroked and pulled upon as his heavily browed eyes surveyed the crowd before him.

“Let me introduce myself. I am your worst nightmare. The man that may make you question your love for basketball.”

Immediately Nathan mentally shook his head in denial. Someone already beat you to that title.

“My name is Andy Smikovic, Coach Smik to you. You want my credentials or any of the staff? Look them up on the internet on your free time, which there will not be much of.”

Nathan searched his face for a smile but saw none. Coach Smik reminded him a bit of Whitey, minus the humor. Something told him the man in front of him possessed little to none at all and that he would be longing for the days when Whitey ragged on him incessantly.

“That aside; get this straight. You are here to play ball and you will play ball, morning till night. If you think you know all there is about basketball, let me assure you, YOU DON’T. If you think you are God’s gift to the game of basketball, let me assure you, YOU AREN’T. If you think I give a crap that you led your team to your state championships, I do. That is why most of you are here, for the leadership and skills you have shown on the court. HOWEVER, if you think that that will entitle you to special treatment, IT DOESN’T. Take a look around at the gentlemen sitting around you. Go ahead.” Nathan turned around, as the rest of the guys did, the murmuring in the crowd once again evident. “This is what competition looks like! You are now at High Flyers, which means you are playing amongst the best high school players out there. Someone here will always be better at jumping, rebounding, shooting, passing, dribbling and thinking than you are. Get used to it. In other words, leave your homecoming King crowns and trophy collections at the door with your cell phones, pagers, bling and cologne. . They do not matter here. What matters here is that you have come with an open mind, stamina, BenGay, Gatoraide and plenty of socks. We will run you, drill you and rag you till you are either throwing up on the side of the court or bandaging the blisters on your feet. In case you don’t believe me, open the folders that are now being distributed by the rest of my capable, unsympathetic staff. The first page is your daily agenda. Read it and weep now.”

Nathan opened the folder and his eyes grew wide as he heard a chorus of groans around him.

SUPER WEEK DAILY SCHEDULE

7:00 a.m. Wake-Up

7:30 Extra Help Station (optional)

7:30 Breakfast

8:30 Attendance and Announcements

8:45 Stretch and Warm-up

9:00 Individual Workouts

10:30 Games

12:30 Lunch

1:15 Extra Help Stations

1:45 Attendance and Announcements

2:00 Speaker

2:30 Group Workout

3:30 Games/Team Practice

4:30 Individual Workout/Swimming (optional)/V-I Drills

5:30 Dinner

6:45 Attendance and Announcements

7:00 Games

9:15 Extra Help Station (optional)

10:45 All Campers in Rooms

11:00 Lights Out

Sasquatch laughed into his hand. “Want to take back what you said about this place being like a prison?”

“Yeah, I do,” Nathan replied matter-of-factly. “It’s not a prison, it’s freakin bootcamp.”

“Ok, now that you have had time to digest your life for the next several months, place your folders aside and head to the following courts. It's assessment time.  Lasst names A-H- Court 1.  Last names I- P- Court 2.  Last names Q-Z Court 3"

Sasquatch turned to Nathan. “Good Luck Violet. See you on the dark side of the moon.”

Nathan nodded and abruptly turned around. “Pink Floyd?” he said questioningly.

Sasquatch laughed loudly. “Nice catch. Don’t look at me like that man, brother’s listen to Floyd. Didn’t your Mamma tell you not to generalize? That’s like saying a dude like you always bags the head cheerleader.”

"Um"

Sasquatch shook his head. "I should have known. Your wife is cheerleader." Nathan almost thought he saw a thin veil of disgust on Sasquatch's face.

Nathan shook his head sheepishly. "No, I mean yeah, I mean NO, she is NOT and she would probably beat you for thinking that. It’s just, I don’t know, you are opening up a whole new musical world for me. I am a rap man myself.”

“Then tell me how you knew Floyd so quickly then.”

“Uh, my wife’s parents? Perpetual stoners…”

Sasquatch shook his head good naturedly. “ That wife thing still slays me man but… maybe between her family and me, we’ll open up your musical world.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Nathan said challengingly as he headed off towards Court 3. He hesitated slightly as he heard his phone ring from the box on the table behind him. He turned his body towards it until he heard Sasquatch yell out to him. “Keep walking Whippet.”

“Shit,” he muttered as he took off in a trot to catch up with the others before he started off on the wrong foot.

~*~

Groggily, Nathan slammed his fist on his alarm. He pried his eyes open and groaned as he looked at the clock. Six o’clock. She wasn’t here but he was turning into Haley and then he remembered; he had deliberately set the alarm for that time so he would have time to run over to the office to get his phone. They had not finished assessments until 11:15 that evening and when he had run back to the Quad for his phone, he was advised that it had been stored in the office for the night and that he could get it in the morning. He had opened his mouth to argue but decided against it when he saw Coach Smik out of the corner of his eye, walking up behind him. He cursed silently all the way back to the dorms, took a quick shower and flopped into bed, leaving his unpacking till the next day.

The muscles in his body told him to roll over and grab another half an hour. As in shape as he was, he had played hard, knowing the assessments could make or break the number of scouts that would be checking him out. He needed to be in the advanced league to stand out and to learn from the players around him. His body lost the vote based on his stronger need to talk to Haley. Not only did he want to hear the sound of her voice, he needed it. It was like his morning jolt of coffee. He hopped out of bed and made his way to the pile beside his suitcase that he had absentmindedly dumped on the floor last night looking for his towel. He opened up the drawers quietly so he wouldn’t wake up Nate and began to put his clothes away. As he pulled open the top drawer to put his socks away, the drawer came off the runner and fell out on the floor with a thud. “Shit” Nathan said softly, immediately looking over at Nate’s bed to see if he had woken him. His eyes opened wide when he realized he was gone and his bed was neatly made. God, not another early riser in his life. What the hell could he be doing at this hour?

Nathan proceeded to put away his things faster now that he could make more noise, wanting to get to the office just as it opened at 6:30. He emptied out the inside pocket of his suitcase and found a large chunky manila envelope with the words, I’m Hot for Scott scrawled in Haley’s distinctive handwriting on it. He smiled at how corny she could be sometimes while he anxiously opened the envelope. He pulled out a large poster like paper that was folded in half and let out a loud laugh of appreciation as he unfolded it. Staring back at him was his March Madness poster of Bonnie Bernstein. He reached in again and pulled out a plastic baggie filled with thumbtacks and tape. It was official, Haley thought of everything. He felt like a little kid at Christmas, giddy with anticipation at what else she may have put in the envelope.

He proceeded to pull out a framed picture of them down at the docks that Peyton had snapped just the week before when the gang had all taken a walk to get ice cream. Whether she was drawing or taking pictures Peyton had a knack for capturing the emotion of a moment and this picture was no exception. Nathan and Tim had been teasing Haley about something and Haley had made her irresistible mock hurt face and Nathan had immediately kissed it away as they both laughed into each other’s mouths. The picture made Nathan ache to kiss Haley’s smiling mouth. He put the picture down reluctantly and pulled out a small chalkboard similar to the one on their refrigerator with the words, Make each day your day. Haley loved to write inspirational quotes on chalkboards. She was infamous for it in Tree Hill. She had taken the initiative of updating the board at Karen’s and now it was a ritual and the regulars would harass her if she left one up too long. It had spilled over to their own home as well; each day a reminder of love to them both of how to treat each other and maintain their marriage. He was amazed at where she found them all until she finally confessed that her friends Shannon and Pat from her creative writing class had clued her into some amazing websites with hundreds of quotes.

Finally, he pulled out a creamy white envelope with nothing on the front. Nathan opened it quickly and as he unfolded the note card, a picture floated out onto the floor. It was of nothing but Haley’s eyes and he found himself mesmerized. He stared into the depths of the rich mocha-nut orbs, willing them to come alive like the pictures in a Harry Potter movie. He moved his head to each side and it gave him the sense that she was following his movements when he noticed writing on the back. Place this by your bed and you can look into my eyes every morning and think of me hugging myself remembering how it feels to be in your arms. He marveled at how she had time to print this out when they had just had the conversation that morning. She must have been busy when he was in the shower. As he began to read her note, his thoughts were confirmed. She was busy.

Adonis,

You are in the shower right now and it is taking all my willpower not to run in there, rip off my clothes and step under the steaming spray with you so I can run my hands caressingly over your soapy sculpted chest letting them slide sensuously down to your six pack abs, as I breathe heatedly, loving the feeling of the ripples underneath my fingertips until I cannot resist it any longer and my hands slowly find their way down towards your… So what do you think? Do I have a future as a bodice ripper writer? Did I momentarily make you hot?

Once again I am back to thinking what I will do to bide my time while you are gone so I don’t go crazy insane without you. Writing a novel is right after the Pulitzer and Nobel Peace prize. It is going to be so hard without you near me Nathan, touching me, holding me and kissing me. A girl could go crazy just thinking about it. Maybe that is what will happen… I will go crazy without you and they will need to lock me up like the addict I am. A strung out Nathan Scott addict, eyes glazed, spittle gurgling at the side of my mouth. I think I saw a cheerleader slumped up against a locker like that when you walked by once. Ewwww, once again, I conjure a picture of me that might make you decide to stay in Florida. I will have to work on that. I shake my head when I think of how much I have changed since I have met you. I know you say I am such a girl but now I am the epitome of a girl. A girl crazy in love. Crazy, crazy in love with you. Sorry, just had to burst out with a little Patsy Kline or Leann Rimes, whichever you choose, as long as she doesn’t turn you on.

Oh well, you just turned off the shower and I don’t want you to catch me writing this since I want this package to be a surprise. Not to mention, I want to be fully attentive for when you come out of the shower, glistening, your hair towel dried hanging sexily over your strong and handsome forehead with your towel wrapped so tightly around you that I don’t have to imagine what is underneath. Do you know that you take my breath away when you stand before me freshly showered in nothing but a towel? It is the best outfit you own by far. Remember that day that you came out after your shower and Tim, Peyton and Brooke were here and Brooke ripped your towel of?. Everyone thought I was flustered because of Peyton’s comment about it not being something she hasn’t seen before (which I was of course) but it was much more about how I immediately felt full on HOT when I saw you and I couldn’t do anything about it since everyone was there. There I go rambling again. I will have to remember that feeling when I write the big sex finale in my book. Want to pose for the cover?

Anyway, I decided to put a few things together to inspire you, help you maintain the madness for basketball, as well as me of course, and give you a little taste of home while you are hundreds of miles away from me.

Ooo, there you are and God Nathan, you are gorgeous. Have to run. Wink, wink.

Come home to me soon,

Hales

Nathan sat on his bed and reread the letter, still smiling the entire way through. He folded it back up and brought it to his lips and kissed it softly. “I miss you Hales.” He let out a sigh, placed the letter in the top drawer next to the one from the plane, threw on his clothes and ran out the door towards the office. 6:45, he didn’t have much time before breakfast.

Nathan stepped out of the office gripping the phone in his hand like a long lost friend. He pressed the button to see if he had any missed calls and was surprised when he only saw one from Tim and his Mom and absolutely none from Haley. Why hadn’t she tried to call him? He knew he said he would call her but he would have sworn that she would have called him if she didn’t hear from him all night. He felt a surge of panic as he immediately pressed the speed dial and waited impatiently for Haley to answer as he paced back in forth in front of the building. He felt his heart leap when he heard the click on the other end as the phone was answered. Thank God, she is there.

He used his deepest, sexiest voice, “Hey, I am standing here in a towel glistening. Are you naked because right now I would like to…” His eyes grew wide at the response that cut him off.

“Thanks for sharing son but no, I am not naked, although if I was, I don’t think I would be broadcasting it. Instead, I am late for work because I am on my way to your apartment to drop off your forgetful wife’s cell phone. Did the little woman,” he said sneeringly, “pack for you because if she did, I bet you are missing some essentials. That aside, shouldn’t you be focusing rather than glistening?”

Chapter Six

Nathan hung up the phone resolutely. Crap. Frickin great. A truce had been called and now he had just given his father a reason, or so he thought, to go after Haley while he was gone. They had both been trying so hard to remain civil; they had called a truce, but something about his father hearing about how it was between he and Haley scared him. Like he would use it somehow. It wasn’t about him needing her and loving her for what she made him feel. His father now thought it was about sex. He looked at the phone again and hit Lucas’s number. Lucas might help him put it in perspective or warn Haley at least that Dan was en route. He listened to the rings as he heard the loudspeaker come on announcing breakfast. He felt a large hand clasp him around the shoulder as he looked up and realized it was Puff , de Sasquatch.

“Put it in gear, Nathan. They make a big deal about the first day.”

Nathan sighed and hung up the phone. He would catch up with Haley later on and see if he was wrong. “Dude, what the hell time did you get up? I didn’t even hear an alarm.”

“No alarm necessary. My body just wakes up at four.”

“You are a freak man.”

~*~

Haley woke up earlier than usual. She had always been an early riser but since being married to Nathan, she rarely made it out of bed before seven if he woke up. Her face glowed as he thought of Nathan’s penchant for early morning canoodling. She quickly showered and threw on some clothes, knowing that Dan got to the office early so she wanted to make it over to the Scott’s to get her phone before he left. That way she could call Nathan before his day began, right after kicking herself for suggesting that they get rid of their home phone to save money. She flew out the door and left the parking lot.

Dan turned into the apartment parking lot and parked in front of the stairs. He took the stairs two at a time. If Haley had witnessed it, she would have gotten the chills at how similar his movements were to his sons. He knocked loudly on the door and paced impatiently while he waited for Haley to answer. He knocked again and blew out a frustrated breath. After no response, he turned on his heel and left, heading towards the office. He would find Haley later.

Haley drove quickly to the Scott’s and pulled in the driveway, eliciting a groan when she no longer saw the Expedition in the driveway. Contemplating that he may have put it in the garage, Haley knocked lightly on the door. Her face colored as Deb answered, clad in her robe and her hair in a towel.

“Um, Hi Mrs. Scott, I am so sorry I am so early but I think I left…”

“Your phone in the back of Dan’s car.” Deb finished for her, smiling.

“Yesssss,” Haley sighed, the relief evident in her voice. “But it looks like Mr. Scott left for work already, so I will just, um, go.” Haley motioned her thumb behind her back.

“Dan was actually dropping it by the apartment so you two must have missed each other, which is probably just as well since he was prickly that he was going to be late for work.”

“Oh,” Haley said dejected and leary of Dan’s moods.

“You could come in for a cup of coffee Haley.”

“Oh, I appreciate that Mrs.Scott, but to tell you the truth, I haven’t talked to Nathan since he got there and I really need to talk to him.”

Deb nodded. “You miss him.”

Haley nodded mutely, biting her lip to stop the quiver she felt.

“Well, Nathan mentioned that you were getting rid of your home phone and just relying on your cell phones.” She opened the door and motioned for Haley to come in. “It just so happens I have a phone in the kitchen complete with Nathan’s cell phone programmed into it.”

Haley hesitated and Deb grabbed her hand pulling her inside. “Come on Haley.” Deb walked her into the kitchen, grabbed the phone off the counter and pressed the number for Nathan’s cell. Once she heard it ringing she handed it to Haley. Haley smiled broadly as she anticipated Nathan’s voice at the other end.

~*~

Nathan and Sasquatch walked from the cafeteria towards the quad. They had just finished breakfast and it was time for attendance and the announcements. Nathan smirked as they walked realizing that he had to pick up his gait to keep up with his friend. It was the exact opposite when he walked with Haley. He had to slow it down for her to catch up. She would make every effort to keep up with him, but once it got to be too much, she would abruptly stop walking to see if he would even notice that she wasn’t beside him. It had actually caused them to have one of their very first fights when he hadn’t noticed for half a block. He kept trying to tell her he was pre-occupied that day but she had taken it as a sign that he wasn’t aware of her. Like that could happen. He had thought it was so trivial but now he realized just how she felt.

When they came to the quad, Sasquatch stopped to talk to a friend, waving Nathan ahead. Nathan followed the ritual of placing his cell phone and other personal belongings in a basket and moved to the sign in sheet. As he signed his name, he heard the familiar sound of his cell phone ringing. He tried to get past the line of guys in back of him to retrieve it but they pushed him forward, grunting at him not to make them late. Nathan yelled out to Sasquatch as he stood in front of the phones.

“Dude, do me a favor. What does that phone say?

Sasquatch mouthed the words Whippet and picked up the phone. “It says, the Dementors?”

Nathan chuckled as he remembered the day Haley had programmed that in.

“Do me a favor, just answer it and tell my Mom that I will call her back later.”

Sasquatch hit the button and placed the phone to his ear as the alarm sounded indicating that they should be in quad on the bleachers. He spoke hurriedly. “I am sorry Mrs. Scott but Nathan will have to call you back. It’s all about the ball now.” He quickly hung up and tossed the phone back in the basket, scribbled his name and ran to catch up with Nathan.

Haley removed the phone from her ear and looked up at Deb, her eyes wide and blurry with tears of frustration. Was it too much to ask just to hear his voice, to say hi? She turned away abruptly as a tear slid down her cheek. Deb wrapped her arm around Haley’s shoulder, comforting her and shocking her. She had been trying lately but she had never physically touched Haley. It felt odd and familiar at the same time and instantly made her long for her own Mother.

“I’ll call Dan and ask him to bring your phone back here.”

Haley instantly withdrew from her self pity. “NOOO! Please don’t Mrs.Scott.”

“Haley,” Deb laughed. “It’s ok, he'll do it.” She once again picked up the phone and dialed.

The words 'Yeah Right' instantly formed in Haley’s mind but she knew better to utter them. She stammered. “Oh, I am sure he would but he's busy and I was going shopping anyway before I go to work so I can just swing by the dealership.” Haley headed towards the door in a rush before Deb reached Dan and she had to hear him give her a ration for having to return home. “Thanks Mrs. Scott,” she called out and ran to her car.

“Haley!” Deb sighed into the phone as she heard Dan’s voice over the phone.

“Dan Scott Motors, we treat you with respect and give you the quality YOU deserve.”

“Hi Honey, I'm just letting you know that Haley is coming to get her phone.”

“Just what I need, an interruption from the home wrecker.”

“Dan, Deb said warningly. “She did NOT wreck our home and YOU made a promise.”

“I was drunk.”

“DAAAN!”

“Oh all right, what time is the big event?”

“She is on her way now … and Dan, go easy on her.  She really misses Nathan.”

Dan snorted. “It’s been a day!”

Deb became quiet.

“Deb?”

“We were like that once.” Dan heard the wistfulness in her voice.

“We were young.”

“I miss it.”

Dan swallowed hard. “I won’t torment her.”

“Thank you.”

“I'll talk to you later.”

“Ok, bye.”

“Deb?”

“Mmm hmmm?”

“I still love you. I always have.” His voice was sincere, almost as wistful as hers was.

Deb felt her own tears well in her eyes. “Thank you.” She hung up the phone without returning the sentiment, which was not unnoticed by Dan.

~*~

Haley drove up to the dealership, her palms sweating. She knew that Dan was just an immature man that needed his butt kicked but it didn’t stop her from dreading her interactions with him, not knowing if in his quest to weaken people and feel better about himself he would find an open wound that would make her crack. She parked the car next to a gleaming metallic blue convertible and made a mental note of putting it on her wish list for the future. Self consciously, she tugged on her shirt, pulling it over the waistband of her jeans to cover the tattoo that Dan had such a high level of distain for. She wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her jeans, shook her head to rid herself of any last qualms and opened the door of the dealership.

Dan himself approached her. “Welcome to Dan Scott Motors, where we give you the respect and the quality you deserve.” Haley’s eyebrows rose as she heard his words and looked at his extended hand. He wanted to shake her hand? She reached out tentatively to take his hand and smiled gleefully as she felt the smoothness of the back of her cell phone against her palm. Taking both Dan and herself by surprise, Haley stepped towards him quickly and hugged him, letting out a small squeal. She stepped away from him just as quickly and punched the keys on her phone, wanting so desperately to hear Nathan’s voice.

Dan looked at her thoughtfully. This girl was totally absorbed in his son. He watched as her gleeful expression transformed to one of chagrin when she realized there were no messages. Before he could stop himself, he found himself blurting out, “He called. He misses you.”

Haley’s body registered her shock at Dan’s words before she turned her face to look at him, her eyes and mouth in wide. “OH.”

“I uh answered it. It kept ringing and it was annoying.”

Oh, there he was. Haley knew it wouldn’t take long for the real Dan Scott to stand up. She wanted to ask him more but her pride hindered her from doing so. She looked up at him expectantly, wishing for him to say more so that she didn’t have to ask.

Dan felt forced. “Didn’t say much. Just that he was glistening.”

He didn’t think it was possible for Haley’s eyes to get any wider, but they did and the color of her face burned brightly.

“Your Welcome.” Dan turned from her to return to his office and paused for a moment. “Judging from your reaction, I guess you know what that means. Call him back , but NOT until his day is over. They make you hand over your cell phones anyway so he won’t be able to answer it. Good Bye Haley.” He walked away leaving Haley in her silence.

“Thanks,” she whispered. She turned on her heel and returned to her car. As soon as she sat in her driver seat, she began to text message Nathan so he would have something. As she hit the last letter and went to press send, her phone died. Haley let out a scream of aggravation and searched desperately through the car for her phone charger and screamed again when she realized it was at home in her backpack. With a frustrated cry she tossed the phone on the seat beside her and drove to Karen’s.

~*~

“Gentleman!” Coach Smik’s voice once again boomed over the megaphone. “Welcome back! We hope you have had a good night’s rest because you are going to need it. We have separated you into different levels of expertise. Keep in mind that this is our 1st assessment of the caliber of your play. It is very possible that you can move to another level- UP or DOWN. For those of you that want to move up- keep your head in the game, learn from what we are teaching you here. For those of you that don’t want to move down- WATCH YOUR ASS! Nathan laughed uncomfortably with the crowd and suddenly felt apprehensive of just where he would come out. He was a legend in Tree Hill but was not certain at all how that would play out here. The rest of the guys here were legends in their home towns. Last night he had seen some tough competition, from guys even younger than him. He was going to have to work it hard; push it to the limit.

“Before we get to calling out your teams, I want to bring your attention to another method of training we will be using. It is called Plyometrics. For those of you that do not know what it is- it is a form of exercise which links strength with speed of movement. There are two phases of muscle contraction during the running or jumping motion. Muscles go through a stretch phase. Plyometric exercises are designed to shorten the cycle time between the two phases. A rapid cycle time allows maximum energy transfer between stretch and contraction phases. To translate, we are going to make you leap, bound, skip, jump horizontally, jump vertically with and without weights until you feel like you want to scream but when you are done, you will see a definitive improvement in your reaction times and ability to rebound, jump, . This is serious training and will kick off how well you do for the next 3 months that you are here.” He looked around witheringly at the sound of groans. With that said, there are three letters on the court, A, B and C. When your name and letter is called, come stand in that area. You will have no clue what group you have been placed in until you get to the court and play against each other.

Nathan waited patiently for his name to be called. Patient being relative. His leg twitched, his hand played nervously with the ring on his finger and he chewed the inside of his cheek till it was sore. Scott, Nathan- C. Nathan looked over at Sasquatch for any indication. He shrugged his shoulders. “They change it up every year,” he whispered. Nathan shrugged. Wherever he was placed, he would work it out. He was here to learn and that is what he planned to do. As he walked down to his area, he heard Sasquatch’s name being called. Nate Mullens- B. Fuck!

~*~

Nathan wiped the sweat from his brow, arms and legs with his towel. If Carolina was hot, Florida was an inferno. It was only lunchtime but the sun beat down on them brutally. He had been through numerous drills and his team had just won their first game. He still wasn’t sure what Tier of players he had been slotted in. Even though Sasquatch was in the B league, he was overwhelmed by the level of play he was seeing from the league he was in so he couldn’t figure it out. He walked towards the refreshments and plunged his hand into the icy tub of Gatorade and grabbed a frosty blue bottle. The liquid streamed down his face and mixed with the sweat that dripped down his neck. He could care less, it was cold. He hustled his way over to the phones and pulled out his phone quickly, eager to hear Haley’s voice in a message. He frowned when he looked at the phone. No new messages. Where was she? He thought for sure she would have gotten the phone from his Dad right away. He then noticed that he had a text message and he smiled. He knew she would put something cute. He frowned when he looked at the phone. It was from Tim. Takin care of your girl. Freakin Tim, sending him text messages, spending time with Haley while he was sweating his balls off doing ass breaking lunges and rim jumps one after the other. He went to lunch in foul mood.

~*~

Haley pulled up to work and jumped out quickly, locking the door behind her. She rushed in apologizing to Karen as she did so and stopped when Tim stood up quickly as she entered. “Timmy? What are you doing here?”

“Sorry Haley, where have you been? I went to check on you this morning and you were gone and then you didn’t turn up here on time and I got worried.”

Haley looked at Tim laughing. He had to be joking. When she saw the concern on his face, her laugh stopped. He was dead serious. They were going to need to have a talk. He would either drive her insane or he would die of a heart attack once he realized just how independent she was.

“Tim, I am fiiiine! I have to go put my things away so I will be right back.”

She shook her head on her way to the break room, laughing at how serious he was. Nathan would get a kick out of it. She grabbed her apron and tied it quickly behind her. Her eyes fell on the couch and her face blushed immediately. Her mind quickly went to the night Nathan had begged her to do with him on the counter and she had blatantly refused (well sort of) but had given in and made love with him on the couch as a compromise. She couldn’t look Karen in the face for a week. She still couldn’t look at the couch.

Nathan strolled into the café casually and looked around at the last few stragglers. He was leaving in less than two weeks and each time he thought about it, he found his way to Haley. She had become such a significant fixture in his life in such a short time, he found it hard to think of ever being without her. He nodded her way and felt a buzz go through him when she pursed her lips and blew him a kiss across the café. Her sexiness called to him every day. He silently strolled to the counter and took a seat, watching contentedly as Haley said good bye to her last patrons and locked the door behind her. It was rare that Karen ever came back to close; she trusted Haley implicitly. He liked it that way. Even when they were going out, it was the time that he felt it was just he and Haley in their own little world. For that reason, he would always think of Karen’s as one of his favorite places for them. Kind of like their spot, second only to the table at the docks on the river.

His eyes didn’t leave her as she bent over the tables and furiously scrubbed them clean. Instantly he stood up, removed his jacket and went to stand behind her. His arms encircled her body and he pulled her against him, murmuring against her neck, causing her to purr. “I missed you.” Her hand went behind her as she pulled his head down and kissed him ever so lightly on the lips. “I missed you too.”

You want to continue the wiggling thing you do when you scrub the tables? I’ll just stand right here.”

“Nathan! I have to finish cleaning.”

“Yeah I know, forget I am here.” His voice was teasing but soft and seductive and Haley felt a thrill at his suggestion. He held on tighter pulling her rear end closer to the front of his body, pressing himself against her.

Haley looked behind her and out towards the windows of the café. The streets were relatively empty. She placed the rag on the table and began to wipe, giggling as Nathan let out a laugh and a triumphant, “Yeesssss!” Her legs felt weak as she felt his hands on her hips as she finished her task, her bottom bumping into him as she vigorously wiped down the table.

She walked to the next table, her steps hindered as Nathan followed behind her, his face nuzzled into her neck, his body still close to hers. She wondered if he would catch on if she attempted to clean off every table in the café, regardless if they were clean already. He was rubbing off on her, both psychologically and literally. She giggled at the pun in her mind. The next table was larger and Haley started off slow, her movements languid. She felt Nathan’s hands tighten and his breath become more shallow. She arched her back as she reached far across the table, pushing herself into Nathan a little harder, expecting him to give her a little leeway. He didn’t. He pushed back on her just as hard, causing her to lose her footing and fall into the table slightly. The table made a screeching sound as Nathan grabbed her hand and pulled her around towards him, his mouth plunging on top of hers. Before Haley could register, Nathan’s tongue encircled hers and she felt erratic beating of his heart underneath her hand.

As she came up for air, Haley nuzzled his chin whispering, “Nathan, people can see us.”

Nathan aggressively attacked her neck, “Who Haley? You know as well as I do, Tree Hill shuts down at 10 and it is 11 now. Now where were we?” His hands came up to frame her face and once again his lips touched hers, softly. He kissed her bottom lip, drawing his tongue across it teasingly. He then kissed her top lip, lingeringly, sucking it gently, nipping at it. He want back to her neck, right behind her ear and kissed her hotly, hard biting kisses, telling her just how much he wanted her. Haley’s hands clutched Nathan’s shirt, holding herself up. He knew her weaknesses and he was using them to his full advantage. He grinned down at her knowing full well he had succeeded in getting her to the point of no return. The neck kiss worked every time.

“You brought out the arsenal.”

“Damn Straight, that is why I am so good.” Before she could speak again, he kissed her hotly on the neck again, causing her to whimper and wrap her arms around him in surrender. Nathan slowly ran his hands down her body, till she felt the warmth of his hands on her bottom, slowly sliding across it so that he could lift her up. She was floating and it was incredible. He walked her over to windows, his hands kneading and caressing her legs and bottom as he carried her. He drew the string, causing the blinds to close more so it was very difficult to see in. He then walked slowly over to the other window and did the same thing, his gaze upon Haley, watching her eyes darken.

“Now for that counter, I have been dreaming about.”

“Nathan,” she whispered, frightened yet so incredibly intrigued. Her heart raced faster as he placed her on top of it, his mouth wet and hot along her neck and collarbone, his hands tugging gently on her long wavy hair , tilting her head back to allow him better access. When his heated hand touched her breast under her blouse she gasped. The sensation it brought made her quiver , the heat of him was so intense. Her hands went into his hair frantically, caressing, tugging, coaxing him closer to her. Her lips and teeth tugged on his ear and his breath became labored. “I have my own arsenal.”

“Just looking at you is an arsenal Haley.” His hands roamed under her shirt and she felt the clasp of her bra being undone. Her chest heaved in and out as Nathan slowly lifted her shirt watching her the whole time. His lips encased her as he pushed the blouse up even farther and Haley felt transported. The heat of his mouth , the excitement of the location was overwhelming. Her legs entertwined around his waist even harder, drawing him to her, pressing against her; the heat palpable. “I almost feel like I can’t breathe.”

Nathan placed his hand behind her head and brought her to him forcefully. He stopped, his mouth centimeters from hers. “Let me help you with that.” His mouth fully encased hers and Haley felt exquisite. They fused, their breath mingled and his fingers danced over her skin, pinching, teasing. She slowly registered the sensation of his hand reaching for the button of her jeans and her eyes flew open. “I can’t!”

“You can’t what?”

“I just can’t do it on Karen’s counter,” she whispered horrified. Her face fell into his shoulder, her own frustration evident.

Nathan ran his hands through Haley’s hair, calming her down, communicating through action that it was ok, while he relayed the message to the other parts of his body. “It’s ok Hales,” he said hoarsely.

“I, I, can’t do it here but I would consider a tweed couch in the backroom. Will that fulfill a fantasy for you?”

Joy sprang to Nathan’s eyes. “Let me think about it for a second.” As Haley looked shocked, he once again picked her up and strode towards the back room, his movements hurried. He kicked the door gently in front of him and placed Haley on the floor in front of him. His hands again on the button of her jeans. He looked lovingly at her face as his heated hand unzipped the jeans and then proceeded to pull them off her body as Haley stood leveraging herself against his body. She fumbled with belts and buttons and zippers on her own and giggled as Nathan’s eyes closed in anticipation as she slipped his jeans off. He once again picked her up and sat down on the couch running his hands feverishly up and down her back. He looked lovingly in her eyes. “I will always have a thing for girls named Haley James.”

She smiled as they joined together. “You better Mister…

Karen came through the swinging door, Haley” What are you doing back here? Haley looked up startled. “I, um, I guess I was just daydreaming.”

Well stop it, you just missed Tim talking to Nathan on the phone.

Haley’s heart wrenched. WHAT? She ran out to the café, her eyes looking at Tim questioningly. He looked chagrined for her. “I’m sorry Haley, he had to go. He tried holding on as long as he could.

Chapters 7 - 10

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7-10 :: 11-13 :: 14-end