When Push Comes to Shove

By Brynne

Part 3

“Gonna be late, gonna be late,” I chant to myself as a reminder to bust ass as I’m getting ready for the opening of the children’s center. “Nathan! Are you ready?”

“Almost!” his muffled reply comes from the living room. Video games. My archenemy since the day Nathan and I moved in together. I just know that’s what he’s doing out there.

“I swear to God, you had better be dre – “ I cut off when I catch sight of him, already completely dressed in his tux. “Oh, my God, Nathan! You’re dressed! And ready to go! Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

“Hey baby, I love you and all, but that outfit might not be appropriate for the opening of a children’s center,” he smirks, “And your hair is dripping on the rug, too. Don’t know if you noticed, but it is.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, like you haven’t seen me naked before – almost every single night for the past three years. And I know you don’t give a shit about the rug. Was it not you I dragged home a few months ago piss drunk who stopped to barf on the rug?”

“And some before that, and yes, it as me,” he adds, oh so helpfully, “Go get dressed, pretty girl.”

I do as he says and head for the bedroom, but turn around before I get too far. “Nathan? You look really great. Thanks.”

“For you?” he grins magnanimously, “Anything. Oh, wait, just a second.” I stop, waiting for him to continue. He reaches down on the other side of the couch, pulling up a huge bouquet of flowers. “These are for you. Congratulations on everything. I know you’ve worked really hard at getting this center up and running, and you know that it means a lot to me. I’m sorry I’ve been an ass about it. I think you’re amazing, and I’m proud of you.”

He walks towards me as he’s saying this, and by the time he finishes, he’s standing in front of me. “Oh, Nathan, these are so beautiful. I love them!” I sniffle, trying to keep my emotions in check, “I can’t believe you did this.”

“Well, I meant what I said. You’re amazing. You deserve it. Now, really, babe, go get dressed, or we will be late, and you won’t have me to blame,” he winks, turning me around and slapping my naked ass. I’d glare at him for that, but after how sweet he was? He gets a free pass for the evening, at least.

How is he so great 99% of the time, but a total putz the other 1%? Makes no sense whatsoever.

~*~

“Hales, hurry up, we’re going to hit all the damn traffic if you don’t haul ass,” Nathan yells from the hall outside my dorm room. Lucy just looks at me and rolls her eyes.

“He’s loud,” she laughs.

I blow the long bangs that Brooke had talked me into when she visited last week out of my eyes. “You’re telling me. It isn’t your ears he’s screaming in every night. ‘Oh, Haley, yeah, oh, oh’ – “ I cut off my mocking as he enters the room glaring. Both Lucy and I are laughing so hard tears are streaming down our faces.

“Haley,” he sighs, “I don’t even know what I’m going to do with you. When did you get so…open about that stuff?”

“Oh, but I bet you’ll figure out something to do with her by the time you get to a suitable pull-off spot on the road,” Lucy teases him, and we both laugh even harder, clutching each other for support.

Nathan just groans, shaking his head at the two of us. He’s getting used to us, I think, now that he and I have been dating for a month. Lucy is a lot for someone who keeps to themselves as much as Nathan tends to do now to handle, I think. They get along, and he usually laughs at her over the top goofiness, but he mostly just doesn’t pay much attention to her. And I actually believe him when he says it is because he’s too busy paying attention to me, which is probably the weirdest part of the equation.

“Haley!” Nathan tries again, getting more impatient by the second, “It’s supposed to really pour. It’d be nice if we could beat some of that so we don’t have to drive in it the whole way.”

“Don’t be such a spoilsport, Scott!” Lucy goads him, “You get her for three days! I’m stuck here by myself for three days, and it is Christmas!”

“You can come with us,” I offer again, elbowing Nathan when he groans, “It’d be fun. You’d like everyone!”

“No, its fine, I’ll be good here for a few days until we have to fly out to Arizona for that tournament. Right, Nathan? I’ll save you a seat on the plane, and we can talk the whole time about periods and tamp – “

“Okay, that’s great, yeah, Luce, whatever you say,” he groans again, looking at me in desperation, “Hales? Please can we go? At this rate, Peyton and Luke will get there before us, and they’ve got further to go. And are probably leaving later.”

“Well, Peyton drives like she’s got cocaine in there and the fuzz is after her,” I remind him, “So they’ll probably beat us anyway.”

”I think Luke’s driving,” he counters, not even realizing that we’re standing around having a conversation rather than packing or leaving.

“Then they’ll get there two days from now,” I laugh. He laughs, too, and Lucy just rolls her eyes at how easy he was for me to distract. “Okay, He-Man, carry this one, and - ” I grin, tossing him another bag, “I think I’m ready to go.”

“Hales, you’ll only be there a week and a half,” he reminds me, “Why do you need so much stuff? I’m going to keep you naked half the time, anyway.” He tosses a wink to Lucy at that who just laughs at the two of us.

“Oh, Lord help us all,” Lucy laughs, “Merry Christmas, you guys. Hay, I love you and I’ll see you for New Year’s – which is going to be hot, by the way! Nathan, I’ll see you on the jock plane trip from hell! And it really is a bummer you’ll have to miss New Year’s, Nathan. You know that Trent has been eyeing Haley. With you gone, it might be his chance.”

Nathan glowers at her taunting, but to his credit, doesn’t say anything. I give her a hug, tell her I’ll miss her and to be nice to Nathan, especially during the tournament, and grab the last of my bags and follow Nathan out to the car. Of course, it has started raining, so his mood is just marvelous.

“I told you!” he exclaims, “What did I tell you about the rain?”

“That it was going to?” I offer up, not in any great hurry to get to Tree Hill anyway. Three days are all that he’ll be there, and then he’s off for his basketball tournament all next week. And then Dan is dragging him and Luke to Vermont for a father/son New Year’s celebration. I think Dan knows about Nathan and me and is already trying to keep us apart. Not that I’m paranoid. Much.

I stand there getting soaked, not caring. With his hair falling in his face and his t-shirt clinging to him in the most delicious way, I could jump him right here and not care if anyone saw. Not that there are people around to see, almost everyone has left for the holiday.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he grins, “We aren’t wasting anymore time. We’re getting on the road now. And this isn’t a wet t-shirt contest.”

I pout, but acquiesce, climbing into my seat. “You are sexy wet, though,” I grin at him, “But it is also kind of cold.”

“I know I am, and I know you are,” he smirks, looking pointedly at my chest. “So, this is going to be interesting. I can’t believe you didn’t open your big mouth and tell Peyton or Brooke that we’re dating now. Especially Brooke, considering you just spent a weekend with her. And you still owe me for staying away all weekend, by the way. You owe me forty-eight hours of hot, sweaty, deliriously mind-blowing sex now.”

I scoot as far over as I can get in my seat and lay my head on his shoulder. “I almost told Peyt,” I admit, “But I want to see the looks on everyone’s faces when they realize. That’s way better than squealing on the telephone.”

“I’m excited for people at home to know,” he admits with a sort of shy smile. It’s funny, but the closer we get, the shyer Nathan gets about some things. Which you would think the opposite would be true, but I guess that I know his outer persona so well that there was nothing to be shy with on that one.

“Even Dan?” I ask, half-kidding, half-curious.

“He’s not going to like it,” he sighs, “But too fucking bad for him. It isn’t his life, and besides, I’m the one who has to put up with you.”

I laugh. “Who puts up whom?”

He grins over at me. “I know the score, don’t worry,” he agrees, “I know that me and the baggage I carry around aren’t the easiest thing in the world to deal with.”

“I’d rather deal with an entire cargo hold of baggage if the other option was not having you in my life, Nathan.” I blush after I say this, feeling like a complete cheesehead.

“That’s sweet, I think.”

“You think?” I raise an eyebrow at him, “You don’t know whether or not it’s sweet? I mean, it is or it isn’t, black or white, you know?”

“How nervous are you?” he asks, looking at me suspiciously, “You’re either really nervous or really drunk. Which is it?”

I glare at him. “I’m not drunk. And yeah, maybe I am a little nervous, and maybe I am rambling a bit much, even for me, but this is like, a meet the parents thing.”

“My dad has known you for a long time,” he reminds me, obtusely missing my point, “There aren’t any intros or anything that have to be made.”

I roll my eyes at him. “I know that, Nathan, but he doesn’t know about what we’re doing now. And like you said, he isn’t going to like it. He hates me, Nathan.”

He reaches across the center console and grabs my hand. “He doesn’t hate you, Haley. He might not adore and love you like I do – “

“It would be sick if he did!” I interrupt with a shudder.

“Right,” he agrees, laughing, “But he doesn’t hate you. How could he, right?”

“Nathan, do you remember your birthday party? When I called him disgusting? Of course he hates me!”

“You also called him a selfish pig, if I remember correctly. And I think I do, because that was a priceless moment. The look on his face was great.” He smiles fondly at the memory, and I could reach over and strangle him. “That was a great birthday. I shouldn’t have left you in your bedroom like that, though. I bet you’d have let me get to at least third base that night.”

“Nathan,” I whine, ignoring the latter of his comments, “I just don’t want us being together to make things more uncomfortable for you at home.”

“Hales, I’d be way more uncomfortable without you. I mean that. And besides, your parents are out of town, and you know we’ll all be there the whole time anyway, except for Christmas Eve with Dad. It won’t be a big deal, I promise.”

I roll my eyes, knowing this isn’t the case. Dan has already expressed irritation with Nathan and Luke for coming home for Christmas when they both have basketball tournaments coming up next week. Nathan honestly couldn’t care less, but I sort of care on his behalf, wanting him to have a good Christmas.

Last Christmas was such a nightmare since it was their first without Deb, but this one has the potential of being so much better. And I just want that for Nathan. He’s come a long way in the last year, particularly the last month, and I know him so well that I know he’s never been happier than he is now. But I also know that Dan Scott is the one person with the power to ruin it. And so I tell him this.

“No, he’s really not,” Nathan comments about five minutes after I tell him that. I roll my eyes at him, clearly disbelieving. “I’m serious, Hales. If he told me he didn’t want to spend Christmas with me, I wouldn’t care. Actually, I would – I’d be happy. But if you told me you didn’t want to spend Christmas together, then I’d be crushed.”

Oh. And aw. That’s really sweet. And really placing a lot of power in my hands, not to mention the onus of protecting him now falls completely on my shoulders, although in some ways, I think I’ve always worn – or tried to wear – that mantle.

“Well, believe me, there is no one I’d rather spend Christmas with either,” I admit shyly, sometimes still nervous around him, despite that we’ve spent pretty much every non-basketball occupied moment together since we became a couple. And, uh, despite the fact that I’ve known him forever and he’s the only person who has seen me naked since I was a little kid. Whatever. No one ever said love was rational.

“So it works out perfect,” he grins, “Well, except Brooke and Peyton giving me dirty looks the whole time. You know they will.”

I shrug. “They’ll probably direct them at me, since I’ve been keeping this secret from them,” I point out, not really caring. They’ll get over it soon enough, I’m sure.

“Think they’ll be surprised?” he asks.

I shrug. “Maybe a little. At least that we managed to keep it secret. But…they knew. They all knew, and I think they all thought it would happen sometime.”

He rolls his eyes. “And I’m sure they’ll bring that up at least a thousand and two times, just to rub it in our faces a little.”

“Is that so bad?” I laugh, “I mean, they’ll feel vindicated for their suspicions, and besides, we knew they expected this. They weren’t even surprised when we slept together the first time.”

“That’s because they’re pervs,” he argues, “And they don’t need to have any thoughts about you sleeping with anyone, especially Luke and Jake. I’m not afraid to kick either of their dumb asses if they do.” I roll my eyes at him. “What? It’s not like they wouldn’t. Hell, when we weren’t together, I thought of you like that all the time.”

I blush. “Yeah, but you never did anything about it.”

He nods. “I know, but I did something about it now.”

I laugh at him. “You would’ve left the room if I hadn’t have stopped you, Nathan Daniel Scott!” I exclaim at his selective memory.

He glances over at me, desire plain on his face. “And I liked your methods of stopping me, in case I hadn’t mentioned it.”

I blush to the roots of my hair at my forwardness that day. “You’ve mentioned it several times, Nathan. I’m beginning to think you’re hinting at something.”

“I’m open to whatever advances you want to spring on me, Hales,” he drawls out, winking at me. I roll my eyes, causing him to laugh. “I’m just teasing you. But I have to admit, that was pretty sexy. Kind of, I don’t know, forceful.”

“I highly doubt I was forcing you into anything,” I scoff, fighting the urge to smack the shit out of him.

“No, I wouldn’t say force,” he agrees, noticing he’s ruffled my feathers, “But it was definitely a technique aimed at persuasion.”

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” I huff.

“Yeah, I stayed,” he agrees, “And I got some that afternoon.”

“Nathan!” I exclaim, trying not to laugh at his teasing, “You are remembering the wrong parts of this!”

“No, I’m remembering exactly the right parts, Hales. The parts where you were naked and your mouth was on my – “

“Nathan!”

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he mutters, choking back his laughter, “Come on, Hales. We’ve done it so many times, you can’t seriously still blush over it!”

I shrug, “It’s different to talk about it or something. I don’t know. You know I like it, like being with you, ah, like that, but talking about it is kind of another story.”

“So, you aren’t going to talk dirty to me when I’m gone for this tournament?” he asks.

“Have I talked dirty to you when you’ve been gone for any of your road trips?” I point out, shaking my head at him, “And besides, you never acted like you want to. Just act all sweet and talk about how you miss me when you call. Not that I don’t love that.”

“Am I really that sweet?” he asks, kind of scrunching up his nose, probably in disgust over his lack of manliness.

“Yeah, you are, but I won’t tell Luke or Jake, I promise.”

He snorts. “I’m more worried about you telling Lucy or Brooke. Those two have big mouths, and I know neither would be afraid to bring that up in front of guys on the team or guys from high school,” he laughs.

“Well, don’t worry, Brooke definitely knows nothing, and Lucy knows that I’d slip purple hair dye into her shampoo if she messes with you,” I assure him.

He laughs. “Aren’t you just protective of me? Speaking of cute.”

“I’ve always been protective of you, Nathan. Just not in the same beat the opposite sex off with a stick way that you were of me.”

“I still am protective of you in that way,” he clarifies, smiling lazily at me.

“Yeah, but now you kind of, I don’t know if I’d call it a right, but you definitely have more claim to being all chauvinistic and weird about guys looking at me now,” I concede.

“Does that mean I get to catfight any girl that gets near you?” I ask teasingly, “Because some of those girls seem to think you are community property.”

“Haley, I swear, they don’t mean anything to me. I don’t even want them, I don’t even want to look at them.”

“Welcome back to Tree Hill,” I comment as we pass the sign, “And Nathan, I know – I do know that you don’t want those girls. I trust you.”

He smiles over at me, and it is so honest, so sweet. “There are a lot of things I’d love to hear from you, Haley, and I didn’t even know that was one of them. But I think it might’ve been at the top of the list.”

I lean over and kiss his cheek. He turns toward me, trying to catch my lips with his, but I pull away. “Nathan, stop, you’re driving. And we’re almost to my house.”

“Thank God, you in that wet t-shirt has been driving me insane,” he laughs, “God, I can’t wait to get you up in your bed.”

“The t-shirt dried a half hour ago,” I laugh, shaking my head at his exuberance for sex. Uh, not that I don’t feel the exact same way about him or anything. Because I totally do, but I’m not going to show him my whole hand like that. Of course, he knows that already, so it doesn’t make much of a difference.

“I can still see it all in my mind, though,” he grins, “And you really should go braless more often. When I’m around, though. Only when I’m around.” I roll my eyes, but laugh, too. “Whose cars are those?” he grounds out as he pulls into my driveway.

“Nathan, you know exactly whose cars those are,” I tell him, a little irritated that everyone is already here myself, “We knew they’d be here. You’re the surprise – they don’t know you’ll be with me.”

“Maybe when they find out, they’ll leave and give us some privacy,” he grumbles, “Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll get our bags later.”

“You nervous?” I ask curiously.

He shrugs. “What if they think you’re too good for me? I mean, you are, I know that, but I don’t need it pointed out, you know?”

I try to crawl over into his lap, but the center console and steering wheel foil my perfect plan. “Damn it,” I mutter, glaring when he laughs, “Nathan, look, they’re your friends. And Peyt and Brooke might be more protective of me, but they know – they know you’re all I ever wanted. And they aren’t going to say anything bad against it. I know they won’t.”

“Well, let’s go face the music then.”

I laugh. “Oh, God, Nathan, the music is going to be so loud. Peyt and Brooke are going to be pissed I didn’t tell them, and you know Luke will be mad at you, too!”

He groans, “Thanks for pointing that out, Hales. Something to look forward to, right?” I laugh. “No, I’m serious, I don’t know why, but it’d be nice if they were all supportive.”

“They will be,” I promise him, “It’ll be fine. Great, even.”

“We’ll see,” he shrugs, leaning over to kiss me once more before opening his door and jumping out. I follow suit, and walk around to him and grab his hand. “How’d they get in, anyway?” Nathan asks.

“Brooke has a key,” I explain, “She was living here practically over the summer, so my mom finally just gave her a key.”

He nods. “I’m not trying to be rude, but can we get the key back? I don’t think we need her barging in at all hours over the next few days.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I agree, totally knowing how he feels. And with Brooke, there would be interruptions, and they’d be long ones, too. I will definitely get that key back.

“That’s my girl,” he grins, then corrects himself, “That’s my girlfriend. Would you have ever thought that I’d like saying that so much?”

I laugh at that, and his expression. “Not about me, no.”

“Well, I’ll say it lots to make up for that, okay?”

“It’s a deal,” I agree, dragging him to the front door. I push it open, releasing his hand. I can hear our four friends laughing in the living room. “Luuuucy, I’m home!”

Peyton screams, and Nathan rolls his eyes at me as pounding footsteps approach. She throws herself at me, and I barely have time to react before my ass is on the floor, Peyton sprawled on top of me.

“Peyt? Love you, and it’s good to see you, but can’t breathe,” I gasp out. All of a sudden, she’s lifted off of me and set on her feet. Nathan is standing there, looking irritated with her.

“What the hell?” she snaps, turning on him, “Jesus, Nathan, you can’t just manhandle me. And what are you doing here, anyway? This is Haley’s house, and you aren’t really welcome.”

“Peyt,” I try to interject, noting that everyone else has joined us.

“You were suffocating my girlfriend, and since I have plans for her, I couldn’t let that happen, now could I?” Nathan asks back.

Well, that’s one way of letting the cat out of the bag, I can’t help but note. Brooke looks confused, Peyton looks horrified – so maybe Nathan was right, and not everyone will get a kick out of this – but both Jake and Luke, to my relief, just look relieved. Probably glad they don’t have to spend three days bouncing between us. Luke does look concerned, but that’s probably just because no one wants to see another Peyton/Nathan verbal blowout extravaganza.

“What? You’re what?” Peyton wrenches away from Nathan, shoving a finger in his face, “Have you lost your mind?”

“Peyton,” I exclaim, grabbing her arm. Huh, I’m beginning to think this whole secret thing wasn’t such a good idea. Go figure. “Peyton, stop it, come here. Listen to me.”

“Jesus, I knew this was a bad idea,” Nathan mumbles.

“Nathan, no,” I argue, “Okay, stop, everyone. Jesus. Now, not that it is any of your business, but Nathan and I are, um, dating. We have been dating. For over a month now.”

Dead silence. I don’t think they’re even breathing. And then Brooke curses. And opens her wallet, passing a hundred dollar bill to Jake. Peyton groans, and does the same thing, only this time to Luke.

“What the hell?” Nathan mutters, looking at me like we’re in the Twilight Zone.

“You guys bet again? God,” I growl, snatching the bills away from Jake and Luke, “Well, looks like we get to have a nice dinner when we get back to school, Nathan.”

“You can’t do that!” Brooke protests.

“I just did,” I laugh, grabbing Nathan’s hand and pulling him towards the living room. “And if you guys would stop betting on us, then you wouldn’t have that problem, would you?”

“What is going on here?” Brooke asks, forgetting the money, at least momentarily, “What – how – when – and dear God, why?”

“Why what?” Nathan snaps, irritated.

“Look, you guys, clearly we should’ve said something sooner. But Nathan and I are dating, and it’s going really well, so, maybe if you have dissenting opinions on it, you could keep them to yourselves?”

To prove my point, I wrap my arms around Nathan’s waist, hugging him tight. No one says anything, just kinds of nods and follows us back into the living room.

“So, how long?” Jake finally asks.

“November,” Nathan tells him, smiling at me, “We had a class together. She tried to pretend she didn’t know I was there, but I ran into her after class one day. Emotionally blackmailed her into hanging out with me.”

I laugh at that, confused when Peyton snorts, clearly disgusted with all this. “Peyt? Brooke? Can I talk to you both in my room for a sec?” I ask it as a question, but it is definitely stated as more of a demand.

“Haley, how did this happen?” Brooke demands when we get up to my room, “How on earth did you keep it a secret? Oh, my God, I was there last week!”

I grin at her, knowing she’s more irritated about not being told than that we’re together. “I just wanted it to be a surprise. And you know, it was so special and so sweet that I couldn’t help just keeping it quiet.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you,” she squeals, “I know how long you’ve wanted Nathan Scott, and you finally have him!”

“Yeah, it’s really good,” I agree, choking up, “He’s just been so great, and you know what? This is so dopey, but I think it was even better than what I imagined, you know?”

“Oh, my God!” Brooke exclaims, “That’s how I felt when Jake and I got back together! I pictured it in my head so many times, and then when it happened, it was everything I wanted, but more, too. Just better.”

“How long will it last?” Peyton asks, reminding us of her presence, “I know you love Nathan, and I know you want him to love you back the same way, but I’m worried for you. Nathan has never, not once since I’ve known him, given me the impression he’d be a good boyfriend. I know – I know, I really do know that you’re the one person he’s different with Haley, but I’m worried that even that won’t be enough. And I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true.”

I stare at her, trying to formulate words that work in terms of syntax and diction. “Peyt, he’s perfect. Not perfect in that he does nothing wrong, but perfect in that he loves me, he really loves me, and that’s all I need. I just need him, in my life, loving me. And not loving me in a disguised way where he’d chase of any member of the male species that got within five hundred feet of me, but actually loving me, day in and day out.”

She nods, still looking doubtful. “For your sake, I totally hope your right. And for his, too, because I’ll kill him if he hurts you again.”

I hug her. “He won’t. Not like before. He’ll be dumb sometimes and piss me off, but he won’t hurt me. And even that wasn’t intentional. He was jealous, and let his jealousy talk.”

“Okay, I – I’ll let it go. But I swear, off with his dick if he treats you bad, at all,” she threatens, “So keep him in line.”

Brooke looks back and forth between us. “Does this mean we get to have a girly group hug now? Because now that my two favorite bitches are back, I want some hugs!”

Laughingly, we oblige her, throwing our arms around her. “I missed you both so much!” Peyton exclaims, “And Brooke, I can’t believe you haven’t been up to see me yet!”

“You’re far away,” she protests, “And I don’t like to get too far from Jake and Jenny, you know? If he needs me to watch her, I like to be reasonably close!”

“Aw,” Peyt and I coo simultaneously, laughing. “Come on, let’s go downstairs, I bet the guys are wondering what we’re doing up here,” I point out.

“Probably having sick girl on girl fantasies,” Peyton suggests, “We should totally play along.”

“Ha, they’d never fall for it. Some of their dumbass friends would, but they wouldn’t. Plus, I promised Jake I wouldn’t cheat, and I think this might count as cheating.”

“God, Brooke, I don’t think she was saying actually do it, just make ‘em think we were,” I laugh, shaking my head at her.

“Oh, well. Yeah, still, they’d never fall for it,” she shrugs.

“Come on, let’s get back down there and make sure they haven’t trashed the place while left to their own devices,” I suggest, moving out the door.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us,” Peyton gripes, following me down the stairs, “I talk to you three times a week!”

“I almost told you a couple of times,” I confess, “But we wanted it to be a surprise, so I held back! I couldn’t help it, I’m sorry!”

“What! I was there visiting you, in person!” Brooke interrupts, “But she was the one you almost told? How does that work?”

“I keep the better secret,” Peyton deduces, winking at me, “And you, Brookie, aren’t so strong in that department. You’d have told Jake, me, and Luke within in ten minutes of finding out. Don’t deny it!”

“Well, fine, I might not be as tight-lipped as some people, but I wouldn’t have said anything if you told me not to!” she argues.

“Forget it,” I laugh, pushing past her to jump on Nathan’s lap in the recliner he’s sitting on. “Miss me?” I whisper.

He grins, loosely winding his arms around me. “Nah, I knew you couldn’t stay away too long,” he teases.

“Oh, they’re so cute it is sickening,” Brooke gripes to Jake.

“Didn’t we used to say that about them?” Luke wonders, kicking at Peyt’s foot.

“We might have,” I agree, shifting around on Nathan’s lap to get comfortable.

“Babe, get the key back,” Nathan whispers in my ear, “And then stop wiggling.”

I elbow him before turning my attention to Brooke. “Hey, you gonna give me that key back? My parents were considering hiring a housekeeper for when they’re gone, and they’d like that key back, if you could.”

She looks at me, a little suspicious, but just shrugs. “Yeah, it’s on my keychain, I’ll drop it off on the table by the door before I go.”

“Thanks, Brooke, I appreciate that,” I smile.

The night is fun. We all sit around and catch up, and Nathan and I tell the story of how we finally got together, omitting several of the racier facts. Brooke and Jake tell us how Jenny is doing, and Peyton talks about New York. Luke is pretty quiet, but he laughs with the rest of us, so we ignore it.

When they leave, Nathan is quick to make sure Brooke does as promised and leaves her key, which he holds up triumphantly the minute they’re all out the door, making a big show of locking it behind them. We spend the rest of the night enjoying being alone, which is a rare commodity in the dorms, especially for such a long period of time. When morning rolls around, Nathan tries to convince me to stay in bed, even though today is Christmas Eve, and we are spending most of the day at Dan’s house.

We’re both a little nervous, but Luke will be there as a buffer, and as long as Dan isn’t insulting to Nathan, I can be pretty nice. I think. With Dan, you never know. He has a way of provoking people without even trying, without you even knowing he’s doing it, really.

But this is just what ifs and maybes right now. I wouldn’t tell Nathan this, but he’s making way too big of a deal out of this. So what if Dan doesn’t approve? It isn’t like it would matter to me, and as far as I knew, it wouldn’t matter to him, either. So, then, why does he care so much?

Because Dan is his father, and at that end of the day, that’s one of the few constants in his world. Even if Dan’s opinion isn’t gospel or even the chorus, he’s still his father, and it would make things a lot easier if he was accepting of this relationship. Because this relationship isn’t going away anywhere, not if I have anything to say about it.

We take our time getting ready and wandering over there. Neither of us is ready to be put under Dan Scott’s special brand of scrutiny this early in the morning, that’s for sure. But it’s going to be okay, because I know that Nathan and I will be okay.

When we pull up to the Scott manse, I start to unbuckle my seatbelt, but Nathan puts his hand over mine, stilling my actions. “I don’t want to go in yet,” he offers by way of explanation. I nod, but finish unbuckling the belt.

“We going to sit out here all day?” I ask after a few minutes of silence. He looks over at me, smiling. “Nathan, he’s probably already seen us out here, we might as well go in. And look, Luke is here already.”

“What if he says something?” he asks abruptly.

“What? Who cares, Nathan? You know that what Dan says doesn’t bother me a bit,” I assure him, “And what is he going to say, anyway?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, but he thinks I should be more focused on basketball. And he knows how important you’ve been to me, especially over our senior year. He’s going to act like you’re a distraction to the basketball.”

“Nathan, first of all, we don’t know that. And secondly? Do you care? Because I don’t. You’re doing great at basketball, and we all know that. In fact, I think your game has picked up a little since we started dating, don’t you think? And third, I don’t think he hates me or anything. He was actually nice the last time I saw him.”

“You weren’t distracting me then,” he points out, smiling.

“Your average has gone up 3.2 points per game since we started dating!” I exclaim, “How on earth can I be blamed for any kind of lull or drop in your playing?”

He starts leaning towards me. “It’s really sexy when you know my stats, Haley,” he grins, his hand landing on my waist.

I push him back. “We’re not starting something we can’t finish,” I inform him, “Now come on, let’s go in and spend Christmas with your family.”

“We could finish, right here in the car,” he protests.

“No, we couldn’t,” I correct, “I’m sorry, there are a lot of places I’d gladly have sex with you at, but your father’s driveway is not one of them. No way, no how.”

He pouts, tracing patterns over my shirt. “Come on, where’s the fun in this if you won’t at least make out with me here?”

“Nathan, no one ever said it would be fun,” I laugh, throwing the door open and jumping out before he can convince me otherwise. “Now, I’m going in. You can stay out here if you want, but then who will protect me from your big, bad dad?”

He glares at me, shrugging. “I don’t know. I guess you’ll just have to find out, Haley.”

I hate it when he gets like this, but thankfully, it is only when his dad comes up these days. I walk around to his side of the car, opening his door. “Don’t make me blackmail you with sex, Nathan. I really hate to do that because it would be punishing both of us, but if I have to, I will.”

He laughs at this, grabbing my hand. “If I don’t go in there with you, you’re going to use sex as a weapon?”

“No, I’m going to withhold sex as a weapon. There will be no more sex,” I tease him, “Now, come on, let’s just go in there and get it over with. The first part will be the hardest, right?”

“Probably,” he agrees, “That’s exactly why I don’t want to do it.”

“Stop being so morose, Nathan,” I sigh, “Look, you’ve seemed really happy since we started going out, and you haven’t been nearly as mopey or angry. And I don’t want this to make you into that again.”

“I want to be good enough for him, Haley,” he says finally, “I want him to approve of what I’m doing, and I want him to be happy for me. Is that too much to ask?”

I crawl onto his lap, scrunching up so I don’t nail my head on the roof of the car. “It isn’t too much at all, Nathan. And if there is any decency in him, he will be.”

“How did I get so lucky that I have you?” he asks, kissing my chin, “Because I am so lucky to have you. I know that.”

“We’re both lucky,” I smile, “We’re lucky we managed to get here after how royally we almost screwed it up.”

He takes a deep breath, his hold on me not lessening. “Let’s get it over with,” he sighs, “But if it sucks, if he says even the slightest thing – “

“Nathan,” I interrupt, “Of course he’s going to say something that one of us don’t like. But unless it is intentionally malicious, it’s okay. He’s just kind of a jerk who doesn’t think before he speaks. I know a few other people like that.”

“Are you comparing me to him?” he asks, shaking his head, “Because I swear, Haley, if you are, I might be the one withholding sex.”

I laugh at that, climbing off his lap and out of the car. “Actually, I was noting that both you and Luke have a history of doing that. In fact, I was really surprised that Luke didn’t have anything to say about us dating last night.”

He shrugs, following me out of the car. We grab the presents we have brought out of the trunk before linking hands. “Maybe he just doesn’t care, maybe he isn’t surprised, who knows? Who cares, for that matter.”

“Nathan, he’s your brother,” I sigh, “And my friend. It’d be cool if he was happy for us, you know?”

“But if he isn’t, then what? Is that a deal breaker?”

I roll my eyes at him as we walk towards the house. “Believe me, when it comes to us, nothing that anyone else does can be a deal breaker. It’s all us.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he smiles, relaxing a tiny bit as he pulls me to his side, “You know I really love you, right?”

“Yeah, of course, Nathan. And you know I love you?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure.”

I laugh, “It’s dinner and presents, Nathan, not a firing squad and a funeral.”

“Then why does it feel like one?” he whispers as he opens up the door.

“Because you make a really big deal out of something that doesn’t need to be big at all,” I whisper back to him.

He smiles slightly at me as he glances around the entryway, probably checking to see if anything has changed since he was last here.

“Dad? Luke?” he calls, “We’re here.”

Luke comes jogging down the stairs. “Hey you two, bring anything good?”

“I brought Haley,” Nathan grins at me, “That’s all the goodness I’ve got to share, you know? Not that I’m really into sharing her.”

“You better not be,” I warn, pulling out of his grasp to give Luke a hug. “Hey, it’s good to see you again,” I smile at him.

“Yeah, you too,” he nods stiffly. Is he uncomfortable with Nathan and I dating? It sort of looks that way.

“Right, well, okay. So, where’s your dad? I’d like to say hi,” I tell him, nudging Nathan when he rolls his eyes, “Come on, Nathan, let’s go find him.”

“He’s in the kitchen,” Luke offers, snickering.

“What’s so funny about that?” I question as Nathan groans.

“Tell me he isn’t,” Nathan demands of Luke.

“Isn’t what?” I ask, desperate to be in the loop here.

“Cooking,” Nathan groans, “God, he is, isn’t he? Whatever happened to our good old-fashioned holidays that featured catering and spiked eggnog? Why does he have to try and be Mr. Freaking Mom?”

Wow, this new development is really too wild to wrap my mind around. Dan Scott, cheater, community bigwig, asshole, and least likely to be father of the year now tries to cook? So many things are wrong with that picture that my mind just boggles. I have to see this for myself, I really do.

“Come on, Nathan, I have to see this,” I mutter determinedly, grabbing his hand. Calling over my shoulder to Luke, I ask, “When is Peyton coming over?”

“An hour or so,” he tells me.

“Good,” I smile, squeezing Nathan’s hand.

I pull him into the kitchen with me, completely unprepared for the sight before me. Dan Scott is wearing an apron. Dan Scott is wearing an apron while covered in flour and what appears to be egg. Dan Scott is wearing an apron, covered in flour and what appears to be egg, and is trying to get a grease fire under control by pouring water on it. Ho-lee shit.

“Oh, ah, hi kids, I’ll be with you in just a moment,” he says, frantically trying to fill up a pitcher of water, presumably to pour on the skillet.

It takes me a minute to process, but when I realize what he’s going to do and how bad it would be, I jump in, turning the water off and grabbing a saucepan cover that is sitting on the counter. I smother the fire with that fairly quickly, and then take the skillet outside since it already stinks like burnt grease and bacon.

“Water doesn’t help in grease fires,” I shrug, turning the fan on above the stove. “My sister almost burnt the house down trying to put one out with water when I was three. I remember that very vividly.”

Nathan just stares at me in surprise, and Dan nods. “Well, since I’m doing more cooking these days and am obviously still not so great at it, that’s a good thing to know.”

I laugh. “I’ve always thought so.” I look around at all the stuff he has sitting out on the counters. “Do you need a hand with anything? I’m the youngest of six kids, so I know my way around the kitchen.”

Nathan groans, but Dan smiles. “Don’t pout, son, you can have your girlfriend back soon enough. And you might even get some edible food out of it. At least it won’t be as bad as the food when we went fishing,” he shudders, remembering. Even Nathan looks a little green at the mention of that.

Nathan just shrugs, giving me an ‘it’s your funeral’ look before skulking out here, not even having said a word to his father. I let it go, though, knowing that Nathan needs to do things in his own time, or it will never work.

“He’ll come around,” Dan says, suggesting he knows it as well, “Nathan usually does.”

I nod in agreement, surprised that Dan actually gets that about Nathan. It isn’t that I think him completely disinterested, because I know he isn’t, but I honestly thought the only thing about his sons that he really noticed was basketball.

“So, what are we making?” I ask.

He offers me a smile. “Well, I was watching this country cooking show on the Food Network, and – “

“Oh, my gosh, Paula Deen! My roommate and I love her!” I enthuse, not dwelling on how weird it is that he watches the Food Network, “And Lucy can mimic her accent perfectly, it’s awesome.”

He laughs, and I honestly cannot remember him laughing before, at least not when it was really just simple laughter.

“Well, I have a lot of time on my hands now, so I watch a lot of the Food Network. One night, I was so into whatever was on that I forgot to flip over to Nathan’s game,” he sighs, “That was a first for me.” I nod, not sure what to say to that. It’s just weird all around. “Anyway, I was trying to make this blueberry coffee cake that was on Paula Deen’s show. And then a skillet scramble. But the bacon is ruined, so we’ll have to use sausage for that.”

“Okay,” I smile, “Just show me what you want me to do!”

We finish up the breakfast, and I show him a few tricks. It actually isn’t unpleasant, to my surprise, and we can talk neutrally about almost any subject, although both of us wisely refrain from bringing up Nathan. When breakfast is ready, he thanks me for my help and sends me off to find Nathan and Luke. The doorbell rings, and I tell him that’d be Peyton, and that I’d get it on my way to find the boys.

“Peyton!” I grin when I open the door, “Merry Christmas!”

“Same to you,” she smiles, “So, how is Christmas with the Grinch going so far?”

“Just fine. He even let me help make breakfast, which you’re just in time for, by the way. I’ve got to go grab the boys first, want to come upstairs with me?”

“Oh, yeah, you might be brave enough to buddy-buddy with Dan Scott, but I’ll tell you what, I am not. When I see him, I’d like there to be some backup for me,” she laughs as we make our way up the stairs. We both stop short on the top step, looking at each other in surprise when we hear that Nathan and Luke are having some sort of fight.

“It’s none of your business, you asshole!” Nathan yells at Luke. I raise my eyebrows in surprise at Peyton. “And you know nothing – nothing! – about it, so butt the hell out!”

“Oh, my God,” she whispers, “What is his fucking problem now?”

I shake my head, shrugging.

“No, it is my business, because she’s my friend! She was my friend, just as much as she was yours! And you think I’ll sit around waiting for you to do to her what you’ve done to all the rest? No damn way, man!”

“It has nothing to do with you, Lucas! This is just between Haley and I, and you get no say in it! None!”

”So I should sit around and watch you screw her over? Let her be stupid and fall more in love with you so that you can leave her feeling like crap again? Yeah, I’m going to do that!”

“Ha, they’re fighting over you,” Peyton sighs, “Would it do me any good if I told you this is a really good reason why you and Nathan should’ve never hooked up?”

Whoa, what? “Peyton, what the hell?” I ask, confused, “Nathan and I have nothing to do with Luke. It isn’t his business, and I’m sorry if he doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t have a place to say anything about it.”

“Oh, come on, Haley, you and Nathan had tons of chances to hook up. But you never did, and you ended up hurt every time. Do you think it is that big of a shock that people might be a little concerned that the same thing will happen this time, too?”

“Your concern is touching, but it is totally unfounded. Nathan isn’t going to hurt me, I know he won’t.”

“He always has,” she sighs, “And no one wants to see that happen again, Haley. Look, we’re all just concerned for you.”

“I’m sorry you guys think that’s how you have to feel, but it isn’t. And more to the point, it isn’t your business, either. And here I thought it would be Dan we’d have to worry about hating the idea of this. I can’t believe it is really our friends with the problem.”

“It isn’t a problem, Haley, it’s just concern, okay?”

“No, it isn’t okay,” I sigh, “You know as well as anyone that I’ve been in love with Nathan forever. When he comes to me, with his heart on his sleeve and tells me he felt the same way, what was I supposed to do? Tell him to get lost? There is no way in hell I’d do that. Why can’t you be happy for me?”

“I’m trying, I really am,” she assures me, “But I can’t help but remember the tears. And there were a lot of them, on many different occasions. And I know you want to believe he’s changed, that he’s reformed, but you really don’t know that, do you?”

“He hasn’t changed or reformed – you know why? Because he didn’t have to. And I could go into that with you, but you obviously don’t want to be a friend about this, so I won’t.”

I stalk past her, listening to the continued arguing of Luke and Nathan as I open the door to Nathan’s bedroom. “Breakfast is ready,” I inform them, moving to stand beside Nathan. I grab his hand, squeezing it gently. “And Luke, if you have something to say about my choices, why don’t you say them to me?”

“Haley, come on,” he sighs in response, “You know this isn’t a good thing.”

“Yeah, you’re right, it isn’t good. It’s great. And I’m really sorry that you and apparently Peyton can’t see it, and I even appreciate that you care enough to be an asshole about it, but it isn’t your place. This is our relationship, it makes me really happy, and neither of us needs you crapping on it, okay?”

Peyton is standing outside the door as we walk past, ignoring her. I head for the stairs, but Nathan grabs my hand, pulling me into the bathroom for a little privacy.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he sighs, looking at me in concern.

I just shrug. “It doesn’t matter, Nathan. It doesn’t change anything that I feel, nothing could do that.”

He nods, pulling me close to him. “I just hate that I’ve given them reason to think that I’d hurt you,” he sighs, “Because I wouldn’t. Not again, I couldn’t. I love you, Haley.”

I raise a hand to caress his cheek. “I know that, Nathan. I trust you with everything in me, and I know that you wouldn’t hurt me.”

He leans his forehead against mine, breathing deeply. “I’m still sorry you had to overhear that, and that Peyton apparently said similar things.”

“It doesn’t matter, Nathan. It really doesn’t.”

He nods, moving to kiss my cheek. “I know, but they’re supposed to be our friends, right? It just would’ve been nice if they were happy for us.”

“Well, Brooke is happy for us, and I think Jake is, too. So that’s something. And we’ll just not pay attention to what Peyton and Luke think, okay?”

“Luke is my brother, and Peyton is your best friend, Haley, it’s kind of hard to just ignore their opinions. And even if we do, it doesn’t mean we stop wishing they’d be different.”

“No, it doesn’t, but Nathan? I’d rather spend Christmas being happy with you than worrying about what they think, okay? We can worry about that later.” I smile up at him, leaning up on my tiptoes to kiss him softly. “Now come eat, your father and I threw together quite the feast, if I do say so myself.”

“You and my dad cooking together,” he shudders, “Now that is a sight I never thought I’d see. Honestly, I never thought I’d see my dad cooking period, but with you? Hell must’ve frozen over!”

“Hey, you say it like it’s a bad thing!” I laugh, pouting, “Is it really so weird that I cooked with your dad? And that I had a good time?”

We both stop walking. “Yes, yes, it is,” we say in unison, cracking up. He lifts me up and tosses me over his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go see how good this feast of yours is.”

“It’s great,” is my muffled response as he bounds down the stairs. If it were someone else, I’d probably be terrified they’d drop me, but I really do trust Nathan in all aspects.

Breakfast goes by fine, Nathan and I both ignoring the looks from Peyton and Lucas and Dan seemingly oblivious to it all. Dan is actually the best behaved throughout all this, asking questions of Nathan, Luke, and me, although he does sort of ignore Peyton. The only reason for that I can come up with is that she’s never stood up to him, and he actually does respect people who do that. Which is why he can tolerate me, I guess.

“Now, Haley, what are you studying?”

“Oh, I’m still undecided,” I shrug, earning surprised looks from Peyton and Luke, “I thought that I wanted to be a doctor, but now I’m just not sure. There are so many options, and I’m not ready to commit to anything yet.”

Nathan grabs my hand and squeezes it, knowing that it has been hard for me not knowing what I want to do. He was really great over the last couple of weeks when I was grappling with what classes I should be taking next semester, and he’s been patient with me as I stressed out over these seemingly innocuous things.

“Haley will be really great at anything she decides to do,” Nathan cuts in, “But I just want her to choose something that makes her happy. Tell them about your sociology class and the children’s center.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I demure, knowing that it isn’t the most interesting of topics.

“No, come on, you love it, and it’s awesome. Tell them,” he encourages.

I roll my eyes at him, but give in. “I took a sociology class this semester, and one of the requirements was to get involved in a community project that promoted the betterment of society. And there wasn’t really anything of interest going on, so a few other students and I went to the professor and asked if we could start our own project. And it started small, basically as a twice weekly thing where we’d invite children who lived in town to come to the library and we’d tutor them and play games with them. It became too big for the library, the professor stepped in, and now the university is looking into getting involved and opening some kind of children’s center. Nothing is set in stone yet, but there’s a good possibility that we’ve really got something here.”

“Isn’t that awesome?” Nathan grins, “And she’s too modest to tell you, but the whole thing was her idea. And if they go through with it, she’ll get to be on the board of directors.”

“That’s very impressive,” Dan concedes, “Having something like that to put on your résumé will be a bonus no matter what you wind up going into.”

I smile at him and then Nathan, who puts his arm around me. “Yeah, it’s a good thing. And hopefully it will come to fruition, some of the parents are already remarking on what a huge difference they’re seeing in their children’s behavior and schoolwork. And our final paper will basically be on the differences in their behavior.”

“And the kids are great,” Nathan enthuses, making me fall in love with him a little more, “And just in the month or so since I’ve started helping when I can, they really have made progress. All of them. Even the ones that you could tell would be harder to reach.”

“You’re helping?” Luke asks, incredulous.

“Oh, yeah,” I jump in, noting that Nathan’s jaw clenches when he asks that question, “On Tuesday evenings, we’re sponsoring gym time, and Nathan comes and teaches the kids about basketball. That’s my favorite session, actually.”

Nathan shakes his head, disagreeing. “I like Wednesdays. That’s reading circle day,” he explains, “We break out into groups of ten or so, and then choose a book and each take turns reading it. It is really inspiring to watch those kids get a little better each week, pronounce a harder word.”

“That’s, well, pretty amazing,” Peyton chokes out, “The kids must have a lot of fun.”

“We all do,” I smile, hoping that maybe she’ll let go of her thing against Nathan, especially if it is on my behalf. “And there really is a lot of value in it, too.”

“Sounds like it,” Dan grins, “And what about you, Peyton, what are you doing at school so far?”

“Oh, um,” she blinks, looking surprised he’d turn the subject to her, “Mostly just my classes and art right now. Trying not to get lost in the shuffle of New York City.”

“Yeah, right,” Dan nods, “I see.”

Painful, awkward silence. I feel bad for Peyton, although I don’t really think I should, so I jump in. “Well, the whole basketball thing has been fun this year. My roommate is a cheerleader, so she always sneaks me and a friend in early so we can get courtside seats.”

Dan smiles. “Yeah, it has been fun watching both of you boys’ games on TV. You guys have been doing well, transitioning to college play, I mean.”

“Wow, a kinder and gentler dad,” Nathan blinks.

Dan actually laughs. “Well, not kind and gentle enough to remind you both that you can always improve and to work your butts off out there. But it is Christmas, so I don’t mind saying that I think you are both doing really well this year. I’m, uh, proud of you.”

“Damn,” Luke mutters, as shocked as Nathan is. Hell, as shocked as all of us are, including Dan, probably.

And Nathan thought this was going to a bad Christmas.

~*~

“So, all your hard work really paid off, didn’t it?” he grins as we walk home after the celebration for the center opening is over.

“Hey, you worked pretty hard on it, too,” I remind him, “And those kids love it when you show up. I think you’re half the reason they come back.”

“Nah, no way,” he protests, “I was fun at first, but the novelty of me wore off quick enough. It’s you, and the rest of the people who put this together. It really is amazing, Haley, what you guys have done here. I’m really proud of you.”

I blink back tears at his kind words, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thanks, Nathan, it means a lot that you’d say that.”

“So, you want to go out and hit that after-party they were throwing?” he asks, referring to a couple of girls who worked on the committee with me since freshman year.

I shake my head, smiling up at him. “I would much rather that you take me home and we have our own private party,” I tell him, “I want to make love to you.”

“I’m not going to turn down an offer like that,” he grins, “In fact, I’ll race you!”

He takes off running, and I try and keep up with him, but spike heels on grass aren’t really conducive to running. “Nathan!” I whine, “I can’t run in this dress and these heels!”

“Aw, poor baby, come here,” he laughs, jogging back over to me, “Want a piggy back ride?”

“Only if you’re giving it,” I grin, hopping on his back, “And only if you’re giving ‘other’ rides when we get home.”

“Oh, I’ll give you a ride, alright,” he agrees, starting to jog once again.

I could just be with him forever like this.

~*~

“It’s our two year anniversary today,” I tell Peyton over the phone, “Should I assume he forgot and be ready to give him hell for it?”

She laughs, “Look, you know I had serious reservations about this in the beginning, but he hasn’t forgotten a single birthday, holiday, anniversary, phone call, dress, test, anything that you have done over the last two years. I doubt he’d start now.”

“Well, he hasn’t mentioned it,” I pout, “And usually he’ll let me know what he has planned so that I can be sure to be free.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, babe. Maybe he’s planning a surprise or something, but I’m sure he didn’t forget.”

“He better not have,” I laugh, “I bought some new lingerie that I was going to model for him that is way racier than anything I’ve ever bought for myself, but if he forgets, I swear, I’ll take it back. It was expensive, and you know how broke I am.”

“Yeah, but that’s because you’re dedicating yourself to the good of the children’s center, and not working at a paying job.”

I laugh at that. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Nathan reminds me every time I bitch about being broke. It still sucks, though.”

“Well, you’re going to get an awesome job that pays a ton when you graduate, and then you’ll be really happy that you put so much time and effort into the children’s center. Not that you already aren’t glad, but you’ll be even happier then.”

“It’ll be a relief, at least,” I agree. “Okay, well, I’d better go. I’m going to clean up around here a bit before Nathan gets back.”

“I can’t believe you two live together, that’s so grown up,” she laughs.

“Well, I think Lucy got sick of him being over constantly or me being gone constantly the last two years, so it makes sense that I’d just live with Nathan now,” I shrug, “I loved living with Luce, but I just plain love Nathan.”

“And this way you can have sex anywhere in the apartment you want without having to worry about a roommate barging in,” she points out.

“That’s a nice bonus, but I was actually going to say that his basketball scholarship pays for almost all of the rent, so I only have to pay a small portion of it,” I joke.

“Burn,” she laughs.

“Okay, I’m really going now. Love you, Peyt!”

“Love you, too, babe. Have a good anniversary! Rock his world!”

I laugh, “I always rock his world.”

”Well, rock it extra hard tonight.”

“I’ll do my best,” I agree with mock solemnity.

Once we’re off the phone, I do as I told her I was going to and pick things up. I even vacuum and dust, two chores which Nathan usually does because he knows how much I hate them. I’ll clean the bathroom, but I’d rather eat worms before I had to vacuum or dust. But today, I just want today to be nice, and if that means doing a few chores I hate, so be it.

I finish cleaning up, and then jump in the shower. I take care in getting ready after, going all out in terms of applying makeup and curling my hair. It looks good, and when I’m done, I dress in the lingerie I bought for tonight. I’d considered teasing him and seeing if I could convince him that I’d taken a kinky turn and wanted him to dress in it, but it is unlikely he’d fall for it and I know he’d rather see it on me first instead of waiting for me to put it on.

It’s a really gorgeous sheer babydoll nightie that hits just above the top of my thighs. I got it in pink, just for the pure girly factor of it all. There are flowers embroidered into it, but for the most part, it really is completely see-through. Not that it matters, since it is so low and wide cut that it shows most of my boobs anyway. And of course I had to get the matching pair of panties, too.

I lie on our bed, waiting for him, until it becomes clear that he’s in no hurry to get home tonight. And that irks me because that probably means he forgot what tonight is. So I get up, throw on a pair of his sweats over the top of the nightie and put away everything I’d got out for tonight – candles, flowers, and a few other ‘treats’ I knew he’d like.

I probably shouldn’t be mad because he’s always been so good about this kind of thing, but it is his own fault, really. He spoiled me, and now I expect that he’ll always remember and always want to celebrate these things with me. And now that he’s either forgotten or gotten to busy to call me, it hurts and pisses me off.

He finally gets home at 11, looking beat to hell and back. “Are you okay?” I ask, concerned. All earlier frustration out the window, just like that.

He nods, flopping down on the couch beside me, lying his head in my lap. “Rough practice, and then we had a team meeting about our loss yesterday. Wasn’t pretty, lots of finger pointing. You’d really think we could each identify what we’re doing wrong by watching the tapes instead of going through the public flogging, but I guess not. Then I had to go to the library to finish up a paper due tomorrow. Sorry I didn’t call, baby, I just wanted to get it done and come home to you.”

I feel like a total bitch for even thinking about being mad now. He’s out there having a shitty night, and he’s got a thousand things to deal with, and I want to complain about him forgetting our anniversary? Not that big of a deal right now.

“It’s okay, Nathan, sometimes stuff comes up.”

He smiles up at me, opening his eyes. “You look really pretty tonight. You didn’t have a hot date with some other guy, did you?”

I shake my head, leaning down to kiss him. “You’re the only hot guy I want hot dates with, you know that.”

He nods. “Yeah, I do. But you really do look gorgeous tonight. You always do, but you look extra pretty.”

“Thanks, Nathan,” I smile at him, leaning down to kiss him again.

“I mean it.” I gasp in surprise when his cold hand slides up my shirt. “Hey, what’s this?” he asks, tugging on the fabric of the nightie.

”Oh, um, it’s nothing. Just a shirt,” I blush.

“Just a shirt? Since when do you have shirts that barely feel like there is any fabric to them?” he asks, laughing. “Come on, take the sweatshirt off, I want to see this new shirt.”

I roll my eyes at him, but laugh. “Okay, fine, you asked for it.” I slide out from under him, standing up, and take the pants off first.

“No, I want to see this shirt you’re wearing,” he complains, “I love your legs, you know I do, but I see those all the time. I want to see this shirt.”

“Well, you can’t appreciate this shirt fully if the pants are on,” I explain, laughing as that gets his attention and he sits up, reaching out to pull me closer to him.

“Okay, now the sweatshirt off,” he orders gruffly, his eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“Your wish is my command,” I laugh, reaching down to take the sweatshirt off, too, quickly smoothing the lingerie back down into place once the shirt is off my head. He just stares, not saying anything.

“Wow,” he finally breathes out after staring at me so long I wanted to put the sweats back on, “To what special occasion do I owe this to?”

I really don’t want him to feel bad for forgetting, so I just smile coyly. “I just wanted to do something nice for you, something that I knew we’d both enjoy,” I tell him as I move to straddle him, “And when I saw this, I figured it’d do the trick.”

He drags his eyes away from my breasts to look me in the eye. “It is really doing a lot of tricks, baby.”

“I’m glad you like it,” I laugh, leaning down to kiss his neck.

“Like is definitely not the adjective I’d use to describe how I feel about this little scrap of clothing,” he murmurs, his agile hands palming my ass.

“No? What words would you use then?” I ask, trying to work his shirt off.

“Hot, definitely hot. Sexy. Seeing you in that makes me feel hot and sexy, if you can believe that. It makes me want you even more than I always want you, which is a lot.”

“Show me how much you want me,” I tell him, even though I can already feel it. He grabs my hand, dragging it down to show me.

“That much, I want you that much and then some,” he groans as he works his mouth over my neck and his hands up and down my thighs.

I move off him, shoving him down so he’s flat on his back sprawled out over the couch. “Relax, Nathan, tonight is your night. I get to do all the work.”

I climb on top of him, taking his hands and mine and holding them over his head as I lean down to kiss him. “No fair,” he mutters, “You already did enough for me, let me do something for you, baby.”

“Oh, this does something for me, and you know it,” I purr into his ear. It is definitely fair to say I’ve got a lot more comfortable with my sexuality over the years.

“I just want to touch you, baby,” he gasps when my tongue finds a particularly sensitive spot.

“You can touch, but you can’t distract me,” I offer, “If you start to distract, then no more touching.”

He nods jerkily as I slide further down his body. “Whatever you want, baby, just as long as I can touch you.”

I pull his shoes off and then set to work at getting his pants off. He’s more than eager to help me, lifting his hips up and pushing them down for me.

”Much better,” I grin when he’s naked except for his boxers, “Now you’re catching up to me.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” he asks me, tangling his hand in my hair as he pulls me down so I’m sprawled over the top of him for a kiss. “I love you so damn much.”

“Love you, too,” I gasp out between kisses.

“Oh, my God,” he chokes out, sitting up so fast I lose my balance and fall off him. He looks down at me, surprised. “Oh, shit, Haley, I’m so sorry.”

I blink in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“I just realized what today is. Why didn’t you tell me, baby?”

I lean back on my elbows, letting my head fall back, staring up at the ceiling. “You have a lot on your plate, and I really didn’t want you to feel bad about it.”

“You should’ve told me still,” he counters, reaching down to help me up, “You okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“I’m fine, I promise,” I smile at him as he pulls me down onto his lap.

“Is that what the lingerie is for?”

“Yeah, but it’s good for any old occasion, Nathan.”

“Damn it,” he mutters, nuzzling my neck, “I can’t believe I forgot about this. I was going to take you out to dinner, and buy you some flashy piece of jewelry that you’d kill me for getting. It was going to be perfect. I didn’t even remember flowers.”

“Oh, Nathan,” I sigh, taking his face between my hands, “I just wanted to spend it with you, and you’re here now. Honest, baby, this is what I want, this is what I need.”

“I still feel like a total shit,” he groans, “God, you must be so mad at me. I really am sorry, baby.”

“Hey, I know, I do. And its okay, Nathan. You spoil me so much all the time that you forgetting one little thing isn’t a big deal at all, okay?”

“Yeah, it is, I really wanted to make this a special one. Two years, Haley, two years. That’s really special and I wanted you to know that I know that.”

I wrap my arms around him tightly. “I love you, Nathan Scott, and every single second I spend with you is special, even when we fight. And you could forget every anniversary we ever have because for every single one of those, we have a million more special moments.”

“I love you so much, Haley,” he whispers in my ear, “And I promise you that I will never forget another anniversary again.”

“Nathan,” I laugh, “You can’t make that promise.”

He leans back so he can look me in the eye. “I am making that promise to you. I will never forget our anniversary again. I mean it.”

“Okay,” I agree since he is so serious about it.

“Come to the bedroom with me?”

I nod, laughing when he sweeps me up in his arms bride/groom style and carries me to our bedroom. And although he doesn’t have to prove anything to me because I already know, he spends the entire night showing me how much he loves me.

~*~

“Sooo, how you feeling, superstar?” I drawl out, watching Nathan get his things ready to head over to the gym, “Last game here, it’s a big night.”

He nods, smiling stiffly at me. “Yeah, it’s a big night, alright. But it isn’t really the last game, we still have the tournament.”

I nod. “Yeah, but it’s your last home game, and this gym has been such a huge part of your life – and mine – for the last three and a half years that it’s just hard to let it go. Hell, I’m bummed about it, at least a little.”

“You’re a softy, though, Haley.”

“Yeah, when it comes to you.”

“Yeah, me, our friends, the kids at the center, everyone, pretty much,” he laughs.

“Mostly for you, though,” I counter, “But that’s because I love you best.”

“I love you best, too, baby.” He tosses a few more things in his bag, then starts digging around in it furiously, obviously looking for something. “Oh, shit, oh, shit, where is it? Shit.”

“Nathan, what are you looking for?” I ask, puzzled. His basketball is usual the one bastion of order in his slightly messy world. It wouldn’t surprise me if he couldn’t find a school book he’d had not fifteen minutes ago, but his basketball bag is sacred, and everything in it is always in its place.

“Son of a bitch!” he yells, “Damn it, I can’t have lost it!”

“Nathan, calm down, baby,” I say softly, moving to stand behind him, “What are you looking for, I’ll help you look, okay?”

He shakes his head, shielding his bag from me. “No, Haley, I don’t need your damn help!” he explodes, moving the bag completely out of my reach.

I step back, surprised by the outburst. “Okay, I get that you’re obviously nervous about this game, but you really don’t have to take it out on me, Nathan.”

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, not really sounding that sorry at all. How the hell did we deteriorate to this point when just a few seconds ago we were telling each other we love each other best?

“Yeah, fine,” I sigh, stepping back further, “Whatever.”

“Haley, wait,” he calls, “I’m sorry, I really am. Maybe I’m just more nervous about this than I thought I was.”

“Its okay, Nathan, I understand. From what Lucy tells me, it sounds like the ceremony they have planned for you seniors is quite the spectacle. But really, you don’t have to take it out on me, I’m here for you. I’m your number one fan.”

“If I told you I feel like an ass, would that make it a little better?”

“Hmm,” I tap my chin, pretending to consider, “Maybe a little. What were you looking for, anyway?”

“Oh, um, the tape for my knee.”

“Don’t they have tape in the training room?” I ask, confused as to why he’d freak out over a roll of athletic tape.

“Not this brand,” he shrugs, “I like it better.”

“Oh, okay.” Whatever, Mr. Volatile. Maybe he’s nervous because Dan and Luke, as well as our friends from home, will be here tonight.

“Hey, I should get going,” he sighs, reaching for me. I step willingly into his arms. “I’m sorry for being an ass. This is just overwhelming or something.”

I press a kiss to his throat. “You’re not usually nervous before a game, what’s going on?” I ask quietly.

“Last home game jitters?” he suggests, shrugging, “Just one of those things, I guess.”

“Okay,” I give up, “Well, I’ll see you there. You’re going to be great, Nathan, I know you will. You always rise to the occasion, and this is definitely an occasion.”

He nods. “Hey, don’t forget, look cute. Pictures afterwards, you know there will be cameras all around.”

I sigh, nodding. “Yes, Nathan, I’ll try not to embarrass you with my usual non-cuteness,” I laugh, “Jeez, I’ll look decent, I promise.”

“Hey, you’re always gorgeous, that wasn’t what I meant. It’s just, this is a special occasion.”

“Nathan, I promise, it’s all going to be fine,” I assure him, wishing I was inside his head right now. He’s acting so freaking weird.

“Yeah, it’ll all be fine,” he agrees, muttering to himself, for himself. He’s acting like he’s trying to psych himself into something; maybe he wants to have a really big game.

~*~

“Buddy, I’m flattered, but I’m really not interested,” I insist to this grab-hands asshole who is insisting on copping feels of my chest and ass.

“Oh, you know you want me, baby, I saw you looking at me earlier, making eyes.” This guy is creepy and drunk out of his mind, and if he doesn’t get off me in a second, I’m going to kill him. “Come on,” he pleads into my ear as his hand wanders dangerously low on my ass, “Let me take you home. I know you want me.”

“No, okay? I said no. And I wasn’t looking at you, I was looking past you, to my boyfriend.” If I didn’t want to avoid a scene, I’d haul off and clock him right now. But this club will kick you out in a second.

His hand slips off my ass, only to land between my legs. “Hey, you pervert! If you do that again, I’ll brain you myself!” I squeak, surprised. I jerk away from him, just as Nathan gets there. He gets the pervert by the collar with one hand, and slams his other fist into the guy’s face. “Nathan, stop!” I yell, not wanting him to get in trouble because of this idiot.

He doesn’t listen to me, though, just hits him again. A couple of guys from his team run over, jerking him off the guy and pulling him towards the men’s room. I don’t follow, letting him have a few minutes to cool down. Lucy runs over, too, grabbing my arm.

”Hay, are you okay?” I nod, taking a deep breath.

“That guy was pawing me, and he wouldn’t leave when I told him to. Nathan saw,” I mutter dully, “And now he’s going to get his ass busted.”

“No, I’m sure they’ll just toss him out, they aren’t calling the cops on one of our basketball stars, Hay. You’re okay, right? That perv didn’t hurt you, did he?”

I shake my head. “He just freaked me out a little. But I got him off me, and I was moving away from him. Nathan is just so over-protective of me, he always has been.” The bouncers appear over by Nathan. “Shit, they’re throwing him out, I have to go, Luce.”

“Okay, Hay, I love you.”

“Love you, too, I’ll call you tomorrow!” I give her a quick hug and push my way through the crowds towards the side door they’ve taken Nathan to.

“Nathan, what the hell is the matter with you?” I scream once the bouncers throw him out of the club, “What were you thinking? They could’ve called the cops, you know!”

“Haley, that fucker had his hand on your ass, what did you expect me to do?”

“I don’t know, let me handle it! Which I was, I was telling him what I’d do to him if he touched me again! He was getting the picture, Nathan,” I sigh, “God, you know, you have basketball to think about here. One stupid misstep, and your ass is off the team.”

“I don’t fucking care about that right now, my girlfriend was getting pawed, and you think I’m not going to step in and get her away from the disgusting drunk pervert? It’s bullshit if that’s what you expect.”

“Nathan, come on,” I mutter as we start walking home, “If he’d done anything that I couldn’t handle, I would’ve kneed him in the balls or called for you. You know that, you know I’m not some little prissy girl who can’t take care of herself.”

“Haley, you’re five foot two, and you weigh a hundred pounds sopping wet. I know you want to think you’re tough, but baby, some jerk could really hurt you if we aren’t careful.”

“Well, maybe it isn’t your place to decide what’s careful, Nathan,” I snap, instantly regretting it when I see him blanch. “Okay, I didn’t mean it that way.”

“What did you mean then?” he questions tersely.

“I just meant that you should trust me a little more, know that sometimes I can take care of myself.” I shake my head. “You don’t see me running over fists blazing every time some girl pushes her big, stupid fake boobs in your face, do I?”

“It’s not the same, Haley, they can’t hurt me. I was worried about your safety.”

“Oh, come on, at least just admit that you were jealous!” I exclaim, “You know that nothing is going to happen to me in a club, so all it was is jealousy!”

He shakes his head. “Fine, a part of it was. But Jesus, what if he slipped you a drug, Haley? What if he did that and you couldn’t fight it when he dragged you off? Don’t you know how crazy I’d go if something ever happened to you? I couldn’t handle it,” he chokes out, tearing up.

“Hey, baby, I’m okay, it’s all okay,” I whisper, grabbing his hand, “Nothing happened to me, and nothing is going to happen to me. Okay?”

He crushes me to him, his tears hot against my neck. “I just – I couldn’t handle that, Haley. You know you’re the only thing that matters to me, the only thing I can’t lose, right?”

“I know, baby, I know,” I murmur, tightening my grip on him, “And it’s okay, I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

“I didn’t mean to be such a jerk about that,” he sighs, pulling back to lean down and press a kiss to my forehead, “I just – I snapped. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” I offer, a little freaked out at seeing him like this.

“No, you were right. But I could see you telling him ‘no’, and he didn’t stop, and I just saw red. Couldn’t handle it.”

I manage to laugh a little. “Now you know how I feel when those stupid bitches drape themselves all over you.”

“Not the same, baby.”

I nod. “I know, but I still hate it.”

“Me too,” he laughs, kissing my neck. “I hate it, too.”

And funny, but that’s all I needed to hear.

~*~

“Hay!” Lucy greets, throwing her pompoms down to come hug me, “You look gorgeous! Special occasion?”

I roll my eyes. “Nathan has been insisting that I dress up for this because there might be pictures taken afterwards. He’s so bent out of shape about it that I went above and beyond the call of duty just to mock him, even if he doesn’t get it.”

She laughs at that. “Well, you look gorgeous, my dear friend.”

I grin at her. “Why thank you, and might I add that you look predictably gorgeous yourself?”

“Oh, yes, you can’t, there is no limit to how many times I can hear that one!” she enthuses, “So, where are you sitting today?”

“In the section with the senior players’ families. Nothing like watching a basketball game with know-it-alls like his father and brother,” I laugh, “But Peyton and Brooke will be there, as will Jake and his daughter. So I should be good to go.”

She smiles, giggling giddily. Everyone is acting like a freak today, I guess. “Well, you have fun, Hay! I will talk to you as soon as I can after the game, okay?”

I nod, laughing at how she’s bouncing around. “Okay!”

She wanders back over to the other cheerleaders, and I make my way over to the stands where the gang is sitting. They just got here, none of them being able to come early, so this is my first time seeing them.

Peyt and Brooke both exclaim loudly when they see me, joining me in a jumping, squealing hug. Jake and Luke both give me huge hugs, as well, and Jenny gives me a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Even Dan gets in the action, offering an awkward hug. Things are always a little tense between us, no matter how many kind moments we share. I know he likes me for the most part, but I still think my place in Nathan’s life makes him uncomfortable. Nathan swears it doesn’t and that he’s said I’m good for him, but still. Dan’s a tough nut to crack.

“I can’t believe this is his last game here,” I whine to Luke, who got permission to leave his team for the day to come watch his brother’s last game. Nathan will be doing the same tomorrow.

“You gonna miss it?” he asks, surprised.

“Well, yeah, so much of what Nathan and I have done has revolved around basketball, and I’ve really grown to love and appreciate the game. My best friend is a cheerleader here, and I’m really close with some of those other girls. It’s just hard to know this is the last time we’ll walk out of this gym as students after a basketball game. Hell, now that the building for the center has been opened, we don’t even hold gym nights here.”

He starts cracking up. “Oh, my God, little miss I hate sports is going to miss this more than Nathan will! That’s funny, Hales, come on, you have to admit it is pretty funny.”

“It is not funny,” I protest, rolling my eyes, “In fact, I fail to see any humor in this at all.”

“Hey, why are you so dressed up?” Brooke asks, “You look hot, Hales!”

I laugh, giving her a hug. “Thank you for that, it is much appreciated. And I’m so dressed up because Nathan insisted I be so dressed up. He’s been nagging me for weeks now about how many pictures were going to be taken, and how I would probably want to look extra special for them, and yadda yadda yadda.”

“Well, you do,” she smiles.

“Thank you.”

They hold a pre-game ceremony for the seniors, giving them all special introductions and everything. Nathan, who usually waves up to me in the crowd, is, I guess, so completely focus that he doesn’t even go through with that part of our routine. I shrug it off, though, since I know from his behavior earlier that he’s out to kill in this game.

And he’s good. His focus is so accurate that it’s uncanny, and he has the game of his career. Maybe he should’ve been a little assier before all of his games, I guess. Or, maybe not. But he is brilliant tonight, and they win in decisive, explosive fashion and I know it will be a game everyone here will remember for a long time. At least I will.

In a way, this is just another game, and the team is probably thrilled Nathan is peaking right now going into the tournament, but it is still a special game for the guys who have played here for four years. After the celebration dies down a little, they dim the lights for the second half of the ceremony for the seniors, which mainly focuses on the players’ families coming down and greeting and gifting the players.

I, for one, cleaned out my savings to buy him an autographed Jordan jersey off of eBay. It’s ridiculous, the amount of money I spent on it, but I know he’s going to love it more than flowers or any other of the cheesy ideas I came up with. He’ll probably get irritated when he thinks of how much it cost, but he’ll still love it.

~*~

”Have you ever thought about marriage?” he asks out of the blue one day.

“What? Well, yeah, I mean, I guess so,” I shrug, not wanting to give too much away.

“Yeah?” I nod. “What do you think of it?”

“I think that it would be a really nice thing someday, and that it’d be something I’d really like to have, you know?”

He smiles at that. “Were you one of those girls who sat around and pictured what her wedding would be like?”

“Nathan, I was playing in the mud with you and brother, when would I have had time to do that?” I laugh.

“Good point,” he grins, “But still, don’t most girls think about that?”

I shrug, “Sure, sometimes. I mean, I don’t have a dress or flowers picked out yet, but I guess I have a vague idea of what it would look like.”

“Let me see if I can guess,” he says, “Your gown would be white with just the barest hint of cream in it. It would be simple, too, unless you went shopping with Brooke. Then it would be some huge, fluffy creation with lots of that lace stuff that would make you impossible to hug. But if you picked it out without her input, it would be simple, off the shoulder maybe. None of those long trains with the crap all over them. It would just be you.”

I laugh at his description of what Brooke would talk me into. “Brooke does have a way of getting me to indulge my inner princess, doesn’t she?” I laugh, “And you’re pretty spot on with both.”

“I knew it,” he laughs. “And let’s see, your bridesmaids would be Peyton, Lucy, and Brooke, and you’d let them all wear a different dress, as long as it was the same color, so that they could all have something they’d like. God knows they’re all different enough.”

“Could you imagine trying to get them to agree on a dress? Migraine of the century,” I quip.

“Yeah,” he agrees, “And it would be outside somewhere. No stuff churches or reception halls or hotel ballrooms. Maybe a garden, maybe a beach. Maybe that oceanside bluff outside of Tree Hill where the magnolia trees create that tent. I know you like it up there.”

“I like it when we go there,” I correct him, “I like going anywhere with you.”

He nods, kissing my temple. “And it would be the perfect day because you’d be there, and you’d be smiling and happy and beautiful, and no one would look anywhere else the whole day.”

I brush my fingers over his cheek, touched by his words. “I love you so much, Nathan Scott.”

“I love you, too, Haley James.”

~*~

They go in alphabetical order, so of course Nathan is last. It’s fun, though, for me at least, to watch these guys that I’ve known along with Nathan for the last few years thank their families for their support and love. And Nathan still has not looked over at me, but I’ll give him a pass because there’s a lot of other stuff to focus on. Fair is fair.

It’s finally his turn, though, so all of us shuffle our way down there. I don’t know why this makes me nervous, but it does. Maybe it isn’t nerves, though, maybe it is anger – that he still isn’t looking at me. I hang back a little, not sure why he’s so standoffish with me when he grins at Dan and Luke, who step forward first to give him their present, which is awesome enough that I wish I’d thought of it. It is framed pictures of all three of them together at the father/son game from our senior year of high school and one of all three of them after the lone time they played each other in college. Nathan will love it, I know he will.

They present it to him, and he hugs them both, shaking his head. I’m too far away to hear what he’s saying, but I think he’s admonishing them for giving him something that was emotional in front of this many people. Peyton and Brooke hug him, he gives Jenny a high five, and Jake shakes his hand. I step forward to give him the jersey when he grabs the microphone, totally cutting me.

Brooke and Peyton, who are next to me, gasp in surprise. Even the guys look concerned and confused.

”I’ll kill him, I will kill that fucking rat bastard,” Peyton mutters under her breath, “I will do what I promised several years ago and string him up by his balls. If he even has any.”

“What’s he doing?” Brooke asks, confused, “That’s so not Nathan-like.”

My first urge is kill him. Right here, right now. No holds barred, just get to him and start beating on him. My second urge is to turn around and run like hell from this stupid, embarrassing, angering situation. And then kill him when he gets home. The urge I finally succumb to, though, is to stand here like a statue and not move face in the slightest, not even breathe, if I can help it.

He’s got the microphone in his hands, and I eye the cord, thinking that would probably do damage wrapped around his neck. I feel so stupid standing here holding a present that he apparently doesn’t want me to give him. Like a real idiot.

“So,” he begins, grinning when they crowd flairs up cheering for him again, “So, this isn’t the end of the season, thank God. If it was, you all probably wouldn’t have stuck around. But it is the end of something for us seniors. So the first people I want to thank are these guys I’ve spent four years with, and you fans who have spent four years with us. It’s been…it’s really been something.”

The crowd cheers again, and I can see Peyt and Brooke rolling their eyes at each other.

“Next I want to thank my friends, who have come from as far as New York to be here today. They’re some pretty dang fine people, if I do say so myself, and I’m lucky to have them here and to have them in general.”

Even Peyton and Brooke look suckered in by that one.

“And next, I have to thank my brother, Luke.” They grin at each other. “Things haven’t always been easy between us, and I don’t think either of us always appreciated having the other around, but you’re not only my brother, but you’re one of my best friends, too.”

Well, that was sweet, I have to admit. He better say something sweet to me, or I’ll choke him with this jersey if I have to.

“And my dad.” He looks sheepishly at Dan. “We have definitely not had the best relationship – maybe we’re too much alike, I don’t know. But we’ve gotten better, and I’ve learned a lot from you over the last few years, and that means a whole damn lot to me.”

“Oh, if he doesn’t say something really nice to you,” Brooke growls, “I’ll get in on the ass kicking action.”

“So,” he continues, “Everyone here knows we do this every year, so we’ve had a little time to prepare and think about what we’d want to say, right? I remember my freshman year when the seniors did this thinking that I knew exactly what I’d do and say to the one person who means more to me than anything else in this world. And that was a long time ago, but this is one of the few things that haven’t changed even a little for me. Three years ago I knew what I wanted, and today I want the same thing.”

I allow myself to move now, my head tipping to the side in confusion.

“And I’ve really probably pissed this person off the last few weeks because I’ve been a moody jerk about everything. And I, uh, had a little panic over doing this. And she knows me so damn well that if I didn’t sort of hold her at arms length, she’d figure out what was up. And I want this to be special, and something of a surprise.” Someone grabs my arm, and I glance over to see that it’s Peyton, who is biting her lip to keep from smiling. What is wrong with these people? “Yeah, so I was a real jerk to her.”

Oh, my God, now he acknowledges me. Ass.

He moves over in front of me. I bite my lip, torn between hitting him and bursting into tears, so I do neither and stay still. One of the guys on the team walks over with huge-ass bouquet of roses, big enough to make my jaw drop open a tiny bit. My mouth falls all the way open when he drops down to one knee. It so stupefies me that I turn around for a second, staring at the crowd, before turning back around to face him. I have to blink a few times before I can convince myself it is even real.

“Oh, Nathan,” I whisper, biting hard on my lip.

“There you go biting that lip again,” he says, the two of us laughing at our own private joke. He takes a deep breath, preparing himself for this. “Haley, I’ve loved you forever. You know that, right?” I nod, starting to cry. “And you know that you’re the only person I’ve ever trusted one hundred percent. I almost lost you a hundred times before I even had you, and its pure dumb luck that I still have you now, I think.”

Oh, it is such a fight not to throw myself in his arms, but I know he wants to do this, know he has it thought out. And the tension, oh, there is tension in the room as everyone waits on pins and needles to see how this plays out.

“I love you, Haley James, and I want to say what I said to you the first time I said that because it is the most important and true thing I ever said: ‘I love you as my best friend, sometimes my only friend, and I love you for being the woman standing in front of me now.’ You’re my whole world, and I’ve known forever that you’re the only world I want to know. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” I whisper, nodding my head for emphasis as I let the tears of pure, unadulterated joy slip down my cheeks unchecked. “There’s nothing I ever wanted more than to marry you, Nathan.”

The crowd erupts in cheers as he hands the microphone to…someone, my eyes are too blurry with tears to see who, and jumps to his feet, swooping me up in his arms, spinning me around. I wrap my arms tight around his neck, not wanting to let go for anything, and he lavishes kisses on my neck and cheek.

“God, I love you so much, do you have any idea how hard it was to keep this a secret?” he whispers.

“Do you have any idea how many times the last few weeks that I’ve wanted to wring your neck?” I ask back, turning my lips to his.

“Man, you didn’t give her the flowers! Or the ring!” Jake yells from behind us, laughing.

“Oh, shit, I knew I’d mess this up somehow,” Nathan mutters, setting me down. He offers me a lopsided grin, and I smile back, wiping my eyes. He hands the flowers to me, and I clutch them to my chest. He grabs a ring box out of the pocket of his warm-ups, and flips the box open. It isn’t the biggest ring in the world, and it isn’t flashy either. It’s simple, a solitary princess cut diamond on an unadorned gold band. And it’s perfect, and it’s me, and if I’d gone shopping with him, it is exactly what I would’ve picked out myself.

“Oh, Nathan, you did so good, I love it!” I marvel, biting my lip as he slides it on my finger. I’m vaguely cognizant of Peyton and Brooke and Lucy jumping around squealing and Luke and Dan shaking hands, but really, all I can see is Nathan. But that’s kind of how it has always been, so it seems to me that it is the most fitting thing in the world.

He rubs his thumb over my lip, smiling softly at me as he leans down to kiss me. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me. Am I forgiven for being a jerk?”

I nod. “You’d have been forgiven even if you hadn’t proposed, Nathan. But this definitely makes up for it,” I laugh.

I laugh when Peyton and Brooke descend on me, pulling me into their arms for a hug. “You’re the first one!” Brooke squeals, “I’m so freaking happy for you, Haley!”

“Me, too!” grins Peyton, “I told you that there was nothing to worry about. I knew he wouldn’t screw you over.”

“Liar,” I laugh, “Just now you were ready to kick his ass!”

“Yeah, and I always will be if he needs it. I’m so damn happy for you, Haley. You and Brooke are the two people who I most wish happiness for.”

“Aw, I love you guys,” I cry, throwing my arms around them again, “Can you believe this?”

”Yes!” Brooke exclaims, “I can’t believe he waited this long! Figured he’d have you legally his by now.”

Luke and Jake hug me next, and then Lucy descends on me. “Oh, my gosh, Hay, you would not believe how happy I am for you! And Nathan, he’s really lucked out in getting you, you know that?”

I shake my head. “I’m the lucky one. I don’t even know where I’d be without him, you know?”

She nods. “You think I don’t remember those first few months of school? You’d mope, and then you’d pretend like you weren’t moping, but you really still were moping. And then you ran into him, and I’ve never known two people so happy.”

“Thanks, Luce. You know you’re going to be in the wedding, right?”

“Oh, you know if you hadn’t said that I would’ve showed up in a dress and wormed my way right in there!” she exclaims.

I hug her again. “I love you, girl.”

“I love you, too. And I’m so glad for you.”

She steps back, giving Nathan a hug. He doesn’t even roll his eyes when she calls Natey Boy, just smiles good naturedly and hugs her back, smiling at me over her shoulder. I turn around, looking for someone else for me to hug, smiling nervously when I see Dan waiting to say something to me.

He leans down to hug me first, then motions me to walk off a little ways from the commotion. I wait expectantly for what he has to say, genuinely unsure whether or not he’ll think this is a good thing.

“I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for Nathan. It’s been a lot over the years, and the only times he’s ever been happy are around you. Thank you for making my son whole.”

I end up having to brush away a few more tears after that, so nice of him it was to say that. “Thanks, Dan. Thanks for having him,” I laugh, giving him another hug.

“You’re welcome,” he smiles.

We all go out to dinner – Luke and Dan, Brooke, Peyton, Jake and Jenny, Lucy and a bunch of guys from the basketball team – and we all have a blast. The whole time Nathan keeps me plastered to his side, which I pretend to complain about but really wouldn’t have any other way. It’s late when we get home, him still in his uniform with just his warm-up jacket on over it and me with raccoon eyes.

We’re both quiet as we stumble in the door, just holding hands and smiling at each other. I pull him down onto the couch with me, but neither of us make any moves, both content to just hold the other for the time being.

“So, that was pretty much perfect,” I tell him, smiling to myself, “I can’t believe you did all that, Nathan.”

“You liked it? I was kind of worried it would be too much since it was public,” he laughs, “And then I was terrified you’d say no. I almost pussied out.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” I smile, cuddling closer to him, “It was really amazing. And this ring, how did you pick this out? It’s perfect.”

“I just knew it was you when I saw it,” he shrugs, but I can tell he’s pleased that I love it so much, “It was the only one that really screamed Haley to me.”

“Well, I love it! I’m still mad at you for freaking me out, especially today. You didn’t look at me, and so I got to thinking…but it was worth it, for this. It really was.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you, but if I looked at you, I wouldn’t have been able to wait until after the game,” he admits.

“You were good today,” I point out, “You should avoid me every game!”

“No way, it about killed me not to look up and see you, especially during the pre-game. I missed you, and you were right there.”

“When did you get so sweet and sappy, Nathan Scott?”

He laughs, “Sometime after I got you to date me.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

"Oh, shit," I groan, "Your present!"

"What present?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow up at me.

"I bought you this present for it being your last game, and then you wouldn't let me give it to you, and now it's probably in the trash or some asshole took it." I can feel his body shaking with laughter. "Nathan, it isn't funny! It cost me a fortune! It was a signed Jordan jersey!"

"What?" he gasps, stilling.

"I know!" I exclaim, "What are we going to do?"

"Go back to the gym and get it!" he tells me, "I mean, we can stay here and make love or whatever, but Haley, it's a Jordan jersey. Signed!"

I nod, agreeing with him. "And it cost me an arm and a leg. We're getting it back if I have to knock on the door of every person in that arena today!"

As we're headed towards the door, he stops me. "I really do love you more than anything, you know."

"I know. And back at you."

The End

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