A/N: Hey guys! So this is my first multi-chapter fic! The idea was prompted to me by kaya17tj so I hope you like it! Reviews are welcome! :)

You get in, you get done and then you get gone
You never leave a trace, or show your face, you get gone
Should've turned around and left before the sun came up again
But the sun came up again

-John Mayer, Assassin

"Seriously Luke, hurry up or we're going to be late." Nathan yelled at his brother from the couch in the living room as he watched the seconds tick by on the clock on the wall. Lucas was back in Nathan's closet trying on shirts to wear. This happened every time they went out. Nathan's contract to play basketball with the New York Knicks had allowed him to rent an impressive-sized flat, for New York City at least, along with the furniture and items to accessorize it. Even though his team had been in its offseason the last few months, he'd still kept working out and practicing. Other than his brother and agent, Clay Evans, he didn't have many demands from his personal life.

Nathan's basketball career was actually why they were going out for drinks that night. They were celebrating his successful first season with the Knicks and the renewal of his contract for another three years, which had allowed him to expand areas of his wardrobe now being perused by his brother. Lucas's salary as a writer wasn't bad, but it was nothing compared to what Nathan was making. And since Lucas hadn't put a book out in a while he was starting to get stretched for money.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." A few minutes later, Lucas emerged from the bedroom sporting one of the new dark blue crew-neck sweaters Nathan had acquired just recently. He held his arms out and spun to model it. "What do you think?"

"It looks fine, c'mon let's go."

Before Lucas could go back and try something else on Nathan grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out. He made sure the door was locked and then headed down the hall to the elevator. As they walked out of the building Nathan waved to the doorman.

"See you later Jimmy. Oh, and if Lucas comes back here with a girl tonight, please don't let them into my apartment. The clean-up after last time took forever."

Jimmy nodded his acknowledgement and tried to resist a smile at the obviously annoyed Lucas. "Sure thing Mr. Scott."

Lucas was quick on Nathan's heels once they got outside. "Aw c'mon Nathan, that was one time and I told you it wouldn't happen again!"

"You know Lucas, coming home to a trashed apartment after being on the road for two weeks isn't exactly my idea of fun." Nathan laughed as Lucas's shoulders shrugged like a defeated puppy dog. "Besides, if she really likes you she won't care if you still live in your mom's house and sleep in the same bed you used to wet yourself it." Nathan braced himself as Lucas gave him a punch on the arm.

"Yeah well at least I can maintain a steady relationship, whereas you find single women to use for one night and then go back to your place, alone." Lucas added emphasis on the last few words to make his point, and win the argument. But Nathan wasn't done and their debating continued until they got to the bar. Thanks to Lucas's delay, Clay was already there waiting on them. Lucas was still on Nathan's case when they sat down at their table.

"I mean seriously, when's the last time you've seen someone for more than a week?"

Clay's eyes darted back between Nathan and Lucas. "Whoa, did I miss something?"

"Oh Lucas is just making light of my non-existent love life."

"Well I'd have to say I agree with him Nate. You need a girl. And you need to keep her for more than one night."

Lucas gave Clay a slap on the back. "See? I'm not the only one who thinks so. By the way, what do you think of my sweater?"

Clay tried to hold in his laugh as he pretended to contemplate it. "I think it looked better on Nathan last week, but you still wear it pretty good." He and Nathan busted out laughing at Lucas's face. When Lucas got up to go get them a couple beers at the bar, Clay turned to Nathan.

"You know, I'm still not convinced he isn't gay."

Nathan laughed harder. "Sometimes I'm not either. But his extensive dating life proves us otherwise so we'll just have to wait and see."

Lucas came back and caught the end of their discussion. "Hell yeah, which is more than you can say."

Nathan took a long pull from his beer. "Seriously? We're back on this?"

"I bet you couldn't even get a girl's phone number."

"Clay, ask Lucas who dated the most girls in their class during high school?"

"Oh yeah Nate, going back to high school girls? These are real, grown women. Completely different."

"You know what jackass? I could get the number of any woman here."

"Fine. I bet you fifty bucks you can't get a woman's phone number tonight."

What had started off as a playful stab at Nathan's absent love-life was starting to piss him off. It was time to prove Lucas wrong. "Deal." He held his hand up to shake with Lucas's, then began scanning the crowd for his victim. Clay chose this point to jump in.

"Wait, shouldn't Lucas pick the girl?"

Nathan gave Clay a glare. "You're lucky I don't fire you right now."

Clay held up his hands innocently and smiled. "You can't fire me. I'm the best."

Lucas ignored them and jumped on Clay's suggestion. "Don't worry Nate, I'll find you an easy one." He got up to walk around.

"Seriously, I really could date if I wanted. I just don't have time."

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm the one who decided to get married and settle down. I have a feeling Lucas doesn't really approve of that theory any more than yours. But I'm at least getting sex out of the deal, so I guess that takes me off the hook." He laughed and jumped, avoiding a peanut Nathan sent sailing at his head.

"Yeah, but Sarah is great. There aren't a lot of girls like that out there."

"But how are you going to find one if you don't look?"

Nathan was just about to jab at Clay's philosophical side when Lucas came back, looking pleased with himself. "Alright, I've got one. You see that girl up there at the bar in the blue shirt?"

Nathan's eyes followed the line of people up there until he found a group of girls chatting at the bar. There were two girls, one blonde and one brown-haired, who definitely had the proper attire for a bar, but there was one more girl with them who seemed a little out of place. He couldn't get a good look at her face, but he liked the way her dark-chocolate hair curled down her back. Her light blue blouse was accompanied by a black skirt that was hugging her thighs as she crossed her legs. Clay had apparently found her too.

"Ooo, nice pick Lucas."

"Thank you, thank you. You're not gonna back out are you? I guess I don't really care. Either way I'll be taking your money so it's up to you if you'd like to go through the process of denial or just give it to me now."

"Hell no, I'm still in. But I'm going to need another one of these first." He held up his empty beer bottle. Clay jumped up first.

"I'll get this round." Clay brought three beers back and passed them out. Nathan sipped his slowly, trying to give himself some time to develop a plan of attack. For a moment his gaze met hers, but she looked away so fast he wasn't even sure it really happened. As he watched her he found himself lost in her movements. He almost forgot to breathe as he watched her run her fingers through her hair, giving him a glimpse of her face.

"Time's up Nathan. Get on up there. A bet's a bet. I wanna see a phone number. " Lucas pulled Nathan out of his thoughts and he looked down at his suddenly empty bottle.

Nathan got up and straightened out his shirt. "I sure hope you've got fifty bucks on you." He turned and made his way to the bar.

xxxxx

"Seriously guys, can we lay off my outfit?" Haley sighed. Her friends Brooke and Peyton still hadn't finished giving her crap for showing up tonight in her work clothes. But some of them had jobs that required a professional look and didn't allow much time to change.

Brooke wasn't done. "Haley, I'm a professional designer. It's bad for my reputation to be seen in public with someone who dresses, well, like this at a bar. I have no idea how you expect to pick up men in those clothes."

"Well, believe it or not, maybe I didn't come out here to pick up a guy. Maybe I just wanted to spend some time with my friends, though I'm not sure that's what I'd call you two."

"You know Hales, Brooke has a point. You should at least make an effort."

"Ok, for the last time, I do not want to pick up a guy tonight. And you two have no room to talk. Brooke, your relationships are full of sex, dinners, and more sex. Peyton, you haven't even seen Jake in, what, six months? So lay off."

"Oh c'mon, we're just having fun." Peyton played Haley's rant off, but Brooke was a little more hurt.

"Ok, first of all, I do NOT just date guys for sex. They just all happen to be, well, extremely skilled in that area. And second, we don't always do dinner. We have lunch too."

Haley laughed. Typical Brooke. She tuned the girl out as she continued her list of reasons to prove she was as shallow as everyone else thought. Haley turned on her stool and began scanning the crowd. Her eyes stopped at a table with three guys who looked like they were in some kind of a discussion. The two blondish-haired boys were kind of cute, but looked more like Brooke's type. The other one was different though. He kept running his fingers through his dark hair, as if he was tired of whatever they were talking about.

She had no idea how long she'd been staring, but suddenly she realized that his eyes were staring back at hers. She quickly turned away, too scared to look back and see if he was still looking, so she focused her gaze ahead of her, but strained her ears to hear what they were discussing. Even though they were kind of close the buzz of the crowd made it hard to hear everything. She caught something about a bet and a phone number. Then out of her peripherals she saw them all turn, in her direction. Were they all staring at her? Peyton must've heard her thoughts.

"Um, Haley?"

She turned back to her friends. "Yeah?"

"Do you know why there's a whole table of men staring at you?"

"Actually, I might," she muttered under her breath.

But Peyton didn't hear her. She took Brooke's arm and slowly began backing away. "We'll, uh, be back later." Their eyes were focused on something behind Haley, and Haley had a feeling she knew exactly what it was they were looking at.