"Brooke, I cannot wear that," Haley exclaimed, looking up from her seat on the edge of the bed. Her best friend was standing by her closet holding up a strapless red dress that was so short it hardly left anything to the imagination. There was no way she could wear something so revealing on her first date with Nathan. She wasn't even sure if it classified as a date, and she had no idea where they were even going. What if she was extremely overdressed? She should probably just wear jeans and a t-shirt.
Haley couldn't even believe she had agreed to go out with the jerk. It was clear that all he wanted was sex, but she figured as long as she knew she wasn't going to give him any there was no harm in it. And she wasn't quite sure what had happened with him at that party the previous evening, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. He had seemed like a sweet guy whose intentions were pure, and she knew that was a lie. He was Nathan Scott. But somehow he'd gotten her to fall for his charms, and she had stupidly accepted his offer to take her out. She knew the relationship, if you could call it that, wasn't going to go anywhere. In fact, as soon as she and Brooke had returned to their dorm room after the party, she'd decided she wasn't going to go. But Brooke, being the overzealous and flirty character that she was, talked her into it.
Brooke rolled her eyes and walked over to her friend, tossing the dress on the bed beside her. "You're wearing it."
"Brooke, no," Haley protested again. "It is way too short; you can see everything!"
"Haley, you shouldn't have things in your closet that you're never planning on wearing," Brooke retorted. "It's a waste of space."
Haley crossed her arms over her chest on the bed and quirked a brow. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who snuck into my closet and planted about thirty atrociously slutty outfits not too long ago."
A sickeningly innocent look came across Brooke's face. "Someone had to do it, Tutor Girl. You dress like a freaking nun half of the time. I know you're all into like waiting for the right guy and not being a whore, but I think you've taken it a little too far. It's okay to have a little fun every once in a while. Besides, just because they can look doesn't mean they can touch." She winked.
With a deep sigh, Haley flopped back onto the bed. "You're going to make me wear it, aren't you?" she groaned.
"Yep," Brooke answered chirpily. "It won't kill you, I promise. And while you're getting dressed, you can explain to me what happened with Boy Toy yesterday."
Reluctantly, Haley stood up and yanked the dress from its hanger. "Stop calling him that," she said with a grimace.
Brooke waved her hand in front of her as she took a seat on the bed. "Out with it!"
Haley couldn't help but to laugh. Brooke was so entertaining sometimes. She pulled her shirt over her head and then got her jeans off as well. She couldn't believe she was going to wear that in front of Nathan Scott, or any man for that matter. It was completely inappropriate. In all actuality, she knew it wasn't that bad, but she was nervous as hell and had to occupy her thoughts with something. As she took her bra off and replaced it with a strapless one, she began to speak. "Nothing really happened, Brooke. We both got out of the shower at the same time."
Brooke interrupted her to say, "I love these coed bathrooms!"
"So as I was saying," Haley continued, "we both got out of the shower at the same time, and before you ask we both had towels on. No nudity was involved. He introduced himself, and I made some comment about him not being my type and left."
"Haley, this is Nathan Scott we're talking about. Are you insane?" Brooke commented. "Every single girl in this school would kill to even be noticed by him. No one blows him off."
Haley shrugged indifferently as she pulled the dress up over her body. "Well, I'm not like every single girl in this school. You should know that by now, Brookie. Anyways, then you know I saw him at the café at lunch. And he continued to make stupid, derogatory comments, so I continued to blow them off. And then again, as you know, he was at the party. After you and Peyton ditched me," she said, throwing Brooke a glare, "I went upstairs to one of the bedrooms to be alone, and he followed me like some like of stalker."
"And then you had sex?" Brooke guessed with an eyebrow raised.
Walking over to the bed, Haley picked up a pillow and hit her in the head with it. "Zip me up," she commanded as she turned around.
Brooke stood up laughing and zipped her dress up. "Okay, I'm sorry. Please continue."
Haley took a quick look in the mirror. Her hair and makeup were both already done, and she looked pretty damn presentable. She allowed her eyes to follow the lines of the dress down her body. It didn't look quite as short on, but it was still pretty slutty for her. But she looked hot; there was no denying it. "He…I don't know…he got all close to me and was saying all these uncharacteristically sweet things, and I guess it just drew me in. I don't know. I feel kind of dumb for even saying yes."
"Tutor Girl, you should not feel dumb," Brooke said calmly, looking through the closet to find her some shoes. "You have all the power right now, and that's exactly how you want it, right?"
With a small shrug, Haley nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
"So don't let him take that power back," Brooke continued. "And please, for the love of God, whatever you do, have some fun. You deserve it."
"I'll try," came Haley's reply. She watched as Brooke carried a pair of sexy black heels which she had also never worn in public over to her. With a groan, she took them and stepped into them carefully. "Well, if he didn't think I was a whore yesterday this'll surely change his mind."
Brooke rolled her eyes. "You don't look like a whore. You look beautiful. Besides, you know you get all fired up when you're around him. You won't be worried about your clothes."
Outside the door Lucas and Nathan stood, both just staring at the door. "This is such a bad idea," Lucas mumbled.
"You'll be fine, Luke. Brooke likes you," Nathan answered. "I, on the other hand, actually have a tricky situation. I've never done this before. My heart feels like it's about to jump out of my chest. My palms are sweating, for God's sake."
Lucas shook his head. "She wouldn't have agreed to go out with you if she didn't want to. Now knock on the damn door already."
God, he was nervous. He wanted everything to be perfect, and he wanted Haley to actually let him talk to her. She was right when she said they didn't know each other. But he didn't know what to do. He'd never been on a date where he cared about anything more than which dorm they'd be going back to afterwards. Slowly, he brought a shaky hand up to the door and knocked twice.
Haley froze. "Oh, my God. I think I'm going to puke."
"Oh, shut up. You look hot as hell, and you're going to be fine. Just remember to have fun and be yourself," Brooke replied. "Now, go answer the door."
She took a deep breath and then walked over to the door. She paused for a moment and closed her eyes before finally giving in and swinging the door open. A smile was already plastered on her face, but when she saw Nathan her breath caught in her throat. He was wearing black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a white button-down shirt which he had tucked into his pants. There was no denying that he looked gorgeous.
"Holy shit," Nathan breathed when he saw her. He honestly found himself having to control his urge to pull her out of her dorm, take her back to his, and have his way with her. She looked stunning. And not only did she look sexy as hell, he also found the word "beautiful" coming to mind again. He shoved his hands into his pockets so she wouldn't notice how badly they were shaking.
When she heard him speak and the words registered in her mind, Haley looked up and furrowed her brow at him.
Wow, she probably thought he was a total tool now. "I just meant that you look…you look really beautiful," he managed to get out with a smile.
Haley smiled. It was so obvious that he was nervous. She knew she was better at masking it than he was. "Well then holy shit to you, too," she replied with a wink.
Nathan chuckled. How did she have the ability to be so breathtakingly beautiful and so undeniably sexy at the same time? It was a mystery to him.
For the first time Haley noticed that Lucas was standing next to her date. "Um, was it not just going to be the two of us?" she asked awkwardly.
"Oh, no it is," Nathan answered quickly. "Luke has a little crush on your roommate."
At this, Brooke moved from her place behind the door and smiled at Lucas. "Come in. And you two can leave." She grabbed Lucas's arm and pulled him into the dorm room while simultaneously pushing Haley out and closing the door.
Nathan and Haley both laughed and began to walk down the hall. "So where are we going?" Haley asked after a moment.
"It's a surprise," he replied with an adorable smile. Truthfully it wasn't that big of a deal, and he wasn't even sure that she would like it. But he was really trying.
When they made it outside, Nathan showed her to his car and opened the passenger door for her to get in, something she never would have expected from Nathan Scott. She thanked him as she got in and continued to silently remind herself that he was only doing this to get some action. It didn't mean anything to him, so she wouldn't let it mean anything to her.
After getting in the driver's seat, Nathan pulled out and started in the direction leading off campus.
They drove for about ten minutes in silence, with only the voice of the singer on the radio accompanying them. Haley was looking around at all the buildings trying to gauge just where exactly he was taking her. None of it looked familiar. "Okay, I'm starting to feel like I'm in some terrible horror movie," she joked as she glanced over at him.
Nathan laughed and then responded, "We're almost there."
And true to his word, about thirty seconds later he parallel parked on the street. Haley reached across the armrest and grabbed his arm. "Oh, my God. Is this…is this the part where you kill me?" she whispered.
"Funny," he answered with a smile. Damn, she was cute. He got out of the car and then opened her door for her once again, and for some reason she was surprised a second time.
The streets were dark, and when Haley looked up she found that they were in front of some restaurant called Deb's Den. She'd never heard of it before, and although it looked pretty nice it also appeared to be very closed.
Nathan slid a hand into his pocket and pulled out the key to his mother's restaurant. After unlocking the door, he held it open for Haley who was looking utterly confused. "I stole the key last night," he muttered as she walked past.
Turning around abruptly, Haley's eyes widened. That totally sounded like something Nathan Scott would do. "Nathan, what the hell?" she whisper-shouted. When he started laughing, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Oh, very funny," she said dryly.
With a smile, Nathan stepped closer to her. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Come on." He took her hand in his, surprised at the amazing sensation it sent through him. Her hand was small, his was large, and yet somehow they fit perfectly together.
Haley was having a very similar reaction to holding his hand. She followed him to the back of the restaurant and up some stairs which she guessed led to the roof. When they reached the top, he slid the door open, and they both stepped out into the beautifully lit area. "Wow," Haley breathed, dropping his hand. Never, at any point in time, would she expect Nathan Scott to do something as romantic as this. She began to walk along the roof, taking in every inch of the scene before her. Lights were strung all along the roof, creating a dim but acceptable atmosphere. There were white rose petals lying along the ground next to the edges of the building, and in the center of it all was a little round table with two chairs on either side of it. Two candles were placed in the middle, along with a single long-stemmed red rose. She watched him as he struck a match and lit the two candles, creating a light glow around the table. There was a covered dish in front of each seat.
Nathan watched her face the entire time, even as he lit the match to light the candles, trying to determine whether or not she liked it. Disappointedly, he couldn't tell a damn thing. Although she looked happy about it, she still hadn't said anything, and the silence was killing him. He shoved his hands into his pockets nervously. "I know it's kind of lame, and you probably think I'm being pathetic, but I've never really done this before," he mumbled. "I think you know I don't usually go out on dates, and I just want you to know that this isn't what you think it is with me. I don't just want to sleep with you. You intrigue me, and you're the only girl who has ever made me feel that way."
As he spoke, Haley's smile grew wider, and she moved closer to him. When he stopped talking, she was standing directly in front of him, and their chests were almost touching. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to place a lingering kiss on his cheek.
The world stopped as her lips came in contact with his skin. He was almost positive that nothing had felt that good before, and it never would again. He closed his eyes until he felt her pull away. Haley James was smiling at him, and that simple fact made him smile, too. Everything about her was infectious.
"It's perfect," she whispered.
Then just like that, she was moving away from him again. He cleared his throat and walked over to one of the chairs, pulling it out for her. Once they were both seated, Haley looked down at the dishes, not sure if she should uncover her own or wait for him to do so. "So what are we having?" she asked.
If there was one thing he knew she would like, it was the one and only item on the menu. He reached across the table and lifted the cover off her dish and then did the same with his own.
Haley looked down, and immediately her face lit up. "Oh, my gosh. Macaroni and cheese is my favorite food!"
"I know," he responded as he grabbed the bottle of wine sitting on the side of the table. After popping the top off, he poured them each a glass.
"Wait, how do you know that?" she questioned.
He shrugged nonchalantly and placed the bottle of wine back down on the table. "I may have done a little investigating." He watched her quirk a brow at him and then added, "Okay, I talked to Brooke."
Haley narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you always like this?"
"Like what?" he asked nervously. He thought he was being a perfect gentleman.
She shrugged slightly. "I mean, not that I'm not loving it, but this is not who you were yesterday. In the bathroom and in the café, all you did was make comments about how hot I looked and how I was your new sexual fantasy. Why is tonight any different? Because we're alone?"
Nathan sighed. He hadn't really expected to have this conversation tonight, but if she wanted to then they would. "Look, I know you know about my past and who I've been. I'm sorry that I can't change that for you. If I could, I would; believe me. Yesterday in the bathroom and in the café, all I saw was a hot girl who I wanted to fuck. I mean, I noticed your beauty, too, but I think I just pushed it to the back of my mind because it freaked me out. It still does."
"My beauty freaks you out? Good to know," she mumbled sarcastically.
He shook his head and reached across the table, taking both her hands in each of his. "The answer to your question is no. I'm not always like this. In fact, I've never been like this before in my life. But last night at the party, it was just different. I don't know what it is, but being around you makes me not want to be that guy anymore. You're different, and I like that. For you, I actually feel like trying wouldn't be a complete waste of my time."
Haley sighed and squeezed his hands. "So you've never done this for any other girl before?" she asked timidly. She didn't know what it was, but there was still that voice in the back of her mind telling her that it was all a lie. That the only reason he was saying or doing any of this was to get into her pants. He probably had the same routine and speech for every girl.
"No," he answered honestly. "I've never even thought about doing this for any other girl before."
She nodded, seemingly placated, and tore her hands away from his. "Let's eat."
They ate in silence for a few minutes and sipped their wine slowly. "So what is this place?" Haley questioned after a while, looking around at all the lights again.
Nathan swallowed the bite of macaroni and cheese he'd been chewing and looked around as well. "It's my mom's restaurant. She opened it a couple years ago after she and my dad split up, so now it's kind of like her haven. When I first came here, she showed me this roof, and I just felt really safe up here. So ever since then, it's kind of been my spot. I come here when I need to think or clear my head or just be alone."
"That's really nice, Nathan," Haley commented with a small smile. "So feel free to completely disregard this next question if it makes you uncomfortable, but how are you and Lucas related? I mean, I know him, and I know you're brothers, but we're not really close enough to where we discuss that kind of stuff."
"Well," Nathan started, "we have the same father. My dad dated Lucas's mom in high school and got her pregnant, but he also got a scholarship to play basketball, and of course he chose basketball. Then he went to college a few months later, met my mom, and got her pregnant, too. So they got married, and he left Lucas's mom to raise him on her own."
"God, that must have been really tough for her," Haley said.
Nathan nodded. "I can't even imagine, but I'm sure it was. She's one of those people who is just so kind-hearted and strong that she doesn't even really like to talk about her own struggles or have the spotlight on herself. So she just kind of did it and didn't complain, I guess." He cleared his throat. "But um, Lucas and I never really knew each other growing up. I mean, we lived in the same town, went to the same school, and played on the same teams, but it was kind of understood that we hated each other. He knew my dad was his dad, too, and he resented that. I, on the other hand, just hated him because that's what my dad said to do. He's pretty controlling, and up until a couple years ago he always got what he wanted. When Luke and I started playing at Duke together, that's when we really got close. Up until then we weren't even really friends, much less brothers. I cut off all my ties with my dad, and a year later my mom left him. Neither of us has heard from him since."
"Wow," Haley replied. "I don't know how this is going to sound, but I guess I always pictured you and the people you hang out with having the perfect lives. I never really thought that you'd have those kinds of problems. I clearly misjudged you on that."
He shrugged. "I mean, I pretty much get what I want, so it's not that bad. It was when I was in high school, but now that I'm free of him my life's good."
Haley nodded and took a sip of her wine.
"So what about you?" he asked.
"What?"
"Tell me about your family," he elaborated. He was really surprising himself tonight. Being around Haley and talking to her was completely interesting, and with every other girl he got bored within five seconds. No one had ever asked him about his family before, so he assumed they didn't want to know. It felt good telling someone about it, even if it was just the easy stuff. He felt like a completely different person now when he was around her, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything but the truth.
"Oh, gosh," Haley responded with a light chuckle. "There really isn't much to tell. I'm from a small town not too far from Durham. Pretty much everything about my childhood was pretty normal, and it still is. My parents are both really open-minded and silly, so that's always fun." She watched Nathan smile, and she did the same. "Um, and I have six older siblings."
Both of Nathan's eyebrows rose. "Wow. So you're the baby?" When she rolled her eyes, he laughed. "Aw, Hales, that's so cute."
Her eyes lit up when she heard him call her Hales. The people close to her called her that, and she found herself wishing she was closer to Nathan. It still felt nice hearing him say that though. It felt right. "I guess I am," she replied. "They're all really protective of me, but it's kind of ironic because I'm the most conservative of any of them. Most of them were big partiers in high school and college, and I'm just not. Now that I hang out with Brooke and Peyton, I'll go to the occasional party, but it's not really my scene."
Nathan nodded. "I thought you didn't drink," he commented, nodding to the glass of wine in her hand.
"Right," she said with a short nod. Then she surprised him by lifting the half full glass to her lips and swallowing it all in one gulp. "I kind of just didn't want to talk to you. You see how well that turned out."
Damn, she looked sexy. He placed a hand over his heart. "Well, that's just mean."
Haley laughed and set the empty glass down. "You know, I'd have to call you the prude tonight. You've barely touched your wine."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Someone's got to drive. Besides, when you jump me later I'll have to be sober enough to feel bad about taking advantage of an innocent little college girl."
She cocked an eyebrow at him and then watched confusedly as he stood up and crossed the roof. When she saw him turning on a stereo, she smiled brightly. No one had ever been so sweet to her before.
Nathan turned the volume up as Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" began to play. After turning around, he walked back to the table and held his hand out for her to take. "May I have this dance?"
Haley rolled her eyes but couldn't wipe the huge smile off her face. "Well, I guess," she said with a dramatic sigh. She placed her hand in his and stood up, instinctively leaning her body into his. Their hands stayed together, and her other rested on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her.
They danced slowly for most of the song until Haley looked up at him to find his piercing blue eyes staring down at her. Her heart started beating faster. "I've never felt this way before," she whispered.
"What way?" he asked huskily.
Haley licked her lips and continued to stare into his eyes. She didn't even notice when the song ended and another began. "Like I could do anything or say anything, and you're still going to look at me the way you are right now," she answered him in a whisper. "Like we've known each other for years. Like we're so close already but all I want is to be even closer to you. To feel you."
Both their bodies stilled at her words, but their limbs stayed locked. Nathan's eyes moved to her lips, and just at that moment her tongue slowly moved out of her mouth to lick them sensually. He almost groaned but instead he moved both his hands around her waist as hers locked around his neck. He leaned in slowly, and before he knew what was happening her lips had met his in the middle, and they were kissing. He moved his lips over hers slowly until he felt her tongue tracing his lower lip. His lips immediately parted, and then their tongues were melting together slowly.
Haley had kissed plenty of guys before, but nothing had ever felt this utterly amazing. She never wanted it to stop. All of her senses had gone completely into overdrive as her hands began to play with the buttons on his shirt. She undid them each slowly and then pushed the material off his shoulders.
How many girls had he slept with? He couldn't even count them all, and yet nothing compared to this kiss. Even before that, just dancing with her had been breathtakingly amazing. He felt her hands running up and down his bare chest and tore his lips away from hers. He heard her whimper, but it turned into a moan when he began to place kisses along her jaw. He worked his way to her neck, sucking on her pulse point relentlessly.
Realizing what she was probably leading him to believe, Haley pulled away from his mouth and took a few steps back. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "God, I'm so stupid."
When he saw her turn to leave, he ran after her and grabbed her arm, gently turning her around. "Hey, you're not stupid," he said quietly. He stepped closer and brought a hand up to stroke her cheek delicately.
Haley closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of his hands on her skin. When she reopened her eyes, she looked into his blue orbs as a single tear escaped her eye.
Nathan leaned forward and kissed the tear away before moving back again to look at her. "What's going on?" he asked softly. "Why are you crying?"
"I can't have sex with you," she whispered, turning her face away from him.
"I never asked you to," he responded. She looked at him questioningly, and he continued. "Listen to me. I told you earlier that this isn't about sex for me, and I was telling the truth. I want to get to know Haley James, sex or no sex, okay?" She had turned her face away from him again, and he placed a hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I know that my reputation is not great, but that doesn't mean anything now. I don't need sex. In fact, that kiss was better than anything I've ever experienced in my entire life. You have to believe me; I wouldn't lie to you."
Slowly, she nodded her head and leaned her body into his, letting him hold her.
"Now, let's get back to this date," he said after a minute of holding her.
Haley gave him a small smile and nodded, following him back to their table.
An hour later both were on a thick blanket atop the roof. Nathan had put his shirt back on, but it was unbuttoned. Both were lying down on their backs looking at the stars, which could all be clearly seen from their spot. Haley was laughing and looking over at Nathan incredulously. "You did not say that."
Nathan laughed and nodded his head. "I did. I told him to back the hell off, too. No one talks about my mom that way."
Haley laughed again and scooted closer to him. She rolled over onto her stomach and placed a hand on his chest, tracing lazy circles onto it. "Promise you'll threaten any guy that trash talks about me?" she asked in a sweet voice.
He smiled and picked up her hand, placing a kiss on her fingers. "No. If any guy talks trash about you, I will beat the living shit out of him."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh, does that mean we're dating?" she joked.
Nathan's face was suddenly serious as he shrugged. "Do you want us to be dating?" he whispered, still holding her hand.
Haley leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss in the middle of his chest. "Hmm…if you think you can handle me, Mr. Scott."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Well, I always like a challenge, Haley James." He pulled her on top of him and rubbed up and down her back slowly. "I'll always keep you safe," he whispered into her hair.
Her eyes closed, and a hint of a smile graced her features as she heard his last words. And not a moment later she was asleep in his arms for the very first time.
