Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks so much to all of you who reviewed. In this chapter you'll get to see Nathan actually try and fight for Haley. I know my past few chapters have been a bit short but that's because they've been leading up to this one! Hope you enjoy!


January 26th 2010

Nathan knocked on the door as hard as he could, ignoring the way it made his head pound. He needed to do damage control. He had woken up this morning and all of the memories from the previous night had come rushing back to him. He had no doubt that Adam had told Haley all about the things he had said the last night and he would be lucky if she ever spoke to him again. He really needed to stop drinking. The first time he had told Haley he had hated her and now he had told her fiancé that his love for her wasn't real. The strangest part was that Nathan knew that what he had said was, in part, true. He knew that Adam loved Haley, that was clear enough, but he also knew that Adam didn't really know Haley. Haley was different when she was around Adam. It was like she tried extra hard to be the perfect girlfriend. That was what annoyed him, she shouldn't have to do that, she should just be able to be herself. He knew that if she was with him she wouldn't feel the need to be someone she wasn't. She never hid herself from him, if she was angry she yelled and if she was sad she cried and he wouldn't want her any other way. He loved the fact that she could just be herself around him and he loved the fact that she wasn't perfect; it made her human, and it only made him love her more.

It just wasn't fair. He knew her better than anyone else in the world and he loved her, all of her, and yet he couldn't have her. Adam, on the other hand, who had only known her for two years, who barely knew her and rarely saw her, was about to marry her. What did Adam have that he didn't? Sure, the guy was practically a saint, but it was clear that Haley didn't belong with Adam, not the way she belonged with him. If only she would open her eyes and see it… If only she could look past the fact that he was her best friend and see how much he loved her. He knew he would wait forever if he had to, as cheesy as it sounded there was nothing else he could do. He had loved her for seven years and he knew that that was never going to go away. That was what hurt so much, the fact that he knew that even if she married Adam, he would never get over her. He would be Uncle Nathan, the guy that sat on the sidelines all throughout her life and watched as she raised a family with another man, loving her all the while. He would be Keith, and he knew how well that had turned out…

Nathan was broken out of his daze as he felt two arms wrap around him. He looked down, shocked, to see Haley standing there, her head pressed against his chest. He hadn't even heard her open the door; nevertheless, he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly to him.

"What's wrong?" He heard her murmur against his chest.

Nathan shook his head. "How did you know something was wrong?"

Haley pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. "I know you Nathan Scott, you can't fool me," she smiled softly. "Want to talk about it?"

Nathan shook his head again. "Not right now."

Haley nodded in understanding and took his hand as she led him into the house. She walked into the kitchen and headed over to the stove. "I was just making some mac and cheese. You want some?"

Nathan smiled. "Sure."

After Haley had filled two bowls with pasta she led them both over to the living room and sat them down on the couch. "Spill."

"Spill what?"

"Come on Nathan. You clearly came here for a reason, something's bothering you, and whatever it is, you need to tell me."

"There's nothing to tell."

"You and I both know that's not true." Haley looked at him sadly. "What were you thinking about out there?" She pointed to the door. "I've… I've never seen you look like that before Nathan, it broke my heart to see you looking like that.

Nathan just looked down at his food.

"Nathan I'm your best friend, and it hurts me that you feel like you can't trust me…"

"That's not it…"

"Then what is it?" Haley was starting to get a little agitated.

"It's just… it's not as simple as all of that."

"It can be, all you have to do is tell me what's wrong."

Nathan exploded. "But I can't!"

Haley quieted down at that, as she looked up at him wide-eyed.

"Haley… I'm, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, I just, this is something I need to deal with on my own and it's really hard."

Haley shook her head. "You shouldn't have to deal with anything on your own, that's what I'm here for. I know you always try and protect everyone else by going through stuff on your own but I don't care Nathan. I don't need protecting, whatever it is, whenever you're ready, you can tell me."

Nathan looked at her, maybe she was right. He was tired of trying to fight his feelings, tired of trying to hide them. Maybe he just needed to tell her, to get it out there in the open. "Haley I-"

"Hey baby, sorry I'm late, if it's okay I'm going to run out and stop by Na-" Adam froze as he entered the living room. "…than's." A smile spread across his face. "Hey, I was just going to stop by your place."

Haley looked between the two of them. "You were?" She didn't know why but she had always gotten the impression that Adam and Nathan didn't like each other very much.

"You were?" Nathan repeated. Then, looking between Adam and Haley he suddenly remembered why he had come here in the first place, to beg for Haley's forgiveness; but he had been so caught up in their conversation that he hadn't realised that she didn't seem to be mad at him. As he looked between her and Adam the realisation dawned on him…she didn't know about last night.

"Yeah, I know that we didn't get to finish our…uh conversation, last night, and I was hoping that we could, you know…talk."

"Yeah," Nathan stood, unable to hide his shock. "Sure, no problem."

Haley, sensing the two men needed their privacy, grabbed her and Nathan's dishes and headed for the kitchen. "I'm going to go over to Brooke's, she wanted my measurements for this new dress she's designing."

"Bye honey." Adam called as she left the kitchen and headed out the door.

"Bye!"

"So…" Adam started as he looked awkwardly at Nathan after they had heard the door slam shut.

"You…you didn't tell Haley, about last night..." Nathan couldn't help his curiosity.

Adam nodded in affirmation.

"But…" Nathan looked at him, baffled. "Why not?"

Adam shook his head. "Why would I? Haley's told me all about you and I know that you're a good guy. I know that you weren't really yourself at the bar yesterday and I get that you may not like me but I don't see why that should affect your friendship with Haley."

Nathan shook his head. The guy really was a saint. "I'm sorry, about last night. I was drunk and I was a dick."

Adam smiled. "Don't worry about it. I get it. You're her best friend and you worry about her and I'm just this random guy that showed up out of nowhere and asked her to marry him. I know that I'm not here much, and that most of you don't know me very well, but as I told Lucas last night, I'd like to change that. And I know that you think I'm going to hurt Haley but I'm not. I really do love her and I really would do anything for her."

Nathan nodded. He could tell that Adam really did believe that he was in love with Haley, and maybe he was. Nathan of all people knew how easy it was to fall in love with Haley James.

He opened his mouth to respond when Haley came rushing back into her apartment. Her phone glued to her ear as she grinned at them. "Oh my God! Peyton and Lucas just got engaged!"


January 30th 2011

"I still can't believe you're engaged," Haley mused as she looked around the club.

"I know," Peyton beamed.

Brooke looked between the two of them before pouting. "That means that I'm the only one who's not engaged."

"You and Julian have been dating for less than a year, don't you think it's a little soon to be thinking about marriage?"

"I don't know," Brooke sighed. "I mean, I've never felt this way before. Not even with Lucas, it's just, it's different…"

Haley shook her head. "I never thought I would see the day when Brooke Davis wanted to settle down."

"I don't know you guys, the games were fun in high school but I'm not that girl anymore, and I just want to have someone that I love, who loves me back, and who I can start a family with."

Peyton raised her glass. "Amen to that sister."

"So, tell me, how did he do it?" Brooke turned to Peyton eagerly.

"How did who do what?"

"Lucas! How did he propose?"

"Yeah… about that… I kind of proposed to him."

"You what? Peyton!"

"What?" Peyton asked defensively. "The last time he proposed to me we ended up breaking up for a year. I knew there was no way he was going to take that chance again."

"I think it's great," Haley smiled. "You should have heard him when he was on the phone with me."

"Oh believe me," Peyton smirked, "I did. I thought I was supposed to be the girl in the relationship."

Haley laughed at that. "I know, he was more excited than I was when I got engaged."

"Speaking of," Peyton started, "where is the fiancé?"

"He had some work to do," Haley shrugged, "he said he'd meet us here."

Peyton and Brooke shared a look. "He works an awful lot," Peyton commented.

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "Shouldn't you guys be in the love bubble right now?"

Haley turned her head to give Brooke a quizzical look. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"You know? The love bubble. Where you're all lovey-dovey and blind to everything else but each other." Brooke shrugged. "Like Peyton and Lucas right now."

Haley turned and noticed the two of them sharing looks across the room. Peyton's phone vibrated and Brooke grabbed it off of the table as she read aloud, "Peyton, you're eyes are so beautiful that I simply can't look away. I can't wait for us to spend the rest of our lives together. I love you.

"Hey!" Peyton cried indignantly as she reached forward to try and pry the phone from Brooke's hands.

"Hey look," Brooke commented. "There's more… "I love to hear your laugh , you have no idea how happy you've made me. Every time I see you it makes my heart race."

"Brooke!" Peyton clambered onto her lap as she continued to reach for her phone.

Haley looked over at Lucas and saw an affectionate grin on his face as he watched his fiancé wrestle with her best friend. She got up and made her way over to him. "Hey Luke."

"Hey," He turned to smile at her.

"You look happy."

He beamed. "I am."

Haley smiled back at him. "I'm glad."

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Happy."

Haley was silent for minute. "Of course I'm happy. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, it's just, you and Adam, you seem so…platonic. I know that you both love each other but I've never seen either of you really passionate about each other."

"Not everyone needs a passionate relationship." Haley commented.

Lucas was silent for a moment before he turned to her. "Do you really love him?"

"Of course I-"

"No but are you really in love with him?" Lucas interrupted. "Just, think about what I'm asking you, okay Haley? Think about if you're really happy, because happy and content are not the same thing. You're an amazing person and I don't want you to settle for a comfortable life because you're afraid of getting hurt."

"Lucas, I'm not-"

"Just…" Lucas gave her a pleading look, "think about it okay. That's all I'm asking, just really, honestly think about it."

Haley nodded. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Good." Lucas nodded.

The two stood there in awkward silence for a few moments before Haley decided to start up some casual conversation.

"So, have you set a date?"

"April twenty-sixth," Lucas smiled.

"April twenty-sixth? That's in…like three months!"

Lucas nodded. "We've already waited four years, we didn't want to wait any longer."

"Looks like they're going to beat us Hales."

Haley spun around to see Adam standing behind her. She hadn't even heard him approach. "You made it!" She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before pulling away and giving him a teasing grin. "You're the one who wanted a spring wedding."

He smiled at her. "Good point."

"It's going to be a busy three months," Lucas commented. "With our wedding in April and then yours in May."

Adam nodded in agreement. The three stood there in silence for a few moments before Adam turned to Lucas. "Where are Julian and Nathan?"

"Julian stepped out a little while ago to take a call and Nathan…" Lucas trailed off for a second.

"What is it?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise but…"

"Luke, you know how much I hate surprises. Just tell me already."

"Chris is here."

"Chris? As in Chris Keller?"

"Who's Chris Keller?" Adam cut in.

Haley turned to him. "You know how I told you about that tour I went on in my sophomore year of university for a few months?"

Adam nodded.

"Chris Keller was the guy who I was touring with. Nathan had convinced me to sing at an open mic night one time and he had been in the audience. He had been about to go on tour with The Wreckers and had convinced Michelle Branch to let me tour with them. That was how my career started."

"I never liked the guy," Lucas muttered.

Haley laughed. "He takes a little getting used to. He has an… interesting sense of humour and sometimes he can be a little inappropriate, but he's harmless."

"Speak of the devil…" Lucas mumbled as he looked up on stage.

"Hey everyone!" Peyton smiled out at the audience. "I'm Peyton Sawyer and I would like to welcome to the stage Tree Hill's very own, Chris Keller!" She motioned behind her to where Chris sat on a stool with his acoustic guitar on his lap and the crowd broke out into cheers.

"Hey everyone," Chris started after Peyton had left the stage. "For this first song I would like to welcome a special friend of mine up onto the stage."

Haley looked wide-eyed at Lucas. "He doesn't mean…"

"Haley James!"

The crowd broke out into applause as Haley stood there in shock. "This was my surprise!"

Lucas looked as confused as she did. "No, Nathan wouldn't blindside you like this, this is all Chris."

They all looked up to see Chris smirking at Haley. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get up here and sing with me?"

Haley made her way over to the stage and Chris smiled as she walked over to him.

"It's good to see you Hales."

She smiled back. "It's good to see you too!" Before reaching up to give him a hug as she whispered menacingly into his ear. "When this is over, you are so dead."

Chris just chuckled. "Feisty as always." He then turned to address the audience. "I'm sure most of you know Haley James from her recent album 'Feel This', but as many of you don't know, Haley had the pleasure of touring with me many years ago." He turned to Haley. "So, what do you think, 'When the Stars Go Blue'?"

The crowd erupted into cheers at that and before Haley could even respond the backtrack had started.

Dancing where the stars go blue
Dancing where the evening fell
Dancing in my wooden shoes, in a wedding gown

She looked to Chris and smiled. She hadn't realised just how much she had missed this. Singing with him. This was the glue that had held together their friendship. As different as they were, and as much as he often grated on her nerves, this was the one thing that they both completely understood. Music.

Dancing out on Seventh Street
Dancing through the underground
Dancing little marionette
Are you happy now?

Chris gave her a smile as they started singing together.

Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely
I follow you when the stars go blue
When the stars go blue

Haley was so wrapped up in her performance that she didn't notice the two sets of eyes that were glued to her.

Laughing with your pretty mouth
Laughing with your broken laugh
Laughing with your lovers song, in a lullaby, yeah

Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely, I follow you
When the stars go blue, when the stars go blue

She and Chris of them looked over at each other as they finished off the song and Haley couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't realised how much she had missed this, performing live. She looked to the cheering crowd and it brought a smile to her face.

She turned away from the microphone as Chris gave her another hug.

"Thank you for this." She whispered to him.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" He asked her.

She pretended to ponder the option for a minute before pursing her lips. "I guess so."

Chris laughed. "Good. Now get off my stage and stop stealing my spotlight."

Haley gave him a playful shove and let out a laugh before making her way off of the stage. "You and your spotlight."

"Haley! That was awesome!" Haley barely had time to steady herself and Brooke flung herself into her arms. "I haven't heard you perform in so long!"

She pulled away as Peyton, Lucas, and Julian all nodded in agreement. Nathan and Adam both stood off to the side as they watched. The group talked about Haley's performance for a few more minutes before Brooke pointed towards the bar. "Celebratory drinks?"

Everyone nodded in agreement as they started to make their way towards the bar. Adam and Nathan, however, stayed behind. "I'll meet you guys there in a second," Haley nodded towards the rest of the group before turning to the two men in front of her.

Adam stepped forward first. "That was amazing! I've- I've never seen you sing before."

Haley stopped at that. "Yes you have…" She trailed off as she thought about it. "Oh my gosh, no you haven't…" He had heard her records before, but he had never actually seen her sing live.

"How come you've never sang for me before? You're voice. It's beautiful."

Haley smiled shyly. "Thanks and, I don't know, I guess we just never got around to it."

Adam nodded. "Well, I'm going to go join your friends by the bar." He looked between Nathan and Haley. "Are you coming?"

"Umm…" Haley looked at Nathan. "I'll meet you there in a second."

Adam nodded before making his way over to her friends.

"That was amazing."

Haley turned her eyes away from Adam's retreating figure to meet Nathan's piercing gaze. "It's been so long since I've heard you sing." His voice dropped slightly. "You've always been most beautiful when you're singing."

Haley couldn't help the slight shiver she felt at his words. "Oh, stop it…"

"I'm serious. It's like I get to see into your soul. You always let your guard down when you sing."

Haley smiled at him. She didn't know how he had noticed that. She had always felt the most free when she was singing. It was like she could truly be herself and no one could judge her for it. "Come on," She grabbed his hand, ignoring the tingles that shot up her arm. "Let's go join our friends."


"How long has Chris been up there?" Lucas asked, irritated.

Julian laughed as he started up another song. "Apparently not long enough."

Adam's phone rang at that moment and he looked down at the caller I.D. "I'll be right back, I have to take this." He gave Haley a soft smile before heading to the back of the bar.

Julian checked his watch. "It's getting kind of late. Maybe we should call it a night."

"No!" Nathan exclaimed.

Everyone turned to look at him. "I mean… um… I just figured that Haley would want to at least stay until Chris was done. You know, to catch up and stuff." He looked up at the stage for a moment before his eyes darted to Haley. "I'll be right back," He muttered. "I have to grab something from the table."

Haley looked after him quizzically. Nathan had never liked Chris. He had always thought that Chris was sleazy and trying to get into her pants. In fact, he had been so adamant about her not spending time with Chris, that at one point he had threatened to end their friendship if she went tour with him. Of course, after she had gone on tour and Nathan had seen that nothing had happened between her and Chris, he had eased up and he and Chris and formed a sort of…truce with each other. But still, it seemed strange for Nathan to be encouraging her to spend time with him. Just as she was about to question him about it she heard Chris' voice through the microphone.

"This song is dedicated to Sandy from Batman. 'I know it's a little late, but I hope the romantic in you hasn't given up yet. I just didn't know how to tell you…'"

I shouldn't love you, but I want to
I just can't turn away
I shouldn't see you, but I can't move
I can't look away

Haley's eyes panned across the club until they met with Nathan's as Chris started strumming on his guitar. She still remembered the Halloween of their sophomore year of university. He had gone as Batman and she had gone as Sandy from Grease because her boyfriend had wanted her to dress 'hotter'. She remembered that Nathan had told her he didn't like it, that it wasn't her. When she had asked him how he could say that he had told her that he knew her better than anyone, that she was perfect as she was, and that if her boyfriend wanted her to change then he was an idiot.

I shouldn't love you, but I want to
I just can't turn away
I shouldn't see you, but I can't move
I can't look away

Haley smiled as a rush of nostalgia washed over her. She had always given Nathan grief over his taste in music back in college and one day he had walked into her dorm room and caught her listening to this song. She remembered how he had made fun of her for listening to Jesse McCartney at nineteen.

Flashback

"Hales, Jesse McCartney, really?"

"It's just this one song!"

"Whatever you say…"

"It's just…I don't know." Haley's face turned bright red as she looked down at her feet.

Nathan smirked. "Oh no…now you have to tell me."

"You'll make fun of me."

Nathan looked at her seriously. "I won't, promise."

"Well," Haley blushed as she looked up at him through her lashes. "As embarrassing as this is… When I was in high school, I always used to wish that my boyfriend would serenade me with this song."

Nathan winced for a second before his face regained its composure. "Did he?"

Haley shook her head. "No, and eventually I grew up and realised that those things don't happen in real life, but when I listen to this song, it reminds me of when I was young and innocent and hopelessly romantic."

Flashback end

She couldn't believe that he had actually remembered this song. After their conversation that day she had made him promise to never speak of it again.

And I don't know, how to be fine when I'm not
Cause I don't know, how to make a feeling stop

Just so you know
This feeling's taking control
Of me a
nd I can't help it
I won't sit around
I can't let him win now

Thought you should know
I've tried by best to let go
Of you b
ut I don't want to
I just got to say it all before I go
Just so you know

Nathan looked over at Haley to see her smiling and swaying to the music. After their movie night he had realised that he couldn't keep doing this, he needed to let her know how felt and have her make the final decision. He had heard this song on the radio the other day and had immediately thought of Haley. He had never really listened to the lyrics up until that point but when he did, he realised how much they resonated with the way he felt about her. The second he had found out that Chris was in town and was playing at Tric, he had gone to him and asked him for a favour and surprisingly, Chris had agreed. Nathan looked over at Haley to see that she was still looking up at the stage. He needed to see her reaction. The suspense was killing him. He had been too scared to do anything before now, for fear of losing her, but he had finally realised what his brother had been saying all along. He knew that there was no way that he could continue to be just friends with Haley and if he continued to try and hide his feelings he was bound to do something to mess up the relationship anyways.

It's getting hard to, be around you
There's so much I can't say
Do you want me, to hide the feelings
And look the other way

And I don't know, how to be fine when I'm not
'Cause I don't know, how to make a feeling stop

Just so you know
This feeling's taking control
Of me a
nd I can't help it
I won't sit around
I can't let him win now

Thought you should know
I've tried by best to let go
Of you
but I don't want to
I just got to say it all before I go
Just so you know

This emptiness is killing me and I'm wondering why I waited so long
Looking back I realise it was always there just never spoken
I'm waiting here, been waiting here…

Haley turned to glance over at Nathan once again and was shocked to find that he was staring right back at her, his piercing blue eyes boring into hers, an unreadable expression on his face. She shivered involuntarily and quickly turned away from him and focused her attention back on the stage.

Just so you know
This feeling's taking control
Of me a
nd I can't help it
I won't sit around
I can't let him win now

Thought you should know
I've tried by best to let go
Of you b
ut I don't want to
I just got to say it all before I go
Just so you know

Thought you should know, I've tried my best to let go of you
Just got to say it all before I go, just so you know…

Nathan sighed as Chris finished up the song. He couldn't even begin to describe how nervous he was. He had been trying, for so long, to figure out a way to tell Haley he loved her, and this was the most romantic thing he could think of. If she turned him down now, he didn't know what he would do. He tried to pluck up his courage to turn around and face her, taking a deep breath as he turned.

"Nathan!"

Before he could even comprehend what was happening Haley was in his arms with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Nathan rested his head in the crook of her neck and breathed in her intoxicating scent. She still hadn't told him what she had thought about his confession, but he figured it was a good sign that she hadn't gone running off to find Adam. He squeezed his arms tighter around her and savoured the moment for a few more seconds before pulling away to look into her eyes. "So…"

Haley beamed at him. "Thank you so much Nathan. That was so sweet of you! I can't believe you remembered!"

Nathan's eyes turned a shade darker as they bore into hers. "I remember everything about you."

Haley could feel herself start to shiver again. It must be cold in here, she thought to herself, brushing off the feeling that swept through her at his words as she wrapped her arms around him once again. "You're the best friend anyone could ever ask for."

Nathan took a step back at that. He felt like he had just gotten punched in the stomach as the realisation dawned on him. "Haley, you don't understand…"


Adam hastily walked back into the club. He hadn't meant for that call to take as long as it had. He had promised himself that today would be about himself and Haley and that, for once, work wouldn't get in the way. Clearly that hadn't turned out as well as he had planned.

"This song is dedicated to Sandy from Batman. 'I know it's a little late, but I hope the romantic in you hasn't given up yet. I just didn't know how to tell you…'" Adam smiled at that, remembering what it had felt like for him to fall in love for the first time. His gaze followed his thoughts over to Haley; he froze however when he noticed her looking across the club at Nathan. Nathan turned to look back at her and Adam couldn't help but notice the look in their eyes as they gazed at each other. He continued to look between the two as he listened to the words of the song and when it was finally finished he was dismayed to see Haley run up to Nathan and jump into his arms.

He headed towards the bar where Haley's friends were sitting. He knew if he went over to her right now he would lose his temper and he couldn't do that. He needed to talk to her when he was calm. When he approached the group he noticed Brooke squealing. "He finally did it!"

"Did what?" Adam asked as he came up behind her.

Brooke spun around, eyes wide open. "Umm… Lucas finally…learned how to tie his own shoes…" She let out a nervous laugh. "Can you believe it took him this long?"

Julian chuckled along with her, punching Lucas lightly in the arm. "Wow man, I guess you really do need Peyton."

Lucas just glared at the two.

"Hey, Brooke?" Adam looked around the bar, trying his best not to look over at Nathan and Haley again. "Can I talk to you alone for a second?"

"Okay…" Brooke looked at the group nervously.

Lucas noticed the look on Adam's face and turned to his fiancée. "Come on Peyton, want to dance?"

Peyton looked nervously between Adam and Brooke. Brooke looked at Adam for a second before turning back to her friend. "It's okay, go. I'll catch up with you in a minute."

Julian looked at Peyton and Lucas as they headed off to the dance floor before turning back to find Brooke and Adam looking at him expectantly. "Right. I'll just…well I'll…yeah…" Julian muttered as he headed off in some random direction.

Brooke looked after him for a second, an amused smile on her lips, before turning back to Adam. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Adam took a deep breath before looking across the bar. Brooke followed his gaze. "Oh."

"Look, I trust Haley, and I know that she would never do anything to hurt me but…is there something going on with her and Nathan?"

Brooke sighed.

"He's in love with her isn't he?" Adam asked.

Brooke was silent.

"Does she- does she love him back?" Adam turned to Brooke as he spoke the words.

She could see the pain in his eyes and it broke her heart. As much as she was all for Haley and Nathan getting together, she liked Adam, and she didn't want his heart to get broken in the process. After all the lies he had been given, she just couldn't bear to lie to him anymore. "Honestly," Brooke looked over at him, a sympathetic smile on her face, "Not consciously but..."

Before she could continue Haley appeared beside them. "Adam!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey," Adam smiled.

"You okay?" She asked. He looked a little distant.

"I'm fine." Adam smiled. "Just a little tired."

"Yeah," Haley smiled up at him. "We should head home."

"You don't want to meet up with Chris?" Adam asked.

"I'll meet up with him later. He's staying for a few weeks."

Adam smiled before taking Haley's hand as the two headed out of the club.

Brooke looked after the two for a few moments before turning to see Nathan standing beside her. Catching the torn expression on his face she ran a hand soothingly up and down his back. He looked at her for a moment before sitting down beside her and putting his head in his hands.

"What happened?" Brooke asked softly.

His reply was muffled, "She doesn't know."

"Doesn't know? How can she not know? That song…"

Nathan shrugged, still not looking up from his hands.

"Oh Nathan," Brooke muttered softly as she wrapped her arm around his broad shoulders. "She loves you too, I know it. Just give her some time to realise it."

Nathan just shook his head. "What if it's too late?"


Coming up next!

- Adam and Haley finally talk about her relationship with Nathan
- Haley confronts Nathan about his weird behaviour
- Adam hangs out with the group and Haley makes some interesting realizations

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think and what you would like to happen. As I've said, an overview of the story has been written but I'm still very open to suggestions and input. I also love constructive criticism, whatever you think, I'd love to hear it!