I am unbelievably sorry for the long wait and I'm not going to give you excuses I'll simply let you read(: while I apologise some more, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…

This could be my last goodbye,
you crossed your heart I hoped to die

and I cant deny your eyes,
you know I try to read between the lines
I saw a warning sign & then you threw me up against the wall
who said that its better to have loved and lost?
I wish that I had never loved at all.

...

"Mmmmmm."

Letting out a dreamy sigh Nathan nuzzled his face further into the soft velvet soft thing he was lying on. He heard a faint sound-like a laugh.

A lazy grin spread across his face as he recognised the laugh, music to his ears. He must be dreaming.

"Nathan."

Hearing his name been whispered-by an angel, he was sure.

Another soft musical laugh.

He felt something just as soft as the thing he was lying on, but slightly warmer press against the corner of his jaw, leaving a yearning behind it as it left.

"Nathh-annn."

More warm presses against his cheeks, nose, forehead, eyelids and he groaned, as his soft blanket was removed from underneath him.

"Okay, you're not cute anymore, get up."

Nathan groaned, reaching out. Angels weren't supposed to be mean.

Unwillingly his eyelids fluttered open but a smile extended his lips as he was met with a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Oh, you're up." Haley grinned innocently at him, her head cocked slightly to the side as his face was smooshed against the cushion of the couch she'd just been sitting on-where his head had been resting in the crook of her neck.

A sound emitted from the back of his throat in protest.

"You fell asleep." Haley told him, "Which I'm slightly offended at by the way, after I agreed to let you watch basketball," she spoke the word with distaste, "you fall asleep-and in my company." She scoffed with an eye roll, as if merely the thought was incredulous. But the way she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing gave her away.

Nathan grinned, sitting up and stretching, "with those assets for pillows?" He made a show of looking at her chest and licking his lips, "how could I not?" He winked at her, stealthily dodging the punch to the ribs she sent his way. "Owe." He spoke suddenly, feeling a pain shoot from the corner of his eye down the side of his cheek when he smirked.

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't wink much, or blink… or move that eye much," Haley told him offhandedly, sitting back on the couch and picking up the remote started flicking through the channels.

Getting up he made his way to the mirror, his eyes widening-and sending a pain to the side of his face- as he saw the purple/blue bruise surrounding his eye.

"Jesus Christ." He blew out, gingerly touching the swollen skin around right eye. "You got me good, James." He turned back to face her, and couldn't help but grin at the sight she made. Her knees-one of which was the reason for the mark on his face-were pulled up and under her chin, her hair was ruffled, she hadn't brushed it yet, obviously. His grin widened slightly, of course she hadn't brushed it, he'd been occupying all her time. After he'd rediscovered her body, more than twice they'd decided to go into the living room and just lounge about, and he fell asleep. But could you blame him? She was just so soft and…

Rolling his eyes at himself Nathan looked back in the mirror over his shoulder, she's turning you into a pussy. He rolled his shoulders, I'm still a guy. A manly guy. A mans man, a-

Haley shrugged, not noticing him watching her. "You must've deserved it."

He chuckled, deciding he didn't care, he'd turn into a complete wimp for her. Oh God…

Haley turned to face him, noticing the far off look in his eyes she questioned, "are you okay?"

"Hmm?" He snapped out of it, "Oh yeah, I'm fine." A slow smirk grew on his lips, time to get some of the masculinity back she'd literally kicked out of him.

She watched him stalk slowly closer to her and her legs started to move from under her, "Nathan?" She moved a little farther back on the couch, "What're you-ah!" A loud laugh emitted from her throat as he pounced on her. His arms lay on each side of her head, his thighs on the outside of hers, caging her in.

"What're you doing?" Her voice was breathy, a lot breathier than she wanted.

"Well I just thought since you got me good." He tilted his head to the right, showing her he was talking about his eye. "I thought I could get you." He dropped his voice a couple of octaves, grinning at the shiver he felt underneath him from her body. "Good."

"Nathan." Haley groaned, inhaling a low unsteady breath as his nose trailed along her jaw.

She wanted to pull away, she really did. Lie. Okay, maybe she didn't. But even if she did want to she couldn't, he was too intoxicating. Like a drug, no matter how much she took she couldn't get enough.

Never in her life had she ever felt like that. Not even with Dean.

A small pain clawed at her heart.

Despite moving on, the thought of him still hurt her, but it also made her feel guilty, having still not told Nathan about her deceased fiancé.

But she would.

And then after she told him why she was so… unfriendly, then he would tell her why he was.

A pair of teeth sinking into her neck knocked her from her thoughts, a gasp escaping her mouth.

After biting her Nathan then proceeded to suck on the same patch of her neck.

Her hands gripped tighter to the material of his white wife beater.

"Wow, free sex show and free food, lets stay here forever." Brooke voiced dreamily, grinning at the two blondes beside her.

Haley rolled her eyes, but bit her lip as Nathan groaned quietly against her skin, dropping his weight onto her, which resulted in his hips landing in-between hers, a lot more forcefully than before.

"And you're not invited." She retorted, with a glare.

"Oh don't worry, I'm happy watching." Brooke grinned. "Later though." She clicked her tongue.

"Definitely." Haley grinned, winking at her, both girls giggling.

Brooke's smile grew into a genuine one, she'd missed that sound.

"Feisty Haley. I like it." Peyton grinned, sticking her tongue out at her petite friend, still underneath Nathan.

Nathan growled quietly, the vibrations on her skin sending shocks to her core, "Mmm, me too." He whispered, nipping at the skin under her jaw.

Haley moaned quietly, she knew she should pull away, he should not be doing that to her while their friends-hell his brother was in the room, but she couldn't help it, like she said before. He was a drug, and he was exactly her type.

"Tell me when I can look." Lucas said, his hands held over his eyes to stop the view before him from been burned into his brain forever. His baby brother and best friend practically having sex on his couch was not something he wanted to see.

"Don't be such a baby, Puke." Haley grumbled at him, pushing Nathan's chest and he made a face at her before sitting up, letting her do the same.

"Don't be such a baby." Lucas mimicked in a squeaky girl voice, stopping when a pillow made contact with his face.

"Score!" She laughed, high fiving the blue eyed boy beside her.

Lucas wanted to glare at her but he simply couldn't, watching her smile and laugh was one of the best sights he'd seen in a long time. But it made him a little sad that it wasn't him who was the cause. He'd always managed to be everything for her, and she him. Growing up sucks. He sulked to himself.

"What's with the broody face, Broody?" Brooke grinned slowly at him.

He grinned back.

Peyton rolled her eyes, turning to look at the couple on the couch. "You're okay now?" She asked Haley, the question only for the small girl.

Haley couldn't stop her eyes travelling to Nathan, who was laughing with Lucas about something, but his hand still found it's way into her hand, as if he knew she was looking at him, she squeezed their entwined fingers. "Yeah." She smiled at Peyton, "I am." All three girls knew those two words had more meaning than the two boys could imagine. The three best friends shared a secret smile.

"So who wants breakfast?" Lucas clapped his hands together, the sound echoing in the small room and snapping the girls back from where their minds had wandered.

Brooke happily skipped toward him, linking arms and leading them into the kitchen, "So Broody, do you like your eggs boiled or fried…?"

Haley and Peyton both laughed at the brunette. When she caught the not so subtle look Haley was giving her that said 'Go away.' She grinned and nodded, winking subtly at her best friend before following Lucas and Brooke. Or Cheery and Broody as they'd sweetly named each other. She made a gaggling noise in her head. Sickeningly sweet.

Despite what just happened and everything they'd done last night Haley suddenly felt very shy, and vulnerable. Her mouth twisted as she mulled the word over in her head.
She didn't like it.

"I know what I want for breakfast." A pair of teeth sunk into the back of her neck and she gasped a little, pulling away and glaring at him over her shoulder. "What?" He smiled, innocently.

"What is it with you and biting me?" She grumbled, rubbing at the back of her neck, even though it wasn't sore. The farthest thing from sore, actually.

"You just taste so good." He breathed, his arm encircling her waist from behind. "I cant resist." He felt her body sag slightly, his front moulding into her back. His words made her giggle.

"Never pegged you for the cheesy type, Scott." She quipped. "Kinda takes away the bad boy image, now that was hot." Her breath caught on the last word as his finger traced around her rock hard nipple over her shirt, sending shockwaves throughout her whole body.

She suddenly felt a whole different feeling, one she hadn't had in a long time. All her walls went back up, the ones that had only taken him one night to get down were wrapped around her heart again and she was up.

"Haley?"

She smiled the best she could at him, "Sorry. I'm starving. C'mon, lets go eat." She left him no time to answer before she was out of the room, leaving him dumbstruck behind her.

… … …

"Nathan?"

His head shot up at the voice, smiling when he saw Haley standing in his door, well half of her.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at his trainers as he tide them.

"I'm sorry," Haley told him, tracing her fingers over to hard wooden frame of the door. "About earlier."

He scrunched up his face as if he didn't know what she was talking about but he did, of course he did. All through breakfast whenever he'd grabbed her hand or touched her she'd tensed up or subtly pulled away from him.

Sighing she walked into his room, taking a seat beside him on his bed, "I like you," she smiled, "I mean I like, like you."

Nathan couldn't help but grin. God he fancied her.

"You're the first person I've felt anything for in…" She swallowed. "A while."

Nathan placed his hand under her thigh, and using the back of her knees he pulled her towards him, smiling softly at her. "It's okay, you don't have to explain anything to me."

Haley grinned, "Where have you been all my life?" She fanned herself, with a dramatic dreamy sigh.

He chuckled, running his hands over her thighs as she straddled him. "Waiting for you." He whispered huskily into her ear, smiling into the skin of her neck below her ear when he heard her breath hitch.

"I really do want to tell you, though." She admitted quietly, almost shyly while running her fingers softly through his short black hair.

"You don't have to tell me anything unless you want to." Nathan replied, placing a slightly purple spot on her neck and he realised it must have been from last night.

Haley grinned, pushing him back against the bed. "Well I'm sure we can find something to occupy our time until I want to, right?" She proceeded to push up the bottom of his wife beater while she spoke.

"Right." He nodded, helping her lift it over his head before connecting their mouths, pulling her back onto the bed with him.

… … …

Hearing two feet padding along the hard wooden floor the brunette quickly hid the item in her hands under the blanket she had draped across her lap.

Out of the corner of her eye she recognised the person who sat next to her on the balcony.

"Sharing is caring."

Brooke snorted, taking the photo album out from underneath the blanket and with an eye roll handed it to the blonde.

She looked over as he laughed and she grinned at the photo. "That was taken a weekend in New York," she explained, it was one of her favourites. It was of her, Haley and Dean. They'd been messing around, she couldn't even remember what about now but Haley was on Dean's back, and then Brooke had jumped on as well and they'd all ended up on the ground, in hysterics and Peyton had secretly taken a photo.

Lucas chuckled, turning the page and letting out a chuckle.

"What?" Brooke questioned, laughing as she saw the photo. It was one of the three girls, all pulling the most ridiculous faces at the camera. She had that one up on her wall in her apartment at home. Home.

Looking back out into the distance she mulled the word over in her head, only one week and they'd be going back to New York. Her, Haley and Peyton. One look at the boy beside her and Brooke didn't know if she wanted to go.

And she wasn't sure if Haley could handle another heartbreak, of course her smaller friend wouldn't admit it but Brooke knew that if they went back to New York Haley would miss Nathan.

And God, she would miss Lucas.

"What's on your mind, Pretty Girl?"

Her lips twitched and she turned to face him, the word falling from her mouth before she could register what she was saying, "you."

For the first time in her life Brooke Davis blushed, a bright red colour staining her cheeks.

Instead of laughing like she thought he would Lucas grinned that gorgeous grin of his and leaned closer to her, the photo album forgotten and pressed his lips to hers.

… … …