Peyton went to Nathan's house that Wednesday after work, as promised, and the two of them spent the evening together at his place, drinking wine and listening to her choice of music. He'd made a dinner that he'd dubbed romantic. He told her all about the dream he'd had, which was suspiciously similar to the evening they were sharing, right down to the black satin article of clothing he'd insisted she bring.
They went to his bedroom almost immediately after dinner, and he'd surprised her with a decadent chocolate dessert, which she insisted they eat in bed as they watched ESPN, and he wondered just how he'd gotten lucky enough to find a woman as perfect as she was. Every day he'd learn something new about her, or she'd do something else that was so incredible that he could only shake his head in amazement.
She spent the rest of the week at his house, going to hers only for clean clothing, and he intended on having her there all weekend as well. She never tired of his company, and he never tired of having her in his house.
That Friday night, they fell asleep in each others' arms, warming each other. She'd insisted they leave his balcony door open to create a breeze. He teased her that she just wanted an excuse for him to not let her go, then promised her that he'd hold her as long as she'd let him. They both lay there, inwardly trying to decode that phrase, and wondering if it meant what they both wanted it to mean.
The next morning, he wanted to get a workout in at the River Court, so they'd driven there together, holding hands as they wove through the streets of their hometown. They were becoming less and less worried about who saw them. Since he'd talked to Haley, they both figured that they were pretty much in the clear.
"By the way," he said as they got out of his SUV. "Lucas is meeting me here."
He hadn't told her because he didn't want to give her a reason to back out. He was still nervous that, despite her insistence to the contrary, she might run back to Lucas someday, though he didn't want to admit that. She knew, however, that he had nothing to worry about. It was just one of the few things he was insecure about.
"OK," she said as she walked towards the bleachers.
"OK?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes. OK," she repeated with a smile. "You have to talk to him soon, too."
"I know," he called, dribbling his way towards the basket.
Lucas drove up about 10 minutes later, and both he and Lindsey stepped out of his car and made their way onto the court. They said their hellos and Peyton and Lindsey exchanged pleasantries and made small talk while the boys got their workout in.
"So I'm seeing someone," Nathan said abruptly after about an hour. He sent the ball towards the net and watched as it dropped through the chains. The look on Peyton's face was priceless. She hadn't meant for him to break the news now.
"That's great!" Lucas said enthusiastically. "I had a feeling you were. What's she like?"
"She's great. She's amazingly beautiful. She's smart and funny. She doesn't take my bullshit," he said, smiling at the girl sitting on the bleachers as she eyed him.
"Sounds perfect for you," Lucas said with a grin. "How long's it been going on and when can I meet her?"
"Almost a month and a half," Nathan said, and smiled at his brother's shocked expression. "And actually, you already know her."
"Brooke?!" Lindsey asked, shock in her voice.
Peyton let out a laugh and all eyes were on her. "Sorry," she said, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Actually," Nathan started. "She's right here." He threw Peyton a smile and she shook her head at him.
"Whoa," Lindsey said softly, making Peyton laugh again.
"Wait. What?" Lucas asked, completely taken aback. "How did you...When did...What?"
The four of them shared a laugh over Lucas' stuttering, all of them knowing that he wasn't the kind of guy who stuttered.
"We've been keeping it quiet. We were waiting till it was serious before we told people," Nathan explained.
"So it's serious?" Lucas asked pointlessly, smiling widely. He was happy for the two of them, so long as they weren't intending to break each others' hearts. Something about the way the two of them were looking at each other told him that they weren't. Something about that bugged him just a little bit, but he pushed it aside.
"It is," Nathan said, taking the ball from his brother's hands and running back to the middle of the court for no other reason than to hide the huge smile he was wearing.
"Peyton, this is great," Lindsey offered genuinely.
"Thanks, Lindsey," Peyton answered, smiling sincerely at the woman she'd wanted to hate so badly not so long ago.
Despite their shaky beginnings, it actually felt nice to have Lindsey on her side. Peyton realized then that Lindsey wasn't the enemy; she was simply a woman who loved a man, and Peyton of all people couldn't fault her for that. And what she'd come to learn was that Lucas and Lindsey were kind of the perfect fit. They were a couple that were happy without having to put too much effort forth. It was easy for them.
She and Nathan were slightly different, she was well aware. They had their battles, and they were both stubborn and proud and they argued. But those things all contributed to why they worked so well together. They each refused to fail, independently, or as a couple, and their arguments were just a reflection of that.
"We should all have dinner!" Lindsey said excitedly. "Luke, we should take them to that place we went that time!"
"Linds," he said, shaking his head. "Need you to be more specific."
"You know. With the really great crème brulé," she added.
Peyton barely heard the conversation going on around her. She was busy watching Nathan push himself on the court. He was sweating and working feverishly as he sent up shot after shot. She noticed he didn't miss once the entire time she was watching him. He lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead as the ball was pinned to his hip beneath his arm.
That was the moment she realized she was in love with him. Completely, absolutely in love with him.
The boys played a while longer while Peyton and Lindsey had a pleasant conversation on the bleachers. Both women were relieved that they could finally talk and genuinely get along. And both had to admit that the other wasn't as bad as they'd been so quick to assume. Peyton even started to believe that they were becoming friends. Had you asked her a year ago if that were possible, she would have laughed in your face.
Lucas and Lindsey left Peyton and Nathan at the River Court and drove off towards their own home, explaining that Haley and Jamie were going to be over later for dinner.
"You ready to get out of here?" she asked, standing and stretching her arms over her head, stiff from sitting on the bleachers for so long. He watched as her shirt rode up, revealing a few inches of skin at her midriff. He couldn't help but stare as he walked toward her.
"I actually have one more thing to do," he said, grinning as he stood in front of her, inwardly laughing at the confused look in her eyes.
"What?" she asked.
"This."
He brought one hand to her face and placed the other on her back, pressing her body to his. He kissed her without worrying who might see or what they might say. It was just the two of them, kissing feverishly. Her hands found their way to his hair and she feathered her fingers through his short locks before they parted.
"Why'd you do that?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes still closed as their foreheads pressed together. Her heart was racing and she felt dizzy. That was a kiss like no other.
"Because I could," he said with a smirk, taking her hand in his and leading her towards his car.
"You think you could drop me off at Haley's?" she asked timidly.
"Uh...yeah. Why?" he inquired as he opened the car door for her.
"I just haven't talked to her since you told her, and that was days ago. I just feel like she and I should talk about it," she explained.
"OK. You want me to pick you up later?" he asked, turning the key and pulling away from the court.
"Why don't you stay? You can hang out with Jamie and then we can go from there," she said, putting her hand over his as it rested on the console between them.
He just nodded as he drove, and the two of them listened to the radio in silence until he couldn't bear it any more. Just as he'd pulled onto Haley's street, he turned to Peyton knowing he had to say something.
"You know she's alright with us," he pointed out.
"I know," she nodded. "I just owe it to her to talk about it one-on-one."
He just let out a quick breath and smiled at her. Her concern and compassion for other people never ceased to amaze him. She was so selfless that he sometimes wondered how it was possible. And he was learning that from her, too. Not that he was as selfish as he once was, but he still managed to somehow take that from her. Just by being around her, she was showing by example how to be different. She didn't have to ask or tell him or request that he change, and he wasn't doing anything drastic. He could barely explain it, but there were just little things about her that he wanted to mirror in his own demeanor.
Haley turned from her book, shocked but happy to see the couple before her as she sat reading in her living room. The smile on her face put Peyton at ease immediately.
"Hey lovebirds," she teased, ushering them into the house.
"Oh God," Peyton groaned, covering her face with her hand.
"Jamie's cleaning his room," Haley explained to Nathan. "You want to go help him so we can talk about you?"
"This is so weird," Nathan muttered as he made his way to the stairs, hearing the faint laughter of both women.
Peyton sat on the sofa with her friend, and wondered what the hell she was supposed to say. She hadn't given it much though. Actually, that was a lie. She'd thought about it a lot, but now that she was sitting there, she felt like all the things she'd thought to say were completely inappropriate.
"Sorry I didn't come by sooner," she offered.
Haley could tell right away that Peyton was nervous and feeling remorseful over her relationship with Nathan, but she certainly didn't want her to feel that way.
"Peyton, it's fine. Everything's fine. I really don't want this to come between us, because I really have no problem with it," Haley explained. She heard an audible sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad you're alright with this. I mean, the last thing I wanted to do was create a rift in the group, or make you upset. I just..."
"You can't help who you love," Haley said with a knowing smile and a shrug.
"Oh. I'm not...It's...We..." Peyton stuttered.
"OK, calm down," Haley laughed. "I'm not telling you to marry the guy. I can just see that this is more than just a casual relationship, that's all."
"Yeah. It's more than that," Peyton agreed, smiling because she couldn't talk about him without smiling.
"Kind of crazy that we're back where we started, though, right?" Haley asked before taking a sip of her tea.
"I know. It's...totally absurd. Only in Tree Hill," Peyton said with a laugh, making Haley do the same.
They chatted a while longer, both relieved that there was no black cloud hanging over them, and that Peyton and Nathan's relationship hadn't changed their friendship at all. Peyton was thankful that, though she had every right to be, Haley wasn't bothered or hurt by this latest development. She realized that her friend Haley James was one of the most graceful - and gracious - people she'd ever met.
They both turned when they saw Jamie and Nathan coming down the stairs, and they each smiled.
"Hey Jamie," Peyton said happily, watching as the boy ran to her and gave her a hug.
"Come on, buddy, we want to talk to you about something," Nathan offered, pulling his son onto his lap as he sat on a chair across from both his current girlfriend and his ex-wife.
Peyton was nervous for about a minute before Haley started talking, and that maternal and sweet tone put her at ease immediately.
"You remember how we talked about how someday me and your dad would start to go on dates with other people?" she asked delicately, watching as Jamie nodded. "Well, daddy has a new friend."
"Really?" Jamie asked, looking up at his father with wide eyes. "Who?"
"It's Peyton," Nathan explained.
"She's not a new friend," Jamie pointed out, making the adults laugh. "Is she your girlfriend?"
Nathan, Haley and Peyton exchanged glances at how smart this kid was. Clearly they'd underestimated how long it would take him to understand the situation.
"Yeah, she is," Nathan said with a smile.
"OK. I like Peyton," he said with a shrug and a grin.
"Well, she's going to be around the house more now. She might hang out with us sometimes when you stay with me," Nathan added.
"Cool," Jamie said excitedly. "Hey Peyton, you like basketball, right?"
"I love basketball, Jamie," she replied.
"Good. Sometimes girls don't like it. I don't get it," he explained, making them all laugh again.
Yeah, this was an easy kid to love. Peyton was surprised at how well that conversation went, and she could tell by looking at him, that Nathan was, too.
He loved that she cared about Jamie and was completely comfortable around him. He knew that their situation was completely different than most, and he'd actually worried, before he'd started seeing Peyton, that whatever woman he dated would be uneasy around his son, or unsure of whether she wanted to take on that responsibility. But Peyton was different, and he knew it wasn't just because she already knew Jamie. She'd been with Jake when she was a teenager and he had an infant. Nathan came to realize that Peyton was just a strong woman who knew her own heart, and that if she wanted someone, she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that. She'd take whatever he had to offer and make the absolute best of it. She'd want to tell people that she wasn't an optimist, but Nathan knew otherwise. And he kind of loved that he was the only one who knew that.
Peyton and Nathan left the house a little while later, with his arm around her shoulder and her head resting against him until they got to the car. A song she loved came on the radio, so she turned it up loud, making him laugh at her as she bobbed her head to the music.
"So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" he asked, turning down the radio as they pulled onto his street.
"You need to shower," she insisted eyeing his attire and mussed hair.
"Holy attitude," he scoffed, turning to look at her momentarily.
"You just worked out for like 2 hours!" she pointed out.
"I don't recall you showering this morning, either," he said accusingly.
"So! I didn't just sweat all morning," she said indignantly.
"Well," he said, taking her hand in his, "we could sweat all afternoon and then shower together."
"You're such a pig," she said as she laughed. "Seriously, Nathan."
"I actually thought that was pretty good," he said with a chuckle. "You love showering with me."
"That doesn't mean I need to do it all the time," she scoffed.
"You know you're gonna give in," he said with a cocky smile. "All I have to do is take my shirt off and your eyes'll glaze over like they always do."
"My eyes don't glaze over!" she cried, staring at him as he tried to stifle a laugh. "OK, you know what? This is the dumbest argument ever."
"Look at you, all flustered," he teased. "I didn't even have to strip down."
"I am so not talking to you now!"
"Who says I needed you to talk?" he asked in a low growl as the pulled into his garage.
And the look on her face - one of complete shock and awe - told him that perhaps he'd taken it a step too far.
"You are on thin ice, mister," she warned seriously. "Now, I'm going to curl up on the couch with a book, and you're going to go clean yourself up. Then you're going to make me dinner and try not to be a jackass."
He rolled his eyes as they got out of the car, unabashedly checking her out as she stepped into the house ahead of him. She ignored him as she grabbed a bottle of water and headed for the living room, but he had to stop her.
"Hey," he said, walking quickly to her and reaching for her hand.
"What?" she asked.
"I was just joking," he explained, though they both knew he didn't have to.
"I know," she said with a smile.
He leaned down and kissed her before pulling away from her. She watched him as he made his way up the stairs, pulling his shirt off in the process.
And damn him. She did want to follow him. But she couldn't give in, no matter how sexy he looked with his shorts slung low on his hips and the muscles of his back perfectly on display.
She heard him turn the water on a couple minutes later, and she sat for a few moments, trying to focus on her book. After reading the same sentence three times in a row, she cursed out loud and dropped it onto the coffee table before heading to the stairs. What the hell kind of spell did he have her under?
And what was more interesting than anything, wasn't that she was so drawn to him, it was that he knew her. He knew all the things about her that no one else did. He knew what her reactions to certain things were. He knew when she was laughing sincerely, or faking. He knew that there were a few songs that she could listen to over and over again for literally hours and never get sick of them. He knew that her eyes did, in fact, glaze over when she was lusting after him.
And so when she got to his bedroom, she pulled off her clothes and dropped them on the floor before heading into the bathroom. His back was to her as he stood in the glass shower, but he turned to her with a smirk when he heard the door open. Her arms wrapped around his wet torso and he raised his eyebrow.
"You win," she said right before she kissed him. She felt him smile against her lips.
"I always win, baby," he muttered, making her laugh.
----
As soon as they'd stepped out of the shower, he demanded that she get dressed in something nice, insisting that, since they had gone 'public', he was taking her to dinner.
"Nathan, I don't have nice things here!" she protested. "I have pajamas and a few shirts."
"Peyton, just put something on, OK? You'll look sexy in anything," he said, smirking as he watched her wrap a towel around herself.
"Well, if we stayed here, I could just wear this, and not have to worry about being underdressed," she said with her eyebrow raised, noticing that hungry look in his eye, and fully expecting him to say something suggestive.
"If we stay here, you'd definitely be overdressed in that," he growled, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her. He pressed a kiss below her ear and watched in the mirror as her eyes fluttered closed. He suddenly wondered if he was a fool for insisting they go out.
"OK," she said abruptly. "Get out."
"What?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Get whatever clothes you need and get out. I need time to get ready," she informed him seriously. "And with you in here, all...looking like you do...I'll be totally distracted and we'll never get out of here."
"Knowing you, we'll still never get out of here. I'll probably need a pre-dinner snack so I don't starve while I wait," he teased as he made his way to his closet.
"Wear that red shirt I love!" she called after him.
"Why?" he asked with a smirk, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"Because," she said, poking her head into the room to look at him. "It's in your best interest."
"Just say you want me, Sawyer," he said, putting his hands on his hips.
He still had only his towel around his waist, and his hair was still wet. And she couldn't deny it, but she knew they wouldn't be going anywhere if she admitted to it.
"I already had you," she said teasingly, making him laugh. "Red shirt. Chop, chop!"
He did as he was told. Frankly, he was excited to go out with her and act like a proper couple. Everyone who needed to know about them, knew about them, and if anyone else saw them, they'd explain when the time came. He just wanted to sit across from her and talk with her. He wanted to actually be her boyfriend, instead of just calling himself that and having their relationship exist almost entirely within the confines of his house.
He was sitting on the sofa with his elbows on his knees, watching the second quarter of a random basketball game when he heard her coming down the stairs. He turned to look at her as he stood and turned off the TV, and he knew that it was his eyes glazing over this time.
"Wow," was all he could manage as she stood in front of him.
Her hair was swept up off her back in a way he'd never seen her wear it, and her makeup was perfect. But what killed him was that she'd managed to take the most simple black dress he'd ever seen in his life, and make it look absolutely amazing. It was just a knee-length dress that hugged her curves, with thin straps. He was sure he'd seen other women wear similar things over the years, but none of them carried it like this. She had on a pair of black heels and a silver necklace, both of which he'd seen several times.
"Nathan," she said softly, growing uncomfortable beneath his gaze.
"Peyton," he whispered as he smiled. "You're beautiful."
"Thank you," she said demurely.
Dinner went smoothly. She stole bites of food off his plate, and he laughed and told her that only certain people were allowed to do that, and she was lucky she was one of them. When she offered him a piece of her chocolate dessert, she repeated the same sentiment. He took her hand across the table, because he could. He unabashedly watched her walk away as she made her way to the washroom, because he could. He leaned in and whispered something flirty in her ear as they were leaving, because he could.
It was just after 9:00 when they pulled out of the parking lot of the restaurant, but instead of driving towards his house, he went in the opposite direction.
"Where are we going?" Peyton asked confusedly.
"You'll see," he said with a smirk, taking her hand in his once again.
"Nathan, I hate surprises," she complained.
"I know. Just trust me," he said reassuringly.
"If you pull out a blindfold, I swear I'm never speaking to you again," she warned with a serious look on her face.
"No blindfold. Just relax, alright?"
They wove through familiar streets and past old houses she used to frequent. Brooke's, Tim's, Teresa's, Bevin's. And then Nathan pulled up to the house he grew up in, and she looked at him in complete confusion.
"What are we doing here?" she asked, stepping out of the car as he held open the door for her. He took a set of keys out of his pocket and took her hand.
"Mom never sold it. She moved into a smaller place, but kept this one," he explained, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open.
"OK. So why is it sitting here empty, and what are we doing here?" she asked, stepping through the door and reaching for his hand frantically.
It was creepy, she decided. All the same furniture sat in all the same places as it had years ago, but there were no lights, as the power had obviously not been on in years. He closed the door behind them and wrapped her in his arms.
"I want to show you something," he said softly. "Come on."
They walked to the kitchen and he produced a flashlight from one of the cupboards. He hadn't really thought it out before he took her there, but he wanted to show her a few things that he knew she wasn't aware of.
He led her up the stairs and to the room that used to be his. When he and Haley moved back in with the baby, they moved to a bigger room with an ensuite bathroom, but his childhood room was virtually untouched.
"Sordid memories in here, Nate," she said teasingly.
"This was the place where I asked you to be my girlfriend when we were 15," he explained.
"Awww. Our first fight," she said with a smile, sitting down on the bed.
"You almost made me change my mind," he said with a laugh, making her slap him on the chest as he sat next to her.
"Honestly?" she asked incredulously. "We'd been dating for a few weeks, making out like crazy, doing everything together, and you hadn't pieced together that I was pretty much already your girlfriend."
"Come on, you know how I was," he said.
"Yeah. A jackass," she stated with a laugh.
"You still agreed to be my girlfriend, though," he pointed out smugly. "You remember what you said that night?"
"I just remember there was a lot of yelling," she explained.
"You said that I was a great guy and you could see that even though I did things that showed I wasn't," he said softly. "Other than my mom, you were the first one to ever see that in me."
"I was right," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I know you were," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Come on."
"What now? Seriously, this is so creepy, Nathan," she said worriedly as he pulled her up by the hand.
"Hey," he said, standing in front of her and placing his hands on her arms. "First of all, you have nothing to worry about. Second of all, I wouldn't let anything happen to you, OK? Ever."
He kissed her forehead, wove his fingers with hers, and led her back down the stairs into the living room. He pulled a box from one of the cabinets and they sat on the sofa.
"My mom kept all these, even though I told her not to," he said with a chuckle.
In the box were at least 75 photographs of the two of them together, spanning from their freshman year to their senior year. There were photos of them before, during, and after they dated. There were a couple that were taken when both Nathan and Peyton were with other people, and she didn't even know when those photos had been snapped. Apparently, Deb had been taking photos of the two of them without their knowledge.
"Nathan..."
"I know," he said. "She showed me this a couple weeks ago."
"Are you serious? I mean, I was with Lucas when this was taken," she pointed out, holding up a photo of them a few days before graduation. "You were married."
"I told her about us," he explained. He hadn't told her that yet, and the look on her face was questioning why he hadn't. "She asked me what had me smiling, and I said you."
"Oh God," she sighed. "What'd she say to that?"
"She squealed like a little girl," he said with a laugh. "Then she told me to meet her here, and she showed me these pictures. She said she always thought there was more to our relationship when we were younger than either of us let on."
"Wow," she said with wide eyes. "I always did like your mom. Your dad, I couldn't stand."
"Ugh," he groaned. "He was always so pervy with you and Brooke. It made me so mad."
"Considering you just about punched anyone who looked at me, I'm not surprised," she said, laughing at the memory.
"Come on," he said incredulously. "People should have known that my girl wasn't to be gawked at."
"So possessive," she teased, leaning in to kiss him quickly. She'd secretly always loved that about him.
"OK. That's all for show and tell," he said, picking up the box. "I want to keep these, though. I think we should put a couple up in the house."
"When did you get so romantic?" she asked.
"Right around the time I started dating you," he said softly, smiling before he kissed her. They both stood and began walking towards the door.
If there was anything she learned that evening, it was that her and Nathan's relationship obviously had meant something more than they'd known at the time, and that Deb Scott was far more perceptive than most gave her credit for. And that Peyton was definitely in love with Nathan.
"Nate," she called, making him turn around and look at her.
I love you. It's not hard to say. Three little words. But she froze and when he smiled at her, silently asking her to finish, she couldn't say exactly what she wanted to.
"I'm falling in love with you, too," she said softly.
That was all it took for him to sweep her into his arms and kiss her in a way that left them both breathless.
She really, really wished she could have said the words. She knew that the ones she'd used had obviously made him happy, and that she definitely didn't need to say more, or admit that she was completely in love with him, but a part of her felt like she was lying to her heart by not saying them out loud. What put her at ease, was that she knew they'd get there eventually.