I know all of you are anxiously awaiting new updates, and I am going to try and get them to you as fast as possible, but I am back at school therefore I won't have as much time to write and they may be slower. I do have bits and parts of chapters written, but it will still take me time to complete them fully. So with that said, here's the new chapter.

Enjoy.

R & R

He's Everything You Want

Chapter 10 – Always

Haley's POV

I woke up the next morning slightly confused as not only did I wake up in Nathan's bedroom, but beside me laid a very naked Nathan. Doing a quick sheet check, I noticed he wasn't the only one. I carefully slid out of the bed, trying my best not to wake the sleeping boy. Gathering my clothes swiftly, I did my best to dress myself in the record time.

"Hey." A husky voice came from behind me, startling me as I jumped back and stared at my shirtless best friend stretching his arms in the air and yawning. God, he looks amazing.

"Morning." I murmured back, frantically looking down and trying to do up the remaining buttons of my shirt. I glanced back up when I heard Nathan snickering to himself. "What?"

Nathan pointed at my shirt as he scooted a little bit down the bed towards me. "You missed a button."

"Thanks." I glanced back down and fixed my shirt. This isn't at all awkward... "So.... I guess.... I'm just going to... go?"

"Wait Hales!" He called after me, leaning forward and letting the sheets fall lower down, now fully exposing his naked abdomen. Even if I wanted to, I was frozen stiff in that spot, trying my best not to widen my eyes and drool at his mere perfection that was his body. "Does this feel slightly, I don't know... weird... to you?"

"Yes..." I sighed in relief, running my hand through my hair as I felt a little bit better getting that out. "We should probably talk about what happened... last night."

"I think that would be good." Nathan agreed as I sat back down on the bed. It would've helped so much more if Nathan was dressed and not naked while we had this conversation. I can't believe I would ever say this, but it was the first time in my life that I wished Nathan had more clothes on... "Yeah... I just don't want things getting strange between us because of what happened last night... I really don't want that to happen."

"Me neither, I--"

"Because we're too good together to let that come between us, right?" Nathan asked, more to himself than to me, like he was trying to convince himself of that... or of something else. "We got carried away in the moment, I could blame it on the alcohol, but in a weird way I think I did what I did because I was afraid of losing you. But last night was really special to me, because you're really special to me Haley. But that's all it was, an incredibly special night. I just don't want you to worry that we'd give it more importance than what it is. Sex always complicates things and things have always been so easy with us, I just don't want things to get like that with us."

"I-It was a mistake?" I spat out as it seemed to be what he was getting at. It would've seemed pathetic if I had told him otherwise. His thoughts about last night were obviously different than mine.

"Yeah, a mistake. We just got caught up, that's all... I mean... it didn't mean anything. Just two friends getting caught up in the moment."

"Yeah... a mistake." I repeated, my heart slowly starting to break as the realization of the whole situation was starting to become very clear. He didn't break up with Brooke to be with me... I was still his nerdy best friend and nothing else. I was just Haley James to him.

"Phew... okay good, I thought things were going to get all awkward now between us and that would be horrible."

"No, things are just like they always were with us, Nate..." You being oblivious and me being too cowardly to say anything...

"Good, so we're still friends?"

"Best friends." I slowly nodded, trying to hide my emotions that might tip him off otherwise. Although it's most likely he wouldn't even pick up on them anyways. I scooted off the bed and picked up my shoes from the ground that had been tossed off sometime in the midst of last night and walked out of the bedroom, leaving my old best friend behind as well. It would never be the same after this and that would be the price I would pay.

-o-

"Grr!"

"Huh?" I frantically closed my locker to have Lucas appear behind it, boyishly smiling at me with fuzzy teddy bear in his hand.

"I know it's obnoxiously sweet and all Hallmarky, but still, grrr."

I began giggling at the adorable, cute gesture accompanied by an equally cute boy, but suddenly felt a huge feeling of guilt wash over me as I saw Nathan and a few of his friends walk by. Nathan glared at me suspiciously, although Lucas didn't notice as he was too busy shaking the bear in the air in front of me. My smile disappeared when I refocused back on the blonde still waving the bear in the air. "Lucas--"

"I thought my apology would work better if it was accompanied by an adorable stuffed animal." Lucas smiled as he cut me off and held out the teddy bear towards me. "I really am sorry for bailing on you last night, even more so that you had to take Peyton along instead. I know she's not exactly the life of the party at those kinds of things." He took the books out of my hand without even asking and threw them under his shoulder. He began walking towards the way to our next class, but abruptly stopped when he noticed I wasn't following him. I stood back at my locker, glancing down at the floor, still feeling guilty for what happened last night and the fact that Lucas was apologizing for not being there. People tell you when all your hopes and dreams come true that it's the happiest moment of your life, well they should tell you about the aftermath... because that part definitely blows. "What's wrong Haley? Is it the bear? Should I have gotten you a stuffed dog instead?" Lucas asked concerned, walking back beside me and cupping my face softly with his hand.

I wanted to tell him, tell him what had happened... the truth, about everything. I felt like after all that we've been through; I at least owed him that. And yet, as blue eyes stared into brown, I couldn't find the courage to tell him. "Nothing." I breathed out with a soft sigh, raising my head and giving Lucas a measly smile to ease his curiosity and my guilt as I took the teddy bear from his hands and looped my free arm around his. "The bear is perfect... you are perfect."

"Well I do try." He joked with a smirk as we began walking together towards the way to our next class. The thing was that Lucas did try... not to be perfect, but he tried with me... more than I can say for Nathan. And yet my heart wanted him instead of this amazing guy who stood by my side through all of this. "So Peyton was an alright substitute last night?"

"Pretty decent, she'll definitely be put on my short list."

He looked at me hopefully with a boyish smile. "One that I'm hopefully on?" It was one of those smiles where he knew he didn't have to ask but he needed reassurance, an ego boost if you must.

"One that you're most definitely on." Smiling, we turned into our classroom just as the bell rang.

-o-

"Lucas bought me a bear to apologize for bailing on me last night."

"A bear? Like a stuffed-" I pulled it out of my bag before Peyton could finish and her eyes went wide as she covered her mouth, snickering as she almost fell over backyards. "Oh boy."

"Yeah..." I grimaced as I tucked the bear back into my bag, falling back down on her bed hopelessly afterwards. After school let out, I managed to escape Lucas and make my way to Peyton's house in the hopes she would be there for some much needed advice. When I got here, her door was left open and I found her nodding along to some Death Cab while she sketched. Peyton and her hobbies...

"So I guess this means you didn't tell him about Nathan and last night?" Peyton asked, joining me parallel on the bed beside me. I could see out of the bottom of my eyes that she was fidgeting with the bottom hem of her shirt. I couldn't tell if it was because she wanted to tell me something or if she was uncomfortable, but it was definitely something. I ignored it for the time being, not wanting to push anything that Peyton didn't want to tell me. I knew her well enough to know she liked to keep things inside.

"I don't want things to be weird with us..." Us had a very loose definition... both referring to either Lucas or Nathan.

"I think it's a little late for that...and besides, it was weird before last night...for both of them."

"Lucas has made it very clear that he doesn't want to deal with anything until he knows Nathan is out of the picture for me... and after the events of last night, that line has been blurred even more."

"So wait... you still think you have feelings for Lucas?"

"I thought that I just liked Lucas because he was there when Nathan wasn't, but last night... I had Nathan... and today, I still feel the same way I've always felt about Lucas. But at the same time, Nathan... he's just--"

"Nathan."

"Exactly and if I just pretend that nothing happened last night then I'd be lying to myself about the feelings I have and if I tell him how I'm really feeling, he'll freak and run and that's not what I want. And with Lucas, if I tell him what happened with Nathan, he'll run too because he'll feel intimidated... and that's not what I want either."

"Being yourself... not being yourself, welcome to high school, Haley James."

"..."

"What?" Peyton glanced at me with a curious expression, throwing her hands up in the air as she acted confused.

"Sometimes I think you enjoy this a little too much Peyton..."

"Oh please, who else are you going to talk to about this? Lucas?" Peyton tapped her fingers against her crossed arms as she waited for me to respond to her rhetorical question. I sat there quietly looking at her, knowing that I obviously couldn't talk to anyone but her about this. "Yeah, I didn't think so... you're stuck with me and my sarcastic ways, and I'm stuck with you and your drama-filled butt. Listen, can I be frank with you?"

"Please, frank away. It's not like you aren't normally..."

"Stop being such a bitch, and man up and tell Nathan how you really feel. Don't let fear drive you away from what you want... if it's Nathan, great... if it's Lucas, fine. But don't let it turn you into a coward because in the end, love always, always trumps fear..."

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A/N: I hadn't originally planned on having Peyton such a main character in the story, but you guys seemed to be enjoying her relationship with both Lucas and Haley so I decided to make her a bigger part. It has sort of taken away from Laley scenes, but I promise they will have plenty in future chapters.

I have some of chapter 11 written, but not a significant amount, only jot notes really so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get up the chapter but I will try my best to get it up as soon as possible for you guys. Once again, let me know your thoughts on the story and any ideas you are thinking. I love to hear them and I even make pick one or two up and add them in. ;)

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