After much careful consideration, I decided that Ryan Seacrest should do the interview, mainly because he has the charisma to do it. For story purposes, let's just assume he has his own talk show. This chapter is going to be quite a talky chapter, since most of it is going to be the interview itself.
So anyway, please review!
----Sera
Disclaimer: Still don't own One Tree Hill. Carrie hasn't died yet, has she?
Haley sat on the plush beige-colored couch, the spotlight nearly blinding her. She tried to remain as patient and as gracious as possible while makeup artists surrounded her, pulling her hair, placing all sorts of goop on her face and gushing how gorgeous she was in person. Somehow, amidst all the chaos, she could sense Nathan's comforting presence next to her, and wished he would move closer.
Even with the thought of him being with her all throughout the interview, Haley had never been more nervous than she was now. When the circle of makeup artists left her, she squinted and tried to look at the faceless audience seated in front of her. It was unnerving – how before all of this, she could be one of these people – thriving on the lives of people they didn't even really now – and now, she was on the other side of the fence.
He and Nathan had practiced their "story" over and over last night until she was sure she got all the facts straight, but now that she was actually here, she could feel her previous confidence slowly waning. She felt Nathan press his lips on her temple, his arm going over her shoulders and pulling her to him. "You ready, Hales?"
"No," whispered Haley. "I can't do this, Nathan."
"Yes, you can. I'll be with you all the way, and we've gone over this a number of times last night. It's going to be fine." Nathan reassured her.
They both heard the head camera man shout that they were on in ten seconds, and on cue, Ryan Seacrest walked on set, taking a seat on the other couch across them. He smiled warmly at Haley, and she immediately felt her tense shoulders ease. He had a strange, welcoming aura about him that made Haley feel slightly better about the whole thing.
Suddenly, music started to play from out of nowhere, and the audience was on their feet, clapping and shouting enthusiastically. "We are back and here with me right now is basketball superstar and two-time MVP winner Nathan Scott, and his very lovely girlfriend, Haley James. Welcome to the show," smiled Ryan, as he shook Nathan's hand, and gave Haley a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, Ryan. It's great to be here." Nathan replied, giving the audience a charming smile, making most of the women shout enthusiastically.
"So Haley, tell us more about yourself."
Haley smiled graciously at him, interlacing her fingers with Nathan's as she began to speak. "I'm a small-town girl, Ryan. I grew up in Tree Hill, North Carolina with my two best friends who, ironically, are Brooke Davis and Peyton Jagielski."
Ryan looked at her with surprise. "Really? I – well, probably no one had an idea."
Her smile widened, her whole face lighting up all of a sudden as she slowly got used to speaking to him, as if it they were the only three people in the room. "Yes, we grew up together, and we even went to the same university."
"So why the different paths? I mean, Peyton is in the music business, and Brooke is in the fashion industry – what about you? What do you do?"
Haley cast Nathan a careful look, and he gave her a small nod to urge her to go on. She turned back to Ryan and answered, "I'm also in the music business. Right now, Peyton is helping me with my songs, and she's actually thinking of producing a very tentative album."
"Well, what about before that? What did you do?"
"I actually worked in a small record shop back in Tree Hill. I – uh, moved back there after college."
Ryan eyed her in a rather perplexed manner. "Why? You could have easily found a job here. Your two best friends are here, and yet you chose to go back. Why?"
She bit her lower lip, hesitating – trying to get the right words in her head. "I needed to go back to my roots. When I went to college, I majored in Music, and you're right – I could have easily gotten a job here, but I wanted to go back home – try to find myself, and the inspiration I needed."
Ryan then turned to Nathan and asked him, "So Nathan, how do you fit in to all of this?"
Nathan smiled again, pulling Haley even closer into his side. "We're old friends. We actually met two years ago. I was out with friends and my brother Lucas, and incidentally, Haley and her friends were there. Brooke's business was already starting to gain attention, and she got acquainted with Lucas. That's how I met Haley."
"So did you start going out then? Because as we all distinctly remember, you were dating quite a large number of women back then," said Ryan.
Haley felt Nathan's body stiffen slightly next to her, but he smiled so good-naturedly that it was quite possible that no one knew Nathan was feeling uncomfortable already. "Well, no. We were just acquaintances then, but there was no denying that I was attracted to her, and I'm pretty sure she felt the same way, if not more, about me." He smirked at her.
Haley rolled her eyes and laughed. "It was a mutual thing, Ryan."
"Did you ask her on a date?"
"I didn't – Haley was really different from other women, and the truth is, I was feeling a bit nervous and intimidated around her. She was smart, funny, and witty and she challenged me – something no other woman ever did. Even if she went back to Tree Hill a few days after we met, we remained friends." Nathan explained.
"So all throughout those two years, you were long-distance friends?"
Haley nodded. "Yes, you can call it that. Throughout that time span, I got to know Nathan in so many ways that I doubt other people even know. I saw what an amazing man he is – how much he loves what he does, and how dedicated he is to the game. It's something you just have to be proud of, you know?"
When her gaze met Nathan's, it was so intense that Haley had to look away immediately. She felt like she was being x-rayed. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice it as Ryan continued, "So what brings you to now?"
"Well, a few months ago, Haley called me and told me that she was moving to Los Angeles to pursue her musical career, and a few days after she was settled in, I finally found the courage to ask her out. We've been seeing each other ever since." Nathan explained, kissing the back of Haley's hand.
"Haley, what was your reaction when he asked you out?"
"It was funny, because I was really expecting a huge hug and maybe a 'How have you been?' somewhere in there, but the moment we were able to stand in front of each other, he just blurted it out right then and there. I was so shocked that I stared at him stupidly for like – five minutes or so, and he was just standing there, wringing his fingers and looking as nervous as hell. I never thought I would see that face on cocky Nathan Scott."
"So you said 'yes' right away?"
"Luckily for him, I found it amusing and agreed."
She laughed so pleasantly and convincingly that it was as if it really happened, and they were reliving it. Nathan felt his heart lurch; knowing fully that he wished every word was true. He wanted nothing but to have that kind of relationship with Haley – and not something that they just made up because it was too complicated.
"So how was your first date like?"
Haley laughed, linking her arm with Nathan's. "Oh, God – I don't know if I could explain it without giggling and ruining the whole thing."
Nathan pretended to be offended. "Hey, it wasn't that bad."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Trust me Ryan, it was. He invited me over to his place and we were supposed to watch this DVD. We spent probably two hours arguing over what movie to watch, and when we actually got down to watching it, we spent more than half of the movie arguing about how stupid or good it was. And God, the food, Ryan – it might have been good if he hadn't left it in the oven too long. He didn't even really cook it – all he had to do was put in the oven and it got burnt."
"Hey, the chicken burning was not my fault – I had the cook preset it and it was on the wrong time," interrupted Nathan defensively.
"Sure it was – anyway, we finally stopped arguing and we were actually watching the movie when I looked over to him and he was asleep! He fell asleep halfway through a movie he chose, and on our first date." Haley said, raising her brow at Nathan.
"I was tired! We practiced all day!" Nathan complained. "She doesn't even explain my side in all of this."
Ryan laughed. "That was hell of a first date. So what made you decide to go on a second date?"
"It was actually the first date in my life where I had fun. It may have been a disaster in the making, but it was fun – and I saw Nathan in the must human and normal way possible that night. It was probably the most fun date I've ever been on." Haley answered, resting her head on his shoulder.
Ryan turned to the audience. "You've heard how they met, and their chaotic first date. Stay tuned because when we come back, we are exposing the more intimate parts of the relationship that shocked the world. We'll be right back."
He turned back to the couple and smiled. "I'll be backstage for awhile. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
As soon as Ryan was gone and the stage lights dimmed, Nathan immediately pulled Haley to him, pressing a kiss on her lips. "See, I told you this wasn't too bad."
"You're right – I'm having a lot of fun." Haley said, kissing him back.
"Yeah, I bet telling the whole world what a loser I am is real fun," complained Nathan.
She laughed, pulling his head to hers. "It really is," she kissed him again, nipping at his bottom lip teasingly.
He pulled back, groaning. "You're making me wish we're all alone here, Haley."
Suddenly, they heard the voice of the head camera man announce that the show was back on in fifteen seconds. The lights of the stage immediately brightened and Ryan quickly sat back on his seat. The red light near the studio door flashed and taking it as his cue, he said, "Welcome back to the show, and still with me are Nathan Scott and Haley James. Thank you again for being here."
They both smiled back at him in reply.
"Nathan – you've been through the in's and out's of this industry, and you've probably seen everything. You were barhopping, getting drunk and leaving the clubs with a different woman latched on your arm every night, and you seemed to be having the time of your life. What made you decide to just drop that old lifestyle you had to be with Haley?" Ryan asked.
He hesitated, wondering how he should answer. He already knew the answer he was supposed to say, but he wanted to tell her the truth – he wanted her to know how he felt about her subtly. A voice in the back of his head warned him that it was a bad idea, but Nathan chose to ignore it. "Like I said before, Ryan – Haley's very different from other women. She's like a fresh breath of air. She doesn't treat me like I am a basketball superstar – she treats me like I am Nathan Scott – the person. Haley makes me happier than I have ever been, and I honestly haven't felt this way for any other girl. She's someone who gives me reason to come home and look forward to being with her. Whenever I'm with her, everything changes – everything's brighter, better – you know?"
Haley had frozen next to him, and her gaze was firmly fixated on the coffee cup on the table. She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone, afraid that they could sense the overwhelming mix of emotions in her.
Ryan smiled, as if really appreciating what Nathan said. He then asked, "I think what everyone's wondering now is how is your sex life?"
Haley's brows shot up, and she turned to Nathan, panicking slightly. They had certainly not prepared for a question like that. It was probably the last thing they expected Ryan Seacrest to ask them. Her mind raced to find an answer but Nathan was already way ahead of her.
"It's amazing. Haley moved in with me two weeks ago, and just yesterday, we christened the laundry room," he grinned at Haley, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, and we also christened the garage – I nearly forgot about that."
Oh, God help me.
Haley was blushing furiously, as she tried her hardest to not picture them making love in the laundry room and the garage – but just hearing his voice say it, and how his fingers were lazily playing with the soft tendrils of her hair framing the side of her face – she could vividly picture it – feel his lips on hers, on every inch of her skin – on places she could only imagine and dream of.
Snap out of it!
Nathan was smirking at her, knowing fully well what he had done to her. He loved to watch her squirm. It was as hot as hell. "Of course the bedroom came first – then the pool – yeah, the neighbors had a real kick out of that one."
Damn you, Nathan Scott. Damn you and your annoying ability to turn me on.
She narrowed her eyes at him, deciding to take a little revenge. She rubbed her ankle on his calf, her hand massaging his thigh. "Yeah, those were great – but I can't believe you forgot the night we made love on the kitchen counter with the curtains open – I bet the neighbors really loved that one. And I distinctly remember you loving it, too."
She tried to hide a smirk spreading on her face when Nathan's eyes suddenly widened, his entire body stiffening. She turned back to Ryan, smiling as if nothing happened. "I guess the public will be glad to know that it's more than amazing."
He winked at them. "So what about marriage? Do you see that in your future?"
Nathan, who had been sipping coffee, began to choke on it and coughed several times. "Uh – m-marriage?"
He exchanged nervous glances with Haley, who seemed to have no answer for it either. Nathan answered as carefully as possible, "Well, Ryan – perhaps in the future – but right now, we just want to concentrate on our careers and what we have now. We're both really, really happy and we don't want to rush into things."
Nice save, Nathan. Haley thought. The questions were getting more and more personal, and it was one part of the interview they didn't foresee. She braced herself for the next question, but it clearly wasn't enough.
"The interview is almost over, so I guess this leaves the best and most intriguing question for last. Nathan, we're all curious to know – do you love Haley?"
I know, you all hate me now for leaving it like that, but I have my reasons. I thought my story could use more nice cliffhangers to keep you all excited. Please review!
