Alright, I absolutely adore this chapter. I think it has some humor, and some sweet moments. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 29

Haley looked over at Nathan, watching as his knees bounced up and down, shifting slightly in his seat. He had a lost in thought type of expression on his face, looking a little nervous as well.

After a moment of hesitation, she reached over, resting her hand on his knee, pushing on his leg lightly.

"Hey," She said, looking at him and offering him a small smile, leaning closer to him.

Nathan's eyes shifted over go her, and he sent her a weak smile, letting out a deep breath. "Hi," He responded, nodding his head. "Thanks for coming with me, Haley..." He trailed off.

"Of course," She responded, squeezing his leg. "Breathe a little, honey... It's going to be alright."

"It's not going to go well," Nathan said quickly, leaning back against his chair and letting out a deep breath.

"You might be surprised," She informed him, leaning back as well, lifting her hand from his knee, linking it through his arm.

He closed his eyes, letting out a slow deep breath in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

He'd decided on when he'd been on the phone with Haley two nights ago that he was going to meet with someone to talk about himself, but on the condition that she came up and went with him.

Immediately after the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He was positive he said it to please Haley, and it had worked, because she was here. But he hated this. He hated was about to come. He was thankful she was sitting next to him, possibly throwing some of her willpower out the window to comfort him.

"You don't have to do this, Nathan... But I think it will help," She said softly, squeezing his bicep and nodding her head slowly.

"We're already here, right?" He said, looking at her and nodding his head. "Haley, I... I might be a little bit more... What's the word I'm thinking of?"

"Cold," Haley said, nodding her head and offering him a small smile.

Nathan looked at her and let out what sounded to be a forced laugh, "Yeah. I might be a little cold when I leave, so please don't take it personally. I'll really try not the snap."

She nodded again, letting out a deep breath and looking up at him. "You might be surprised. It might feel good to talk about it with a professional."

"Yeah, we'll see..." He chuckled, glancing over at her and smiling slightly. "Thanks again, Haley... You make me feel stronger."

"Well I'm here to help you, Nathan," She informed him, squeezing his arm again.

They sat there in silence for a little while, Nathan trying to let Haley's soothing touches calm his nerves.

When Nathan's name was finally called, he stood up slowly and looked down at her. "I'll be back, alright?"

Haley reached forward, grabbing onto his hand and giving it one more squeeze, nodding her head. "I'll be here."

He smiled at her, before heading into the room they'd been waiting in front of, shoving his hands into his pockets.

xxxx

He'd been in there for three hours. When he finally walked out, he looked drained. His hair was messy, probably from running his fingers through it. He was slumped over slightly, and he just looked exhausted.

The therapist exited the room after him, sending Haley a small smile.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Olivia Pruitt," She said, nodding at Haley, before looking over at Nathan. "Sorry for the long wait, he was my last appointment of the day, and we got a little carried away."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Haley assured her, resting her hand on Nathan's back lightly, nodding at her. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. Nathan, I'll be seeing you next week. Same time," Olivia said, nodding at him. "Probably best to go home and relax a little. Clear your mind."

Nathan offered her a small nod, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you," He said, glancing down at Haley.

"You can check out at reception, I'll see you next week," Olivia said, stepping back into the office.

Nathan dropped his arm around Haley's shoulders, pulling her into his side and sighing softly. "Is this okay?" He asked her quietly, looking down at her.

"Yes," She responded quickly, allowing her arm to slip around his waist, squeezing his side lightly, smiling as he squirmed away from her.

He sent her a playful glare, leading her out the doors, letting out a slow deep breath, heading towards his car.

"I don't see why you drive, you know..." She trailed off, getting into the car and shaking her head.

Nathan shrugged, getting in the drivers seat, looking over at her. "Then I get to have my own road rage," He joked, winking at her.

"I see," She laughed, looking over at him and biting her lip.

The ride home was pretty silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Nathan just seemed very thoughtful, listening to Haley hum along to the music playing throughout the car.

When they got back to his house, he hurried around the car to pull open her door, a smile on his face.

She got out quickly, looking up at him and raising her eyebrows. "What's with the grin?" She asked him, poking his stomach.

"I'm happy to see you," He informed her, leading her inside, nodding his head quickly.

"We've been together for a couple of hours," She laughed, following him into his open living room.

"But before I was a little stressed, now I'm not so stressed," He said, gesturing for her to sit down on the couch, before following her lead and taking a seat next to her. "Now I can just be with you for a little while," He said softly, looking over at her and smiling.

She smiled over at him, nodding and letting out a deep breath, glancing over at the book at was still sitting on the coffee table. She leaned forward, picking it up.

"Wait," He said quickly, moving to reach forward and grab it from her.

She raised her eyebrows, tugging it away from his grabbing hands. "What?"

"Haley..." He shook his head, sighing softly. He held out his hand to her, glancing at his palm for her to place the book in it.

"Why can't I look at it? It's my book, Nathan," She laughed, shaking her head. "I let you borrow it, now I want it back."

He sighed, pretending to slump back against the couch, before reaching for it again, yanking it from her hands and standing up. "Ha!"

"What don't you want me to see? I've read it cover to cover multiple times..." She trailed off, grabbing at the book.

Nathan raised it up over his head, looking down at her and shaking his head. "I'll buy you a new copy."

"What?" She asked him, frowning slightly. "What's in this one, Nathan?"

"I didn't know you wanted it back," He said, shaking his head. "Please, Haley... Let me keep it."

Haley looked up at him, jumping up to try and grab it, tugging on his arm. "You can keep it but let me see."

He burst into laughter as she tried to grab it from his hands, looking down at her and shaking his head. "I will not."

"What are you hiding?" She asked him, poking his chest lightly.

He shook his head, looking away he cheeks tinting red slightly. "Um, nothing..." He said, sighing softly. "I just... Wrote in the book a little bit."

"You did?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows, a small smile forming on her face. "Can I see?"

He looked down at her, pushing his hand through his hair, before lowering it down so she could grab it. "Yes, but I'm going to go change clothes to get out of watching you read this," He grumbled, walking out of the room.

Haley hummed softly, sitting down and opening up the cover of the book. Her eyes narrowed in on a picture of the two of them he had taped inside, biting the inside of her cheek lightly.

She slowly traced her finger around the edges of the picture, before opening up the book. She didn't notice any writing on the first couple of pages, but as she continued, she noticed he'd started to underline a few things, and then he'd started writing next to them. They weren't very long, often times just a word or two that described his thoughts, or occasionally she found a sentence that described what he thought he was doing at this time.

Simple, but it meant the world to her... He had really taken the time to thoroughly read through the book, rather than just skim the words. She looked towards the stairs, letting out a deep breath and flipping through the pages.

Her eyes landed on her name, quickly halting her skimming. She touched over the words. There was a bracket around a few paragraphs, that pointed out to Nathan's handwriting that said: 'Met Haley?'

She raised her eyebrows, reading over the paragraphs quickly, a small smile forming on her face. She glanced towards the stairs once again, biting down on her bottom lip lightly.

He had assumed this was around the time the two of them met. That was so cute. He'd included her in part of his own history that he was adding into his brother's book.

Wow.

She felt her heart start pumping at that, looking down at the book again. She wanted this copy. She'd heard about Nathan's past, but she wanted the copy where she could read parts of his stories. She wanted to read all about what Nathan was doing through out Lucas' whole book. He was in there quite frequently, going from essentially the villain to the best friend, but she wanted to know his thoughts, and his actions. She wanted this book.

"Alright, I think you've had enough time with it," Nathan chuckled as he stepped back down the stairs, falling on the couch, taking the book from her hands.

"Wait, no!" She groaned, looking at him and shaking her head. "Let me take it, please..."

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows and frowning slightly. "No, it's embarrassing..."

"What's there to be embarrassed about, Nathan? It's amazing..." She trailed off, looking down at the object now in his hands.

"I don't know, Hales..." He sighed, flipping it open and looking down at the page it flipped to. "It's just my bad handwriting."

"I love it," She told him, scooting closer to him, letting out a deep breath. "When did you do this?"

"I've read through it a couple of times, and I just started doing it," He mumbled, shrugging.

"A couple of times? Why didn't you tell me?" She asked him quickly, pushing on his arm and grinning.

"I didn't think it mattered," He laughed, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Can I ask why the picture is in there?" She asked him, flipping open to the cover of the book, tracing her finger over the photo of the two of them.

He looked down at her, shrugging his shoulders. "When it got hard to read this damn book, I just needed a little reminder of why I was doing it in the first place..." He said softly.

Haley looked at him, biting her lip lightly, nodding slowly. She moved her hand from the book, keeping her gaze on his, taking his hand in hers.

"That's sweet, Nathan..." She trailed off, smiling up and him, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan felt his heart rate speed up at something so simple as her holding his hand. He missed her so desperately. He wanted to hold her again, and for her to be his again. He wanted to love her the way that she deserved to be loved. Because after quite some time of separation... He was still in love with her.

"I'm flattered that you added me into it," She said, squeezing his hand lightly and winking at him.

"You saw that? Damn, you work fast..." He chuckled, nodding at her. He shrugged slightly, looking down. "Yeah, well... You made an impression on me."

"I'm glad I did," She said softly, looking at him again. "The feeling is mutual."

He smiled at her, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine," She hummed, taking the book out of his hands, flipping it open once again.

"You know, you sound all high on yourself, walking around and telling people you're fine," He chuckled, smirking slightly.

"Oh, honey, I just speak the truth," She responded, keeping her grasp on his hand as she looked through the book.

Nathan watched her for a few minutes, a content smile on his face, occasionally brushed his thumb along the back of her hand.

This was nice. That was what he wanted, Haley back... He wanted to spend his mornings and his evenings with her. Sitting next to her one the couch, watching her read.

"Do you want to tell me how it went?" Haley asked after a few minutes, setting the book down on the opposite side of her, turning and looking up at Nathan.

"With my therapist?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and shrugging slightly. "It went fine..."

"You seem like you're doing alright," She concluded, squeezing his hand. "I was worried how you'd be when you came out, and you were a little quiet, but you seem good."

"I am," He assured her, letting out a deep breath. "I didn't think I was going to just start telling her everything, but we got carried away, and I just... Couldn't stop? I guess... I didn't know if I'd be able to break it up into pieces. It felt good to get it off my chest. I know I told you everything, but it felt good to tell someone else."

"I get that," She hummed, nodding up at him and letting out a deep breath, squeezing his hand once again.

"And there are things I can say to her, that I can't say to you..." He commented, clearing his throat and shrugging slightly.

"You can say anything to me, Nathan," She responded quickly, nodding up at him. "I'll always be here for you."

"I can't tell you how much I miss you, and how much I want to be with you, Haley... You know, things like that," He chuckled, offering her a smile, "I guess I just told them to you.

She held onto his hand tighter, pulling it into her lap. "Nathan, I miss you so much. Please don't think I don't," She said softly, staring up at him. "But you seem like you're doing well, and that's what I want for you above anything else."

He let out a deep breath, turning slightly to face her. "I just want the nerves to go away... It's so difficult not being able to know if I'm about to cross a boundary that we've set by resting my hand on your back, or telling you that you look beautiful, and sexy... God, I miss you..." He whispered, looking down at her.

She stared up at him, her heart rate speeding up, shifting slightly so that she was facing him as well, resting his hand on her leg.

His eyes killed her. They were so blue, she could spend hours staring at them. They were full of want, and need... And it was all for her.

She felt it too. Her guard was up, but it was coming down very quickly. Every part of her wanted every part of him.

"Kiss me, Nathan..." She said softly, nodding up at him, resting her hand on his arm.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking down at her. "Are you sure?" He asked her softly.

"Yes," Haley responded quickly, sliding her hand up to cup the side of his face, pulling it down to meet hers in the middle.

Nathan eyes fluttered shut as their lips joined. His heart ached for her, but now the aching was coming to an end, at least for the time being. They'd been moving forward, making progress. This was a good sign. He just had to remember not to let himself get carried away in her.

Haley moved her hand from his cheek so it could wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Her other hand grabbed onto his, moving it from her leg, resting it on her waist.

He smiled against her lips, leaning closer to her, squeezing her waist slightly, before giving her a small tug closer to him.

All they were doing was kissing, but he felt like he was on fire. He'd experienced all of Haley James, but damn did it feel good to be kissing her again. She turned him into mush. She had so much power over him.

Haley held back a whimper at the grip his hand had on her waist. She'd missed his hands on her, clothed and unclothed. She didn't want him to fight his natural instincts. If he felt like holding her hand, she wanted him to hold her hand. If he felt like pulling her into a tight hug, she wanted him to do that. She wanted him to know that she was still very into the idea of being with him, and that she wanted to move forward. They still had plenty to work out, but she wanted to be his, and wanted him to be hers. It wasn't an open invitation to going back to what they'd been prior, it was a reward, for her and for him. They'd both held strong, and made progress, so it made sense that since they were making progress as people, they could make some progress together? It could take years for each of them to be the exact right person for the other, but why not do some of that growing together?

She fell backwards against the couch slowly, ignoring Lucas' book jamming into her back as she tugged him down with her.

He dropped some of his weight down on her, supporting himself with one arm, keeping their kiss slow and meaningful like they each needed it to be. They needed to feel each other.

Haley pulled him down, her arms wrapping around his neck once again, hands dipping down to feel his muscular shoulders, letting out a hum of approval.

He lifted his head from hers after a few minutes of kissing her, sending her a mischievous look.

"What's that?" She asked him between breaths, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, nothing," He hummed in response, glancing over the edge of the couch.

"What are you-"

Haley was cut off by Nathan rolling them off the couch, him landing on his back on the carpet, Haley on top of him.

She burst into a loud fit of laughter, shaking her head and staring down at him. "How did that feel?"

"Worth it," He laughed along with her, his arms twining around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

She pressed her face into his shoulder, continuing to let out muffled laughs, while listening to him laugh as well.

When they both finally caught their breath, she lifted her head up and smiled down at him. "I missed that laugh, maybe most of all."

He grinned at her, holding onto her tightly. "Nice to know," He chuckled, letting out a deep breath.

She leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his lips once more, before shaking her head and laughing once again. "Beats laying on the book, right?"

"I think my carpet is comfortable," He agreed, rubbing his hand up and down her back lightly. "Thanks for coming here, Haley. I know you're busier every day since finals week is coming up, but it means a lot to me."

She smiled, resting her head back against his shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath, "When you need me, I'm here..."

He smiled, squeezing her tightly against him in approval, laying his head back against the carpet and staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe next week I can go visit you in Tree Hill."

She nodded her head, nuzzling her nose into the soft t-shirt that he'd changed into, letting his cologne fill her senses. "I'd like that," She told him, letting out a deep breath.

"I'd get a room in that shitty little motel, of course, since I now know how difficult it is for you to be around me," He teased her, smoothing his hand over her shoulders.

She laughed, smacking his arm an lifting up her head. "Don't forget it," She hummed, pressing her lips to his once more.

He smirked up at her, letting out a hum of approval, winking at her, before laughing again.

Haley touched her hand to his cheek, scrunching up her nose at him and smiling brightly.

She really had missed the happy, roll off the couch to make her laugh, side of Nathan. He was a pro at getting laughs out of her by doing silly things. She'd missed the teasing, flirty side that she suspected was going to start making more appearances again after she'd eased his insecurities a little bit.

"Hey," He said, scratching his fingers over her shoulder blades. "Can I make you dinner?"

She raised her eyebrows, looking at him and laughing. "Really?" She asked him.

"I may have a few tricks up my sleeve that I've picked up on over the last month or so," He informed her, smirking slightly. "What do you say?"

"I say hell yes!" She laughed, moving off of him quickly, grabbing onto his hand and helping pull him up. "Let's see what Chef Scott has going on," She said, nodding towards the kitchen.

"What do you think of peanut butter and fish together?" He joked, raising his eyebrows and looking over at her.

"Funny," She responded, resting her hand on his back. "Nothing more charming than someone making dinner for you, Nathan. Keep that in mind." She laughed, pushing him towards the kitchen.

"Why do you think I learned it?" He responded, shrugging his shoulders and grinning. "I was taught by the legendary Clay Evans, so you know whatever I make is going to be good."

"Can't wait," She responded, turning quickly, leaning over the couch to pick up the book, before turning back to him. "I'm going to sit in, just to be safe, but I'm also going to do some reading."

"Oh, great," He groaned, shaking his head and laughing. "Probably best if you sit there and make sure I don't burn my house down."

"I didn't want to say it out loud, but you're more than welcome to," She said, stepping into the kitchen, taking a seat at the bar across from the sink.

Nathan smiled at her, walking over to the fridge, pulling out items that he was going to need. He occasionally glanced in her direction, his smile growing at the sight of her, immersed in the book she'd probably read dozens of times. He rolled his eyes slightly as she squinted down at the words, occasionally mouthing a sentence to herself.

"Don't you usually wear glasses when you read?" He asked her, looking over and raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, but I make do without them," She laughed, shaking her head. "I usually only wear them at home."

"Stubborn as hell," He commented, winking at her and shaking his head.

"Quiet, you," She laughed, pointing at him and turning her focus back down to the words on the page.

He laughed, shaking his head and looking at her as she continued to read. He probably looked like he had heart eyes right now, and that was definitely how he was feeling.

Things weren't perfect. Things would never be perfect. But with that said, things were looking pretty damn good right now.

He laughed again as she cleared her throat, her eyes flicking up to him, gesturing with her hand to continue what he was doing, before a huge grin formed on her face.

Yeah, there was no way he to not be in love with her.

He turned his attention back to the fridge, closing it, before moving onto the freezer next to it.

xxxx

Haley stepped up to Clay and Quinn's home, looking over her shoulder at him and smiling. "I had fun tonight, Nathan..." She said, nodding at him.

"I had so much fun," He agreed, resting his hand on her shoulder and nodding. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," She assured him, poking his stomach lightly, letting out a deep breath. "Are you coming to Clay and Quinn's for breakfast tomorrow?"

"It's pancake Sunday, Hales... I wouldn't miss it. Trust me," He laughed, nodding at her. "I think this is working for us, Hales."

"Me too," She responded, smiling up at him.

He let out a deep breath, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Nights like these make it worth it," He said softly, squeezing her shoulder.

She nodded, letting out a deep breath and taking a small step closer to him. "Thank you for everything you're doing, Nathan..."

"Thank you for being my inspiration to do it, Haley. You give me drive when I have none," He responded quickly, resting his forehead against hers lightly.

She stood on her toes, kissing him softly, wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling him tighter against her.

He smiled, resting his hands on her elbows, kissing her softly in return.

After a few more seconds, she parted from him, smiling up at him. "I'll see you tomorrow," She said nodding.

"Yep. You have your book?" He asked, tapping her purse.

"If I finish it tonight, I'll give it back to you tomorrow. If not, you'll just have to wait until next week," She hummed, nodding up at him.

"Alright," He responded, laughing quietly. He kissed her forehead once more, "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Try to slide some chocolate chips into the pancakes if you can."

"I'll do my best. Text me when you get home so I know you made it safely," She said to him quickly, stepping up towards the front door.

He waited until she walked inside, before turning and walking to his car, driving away.

Haley watched him out the window, biting her lip to hold back her smile.

"Where have you been, young lady? It is way past your curfew," Clay joked with her, from inside the kitchen, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Haha, you're so funny, Clayton," Haley hummed out, shaking her head and walking into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. "What are you doing up? I thought old people went to bed at like seven."

"I talked to the other old people, it's like nine now. But I have a grouchy old person next to me that's having trouble sleeping tonight, so it's actually closer to midnight now," He informed her, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

"So you're here for a midnight snack?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm here making the bear some warm milk because that's exactly what will make her sleep, but only if I got out of bed to make it," Clay responded, shaking his head and feeling the mug once it came out of the microwave.

"She went from old person to the bear, yikes..." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "That's sweet of you, Clay. You're good to her."

"I have to be, especially when you're in town. You're scary," Clay teased her, grinning at her.

"I know," She hummed, nodding at him. "I try."

Clay chuckled, nodding his head and looking at her. "How did it go?"

"Ugh, he's just so cute. It makes it so hard to not throw caution to the wind sometimes. He's so smooth, and funny... I missed him so much. He's acting so mature, I feel like he really cares about me because he's trying so hard and it's just so cute. It was so nice spending time with him tonight, just the two of us. I know I didn't see him all that long ago when we visited Cooper, but wow... Not to mention he is such a good kisser, I mean that might be TMI, but that boy knows he way around, let me tell you. He just seems like he's doing well," Haley said, letting out a deep breath, leaning against the counter. "I don't know, what do you think?"

Clay looked at her, raising his eyebrows and putting the mug in the microwave again, warming it up for a little bit longer, "I was actually asking about the therapy, but I do agree that he's so cute and so funny... I don't have any experience with his kissing, but I've heard good things..." He laughed, winking at her.

Haley's cheeks turned slightly red, covering them up with her hands, "Right, sorry..." She said, letting out a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "I think it went really well, honestly... He was in there for three hours, which I way longer than we anticipated, but I think he told her the whole story. He's going back next week, or he said he was, so you need to make sure he does. He just seemed lighter after he finished. He was quiet for awhile, but then he was acting so happy."

"I'm glad," Clay responded, pulling the mug out of the microwave once more, taking a drink to test it, before pulling a face. "Yep... Warm milk is still horrible. I can't believe she likes this stuff."

"Aw! You hate it but you tried it to make sure it was the right temperature, that's so sweet..." She gushed, grinning at him. "Next time she calls me to complain about you, I'll be sure to bring this up."

"You know, for a second I thought you were being nice to me. Guess I was wrong," Clay laughed, smiling at her. "Sleep tight, James... I'm hoping I get at least some sleep. Maybe I'll slip a sleeping pill in here."

"Good luck," Haley laughed, watching him head out of the room.

"Hey, Haley..." Clay stopped, looking over his shoulder, offering her a small nod. "Thanks."

She smiled at him, letting out a deep breath. "You too, Clay."

He smiled, pausing once more and looking at her again, "Have a nice cold shower."

Haley groaned, slapping her hand onto her forehead and shaking her head. "I knew Quinn should have married David."

"Too far," Clay laughed, heading up the stairs.

Haley smiled, letting out a deep breath, pulling Lucas' book out of her purse, turning off the lights, heading into the guest bedroom she was staying in for some late night reading.