Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.
A/N: Thanks again to all the dedicated readers and especially reviewers of this story, and also to the new ones who've come around lately. You all rock!
Peyton smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her skirt and checked her reflection in the mirror. Not that she was deliberately fussing with her appearance, she told herself. No. Why would she? It was only Nathan after all and he'd seen her at her worst – first thing in the morning.
'Oh, who am I kidding?' she muttered as she caught herself adding another coat of lip-gloss. 'It's exactly what I'm doing.'
Frowning, she threw down the tube and squared her shoulders, locking eyes with her mirror image. A deep sigh escaped her lips. 'You can do this, Peyton,' she said. 'Stay strong. Do not take him back and definitely do not let him kiss you again,' she said sternly, pointing a warning finger at her reflection. 'You can do all that tomorrow,' she continued, falling back on her self-made plan to take one day at a time. 'But tonight, stay in control."
––––––––––
Nathan rolled his eyes as he climbed Peyton's stairs toward her room. So much for the smart girl taking a hint. Two hours he'd stayed at the pub – she should have been gone by now.
"Hey," he called out as he stood in the doorway.
"Hey," Peyton returned, jumping in surprise and quickly turning around. Her breath caught in her throat. Dressed in casual khaki shorts and red t-shirt, he was heart stopping. Then again, when wasn't he? Damn him. He was sure to make this difficult. "I didn't hear you come in."
"Oh, imagine that," he joked, indicating her stereo, which, as always, was on. He came fully into the room, taking in her appearance as he did so. Damn she looked hot in her mini skirt and simple white tank top, her golden curls framing her creamy, flawless complexion. No surprise though – she always looked hot. She was bound to make this difficult for him. Since he'd found those anniversary coupons on Thursday and finally realized why she so often accused him of being all about sex, he swore he'd make her see otherwise. But shit, how was he supposed to prove that to her if his body wouldn't co-operate? If the first thing he thought of when he saw her was how much he wanted to devour her?
"So, how long were you standing there?" Peyton asked, hoping he hadn't caught any of the conversation she'd been having with herself. Because if he had…
"I just got here," he answered, cutting into her thoughts and coming to stand in front of her.
She nodded, hiding her relief well. "Have you been drinking?" she asked, catching a whiff of alcohol. Not that she was opposed to it. Her only issue with it when they were dating was when he'd dismiss their plans to go drinking with the team. Or, of course, when he'd drink excessively and try to take the wheel. But that was with anyone, not just him.
"I had a beer with the guys," he answered. "Just one, and don't worry, it was well, well over an hour ago," he stressed, knowing her concern.
"Good boy," she teased.
Smirking at her, he replied, "He makes an appearance every now and then."
"Yeah, as rare an occasion as that may be."
"Hey," he said in mock offense.
"Sorry. You walked right into that one."
"Oh, more like you set me up to."
"Can't help it. You make it too easy."
"You're funny."
"So," she said, clapping his shoulder playfully. "What's got ya throw'em back mid-afternoon? Celebrating the end of your house arrest?"
"Actually, yeah," he admitted. "Thank God it's over. Longest month of my life."
"You say that every time your dad punishes you for something," she teased with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, well this punishment was especially brutal. I'm surprised he didn't pencil in each breath onto the schedule."
She shook her head and smiled. "Why do you exaggerate everything?"
"I'm serious."
"Uh huh. Just be glad you have a dad who cares enough to discipline you."
"Oh, whatever," he scoffed. "He only cares that I'm off the team."
Peyton didn't respond. She truly believed that Dan Scott cared more than Nathan thought, but he really sucked at showing it the majority of times. And basketball did seem to take priority over his son for the most part, so if Nathan wanted to get into a rant and vent some frustration about that, then, as per usual, she would allow him to do so.
But instead he changed the subject by telling her that he'd dropped by earlier.
"Yeah, Haley mentioned that," Peyton said.
He nodded. At least she'd passed on the message. "So? Where is she?"
"She left," Peyton informed him. "Just like you told her to," she added, her tone clearly disapproving.
"I didn't tell her to leave," Nathan denied.
"Not in so many words, no, but she got your meaning."
He began to shift uneasily under her hard stare and for a second he broke eye contact. "Are you mad?" he asked tentatively. That was the last thing he wanted.
She didn't want to be angry with him either, especially since he surprised her by not denying that he'd tried to intimidate Haley into leaving. But neither did she want him thinking it was okay to speak to her friends any way he wanted. "It was a jackass move," she said simply.
"I just wanted to spend time with you," he explained honestly. "Alone."
"So you couldn't at least be nice about it?"
His mind instantly picked up on the fact that she hadn't rebuked him for wanting alone time as though they were still a couple, but rather only on the way he'd addressed Haley. That did his heart some good. "I'm sorry."
"For what you said to her or that it pissed me off?" she challenged.
He noted, with relief, the hint of a smile that tugged at her lips. Those gorgeous, full, kissable lips.
"Well?" she asked when he seemed to zone out on her mouth.
His gaze quickly returned to her eyes. Beautiful, huge, green orbs. Long, thick, sexy lashes. He shook his head to clear it.
"Nevermind," she said, taking his silence to mean the latter of her question. Not to mention, those baby blues got to her every time.
"Peyton…"
She held her hands up to stop the apology he was undoubtedly about to spurt. "Just…listen, Haley's a really sweet girl and she's become a good friend, so please just…show her a little respect."
He nodded agreeably, even though he didn't see what the big deal was. So his tone hadn't exactly been dripping with sugar when he'd talked to the girl, but it wasn't like he was outright mean to her. But whatever. After weeks of being on the top of Peyton's hate list, they were finally making headway and he didn't want to screw that up. So if being nice to her geeky friend would avoid that, then he'd do it. "Alright," he said.
She offered him a genuine smile. "Thank you."
She was glad he'd agreed to it because she meant what she'd said about Haley. But, if she were honest, that wasn't the only reason she wanted this. She also felt like Haley didn't, or rather couldn't, understand why she had such a hard time letting Nathan go. Why she loved him so much. Other than his looks, Haley didn't see the good in Nathan – the sweet, caring guy he could be. And it wasn't Haley's fault, Peyton acknowledged. That girl always tried to see the best in everyone, but how could she see something that has never been shown to her? Sure, she'd heard Peyton's stories about him, but she never got to see his good side for herself, because, as he did with most people, he hid it from her. Peyton wasn't sure why, but she really wanted Haley to witness first hand the kind, generous and sensitive Nathan. Only then could she begin to comprehend Peyton's tendency to forgive the egotistical jerk he generally portrayed.
"So if Haley's not here, who is?" Nathan asked.
"Nobody. It's just me. Why?"
He shrugged. "I just thought I heard you talking to someone when I came in."
"Well, you must be hearing things."
"Or I'm not and you were just talking to yourself again," he joked.
"All right, you caught me. But who could blame me? It's the only intelligent conversation I can get."
"Yeah, and crazy people don't know they're crazy."
She chuckled. Oh, how she'd missed him.
"So," Nathan spoke up after several minutes of silence. "Happy would-be anniversary."
"What?" Peyton asked, her head shooting up to look at him.
Burying his hands in his front pockets, he shrugged. "Our first date was a year ago today," he said almost shyly. "I was gonna get you something but then I thought you probably wouldn't take it."
"You remember that?" she whispered, stuck on the first part of his statement.
"Well…yeah," he admitted. "Don't you?"
She nodded slowly. Of course she did. "I just didn't expect…"
"That I would?" he questioned.
Again she simply nodded.
"I know," he began, "guys don't normally remember this shit, right?"
She shook her head.
"I remember more than you think," he told her.
That right there was the sweet side she wished everyone could see. "Like?"
"Like this," he said, taking his left hand out of his pocket and pulling out the card with it.
Peyton stood in stunned silence as he held it up for her to see. Taking it from him, she remained speechless for several more seconds, choking back the sob that threatened to escape. "You kept this?"
"And the others," he said. "But I'll cash them in later," he told her with a wink.
She didn't know what to say. She'd assumed he'd long ago forgotten and discarded them. He'd certainly never given any indication to show otherwise. "I thought you would have thrown them out."
"Why would I do that? I told you I loved them, didn't I?" he said, conveniently leaving out the part that he'd just recently found them among all his junk. She didn't need to know that and quite frankly, he didn't want her to know that. "Besides, why should I miss out on a good massage? Hey, why are you crying?" he asked when he noticed a tear fall down her cheek.
"I'm not," she told him, wiping it away. "There's something in my eye. Really," she added when he looked at her in disbelief.
"If you say so," he replied, knowing full well it wasn't true.
"Look, Nate, this is probably not a good idea..."
"Hey," he cut off. "You said you had to do whatever the card said whenever I hand it to you. Remember?"
"Yeah, but…we were together then."
"Well I don't remember any conditions being placed," he replied. "But I guess if you want to back out…"
She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "Go wait for me downstairs."
"Why?"
"Because I need to change."
"Why?"
Sighing, she replied. "Because I can't give a massage in a skirt."
"Why not?"
"Ok, are you deliberately being annoying?"
He chuckled out loud. "No, I just don't see your logic."
"Well, you don't need to. Now go," she said, pushing him out of the room.
Once he was out, she sat on her bed, collecting her thoughts and trying to wrap her head around the fact that he'd held on to those coupons from six months ago. And all she wanted to do was cry. She really needed to get her emotions in check before she went down there. Damn him for making this even harder than it already was. And yet, she felt far from angry.
–––––––––––––––
"Ok, off with the shirt," Peyton demanded as they settled themselves in front of the living room TV – him on the floor, leaning against the sofa and her on the sofa behind him, her legs on either side of him. Now he understood why she'd changed into sweat pants. Not that he'd have complained if she hadn't.
He chuckled at her command even as he followed it. "Some things never change," he teased.
"It's just easier without the material in the way," she reasoned, pressing her fingers into the smooth muscles of his shoulders. She took a deep, silent breath to calm the effect it had on her senses. It had been nearly three weeks since she'd touched this immaculate body. Three long weeks.
Nathan closed his eyes at the first touch of her soft hands on his skin. Maybe Peyton was right. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. It only made him long for her that much more. He shut them tighter when those same fingers kneaded their way down his back.
–––
"So, did Brooke happen to mention my birth mother to you?" Peyton asked as she continued to work through the knots in his shoulders.
"No," Nathan replied, turning to look at her curiously.
"You were right," Peyton admitted. "It's the woman in that picture."
"What, for sure?"
"Yeah, for sure."
"Well, how do you know? Did you meet her?"
She shook her head. "No, not yet. But I want to."
He was still looking at her curiously so she explained how Haley had seen the picture and pointed out the resemblance just as he had months ago.
And he tried not to be offended that she'd listened to Haley, a stranger not so long ago, but not him.
"So I just figured with two of you noticing it that I should take a look. And then I just knew."
He turned back around. He should just be happy for her, right? What did it matter who got through to her? It didn't, he tried to convince himself. "So when's the meeting?" he asked to detract from his own hurt…what? Feelings? Pride? Ego? He wasn't sure.
"I don't know. I don't even know if she'll want to meet me. I mean, she gave me up, right?"
He turned around again. "If she doesn't want to meet you, it's her loss," he said earnestly.
She smiled and nodded agreeably. "But anyway, I have to talk to my dad about it and then we'll see."
"When's he coming home?"
"Next Wednesday."
"Well, good luck. Hopefully your mom's not a bitch."
"Well, if she is, I guess we'll know where I got it from, huh?"
"Yeah. Ow," he yelped when she slapped his chest.
"You're not supposed to agree with me," she chastised jokingly.
"Can't argue with truth," he came back with, bracing himself for the next slap.
"Just turn around," she ordered.
"Actually, why don't we switch?"
"Switch? As in you give me a massage?"
"Yeah."
"I don't think so."
"Come on," he said already standing up. "I know your fingers have got to be cramped by now."
They were but she knew from past experience how long Nathan's back rubs lasted. About two minutes before his hands would start straying. But he was already behind her before she could protest any more.
"You don't even have to sit on the floor," he offered.
He knew what she was thinking – why she was so hesitant. But this was a perfect opportunity for him to prove to her that she was more than just sex. His hands would stick to her shoulders and back if it killed him. For a second he considered ordering her to remove her shirt as she'd done to him, but that would defeat the purpose and only make it that much harder.
Nathan spread his large fingers across Peyton's lower back and swallowed painfully. He'd been at this for fifteen minutes now and he'd since decided that it was possibly the worst suggestion he'd ever come up with. Not because he didn't want to touch her, but because he wanted to touch more of her. Damn, he knew this would happen. How could he have thought that he could pull this off? He needed a distraction. A good one. So he tried to focus on the basketball game she'd kindly put on so he could catch the fourth quarter. But his eyes caught the rise and fall of her chest due to both her breathing and the maneuver of his fingers, which had moved on to the bare flesh of her shoulders. Not to mention the upper angle to which he sat gave him a clear view of her cleavage. And he couldn't take his hungry eyes off of it. He only hoped she wouldn't sit back and notice how badly his body ached for her.
Peyton tried desperately to keep her breathing even, but it was extremely difficult to concentrate on anything but Nathan's touch. She knew that in this moment, were his hands to wander, as they tended to do, that she wouldn't stop him. Couldn't stop him. Her body was literally on fire so she'd be hard put to resist him right now.
Not that it was even an issue seeing as he was apparently right into the game and not her. Not that it mattered, she tried to convince herself. What did she care that fifteen minutes had gone by without a single slip up from him? Just because the guy who was always horny didn't happen to be so at this moment, it didn't mean he was any less attracted to her. And even if he were, that would be a good thing.
Why then, when he mentioned getting food and she turned and noticed his eyes had grown several shades darker – a clear sign that he was, indeed, turned on, did she feel better? Not only did she still affect him, but he'd held back, she could only assume, to show her that she wasn't just a sex buddy to him. And she knew that, she really did, even though at times he acted like it. Still her heart rejoiced over the idea of him taking that extra step to try to prove it to her.
Their eyes locked and he swallowed hard when she licked her dry lips.
"So, we should get some food," he repeated hoarsely.
"Yeah. Food."
But neither moved.
Until the front door burst open and the chipper, familiar voice of Brooke Davis resounded throughout the house.
A/N: So I know a lot of you wanted to see the reactions from the tape in this chapter, and I was going to put them in, but I thought this was kind of a stand-alone chapter. Sort of a calm before the storm. And strictly Nathan/Peyton. Hope you all enjoyed it.
