Chapter 42
"Okay, Hales..." Nathan blew out a sigh as the buckle-up sign turned back on in the plane, signifying they'd be landing soon.
He leaned forward so she could hear him more clearly.
Her and Macey were in the two seats in front of them.
"Tree Hill is full of some of the most nosy people on the planet," He informed her, glancing up and down the aisle, leaning out a little more and resting his hand on her arm.
"Got it," She laughed, looking over at him. "I don't know why you're so nervous."
"Because..." He sighed, shrugging. "People know me here. Like... Everyone. Even if I don't know them, they know me."
"What? Are you some kind of local celebrity to them?"
"I wouldn't call it that, but... The Scott family has a lot of influence. My dad was the mayor for a couple of years," He said, shrugging.
"You never told me that..." She trailed off.
"Didn't seem important. But my family has been here forever. My dad was born here, so The Scotts and Tree Hill go way back," He said, sighing. "And, well... Katherine's family is pretty big here too. So people are going to talk. It's stupid, but that's Tree Hill."
"So I must be pretty lucky, huh? The Nathan Scott?" She replied, grinning.
"You're making fun of me," He said, rolling his eyes and laughing.
"A little. I don't care what a bunch of strangers think, Nathan," She said, twisting so she could see him a little better.
"I know but I was just warning you. Tree Hill feeds off gossip," He said, poking her arm off the arm rest.
"Got it," She nodded, smiling at him. "Thanks for the heads up."
"Yeah, whatever," He laughed, leaning back in his seat.
He glanced over at the sleeping kid next to him, sighing softly.
After a short time, the plane landed on the runway, which startled Nick awake.
Nathan ruffled his hair when he looked at him with wide eyes, smiling down at him. "What's up, sleepy head?"
"I fell asleep," Nick said, leaning his head on Nathan's arm and sighing.
"Yeah, you did," He said, shrugging. "But we just landed."
Nick yawning, pressing his face into Nathan's arm, before sitting up straighter. He grinned when he saw Macey looking at him through the space between the seats, waving at her.
Thankfully, the plane wasn't very full, which was a surprise given the holiday approaching. But none of them were complaining.
He stood up as soon as they were allowed to, stretching out his legs. He quickly grabbed Haley and Macey's carry-ons from above them, handing them down.
Since it was only a few days, all they had to bring was carry-ons, lucky for them.
He then grabbed Nick's and his own, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, you guys ready?"
"I'm ready!" Macey hummed, nodding at him.
"Luke is picking us up but we can go to my dad's dealership and get a car too," Nathan said, tugging Nick up to his feet. "You're going to have to drag you suitcase, Nicky. And stay close to me at all times."
"Same goes for you, Macey," Haley said, smiling down at her daughter.
They exited the plane quickly and easily, leaving them in a fairly busy airport.
Nick snuck up closer to Nathan, glancing around at all the people, while Macey was practically running.
"Macey," Haley grabbed her arm, shaking her head. "Remember what I said. Stay with me or else I'm going to make you hold my hand."
Macey groaned, nodding her head and sighing. "We're meeting who again?"
"Lucas," Nathan informed her, clearing his throat. "You've met him a couple of times. He's my brother."
"Oh, right," Macey said, nodding. "Sawyer?"
"Yep, that's his daughter," Nathan said, smiling at her.
Nathan led them through the small airport easily. He'd done this same trek dozens of times when he'd been traveling a lot.
When Lucas came into view, he let out a sigh when he saw him talking to another man.
"So..." Nathan sighed again, glancing at Haley. "That's one of my good friends from high school, Tim Smith."
Haley craned her head until she saw Lucas and Tim in her eye line. "Okay, cool."
"Just... Be wary. You'll see," Nathan said, resting his hand on Nick's shoulder briefly, approaching the duo.
"Nate!" Tim cheered when he saw him approaching, totally abandoning his conversation with Lucas, practically throwing himself into Nathan's arms.
Nathan exchanged a look with Lucas, patting Tim's back lightly. "What's up, Tim?" He said, letting Tim hug him for a minute longer, before prying himself away.
Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise, glancing at Lucas, who just shrugged and laughed.
"Looks like Nathan and his girlfriend are reunited again. Oh, and Haley is here too," Lucas joked, reaching forward and taking Nick's bag from him.
Tim looked over at Haley, then Macey, then back at Nathan. "You had another kid?"
"What? No," Nathan said, shaking his head. "Tim, you remember Nick," He said, resting his hand on Nick's shoulder. "And this is my girlfriend Haley, and her daughter Macey."
"Oh. That makes more sense," Tim said, shrugging. "I thought you said we were both flying stag this week!"
"Uh..." Nathan shook his head quickly, "I don't think I told you that," He said, glancing at Haley.
She looked like she was finding this all very funny.
"I hear Theresa is in town. I'm finally going to get with her. You know she always had a thing for me," Tim said, smirking slightly.
"Right," Nathan said, clearing his throat. "Well... We better get going. Our mom is expecting us, right Lucas?"
Lucas laughed, nodding quickly. "Oh, yeah. We better go."
"I hear that Miss Deborah has a thing for younger guys. Maybe I'll try-"
"Tim!"
Both Nathan and Lucas warned at the same time.
"Oh, right. Wrong crowd. Well I'm off to find my Dad and his witch of a wife," Tim said, patting Nathan on the back. "See you later!"
Tim rushed away into the crowd.
"And as quickly as he arrived... He was gone," Lucas said, reaching over and taking Macey's bag from her as well, smiling. "One more minute and I'm pretty sure I would have been kicked from my parking spot."
"He was weird," Macey announced, shaking her head.
"Have I met him?" Nick asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, a few times. But you were a lot younger," Nathan said, patting Nick on the back. "Let's go."
Haley laughed quietly as the kids stepped forward, walking between them and Lucas. "Sorry to cramp your style. I didn't know you were flying stag."
Nathan laughed, nudging her with his arm. "It's okay. Maybe we can just come at separately next time? I'd hate to disappoint 'The Tim' again."
"Tim's Theresa wouldn't happen to be your Theresa, would it?" She asked him curiously.
"How did you-" Nathan looked at her, realization flashing across his face. "Dammit, Katherine."
Haley laughed, shifting her luggage to her other hand so she could hold onto Nathan's, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'm going to go all controlling boyfriend and delete her number from your phone," He said, shaking his head and laughing.
"I'll believe it when I see it," She said, squeezing his hand lightly. "If Tim is the worst I meet this trip, I think I'll be fine."
"Oh, you just wait and see," He laughed, looking over at her as they approached Lucas' car. "You just wait and see."
xxxx
"What did we need to get again?"
Almost as soon as they arrived at Deb's home, Nathan's childhood home, the new couple had been sent out to the store, leaving Nick and Macey to be watched by Deb and Greg, along with Lucas and Peyton.
Not that either of them really minded. They'd take any chance to be alone they could get.
"She's still texting me a list," Nathan grumbled, pulling out his phone and rolling his eyes. "This is just like my mom to wait until the last second to buy stuff. Oh, Thanksgiving is in two days? Well I still need a shit load of stuff..."
Haley laughed, poking her arm into Nathan's side. "Come on, at least you have me with you to come to the store."
"Yeah, at least there's that," He said, leaning down and kissing her briefly. "Why did we make that stupid promise to the kids that we wouldn't kiss in front of them? That was so dumb of us."
She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "It's for the better, probably," She joked, linking their hands together.
The last three weeks had been pure bliss for both of them.
Being in love was a hell of a lot better than even movies made it seem.
"I love you," Nathan told her, smiling down at her. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too," She said, winking up at him. "I think it's going to be a good week."
"Yeah?" He said, swinging their hands lightly.
"I do," She confirmed, shrugging. "I think it will be nice. I know we already spend a lot of time together, but... I just miss you when I'm not with you."
He laughed, kissing her head. "I know the feeling. You're stuck with me until Sunday. Think you can handle it?"
"Oh, honey, I think the better question is do you think that you can handle it?" She said, grinning up at him.
"Try me," He said, stopping her when she continued to walk down a random aisle, pulling her in close to him, kissing her quickly.
Haley hummed lightly, raising her hand to hold his face, kissing him back.
"Excuse me? Think you can pass the loaf of bread behind you? Or do you need it for leverage?"
A familiar voice asked, causing Nathan to tense up and pull away from Haley quickly.
"Coach," He said, letting out a deep breath, grabbing the bread quickly.
"Nathan," Coach Whitey greeted him, a playful smile on his face. "Nathan's friend."
Nathan tossed the loaf into Whitey's cart, scratching his neck and looking down at Haley, who looked a little embarrassed, but she was holding it in.
"Coach, this is Haley. Haley, this is-"
"Brian Durham. But you can call me Whitey," He said, tipping his cowboy hat in her direction.
"You don't even let me call you Whitey," Nathan said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, well you haven't earned it yet," Whitey replied, winking at Haley.
"Nice to meet you," Haley said, shaking his hand quickly. "You must be Nathan's old basketball coach."
"More like his babysitter," Whitey said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Come on, Coach... I wasn't that bad," Nathan said, waving his hand dismissively.
"You put me into retirement," Whitey reminded him. "After you I just couldn't do it anymore."
"Hey, I seem to remember stopping you from retiring too," Nathan said, shaking his head.
"Looks like he's your problem now," Whitey said to Haley, laughing.
"Yeah, I have my hands full with him, that's for sure," Haley agreed, smiling up at Nathan.
"How's Charlotte?" Whitey asked Nathan, smiling. "Haven't seen you in awhile."
"That's because you trap yourself in that old cabin," Nathan said, shrugging. "Charlotte is good. We really like it there."
"I bet you do," Whitey said, sending a mischievous glance towards Haley.
"Okay, Grandpa. Stop flirting with women one-third your age," Nathan said, shaking his head.
"One-third?" Whitey said, scowling at him. "How old do you think I am?"
"You're at least one hundred," Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well how old do you think I am then?" Haley teased, looking up at Nathan.
"Pass," Nathan said quickly.
"Oh, that's a new one for you. Pass," Whitey said, leaning against his cart.
"Oh, whatever, Whitey," Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "Charlotte is good. Business is good."
"And your boy?" Whitey asked him, his face softening at the mention of Nick.
"Nick is great," Nathan said, clearing his throat. "Why don't you come by for Thanksgiving?"
"Lucas already invited me, but it's nice to hear it from your mouth," Whitey joked, nodding at him.
"Good," Nathan said, smiling at him. "Haley will be there too, don't worry. Everyone will be on their best behavior. Not like last year."
"What happened last year?" Haley asked curiously, raising her eyebrows and looking between the two.
Whitey started laughing, clapping Nathan on the back. "Better keep her in the dark about that one."
"Yeah, she already knows," Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "It's about my friend that my mom dated... Let's just say, Thanksgiving was not very thankful last year."
Haley laughed, nodding. "Got it."
"Keith also invited me over to Danny's place," Whitey said, shrugging. "Didn't hear a solid time."
"Yeah, might want to check in on Lucas with that one," Nathan shrugged, "I haven't heard anything either."
Whitey nodded, "Well... I'll let you two get back to it. Remember... This is a public place," He teased.
Just as soon as he arrived, he was gone.
"That was so embarrassing," Haley laughed, shaking her head. "But he seems nice."
"He's not," Nathan joked, kissing her head. "That's two people we've run into today, Haley. Two."
"Don't let the fame get to your head, Nathan," She said, grabbing onto his hand once again.
"I just want to live a normal life," He let out an exaggerated sigh, winking at her.
"You will, Fabio, you will," She said, kissing him briefly.
"Oh, you're lucky," He said, squeezing her hand. "I'm willing to put up with this endless humiliation. Roast after roast."
She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Please, keep going. See what happens."
"I think I better stop there," He hummed, dropping her hand and draping his arm around her shoulder. "Saved by the bell. My mom just texted me."
"You know... If we split up, we'll have time to make out in the car," Haley suggested, raising her eyebrows at him.
"You had me at make out. If you don't know where anything is, call me and I will direct you."
"Copy that. I'll take the first half, you take the second."
xxxx
Haley's legs bounced up and down nervously, looking out the window and letting out a sigh.
She wasn't sure why she felt nervous.
When they'd gotten home, Lucas said that a few of his friends from high school were meeting up tonight and he was told to invite Nathan.
Nathan tried to find an excuse to get out of it, automatically going to the kids. But Deb was too quick to volunteer herself to watch them.
And luckily, in the time between the store and the party, Nathan had gone to borrow a car from his father's dealership.
Haley was unsure whether or not he'd had a run in with Dan Scott while he was there, but judging by his mood, he probably didn't.
She was drawn from her thoughts when Nathan's hand grabbed onto her own as they pulled into a parking lot.
She glanced over at the bright sign on the front. Tric.
This was the bar that Peyton owned.
"We can still go home," Nathan laughed, shrugging slightly. "Right?"
"All signs point to no," She responded, laughing.
"What are you, a magic eight ball?" He asked her, shaking his head.
"Ask me another question and see," She hummed, squeezing his hand lightly.
"Can we at least leave early?" He questioned, nodding at her.
"Ask again later," Haley replied, unbuckling her seatbelt and laughing.
Nathan shook his head, removing his seat belt and resting his hand on her cheek, turning her face to him and kissing her lightly.
"Yes," Haley said after parting from him, smiling.
"Yes?" He replied, kinking a confused eyebrow.
"You didn't ask me a question?" She teased, kissing him one more time. "Let's get in there."
He laughed, getting out of the car and walking around, pulling her door open.
"Do you want the pre-game warm up? Or do you want to just go in there and learn whatever you learn?" He asked her, grabbing onto her hand and helping her to her feet.
"Let's just go in there and get to it," She said, clearing her throat.
"Well... Tim might be here. I don't know... Skills is dating his ex-wife, which might be kind of weird for him."
"Skills will be here? Tim has an ex-wife?"
"Yeah, and a son," Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "He's all talk, Haley. He has no game. It's a miracle Bevin married him."
"And now she's with Skills?" She asked him.
"Are you sure you don't want the pre-game?" He laughed, leaning down and kissing her head.
"What is this place?" She asked, gesturing around Tree Hill. "Does everyone just date each other then switch off?"
"Kinda," He said, shaking his head and laughing at her description. "Come on..." He tugged her inside, looking around until he found the group. They'd pushed a few tables together to accommodate the group.
Haley was introduced to everyone quickly.
Lucas and Peyton, who she already knew.
Antwon, or Skills, and Bevin. Dating. Dated Nathan's mom.
Marvin, or Mouth, and Millicent. Married.
Jake and Nikki. Married with two daughters.
Anna and Sasha. Married.
Tim, who was flying solo still, despite claims of waiting to meet Theresa here.
Junk and Fergie. That was how they'd been introduced. She wasn't sure what their given names were. She also wasn't sure exactly what their relationship was to one another.
And then there was Chase, who was working at the bar with his girlfriend Alex standing there talking to him.
She kind of wished Katherine was there to give her a more familiar face, but she had Lucas and Peyton there for that.
Her and Nathan took the very last two seats at the table, Haley next to Peyton and Nathan on the end, with Tim at the head of the table.
"Uh... Hales," Nathan whispered in her ear, placing his arm around the back of her chair. "Can I get you something to drink?"
She smiled at him, rolling her eyes at his teasing tone. "Yeah, get me drink after drink and don't let me stop until I'm confessing love to someone."
"Hopefully me, right?" He said, squeezing her shoulder.
"Hopefully," She responded, shrugging. "Can you just get me a mixed drink without any alcohol in it?"
"Sure thing," He said, standing back up and kissing the side of her head quickly, before heading over to the bar.
Haley smiled slightly as she watched him approach Chase, a genuine smile forming on his face.
She had not heard his name before, but she guessed they were good friends.
Maybe she should have gone with him to meet Chase.
"So, Haley," Jake pulled her from her thoughts about Nathan.
Haley smiled at Jake, raising her eyebrows.
"How did you and Nathan meet?"
"I have a daughter the same age as Nathan's son and they were in the same class," She said, nodding at him. "They became friends and wanted to start spending time together outside of school... And well, Nathan and I just kind of happened."
"That's nice," Anna cut in, a smile on her face. "We were all stressing about Baby Nathan never finding love."
"We found out about you before this," Skills said, laughing. "Haven't talked to Nate in awhile but he calls me up out of the blue one day and tells me to buy your book."
"Me too," Junk said, shaking his head. "Good book though."
"Oh, well... Thanks," Haley said, tucking her hair behind her ear shyly.
"Even I read it," Bevin said, grinning triumphantly.
"Thanks," Haley said again, shifting in her chair and clearing her throat. "What about you guys? Are you all from Tree Hill?"
"I'm not," Anna's wife, Sasha, said, shaking her head. "No, I met Anna in New Jersey, where we live now."
"I'm not either," Millicent said, smiling at her. "Marvin and I live in Omaha and that's where we met."
"Nice," Haley said, glancing over at Peyton. "So... Care to explain your nicknames to me?"
"Mine is easy. Skills because I got skills," Skills said, winking at her.
Bevin whistled, or attempted to at least, nodding her head. "That's right, baby."
"Um, my parents own a Junk yard," Junk said, shrugging.
"Fergie is short for Ferguson," Fergie said, smiling at her.
"And Mouth..." Mouth looked at Lucas, who shrugged.
"What did I miss?" Nathan approached the table again, setting a drink down in front of Haley, sitting down next to her, taking a sip of the beer in his hand, before setting it on the table.
"Mouth was just explaining his nickname," Lucas said, looking at Nathan.
"Oh," Nathan sighed, looking at Mouth and nodding. "Go ahead and tell her, Mouth."
"Well..." Mouth sighed, shaking his head.
"One time I walked up to him and punched him in the mouth," Nathan said, placing his arm around Haley's chair.
Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise, looking at Nathan, then at Mouth, who nodded.
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," He agreed, shrugging. "The guys thought it was so funny that Luke's little brother punched me in the face so they started calling me Mouth."
"Got it," Haley said, nodding slowly.
"Anyways," Peyton cut in, smiling at the group. She looked over to Jake. "How's Jenny doing with high school?"
"High school?" Haley whispered to Nathan.
"Yeah, Jake and Nikki had Jenny when Jake was sixteen. Now Jenny is fifteen, I think," Nathan whispered back. "I think Nikki was eighteen. Peyton and Jake used to date and Peyton really grew to love Jenny."
"They used to date?" Haley asked, looking between the two.
"I told you, Hales... Tree Hill dating history is crazy," Nathan said, glancing over at Tim when he stood up quickly and walked over to a woman sitting at the bar.
"Theresa?" Haley whispered to him, her eyes watching Tim as well.
"No," Nathan shook his head, "That's Tim's step-mom."
"Why is she here?" Haley asked, frowning.
"Probably ran out of booze at her own house," Nathan mumbled, rubbing his fingertips along her back lightly.
"You didn't have a thing with Jake's Nikki, did you?" She whispered.
"No," He answered quickly. "That was Lucas."
"Lucas?" She said, knitting her eyebrows together.
"Yeah, I never even met her until her and Jake got married. There was a whole rough patch. She left him with the baby, and then came back, and then some other shit happened... But they worked things out in the end," Nathan said, shrugging. "But the fact that Nick is named Nick has zero to do with her. Katherine and I just liked the name."
"What are you two whispering so intently about?" Peyton asked them, sending them a playful look.
"I was just catching Haley up on who has dated who," Nathan laughed, scrunching his nose at Peyton.
"If you've dated Lucas, say I," Peyton said, raising up her hand. "I."
"I," Anna laughed, holding up her hand as well.
Jake nudged Nikki, raising his eyebrows at her.
"If we're counting one night stands..." Nikki rolled her eyes, "I."
"That was cold, Sawyer," Lucas laughed, shaking his head. "If you've dated Peyton, say I," He responded, "I."
"I," Nathan held up his hand, nudging Haley with his arm and laughing.
"I," Jake laughed, shrugging and winking at Peyton.
"All tied up it seems," Lucas said, sticking his tongue out at Peyton.
"If you've slept with Tim, or wanted to, say I," Tim said as he approached the table, sitting back down and winking.
Skills nudged Bevin.
"Oh, right... I," Bevin said, shaking her head.
Everyone started laughing, while Tim pouted.
"This game sucks," He grumbled, leaning against his hand.
"It's okay, buddy," Nathan laughed, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder, which seemed to actually cheer him up.
Haley smiled slightly, resting her hand on Nathan's leg under the table, squeezing his knee.
"If you dated Nathan, say I," Tim said, winking at Nathan.
"Do frequent hookups count in this?"
Nathan looked over towards the new voice, sighing softly.
Tim's face, on the other hand, lit up.
"Theresa!" Tim said, standing up quickly and hugging her.
Theresa. Okay.
No big deal. Haley wasn't really worried. After all, she was Nathan's present, and Theresa was barely considered a past.
"If hook ups are in..." Bevin trailed off, laughing. "I."
Nathan sighed, wiping his hand on his jeans and glancing at Haley sheepishly.
"Bevin? You and Nate?" Skills said, glancing over at Nathan.
"Oh yeah, me and Nate..." Bevin said knowingly, nodding over at Nathan.
"You know what... I," Peyton laughed, nudging Haley.
"I," Haley said, raising her hand, leaning over and resting her head on Nathan's shoulder briefly.
"Theresa, let me buy you a drink," Tim said quickly, nodding at her.
"Sure, why not," Theresa laughed, letting Tim guide her away.
"Think he'll ever get anywhere with her?" Jake asked, shaking his head and laughing. "He's been chasing her since what? Your freshman year?"
"No, this is what she does with Tim," Nathan said, shaking his head.
"Poor Timmy," Bevin said, shaking her head. "Just wants to bring little Nathan a step mom."
"Little Nathan?" Haley whispered to Nathan, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"It's their son. Don't ask," Nathan said, shaking his head.
"He's always just tried so hard. Must have been so difficult living in Nathan's shadow in high school," Mouth said, watching Tim.
"See, if you watch her body language, it seems like she's interested in him," Sasha added to the conversation, shrugging.
"He wasn't my shadow," Nathan said, leaning back and sighing. "She won't hook up with him. Tim has tried this act for a long time. She leads him on."
"He was like Nathan's side kick in school," Peyton informed Haley, smiling sadly. "They would hang out with him so they could hang out with Nathan."
"Come on, guys... That's not true," Nathan said, scratching his neck and looking at Haley.
"Oh it is true," Bevin said, shrugging. "All the girls wanted Nathan."
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, opening them up to meet Haley's eyes.
All the girls, huh?
She couldn't help but wonder if all the girls still wanted Nathan.
This Nathan they were describing didn't sound like her Nathan.
She offered him a smile and a shoulder shrug.
How many girls was all the girls?
"Bevin," Skills nudged her. "Want to go dance?"
"Oh, hell yeah," Bevin stood up quickly, grabbing ahold of Skills' hand, pulling him out to where a few other people were dancing.
At the sight of people dancing, Junk and Fergie each stood up.
"We have to go man the music. Take requests and stuff if there are any," Junk announced, giving Peyton a thumbs up. "But we'll be back when people stop dancing."
Fergie nodded along with what he said, and as mysteriously as they appeared, they were gone.
"Don't listen to Bevin," Peyton laughed quietly, shrugging. "She doesn't know when to shut up."
Haley waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about me," She said back, smiling slightly.
"Sash... Feel like dancing?" Anna suggested, grabbing her hand and standing up.
"Oh, if I'm being forced," Sasha laughed, following her out.
That left the new couple with Peyton and Lucas, Nikki and Jake, and Mouth and Millicient.
Nathan looked over his shoulder to the bar at Theresa and Tim, shaking his head.
Haley looked at him, before looking over her to the duo as well, before back at Nathan.
Why was he so interested in what was happening over there?
"How's Nick doing?" Jake asked Nathan, clearing his throat loudly to get his attention.
"Nick is great," Nathan said, looking at him and shrugging. "He likes his new school. He likes living in Charlotte, I think."
"That's great," Jake said, smiling at him. "He's eight, correct?"
"Yeah," Nathan said, lighting trailing his fingers along Haley's back again.
"And how is Katherine? Surprised she's not here this year?"
Jake really seemed to lead the conversation.
Haley wasn't sure if these people were Nathan's friends.
He seemed to get along with them alright... But they were closer with Lucas. Maybe if they all still lived here they'd be closer.
"Katherine is good," Nathan said, shaking his head. "Ask Haley though, apparently they're best friends now," He laughed, smiling at her.
"In close with the ex, huh? Does that mean you've got all of Nathan's dirty secrets?" Nikki joined, sending Haley a sly smile.
Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I promised I'd keep everything she told me under lock and key."
Jake laughed, shaking his head. "Nikki is just joking. She lives for the drama," He said, standing up. "Care to dance?"
"For you? Anything," Nikki said, winking over at Haley, then standing up.
"They're an interesting couple," Millicent said, shaking her head.
"I'll drink to that," Peyton said, raising her drink. "Nikki is... Nikki. I used to have big problems with her but not really anymore. She's okay."
Haley looked over at Nathan once again. He was still watching the two people at the bar.
"Nathan," Mouth brought him back to the table. "I have a huge favor to ask you while we're both in town."
"Sure," Nathan said, smiling at him. "What's up?"
"Well, as I'm sure you know... I do this Sports Podcast, and I'd love to have you on it. Both as a former athlete, and a current agent. I think you could add some insights," Mouth suggested, raising his eyebrows.
"Sure, Mouth. Anything for you," Nathan agreed quickly, removing his arm from around Haley, leaning forward against the table.
"You are the best," Mouth said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I had no idea what I would do this week. You just saved me."
"I'll sit around and talk sports with you for hours, you know that," Nathan laughed, shrugging his shoulders.
"Of course," Mouth replied.
"Do you want me on the podcast?" Lucas joked.
"No way," Mouth said, shaking his head and laughing.
"Sorry, Lucas," Peyton laughed, resting her head against the older Scott brother's shoulder.
"Yeah, whatever," Lucas mumbled, kissing her head.
"You guys, uh..." Mouth tilted his head, as if he was trying to figure out his question. "Seem to be getting along with Skills better now, after..." He trailed off.
Haley looked to Nathan, who leaned back against his chair once again, sighing softly.
"Skills is Skills, Mouth... He's been one of our best friends since I was a kid. You know I can't stay mad at him that long," Lucas laughed, shrugging. "He's with Bevin again. Our Mom has a new boyfriend. Things are back to normal after their... Fling."
"I guess the last time I saw you was when it was all fresh," Mouth laughed, placing his arm around Millie. "Weird."
Nathan nodded slightly, looking over at Haley. "Do you want to go meet Chase?" He changed the subject, standing up quickly.
"Sure," Haley said, smiling up at him.
He grabbed onto her hand, pulling her to her feet and nodding at the two other couples left at the table.
Haley let Nathan lead her over to the bar quickly.
He probably couldn't wait to get away from the conversation. It seemed like Nathan wasn't yet entirely over the Skills and Deb thing and didn't want to be involved in that conversation.
Chase was leaning against the bar, talking to the same woman he'd been talking to since they'd arrived.
"Chase," Nathan announced their presence, nodding at him.
"This must be Haley," Chase said, sending her a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you," Haley said, nodding at him, squeezing Nathan's hand lightly.
"This is Alex, my fiancé," Chase said, gesturing over to her.
Alex smiled at her, "Hi," She greeted, twisting her seat around slightly.
"Do you mind if we sit with you guys for a bit?" Nathan asked them.
"Not at all. I'm just about to be replaced though. I wasn't even supposed to be working tonight but Peyton and I drew straws when someone called in sick," Chase said, shaking his head.
"Chase owns the bar with Peyton now," Nathan informed Haley, sitting down after she sat next to Alex.
"Wow, that's great," Haley said, smiling at Chase. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Chase said, clearing his throat. "But I got stuck bar tending until the other person comes in. Which will hopefully be in like ten minutes."
"I better drink up then," Alex joked, tapping the bar. "Shot of vodka, please."
"Alex..." Chase said, shaking his head. "Don't make them do this for you."
"I don't drink," Alex informed the two. "But I miss drinking. So I make other people drink for me and then I just bite the lime. And you two are my lucky guests."
"Okay," Haley said, looking at Nathan. "You're up."
"Me?" Nathan groaned, rubbing his hand down his face. "Alex, I will do one shot for you. One."
"Deal," Alex laughed, nodding at Chase.
Chase sighed, pouring the shot for Nathan.
Haley laughed as Nathan grabbed it and downed it quickly, hitting the cup down on the counter.
Alex shoved the lime into her mouth, nodding slowly, then removing it and setting it in the empty glass. "Thank you."
"Woo..." Nathan shook his head, grimacing. "It's been awhile since I had vodka."
Haley laughed, patting Nathan's leg.
"Hey..." Nathan glanced down the bar at Theresa and Tim.
Theresa looked pretty disinterested in Tim, but she was still entertaining him for some reason.
"I'll be right back," Nathan said, standing up.
"What?" Haley asked him, frowning. "Where are you going?"
"I'll just be back," He said, kissing her head, then walking over to the duo he'd been watching since they arrived at the bar.
Haley shook her head. This was unlike Nathan.
Something must be up with him. Hopefully it had nothing to do with the gorgeous brunette he was currently chatting with.
Haley looked over at Chase, who quickly pretended he wasn't confused by the situation either.
"So, uh... Nathan told me what happened between you guys this past summer," Chase said, clearing his throat.
"Nice, Chase," Alex shook her head disapprovingly at his chosen topic of conversation.
"Um... Yep," Haley laughed awkwardly. "Yeah. But we're all good now."
"He's terrible at keeping in touch unless you live in the same city as him," Chase said, laughing. "I didn't know you were coming until this morning."
"Clearly he's been busy," Alex added, laughing. "I mean, look at her Chase. If you hung out with her all day, would you be calling your friends from your hometown?"
Chase looked dumbfounded at her question, raising his eyebrows.
Haley laughed, shrugging slightly. "It's true, I have been keeping him busy," She said, rubbing the back of her neck. "How long have you at Nathan been friends?"
"Well... I was in a group called Clean Teens in high school," Chase said, clearing his throat. "So Nathan and I didn't exactly run in the same circles. But after he moved back here, we became friends."
"I see," Haley laughed, glancing over at the three people talking down the bar.
Nathan made eye contact with her, smiling brightly and winking at her.
"How did you two meet?" Haley asked, looking over at Chase again, and then Alex.
"Well... I'm a recovering alcoholic, if you couldn't guess," Alex said, shaking her head. "And I just kind of ended up here in Tree Hill one night. Chase was really interested in the girl at the bar that bought everyone drinks to watch them drink them."
"I thought it was some weird fetish. Thought I was going to have to kick her out," Chase laughed, smiling at her.
"Stopped for the night and never left," Alex said, shaking her head. "Tree Hill is a good place."
"I don't know if Nathan will agree entirely, though," Chase said, laughing. "This is where things get messy for him."
"And by that, you mean..." Haley trailed off, frowning slightly.
"Well, mostly about his parents. But there's also the matter of Katherine's family, and then he wasn't exactly a member of the Clean Teens in high school, if you catch my drift... He just has some skeletons in his closet here, and oh my god I should not be telling you this," Chase laughed, shaking his head. "This is his stuff to tell."
"It's okay," Haley said quickly, waving her hand dismissively. "I already know a lot of it, Chase. Really."
She was a little worried that he was talking to one of the skeletons right now.
"I live for the drama of small towns, and Tree Hill is full of it," Alex joked, shaking her head. "That's why I never left. Especially around the holidays when everyone comes home," She hummed, shrugging. "Who would have thought that Lucas and Nathan's good friend would start dating their mom? And they only broke up because-"
"Okay, Alex," Chase laughed, smiling affectionately at his overly chatty fiancé.
"Because why?" Haley urged curiously.
Nathan had not told her why they broke up. Maybe he didn't even know.
"Because Skills wanted kids and Deb was very much done raising kids," Alex said, nodding. "Sorry, Chase. She asked."
"It's so weird to me, still," Chase laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Why? Mama Scott is hot," Alex said simply, shrugging. "I'd jump all over Dan Scott... You know, if he wasn't himself. No, I think I could handle the attitude for one night. Nathan looks just like him."
"This is the woman I've chosen to spend my life with," Chase said, tapping the bar and laughing. "Deb has aged really nicely, I'll admit that. But still... She's their mom."
"I wonder if this is the first of Nathan's friends she's gotten with," Alex trailed off, looking down the bar.
Not at Nathan, but at Tim.
"Tim? No way," Chase said quickly, frowning.
"I don't know... My soul spin instructor used to go to Tree Hill with Nathan and Tim and she told me that in the Boy Toy auction-"
"Boy Toy auction?" Haley interjected quickly, raising her eyebrows.
She was learning so much about Nathan's high school from this woman who had not even known him in school.
"It was this thing that the school would do with the basketball players. They were supposed to he hired out to parents to do chores and stuff but... Well, it wasn't a great idea. Most of the guys just got bought by girls that went to Tree Hill, and they definitely didn't do chores," Chase informed her, shaking his head. "I think they put it to rest junior year, the year before I moved here. So Luke and his buddies would have been seniors. Nathan and Peyton were juniors."
"Anyways, I heard that she bought Tim at the auction and some communication got crossed and he thought he was showing up to have sex with Nathan's mom. But Nathan's dad came in while they were freaking out about it. Apparently Tim was pulling up his pants and Deb was on her knees helping him when he came in. Tim had a thing for her ever since."
"Alex, where did she even hear that story?" Chase asked her, shaking his head quickly. "I'm calling bullshit."
"She said Tim told a ton of people about it," Alex said, shrugging and laughing. "See? Crazy, teen-drama stuff like that happens in Tree Hill. This place is awesome."
"Wow," Haley said, pushing her hair back.
What an information overload.
"I bet someone has pictures from the Boy Toy Auction of Nathan. From what I've heard, he-"
"From what you've heard?" Chase shook his head, "Give it a rest, Dupre."
"I'm just saying. I definitely don't think anyone bought him with the intention of him doing some chores," Alex laughed, winking at Haley. "If I were you, I'd ask around."
"I'll keep that in mind," Haley said, laughing quietly. She looked over her shoulder when a hand was placed on her back.
"What are you three talking about?" Nathan asked, sitting next to her once again, smiling.
"Two words. Boy. Toy," Alex hummed, winking at Nathan.
"Oh, god," Nathan groaned, pressing his hand to his face. "Don't scare Haley away from me, please," He laughed, scratching his hand up and down her back quickly.
"You're stuck with me," Haley said, nodding at him and glancing over her shoulder.
"Gladly," He hummed, standing up again and clearing his throat. "Haley James, would you like to dance?"
"I can't believe you're offering that."
"I just really don't want these two to poison your mind with more stories about me," Nathan joked, shrugging.
"I would love to dance," She said, grabbing onto his hand, dragging him out to where other people were dancing.
Someone had requested a slower song.
Neither of them really cared though.
Nathan seemed a tad zoned out at first, a small smile on his face, but he just stared off.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked him quietly, her thumb brushing along his collarbone.
"Honestly?" He asked her softly, looking down at her.
She blinked at his question.
What kind of a question was that?
Of course she wanted honesty.
"Always," She said, cracking a small smile up at him.
"How I've spent most of my life wanting to get out of this place. Away from all of this..." He tilted his head around, shrugging. "But having you here with me... It doesn't seem so bad," He said, squeezing her hand that was in his lightly. "I'm thinking about how I've never felt this way about anyone before. You make everywhere feel like home. And I just love you so much."
She stared up at him, pulling him down into a brief kiss. "Okay."
"Okay?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows.
"Where are the bathrooms?" She asked him, clearing her throat.
"Uh... Over there," He gestured towards the bathrooms, laughing quietly. "You good?"
"Uh-huh," She said, surprising herself a little, and him, as she kept a tight grip on his hand and pulled him into the women's room, closing the door quickly behind them.
This was his sister-in-law's bar... They were pretty much allowed to do this.
Haley locked the door quickly behind them, noticing the open stalls thankfully, because this could have made for an awkward time.
"Haley, are you okay?" He asked her, laughing, but it caught in his throat when she pushed him up against the wall.
He looked down at her in shock, but when she kissed him and began to undo the buttons on his shirt, he the shock quickly left his face.
"Haley James," He gasped, smirking down at her. "I said the right thing, yeah?"
She laughed, shoving the shirt off his shoulders. "Yeah. You did. But I'm not sure we have the time to talk about it."
xxxx
Nathan and Haley stepped back into Deb's home, each of them laughing quietly.
They'd decided to bail out on the get together a little early, promising to see everyone again before they all parted ways for another little while.
It had been a fun night. A really fun night.
Specifically the events in the women's bathroom that they promised to never speak of to anyone.
Haley felt Nathan tickle her lightly as they walked up the stairs, reaching around and swatting at his hand lightly.
"I'm warning you," She whispered to him, laughing.
"Shh, Haley... Everyone is sleeping," He hummed, grinning at her.
She pointed her flashlight from her phone at him, sticking out her tongue. "You are a punk," She said, rolling her eyes.
"Should we go check on the kids?" He asked her. "I think Sawyer is staying the night."
"They better be asleep," She said, nodding at him.
They walked past Nathan's old room, then Lucas' room, until they arrived at the bedroom that had two sets of bunk beds inside of it.
Haley held her finger to her lips, pushing open the door carefully, shining her flashlight in.
She looked inside, before looking over her shoulder at Nathan, nodding and giving him a thumbs up.
"Awesome," Nathan whispered, before wrapping his arms around Haley's waist, tugging her back into the hall and backing them up, which was a lot more difficult than he anticipated, to his bedroom door.
He turned, backing them into the room, only pausing for Haley to close the door. He leaned down and pressed his face into the crook of her neck, smiling brightly.
She brushed her fingers along his forearms that were wrapped tightly around her waist, closing her eyes and smiling.
"I had fun," She said softly, letting out a deep breath. "Your friends are cool."
"Thanks," He laughed, pressing a kiss to her skin. He released her from his grasp finally, beginning to unbutton his shirt.
"Take it off slower," She teased, walking her fingers along his newly exposed skin. "Boy toy."
"Stop it," He laughed, ignoring the rest of his buttons once he got enough undone and pulling his shirt over his head, dropping it on the bed.
"What did you do for the boy toy auction? All the girls wanted you," She said, trailing her finger down the center of his chest, outlining the muscles in his stomach lightly, smiling as goosebumps formed on his skin.
"I'm mortified that was a thing. It seems like it breaks so many rules. Whitey really did have the best intentions when he planned it, and so did a lot of the guys on the team," Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Just not me. I knew what was going to happen."
She laughed, leaning her head against his shoulder.
They both changed into some more comfortable clothes quickly, getting ready for bed in the bathroom that joined him and Luke's old room.
"You know," Nathan said when Haley climbed into bed next to him, looking over at her. "Whenever Luke or I brought a girl over, we'd always lock the other's side of the bathroom door as a way to let the other know that they needed to go to the one down the hall," He laughed, rolling his eyes.
"That's actually a smart plan," She said, resting her head on his chest and letting out a deep breath.
"Then the girl didn't have to worry about one of us walking in on her," He said, shrugging. "It was a perfect plan. Except when I was dating Peyton one time I forgot to lock the door and Luke walked in on her in the shower."
"Yikes," She said, laughed and stretching her arm across Nathan's stomach.
"Yeah," He said, staring up at the ceiling. "A lot of memories in this room."
"I bet," She said, kissing his shoulder lightly. "I'm sure I don't want to know all of them."
"You don't," He said, letting out a sigh.
"What were you, Theresa, and Tim talking about?" She asked him, frowning slightly.
"Oh..." He shook his head. "I was just apologizing to them."
"Apologizing?" She asked him, glancing up at him.
"Yeah," He said, shrugging. "I wasn't a great friend to either of them in high school. Tim was known at Nathan Scott's sidekick. And Theresa... Well... She was known as Nathan Scott's sidehoe. And I am not proud of that at all. Tonight just reminded me of that."
She felt both relieved and proud of him at the same time. She was relieved it was nothing more, not that she ever really thought it was.
But he'd come a long way from whoever he'd been in high school.
"You're brave, Nathan," She whispered. "For facing your demons."
"I'm a coward for running from them for so long."
"That's not how I see it," She said, kissing his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too," He said, leaning his head against hers.
Haley was quiet for a moment, thinking over the semi-strange day they'd had.
Nathan was right about one thing... Tree Hill really cared about The Scotts.
"I wonder if we would have dated in high school," Nathan said thoughtfully, smiling.
"Us? No way. I was a total nerd."
He laughed at her response.
"Oh... I don't know. I think I would have fallen for you."
