A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! I've been working on an outline for this story and in doing so I've decided to put some Brulian moments in since they'll both be quite influential in Naley's journey!
Also, unsure if I ever picked a location for the show to be set in this story lol but it is set in Charlotte where Nathan's been living since he retired from the NBA :)
This is the last chapter of 'Week One' of the show, and then things will be moving a bit more quickly.
Enjoy!
"What are we going to do?" Julian asks as they walk further down the hallway from the conference room, "We need some kind of game plan here, Hales."
"I know, I know." Haley sighs, "Look, I have to go and speak to Nathan for wardrobe. Just … give me the day, alright? Let's just take some time and think about what our options are. We'll discuss it after the Rose ceremony, okay?"
"Alright." Julian nods, indicating to the bathroom down the hall, "I'll meet you in a minute."
Haley nods and walks off and Julian starts to check his phone, walking down the hall as he scrolls through his email inbox. He walks into the bathroom, slipping his phone into his back pocket as he stands in front of the urinal and unzips his pants.
"Oh shit," Julian jumps, tucking himself back into his jeans and turning around, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see anything!"
"Miss Davis." Julian blushes when he sees Brooke standing in the doorway of one of the bathroom stalls, hand over her eyes, "Uh, you do know this is the men's bathroom, right?"
Brooke peeks between her fingers, making sure Julian's decent before pulling her hand away from her face. She smiles sheepishly, "No one's usually in here."
"You come in here a lot?" Julian asks, confused.
"Let's just say I don't vibe with the other girls well enough to be sharing a bathroom." Brooke shrugs, walking towards the sink where her makeup bag sits. He hadn't noticed it on his way in.
"Not your crowd, huh?"
Brooke rolls her eyes, taking out her mascara from the bag and meticulously moving the wand over her lashes, "They just act very weird when I'm in there. Some of them seem to have it in their heads that I'm going to try and sabotage their outfit or something ridiculous like that. If that was the case, I wouldn't have suggested to Pheobe that she change out of that ruffled turtleneck she was going to wear." Brooke shudders, setting her mascara down and rifling through the bag for her lipstick, "She's such a pretty girl, and she has such a great figure, that thing was not doing her justice."
"That's … surprisingly nice of you." Julian says.
Brooke looks at him in the mirror, one eyebrow arched in question, "Don't tell me you're the type to believe that every contestant that comes in here is bitchy and strategic?"
"If the shoe fits." Julian simply says.
Brooke walks over to him, standing mere inches before him, "Are you saying that the shoe fits me?" she asks.
Julian feels his throat tighten, acutely aware of how close they're standing. For such a small and innocent-looking woman, Brooke Davis can be intimidating when she wants to be.
"… No. Far from it." Julian says softly.
"Oh," Brooke seems taken aback by his response, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You strike me as the kind of person that's genuinely here for the right reasons. Someone who wants to find love, who seems to have had her heart broken a few times before." Brooke's smile falters as he says that, "Everything I've seen of you so far tells me you're the kind of woman who truly cares about people. Believe me, Miss Davis, that shoe definitely does not fit you."
"Oh. Thank you." It's Brooke's turn to blush at his words, looking down at the tiled floor and taking a step back, "You can- you can just call me Brooke. Miss Davis is my mother." Brooke says, the last word coming out harsher than she had intended it to.
"Okay. Brooke." Julian smiles, and Brooke looks up to meet his eyes again, "Um, I'll get out of your way."
"Didn't you need to use the, um … facilities?" Brooke asks awkwardly, indicating to the bathrooms.
"Oh, yeah. Uh, you know what, I'm good actually." Julian rushes out. There was no way he was about to go and pee knowing that Brooke Davis was right outside the door, "I've gotta get going, anyways."
"I'm sure you've got a million fires to put out before we film." Brooke says.
Her words are a sober reminder, Haley and Julian's conversation with Kensi Mcloughry making its way to front and centre in his head again.
"Yeah, something like that." He mutters.
Brooke frowns, "Look, I know I'm a contestant and everything but, do you want to talk about it?"
Julian pauses. Realistically, he knows that he shouldn't – the less people that know about what's going on the better, especially when that person is a contestant in Nathan's season with hugely influential social media presence. But the look in Brooke's eyes made him want to spill his guts instantly. He could see the concern on her face; it wasn't an ulterior motive to try and advance her own career like so many previous contestants had tried to do with members of the crew. No, Brooke was genuinely offering him someone to talk to.
"I, uh, I have a bit of a hard decision to make is all. There's a lot of pressure on us this season, and Haley and I don't exactly agree with the direction that the network wants to push us in." Julian offers.
Brooke nods, turning to face him and lean against the counter, "What don't you agree about?"
Julian takes a beat to consider how best to word himself, and Brooke patiently waits, "Some of the changes they want to make would undermine the integrity of the show, in our opinion. Haley and I want to keep this as authentic for you girls, and for Nathan. But I'm not sure if we're going to have the option to do so if the network makes us go this route."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Brooke says, "You know, my dad used to always say that in business, if one door closes, and you can't find a window, take an axe to the wall and make your own damn exit."
Julian looks more confused, and Brooke laughs, explaining, "That is to say, that when it seems like there's only one option given to you, instead of trying to find a way to avoid it; take what you've been given and find a way to make it work in your favour."
"That's pretty good advice," Julian says, clearly impressed, "Your dad's a smart man. You must learn a lot from him."
Brooke snorts, turning from Julian to look in the mirror again, "Not exactly. My dad … we're not very close these days."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Julian says.
He reaches out, placing a hand on her shoulder before he can think it through. Brooke inhales sharply, her eyes meeting his. They stand there, simply looking into one another's eyes. Brooke opens her mouth to say something, but a hard knock against the door has her jumping back from him and fixing her dress as if she had been caught in some compromising position.
"Julian?" a voice calls through the door, "Um, sorry to bother you man but we've got a problem."
"Be right there!" Julian yells, his eyes still on Brooke. She looks up, flustered, "I should go." He says.
"You should go." Brooke repeats, nodding.
"Um, thank you for … the unexpected talk. It was much needed, I appreciate it." He says, moving towards the door.
Brooke smiles, still unable to meet his eyes, "Anytime." she says softly just as he opens the door and walks out.
Week One – Day Five
"Okay. So, you'll be sitting here." Haley leads Nathan over to a dark red love-seat, a black glass coffee table just in front of it with candles lit and drinks ready and waiting.
Nathan sits down, listening to Haley as she adjust his body, "Okay, so your feet should be on these markers here," she indicates to the black x taped on the floor, "It'll help you keep your body in optimal view for the camera shots."
"Sounds good." Nathan says quietly.
Haley smiles in understanding, "You nervous?"
"Is that weird?" Nathan asks, "I mean, I've been on dates before, it's not like it's anything I don't know how to do."
"Yeah, except this time your date is being filmed for the viewing pleasure of over 5 million Americans."
"Right. No pressure there." Nathan chuckles, "I just- what if I don't want to talk about something? Can we, I don't know, specify certain subjects that are off limits before we start?"
Haley shakes her head, "I'm sorry Nathan. I can try but at the end of the day, I don't have that much control over each contestant."
"Yeah, no, I figured as much."
Haley placed her hand on Nathan's shoulder, "Look, if it's something you don't want to talk about then just give a basic answer. No one's asking you to put yourself in a position you don't want to be in. Just give whatever response you're comfortable with."
The words sat like blades in her throat. She wanted to believe them so bad, but Haley knew that she might end up in a position where she would have to make Nathan do something he wasn't comfortable with. That he might have to compromise his integrities for the sake of their show – she had promised him she would do everything she could to make this experience as authentic and meaningful for him as it could be, and now she was struggling to figure out how she would be able to do that anymore.
She and Julian had discussed at length what to do last night after the Rose Ceremony. They were both still struggling to figure out the right choices to make. She didn't want to lose her job, but more than that she didn't want Julian or anyone else in their crew to lose theirs. But she also didn't want to betray the promise she had made to Nathan.
"Hey, you okay?" Nathan asked, noticing her eyes had glazed over.
Haley shook her head, focusing back on Nathan, "Yeah. Sorry. Uh, I'm gonna just check last looks. Just try to relax, okay? You're gonna do well."
"I hope so." Nathan sighs.
"Look, if you get nervous or uncomfortable just … try to think of someone, something, that makes you feel at ease. Focus on that, tune out the rest of the world, and just speak from your heart."
Nathan smiled up at her, squeezing her hand as Haley retracts her hold from his shoulder, "Thanks, Hales."
Haley simply smiles in reply and turns around to walk back to her crew, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach she feels every time he calls her that.
Nathan sits and waits as the cameras begin to film. He can hear the click of high-heels as his data for the night makes her way to the private gazebo on the waters' edge, showing a beautiful view of the Cape Fear River.
Haley had been right; the Rose Ceremonies would get easier. Granted, it was only his second one, but he felt a little less guilt this time around. It still sucked sending someone home – Gloria Williams, in this ceremony – because he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But ultimately, Nathan knew it was the way these shows went and it was how best to be honest and fair to all women involved in this situation.
Nathan smiled when he saw Jayana make her entrance. She was dressed in a burnt-orange wrap dress, with nude heels. Her hair was swept behind her in a high ponytail, and she wore delicate white-gold, diamond drop earrings with a matching solitaire necklace.
"Hi, Nathan." Jayana said as she made her way over to him.
Nathan leaned forward to kiss her cheek as Jayana sat across from him on the couch, "Hi. You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Jayana smiled, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, "I'm excited to be here with you."
Nathan smiled. He had picked Jayana because her competitiveness had surprised him on the court, much like Brooke and April had. But he also felt he and Jayana had a spark during their first interaction on the welcome night, and he wanted to explore that.
"I'm excited to get to know you better." He simply said.
A waiter walked in and placed a platter of entrees on the table for them, and Nathan picked up the pre-filled champagne glasses. Handing one to Jayana, he held up his own to her as they clinked glasses.
"To a lovely night." Nathan said.
"To a wonderful first date. Hopefully of many to come." Jayana winked, and Nathan couldn't help but smile brighter.
NATHAN: Jayana … her confidence is astounding. In the best way. She's not afraid to say it like it is. And she's an outrageous flirt. I've always been drawn to confident women, I guess that's what's drawn me in to her as well. I'm hoping tonight she and I will get the chance to find out more about each other, to see what's underneath that confident exterior. It's only a first date, so my expectations aren't really high; I'd just like to see who she is when everyone else is not around, I guess.
"So, tell me a little about yourself." Nathan asks, "What's your life like when you're not being a Laker Girl?"
"I'm training to stay as a Laker Girl." Jayana quips, making them both laugh, "No, I mostly spend my time at home with my family or with my friends. I bought this massive house a couple years ago, and I love having people over. I prefer entertaining in than going out."
"I wish I could say the same, but I suck at cooking. So, most of my entertaining nights involve takeout." Nathan chuckles, "I'm a pretty good mixologist though."
"Really?"
Nathan nods, "Amateur level, but definitely better than my cooking skills."
"Hmm. You'll have to mix me a drink some time." Jayana says salaciously, and Nathan smiles tightly.
"Yeah. Maybe."
JAYANA: Nathan is so sweet, and totally hot. I've seen the type of women he's dated before, the flirty and confident types. And I love a good flirt, so I'm just going to keep playing it light. If all goes to plan, I'll have a rose in my hand by the end of the night.
Nathan shifts in his seat, mindful of the floor markings Haley had told him about. His eyes flit down quickly, making sure he's still got one foot on the black x before looking back at Jayana.
"What about you? I mean, obviously there's not much that people don't know about your career. But what's your family like, your home life?" She smirks, her voice teasing as she repeats his words back to him, "What's your life like when you're not being a former NBA star turned sports lawyer?"
Nathan chuckles at that, "Well, I'm based in Charlotte for work, but I actually live in my hometown. I moved back last year, after my uncle passed away. My mom needed help with my little sister, and my brother's got a wife and kid of his own; it just made sense for me to help out however I could."
"Wow, that's really noble of you." Jayana says, "Not a lot of single guys would sacrifice their bachelor pad to play house with their mom."
"Well, I have my own place." Nathan frowns, "It never really occurred to me that I was sacrificing anything. They're my family, and if anything, my mom's sacrificed so much for my brother and I; this is the least I could do for her. She needed me, so I came to help; it's what you do for the people you love."
Haley smiled when Nathan's eyes glanced to her. By some stroke of luck, she was standing right in line with Jayana, so thankfully it still looked like Nathan's focus was on his date instead of his producer. Haley nodded, letting him know he was doing a good job, before Nathan looked back to the woman before him.
"What about your father?" Jayana asks, "Couldn't he have helped with your sister?"
"He's not a part of our lives." Nathan simply said.
Jayana scrunched her face, confused, "But your sister's still quite young, isn't she? I mean, not that we've really seen a lot of her but-"
"She is young, which is why I've done everything I can to keep her life, and my family's, as private as possible." Nathan interjects, "My dad's not something we need to discuss. He's not been a part of our lives for a long time."
Jayana opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short when she saw Julian behind Nathan, motioning his hand across his throat to signal her to stop this line of questioning. Jayana looked suspiciously but shrugged and changed the topic of conversation. Haley looked to Julian, silently thanking him and Julian simply waved her off.
They were in this together, and even if Kensi wanted them to change the show, neither of them were willing to compromise Nathan's comfort or security; especially where his family was involved.
NATHAN: Jayana is nice. But she doesn't really seem to want to talk about anything of substance. I mean we went through the usual formalities but nothing much deeper than that. I'm not really sure how I feel about tonight any more. I was feeling hopeful at first but I don't know, the way she kept trying to find out about my family felt ... invasive? But maybe I'm just overly defensive when it comes to them - years of being so protective over their privacy perhaps.
It's a shame, because I think there could be a really great girl underneath the flirty façade. Hopefully I'll get another chance to find out at some point. I don't know – I'm just not feeling the same vibe I did that first night, but maybe it's just nerves? It is only a first date, i guess time will tell.
Nathan pauses with his head above his hands, the basketball firmly in his grip. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes for a second, and shoots. The sounds of leather through the fabric net is comforting, grounding, but not as much as it used to be. He'd gotten home from his date with Jayana and immediately come outside. He'd sent her home without a kiss or a rose - something he knew had offended her. He felt bad, truly, but he wasn't sure that he wanted her to stay through to the next rose ceremony; Jayana had been so different on their date as compared to that first moment they met.
Nathan groaned when he took another shot, the ball hitting the rim and falling outside. He really did suck at picking women.
"Are you sure you're an NBA player?" Nathan turned around at the sound of Haley's voice, the Director standing at the entrance to the court on his right, "I'd hate to see how you played in the games."
"Are you telling me you've never seen one of my games?" Nathan said, faking offence, "Miss James, I'm surprised. I thought you would have done thorough research on your participants before the show."
Haley rolls her eyes, walking to meet him at the top of the key where he stands taking shots. She sits down on the asphalt, crossing her legs and looking up at him. Nathan smiles and crouches down, the ball resting under his knee as he looks at her.
"Just came to check in," Haley says, "You seemed a bit ... disappointed, tonight."
Nathan sits quietly, contemplating, before asking, "Is it weird that I didn't expect basketball to be such a big focus in all of this? I mean, I get that it's a big part of my life and my public identity but ... there's more to me than just being a former NBA player. I guess I'm worried that it's all just about who I was, and not the person I am now."
"And who is the person you are now? What's the Nathan Scott you want people to see?" Haley asks softly.
"... I want people to know the person I am with my family. The little brother, the favourite son," Nathan jokes, Haley laughing along with him, "Anna's favourite uncle. I want people to know how hard I work now, because - not to sound full of myself - but I'm damn good at my job. Clay and I have worked hard to build our company from the ground up. No one cared that I was a former NBA star if I couldn't read and understand every clause in a contract that was present to the client."
Nathan sighs, looking Haley in the eyes as he continues, "I'm not that young, cocky, basketball playing kid anymore. I've grown up a lot in the last few years, and I want people to see that. I want to find someone that knows the person I am now, that accepts the person I am now and doesn't care if I'm not the same person as I was back in my NBA days, you know?"
Haley nods, watching him intently. Guilt sets heavy in her heart, knowing that everything Nathan wants she can no longer guarantee. Unless ...
"Nathan," Haley starts, voice soft and radiating nerves, "I-I need to tell you about something."
Concern fills Nathan's face. He places his hand on her knee, squeezing reassuringly, "What's going on?"
"There's some conversations that have been going on recently, about how to proceed with your season." Haley pauses and takes a breath, "I know I promised to do everything I could to make sure this season was authentic and to give you the best chance at finding love but ... I don't know how much of that will be in my control anymore."