AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello? It's me. I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to...

Sorry.

Seriously, though, I know it's been months and I haven't forgotten this story or abandoned it at all. I've actually been writing quite a lot, but nothing was coming out the way I wanted it or fitting together nicely and it was driving me crazy. Today I felt like writing some more and now I'm remembering that it's literally just fanfiction and I'm not writing a Pulitzer, so I'm not going to think about it and I'm just going to post. Well, I proof read it first, so all mistakes (and I'm sure there'll be plenty) are mine. Sadly, I don't own the characters. You should know that by now.

Haley's first thought was that Brooke was right: she would definitely be thanking her later.

Truthfully, that was actually Haley's second thought. Her first was a more complicated jumble of vowels that came to mind as her mouth dropped open and her tongue rolled out. But thank you, Brooke Davis was definitely the second thought.

Haley had made it the entire way up the aisle without tripping over or embarrassing herself, which had been her biggest concern in her role as a bridesmaid. It wasn't until she was safely at a standstill beside Lily and Peyton was walking through the carpet of rose petals did she realize that there were other hurdles between her and potential potential humiliation, and they were all named Nathan Scott.

Nathan's shoulders filled his jet-black suit jacket to its limits, and the fabric followed his muscular torso down to his lean hips where it tapered precisely to his measurements. His white dress shirt and naturally pale skin contrasted against the color of the suit and his dark hair to cause a stunning effect. Haley could see the way his pants ghosted over his strong thighs and she just knew how they would be hugging his firm ass so perfectly; if he would just turn around so she could see for herself...

Yup, slipping over in the puddle of her own drool would be even more embarrassing than tripping up the aisle, Haley tried to reason with herself, but it was impossible to stop staring. She just knew once she finally looked at Nathan's sinfully attractive face and into his glacial blue eyes, that she'd need to be physically restrained from leaping across the aisle and throwing herself on top of his hard, built body.

Haley didn't have the kind of self-restraint required to look anywhere else. She took in his perfect lips, the way his strong nose flared out from its bridge, the clear line of his cheekbones and then there they were: two deep pools of blue that were so much more captivating than any body of water or the clearest of skies. They were trained on her, steady and unwavering, filled with a look Haley had never seen before. It was something warm, inviting; she didn't want to look away and she almost felt they were pulling her closer. She wanted to dive into his pupils so that his irises would surround her and hold her tight.

A singing heat, like sitting too close too close to a fire for too long, began to burn up her body and Haley lowered her bouquet slightly in order to discreetly clench her thighs together beneath her dress. It was almost confusing how aroused she was - it was just Nathan in formalwear! She'd seen him more than she'd expected since he moved back to Tree Hill, but not since that first night at Clay and Quinn's house had her body reacted so viscerally. The last time she'd felt so turned on was when she had sent Devil12 those photos of herself, and Haley had never in her wildest dreams thought she'd be bold, confident and aroused enough to send basically-naked pictures of herself to a stranger.

A sharp jab to her right had Haley jolting back into the physical world where she stood. Peyton's attention was turned fully to the bride and groom in front of them, but Haley caught her whispered "dude..." from the side of her mouth.

Discreetly checking the sides of her mouth for slobber, Haley decided that being caught getting turned on in a church in the middle of a wedding would probably top the list of embarrassing possibilities. She resolutely fixed her gaze back towards Lucas and Brooke, training her mind to think about less inspiring thoughts such as her lesson plan for next week or if she needed to arrange another meeting for the yearbook group she supervised. Thinking of things that would keep her from realizing that the look Nathan was giving her was all too similar to the look between her two friends who were currently being united in matrimony.

I'm pretty sure that the library book I got out is due on Thursday, I should return it on my way to work on Monday. I wonder if I'll be able to make it to a yoga class this week? I'm sure there's one that fits into my lunch period on Tuesdays. Should I switch Catsby onto that weight management food the vet suggested? ...

"Haley?"

Haley's head snapped up, taking in her surroundings. It appeared that she'd missed the kiss between the bride and the groom and the roaring applause that followed, but it took two syllables of Nathan's deep, gentle voice to make her realize how engrossed in her mind diversion tactics she was. He was standing closer to her, one elbow jutting out towards her as he waited for her to take it. Blushing an entirely new level of crimson that she knew would be clashing horribly with the surrounding wedding colors, Haley transferred her bouquet to one hand, slipped the other through Nathan's offering before locking them together by returning the flowers to both hands. She fixed her eyes towards the sunshine that was filtering into the church through the wide open doors, doing her very best to hold her breath and walk simultaneously.

"Are you ok, Hales?" Nathan's concerned voice wrapped around her like a soft blanket.

Keeping her eyes trained on the door to her freedom, well aware that the church was still full of wedding guests watching them, Haley simply nodded, not trusting more than a quiet "Mm-hmm" to escape her barely-parted lips. The urge to walk faster, to escape, lapped at her legs, but Nathan's larger form kept her linked to him as the pair stepped slowly to the beat of Mendelssohn's Wedding March. Whether it was muscle memory or instinct, Haley felt Nathan's arm loosen so she could tug it into a more comfortable position to make up the awkwardness of their considerable height difference. He felt warm and solid and she resisted the temptation to lean into him.

Finally, sunshine hit her face and the red carpet runner gave way to stone steps as the pair exited the church. Brooke's natural radiance had tripled as she stood almost vibrating in excitement, still arm in arm with Lucas. Haley's Nathan-fogged mind cleared long enough to notice that she hadn't seen her best friend look so happy - the creases around his eyes born from years of brooding contemplation were now filled with happiness as his broad smile covered his face. The air around them crackled with celebration as Peyton threw herself into the bride's arms for a hug and Jake and Jenny joined the rest of the bridal party to offer their congratulations.

Despite it all, Haley was still overly aware of Nathan beside her; the fresh, woody scent of his intoxicating cologne, the natural warmth that emanated from his body, the clean lines of his suit. She felt trapped; her attraction to him suffocating and claustrophobic as she couldn't find a way to breathe Nathan-free air. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to, but before she had the chance to think any further, Brooke's husky voice cut through.

"Does anyone else feel like Naley just consummated our marriage for us with all that eye sex?"

"Mmm-hmm," Luke nodded.

"Oh yeah," came the agreement from Keith.

"Definitely", Jake announced. "I feel like I need a cigarette after that."

"Dad, smoking is bad for you."

"Sorry, Jen. I didn't mean that."

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Karen's voice joined the group, and Haley turned to see the mother of the groom looking at her with curious, raised eyebrows.

"Don't worry, Foxy," Peyton looped her arm around Haley's, her sparkling green eyes dancing towards Nathan and her mischievous smile betraying the sincerity of her words. "Brooke's just mad that she wasn't the hottest thing up there at the altar."

"Oh, I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed that I was stuck with the whole getting married thing and missed most of the show."

"Oh. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs Scott," Lucas deadpanned.

As the group of her closest friends laughed at her expense, Haley felt her emotions simmering to boiling point. It was bad enough that she'd been panting after Nathan like some sex-obsessed teenager, but did everyone else have to notice it? It was a new level of humiliation she wasn't even aware of and her first instinct was to tear into her friends. She opened her mouth to do just that, but it was a distinctively deeper, male voice that spoke.

"Don't worry, Brooke, there was no way anyone could have upstaged you. You've never looked so beautiful," Nathan smiled warmly at her, as if he hadn't been the subject of the groups' attention just seconds ago. "Being a Scott looks good on you. Welcome to the family."

Haley watched, stunned, as Nathan embraced his new sister in law, who looked delighted and overcome by his sentiments. As he moved to shake Lucas' hand before pulling him into a brotherly hug, Brooke was swept into Karen's arms, Keith said something to Peyton and Jake that caused the younger man to laugh and the blonde bridesmaid to slap his stomach, and Haley realized that Nathan has masterfully distracted everyone from teasing her.

She closed her eyes and exhaled quietly, her previous anger dissipating into the air around her. The arrival of Ted and Victoria Davis to the receiving line caused another flurry of activity and distraction, and when she looked up again, she almost jolted when her eyes connected with Nathan's.

He stepped forward until there was barely a breath between them, Haley's forehead a tiny nod away from touching Nathan's collarbone. His breath caressed her ear.

"Brooke may never have looked so beautiful as she does today, but even on her best day she's still got nothing on you, Haley James."

He moved away to join Keith on the other side of the group, his words sliding over Haley like the richest whiskey in his wake. Her eyes closed again.

She just had to get through photos, speeches, dinner and dancing.

Yup, she decided. She had a long day ahead of her.

It was several hours later when Haley slid into the rented limousine, it's cool, dark interior wrapping around her as the door shut silently behind her. Her fingers fumbled blindly until she found the small purple clutch that contained her belongings and pulled the hard rectangular object she was desperate for from it's silky insides. Her thumb had unlocked the screen before she'd even pulled it clear of her bag, and the absence of the small red MetYet symbol she'd grown so used to seeing had her slumping back on the leather seats with disappointment.

Always one for complete thoroughness, she flicked at the screen a couple of times to load up the app, just in case Devil12 had messaged her and somehow it was sitting unopened in her inbox without triggering a notification. Again, disappointment washed over her like an icy wave when she saw that the last message he'd sent her was the one she'd received the previous day, assuring her to take her time and that he'd be ready to meet her when she was ready.

Haley knew it was ridiculous to feel this way, but she'd grown so used to his daily morning messages, wishing her a good day or asking if she'd slept well. It had barely been 24 hours since she'd heard from him - definitely not long enough to be missing him - but with Nathan continuing to mess with her brain and her hormones, she knew the reminder that this perfect man was out there waiting for her was what she needed to cloud the lust she felt for her ex. Simply re-reading their last message exchange wasn't enough; all that did was take Haley back to her apartment when she had received it, watching Nathan's love-drunk smile as he texted some girl with Catsby purring away in his lap. The goal was more Devil12 and less Nathan Scott.

All of her thoughts, however, were interrupted as sunlight pierced through the car. Instinctively, Haley thumbed her phone to lock it and clear the MetYet app from her screen as Peyton crawled in through the open door.

"So this is where you've been hiding!"

"Oh, uh, yeah... I was just... getting some water," Haley scrambled for an excuse as she reached towards the storage compartment in the console that held Brooke's request for bottled water. "All that posing for the camera is thirsty work."

Peyton's green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's going on with you, Foxy? You've been weird all day."

"What? No I haven't..."

Haley knew how lame her voice had sounded before she saw the disbelief all over Peyton's face. She tried to slip her phone back into her bag without the blonde seeing it - a task she knew she'd failed at when she saw her friend's eyes follow.

"Why are you hiding your phone? Trying to schedule a clandestine rendezvous with Nathan?"

Oh God. Haley tipped her head back against the seat, not caring that the action would disturb her perfectly styled curls. She knew Peyton was teasing, but the last thing she needed was the mental image of herself writhing on top of a disheveled Nathan as they desperately grabbed at each other's bodies in the spacious back seat of the limousine.

"No! It's not Nathan, ok?!" Haley exclaimed, frustrated. "I'm just waiting on a message from someone else."

Peyton leaned forward with interest. "Oooh, who?"

Giving up with a heavy sigh, Haley reasoned that it wouldn't be a bad thing to tell her friend about the latest developments in her love life. Brooke was still deliriously happy and oblivious, it didn't really matter if she shared this news on Brooke and Lucas's special day.

"Ok, remember that last dinner we had, when I bailed on that disastrous date?"

"Yellow sports car? Greasy diner?" Peyton confirmed. "Yeah, I remember."

"Ok, well you and Brooke suggested joining that dating app for people more serious about finding relationships, and I spoke to Quinn because that's how she met Clay, and I ended up signing up."

"Haley, that's great! Did you match up with someone?"

"Yeah. The first guy who messaged me was, uh... he wasn't right," Haley remembered the awkwardness of crossword-puzzle-loving Lance and his yellow teeth, "but then pretty much straight afterwards, this guy sent me a message and we've been talking ever since."

Peyton's jaw dropped. "You mean you met someone that first night? That's awesome! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, everyone was so busy with wedding stuff, and it was kind of nice keeping him to myself for awhile."

Peyton nodded understandably. "Well? Go on," she prodded.

Haley couldn't help the curve of her smile from taking over her entire face. "Oh Peyton, he's incredible. We just clicked right away. He's so charming but it's not sleazy, you know? He's cute and confident, but he really opens up to me. He's been hurt before and he's trying so hard to be a better guy and I just know he's got such an amazing heart. He's just insanely hot and sexy and his body..." she trailed off in a lust-filled daze, not realizing how quickly her mouth had run away from her brain until she felt Peyton whacking her arm.

"What?!" The curly blonde-haired woman beside Haley gasped. "Haley James, have you already slept with this man?!"

It felt like the heat from outside had been sucked right into Haley's cheeks as she felt herself flush right down to her chest. "Um, not exactly..."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"I haven't met him yet. But I've seen... photos..."

Haley was rewarded with another, harder whack to as Peyton once again took her surprise out on her arm. "HALEY BOB JAMES, DID THIS MAN SEXT YOU?"

After so many years of friendship, it shouldn't have been a surprise to Haley that Brooke Davis-now-Scott had a sixth sense for when her friends were talking about sex, but she couldn't help but shriek in surprise as the bride suddenly materialized on the other side of the back seat, her loud scream the first announcement of her presence.

"OH MY GOD, WHO HAVE YOU BEEN SEXTING?!"

"Brooke!" Haley's wild eyes darted around to the view through the windows, praying the boys were far enough away to not hear anything. Thankfully, there was no sign of the dark tuxedos within earshot.

"Relax, the photographer wants to take some photos of Lucas with Keith and Nathan," Brooke seemed less than impressed that her time in front of the camera had come to an end, but simultaneously enthralled in the conversation that was taking place inside the limo. "Now, how dare you girls talk like this without me! Who were you sexting, Teacher Girl?"

"Haley met a guy on that dating app and he's sent her photos of his body," Peyton supplied, sounding far too enthusiastic for Haley's liking. "And he's very sexy."

"Oh my God, Teacher Girl, I've never been more proud." The new sizeable, shiny diamonds that adorned Brooke's left hand sparkled as she held the same hand over her heart. "We've got ten minutes until the boys get back. Now... go. Tell us everything."

With the speed and efficiency born from running her own clothing empire, Brooke pulled out a bottle of champagne and had filled three flutes before Haley could even take a breath. Bubbles sparkled and jumped onto her hand as the cool glass was pressed towards her, and Haley took a deep sip before launching into the full story of signing up to MetYet and meeting Devil12. Her two friends, one in a diamond-white gown and the other in a pale purple dress identical to Haley's own, listened in silence until she got to the part where she had gone to Karen's to meet her mystery man, only to run into Nathan.

"Ok, first of all, I can't believe you were going to be late for our spa day because you were meeting your online hottie," Brooke interjected, "and second of all, I can't believe of all the places to meet up he chose Karen's Cafe!"

"And all the people in Tree Hill who could have been in the cafe at that exact time, it was Nathan," Peyton added. "God, this town is way too small. How do you know this guy isn't from Tree Hill?"

Haley shook her head, swallowing a healthy sip of her drink before answering. "I don't know, but I mean, I highly doubt it. The way he suggested Tree Hill didn't make it seem like he actually lived here. Like you said, this town is way too small - if there are any gorgeous, sweet, charming and single guys left in Tree Hill around our age, I would have known about it. But Tree Hill's en route to so many places and Karen's is pretty popular for people travelling through, like from Masonboro and Wrightsville Beach."

"I can't believe you bailed on him, Teacher Girl," Brooke sighed. "Because of Nathan? Come on."

Haley bit down on her lower lip, fighting the way her insides twisted painfully - and not from the champagne they were drinking. "I just don't know what to do. This guy says the sweetest, most perfect things to me and he's willing to wait for me to be ready to meet him. Honestly, he's everything I could ever dream of..."

"But he's not Nathan?" Peyton questioned, knowingly.

"I guess I'm just not used to him being everywhere I go. I mean, it's been ten freaking years. I know the lengths you guys went to to keep us separate, and I love you for that, I do... but all of sudden he's back in Tree Hill and I've had to deal with so much in such a short time..."

"The whole finding out why he broke up with you, the Duke/Stanford thing, trying to be friends...?" Peyton supplied as Haley drained her glass. Beside her, Brooke dutifully topped it up from the bottle in her head.

"I'm just not used to seeing him everywhere. It's like I can't focus on anyone else when he's constantly there, looking the way he does, being so sweet and different..." Haley trailed off as she thought about all the different sides she'd seen of him over the last month; how much he cared about Clay, how uncertain and introspective he had been about his past and his future, how he didn't entertain Carrie's flirting, and earlier that day how he had looked at her and told her how beautiful she looked.

"I say, screw Nathan." Brooke declared, pulling Haley back to the present. "You need to get him out of your system."

"I'm trying, Brooke, but..."

"No, no, no. I mean literally screw him."

"What?!"

"Look, you said yourself that you've forgiven him for all that shit he pulled breaking up with you before college, right? You said you guys were trying to be friends."

"Right..." Haley drawled slowly, still unsure as to where the bride was going with her previous statement.

Brooke shrugged. "So obviously all that's left is sexual tension. You guys were strictly PG-13 when you were together, you're like the only girl who hasn't jumped on the Nathan Scott train for a ride. I mean, we can all admit he's gotten hotter with age, it must be hard for you to resist him with that professional athlete's body and the stubble he's rocking now. It's not exactly your fault, Teacher Girl; now you know what it's like to have sex, the thought of being with him is messing with your brain. So you just need to screw him and move on."

Haley's eyes bugged out in surprise before sliding to Peyton's.

"You know, I can't believe I'm saying this..." Peyton began, unsurely.

Haley finished her friend's thoughts out loud. "Brooke has officially gone insane."

"Actually, that wasn't what I was going to say... I was going to say that I think Brooke has a point."

"Yay!" Brooke clapped her hands happily, a vision in white silk and crystals.

"Are you both insane?"

"No, seriously, she's talking sense here."

"Oh Peyton, I do love you," Brooke exclaimed, pouring more champagne into all three glasses.

"Look. He's hot, you're hot, you've got over ten years of sexual tension and history between you. Why not sleep with him and get him out of your system?"

Haley ignored the wet splashes of drink on her dress from Brooke's sloppy pouring and Peyton's over-enthusiastic gesticulating. "I can't just do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because! I've never been the one night stand kind of girl..."

Brooke didn't let her finish. "Let me put it this way: what do you think about when you look into his eyes? When you see that smirk of his?"

"When you saw him shirtless?" Peyton added. "Or in his suit at the ceremony?"

Haley's brain felt foggy, from the alcohol or the images her friends were conjuring up, she wasn't sure. She let her mouth open before her brain had the chance to catch up. "I wanted to lick every inch of him."

Loud girly screaming filled the luxury car and Haley couldn't help but find the silliness infectious.

"Look, it happens all the time," Brooke advised knowledgeably, albeit slightly drunkenly. "Ex Sex is a real phenomenon. There's actually been studies to show that there's no harm in it, like psychologically. In fact, it can even help you to move on."

"Oh yeah! I read that in magazine!" Peyton jumped onto the new fact as if Brooke had discovered gold.

Regardless of how she'd feel later, suddenly the thought of sleeping with Nathan didn't seem all that bad of an idea. Her feelings had been purely physical, hadn't they? And while she certainly didn't have a long list of ex-lovers, she was about to turn 29 years old and knew that sex could be simply enjoyable fun; it didn't always have to be about expressing eternal love or the other notions she'd held onto about sex for so long, before she was actually having it.

"Alright, I see your point. I'll do it."

"Yay!" Brooke cried, holding her champagne flute high in the air between them so her bridesmaids could clink their glasses against hers. "When? Now?!"

"Oh my God, Brooke! No, not this exact minute! I'm not going to march over to the boys and force Nathan to have sex with me. Just... when it happens, it'll happen."

"To having sex with Nathan Scott!" Peyton cheered, lifting her glass again for another toast.

"To having sex with Nathan Scott!"

Whether it was the alcohol, the excitement of the wedding or the sheer incredulity of their situation, the trio fell about laughing raucously until their stomachs hurt and their eyes filled with tears. And that was exactly how the boys found them when they returned to the limo a few minutes later.