Chapter 2: Back Home, For The First Time

Nathan had just finished a shower when he heard knocking at the door. Dressed only in a pair of basketball shorts he jogged slowly over to answer it and flipped it open to come face to face with Chloe. Chloe's eyebrow visibly raised at the site of the shirtless boy.

"Hey," she smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey," he returned, "come on in."

He opened the door wider and moved to the side to let her enter. She stepped inside and Nathan shut the door after her.

"Wow, how much do I love that wall," Nathan flinched at the mention of the wall as Chloe smirked at it, "I'm serious I think I need one just like it, in fact, I think I'll take yours."

Nathan couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that the past times that they had talked there was just all jokes and stress free environment from them, no tension, and not a dull moment between them.

"You can take it, trust me."

She noticed the spite in the comment but decided not to ask about it.

"You thirsty," he asked?

"Oh no, I'm fine thanks," she reassured him. He nodded.

"Okay, well I'm just going to go put a shirt on, be right back," Nathan pointed his index finger out at her as if to imply that he would only be a minute.

Chloe walked casually around the apartment. Looking at a few things here and there, getting a feel for Nathan. By the countless basketball paraphernalia surrounding the place she could tell he was definitely a basketball fanatic. She noted from the CD's on a rack in the corner that he was a rap person. She definitely had to broaden his musical horizons. Nothing out of the ordinary from meeting him she deducted. Then something caught her eyes.

A picture. Sitting on a table in the hallway. She recognized Nathan right away, there was no denying that body and those lips. But along with Nathan in the picture was a girl, a little shorter than him, with chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a white dress and they were standing on a beach. They looked peacefully happy. They looked in love.

"Damn," was Chloe's reaction to this, she looked at it as Nathan came back out of his room. He stopped short when he saw her looking at the picture.

"You didn't mention you had a girlfriend," she let out softly, Nathan noticed that she wasn't particularly bitten my the news.

"I don't," he said shortly as he walked past her into the kitchen to get a water bottle.

"Oh….ex-girlfriend or something?"

"Or something."

Chloe looked at Nathan, obviously confused, "I don't get it. You guys look really happy in this picture, really in love."

Nathan sighed sadly, "Yeah, we were. In that picture."

She could feel the tension with the statement, and let out a simple, "Oh."

Nathan felt bad. Chloe was just trying to get to know him. She didn't deserve the "Haley" wall. She didn't belong in that chapter of his life.

"That picture," she piped up as he started, "Was taken just after we got married."

"Married," Chloe thought her eyes were going to bulge out of her head!

"We were young, and I loved her, and she loved be back, I was breaking away from my parents and feeling like I was growing up, so I did a grown up thing, but we were young. And things didn't work out. She found out that she could sing, I think it was my fault, I pushed her to sing, so she did, and she was noticed. By some guy, a real jackass, but he had connections, and Haley loved to sing. I fought it for the longest time, but finally I gave in. She needed to follow her dream, and I needed to follow mine. We've been legally annulled for about three months now."

Chloe was amazed. Not only had he told her this private information about his life but she could tell that it hurt him to relive it. She was very proud that he had decided to tell her this.

"Wow. Nathan I'm sorry."

He chuckled slightly. She bet it was a defensive thing. "Why would you be sorry. You didn't call Chris and have him meet her at the record store did you?"

She bit her lip but smiled ever so slightly, "No. Definitely not."

"Then you have nothing to be sorry for," Nathan said softly.

She nodded in recognition. Just then there was a knock on the door. Nathan went to open it, revealing Lucas, Brooke, a blond girl that Chloe had never seen but assumed was Brooke's friend Peyton, and a brown haired boy that she didn't know either.

"Hey," Chloe greeted them from Nathan's kitchen counter.

They greeted her back as they came up to the table. Chloe had expected that Brooke wouldn't introduce her to Peyton but what she got was the curly haired blonde girl to come right up to her and stuck her hand out in introduction.

"Hey I'm Peyton."

"Chloe, nice to meet you," Chloe shook her head. She liked this girl. She was no nonsense, plus she had on a Ramones t-shirt, how bad could she be?

"You too."

Then Peyton looked behind her, and grabbed Jake by the hand, pulling him forward.

"This is Jake, he's shy most of the time, but don't let it fool you, he's a tiger in bed. Which you will never have the pleasure of finding out, because he belongs to me."

A pink cheeked Jake looked over at Peyton, "Thanks a lot babe, good to know I'm your property."

Peyton smirked at him, shrugging her shoulders. Jake turned to Chloe.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too," Chloe smiled kindly at him. He did seem a little reserved but that was appealing.

To bad he had a gorgeous, nice, friend potential, girlfriend and Chloe was already bordering make-out day dreams about Nathan after only meeting him yesterday. If all guys in Tree Hill were this good looking, she wondered what they put in the water down here. And if she could bottle some of it.

"Alright," Brooke piped up, "lets get this show on the road girls, we only have seven hours of daylight left."

Chloe looked horrified from Peyton to Nathan. Seven hours of shopping, oh god. Chloe loved to shop, but she could only take so much at one time.

"Don't worry, we wont be that long, I cant even brave seven hour shopping with Brooke, and I've known her for her entire life," Peyton reassured.

Chloe nodded, relieved.

"Okay we're out," Brooke said, turning to Lucas. Whispering something in his ear to which he raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. She smiled up at him happily as he shook his head, pulled her close to him, and leaned down to kiss her. They were so cute.

Chloe snuck a look Peyton and Jake's way to see her slide her arms loosely around his neck to say her quick bye to him, leaning up to meet his lips.

She bit her lip and looked back over to Nathan who was looking at her with much the same expression as she was him. She gave him a nervous laugh and he returned, giving her a wink as the couples separated and he came upright from his previous perch on the table across from her.

They all waved goodbye once more as they exited the house.

Three hours and about a thousand shopping bags later the three girls were in their last store of the day. Chloe was looking a cute denim skirt up and down as Brooke fingered the price tag of a silk top close by her, Peyton holding up a pair of pants to her front.

"You know I never used to have to look at price tags," Brooke sighed unhappily, "The whole bankruptcy really changed my outlook on shopping."

"I know how you feel, being emancipated leaves very little room for shopping splurges," Chloe said and the other girls nodded, "By the way, do either of you know were I might be able to get a job, I'm going to be going hungry soon if I don't make some money."

"Oh my gosh how great is this," Brooke answered, "I work at Lucas' moms café and we were just talking about how she needed to hire a new waitress since one just quit. Now we don't even have to put up the sign. How about it?"

"Sounds perfect, thanks."

"No problem," Brooke smiled her award winning smile over at the girl, "I have a feeling you are going to become very close in the little love fest we have going on with all of us. If Nathan keeps on eye groping you the way he is."

Chloe blushed, "Oh no Brooke, I think you have the wrong idea."

"Mm I don't think so, even I noticed it this morning when I had been there and known you for what, five minutes? Trust me, I can read Nathan like a book, come from having to deal with his male PMS when we were dating," Peyton said.

"You two dated?"

"For like a year and a half," Peyton said before she turned to Brooke, "do we have time for this story?"

Brooke made a face, "She's going to find out eventually."

"I am so lost," Chloe let out after watching them go back and forth.

"Well this is the story. The thing is, me and Nathan went out for a while until Lucas came into the picture. Then I started to have feelings for him, except so did Brooke, and he liked both of us. Then there was this whole retarded drama our sophomore year over him. Finally we were both over him, except he wasn't over one of us. Guess who that was?"

They both looked at Brooke who smiled, shrugging her shoulders, "So while they started being "friends" again I was falling in love with someone else."

"Jake," Chloe interjected knowingly.

"Exactly, you catch on quick, so we had a thing before he had to go into hiding to protect his daughter Jenny, the cutest thing in the entire universe from his slut of an ex-girlfriend slash baby mamma Nikki. She's out of the picture now, thank god. Then he came back, more drama, a little jail time, and finally happily ever after for us."

"What about you and Lucas," Chloe asked Brooke.

"We were just about as complicated, see in between us and getting back together I dated this dill hole Felix who lived next door to me, and Lucas dated Felix's sister Anna, who turned out to be bisexual but that is irrelevant to the fairly tale here, so then I dumped retard boy because he publicly accused Peyt of being a dyke and then a little more family drama before finally me and Luke got back together, also happily ever after."

Chloe laughed and Brooke flashed a smirk her way.

"So that's it," Chloe joked?

Peyton laughed, "You wish, there's also the fifth musketeer Nathan, he dated me but I was just kind of a roadblock to…."

She stopped short when she realized what she was about to mention. She gave Brooke a worried glance that she returned

"What," Chloe asked, "Who? Oh you must be talking about that Haley chick. Yeah Nathan told me all about her already."

Peyton and Brooke both looked visibly shocked.

"Wow," Peyton looked semi impressed, "Nathan never, emphasis on NEVER, talks about Haley, it's the sorest subject of them all to him. I cant believe he actually told you the whole thing, like everything. He must have something for you."

Chloe didn't know what to say. She could tell Nathan was weary about talking about it, but she didn't know he was that reserved about it. It kind of made her feel good to know that he would open up so much to her about his life after just meeting her. They all basked in the situation of a minute before Peyton continued.

"Well anyway, Nathan didn't really get his fairytale," she looked Chloe dead in the eye, a certain spark lighting up face, "yet."

Chloe knew exactly what she meant. And it was a little bit surreal. She had only met Nathan yesterday, and already people were predicting their getting together and she was having these intense daydreams about him. Chloe let out a large breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"So," Peyton started a new subject, "what are you into Chloe, besides three hour shopping trips and emancipated basketball players."

Chloe smiled at this, "Pretty much any kind of sport, basketball and track mostly, softball too, and I like to dance a lot."

Peyton nodded her approval, "Cool. So no cheerleading?"

Chloe could tell the minute she met Brooke that she was a cheerleader, she had the look, in a good way, plus she was so peppy. She really didn't mind cheerleading.

"No time for that in my mothers house, but I used to when I was younger. How about you guys, sports for you?"

"We're both cheerleaders," Peyton admitted, bracing herself for the aftermath.

Chloe was visibly shocked, "You, a cheerleader, I never would have guessed that from the Ramones wearing, rock listening, spitfire talking girl I see in front of me."

Peyton laughed, "Yeah, I get that a lot. So what else do you like?"

They talked animatedly for the next half an hour as they finished their shopping and headed out. They were driving with Peyton which Chloe learned fast was not such a good idea. Luckily they made it back to the apartment in one piece. Chloe grabbed her bags as they all walked up to Nathan's apartment. Slipping them in the front door of her apartment to the side before joining Peyton and Brooke in Nathan's apartment.

They both immediately went to sit with their boyfriends, leaving Nathan and Chloe on their own.

"So, you survived hurricane Brooke and Peyton, how are you feeling." Nathan asked her as they sat down at the kitchen island.

Chloe let out a laugh, "Feels like I'm home."

Nathan could tell from her facial expression that she was serious. He didn't know why but it made him happy to know. From the moment Chloe had left him the night before he felt himself missing her. He never felt that around anyone, besides Haley. And that could not be good. He liked her laugh, and her smile. Her eyes and the way she joked with him like she had known him her whole life. Nathan had never liked the worry of dull conversation with new people, he never had that with Chloe. It felt good.

Later that night when everyone had gone home Nathan and Chloe had remained. Chloe laying on the couch and Nathan laying on the floor in the opposite direction of her.

"So how do you like everyone," Nathan asked her.

Chloe sighed. Where should she start, "Everyone has such a different personality. Jake seems like someone I can trust to keep a secret with. Lucas has that really charming smile and those really broody eyes," she dipped her voice to mask a low growl at that last part, "but he seems like someone that will always have your back. Brooke and Peyton are what you would get if you pulled me into two different people. Brooke is wild and fun and someone who will perk me up you know? And Peyton is like this very funky, laidback, cool girl that has really good taste in music, I really like everyone."

"There must be something wrong with you, if you like Peyton's taste in music," Nathan scoffed and joked.

Chloe reached over the side of the couch and smacked him on the head. He laughed.

"Shut up."

"So what about me, what do you think of me," Nathan asked her?

Chloe smiled at the thought, "I think…..I think that I just might be the most comfortable with you, I mean like out of anyone I have ever known. I've told you more and learned more about you in the past two days than I have ever known someone to say ever. I like that."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, "Me too."

"Plus you're damn cute," Chloe added with a slight sound of flirtation added in there.

"Well thank you, and as good looking as I am, I would have to say that you are about ten times hotter."

Chloe laughed, "Why thank you."

"Your welcome," Nathan chuckled at her.

Chloe sighed and reminisced on her day. She liked these people, and she was at peace for once in her life, if not for a little while.