A/N: I just saw 'An Attempt to Tip the Scales' and am badly in need of fluffy Naley therapy

Chapter Seven

Sunday. Noon.

Lucas moved his work files so there was space for him to put down the glasses on his kitchen counter. As he poured their drinks, he asked his guest, "So did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah, you're known for throwing the best parties, right Luke?" Nathan joked. "It wasn't the same without the fights, though."

"Hey, that was in high school! And you should never have been at those parties anyway, you were too young. You blackmailed me into letting you come."

"It wasn't blackmail…"

"You threatened to tell mum and dad about the parties if I didn't let you come, that's blackmail!"

"Well, maybe so. But I did have a good time last night. Although that was more after the party, rather than during it," Nathan admitted, taking a glass from Lucas.

"Oh, really? You and Haley had your own private after party?" Lucas smirked, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

"No!" Nathan cried. "It was nothing like that. Haley and I aren't like that."

Lucas sighed. "You're not honestly trying to tell me that you don't like her?"

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm not sleeping with her."

"So you do like her," Lucas teased.

Nathan opened his mouth to protest but then realized that he couldn't argue. He'd just be lying.

Lucas noticed his brother's reactions and grinned triumphantly. "Aha! I knew it. She's cute," Lucas added. When Nathan started laughing, he asked, "What? You don't think so?"

"No, of course she is," Nathan said. "Haley's beautiful. It's just Uncle Keith said the same thing last night. And Haley was there when he said it."

Lucas chuckled. "That sounds just like Uncle Keith."

"Yeah," Nathan finished his drink and put the glass back down on the counter. "Well, I should get going. I have to drop this off at the office." Nathan stood up, gathering his things.

"Okay. I have to give Dad some of these files too," Lucas said, before accidentally bumping into his brother, causing him to drop what he was carrying. "Oh, jeez. Sorry Nate."

"It's okay." Nathan and Lucas both bent down to pick up the papers from the floor. Once they had got them all, Nathan put them down on the counter to put them in the correct order.

As Nathan sorted his papers out, Lucas noticed a letter to Nathan among them and recognized the return address. "Hey, isn't the address to your office?"

Nathan looked up and saw what Lucas was referring to. "Uh, yeah. They offered me a job."

"A different one?"

"Yeah. The guy who used to be the lead basketball writer for the paper resigned and they offered me the position."

"Nathan, that's great!"

"I turned them down."

"What?" Lucas exclaimed. "Why?"

"You have to go see, like, all the games live –"

"And you find that a reason not to take the job? Man, this job means free tickets to just about every major game in the league!"

"It also means living out of a suitcase for at least the next two years," Nathan explained. "I'll be on the road all of basketball season, Luke. I don't want that."

"Well, it's your decision and I can't tell you what to do." Lucas shrugged. "If you've thought about it and this is what you wanna do -"

"It is."

"Okay then."

……………

"Haley!"

She looked up with a start from the table she was cleaning. Or rather the table she was supposed to be cleaning. Haley's shift at the café had started not long ago, but while she was trying to work, her mind kept zoning out. Mostly on Nathan. She had already got three different customers' orders wrong that morning. They had all ordered coffee (possibly the easiest order she could take) and she had given them coffee – only she hadn't made them the way the customers had asked. No, she had made them the way Nathan took his coffee. Haley was slightly afraid that her employer was calling her to tell her off for not working well that morning and so, it was reluctantly that she turned around when her name was called. However, her boss, Mr. Kelly, did not look cross. Haley relaxed a little. "Yes?"

"We have a new waitress starting today and Martha is busy with a customer so I wanted you to tell her what she needs to do."

"Yeah, sure." Haley put down her napkin and followed him into the backroom. She was surprised to be greeted by a familiar face. "Karen?"

"Haley!"

Mr. Kelly looked between the two women. "You know each other?"

"Uh…Haley is a friend of my nephew's," Karen explained.

Mr. Kelly shrugged. "Guess that makes my job easier. Show her around, Haley. And, if you need anything Karen I'll be in my room."

"Thank you," Karen said to her new employer as he walked away, leaving her alone in the backroom with Haley. "Hello. I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"Yeah, me neither," Haley smiled. "This is a really odd coincidence."

"Yes," Karen agreed. "But, I hope it's not awkward for you."

"No, not at all. What made you decide to be a waitress?"

"Well, I used to be a waitress while I was in high school and college. I planned on opening my own café but then I met Keith, we got married, and I got pregnant. But, Katie's older now and I decided to work a bit in the business again before opening my own place, but the plans are already underway."

"Wow that sounds interesting. I love café's but most people prefer to open clubs or restaurants."

"I just like the atmosphere of a nice old-fashioned café. Plus, that's how I met Keith. He was a regular customer at the café I worked."

Haley grinned, "That sounds like something right out of a film. Falling in love with your waitress."

Karen deliberated the point a bit. "I think falling for your neighbour has more screen appeal." Haley's face turned bright red, and Karen decided it was too early in the conversation to talk about that subject. "So do you work here everyday?"

"I work every weekday and every other Saturday. It's just one of the girls is ill so I have to cover for her," Haley said, recovering quickly.

"I see. But, what about your children?"

"I'm only here for a few hours today so I brought them with me. They're in the lunch room over there. Would you like to meet them?" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could think about it.

"Sure." Karen smiled.

Haley took Karen through the door on her right. Sitting at the table were Michael and Annie, who were busy with their crayons. When they heard the sound of the door opening they looked up. "Hi Mummy," Michael said.

"Hey, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Guys, this is Karen. Karen, these are my kids; Michael and Annie."

"Hello."

"Hi!" the children said enthusiastically, grinning at her. "Are you a new worker here?" Michael asked, having noticed her apron.

"Yes, I am."

"Karen's also Nathan's aunt," Haley told them.

"Really?" Annie looked excited by this. "Nathan's teaching me basketball."

"He taught my daughter basketball too."

"You have a daughter?" Annie asked.

"Yes, her name's Katie."

"Is she my age?"

"No," Karen smiled. "She's fourteen."

"Oh."

"Look what I drew Mummy." Michael showed Haley a picture.

"Wow, that's really good, Michael."

"Do you want to see?" he handed it to Karen.

Karen took the picture from him and saw what was supposed to be a garden with a lot of people standing in it. She smiled when she noticed that one of the people had had drawn was Nathan. "It's very impressive," she said as she gave the picture back.

Annie looked over Michael's shoulder to see his picture. "It looks weird."

"No, it's not! Peyton said it's impress – im-press-on –"

"Impressionist?" Haley offered.

"Yes!" Michael nodded.

Annie made a face. "But you've coloured my hair blue!"

……………

It was about three in the afternoon when Nathan returned to his apartment. He put his files on the side table and threw his jacket onto the sofa. He hadn't seen or spoken to Haley since last night and he was thinking about going to see if she was home when his phone rang. After a few minutes of searching he found it lodged between two cushions, and said, "Hello?"

The reply he received made him wish he hadn't been able to find the telephone. "Nathan!"

"Hello Dad."

"Lucas just told me that you turned down a job offer from your paper!"

Nathan sighed inwardly. He knew what was coming. "Yeah, I did."

"Are you out of your mind? Why would you turn down a promotion! Your salary increases -"

"Actually since the paper has to pay for the all the travel accommodation the pay rise isn't that much," Nathan tried to explain.

"But the prestige Nathan! There's a certain status you receive with a promotion and you've been offered one so early in your career! I didn't raise my sons to be idiots."

Nathan tried to remain calm but his temper was starting to get the better of him. His father had, after all, just called him an idiot. "Look, Dad, I've thought about it and I've made my decision. I don't want the job."

"Nathan, you listen to me, this jo-"

Nathan didn't hear the rest of what his father said, however, since the doorbell rang. "I'll call you back," he said quickly and hung up before Dan could protest. Nathan tossed the phone back onto the sofa and opened the door and for the second time in two days was struck with the sensation of breathlessness. She was wearing just jeans and a t-shirt, but he thought she looked just as beautiful as she did last night. Nathan had never been so glad to see Haley in his life. "Hey."

"Hi," she smiled at him.

"You're a total lifesaver."

"I am?"

"I was in the middle of a not-so-pleasant conversation with my Dad."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess there's no point me asking you how your day's been, then."

"True. It's getting better though." Nathan grinned when she blushed at his comment. "So did you sleep alright last night?" She smiled at him shyly and Nathan's grin widened.

"Yeah, thanks, you really didn't have to take me to my room. I hope I didn't say something weird or anything…" Haley's voice trailed off as she realized she had said that last sentence out loud, and her blushed deepened.

"No, you didn't say anything. Why, do you usually talk in your sleep?"

"No – well – I don't know. It's kind of been a while since someone's been in a position to let me know." Haley winced. She had just told him she hadn't slept with anyone in ages. Great. Real smooth. She took a deep breath and added, "You really didn't have to go to the trouble."

"It was my pleasure. Really." Nathan smirked.

Haley struggled to speak and was about to run a hand through her hair when she felt what she was holding, and remembered the real reason she had come there. You mean the excuse, her brain told her. "You forgot this," she held up his jacket.

Nathan shook his head. "I didn't forget it."

Haley frowned. "But…you left it at my place last night."

"I did. That doesn't mean that I forgot it." Haley was still confused, so Nathan explained, "Maybe I left it on purpose."

"And what purpose would that be?" Haley asked amused.

Nathan took the jacket from her and replied, "Maybe I needed an excuse to see you again."

Haley's mouth formed an 'O' but the actual sound didn't come out.

Nathan shifted on his feet, somewhat nervous. He scolded himself for being so, and tried to relax. It wasn't very easy with the way Haley was looking at him. He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets before starting, "So, I had a good time last night…"

"Yeah, I did too…" Haley smiled and looked up at him expectantly, but before Nathan could reply the door to her apartment opened and her son popped his head out.

"Mummy! You said you'd be back soon," Michael complained.

"Oh, yeah…" Haley's face fell.

"So aren't you coming?"

"I'll be right there." She expected Michael to go back inside, but he waited at the door for her. She looked apologetically at Nathan, "Sorry, I have to go."

"It's okay," he said. Although it was with a tinge of disappointment that he watched Haley return to her apartment.