Chapter Nine:

Brooke exited Nathan's room and entered her own. She was horrified with herself-Nathan had been her friend for as long as she'd been alive.

The sight that greeted her horrified her equally. Lucas and Haley. Not making out, not having sex. Sitting on the be, talking in low tones, Haley in his lap. Laughing amicably. Looking completely comfortable with each other.

"Oh, hey Brooke, Luke was just leaving," said Haley, stepping off of his lap. Brooke smiled falsely.

"You can stay if you want, but I'm going to bed," she said mechanically.

"No, Mom's going to check the room any minute. I'll go," said Lucas. He kissed Haley's forehead before departing.

After Brooke dropped onto her bed and began to pretend to be asleep, Haley sprung up and swung her feet over to the side of the bed. She couldn't go to sleep. She was still too alive.

Moments later, Haley slipped out of the room, clad only in a terry cloth robe and her furry slippers. Creeping past the many closed doors on the hall, she hoped desperately that Whitey wasn't a light sleeper-that he wouldn't burst out of his room, clad in his own robe and demand to know what she was doing out by herself in the middle of the night. But part of her hoped that he would. She didn't know what she was doing, or why she was doing it, only that some mysterious force was pulling her to do it.

Haley breathed a sigh of relief as she made it to the elevator. She rode down to the main floor and ran through the lobby, afraid of seeing Karen having a late night cup of coffee.

Her eyes darted around the pool deck as she arrived there. There was a green lawn stretching out beside it, and a perfectly manicured garden stretching along the length of it. She shivered as she slipped the robe off her back, and the cold night air hit her skin as it slithered to the floor.

For a moment she considered dipping her toe in the water to check if it was warm, but decided she'd come too far to be a chicken. Haley dove gracefully into the long, deep blue pool and swam underwater until the way halfway through the pool. Coming up for air, she let her body float up so she was on her back. She closed her eyes for a moment, missing the familiar stars of Tree Hill, that which she couldn't see in the city.

Haley's entire body tensed as she felt someone's gaze on her. Slowly she opened her eyes and positioned herself so she could see the long figure on the pool deck.

Nathan Scott had come down only for a quick swim, but he couldn't help but stare when he came across Haley James, floating in a pool, completely naked. He'd seen girls naked before, but he'd never had quite the same reaction. He was reduced to a pair of gawking eyes, his jaw dropped.

"Hey," she said softly. For once, she wasn't scheming to make someone elses life worse.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What you're doing. Only without clothes. Uh, shut your eyes," she commanded. But she didn't really mean it. Under the cover of the night, everything was possible. Even genuine feelings for some noname tutor.

He stared as she swam underwater to the steps, her hair flowing after her, caressing her bare shoulders. Once again he was amazed by her perfect figure, even more desirable dripping with water.

Silently he handed her her robe. She stared into his eyes as she covered up her body with it. For the first time, she noticed his blue jeans and how nicely muscled his stomach was underneath his wife beater.

"Come on, I'll walk you to your room," he said, his voice surprisingly husky. Magically, he reached for her hand and she allowed him to take it. Somehow the movement was completely natural.

Dodging supervising parents and Whitey didn't even occur to Haley as the two strode across the lobby, up the elevator and into the hallway of their rooms.

"Thanks," she said softly, as she moved to open her own door. With a sickening feeling in her gut, she realized she'd left her room key inside. And that it was two o'clock in the morning.

"Trouble?" he asked.

"My key…" she said weakly.

"Come in," he suggested. Not bothering to wait for an answer, he entered his own room with Haley at his heels.

Jake Jagielski was nowhere to be seen.

"He's always with his girlfriend," explained Nathan. "So you can take his bed."

Nathan disappeared into the washroom. Haley blushingly slipped off her robe and climbed into the bed closest to the window, that which was her own in Brooke and her room across the hall. Letting her wet hair fall all over the pillow, she prepared to sink into slumber.

Nathan halted when he saw her form under the covers in his own bed. Part of him knew he should take Jake's bed instead, but he couldn't make himself do it. Instead he went to his own bed and turned his back to her, not even letting himself look.

XxxxxxxxxX

Haley was surprised and disoriented the next morning when she woke up. Her entire body was pressed up one behind her, cupping her own form. She was resting on a strong male arm. When she slept with Lucas, they stuck to their own sides. Something was distinctly wrong.

"Nathan?" she said in surprise. Dimly she registered that she hadn't yet said his name.

"Haley," he said.

"Did we…?"

"No. God no," he explained quickly. Haley contemplated getting out of his bed, but the same force wouldn't let her.

"Uh, okay. I have to go, I promised the squad I'd meet them," she explained. He said the only word on his mind:

"Now?"

Haley looked over her shoulder and considered him for a moment. His dark hair was ruffled. He looked confused.

"No. Later," she promised, settling back into his arms.