Chapter 3- He Looked Up and Saw Her

The limo stopped in front of the hotel and suddenly Haley felt sick. "Guys, I don't think that I can do this, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Hales, you're going to be fine." Peyton reassured her.

"Easy for you to say; you're not going to be seeing your ex-husband tonight."

"Thank god for that," Jake said, stealing a quick kiss from Peyton.

"Tutor Girl: you can't think, you just have to do." With that said, Brooke reached across Haley to open the door and proceeded to push Haley out of the limo.

Haley was immediately met by the flashes of cameras and she reminded herself to dock that little action from Brooke's next paycheck. It was amazing how in some ways they had never changed. She hoped that the same would be for Nathan- she knew in her heart that he hadn't been himself in New York and she hoped that tonight she would see the caring and sensitive side of him. The side that at first, he had only been willing to show her.

At the entrance to the ballroom, she dismissed her two bodyguards, telling them to stay close enough to act, but far enough away to give her some space. Anyway, she had Jake who would protect her life over his own; something he would do for any of the three women, especially Peyton. Haley walked into the room apprehensively, feeling as though she could bump into Nathan at any moment.

"Relax, just breathe," Jake whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek before getting dragged off to the appetizers by Peyton.

"Come on, Hales, let's go do some damage." Brooke said, taking her by the hand and leading her towards the opposite end of the room.

"Yeah, breathing used to be so simple," Haley quietly said to herself.

Nathan couldn't stop pacing and he had been here so long he was starting to memorize what food they were offering and its exact location on the table.

Lucas walked directly into Nathan's path and handed him a bottle of beer. "Here, I thought this would help you calm down."

Nathan took the bottle from his hands and immediately started chugging.

Lucas just laughed. "You know, if you want to be sober when you see her, you should probably slow down. It would make tonight so much better than New York. So have you talked to anyone?"

"Only if you count the numerous girls that came up to me and said, 'sorry it never worked out with Haley, but here's my number if you want to have a good time.' First of all, that is the biggest turn off ever, second of all some of them were married, and third I hate it when women assume I'm a player because I play pro ball. How about you, have you found Brooke yet?"

"No, this place is so huge and she's not answering her phone. But, I'm sure we'll find each other soon. So, no Haley sightings or have you already found her and gone into avoiding mode?"

"Nope, haven't seen her yet. Maybe she's doing the avoiding this time, which I really wouldn't blame her. You know what, I think I'm just going to go get some fresh air. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Do you want me to go with you, Nate?"

"No, just go find Brooke. One of us should at least have a good night."

"You will have a good night," Lucas promised. "You just have to find Haley first."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say. He was still unsure how he felt about all this. He knew he wanted to see Haley, he didn't have a doubt in his mind about that, but he had no clue what he was going to say. For starters, apologize about New York, but that's all he had planned out so far. And then it happened.

He felt her before he saw her, and in later years when he looked back on this moment he could truly say it was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced.

"Nate, you okay man?" Lucas asked Nathan as he slowly turned around toward the middle of the ballroom's dance floor.

He found her instantly; Haley James standing less than 20 feet away from him, surrounded by a group of classmates that apparently loved her music. A few of them were holding cd cases and pictures of her and she was graciously autographing them. Autographs- one thing that Nathan truly hated and avoided at all costs. But she wasn't saying no to anyone and was spending equal time talking to each and every person.

Nathan looked Haley over and was completely breath taken by what he saw. She was wearing a stunning black dress that cut low in the front and the back. It took Nathan by surprise because he had never seen her in anything so revealing or sexy. But that wasn't the only thing that took him by surprise.

Nathan had always been able to read Haley, just as he was sure she could as well, and something definitely wasn't right. She kept a smile on her face, and it wasn't that the smile was fake, there just seemed to be something underneath the smile. It was almost a look of defeat, as if she had been fighting something and had finally given in. And there underneath that was the look of something Nathan had only seen one other time in his life; weakness. Haley James wasn't weak; she was strong willed and never gave into anything. That look set Nathan off balance more than anything else.

Lucas' hand on his shoulder broke him from his daze and he turned towards his brother. "Well, go talk to her, man," Lucas said, giving him a slight nudge.

Nathan shook his head, not knowing if he was ready to talk to her yet. But he didn't get a chance to decide because Brooke, who had been standing right next to Haley, connected eyes with Lucas. She let out a squeal and pushed past Haley, running into Lucas' open arms.

Nathan watched with baited breath as Haley's eyes followed Brooke to Lucas' arms and then cautiously moved onto Nathan, her breath catching in her throat as soon as their eyes connected.

They both instantly felt the mood of the room change; it was almost as if everyone was watching them. It was understandable though, everyone had known their story, and everyone had been there for the tragic end. Nathan could hear tiny gasps and whispers behind him and Brooke and Lucas' giggles beside him, in their own little world.

He never remembered who made the first move, but suddenly they were just a few steps away, as if a greater force had just pulled them together.

Barely able to speak, Nathan was the first to say anything. "Hi," he spoke softly, in a voice just about a whisper.

A single tear fell down her cheek and Nathan knew he could have forgiven everything in that single moment.

"Hi."

Hey guys- thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm trying to keep the chapters short and sweet cause sometimes I think that's the easiest way to read! I really hope you're enjoying so far, but I don't know w/o reviews so keep em coming! Thanks!

Kylie