TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Peyton and Brooke walked into La Senza's and started looking around. Haley browsed for a while, but after fifteen minutes, she started to complain. "Come on, Brooke, you've tried on six bras and you're buying them all. Surely, you have enough," Haley said. Brooke laughed.
"Just this last top, Tutor Girl," she promised.
"That'll be the day," Haley said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I told you that she tends to go overboard," Peyton said, smiling.
"She passed overboard four bras and seven tops ago and crossed directly into outrageous shopaholic!" Haley said loudly.
"I heard that!" Brooke called from the dressing room.
"You were supposed to!" Haley called back. Peyton laughed. Then, she grew serious.
"Do you like Nathan, Haley?" she asked. Haley looked at her in disbelief for a second. She scrunched up her face in a look of annoyance.
"I don't know," she said. This surprised Peyton. Haley always seemed to be so sure of everything.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Peyton asked.
"Well, I like him, sure, but I'm not so sure that it'd be a good idea," she said.
"Oh," Peyton said in understanding. Haley wasn't sure if she and Nathan dating would be a good idea. "Why don't you think it would be a good idea?" she asked. Haley stopped to think for a second. "Are you worried that he might not like you?" Peyton asked. Haley shook her head.
"Well, I know that he likes me… as a friend. But in the way that I like him?" Haley said. She shrugged. "And even if he did, there's other things that get in the way," Haley said.
"Like Lucas?" Peyton asked. Haley laughed.
"No. Why would he be in the way?" she asked.
"Well, maybe you're worried that Lucas might not be comfortable with you and Nathan dating," Peyton said. Haley shook her head.
"He didn't feel the need to check to see if I was comfortable with him and Brooke before he started dating her, so why should I care if he's comfortable with Nathan and me?" Haley said.
"Well, you seem like the type of person who would be, especially since Nathan and Lucas are related," Peyton said.
"So? Brooke and I might not be related, but we still don't get along all the time. Normally, I would be cautious because Nathan and Lucas are related, but not this time," Haley said. Peyton nodded in understanding. She knew that when Lucas and Brooke started dating almost eight months ago that things had changed. Peyton had to welcome a new person in her group of friends and she was a little hesitant at first, but she welcomed Lucas eventually. Haley, Peyton remembered, had not welcome Brooke at all when they started dating. Haley and Brooke's animosity towards one another had been there since seventh grade when Brooke spread a rumour around school about Haley's older sister, Taylor, being a slut. Peyton imagined that Haley must have been really hurt when Lucas started dating Brooke, but Haley probably realized how Lucas felt about Brooke and let it slide.
"So what else is getting in the way?" Peyton asked.
"Nathan," Haley replied cryptically. Catching the confused on Peyton's face, Haley said, "The way he acts around me. He's really nice to me when we're alone. But when we're with other friends, he gets this weird edge to his voice and starts behaving like a jackass." Peyton smiled.
"That's just, Nathan. Is he an ass to you?" Peyton asked. Haley shook her head.
"Not anymore," she said with an edge in her voice. Peyton smiled. She remembered the little fight between Nathan and Haley a few months prior and how Haley had taught Nathan a lesson on how he had to treat her if he wanted her help.
"He's probably acting like a tough guy in front of his friends because he doesn't want any of them to take you from him," Peyton said. Haley laughed.
"Yeah, right. He doesn't even really see me," she said.
"Oh, I beg to differ. From what he told me this morning, he sees you pretty clearly," Peyton said, smirking.
"What do you mean?" Haley asked. Peyton shook her head. Sorry, Nathan, but I have to tell her if you want a chance in hell of dating her, Peyton thought to herself.
"He told me he likes you," Peyton said. Haley looked at her doubtfully.
"In what context?" Haley asked. Peyton smirked.
"In the context that you better let him know that you like him too if you want him to make a move," Brooke said as she came towards them with the shopping cart. Haley looked happy at the realization that Nathan liked her too.
SOMEWHERE IN THE MALL
Nathan and Lucas walked out of HMV and started to walk to the food court where the girls said they'd meet them. Jake and Tim joined them as they found a table with six chairs and dragged one over. They sat down and started chatting. "So, Nathan, what are your plans for this weekend? Any dates?" Tim asked. Nathan shook his head.
"Nathan Scott doesn't have a date for the weekend?" Lucas asked in amazement.
"It's by choice, Cuz. I'm not losing my touch or anything," he said.
"Why is it by choice?" Tim asked.
"I've got my eye on a particular girl and I don't want any distractions," he said. Lucas and Jake looked at each other knowingly and smiled at Nathan. "What?" he asked.
"That girl wouldn't happen to be Haley, would it?" Lucas asked, smirking. Nathan kept his cool.
"What makes you think that?" he asked calmly.
"Oh, come off it, Nathan. It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that you have a thing for her," Jake said.
"It is?" he asked, looking to Lucas. He nodded.
"What's taking you so long to ask her out?" Tim asked. Nathan shrugged.
"I don't know how she feels," he said.
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say she likes you," Lucas said.
"She told you that?" he asked. Lucas shook his head.
"Not directly, no," he admitted.
"Then how do you know?" Nathan asked.
"Because I see the look on her face when the two of you are together," Lucas said. Nathan looked at Jake in confusion. "It's the same goofy look you have on your face," Lucas explained. Jake and Tim laughed as it dawned on Nathan that Haley liked him like he liked her.
"Come on, Brooke. No more shopping until I've had a good meal so I'll be able to pull you away from the stores," Haley shouted as the girls approached them. Lucas kissed Brooke when she sat down next to him. Jake kissed Peyton. Haley sat down in between Nathan and Tim and smiled at Nathan.
"Hey, Hales," he said, looking at her in a new light now that he knew the truth. It was as if a switch had been pulled and he was recognizing all the signs of attraction now.
Haley smiled at him sweetly as she said, "Hi, Nathan." "Let us know when you're ready to come up for air," she said to the others. She looked around the table. "Where'd Tim go? He was just here two seconds ago," she asked. Nathan pointed towards a separate table that had two people sitting at it. Tim was with his girlfriend, Tammy.