A/N: I am amazed at the number of reviews am I getting for this story now..when things started off so slowly. Thank you:) I apologize for all the cliffhangers..but a warning for the future..I really, really like writing them. :) Enjoy!

start flashback

Nathan heard a knock on the door of his dorm suite. Not expecting anyone, he crossed the room and opened the door slowly. When he saw who was in his doorway, he threw the door open.

A woman was standing there. Her blonde hair was blowing softly in the cool breeze. Her dark brown eyes were wide and Nathan could see the reflection of the moon in them. He couldn't quite name the expression on her face. It was a cross between worry and joy.

"Hi," came her soft voice. Nathan noticed it quivered slightly. Nathan closed his eyes briefly, remembering that voice. The voice of the girl he fell in love with during highschool. The voice of the girl he still loved to this moment.

He opened his eyes to see her again. "Haley," he stated, his own voice uneven.

The two just looked at each other for another second before, reveling in the similarity of the situation to a year ago.

Nathan took a step towards Haley, shutting the door behind them. "Let's walk outside..." he started unsurely. "It's a nice night."

Haley nodded. "Okay," she agreed in the same shaky voice.

The two started down one of the many footpaths on the campus. They walked in silence for a moment, each waiting for the other to say something.

"I know I'm a year late," Haley said, not looking at him. "But I missed you. I thought I'd pay you a visit."

Nathan still wasn't quite sure what to say to her, so Haley continued in his silence.

"I don't expect anything from you- you made the situation perfectly clear before we both left that summer." She paused for a moment. "I got notice of the annulment and everything," she rambled on. "But I wanted to tell you-"

But she stopped as Nathan grabbed her arm, pulling him close to him. Her breath caught in her throat as his lips crashed down upon hers. Recovering quickly from her shock, Haley met his intensity, while Nathan's hands flew to her back and her hair. Haley clung to him like her life depended on it.

Haley broke the kiss, stepping back and breathing hard. Even though the kiss had not lasted long, the feelings and desires sparked by the moment were enough to make her feel like she had run a mile. She looked up at Nathan, the confusion written on her face.

Nathan smiled knowingly at the expression on Haley's face. "I'm going to -assume- you're wondering why I just did that?" Nathan asked her.

Haley was in wonder that he was still able to read her like a book. "Not that I'm complaining," she said as she nodded. "But... I don't understand. I didn't come back. I gave up on us."

Nathan shook his head rapidly. "No you didn't."

Haley shook her own head. Nathan reached out a hand and lifted her chin so he could study her face. Her features were more mature. It looked like she had done a lot of worrying in her still young age.

"You're here now, aren't you?"

He took her hand, pulling her over to a bench on one of the sides of the path. Nathan released her hand as they sat, allowing Haley to twist hers together in her lap. Watching her hands, Nathan started to speak.

"I'm glad you didn't come back, Haley," he told her quietly.

Haley looked up at his face. Nathan watched the line of emotions surface in her eyes. "What?" she asked, hurt lacing her voice.

"Not because of you," he replied quickly. "Or that I didn't love you... it was because you were right."

"Right about what?"

"About our marriage. We rushed into it so quickly that neither of us even had the chance to grow up, into our own people. I think that's what it takes to maintain a marriage. For each person to have explored their possibilities by themselves.. for each person to want to start exploring a new life shared with another." Nathan paused for a moment. Haley was in awe of how far he had come from the time that had their last conversation about this.

"And we weren't there yet. It was obvious. I just couldn't see it because my mind had been clouded by you, Haley." Haley looked down and away from him. Nathan brought her face back up to his again. "And about a month into camp I realized that I envied you for leaving," he added softly.

Haley opened her mouth to say something in defiance, but she stopped. Nathan took this as a sign that she wasn't going to add anything and he continued. "You got to go after your dream. You went on a tour, Haley. It's amazing, really," he added. "And it was my turn to go after what I wanted in life. Not just having your love, but my life in basketball."

Haley nodded, understanding his points. "So why did you kiss me... if you want nothing to do with us?"

Nathan shook his head, a smile forming on his lips. "That's not what I said."

"That's what it sounds like. We stood in the way of each other- why are you smiling?" she asked, the anger rising in her voice.

"I've missed you, Haley," he said to her.

Haley was taken aback by his statement. Why was he acting so... calm? "I've missed you too, you know that."

Nathan was quiet for a moment. "Why did you come here, tonight? And not this 'you missed me' stuff- the real answer."

Haley cleared her throat, suddenly very nervous about what she was going to reveal. "Because I love you..."

Haley saw a light form in Nathan's eyes, one that she hadn't seen in a very long time. The light that told her everything would be okay.. and it gave her new confidence.

"...and because even when I was on that stage singing, and the spotlight was on me... I was empty. I need you to complete my life, Nathan. You're that missing piece that I don't have anymore."

Nathan let out a breath he was holding. It was up to him now to lay it all down on the table. He ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Haley," he said softly. "Because it's exactly how I feel."

Haley couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "So what do we do now?"

Nathan took her by the hand and Haley squeezed it. "Baby steps?" she asked him gently.

Nathan nodded. "Baby steps," he confirmed. "I think it will be a long time before I ask you to marry me again," he added causing Haley to laugh slightly.

"Sounds like a plan," she said.

Nathan rose from his seat, taking Haley's hand with him and dragging her off the bench. "Let's get back inside, it's cold out here."

Haley flashed him a sweet smile and the two walked hand in hand back to Nathan's room.

end flashback

Peyton was shaking her head back and forth as the story came to an end.

"And the two of you kept this from everyone for what- almost two years?" Peyton asked disbelievingly.

"Not really. We were long distance until I moved here.. and that was what- a couple of months ago?" Haley said. "It wasn't hard to hide until recently."

"You're a little more nosey than Brooke and Luke were," Nathan added. "I like you're couch by the way," he added with a smirk.

Peyton groaned while Nathan laughed.

"And you know that you have to keep this a secret, right?" Haley asked, a nervous edge to her voice.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "I know. I keep a lot of secrets, remember?"

"Speaking of," Nathan said as he pulled Haley down on the couch next to him. "Word has it that you had breakfast with Lucas this morning.."

Peyton flinched slightly at the direct connection. Her eyes wandered to Haley's and Nathan's hands that were intertwined around each other. Together again it seemed.

start flashback

Lucas went up into Peyton's room to find her in her closet searching through her record collection. There was already music blaring from her player. He wiped his hands on his pants, drying them from doing the dishes, as he neared her.

"Hey," he said softly from the doorway of her closet. She looked up at him when he spoke. "I- uh- finished the dishes, and I'll go-"

Peyton shook her head, an odd look on her face. "You don't have to go."

Lucas nodded once. "Listen, about before..." he trailed off, without knowing what to say.

Peyton put back the record she was holding and her eyes met his. Lucas felt his pulse jump and he swallowed hard. She broke the mesmerizing gaze and cleared her throat.

"Maybe I'm misreading... all of this... but please, tell me that- that you-" Peyton began.

"Don't have more than friendly feelings towards you?" Lucas finished.

Peyton eyes widened as she realized that he had known exactly what she was talking about. "Because we... we had our chance, we didn't work..."

This statement was not what Lucas was expecting and he was taken aback. "No we didn't," Lucas replied. "We never had a chance."

It was Peyton's turn to be taken aback. She pushed past him and into her room, where she tried to busy herself with something. Eventually she put down what she was doing loudly. "You still haven't told me," Peyton told him, her voice rising in volume.

Lucas put his hands into his pockets. He remained silent for a moment. He couldn't reveal his feelings for her. He just couldn't. He mistakenly rose his eyes to meet hers again. Her hazel eyes were boring into his and Lucas knew that Peyton would read the truth off of him eventually. She usually could.

Her eyes widened slowly and seemingly painfully in Lucas' mind. He looked away from her shamefully, but looked up when Peyton fled the room. Lucas followed her. It was very unlike Peyton to run from her problems, from anything, really.

When she realized that he had followed her down the stairs, she rounded on him. "What did you just develop 'feelings' for me because I'm the only girl around, or what? Brooke's gone so it's Peyton's turn!" she yelled at him.

Lucas couldn't help but notice that along with the anger in her voice, it held a sadness. He couldn't stop the small bubble of hope that began to form in his chest. Was it possible that Peyton felt for him what he felt for her? "Peyton it's not like that-"

"You stupid boys going after any girl that's within a mile of you-"

But her rantings where silenced when Lucas moved towards her and grabbed both of her hands in his. Peyton tried to ignore the tingly feeling that resulted in his touch. Trying to stop it, she attempted to pull her hands out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let her.

"Let go!" she exclaimed as she pulled harder.

Lucas shook his head. "Please, just listen to me, Peyton."

Peyton was ready to resist, but the pleading, sincere look that had taken over his features was enough to make her stop trying to yank her hands away from him.

His grasp on her weakened, but he still held her hands gently in his. "This isn't that. It's not just because Brooke isn't here..." Lucas told her tentatively. "My feelings for Brooke could never come even close to the ones that I have for you."

Peyton bit her bottom lip at his statement. "But you still told her, Lucas. You told her that you had feelings for her- you kissed her!"

Lucas bit back a sigh that had formed on his lips. "Only because I thought that I had lost you..to Jake."

"You can't use that as an excuse, Lucas. Everyone knew about you're feelings for Brooke, besides her, of course."

"Because I buried my feelings for you! I thought it was done, that we weren't going to get another chance. And this summer... it's been..." he paused trying to search for the perfect words. "..magical, Peyton. You and me were like we were before... and I couldn't stop myself from feeling that way about you again. It just happened," he finished weakly.

They were still standing close to one another, their hands intertwined together in between them. Lucas moved slightly closer to her and took it as a good sign that Peyton didn't move back.

"And you think that we have another chance now?" she asked him.

"Do you want another chance, Peyton?" he asked back boldly.

Peyton opened her mouth and then shut it again. "I don't know," she said softly.

Lucas watched her lick her lips and held back a groan. Was she trying to kill him? She moved closer to him until the lower parts of their bodies were almost touching.

Lucas moved his head towards her slowly as Peyton rose on her toes to meet him. Their lips were less than a centimeters apart. "What about Brooke?" she whispered right before their lips met. The effect was intoxicating to Lucas. Electricity ran up and down his spine as the intensity of the kiss increased. Their hands had released, and his hand habitually ran into her hair that he had longed to run his hands through for so long. Peyton had a hand on his back, pulling him forward into him as though she was desperate for the contact.

Suddenly, she pulled back. "I can't," she whispered in a broken voice. "We can't."

Lucas' chest was rising and falling rapidly. His whole body ached at the loss of contact. "Why not?" he demanded back.

"It's too much... there's too much surrounding what this could be.." she said horsely. Peyton took a step back from him. "There's- there's Jake... and Brooke... and look what happened last time..."

"But this is now," Lucas responded, the desperation evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Peyton muttered as she turned his back on him, heading for the door to escape.

Lucas got a flash back to that time in the hallway, where she had said thos same words to him. Then he had pulled her back into a kiss.

But this time was different. This time he was too heartbroken to move, to utter a noise to stop her. He watched silently as she flung open the door and ran out it. He himself collasped onto the couch- Peyton's couch, ironically enough.

end flashback

"Peyton?" Haley was asking, waving a hand over her face.

"Huh?" Peyton asked as she took back to reality, to the present day.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Thinking about a certain someone, are we?"

Peyton could feel her cheeks blush unvoluntarily. "I never should have told you anything about Lucas.." she said through her embarresment.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Haley responded. She shot Nathan a significant look as she said it. "We should get going, though," she said to Nathan. "Just in case someone comes over here."

Nathan nodded. "And Peyton, you know to keep you're mouth shut, right?"

"Always so charming, Nathan," Peyton replied with a smirk. "And of course I will," she added.

"Thanks, Peyton," Haley said as she grabbed a coat. "I'll be right back. Just going to drop Mr. Charming off in his dorm."

Peyton nodded. "Take your time. I know you will."

Haley shot her a face, but waved on her way out.

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