Had zero plans of writing- just not in the frame of mind lately, but I dreamt this last night and knew it had to be typed. Not entirely sure where I'll go with it, but writing helped me feel less lazy today. Enjoy!

. .

Sprawled out on a threadbare beach towel, Nathan Scott found himself watching with rapt attention as the small child in front of him carefully crafted a sandcastle.

The girl, who looked to be no older than five or six-years-old, developed a precise method- scoop small clumps of sand with a red shovel, then pour it into a plastic yellow bucket. When it was filled to the top, she'd smooth it over with just her hand. The remaining bits of sand falling back onto the beach. She'd then pour from another, smaller plastic bucket, filled with ocean water. With the edge of her tongue poking out from between her lips, the child slowly dribbled the water into the yellow sand-filled bucket.

Nathan remained fascinated by her level of precision, even smiling when she stuck her finger into the damp sand to check its consistency. Seemingly satisfied with it, the girl gingerly lifted the bucket and dumped it onto the blank sand in front of her. The last step was to pull the bucket upwards to reveal the smooth cylinder-shaped sand. It retained its shape almost perfectly; just a small amount of sand was shaved off after she removed the plastic container.

Now, the child had a neat row of four sand-castles- the other three decorated in seashells she'd previously dug up.

He was impressed by not only her level of detail but by the way she was so content and quiet- unlike the rest of the screaming children around him. Nathan tried to talk the guys into going somewhere else, preferably a place sans kids, but it wasn't his bachelor party, and therefore, it wasn't he who had the final say.

Chase absolutely insisted they go to Myrtle Beach- something about college memories and cheap beer. Nathan didn't necessarily care, as long as there was alcohol involved. He felt weird, though, sitting by himself on a beach- but this was his vacation too, and while the guys were all nursing hangovers, sleeping past noon, Nathan decided to go on an early morning run and soak up some of the suns rays. In a few days, he'd be back to coaching sweaty, hormonal teenagers in a cramped school gym with underinflated basketballs. He'd take every chance he could get to relax.

The sun soaking his back felt like a massage. He may not have drunk as much as the guys, but he was still feeling the effects of last night's beers. Pushing thirty, Nathan no longer could drink the way he did back in college. He wasn't even sure he could handle whatever else Chase had planned for them later. It was rare that Nathan had the time to relax on a beach without a single worry- he'd be content with staying here for the rest of the trip. Lowkey, just like he'd preferred, even if it meant being surrounded by a bunch of screaming toddlers. Luckily, the kid in front of his towel was still quietly building her sandcastles. She'd caught his eye a couple of times and smiled goofily. He smiled politely, then looked away. He'd already felt strange enough watching her. The last thing Nathan wanted was for her parents to think he was some creep or something.

At that thought, Nathan propped his body slightly to check where the girl's parents were. Surely they wouldn't have left her alone on a beach by herself, right? She didn't look scared or even lost, but Nathan's worry grew slightly.

Before he even had the chance to ask her where her parents are, a small, slender woman came rushing over. The air in Nathan's lungs escaped. He forgot what he was even worried about. This woman was absolutely breathtaking. So much so that Nathan actually felt his lungs twitch, reminding him to inhale. He wished he was wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes. If he felt like a creep before, this was worse. He was blatantly staring- practically drinking her in one gulp. Nathan's eyes refused to move from their heated gaze on her black bikini top. Her generously sized breasts practically spilled from the fabric, creating a perfect valley for his tongue to carve. . .

"Emma Rose!" The woman's honey-sounding but firm voice shook Nathan from his crude thoughts. "You've had me worried sick about you! I told you not to run off."

The little girl looked up from the sand she was molding and shrugged, "the sand was better here."

Nathan couldn't look away. The woman had her hands on her hips- she looked pissed. But it was sexy.

"We are on a crowded beach, missie. Something could have happened to you."

"Nothing happened to me, mama. I'm just playing."

The woman sighed, only then glancing in Nathan's direction. He tried to look away, to pretend he hadn't just been staring at her plump lips and pink cheeks, but it was futile. She caught him and probably thought he was a pervert- or worse, a pedophile.

"I was watching her," he sputtered, cringing after the words left his mouth. Way to go, Scott, he thought bitterly. Now she'll really think you're a pedophile. "I-I mean, not in a weird way. I swear. I just meant that if someone tried to kidnap her or something I would've-" well, he wasn't exactly sure what he would've done, but he liked to think he'd be the type to step in and help.

"Thanks," the woman's face softened as she dragged a hand through her wavy brown hair. Nathan's own fingers were itching to touch the soft silky stands. "I'm sorry. I hope she wasn't bothering you."

"Not at all," Nathan said honestly.

"Do you like my castle?" The girl, who Nathan assumed was named Emma, turned to ask him.

"It's awesome," Nathan smirked. "Nice job."

"I swear, I'm not some dead-beat Mom who lets her kid run off on a beach. I turned my back for one second to get sunscreen and she took off saying she was getting more water. I nearly had a heart attack trying to find her-," the woman shook her head, realizing she'd been rambling. Nathan felt his heart start to race. He found her as adorable as she was sexy. "Sorry, I'm rambling. Clearly I'm still flustered. You probably didn't need to know that."

Nathan just continued to stare at her, smirking. She hadn't run off yet or called the police, so he took it as a good sign. Though, he couldn't let himself continue his fantasy of unraveling the threads of her bikini and taking her right there on the sand because not only was it entirely inappropriate to be thinking that way in front of a child, but because her husband was also probably not too far off.

He inwardly sighed. It had been far too long since he'd last been with a woman- a choice he'd made when he started to outgrow his playboy ways. It figures the first woman he'd been extremely attracted to in a while has to be married with a kid. He supposed it still didn't hurt to look, so long as it remained discreet.

"It's okay," a chuckle left his lips.

"Ok, well," the woman bit her lip, "come on, Emma. Let's go back."

Emma's thick brown eyebrows furrowed in a narrow crease above her eyes. Nathan noticed she had the same big, brown, beautiful eyes as her mother. "But my castle is here! I worked so hard on it, mama."

"We don't want to bother…" her words trailed as she glanced at Nathan, who supplied his name with a smile.

"Nathan," he said softly. "I'm Nathan."

"We don't want to bother Nathan."

"You won't," he said. "There's plenty of room for you both."

"Thanks," her smile spread over her lips. Nathan's heart skipped another pulse.

She then bent down and folded her legs across the sand, the edge of her knee touching Nathan's beach towel.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name…" Nathan sat up straighter and dusted the specks of sand from his shoulders.

"Oh!" The woman wrinkled her nose in the cutest way, "it's Haley. Haley James."

Nathan reached over to grab her hand, pleasantly surprised by how soft and small it was. It fit perfectly in his larger, stronger one. He wondered if the pink spilling on her cheeks was a blush or if the sun was too strong.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Haley nodded, "you, too."

"You from around here?"

"Oh, no. We're just on vacation. A mother-daughter trip. We needed a little getaway weekend. How about you?"

"Nah. I'm from North Carolina. I'm here for a bachelor party."

Haley's eyes widened slightly, "yours?"

"Nah," Nathan laughed, "definitely not. My buddy from back home is getting married. They're still passed out in the hotel room. I needed to get away for a bit."

"Too much fun last night?" Haley teased.

"Something like that," Nathan turned to look at her again. He was startled by the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, creating a golden crown around her irises.

"You said you're from North Carolina?"

"Born and raised," he nodded.

"So are we."

"Really? Which part?"

"It's a small town on the coast. Oak Lake."

Nathan's diamond blue eyes expanded, "no way."

"You know it?"

He chuckled, "yeah. I know it."

"Wow, not many people do."

"Oh, man. Your basketball team is the worst."

Haley's giggles made him warmer than the sun, "honestly, I don't know much about sports. Did your high school play ours or something?"

"All the time. We were rivals. I'm from Tree Hill."

"Seriously?" Haley gasped, "Oh my God! I go there all the time!"

Nathan couldn't believe what a small world it was. "That's crazy," he chuckled. "We used to kick Oak Lake's ass-" he looked towards Emma, who was still diligently playing in the sand, "I mean, but, all the time. Now I coach the Ravens actually."

"Funny," Haley said, "I'm an English teacher at Oak Lake now."

"You should quit," Nathan deadpanned, "we need English teachers at Tree Hill. It's a much better place."

"Well, seeing as you say our basketball team sucks, maybe you should coach our team," Haley grinned.

"Can't. I'd be a traitor."

She laughed again, and Nathan knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life listening to that sound- if only she'd been single.

"Did you go to college in North Carolina, too?"

"You're looking at a Duke Blue Devil," he smirked proudly.

"Uh-oh," Haley bit her lip again, "I really don't think you'll like me now."

"Don't say you went to Chapel Hill," he warned.

Haley grimaced playfully, "I did."

"Yikes," Nathan shuddered with exaggeration, "I think I need to leave. Oak Lake and UNC? I don't know which is worse."

"Sorry," she quipped, "I won't tell anyone if you don't."

"Deal." What was he doing? Flirting with a married woman in front of her child? He had to get a grip.

"Momma," Emma interrupted their flirty banter, and Nathan was thankful for the distraction.

"What is it, honey?"

"Can we go swimming?"

"Oh, I don't know, Em. The water is still pretty cold."

"I can take her!" Nathan eagerly offered and then felt the embarrassment reach the edges of his ears. He shouldn't have. Emma's dad- Haley's husband- was probably around here somewhere. Plus, they were still practically strangers. "I mean if it's alright with you and your husband…"

Haley's eyebrows furrowed, looking so much like her daughter, "husband?"

"Well, yeah, you're married, aren't you?" He awkwardly brought his arm over his neck and scratched lightly at the skin. It was a nervous habit he'd developed. He tried to be subtle, but there was no other way to ask. He had to know if he had a shot.

"Did you see a ring on my finger?" Haley held up her bare finger with a coy smile. Nathan bit the inside of his cheek and chewed the fleshy skin nervously.

"Or, er, your boyfriend." His cheeks turned red.

"My boyfriend?" Haley tilted her head to the side, loving his nervousness.

Nathan cleared his throat, hoping to relieve the curiosity from his throat, "You know, Emma's Dad…"

"Nathan?" His name sounded like sugar straight from her lips, "are you trying to ask me if I'm single?"

He coughed again, loudly, "what?"

"Because if you are, the answer is yes," her lips twitched coyly again. Nathan almost swallowed his tongue. Her confidence and coyness made his heart - and swim trunks- swell. He definitely needed to go into the ocean and cool off.

"G-good to know," he stuttered.

"Can we go swimming now?" Emma asked, pulling on Nathan's hand. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Sure. You comin', Hales?"

Hales.

Her heart nearly somersaulted out of her chest. She could hardly believe just how quickly she was falling for a man she'd just met- an insanely hot man with a ridiculous body and gorgeous blue eyes, at that.

"You two go ahead. I'll just stay back and watch," she said.

Nathan nodded and led her daughter to the water. Haley watched, letting the tide tickle her feet. She admired the way his biceps rippled like the water every time he helped Emma over a wave. Haley couldn't overlook his abdominal muscles either- how the six defined ridges bulged with every move he made. Damn. How her fingers ached to reach out and study them intricately.

It was almost hard to believe he was real. She wasn't looking for anything. Certainly not now. Emma was her priority. Since the divorce, a little over two years ago, Haley swore there was no way she'd date again - not until Emma was older. But Nathan… something in her heart told her he was different. He was nice to look at, sweet, charming, funny- and only lived fifteen minutes from her. She couldn't let this be the first and only time seeing him.

Nathan and Emma soon emerged from the water, both soaked and smiling ear-to-ear. Haley, too, couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"You're so good with her," Haley praised upon their return. "Do you have kids?"

Nathan shook his head, "nope. Just a niece and nephew."

"You must be a good uncle."

"I'm their favorite," he smirked. She loved how he could be cool and confident one second and then shy and awkward in the next. It was oddly charming.

Haley giggled, "I'm sure you are."

She surprised herself by reaching out and dusting the sand from Nathan's chest, allowing the pads of her fingertips to ignite a trail of fire across his skin. He watched her with those blue eyes, the color of the clear blue water, and held his breath.

"So, um, I was thinking maybe if you want we can meet up back when we're both in North Carolina."

"Haley James, are you trying to ask me out?"

"Well, that depends," Haley tucked a piece of her wind-blown hair behind her ear, "would your girlfriend be okay with it?"

Nathan bit back a laugh, "girlfriend?"

"Or a boyfriend?"

He grimaced at her teasing smirk, "now you're trying to ask me if I'm single?"

"Maybe," she licked her lower lip. He mirrored her coy head tilt.

"Because I don't. Have a girlfriend, I mean. Or a boyfriend. Definitely not that."

Her giggles rushed through his ear like the sound of the ocean, "good to know."

They quickly and eagerly exchanged numbers- both anticipating the next time they'd see each other.

"I better get back to the guys," Nathan said, "but I'll see you soon, right?"

Haley and Emma both nodded, a replicated smile on both their lips.

"I'm counting the seconds until we meet again, Nathan Scott."

He winked before walking away. Their worlds would never be the same.