Author's Note: Hey guys! Long time no see! Yes you're not seeing things. I know you've all had to wait for a new chapter to ITPOAA but you don't have to anymore! In light of ITPOAA finally being restored, I am posting a new chapter. It's kind of short. Inspiration has been running kind of low for this story lately so you might have to wait longer for chapters and they may be shorter. I don't know. But ITPOAA is FAR from over. I still have lots planned. Anyways, I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

Rating: K+ to T

In the Presence of An Angel

Chapter 24

After Brooke and Haley had gotten over the shock of what he'd said, Haley stormed out of the apartment and across the hall, opening the door without even knocking. "Nathan Daniel Scott!" she screamed. Nathan visibly cringed; he hated his middle name. "That was rude," she replied childishly yet angrily, one hand still on the doorknob, the other on her hip, and tapping her foot in irritation. "What," he shrugged. "That little comment you just made about 'the show'," she replied, using her fingers for quotations. "What guy wouldn't want to see two hot girls making out? The bonus was being topless and only in underwear. Jeez Hales, didn't know you had it in you to wear a thong," he grinned cheekily at her. Haley punched him in the shoulder, "Nate!" "Ow," Nathan exclaimed as he rubbed the spot, "that hurt." "Well you deserve it. You're such a baby," she responded. "Hey, I got an idea! You said you wanted to hang out, right? Why don't you and Brooke go swimming in your bikinis while I watch from the lifeguard tower with binoculars? Ooh! Better yet, go skinny-dipping," Nathan looked at her excitedly, hope in his eyes.

Haley hit him hard in the back of the head and pinched his arm with her long fingernails. "You're such a pervert, TIM," she emphasized his friend's name. "Okay, okay! I was just kidding! You know I'm really not like that. I was just playing around." "You had better be," she warned with a glare. "Or what," Nathan goaded her. Haley thought for a moment, "I'll tell Brooke you hit on me and tried to grope me and she'll probably castrate you." Nathan's eyes widened and he covered his manhood, "I won't, I won't! Just don't send Brooke after me. Please!" "Good boy," Haley patted his head as she chuckled. Brooke walked in the door, "Can I castrate him yet?" "Sorry Brooke, I think we're gonna leave him be this one time," Haley responded. "Thank god," Nathan exclaimed.

"Nathan…" Haley began a few minutes later, a pleading look in her eyes as tears welled in them. "What Hales, what's wrong," he asked concernedly as he moved towards her and placed his hand on the side of her arm. "What you saw back there…please don't tell anyone about us, okay? Especially Lucas. We're not ready for him to know yet. He's the one that will take us being together the hardest. I-I just don't want to hurt him. And it'll hurt even more if he found out from someone else…" Tears fell down her cheeks and he gently wiped them away with his finger, "I promise I won't tell. Come here." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. "Thank you," Haley responded as she laid her head on his chest.

Brooke idly stood by as she watched her girlfriend be hugged. She knew she shouldn't feel jealous of Nathan, but she did. He was holding her, comforting her, and she wasn't. "Okay, I hate to break up this little love fest but Nathan, stop hugging my girlfriend. That's my job," Brooke pouted. Nathan smiled as he pulled back from Haley, "And apparently a lot of others too." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down as he smirked. "Nathan!" Haley swatted his shoulder. "Come on Hales, let's leave Tim alone so he can pleasure himself to his picture of Brittany Snow and we can go back to the apartment and pleasure each other," Brooke smirked and winked at both of them. Nathan's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock as did Haley's. Once she recovered, Haley placed both her hands on Brooke's shoulders and turned her towards the door, pushing her towards it. "Oh, you are so getting punished for that," Haley laughed. "Only if you use the whip and chains this time," Brooke giggled.

Peyton walked into Brooke and Haley's apartment and she heard giggling coming from one of the bedrooms. She rolled her eyes. She hoped that she and Luke weren't as bad as them two. "Guys! You can stop having sex now! I'm here and I don't want to hear that," Peyton screamed so they would hear her. Brooke and Haley came out a few minutes later, straightening their rumpled clothes and tousled hair. "Chill Peyt. We weren't doing anything naughty. We were just…" Brooke and Haley glanced at each other and shared a smile. "Making out like there was no tomorrow," Peyton supplied with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "You could say that," Brooke replied. "Get the lipstick off your faces and get cleaned up. We're going shopping," Peyton smiled. "Yay," Brooke eyes widened in excitement as she jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "Oh great," Haley rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. Shopping with those two was hardly fun; they always made her try every little thing on like they were the older sisters and she was the younger and they were making her play dress up against her will.

Lucas' POV

Lucas sat on the bed in his room, staring hard at the two pictures in his hands. One of them was of himself and Haley and the other of himself and Peyton. Lately it felt as if Peyton had been lying to him. Was she cheating on him? It felt like she was pulling away from him. He thought they were so in love with each other. It pained him to think that she may be cheating on him, he loved her so much.

He gazed at the photograph of himself and Haley. They had been best friends for nearly sixteen years, since they'd been in diapers. Lately, he and Haley had been hanging out a lot more, much to his satisfaction. He loved spending time with his best friend. She was one of a kind, that Haley James. He loved her quirky smile, her infectious laugh, her sarcastic and joking attitude she had yet still was serious and smart. She was beautiful even though Haley would never admit it; she never thought of herself as all that pretty compared to the popular girls or the beach blonde bimbos as she so despisingly called some of the girls in the popular crowd that weren't her friends of course. He stared at her smiling face. In the past few days he had begun to think that maybe his strictly platonic feelings were changing for his best friend. Lucas was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door and the object of his thoughts entering his room.

Normal POV

Haley saw Lucas deep in thought as she walked into his bedroom, staring at something in his hands. "Hey Broody, what ya broodin' about," she asked with a smile. Brooke was so rubbing off on her. "Nothing," he replied sullenly as he placed the two pictures back in his nightstand drawer. Haley cocked her head to the side, "Then why do you look so sad? What's bothering you Luke?" She rubbed his back in slow circles to comfort him. Lucas gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to throw caution to the wind and see if he really did have feelings for Haley, his best friend. "I-" he began as he stared up into her brown eyes. There was so much concern and love in them. He decided it was now or never; he needed to know if he really felt about her that way or if he was just confused about how things were going with Peyton. She'd been kind of distant lately. Lucas stood from the bed and placed his hand on her arm before quickly placing his lips on hers, leaving her no time to object.

Haley abruptly pulled away, a furious and confused expression on her face. "Luke, what the hell was that," she screamed. Her first reaction was to hit him but she didn't want to hurt him, neither physically nor emotionally. Lucas pulled back, realizing he hadn't felt anything in the kiss. He had mistaken the love in her eyes; she only had a platonic love for him. He was more reassured now that he needed to patch things up with Peyton. He stared at Haley, looking so vulnerable and uncomfortable by her best friend of fifteen years kissing her. He gently grabbed her elbow in his hand as he gazed at her with pleading eyes, "Hales, I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me…" "How could you do that to your girlfriend? You know, Peyton, my best friend? God Luke, how could you do that to me! I'm your best friend! I'm dating someone," Haley shouted as she flailed her arms about in her rage, not realizing what she had just said.

Lucas' eyes widened in surprise, "What!" The words now sank into Haley's mind and she became still and quiet, fearing what he would do and say when she told him because she knew he wouldn't back down now. He wouldn't stop until she told him. "I-I'm sort of seeing someone…" Haley began meekly, keeping her gaze to the floor. "Who is this guy that you're dating," Lucas demanded angrily, his nostrils flaring and his face turning red. Haley stared at anything and everything but Lucas. "Um well, um, I'm not dating a guy exactly…" she began to bite her bottom lip and wrung her hands in nervousness. His eyes widened even more in shock as this information sunk in. "Y-You mean you're dating a girl," he asked, stuttering, completely stunned and taken aback. Haley nodded silently as she stared at the floor, cringing inwardly, awaiting his outburst. "Who," Lucas asked quietly in a deadly whisper, his voice cold and emotionless. Haley bit her lip again as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Brooke," she whispered. Lucas stared at her silently for a few moments with a seething angry look on his face then turned and ran from his bedroom without a word.