Author's Note: Due to some confusion, Bethany Joy's name is changed to Sydney.

Nathan's POV

I've never been more nervous in my entire life.

Get a hold of yourself Nate. It is just dinner with a friend who is a girl.

See that is the problem though. I don't want be just friends with Haley. I want and need more from her.

I definitely think last night brought things into perspective. I normally never get jealous but the way I saw Chris with Haley, I wanted to rip his fucking head off.

My face proves that Chris can be very violent. I really hope that he never hit Haley this way.

I got a few lucky punches in there but Chris totally beat the crap out of me. Even though my face looks pretty bad and it still hurts, I would do it all over again.

I saw the way Haley tried to break up the fight and it seemed like she cared more about me than she did about Chris.

Also I loved the way she took care of me as well. She let me spend the night on her couch and she thanked me for saving her.

I told her I would do it again and I liked being the one to protect her.

I tried to kiss her but she pulled away and acted like that I didn't even try.

Obviously, my feelings for her are getting stronger and stronger.

I don't know how much longer I can stay quiet.

Tonight, I am going to try to kiss her again and I hope she doesn't pull away this time.

As soon as I left her apartment, I went back to mine and Lucas was waiting for me.

"Dude, what the hell happened to your face?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"I went to Joe's party last night and got into a confrontation with a friend's ex-boyfriend. He was man-handling her and I had to stop it. I got her away from him but then he head butted me into the wall. We both fell to the floor and began to beat the crap out of each other. My face took the brunt of the fight. Then the police showed up and we both got hauled downtown. After three hours, I was let go and the other guy Chris was charged with two counts of assault. The friend was waiting for me and she felt horrible that this happened to me. I went back to her apartment and she cleaned up most of my face. She gave me an ice pack for my eye and insisted I spend the night on her couch. So I did and now here I am," I explained.

"Damn, that sounds like a pretty crazy night. So this "friend" of yours, where did you meet her?" he said using air quotes.

I explained how we met four days ago in a cab ride into the city. Then I saw her again a few hours later but she didn't seem interested in me. Yesterday we bumped into each other at the coffee shop and she spilled coffee on me. I told her she could make it up to me by going to Joe's party with me.

"Does this girl have a name?" he asked.

"Her name is Haley and I'm hoping after tonight, we will be friends and lovers," I cracked a small joke.

"Of course, this one will just be another notch in your bedpost. Don't you ever want to settle down and possibly get married?" he sighed and asked me the same damn question for the millionth time.

"Would you please stop asking me that stupid question???!!! When the time is right, I will settle down. For now, I like playing the field and keeping my options open. Not everybody meets the love of their life in high school like you and Peyton did. Now stop harassing me and just let me go back to sleep. I am exhausted still," I said walking into my room.

"Before you do that, I really think you should go to the hospital. I'm surprised you didn't do that last night. You need to make sure that nothing is broken and that there are no internal injuries either," Lucas said stopping me from collapsing into bed.

He pushed me out of the room and out of the apartment as well. We got into a cab and went straight to the hospital.

Two hours later, Lucas and I walked out of the hospital. I had no broken bones and there were no internal injuries either. My face was just badly bruised and it should heal fine.

"Are you happy now, you big baby?" I complained to my brother.

"Yes I am. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I can't have the best lawyer in New York sidelined with an injury. Now you can go home and rest. I need to be getting home myself. Peyton and I have a doctor's appointment today," Lucas explained.

I gave him a quick hug and wished him and Peyton luck. They were trying to have a baby.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived back to my apartment and there was a message on my answering machine.

"Mr. Scott, this is Detective Harris from the New York City Police Department. I just wanted to inform you that Mr. Keller was released on bail this morning. We highly recommend that you and Ms. James file a restraining order against him. You and Ms. James can come in anytime to do this. Please take this into consideration. Thank you and have a nice day," the detective said.

"Fuck!" I yelled to no one in particular. I threw my keys against the wall and I hid my face into my hands.

I swear to fucking God if that stupid prick goes after Haley, I won't be responsible for my actions.

That is when I noticed my cell phone was ringing. I quickly answered it because it was Haley.

"Hey you, I was hoping you would call soon," I said.

"Hey, I wanted to see how you were feeling. Are you still up for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"My face is still sore and really cold from all the ice I've putting on it. However, I cannot wait to see you. What time did you want to come over?" I exclaimed.

"I need to go to the store to get things to make for dinner. What would you like to eat?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to make is fine with me," I said.

"O.k. I should be at your place within the hour. I can't wait to see you too," she admitted.

"I guess my hot body left an impression on you," I joked sounding very cocky.

She laughed and then we said our goodbyes.

An hour later, I heard a knock at the door. I quickly opened it and my jaw literally fell to the floor.

Haley was wearing a royal blue dress that showed off all of her curves, the v-neck showed a little bit of cleavage, and her heels totally screamed "FUCK ME." Her hair hung loosely down her back and I wanted to run my fingers through it. Her lips were shiny with lip gloss and I felt a sudden urge to just lick it off.

She surprised me by throwing herself into my open arms.

"Hey," she whispered into my chest.

"Hey," I whispered back and had to swallow the lump in my throat.

After our embrace, I hesitantly told Haley about the phone call I received. She seemed shocked and scared.

I reassured her that everything was going to be alright. I suggested that we go right away to get it done and over with.

So we left the apartment and found a cab.

On the way, I asked her about Sydney. I was curious to find out how they knew each other. I figured they weren't related but you never know.

Haley seemed a little hesitant to tell me, but she did anyway.

I found out Sydney is an orphan and Haley is her social worker. They've known each other for three years now and have become really great friends. Haley is pretty determined to find Sydney a family.

"Have you always lived in NYC?" I asked.

"No, I use to live in a little town outside of Wilmington, North Carolina called Tree Hill. I loved it there, but it was time for a change," she spoke and I could see the pain in her eyes.

I was going to question it, but I decided not to.

"How about you Mr. Lawyer, have you always lived in NYC?" she asked with a smile.

"I was born and raised in the big and bad city. My dad has his own law firm, so I was doomed from the start to become a lawyer. How did you end up becoming a social worker?" I asked.

"I wanted to make a difference and I've always had a knack for helping people. My friend Brooke talked me into getting my degree for it. I'm glad because I never would have met Sydney. She has become a really great friend and someone I can count on. I haven't had that many people in my life besides Brooke. Her and Sydney have become my rocks in life," she spoke from her heart and I was taken with each word.

Obviously Haley has been hurt and pretty bad too. I hope to become a person she can count on as well.

The driver stopped at the station and we went inside. The same detective that called me earlier helped us fill out the paperwork. He told us if Chris comes within 100 feet or more of either one of us, we are urged to call the police immediately. We thanked him for everything and Chris would be served the papers as soon as possible.

We walked out of the station hand in hand and I suggested that we go to the liquor store.

I bought vodka, peach snapps, grenadine, orange juice, and strawberry juice. I was going to make drinks called Red Hot Lovers.

Finally, we made it back to my apartment and I gave her a quick tour.

Then she banned me from the kitchen and began to make dinner. I sat in the living room and I felt my phone vibrate. Lucas sent me a text message.

-Guess what?

-What?

-You are going to be an uncle!!!

-Wow man that is awesome. Congrats to you and Peyton.

-Thanks. What are you up to?

-I'm having dinner with Haley so I will talk to you later.

-I'm guessing dessert will be in your bedroom. Make sure you have protection little brother.

-Dude, does your wife know you talk dirty like this?

-Dude, Peyton loves when I talk dirty lol.

-O.k. I'm grossed out now.

-Good because I'm grossed out too. Talk to you later.

I can't believe I am going to be an uncle. I am super happy for Lucas and Peyton. They definitely deserved to be happy and it made me feel jealous for some reason.

"Nathan, dinner is ready," Haley yelled from the kitchen.

I jumped up and ran into the dining room.

The table was set for two and the candles burned brightly.

Haley came out with a big bowl in her hand. She set it on the table with a big grin on her face.

"Mac and cheese?" I asked curiously.

"Dude, Mac and cheese is the food of the gods," she fired at me.

"Yeah if the gods are five year olds," I fired back at her.

We both laughed and then sat down.

"This is my own recipe and I really hope you like it," she said.

"I was just teasing; I cannot wait to taste it," I said.

For the rest of the meal, we were pretty silent.

Haley is hands down the best chef ever. The Mac and cheese tasted heavenly.

I helped her do the dishes and I broke out the drinks. I made the Red Hot Lovers drink and I could tell Haley really liked it.

After the fourth one, I could tell she was relaxed. I decided to ask her about her relationship with Chris.

Haley explained that she and Chris dated for almost two years. He and Sydney didn't get along and it put a strain on their relationship. He became jealous that Haley spent most of her time at the orphanage. He wanted to get married and move to Los Angeles, California. Haley didn't want to leave nor was she ready for that type of commitment. Eventually, their romance began to sizzle out and they decided to break up.

I could tell there was more to the story and I was dying to know.

"Is there more that you are not telling me?" I demanded.

She shook her head yes and I could see the tears spilling from her eyes.

"I really want to tell you Nathan, but I can't. It will ruin everything," she whispered as the tears kept falling.

I pulled her onto my lap and cradled her in my arms.

"Haley, whatever you tell me will not ruin anything. I'm already in this too deep to just walk away. I promise what you tell me will be kept in confidence. Remember I am a lawyer; so that means I am a great secret keeper," I whispered into her hair and held her very tightly.

She lifted up her head and our eyes locked with each other.

This would have been the perfect moment to kiss her, but I needed her to talk first.

For the next twenty minutes, she told me about her childhood and teenage years. When she was eight, her parents went through a very nasty divorce. She lived with her grandparents for almost a year before the custody battle was resolved. She lived with her mom and went to her dad's house every other weekend. They used Haley to get what they wanted and it caused her a lot of psychological and emotional harm. She started going to counseling at 16 and her therapist suggested she emancipate herself. I was shocked beyond belief by all of this. The last time she talked to or even saw her parents was the day she handed them the papers. I can see why she and Sydney get along so well. Neither one of them have parents. After emancipating herself, she moved in with her friend Brooke. Basically, Brooke saved her life in so many ways. She gave Haley a real home and a shoulder to cry on. I hope to meet Brooke one day and thank her for all that she has done for my girl.

Wow! Did I just say my girl??

Normally, I would be running in the other direction. I usually don't get attached like this.

Obviously, Haley is different from any other girl I have ever met. I think I want a real and committed relationship with her. I'm not sure she wants the same though. The term "once burned, twice shy" definitely pertains to her.

Haley continued to cry and I wished I could make all of her pain go away.

I consoled her and rubbed her back soothingly.

After what felt like a lifetime, she stopped crying.

"Uggh every time you see me, I am falling apart at the seams," her voice cracked as she wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand.

I went into the kitchen and found a box of tissues. I returned to the living room and handed them to her.

She thanked me and when we both reached for a tissue, our hands touched.

I felt an immediate spark and I'm sure she felt it too.

Our eyes locked together again and I knew at this moment, there was no going back.

I put my hand on her cheek and leaned closer to her face.

I saw her eyes flutter closed and I was milliseconds from kissing her beautiful lips.

BANG BANG BANG.

"Nathan, it's me. Open the door!" we heard a voice yell from outside my door.

We both literally jumped away from each other because the banging at the door scared us half to death.

I groaned loudly and got up to answer the door.

My best friend Joe Jonas (yes from the Jonas Brothers) was waiting anxiously and pushed past me to get inside.

"Dude, I have major news for you…." his voice trailed off at the end because he saw Haley standing in my living room.

"Well hello there. I'm Joe," he introduced himself.

"I'm Haley, nice to meet you. I was actually just leaving," she spoke in a hurry and practically ran like a bat out of hell.

I tried to stop her but she kept running.

"Thanks a lot Joe," I spoke sarcastically.

"What?" he asked looking at me confused.

"I was finally getting somewhere with Haley and you completely ruined it. Also it's because of your party last night that my face looks like this," I spoke angrily.

"Aww hell Nate, I'm sorry. I feel awful, I really do. It's just that I am so damn happy right now that nothing can bring me down. I am getting married," he said with a stupid grin on his face.

"Congratulations Joe. I am really happy for you and Vicki. I'm sure you bought her a beautiful ring. Now you need to leave because I have to fix things with Haley. I really like her and normally I would have given up already. However, Haley is different from the rest. I honestly think she is the one for me. So I will talk to you later and once again congrats," I admitted as I lead him out of the door.

I slammed it in his face and grabbed my cell phone.

I dialed Haley's number and waited anxiously for her to answer.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hales, I am so sorry for what happened. I wasn't expecting Joe to come over and I feel terrible. Please let me make it up to you," I pleaded.

"I'm sorry I ran away. I was just confused by everything that happened tonight. I've never told anyone about my life except to Brooke and Sydney. Chris knew my parents divorced but I never told him the other stuff. I need to be sure what I said is kept in confidence. I know you gave that spiel about being a great secret keeper, so please don't play me for a fool," she pleaded back.

"Haley James, I swear I will never a breath a word about this. You have my word on that. I hope one day we can have a normal date and not be interrupted. Are you back at your apartment yet?" I promised to her.

"I'm still in a cab on my way back. My phone is about to die, so I'm going to go now. I will talk to you later," she said before hanging up.

I wanted to say more but the call ended just like that.

I decided that I would call her tomorrow and try to figure out what was happening between us.

I cleaned up the rest of the apartment, locked the door, charged my phone, and crashed into my bed.

I had awesome dreams about Haley and it confused the hell out of me even more.

In one dream, we were having sex on a private beach.

The next dream had us making love in the shower.

The final dream woke me up with the biggest hard on in my life: we were making love as husband and wife in my bed.

Also what woke me up was my cell phone ringing. I jumped out of bed and tried to hide the "tent" in my pants.

It's not like whoever was calling me could see it, but it was strange anyway.

"Hello," I said trying to catch my breath.

"Oh god, did I wake you up? I'm so sorry," I heard a beautiful voice say.

I looked down at my phone and saw it was Haley calling me.

"Nope I was already awake. I just couldn't find my phone," I said lying through my teeth. She had no idea how much she "woke" me up.

"I was wondering if you had to work today," she asked.

"Nope, I never work on Thursdays or Fridays because they are my party days," I joked.

"Haha you definitely do not seem like the party type, but who am I to judge? Anyway, I was hoping we could get together for lunch. If you aren't busy," she asked.

YES!!!!!!!!!

"Wow that was an enthusiastic yes," she laughed.

Oh shit, did I say that out loud?

"Yes you did say it out loud and it's o.k. I'm very glad you did," she laughed once more.

I began to laugh as well and it felt nice.

"So I was thinking you could come over my place. Obviously going out and your place are hazardous," she said after we finally stopped laughing.

"Very true; your place sounds great. I can be there in 20 minutes," I said feeling excited.

"O.k. I will be waiting," she said.

I hung up the phone and searched for something decent to wear.

Five minutes later, I was out the door and hauling down a cab. I gave the driver Haley's address and I began to think of ways of finally kissing her.

When we arrived at her apartment, I paid the driver and ran up all the steps. I made it to her door and began to knock.

She opened the door with a smile on her face. She was wearing a t-shirt and sweats, but she never looked more beautiful.

She led me inside and gave me a tour. Lunch was very enjoyable as well. We had tuna fish sandwiches, chips, ice tea, and brownies for dessert.

Afterwards, we spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies. We watched Super Bad, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Ugly Truth.

Dinner time rolled around and I proposed that we order pizza. We decided to split it and Haley brought out some beers for us to drink. Also Haley brought out the Season One DVD of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (my all time favorite show and hers too apparently).

Time got away from us and before we knew it, it was almost midnight.

I figured it was time to leave (even though I wasn't ready to).

"Well Haley, this has been a lot of fun. I guess I should cut out now," I said getting up from the couch.

"Yeah, it is getting late. Thanks so much for spending the afternoon and night with me. It was a lot of fun and we have to do it again soon," she said with a smile.

"Absolutely," I exclaimed.

Haley walked me to the door and I was mentally screaming at myself to kiss her.

We hugged briefly and she kissed me on the cheek.

"Bye Nate," she whispered.

"Bye Hales," I whispered feeling like a coward right now.

I walked out of the apartment and I wanted to kick myself.

Why I am being such a chicken shit about this?

I made it to the elevator and I realized I was making a huge mistake right now.

I ran back to her door and knocked anxiously. It felt like forever before she answered.

She opened the door and before she could ask why I was back, I took the plunge.

I pulled her gently, but firmly into my arms. My lips crashed into hers and I moaned with the sensation I was feeling.

I never wanted this kiss to end, but she broke the embrace.

Before I could ask why, she dragged me back into the apartment. Then she jumped into my arms and kissed me back with a lot of intensity and urgency.

Our tongues fought for dominance and we just couldn't get enough of each other.

I walked us to the couch and threw her down onto it. She pulled me on top of her and began to grind up against me. The erection in my pants was straining against my zipper.

Our lips found each other's again, again, and again. It's like we were addicted now and just couldn't stop.

She pulled away slightly and whispered roughly, "do you have something?"

Those words went straight to my groin and I swear I got harder.

I quickly searched for a condom and found one in my wallet.

She took off her shirt and bra and I took off my shirt as well. I helped her with her sweat pants and panties. She helped me with my jeans and boxers.

I put the condom on and didn't waste time plunging myself inside of her.

My eyes practically rolled into the back of my head because this felt so damn wonderful.

Haley wrapped her legs around my waist and begged for me to go harder.

I complied with her wishes and began to thrust even harder. Her moans, groans, and screams were turning me on even further.

Finally, my dreams were coming true. However, the real thing was infinity times better.

I could feel the tell tale sign in my spine that I was going to come like any minute. I wanted her to come with me as well.

I lifted up one of her legs and put it on my shoulder. I began to thrust even hard and with every down stroke, my pubic bone hit her clit. She began to gasp and moan even louder.

"You like that?" I breathed heavily into her ear.

She nodded and whimpered as I shoved my tongue in her mouth.

"You are so fucking hot right now. Seeing you writhing underneath is making my dick even harder. So I need you to come right this second," I demanded knowing I couldn't hold out much longer.

That is when she let go and we both came with a beautiful passion.

We rode out the aftershocks of our orgasms and tried to calm down our bodies.

"Hi," I whispered pushing the hair out of her face before capturing her lips with my own.

"Hey," she whispered as she snuggled closer into my chest.

"I guess we should talk about what happened," I spoke hesitantly.

"I actually have a better idea," she teased.

"Please tell me it involves your bedroom and more condoms?" I teased right back.

"Wow you are a mind reader Mr. Scott," she said sarcastically.

"I guess I am just that good," I spoke sounding totally cocky.

We both laughed and then we kissed once more.

I picked her up and she showed me the way to her bedroom.

We spent the rest of the night having sex and just talking randomly.

I don't think we fell asleep until 6am. It didn't matter because it was very nice to have Haley in my arms.

We fell asleep in each other's arms and I hoped nothing would ever tear us apart.