Nathan felt his breath catch in his throat as Peyton rushed toward him. He felt an easy smile slip onto his face as he composed himself quickly, waiting for that simple but familiar rush of just being in her presence. He could see tiny silver tears welling in the corners of her eyes, the same green eyes he'd known as well as his own at one point. Even now, his first instinct was to carefully brush them away with the pad of his thumb and apologize for putting them there. While everything in his mind screamed at him not to, he cupped her face in his hands and smoothed the tears away absently. "Hey," he murmured softly as she looked at him.

All the anger that had been there over the past two years didn't matter. It was gone along with the sadness as Peyton leaned against Nathan, reveling in the warm of his body. She wrapped her long arms around his torso and pulled him as close to her as possible. "Hey," she answered back.

Nathan pulled away from her slightly to look back into those green eyes he'd missed so much. "Wanna get out of here?"

She shook her head adamantly, "I'm not ready to let go yet."

With that, Nathan wrapped his own arms around her slender waist and pulled her flush against his toned body. The familiar scent of her hair, the way the curves of her body fit into his, it was all still there. He wanted to tell her everything but couldn't find the words to say anything. He was so aware of everything when she was around.

"How was your flight?" she said into his chest, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes to forever cement this moment in the mental scrapbook she had of her relationship with Peyton.

"Fine," he mumbled as he closed his eyes. A million thoughts were racing through her mind. She felt incredible, he thought to himself. As much as he loved Haley, it always felt like something was missing. With Peyton, in that airport, he felt whole for the first time in more than two years. He pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "You ready now?"

Peyton nodded solemnly as Nathan picked up the bag he had thrown at their feet. Neither of them said another word until they reached the parking lot. One of her friends from the office had dropped her car off in the terminal parking lot after borrowing it for the day. Nathan's face lit up as he spotted the old black convertible. Without any conversation or explanation, Peyton slipped the keys into his hand just as she would have in high school. He grinned at her gratefully as he threw his duffel and slipped behind the wheel.

Once they had gotten past the greeting, the awkwardness of the situation had become stifling once again. Peyton snuck a look at Nathan as he readjusted the seat and started to play with the mirrors. He was even more toned than the last time she had seen him. Other than that, eh was the same boy she had loved at sixteen.

"Thanks for letting me drive," Nathan said finally, breaking the silence. She simply nodded as he turned they key in the ignition, bringing the classic car's engine to life. "Where to, Ms. Sawyer?"

"Well, I have that room at the hotel near your house," he said. "We could go by there and drop off my stuff before we grab dinner."

"Oh," she retorted, the disappointment obvious in her voice.

"I don't want to assume anything, Peyt," he assured her cautiously. He knew that one false step would bring Peyton's walls back up at full force. This was going to be hard enough without having to fight through her tough exterior. "I wasn't sure that you would think it was appropriate."

"Of course it's fine, Nate," she laughed. "And why wouldn't it be appropriate? You're one of my oldest friends. There is plenty of room at my loft."

Still, Nathan felt like he should give her another escape clause. He didn't want her to blame him for making any decisions for her if something didn't go according to plan. "I don't know, Hales doesn't really know I'm here. She's going to be angry enough when she finds out that I'm not up in San Francisco like I said."

"Fine, do what you want, Nate," she shrugged in anger. "You always do."

Nathan turned and looked at her, surprised by her anger. "I'm sorry, you're right. We're adults, and you know what you want," he apologized. "I would love to stay with you, Peyton." As soon as the words escaped from his mouth, his cell phone started blaring from his jeans pocket. He pulled it out and checked the screen. Haley, of course. He glanced at Peyton before answering it, turning slightly to shield the blonde from the conversation.

"Hey, Haley," he answered.

"Hi, Nate, just wanted to check and see how your flight was," she said sweetly over the line. "Did you land okay?"

"Sure, everything's fine."

"How's the weather?"

He cringed as he looked out the window. "Great, a little rainy compared to Tree Hill."

"Send me a postcard, won't ya, Nathan?" she asked kindly. "I'm thinking about starting a collection of all the places you travel so we can give it to Jamie."

"I'll try if I have time," he lied, feeling guilty at the mention of his son. "Look, I have to run."

"Sure, me too," she replied. "I love you, Nathan."

"I love you," he replied as his eyes locked with Peyton's. He saw the shiver run up her spine as he disconnected the call and dropped it into the console. They held each other's gaze for a long moment before she finally turned away.

Nathan smirked as he put the car into reverse. He was secretly enjoying just how nervous he still made her. As he reached down to shift the car into drive, his knuckles brushed against hers. She quickly removed her hand and touched it to her lips out of habit. Then, just as quickly, she went back to what she was doing, putting a bottle of water into the cup holder. "So, Nate, tell me why you're here."