To those who are wondering how many chapters this is going to be, right now, I have it planned to be about 30. Unlike Razor Sharp, I haven't had the chance to write ahead in this story yet, so things might change. I might decided to add or delete things or combine different parts of different chapters. But as of now, 30 chapters. I'll keep you guys updated! Speaking of writing, I actually started planning out another story. It's kind of a side project for right now because my main focus is finishing this one. I'm not planning on posting that story until I'm done with this one/further into that one. Prewriting stories make things so much less stressful.

I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! It's kind of filler-y. I don't want to say it's a legit filler chapter because some important things do happen, but it's not exactly as action packed as other chapters, if that makes any sense, lol.

P.S I posted this in a rush and only skimmed over it. I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors.

Everyone was staring at her and by everyone, she meant everyone. She felt like she was locked in a glass cage at a zoo and she was the new exhibit that people spent an extra fifteen dollars to see. Everywhere she looked, she was met with another pair of prodding eyes. She opted for keeping her head down and for walking, but not before looking over her outfit. She didn't forget to put pants on this morning or something, did she?

Haley successfully made it through the courtyard without making eye contact with one of her new…admirers. All of this unwarranted attention was starting to make her nervous. She was never a big fan of crowds or attention. Her stomach was already starting to feel queasy. Once her locker came in sight, she felt a slight moment of reprieve. That reprieve strengthened when she noticed Brooke and Peyton already waiting for her.

"What in the world is going on?" She hissed when she approached her locker. Her eyebrows furrowed in aggravation and confusion when her friends started to snicker.

"It's nothing serious," Peyton assured her. "It's just, well—"

"The female population at Tree Hill High basically hates your guts right about now," Brooke finished for her.

Haley's eyes widened in terror and in shock. "What? Why?"

Brooke waved her hands in a nonchalant manner. "Because you, my hot friend, are the reason Nathan Scott is no longer on the market. Not that those bimbos had any chance with Nathan to begin with, considering he was so anti-dating, but now you have really screwed their chances."

"Brooke!" Haley half-whispered, half-yelled. "I thought I told you not to tell anyone!"

After her date with Nathan, Brooke and Peyton had practically held her down until she told them every single detail of what happened. After admitting to them that her and Nathan were officially together—and after Brooke got all of her squeals out—Haley made them promise that they weren't going to spread it around. She liked the fact that things were pretty low-key between them and she hated gossip, but apparently that was all shot to hell now.

"Oh, we didn't say anything," Peyton said as she motioned between her and Brooke. "Apparently, someone saw the two of you dancing and kissing on the riverfront. Whoever that person was wasted no time telling everyone."

Haley's face flamed up as she rested her head against her locker. The cool metal felt refreshing against her heated skin. A groan of discomfort escaped her lips. "That's just great."

"Look, Tutor Girl, it's not that big of a deal," Brooke tried to soothe. "People were eventually going to find out about the two of you anyway. Give it a few days and people will find something else to obsess over."

"How can you be so sure?" Haley mumbled.

"Because I've been there. It was like this when Julian and I started dating. It wasn't as extreme, but it happened," Brooke explained. "Within in a week, everyone had forgotten."

"I take back everything I ever said about wanting to live in a small town."

~x~

"Who knew that you and Haley would be the new—what did Brooke say that one celebrity couple's name was? Brangelina? Yeah that's it—Brangelina of Tree Hill High?" Jake joked as Lucas and Nathan made their way into school.

Nathan shook his head as he rolled his eyes. He had a feeling something like this was going to happen. Tree Hill…it was a gossip town. The fact that it was such a small and close-knit community was most likely the reason for that. He wasn't fazed much by the gossip. Hell, at this point, he was used it. He was the center of all the gossip when he made varsity, when he was cut from the team, when he started hanging out with Damien, and then again after his parents died. It was background noise to him now.

However, he knew that being the center of everyone's gossip was foreign to Haley. He was anxious to find her and make sure she was okay.

"See, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you guys about Haley and me," Nathan murmured, his tone light and playful. "You guys just don't know when to quit with the jokes."

"Okay, but in our defense," Lucas began. "We knew that you had feelings for Haley and we knew something was going on between the two of you. Your stubborn ass just wouldn't admit it. So, excuse us for feeling a little victorious right about now."

Nathan shook his head, but the smile still remained on his face. "I wouldn't get too excited just yet. It's only been about seventy-two hours. I still have plenty of time to fuck something up."

The hint of sorrow and bitterness in Nathan's tone didn't go unnoticed by Lucas or Jake. Nathan did seem almost completely happy the last few days, which was kind of hard to get used to. There was less pain and fury in his eyes. His face had a little more color to it and he was smiling a lot more. However, there was still something off about him. He seemed jumpier than usual and he constantly looked like he was fretting about something.

"Is there something bothering you?" Lucas asked as they walked through the front doors of the school. He was used to Nathan brushing off his questions of concern, but that didn't stop him from asking them.

"No, I'm fine," Nathan quickly responded.

He knew that he had to tell them about Damien eventually. In fact, he had spent most of the weekend trying to figure out how he was going to tell them. They were going to be pissed. Actually, pissed was too nice of a word, they were going to be livid. Nathan already knew they were going to try and talk him out of it. He thought about not telling them, but quickly realized that wasn't a smart idea. If something went wrong…he needed someone in his corner.

"You sure?" Jake spoke up.

"We'll talk later," Nathan mumbled forcefully, signaling the end of that conversation.

"Someone's anxious to see their girl," Jake said in a sing-song voice, causing Lucas to laugh.

"And you guys wonder why I don't ever tell you anything," Nathan grumbled as the turned the corner and began to walk down the hallway their lockers were in. His eyes immediately found Haley. He frowned when he saw that she looked distressed and uncomfortable.

"Well, if it isn't lover boy," Peyton teased Nathan approached the girls, Jake and Lucas trailing not far behind him.

Nathan narrowed his eyes and scrunched his face up before turning his attention Haley. "You alright?"

Haley smiled weakly at him. "Yeah, I am now."

"This is kind of…weird," Lucas pointed out. "All of us 'hanging' out in public."

Brooke shrugged. "I don't mind making new friends or repairing old friendships." Her eyes cut to Jake, who smiled. "But, we should get going. The bells about to ring."

When Brooke started to head towards her first class of the day, she met up with Julian. She bit her bottom lip when she saw the angry expression on his face. She was aware of the fact that Julian wasn't happy with the new development between Nathan and Haley. She still didn't understand his hostility and every time she asked, he changed the subject or ignored her question altogether. It was really starting to get on her nerves.

"They're happy, Julian," Brooke said lowly as she grabbed his hand. "Can't you just let that be?"

"After all the pain he's put my family through, no, I can't," Julian gritted out. His eyes remained forward and he refused to even look in Nathan's direction.

"Julian…"

"Just drop it, Brooke."

Meanwhile, Nathan and Haley were having their own issues as they were walking to class. Nathan, following his natural instincts, had grabbed Haley's hand. The whispers and murmurs through the hallway seemed to increase at that affectionate action. Take back feeling like a zoo exhibit, Haley now felt like she was in a fish bowl.

"Nathan," She squeaked. "Everyone's staring."

Nathan took a quick glance around the hallway and sure enough, all eyes were on them. He hadn't really noticed, because again, he was used to it. He felt how tense Haley was and he did the first thing that came to his mind. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face Haley. He smirked when she looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice coming out a little puffy.

He dropped her hand only to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. His smirk widened when she gasped. "Then, why don't we give them a show?"

"Nathan—" She was cut off by the feel of his lips on hers. The kiss was slow, but meaningful. Instantly, she brought her hands up to grip his shoulders.

Haley never thought she was would care much for PDA. Maybe hand holding and a few kisses here and there would be okay. But the thought of making out with her boyfriend in front of a crowd full of people felt a little…not in her comfort zone. However, from the second Nathan kissed her, everything seemed to melt away. All of the people whispering about them and staring at them were suddenly gone. She lost all sense of time and place. Nathan was the only thing she had clear focus of.

"Oh, yuck!" Lucas grimaced.

"Gross, I think I just saw Nathan's tongue," Jake blurted out with disgust.

"Why did we want them together, again?" Peyton asked while shielding her eyes.

Nathan pulled away from Haley, laughing. Haley, whose face was a red as a tomato, buried her face in Nathan's chest. She used his jacket to make sure she was hidden. She couldn't believe she'd actually let Nathan kiss her like that…in front of everyone! Boy, was she in trouble.

~x~

Haley sighed tiredly as she dropped her backpack on the ground by her front door. Today was exhausting, to say the least. After a while, she figured out how to tune out the staring and the whispers. However, that didn't stop girls from coming up to her and saying "oh my god! Is it true that you and Nathan Scott are dating? How did you manage that? I've been trying to get with him for soooo long." The dirty looks that a few girls shot her way were also a little disheartening.

She felt better with Nathan and all of their friends by her side. It was kind of odd to see everyone hanging out with each other now. It's not like they were all instantly the best of friends, but at least everyone was cordial with one another. It felt like things were falling in place…the beginning of something good. Great, even.

It amazed her how much her life had changed over the last month, plus a couple of days. From the moment that the moving trucks had pulled into Tree Hill, she knew that it was a special place. She didn't want to think about the logistics of everything, like the fact that her boyfriend had a torrid past or the fact that she still wasn't sure what was doing on with her tutoring Damien. She was supposed to start tutoring him last week, but he never showed. Whenever she asked Nathan about it, he just said he was taking care of it. That concerned her, but she wasn't going to think about it, not when she was as happy as she was.

Her euphoria was short lived, however. She could vaguely hear the sound of someone crying coming for her kitchen. Haley furrowed her eyebrows as she began to walk towards the sound. "Mom?"

Haley's heart broken when she saw him mom sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands, and her should shaking with the intensity of her cries. When she took a step forward, she realized that her mom's suitcase was packed and sitting next to her. In front of Lydia was a picture, but Haley couldn't tell what the picture was from where she was standing.

"Mom?" She called out again.

This time, Lydia did look up. As soon as she saw Haley standing there, she quickly wiped the tears from under her eyes and the tear tracks from her cheeks. "Oh, Haley, sweetie, I didn't hear you come in."

"Is everything okay? Why do you have a bag packed?" Haley asked shakily.

"Business trip," Lydia responded curtly as she stood up from the table. Her eyes were puffy and a few tears were still falling from her eyes. "The company is sending me to New York for a sponsorship meeting."

Haley's heart sank. "How long will you be gone?"

"About two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Haley asked with wide eyes, flabbergasted. "Isn't that kind of a long time for a business trip?"

Lydia shrugged, brushing by Haley to grab her suitcase. "They're also sending me to Chicago after New York. One week in each place."

"But, Thanksgiving's next week. We always do something special since it was Dad's favorite and—"

"Well, we'll just have to celebrate when I get back," Lydia muttered. Her demeanor suggested that she thought Haley was overreacting and it caused Haley to tense up.

"It won't be the same," She mumbled lowly.

Haley was used to her mom's mood swings, but this…this she couldn't handle. Moments before, Haley caught her crying, now her expression was stoic. Thanksgiving was always her Dad's favorite holiday, probably because he could eat as much food as he wanted without getting yelled at. The fact that her mom was willing to give up a tradition that they'd made in his honor didn't sit well with her.

Lydia sighed as she swung her purse over shoulder. "Traditions change, honey. Now, look, I've got to be getting to the airport."

Haley felt her temper flare up at that. "Why were you crying a few minutes before?"

"I wasn't," Lydia quickly denied.

Haley shook her head in disbelief. "Yes, you were. I saw and heard you."

"It was nothing."

Haley wasn't sure why, but she cracked in that moment. Maybe it was because her mom had just dropped the bombshell on her that she was leaving. Maybe it was because she was actually over the moon happy for once and of course her mom had to ruin it. Whatever it was, she couldn't stop the words from flowing out of her mouth even if she tried.

"Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I can't handle it? Denying the fact that you were drinking or crying doesn't magically erase it from my memory. I see you, Mom. I see the empty bottles and I see the soiled tissues. Why can't you just be honest with me?"

"I'm not talking about this with you right now," Lydia declared, never once looking in Haley's direction as she got the rest of her things ready.

"You rarely ever want to talk about it!" Haley shot back.

"Maybe you should get the hint then, Haley," Lydia said coolly as she started to head towards the front door. "I love you, kid, but you're driving me crazy. I'll see you in two weeks."

The front door slammed shut and all Haley could do was stand there. Another day with Lydia James, another heartache for Haley James.

~x~

Nathan felt like he couldn't breathe. The cloud of cigarette smoke surround him was so thick he could barely see two feet in front of him. The smell caused his throat to burn and his chest to feel tight. He'd forgotten just how much he hated cigarette smoke. He'd done a lot of stupid things when he was with Damien, but never once did he pick up a cigarette. Although, in comparison, smoking a cigarette would be considered nothing to things he's done.

He couldn't believe that he was actually back in that pool house. It felt like he had stepped through a time machine and it had brought him back to the worst part of his life, only now, he was a completely different person. However, that didn't stop the memories from hitting him full force. All the times he got so drunk that he could barely remember his own name or all of the times he let Damien convince him to take some tainted drug that ended up having scary side effects.

It all felt like a lifetime ago, yet it was still so fresh that it physically hurt to breathe. This time was different, though. He wasn't reckless like he was all those years ago. This time joining Damien wasn't a moment of weakness, it was a moment of hope and finally finding the strength that he desperately needed to fight off every demon that had haunted him for the last few years. \

He just had to find a way to get into Damien's "office" without being seen or caught. All of the answers he needed were in that room. His freedom was in that room.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and a wave of guilt came over him when he saw Lucas' name flash across the screen. When Damien had first told him to stop by, Nathan was tempted to say no. He quickly realized that if he wanted Damien to believe that he was loyal, he couldn't say no. Getting around Lucas, however, was another challenge. He was a coward, he knew that. He eventually had to come clean with Lucas and with Jake, but he wasn't sure how.

So, when Lucas asked where he was headed, he said that he needed to go for a walk to clear his head. It wasn't hard to convince him, considering going for a walk was something Nathan did often. It made him sick, but it was what he had to do.

"You should be happy to know that I am no longer enrolled at Tree Hill High and your precious Haley is no longer my tutor," Damien said with a smirk as he plopped down on the couch across from Nathan, a beer in his hand.

Nathan's eyes narrowed as he felt a surge of anger run through him. "So, that whole entire thing really was just your way of fucking with me."

Damien shrugged, leaning back so that his arm was resting on the back of the couch. "Maybe, maybe not."

"You're unbelievable," Nathan muttered under his breath. He knew from the beginning that nothing Damien ever did was a "coincidence", but getting confirmation made his blood boil.

"What exactly is going on between you and Haley anyway?" Damien asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Is this something serious or is she just another one of your conquests? I bet she is just another one of your conquests. You were always good at getting the pure and innocent ones to fall for your charm."

"Why do I need to give you any of the gory details? It sounds like you've got me all figured out," Nathan stated, forcing himself to smirk and to seem genuine. The less Damien knew about the nature of his relationship with Haley, the less ammunition Damien had against him.

Damien smiled. There was never anything genuine about his smile. There was always this underlying sinister quality to it. "You forget that I am the one who knows you the best."

"Why exactly did you want me back in your little group anyway? It seems like you have plenty of 'friends' to go around," Nathan muttered, choosing to ignore his last comment.

"That's for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot," Damien said with a snicker.

Nathan rolled his eyes. Being around Damien felt like he was walking on eggshells, emotionally. He wanted nothing more than just to beat his face in. "After all these years, you're still as ridiculous as ever.

"I don't know you chose to hurt me like this," Damien said, feign hurt. He placed his hand over his heart. "After everything I've done for you…"

"After everything you've done for me? I think you mean everything that you've done to me," Nathan spat back. He was slowly creeping towards losing control and he had to force himself to reign his anger back in. He couldn't afford pissing off Damien again.

"Oh, I think the good weighs out the bad. I forgave you of your debt and I'm letting you have Haley,"

Nathan scoffed at that. "Because manipulating someone into doing something that they don't want to do is such an honorable move."

Damien opened his mouth to respond but stopped when Tim plopped his body down next to Nathan. They shared a smirk before Tim placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder, squeezing it hard.

"What kind of newbie hazing do we have planned for Scott here, huh boss?" Tim asked, his hand clamping down even hard on Nathan's shoulder. His eyes never once left Nathan.

A slow and sinister smile spread across Damien's face. "Nothing…for now, Tim. It's his first day back. Right now, it's a celebration. Someone get him a beer."

Nathan swallowed hard. The urge to just bolt out of there was strong. It didn't take long for Tim to thrust that beer in his hand. He was no stranger to alcohol, but somehow engaging in an activity that Damien had suggested felt…wrong. With all eyes on him, he popped off the cap and took the tiniest sip he could possible. He quickly noticed that beer tasted bitterer than usual and even a little sour. It wasn't the beer though, it was him.

"Are we sure that we can trust this fool?" Bear asked as he walked up to them, his eyes narrow and full of disdain towards Nathan.

Damien laughed a humorless laugh. "Of course we can. Besides, Nathan already knows what the consequences of crossing me are."

Nathan's temper flared at that. This was going to be a long night.

"Come on, let's go play some beer pong."

~x~

His mind was racing as he walked up the stairs leading up to his apartment. He wished he could jump out of his own skin. Being back in that pool house with all of those people that he used to call friends…it took almost everything out of him. He knew it was going to be hard. Memories, all of which were of the bad variety, plagued his mind from the moment he walked in. His anxiety was high and his comfort meter was pretty much pegged.

He continued to remind himself that there was a purpose for him being there. He didn't have to become the person he used to be and he wasn't going to. His sole purpose was to find a way to connect that piece of metal with Damien's marking on it to Damien and the fire at his house. It was dangerous, but he had to do it.

As soon as Damien handed him that beer, he knew he had to find a way to get out of there. When he wasn't looking, Nathan was able to dump the beer out and dispose of the can without him noticing. It didn't come as a shock to him that Damien mentioned absolutely nothing about his drug ring or anything along those lines. It was going to take some time before Damien trusted him with that again.

But right now, the only thing on his mind was Haley, which was why he texted her to come over. She was his calm and right now, calm is what he needed. His body craved the warmth that accompanied her, the sense of home and care that he was lacking. With her, he could be free.

As quickly as he could, he made his way inside of his apartment. Tossing his car keys on the kitchen counter, he pulled off his leather jacket and threw it over the back of the couch. The apartment was quiet and empty, but he knew Haley was already there. He could sense her. Most people would probably find something like that unnerving, but he didn't.

He walked to the back of his apartment and he instantly felt a million times better when he saw Haley sitting in the middle of his bed. She was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a light blue v-neck, her hair a curly mess. From the looks of it, she was flipping through some sports magazine he had left on his bed side table. His heart was hammering in his chest. He felt better, but he needed more.

She looked up at the sound of him entering his room, her beautiful smile illuminating her face. He could vaguely hear her say something about how Lucas let her in and he left to go somewhere. There was only one thing on his mind and what Lucas was doing wasn't it. Crawling on to his bed, he grabbed the magazine out of her hand and threw it to the side. He ignored her questioning gaze as he cupped her face in his hands. Within seconds, he had her flat on her back and he was kissing the lights out of her.

Haley was surprised, to say the least, at Nathan's sudden and forceful actions. He was kissing her like he was a dying man in need of water. The intensity behind it took her breath away and caused her skin to heat up. She could feel the desperation and need in the frantic way he was kissing her, his lips forceful yet passionately soft. His hands were everywhere, trailing up and down the sides of her body.

She buried her fingers in the strands of his thick hair as he gripped on to her waist tightly, pulling her body flush against his. He then trailed his one hand over her hip and down her thigh, hoisting her leg over his hip. She gasped into the kiss when she felt him press her harder into the mattress, his hard body aligned perfectly were her soft one. She wasn't sure what brought on this sudden heated make-out session, but it felt too good for her to question him now. Besides, this was just the distraction she needed from her own life. She could feel herself start to relax, the tension leaving her body.

Nathan could feel all of the stress melting away from his body as tremor after tremor raked through him. He groaned into Haley's mouth when her nails raked over the back of his neck, her soft lips kissing him harder. Involuntarily, he pressed himself more into her. Their bodies were so close together he swore he could feel her heart racing. As always, he felt like he couldn't get enough of her. He wanted more. He needed more.

Tearing his lips away from hers, he began to leave soft kisses on the edge of her jaw and down the side of her neck. Her vanilla scent was starting to drive him crazy, along with the way her body was withering beneath his. The quiet whimpers and moans expelling from her lips weren't helping matters either.

"God, Hales, you have no idea how badly I want you right now," He murmured huskily into her skin, his lips attaching to a sensitive spot right below her ear.

Haley moaned loudly at his heated words and at the feel of his hand sliding underneath her shirt, caressing the smooth skin of her stomach. She could certainly feel how much he wanted her with their bodies pressed so tightly together. It terrified her, but it also thrilled her to know that she could turn him on that much. She knew she was going to have to put a stop to this and soon, but a few more minutes couldn't hurt. The euphoria she was feeling was addicting.

"Nathan," She whimpered when his lips reached her collarbone, his warm tongue lavishing her skin. She was so hot and her heart was beating a mile a minute. Everything he was doing to her and all of the emotions he was bringing out in her felt so good.

Hearing Haley whimper his name like that had something carnal snapping inside of him. The hand that was massaging her stomach slid to her inner thigh. His free hand gripped the pillow beside Haley's head as his lips ventured even lower. His mind felt like it was hazy. Haley was surrounding him in every sense and he never imagined something could feel so good. His desire for her was racing through his veins like a wildfire.

Haley gasped when he squeezed her inner thigh, the nails on her one hand scraping down his t-shirt covered shoulder blades. She knew she had to stop him, especially since his hand was creeping further up her thigh. As good as all of this felt, she wasn't ready to further. She trusted Nathan, but she had morals. She always believed that her first time would be with the man that she loved and while she had strong feelings for Nathan, she wasn't there yet.

Mustering up all of the self-control she had left, she reached in between them to grab his hand. "Nathan, baby, you gotta…" The words died on her lips when he began to kiss the tops of her breasts not covered by the neckline of her shirt. She let out a loud moan before releasing that she really needed to stop him.

Panic started to rise up inside of her and before she even realized what was happening, the words slipped out of her mouth. "You g-gotta stop. I've never done this before." Her face turned about thirty different shades of red when she realized what she had just said.

Nathan completely frozen when Haley's words sunk in. He dropped his head into the crook of her neck as he desperately tried to get his body under control. His heart was still racing and he was still breathing hard. An immense amount of guilt boiled up inside of him. He should have never ravaged Haley like that. The last thing he ever wanted to do was pressure her into something she wasn't ready for. He should have never let himself lose control like that. Once he felt under enough control, he pressed a chaste kiss to the side of her neck before lifting his head up.

"I'm so sorry, baby," He apologized sincerely. It clenched his heart to see the nervous expression on her face. She was chewing on her bottom lip and it was clear by the redness of her cheeks that she was embarrassed by her admission. His first instinct was to reassure her and comfort her. "I-I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright," She choked out.

He shook his head as he sat up and moved so that he was lying beside her. "I shouldn't have done that."

It was Haley's turn to shake her head. "I'm the one who's sorry."

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows as he grabbed her hand. "Hales, you have nothing to be sorry for. I just don't want to do anything to pressure you."

"You weren't," Haley quickly dismissed. "Things got really heated really fast and I was okay with it. Really, I was. I'm just not ready to go there, yet. I also probably shouldn't have blurted it out like that, I'm sorry. "

"Haley, I understand," He promised with a chuckle, squeezing her hand. "We'll go at your own pace, okay?"

Haley was honestly surprised at how understanding Nathan was being about this. She'd heard so many horror stories from girls about how their boyfriends were constantly pressuring them into sex until eventually they gave in. He reminded her of a unicorn in that moment. "You're amazing."

Nathan only smiled. He wanted to counter her statement. He was the furthest thing from amazing, but now didn't seem like the time to be self-deprecating.

Haley glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting pretty late. As much as she didn't want to leave, they had school tomorrow. She scooted off of his bed before standing up. "I should probably get going."

There was a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched her getting ready to leave. He wasn't ready to give up her warmth. After the day he had, the only thing that was going to keep him sane and get him to sleep tonight was her. "Stay the night with me."

Haley stopped putting her shoes on when she heard Nathan speak. Looking up at him, she furrowed her eyebrows. Didn't he just say that he was respecting her wishes to wait? "Nathan…"

He knew what she was thinking and he quickly shook his head. "It's not that, I promise. I've had kind of a rough day and…and I just need to hold you."

Haley's heart melted. Now that she got a good look at him, he did seem on edge. The worry lines were evident on his face and his jaw was tight. And if she were being honest, she didn't want to go back home. Her house would be completely empty and lonely, full of reminders that her mom was gone. Their argument still lingered in the back of her mind and she was eager to find any distraction that she could. Slipping her shoes off of her feet, she nodded. "Okay, I will."

He felt a blissful relief. "Are you sure? Your mom won't mind?" He asked with skepticism.

Haley shook her head. "She's out of town right now.

Nathan nodded as he got up from his bed. Walking over to his closet, he pulled out one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers for her to sleep in. "Here. And uh, I sleep in just a pair of shorts and t-shirt, is that okay?"

Haley smiled at his thoughtfulness and nodded her head. Grabbing the clothes he offered her, she headed to his bathroom to get changed. She was a little apprehensive about staying the night with him. What if she said something embarrassing in her sleep? Or what if she snored too loud? She'd never shared a bed with a boy before and she figured being nervous came with the territory. But even though she was nervous, she still found herself excited. Many nights she had spent awake in her bed, wondering what it would be like the wrapped up in his embrace. Right now, his embrace was just what she needed.

Once she was changed, she walked back into his room. He was already changed and lying in the bed. Taking a deep breath, she crawled into his bed and curled up into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed contently when his arm held her close. She was surprised to feel just how much heat his body radiated off. She wasn't surprised, however, at the amount of safeness she immediately felt.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"I'm perfect."

Nathan smiled as he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head. His fingers delicately stroked the exposed skin of her arm. All of the memories of his horrid day and all of his stress floated away. Holding Haley brought him the peace that he so desperately craved. He closed his eyes and let the soft sound of her breathing and the feel of her body against his lure him into a deep sleep.