Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I cannot believe that this story already has over 200 reviews! I can't even describe to you how much it all means to me. Last chapter was a nice break from all the angst and drama, right? I'm glad you all liked it, because well...I can't stray from angst too long ;) I'm actually really proud of the way this chapter turned out. I am a little nervous about how I portrayed Nathan and Haley's feelings in the ending scene. It made sense in my head and I'm hoping I wrote it in a way that will make sense to all of you.

I'm not gonna give you all some drawn out explanation, but updates may start to slow down after August 30th because I'll be back in school. I don't know how much they'll slow down because I'm not sure how rigorous my classes are going to be. However, I definitely will not be abandoning this story, so I hope you all won't as well :)

Nathan leaned against the counter as he watched Haley buzz around her kitchen. An amused smile spread across his face as he took in her appearance. Her curly hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, a few ringlets spilling out of the hair tie. Her olive green shirt was spotted with flour, as were her jean clad thighs. Her pretty face was wrinkled in concentration, her eyes narrow and her lips pursed.

Never in a million years did Nathan think he'd find something as domestic as baking sexy, but then again, everything Haley did was sexy.

His eyes did another sweep of the kitchen, almost as if he was trying to memorize every square inch of the place. This was the first time he'd step foot into her house. He was surprised at how bare the place was. The creamed colored walls were scarce of decorations or family photos. Even the furniture was bland and basic. Although, the more he thought about it, a family who moved as much as Haley's probably didn't have time to thoroughly decorate their home.

Even with the simplicity of it, Haley seemed like she loved being there. She seemed like she was comfortable, moving around the house like she had lived there for years. A part of him wondered if she was like that in every place that she moved. With her strength, he couldn't imagine her not making the best out of a screwy situation. He found himself envying her, once again.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Haley let out an agitated sigh. Smirking slightly, Nathan made his way over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently. "Are you sure you don't need any help with this?"

Haley leaned further into his touch, goosebumps prickling her skin as his hot breath danced across her neck. She was stirring the bowl of cake batter and her arm was starting to cramp. "I think I'm okay. Leave it to Brooke to demand that I bring some fancy desert."

Nathan chuckled at the sour edge to her voice. "Are you always this intense when you bake?"

Haley smiled sheepishly, her shoulders sagging a little. "Unfortunately. I get that from my mother."

Nathan smiled as he circled his arms around her, pulling her further into his chest. Haley's fingers trailed against the length of his arm, dropping the mixing spoon into the bowl. "Well, luckily for you, watching you bake is kind of turn on for me."

Haley laughed, despite her reddening cheeks. "Now, I know you're lying. I have flour all over me and I'm all sweaty. I'm sure that's real attractive."

He chuckled huskily, his lips brushing against the side of her throat. He smirked when she shivered in his arms. "I'd never lie about you being sexy."

Haley wanted to roll her eyes as he overly cheesy words, but the way he was kissing her neck prevented her from doing anything but melting into his embrace. She shivered again when his hands began to stroke her stomach. His touch was muted by her shirt, but it still managed to light a fire inside of her. It was always moments like this that brought a little fear forth inside of her. She always believed that the first time she had sex, she would be in love and maybe married. But every single time Nathan kissed her neck like he was or touched her like he was, she was tempted to throw all caution to the wind. His effect on her scared her.

"Y-you're distracting me," She stammered, her grip on his arm tightening. With her free hand, he stilled one of his wandering hands and squeezed it firmly.

"Oh, am I?" He murmured innocently, his kisses trailing up to the shell of her ear. He knew he would have to pull away soon, but he was determined to lose himself in her scent and taste for as long as possible.

"Nathan," Haley protested again, her voice sounding a lot weaker than she would have liked. "Unless you want to deal with Brooke's wrath over why we're late, you better stop that."

Nathan sighed as he reluctantly distanced himself from her, but not before pecking her on the cheek. "Fine, but I'm only stopping because Brooke scares me."

Haley giggled as she glanced at him from over her shoulder. He was leaning against the counter opposite of her and rolling up the sleeves of his navy sweater. "You didn't have to come over so early. We don't have to be at Brooke's until 7:30."

Nathan shrugged. "I know, but Jake wanted Lucas and me to go shopping with him for a new shirt. I kind of told him that we had plans."

Haley's mouth dropped open in mock offense as she whipped around to face him. Her hand fell to her hip. "So, I was just your scapegoat?"

Nathan smiled sheepishly. "Yes?"

Haley laughed, shaking her head. She turned her attention back to the batter was mixing. "You're really pushing your luck today."

"I'm only joking," Nathan laughed. Even though her back was to him, Nathan knew she was smiling. Glancing at the clock, he swallowed hard when he saw they only had about three hours until Brooke's friendsgiving or social gathering or whatever the hell she called it.

He felt silly for being as on edge as he was. He knew everyone that would be attending this dinner and he guessed he could call most of them his "friends." Jake and Lucas were his friends, Haley was his girlfriend, but the rest of them? He was certain they still saw him as the bad guy the rumors made him out to be.

There was this feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake. It felt like dread and anxiety balled up into one sick emotion. Nathan was never one for social gatherings of any kind. They made him uncomfortable and this was no different. More times than not, he would force himself to attend just to appease Lucas or Jake. It would take a great deal of strength, but he managed. He wasn't sure if he could manage tonight.

"I don't think I should go tonight." Nathan hadn't realized he voiced his thoughts out loud until Haley swiveled around to look at him. Her features were wrinkled in confusion and concern.

"Why do you say that?" She asked as she placed the mixing bowl in the sink. She had just finished pouring the batter into a baking pan.

Nathan's shoulders slouched as he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "I don't really know any of your friends. I feel like I'd be intruding."

Haley narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You wouldn't be intruding! That's the whole point of this dinner. Besides, Lucas and Jake will be there. I will be there."

"I know," Nathan sighed. "I don't know…"

Haley smiled softly as she approached him. She could tell he wasn't telling her the whole truth. He was avoiding her gaze and he was acting skittish. "What's the real reason you don't want to go?"

"That is the real reason."

Haley shook her head. "I don't buy it. Talk to me, Nathan."

"How do you do that?" Nathan asked with wide eyes. That voice in his head told him that Haley being able to read him was one of the worst things that could possibly happen. Later, it would probably come to bite him in the ass.

"Do what?" She questioned with an innocent smile.

Nathan dragged his fingers down the length of her arms. "Read me like a book."

Haley shrugged. "Just one of my many talents. Now, tell me."

Nathan stayed quiet for a few seconds as he starred into her prodding eyes. When she motioned for him to start talking, he conceded. "I have this weird feeling. I don't exactly know how to explain it. I guess…I guess I'm just not used to this—being with friends, people other than Lucas and Jake. I guess there was Damien, but his crew weren't really my friends—"

"I see you've picked up my habit of rambling," Haley cut him off, a teasing smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around his torso and ran her hands along his back in a soothing manner. The internal struggle and vulnerability he was dealing with was clearly written all of his face.

"I guess I have," Nathan nervously chuckled, his arms instinctively wrapping around her.

"There's nothing for you to feel weird about or to feel nervous about. Brooke wouldn't have invited you if she didn't want you there," Haley reminded him.

"I know that," Nathan muttered, a shudder running through him. "I'm just being ridiculous."

Haley shook her head, quickly dismissing that feat. "Not at all. Just know that I'll be by your side all night."

Nathan smiled as he pulled Haley in closer, kissing her softly. She always knew just what to say to settle him. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Tell me something I don't know."

Nathan chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her again, but was cut off when the timer on the oven went off. A soft groan escaped Nathan when she pulled away from him and Haley couldn't help but giggle at the pout on his face.

"Saved by the bell," Haley quipped as she bounced over to the oven. Opening the latch to the oven, she carefully placed the cake pan on to the heating rack.

Nathan rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He took this as a time to take a look around the family room adjacent to the kitchen. The family room was just as bare as the kitchen with neutral colored furniture and painted walls. His eyes fell to the only picture frame in the room, resting on the mantle above the fire place.

Picking it up, he trailed his eyes over the group of people in the picture. It looked to be a family photo—one that wasn't of professional quality, but instead taken on a disposable camera. The people were all smooshed together and instead of posing, there was this systematic disarray between them all. Some were laughing. Some looked to be shouting but their eyes remained playful. It was absolute chaos, but in a beautiful way.

His eyes drifted to a young girl in the center of the photo. She was almost lost in the chaos of everyone else, with her small body and short height. Her hair was a reddish brown and was piled on top of her head in a messy ponytail. Clasped between her small arms was a well-worn teddy bear. Out of everyone, she was the only one looking at the camera and smiling. Without having to ask, Nathan knew that little girl was Haley.

"Are these all your brothers and sisters?" Nathan asked, turning to face Haley.

Haley approached him while nodding her head and drying her hands with a kitchen towel. "That would be them."

He smiled as his fingers dusted over the glass. "You seem like a tight knit family."

Haley smiled, but there was a small spark of sadness. "We are. It's gotten kind of hard over the years since everyone's in different places in their lives and they're spread out all over the U.S. But, I still talk to my siblings a lot and we try to get together for as many holidays as we can."

"Just not Thanksgiving?" Nathan muttered as he placed the picture back in its respective place on the mantle.

"Thanksgiving is hard. Not everyone gets the same time off for work. And for my siblings that are married, it's usually the case that they spend Thanksgiving with their spouse's family so they can spend Christmas with our family," Haley explained.

Nathan nodded. "It just sucks that you guys couldn't all be together for Thanksgiving, especially since it was your dad's favorite."

Haley shrugged. "I'll take what I can get."

~x~

"I cannot believe you invited him," Julian hissed, his voice low and stern. His fists were clenched into fists as he glared at Brooke.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she continued to set the table. She had a feeling Julian was going to end up pissed when he found out who all the guests were, but she was getting tired of his unnecessary hatred towards Nathan. "He's Haley's boyfriend and he's starting to become one of our friends, so yes, I invited him."

"You don't even know him, Brooke!" Julian argued. "And you're just letting him into your life."

Brooke slapped down the last set of silverware and twirled around to glare at Julian. "Neither do you! I've known you since eighth grade and I have never once seen you talk to him or hang out with or anything."

"I know a lot more about him than you think I do."

"If you're going to continue to be cryptic about all of this, then you're going to have to get over this irrational hatred towards him or at least cover it up, because I'm getting sick of it. Haley's happy and as far as I can see, Nathan's nothing like the rumors make him out to be." Brooke didn't give Julian a chance to respond as she strutted away from him. Today was going to be a good day and she wasn't going to let her boyfriend's issues stand in the way of that.

She stomped back in the kitchen and whipped open the wine cabinet. Without a second glance to Haley or Peyton, she grabbed a bottle of red wine, a cork, and a glass. Angrily, she popped he cork and filled the glass to the brim.

"Damn, who pissed you off?" Peyton joked as she popped a piece of bread into her mouth.

"Just my lovely boyfriend," Brooke snipped before taking a large gulp of her wine.

Haley frowned. "Are you guys still having problems?"

Brooke sighed as she pressed her palms against the cool granite of her counter top. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to retract her anger. "We're not really having 'problems' per say, he's just been acting very…not himself lately."

"Have you taken the time to really sit him down and talk about it?" Peyton offered up. "There could be something going on at home or something like that, that's causing him to act this way."

"It's not something at home, trust me," Brooke mumbled lowly.

"Then, what is it?" Haley prodded further. Before she had a chance to answer, a light bulb went off in Haley's mind. "Wait, does it have to with Jake?"

Turning around to face them, Brooke leaned back against the counter. Crossing her arms over her chest, she chewed anxiously on the inside of her cheek. "It's not just Jake that he's unhappy we're hanging out with."

"Who else?" Peyton asked, pursing her lips.

Avoiding Haley's concerned eyes, Brooke stared hard at the title floor. "Nathan."

Haley's eyes widened at that. "Nathan? What, do you have some kind of past with him, too?" She meant for her voice to be playful, but it came out a lot sharper and more accusing than she wanted.

Brooke was quick to express her denial of that statement. "No, not at all. But, I think Julian does."

"Julian and Nathan were friends?" Peyton questioned with a kinked eyebrow.

"I don't think so," Brooke muttered. "I don't really know. He's just been very against us hanging around Nathan. He always says such cryptic things about how he's not a good person and how we should listen to the rumors, but he never explains anything more than that. I've asked him, but he completely shuts down."

Haley's stomach knotted up. "Do you think that maybe he's just buying into all of those rumors?"

Brooke shook her head. "I wish I could say that, but it seems deeper than that. Personal, even. Has Nathan ever mentioned anything about Julian to you?"

"Not once," Haley asserted after raking her brain for a few moments.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Peyton piped up, trying to be the peacemaker. "Julian's a hot head and his reasoning could be something as simple fantasy football."

Brooke shrugged. "Maybe."

"Look, let's not worry about it right now," Haley decided. "Today is supposed to be a bonding experience and it's supposed to be fun."

"You're right. I shouldn't have let his attitude bother me," Brooke conceded.

"That's the spirit!"

~x~

"Wow, Brooke, I didn't know you could cook," Jake marveled as his eyes scanned over all of the food littering the red clothed table. The plethora of food was a lot more than necessary to feed the seven of them, but no one was complaining.

"I don't," Brooke said with a laugh, carefully placing the bowl of freshly baked rolls down on the table. "But, the chef that my parents hired can."

"Your parents hired a chef?" Lucas asked with wide eyes, pulling a chair out from the table and then sitting down.

Brooke nodded proudly, plopping down in a seat next to Julian. "I can't cook and neither can either of my parents, so we just pay somebody to do it for us."

"Must be nice," Jake muttered.

Nathan chuckled at the playful bantering ensuing between his friends. He was surprised at just how easily the two groups of friends meshed together. He expected there to be moments of awkward tensions or clashing personalities. It almost felt as if they'd all been friends for years. The swirly and anxious feeling was still weighing heavily in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't shake it no matter how hard he tried.

It didn't help matters that Julian Baker's eyes seemed to be following his every move. His incessant staring wouldn't have bothered him, but there was something more to his gaze. It wasn't the usual prodding eyes that most people stared at him with, there was a sliver of burning hate. It was a glare that could've paralyzed him if he let it.

Nathan couldn't make sense of it, so he tried his hardest to ignore it. To his knowledge, he'd never spoken Julian. They'd been in quite a few classes together since grade school, but they'd never shared more than simple greetings.

Haley must have sensed his discomfort, because the next thing he knew, her small hand was wrapping around his. Her fingers caressed his skin, squeezing it softly. Meeting her gaze, he felt like he could breathe again when she smiled warmly at him.

She leaned closer to him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

Before Haley could answer, Brooke clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "I'm not one for speeches and I figured that preparing a speech for something like this would be extremely cheesy, so I'm just going keep this short and simple. I'm so glad we could all be here today. I have a pretty good feeling that this I just the start to a beautiful friendship. Well, dig in!"

"This all looks amazing. Good idea, Brookie," Jake complimented, sending a wink her way. He reached over the table to grab the mash potatoes, dumping a healthy serving on to his plate.

"Brookie?" Julian asked sourly. "What kind of name is that?"

Jake shifted nervously in his seat. "Oh, um, that's just something I used to call Brooke when we were kids."

"How cute," Julian muttered sarcastically.

"I thought it was," Brooke shot back, sending a warning glare Julian's way. "Jake used to have nicknames for all of us when we were younger. I never hung out with Lucas or Nathan, but Jake used to refer to them 'Lukey' and 'Natey."

Lucas grimaced was he wacked Jake on the shoulder with his napkin. "You did not call us that behind our backs!"

Jake tossed his head back as he laughed. "Oh, yes, I did."

"That's okay, we called you Jessica behind your back," Nathan revealed, smirking.

Everyone laughed at that, while Jake just glared.

"What were you guys like when you were younger?" Haley found herself asking as she cut up her turkey.

"Inseparable," Lucas said with a bright smile. "We hung out pretty much any moment that we weren't in school. The River Court was our hang out spot. We definitely spent more time there than anywhere else."

"We used to just lay in the grass and play cards games or with our toy cars. It wasn't until Nathan got us into basketball that we did anything else," Jake explained as he chewed his food.

Haley's head whipped around to look at Nathan. "You introduced them to basketball?"

Nathan shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't say I introduced them. I just begged them to play for a while until they eventually gave in."

"You played for the Ravens in ninth grade, didn't you?" Peyton asked.

Nathan scratched the back of his neck, a sure sign of his discomfort. "I never really got to play. It just didn't work out."

"Varsity," Brooke blurted out. "You made Varsity as freshman. I remember you were like the talk of the town."

Nathan chuckled nervously. "I guess you could say that?"

"You should really try out again this season," Peyton proposed. "The team could really use you, especially since they only have those two bozos to depend on."

"Hey!" Lucas shouted and Peyton just laughed.

"That is not the first time I've heard that," Nathan mumbled.

"Well, maybe you should take that as a sign," Haley said softly, winking at him.

"Do you want some more sparkling grape juice, Hales?" Nathan asked, noticing that her glass was empty. At this point, he was desperate for any kind of reprieve from this current conversation.

Haley nodded, chuckling softly to herself at his quick move to change the conversation. She knew it made him uncomfortable, but she saw that as a good thing. It meant that basketball still meant something to him and that meant hope. "Oh, yeah, that'd be great." She picked up her glass and handed it to Nathan just as he was standing up.

"Careful, he might roofie your drink, since you know, it's kind of his thing," Julian muttered slyly, his eyes cutting into tiny slits.

"Julian!" Brooke gasped at his icy tone and evil insinuation. His cool words had come out of thin air. He was starting to act like a child and she was at her wits end. She reached out to grab him. Her eyes widened in shock when he aggressively grabbed her hand and ripped it away from him. Never in their whole relationship had Julian ever touched her like that.

Nathan froze. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Julian chuckled dryly as he pushed his seat back and stood up. The whole time he was at this ridiculous dinner, he had been biting his tongue. Every time he saw Nathan, his whole body tensed and this blinding rage surged through his body. He tried to ignore it, but it soon became too strong. He couldn't stand just sitting there and letting everyone relax in his presence. It wasn't right. Nathan deserved to pay. Fuck the high road.

"It's the truth isn't it? You slip something in girl's drinks, have your way with them, and then toss them to the curb." He turned to Haley. "Better be careful, Haley. You never know when he'll decide to take advantage of you, too."

Haley felt her skin turn clammy. She glanced at Nathan and her stomach clenched when she saw the ghost-like expression on his face. He wasn't saying anything, but she could clearly see he was trembling. Where had Julian gotten an idea like that from? She'd heard a lot of screwed up rumors about Nathan, but nothing along the lines of what Julian was suggesting.

"Nathan wouldn't do something like that," Lucas chimed in.

"Your parents must be real proud of you," Julian sneered, ignoring Lucas. His eyes seemed to shift from their usual brown color to a raging red. He walked around the table so that he was standing directly in front of Nathan.

Nathan's jaw clenched. Placing the glass back down on the table, his hands flexed into tight fists. "What is your problem?"

"My problem?" Julian asked incredulously, a humorless laugh leaving his lips. "It figures you wouldn't remember. It always works that way, doesn't it? The victims are left with all of the haunting memories, while the perpetrator is granted with graceful bliss."

He moved to step closer to Julian, but halted when his felt Haley jumped up, her hand pressing against his chest. That haunting feeling in his stomach intensified. From the moment the word "roofie" left Julian's mouth, he knew that this conversation was about to take a dark turn. "I don't know what the hell you're trying to accuse me of, but I can tell you right now that you're wrong."

Julian snapped at that moment. He was in Nathan's face with a heartbeat, pushing Haley out of the way in the process. She stumbled backwards, effectively colliding harshly with the dining table.

"Julian, stop it!" Brooke pleaded, but he didn't budge.

Nathan's blood boiled when he heard Haley yelp in pain. He made a move to dash to her aid, but Julian pushed him back. It took everything in Nathan to not pummel him to the ground.

"You don't get to deny this! I know what you fucking did to my sister. You took her life and you destroyed it," Julian seethed, his eyes alight and his chest heaving with anger.

Every muscle in Nathan's body suddenly felt like it was covered in a sheet of ice. He couldn't recall a time he had ever gone from so furious to so scared in such a miniscule amount of time. A feeling of dread swallowed him whole. Slowly, he started putting the pieces together and the foundation of his world started to shake. "Y-your sister?"

Julian snarled, the venom in his voice was practically palpable. "Quit playing fucking stupid! You know what you did to her. Because of you, she barely eats. She doesn't sleep. Do you know how many times I wake up to her crying in the middle of the night? If it wasn't for everything that I have on the line, I would kill you and not feel one ounce of guilt over it."

Nathan swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew exactly what Julian was referring to and it made him sick. Panic. That was the only emotion he could feel. It felt like he was losing his footing as everything seemed to crumble around him. All of the darkest parts of his memory resurfaced in one instant and he felt like he couldn't breathe. "Julian, it's not what you think, okay? I didn't—it wasn't me."

"Are you calling my sister a liar?" Julian barked back, the volume of his voice rising even louder.

Nathan shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm doing."

"There's a special place in hell for guys like you," Julian declared. "Does Haley know you like to prey on the weak and innocent? Does she know the kind of sick bastard you are?"

"Julian—"

"I bet that fire your parents died in wasn't even an accident. They probably killed themselves because they found out what kind of a sick prick you really were and wanted a way out."

Nathan lost all sense of time and place in that moment. It was like his brain short circuited and everything turned black. The only thing he felt was an unfathomable amount of burning rage. The next thing he knew, his fist connected with the edge of Julian's jaw. He heard yelling. He felt people pulling him in every direction. But it all felt miles and miles away. It was like his soul had left his body and he was just a shell of a man.

~x~

His heart was pounding as he eyes remained fixated on the closed bedroom door. Lucas had grabbed Julian before he could retaliate and Haley ushered him off to one of the bedrooms in Brooke's house. His leg was shaking up and down, while his uninjured hand gripped the bedspread beneath him. The pain in his hand was a dull ache, his knuckles stiff and throbbing. He could hear the commotion of hushed anger and justified reprimands through the thin walls. He should have been out there to hear all the horrible things they would inevitably be saying about him. They couldn't blame anyone but him.

The scene kept playing over and over again in his head. It had been a while since his anger had snapped so quickly. Nathan wasn't sure what had come over him. Julian's cold words had struck a nerve so deep inside of him that the only thing he could focus on was fury. It clouded all of his sense and the version of himself that he'd spent so much time burying erupted at the surface.

Regardless, he shouldn't have punched Julian. He regretted it even before his fist came in contact with his jaw.

Nathan's heart was in his throat when the bedroom door opened and Haley walked through. She hadn't said much to him since the incident happened and he hated the silence that laid between them. It didn't help matters that she looked angry. It was an emotion that he had yet to see on her and it caused his stomach to knot up in guilt. Her lips were pressed into a hardline and he was scared to look in her eyes. He didn't want to see the disappointment or that hint of recognition that maybe he wasn't the guy she thought he was. That would surely kill him.

Haley remained silent as she walked up to him. It was then he noticed the white towel and bag of ice clasped in her small hand. He watched as she gingerly grabbed his injured hand and gently pressed the bag of ice against the wound. He flinched slightly at the coldness and the sting of pain that shot through him. Her warm fingers wrapped around his wrist, but she refused to look at him, something that he was both thankful for and hurt by.

The silence was loud and suffocating. Nathan swallowed hard as he tried to come up with something to say to her. Did he apologize? Did he explain why he did it? An apology didn't seem like it was enough and an explanation wasn't possible. He was stuck no matter what way you looked at.

"Hales…," He whispered hoarsely, his gaze begging her to look at him. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he couldn't take the quiet any longer.

Haley shook her head softly, pushing him back to silence. She didn't want to talk, not right now. She was still reeling from everything that had happened. Julian's taunting words were just another reminder that there was still a part of Nathan that she had yet to see. She'd been ignoring that fact for a while now, because she believed he would open up to her on his own time. Now, she was starting to wonder if maybe ignoring it wasn't the best option.

The part of it all that stuck with Haley the most was Nathan's reaction to Julian. The fearful fire in his eyes and the menacing scowl on his face reminder her a lot of his reaction towards Damien, only…scarier.

She was angry, but she wasn't sure what she was angry at. Julian shouldn't have taunted Nathan the way that he did. He was cruel and his actions were uncalled for. Nathan shouldn't have reacted the way he did, either. And he was—

"Please, Haley," Nathan pleaded. His free hand moved to rest over hers, his fingers curling around it and squeezing it gently.

Despite herself, she looked up. Her expression softened when she saw the desperate way that Nathan was looking at her. His blue eyes were pleading with her and for the first time she finally understood the meaning of being defenseless.

"I shouldn't have punched Julian. I-I'm sorry," He apologized, his voice barely above a whisper.

Haley sighed as she licked her lips. "It's okay."

Nathan shook his head. "No, it's not. I ruined dinner and your friends probably hate me right about now."

"I think Julian ruined our dinner way before you threw that punch," Haley muttered with an awkward laugh. "And they don't hate you. In fact, I think Brooke is angrier at Julian than she is you."

"Julian didn't do anything."

Haley furrowed her eyebrows. He was blaming himself for the entire situation. She might have been unhappy with the way he chose to handle things, but she didn't blame solely him. Removing the ice from his hand, she placed it on the bedside table before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Babe, he was provoking you. Punching him probably wasn't the best solution, but you're not the only one at fault."

"What if the things he said were true?" Those words slipped out before Nathan had a chance to take them back. His blood ran cold as the panic etched its way on to Haley's face.

Haley's heart lurched in her chest. "W-were they?"

Nathan swallowed hard. That piercing look of fear and bewilderment flickered in Haley's eyes. The panic threatened to paralyze him. She could find out the truth and then it would be all over. "Hales, it's not what you think. I didn't—I couldn't—it's not what you think."

"Then, what is it, Nathan?" She asked calmly. She wasn't going to allow herself to jump to conclusions.

He shook his head. "I can't."

Haley sensed him pulling away from her and she knew she had to act fast. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she wasn't going to like what he had to say, but she needed to know. Her arms dropped from around his neck and her hands cupped his face, the pads of her fingers moving in soothing circles against his skin.

"You can trust me, Nathan," She promised.

"It's not about trust," Nathan clarified shakily, making sure that his gaze never faltered from hers. "I trust you, Haley. Probably more than anyone."

"Then, why can't you tell me?"

His breathing was heavy as his chest tightened. He could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. It would take no effort to spill every secret hidden in the dark and dusty corners of his mind. It was the aftermath he wasn't prepared to deal with. "It's…you won't look at me the same."

A small smile graced her lips as she leaned forward and pressed a delicate kiss to the corner of his mouth. "There is nothing you could say to me that would make me run away from you." She spoke with a fierce conviction. She truly believed that. Maybe it was naive. Maybe it was reckless. But the way she felt about Nathan, the way she saw the guilt and pain he carried with him every day...she couldn't imagine abandoning him over anything.

"You don't know that," Nathan countered uneasily. "You don't know everything from my past."

"You're right, I don't," Haley agreed. "But, what I do know is that whoever you were in your past is now who you are now. I don't care about the past Nathan, I care about this Nathan."

"I just can't," He mumbled lamely. He felt a piece of his heart break when a defeated look crossed Haley's features. Her hands fell from his face and he was quick to grab her wrists before she pulled away from him fully. He ignored the bout of pain in his right hand. "Hales, please…just listen to me."

She gave in a lot quicker than she wanted to. She pulled her bottom lip in-between her teeth as she gave him the nod to go on.

"I want to tell you," He declared honestly. "God, you don't know how badly I want to tell you everything. But, I'm scared. I'm scared of what will happen if I tell you. To me and to you. I'm not ready to visit that part of my past again, yet. You have to believe me, Hales."

"I do believe you," Haley breathed out. She wanted to try and coax him into telling her more, but the fear in his eyes had those words lodging themselves in her throat.

"Please, be patient with me." He felt rueful repeating those same words to her. Patience was a virtue of Haley's, but even he knew it was a limited supply. There were only so many times he could roll that line out before it lost its meaning. But for now, he was hoping it bought it him a little more time.

"A promise is a promise, right?" Haley murmured, a small yet shaky smile spreading across her face.

Nathan had never felt more grateful for Haley than he did in that moment. He gripped her hands tighter as he pulled her in for passionate kiss. When he pulled away, they were both breathless. He leaned his forehead against her, his eyes still closed. "It won't always be like this, I promise."

The only question that remained was could he keep that promise? Was he strong enough?