So, just like with my other stories I've discovered chapters written that I never posted.. and because I love this story so much I've even started writing the next chapter! After two years without writing anything, I've started up again.. Geesh, I thought I was too old for this by now, but I guess not :) I still love OTH and Naley as much as I did when I started this so I might as well try to finish! Enjoy

November 23rd – Thanksgiving at the Scott mansion

"So, Nathan, how's school going for you lately?" His grandmother was going at it again. Nathan wondered if she would never get tired of asking the same questions, over and over. If it wasn't about school, it would be basketball or whatever other activities she might think he was involved in. And then where was the worst question, the one that always made him uncomfortable in front of Lucas.

Is there anyone special in your life?

Lucas would always give him a challenging smile when that question came. Like he was daring Nathan to tell them the truth. Like he wanted their family to think Nathan was just as pathetic as Lucas found him to be. But this year, things were different. For the first time in Nathan's life, he actually had someone special..

He had Haley..

Just thinking about Haley brought a smile to his face. Since their "date" last Friday, things had been a bit awkward between them, but not weird awkward. More like comfortable awkward. Nathan was still a little freaked out by the fact that they had admitted their feelings, but he knew he just had to give it time.

Oh, how he wanted to be with Haley now, instead of his stupid family. But Haley had told him how excited she was about spending Thanksgiving with her mother. It seemed like Mrs. James managed to sober up for the holidays, because Haley described them like the happiest days of the year.

For Nathan, that was not the case. His grandmother and his aunt went out of their ways to cook the most fabulous Thanksgiving meal, while his grandfather, his uncle and his father sat back with a scotch in hand. And he was stuck with Lucas..

"School is all right" Nathan mumbled in response.

"Still gonna apply for Stanford?"

"Yes, I think so. I'm hoping for an academic scholarship so we won't have to pay that much" He finished as he received a satisfied smile from his other family members. Everyone except Lucas, of course. He wouldn't send a smile Nathan's way if his life depended on it, at least not a sincere one.

"That's my boy. Always so considerate and thoughtful" May Scott chuckled as she pinched her grandson's cheek.

"What about you, Luke? Any plans for college yet?"

The conversation continued between the grown ups and Lucas, while Nathan just went back to his thoughts. He manage to secretly pull out his phone and decided to text Haley, hoping she was enjoying the evening with her mother. She deserved a night of fun with her Mum, and he knew she desired it so badly.

Haley sat patiently in her regular seat. The message had reached her through her maid in the morning; Your mother will meet you at the regular restaurant at 8 pm. And here she was, waiting for her mother to arrive.

Lydia James had never been known as a punctual person, but this occasion was special. It was already 8.45 pm, so Lydia was now already 45 minutes late. Haley sat quietly sipping on her wine, staring into space. She could feel a hint of nervousness growing inside of her, but she refused to let it surface. Her mother could show up, Haley knew she would!

Her phone vibrated, signalizing that she had received a text. Haley slowly opened her purse and took out her phone, smiling as she saw the sender of said text.

Nathan 3

Haley had never before been the childish one, putting hearts behind her contacts' names. But there was something about her current situation with Nathan that tempted her too much. She had to put the heart behind his name, it belonged there. It looked good there!

Smiling, Haley opened the message and read its context. He was too sweet for words to describe. No matter what he wrote, she would always get that familiar feeling inside. Like her heart wanted to explode. The images of their soon-to-be first kiss kept floating through her mind. She had mentally prepared herself for countless different settings.

Maybe it would be in his car? With them both leaning against each other, to tempted to stay away any longer? Or maybe it would be in his room, with her laying in the same position she had been when Keith first walked in on them? Or maybe it would be at school, standing by his locker with hundreds of students walking by them, while they only had eyes for each other?

It didn't matter how it happened, it would be perfect. Haley was certain of that!

"Hey, I'm bored. This sucks! How is you evening? Thinking about you!"

"She still hasn't showed, but I haven't given up yet! You still keeping up the façade? Miss you 3"

"Hang in there, she'll show! Yes, everything as normal here. No suspicions! Miss you too!"

"I know she will. In the mean time I'm having fun with my Nathan-thoughts xD"

"And what do they contain exactly?"

"Currently, you, me, a monkey and cookie dough!"

"You are officially nuts, Haley James 3"

Haley smiled as she put her phone away.

"So, Nathan, is there anyone special in you life these days?"

.. and there it was, Ladies and Gentlemen. The one billion dollar question he'd been waiting for all night..

Nathan looked at his Grandma May. She was a very sweet woman. If they ever bothered to involve themselves more in his life, Nathan was sure he would be friends with his grandparents. Even his Grandpa Royal. Even though he was a pain in the ass sometimes, Nathan knew there was a soft guy somewhere deep inside him.

Before answering, Nathan took a second to consider why Grandma May always asked him that question. Maybe she believed he would eventually find a girl, even when he didn't believe it himself? Or maybe she just did it to be nice. To show him that she cared, even if it only gave Lucas more satisfaction when he always answered: No, not at the moment, Grandma.

But this time it was different. He had Haley now. Haley was special, certainly worth mentioning. He knew his father would tell them everything if he didn't himself, so no matter what he did: he was trapped.

"Actually.. There kinda is a girl in my life right now" Nathan could easily see the surprise that appeared on every face around the table, except for his Dad and Lucas, of course.

.. Gee, thanks for the support. I always knew you had faith in my love life..

"That's great, Nate! Who is she?" His Aunt Deb finally managed to get out after 30 seconds of awkward silence.

"Yeah, Nate, tell them all about your current flame!" There was something very disturbing about the smirk Lucas had on his face. Nathan couldn't really figure out what it was, though. Lucas was always full of crap, this wasn't a special occasion.

"Her name is Haley" Keith spoke before Nathan had the time to think through his words. Apparently, his father was just as excited about his relationship with Haley as he was. One might think Keith was the one with a girlfriend! Eww, disturbing mental pictures..

"Do we know her?" Dab wondered.

"Yeah, you know my friend, Haley James. Nathan is her latest conquest, Mom" Lucas snickered. Nathan's smile fell as Lucas referred to him as Haley's "conquest". It sounded like a dirty word in his head. A word not worthy of the relationship they had.

"She's a charm. Very nice girl!" Keith continued. Nathan didn't know if his smile was able to stretch any further on his face. It would probably give him wrinkles. It made Nathan smile as well, though a much more embarrassed one.

"Haley James? Isn't that the daughter of Lydia James?" Royal asked his grandson.

"Yes" Nathan mumbled, nodding his head in addition.

"Good family. Too bad with her father though. He wasn't the nicest man I've ever encountered!"

"They're fine on their own" Nathan said.

"Yeah, Haley's got Nathan now. She doesn't need any other men. He satisfies her needs completely, right Nate?" Nathan's face fell. Lucas could be such a douche. He hadn't even kissed Haley yet!

"Actually, I don't even think he's gotten any lip action!"

.. And, thank you Keith Scott. Dad of the year award, right there!

Lucas laughed again. His evil smirk was permanent on his face. Nathan knew he was up to no good. He knew something bad was about to come out, he just hoped Lucas wasn't about to trash Haley in front of his family. It wasn't like Nathan didn't know about Haley's past. She already told him how her life used to be. He believed her when she said she didn't want to be that way anymore. She changed for him, and he appreciated that greatly.

"Are you kidding? Haley James used to do everything that had legs!" Lucas laughed.

"Used to, being the key word.. Luke.." Nathan spoke his cousin's name with a stern voice. Defending Haley to Lucas was something he really wished to avoid in front of his family. But if Lucas wanted trouble, he would get it!

"Relax, Nate. I'm just looking out for you! Haley doesn't have the best reputation with guys. I remember the night she did three different guys! Boy, that was the highlight of her career!"

"Lucas!" His mother looked at him with shocked eyes. Her expression was mirrored in most faces around the table. Even his Uncle Dan looked rather uncomfortable where he sat.

"Yeah, well, you would know all about that stuff, wouldn't you, Luke?"

"Nathan, that's enough!" Keith cut in.

"Sorry, Dad" Nathan mumbled. He didn't want to cause a scene at Thanksgiving, but Lucas really tempted him sometimes. Nathan wondered why he couldn't just leave them alone. Was he jealous?

"Well, I think it's time for dessert.." May trailed off as she stood up and started clearing the table. Everyone was extremely quiet as another awkward silence filled the room, not leaving anytime soon.

Haley was still waiting.

9.32pm.

Still waiting.

Always waiting.

Third glass of wine was gone, she started to feel a little light headed.

"Waiter! Check please!" .. Enough is enough.

Haley paid for her drinks and walked slowly out of the restaurant. Her head was hanging low, disappointed in her mother. Disappointed in her life.

Where was Nathan when she needed him the most?

Haley decided to take a walk and hopefully walk off her buzz. Not that is was such a great one in the first place. Her feet led her to the docks. Haley always loved walking by the water. The water calmed her. It created a sense of inner peace, something she didn't feel to often. Not even Nathan could create that!

Whenever she was with him, she kept remembering the bet. She didn't want anything to do with it, she couldn't care less about Rachel and her stupid life. Haley found the freedom she needed in Nathan. He had become so incredibly important to her in such a short time. They had been sort of dating for two months now, but she still hadn't kissed him. They agreed to take it slow, and Haley liked that.

She liked that Nathan was so inexperienced. She liked that he was a virgin, that she was his first girlfriend. Everything was new for him, but so was it for her. She never experience this kind of affection for another human being. The respect, the caring touches, the kind words. These were all new to Haley. No other man she had ever been with could even begin to live up to Nathan. He was more of a man than Lucas would ever be.

Haley once again thought of the bet. The bet was to make Nathan fall in love with her. Was he? He seemed like he was falling pretty fast. But not as fast as she was. It scared Haley how important Nathan had become and how much he mattered to her. She felt hot tears begin to fall against her cheeks at the thought of disappointing him. How his heart would break once he found out.

And he would.

Haley knew she should tell him about the bet before they got any more serious and involved than they already were. It wasn't fear to him to keep it a secret. He deserved to know the truth before he gave his first kiss to the girl who would betray him. Even if Haley didn't want it to end, she knew Rachel would ruin it for her. Lucas' hate for Nathan was stronger than her ability to stop him from blabbing. The satisfaction Lucas would get out of this situation was simply too much for him to resist. Anything to hurt Nathan, that was his policy.

But Haley was selfish. A part of her wanted to believe that Nathan would forgive her if she only told him. If she explained how it all changed for her, how much she regretted going after him on the wrong motives. She would tell him how helpless he made her feel, like she relied on him to breathe. She would assure him that everything was different now, that she wanted him because she couldn't live without him. Because he was so important to her. Because he was her best friend and possible lover. That everything about him was perfect and she was blessed to have him in her life.

But the other part knew he wouldn't forgive her. Nathan had major trust issues. Haley was lucky he opened up to her as easily as he did. It was something about their connection that made him do it, she was sure of it. Nathan felt like he could trust her. He sensed that she truly cared about his life and his feelings. He knew she needed him just as much as he needed her. But would he forgive her for lying and betraying him for such a long period of time? Would they ever be together for real?

All these thoughts disturbed her mind as she kept walking. But luckily for Haley, she was able to replace them with thoughts about her mother and her betrayal as she reached the familiar hot dog stand they would eat from. All the memories came back, from when they were a happy family. Back then, Lydia cared about Haley. She treated her like a daughter, not like an object. The tears threatened to fall again as Haley walked away from her memories once again..

"So she hasn't even swapped spit with you yet?"

Go away, Lucas.. Those were the only words Nathan wanted to express as his cousin came onto the back porch with him. He followed him out there, probably just to make fun of his relationship with Haley. Why couldn't he just grow up?

"Not that it's any of your business, but we're taking it slow" Nathan hissed about between closed teeth.

"Taking it slow, or waiting for Jesus to return first?" Lucas laughed.

"I didn't know you believed in God, Luke. I thought the Devil was the only one you worshiped" Nathan snickered, seeing the look on Lucas' face. It was as though Lucas was telling him he said something childish, which he kind of did. But Nathan didn't care. He could care less what Lucas thought of anything in his life.

" Very funny. I'm serious though, she's usually so easy. What's taking you so long?"

"You wouldn't understand it Luke" Nathan grunted in annoyance.

"Try me" Lucas challenged him with his eyes. They seemed determined to get to him, determined to ruin something for him. Nathan would rather not give him the chance.

"I care about her, Luke. I don't want to screw anything up by pushing her. She deserves better than that"

"Wow, she's really got you hooked, hasn't she?" Lucas asked. Nathan stared off into the air, studying the flowers that decorated the garden. He didn't feel like sharing more of his personal feelings with Lucas. It felt weird.

"Be careful, Nate. Haley James is a dangerous girl, trust me"

What in the world was that about? Nathan turned to argue with him, but Lucas was already gone. The whole situation felt rather surreal. Did Lucas seriously just warn him against Haley? Haley, the sweetest girl he'd ever met. And Lucas, the biggest asshole on the planet?

Weird..

At around 10.30pm that night, Nathan heard a soft knocking on the door. He went to open it, and was met with the brown eyes he had missed so much all day long. But they didn't look normal. They were slightly red, and extremely puffy. Water was consumed in the lower lid, threatening to spill any second. Her cheeks were stained black from her mascara, and her appearance looked rather alarming.

"Haley, what happened to you?" His concern for her was so evident, Haley lost it.

She fell into his arms, sobbing like no other. Nathan tried his best to soothe her by rubbing her back tenderly, but nothing seemed to help. She was shaking in his arms, her face hidden in his chest. He wondered what happened to upset her so much.

"Can you tell me what happened, Baby?" Nathan's soft voice, together with him rocking her back and forth, helped her calm down to the level where talking was possible. She met his concerned look with her teary eyes and tried her best to give him a sad smile.

"She never showed"

Nathan's heart broke for her as she once more cried her eyes out against his shirt. Haley's mother was a mystery to him. How little care and appreciation she had for her daughter was amazing. There should be an award handed out to mothers like Haley's. How was it possible to leave you daughter, and then keep disappointing her time after time? Was there not an alarm button somewhere in her head that flashed when she thought of Haley? Did she just not care about their relationship?

"I'm so sorry, Babe. Did you try her cell?"

"Twice, every hour! I don't understand how she could just not show up? We have a ritual, it's a tradition. How do you forget a tradition?"

"I don't know, Hales. She probably didn't realise it was today. You'll see her soon, I promise" Nathan didn't know what to say that would help her. He never dealt with girls like this. He'd never before needed to comfort a girl who was so hard broken by her mother.

"Can I stay here tonight?"

The question was fairly simple. It didn't need much thought. Nathan's eyes met her's, and he nodded softly. Haley responded with a small smile, it was all she could master. Nathan lifted her exhausted body into his arms. He carried her easily up to his room where he placed her on his bed. She looked so peaceful there, like she belonged there.

"Can you hold me, please?"

Once again, it didn't take much effort to convince him. Nathan laid beside her, holding her body close to his. He looked down at her, she was so beautiful. And she was in his bed, with his arms wrapped around her. Nathan could hardly believe how lucky he was. Haley opened her eyes, the tears wore off a little while ago. She looked deeply into his eyes, like she wanted him to read her deepest feelings and emotions.

Nathan was captivated by her intense stare. He couldn't look away if he wanted to. Haley had his complete attention, and he was waiting for her to make the next move. She seemed to realize this. An embarrassed sensation filled her, but she knew there was no way to avoid what came next.

Carefully, Haley raised her head from his pillow, touched his cheek with her hand, and connected their lips. It was the perfect first kiss. It was demanding. It wasn't too rough or too light. It was filled with emotion, longing, want, lust.. love?

It was everything he ever could have wanted out of his first kiss.

It was everything she ever could have wanted out of her first, real and true kiss.

Please leave a review and I might finish the next chapter very very soon! :)