As Nathan drove along the dark road Haley fiddled with her hands and didn't know where to put her focus.
"Hey, is everything all right with you?" Nathan asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said with a faint smile.
"You sure? You seem… tense." He chuckled.
"Ha- yeah, I'm splendid" she lied through her teeth.
The events that recently happened with Peyton were fresh in her mind and she couldn't wrap her mind around why Peyton was acting the way she was. She honestly could not think of what she did to hurt Peyton so much.
Nathan looked at Haley from the corners of his eyes and he could tell that there was something wrong. He assumed she was probably still startled from what just happened between her and Peyton. From all people to bully Haley would be the last one to fight back. He sighed deeply thinking of the fight he had with Peyton about Haley and how he felt so dumb for just realizing he was in love with her all along. The single reason that kept him from loving Peyton completely.
"Nate? What were you going to tell me earlier?" Haley questioned as she still looked at her intertwined fingers.
"What? I don't remember…" he said wanting to avoid what she had in store to converse about.
"You said that there were things that Peyton found out recently, what were they?" she said finally looking at him straight into his piercing blue eyes.
"Hales…" he swallowed.
"Let's get dinner first and then we'll talk about it, I promise."
"Okay, Nate… pinky promise?" she said as she stuck her pinky out.
He smiled at the childish gesture but took his hand off of the wheel and made the promise official.
"So where we headed to eat?" she asked the smiling Nathan.
"Well, it's a surprise actually." He smiled at the thought of how ecstatic she'd be having dinner with their parents.
Some good ole fashioned James-Scott bonding. He didn't know how he managed to plan this all so quickly but he did, he remembered originally he was going to introduce his parents to Peyton after the auction but when plans suddenly changed he decided to call her parents and make these arrangements instead.
"Your house is on the way, so you should go change!" Nathan teased.
"Oh, alright. Fancy? Casual? What should I wear?" she laughed at her own tone of voice.
"Fancy," he smiled.
"And what about you?"
"Oh I'm prepared" he smirked as he pointed at the extra clothes in the backseat of his car.
They finally reached Haley's house and they both entered.
"Weird my parents aren't home," she said as she unlocked the door.
"Yeah that is weird" he said as he played along.
"Well go hurry and get ready, I can't spend all night with you!" he said as he made himself laugh.
"YEAH, YEAH" she said as she stomped up the stairs.
Nathan quickly got dressed in the living room as Haley got ready upstairs. When putting his khaki's on he stumbled near the mantel of the fireplace and knocked over a picture. As he went to go pick it up he saw it was a picture of Haley with his parents. Although jealous of Haley's relationship with his parents he couldn't help but smile at the genuine happiness captured in that shot. She was about 12 years old and she just won 1st place in the annual spelling bee. He placed the frame down and saw a picture of him with Haley's parents after a basketball game he won, he was even voted MVP. It was weird how the both of them got along so well with each others parents it was as if they'd always be this close knit family.
"Hales, you almost done getting ready?"
"Can you come in here for a sec Nate?"
"What's up?" he said as he saw her in a beautiful pink laced dress.
"Does this look ok? Or too much?" she said as she turned 360 degrees for him to inspect.
"Y-you, l-look amazing" he said stuttering as if he was 4 years old again.
"Really?" she smiled.
"Not too much?" she asked for more approval.
"Perfect" he said as he gave her a cheesy thumbs-up.
She laughed as she walked over to fix his crooked bow tie.
"It's a bit crooked" she said tried to fix it up for him.
He got nervous at her closeness and he had no idea why. He's been this close if not, closer to Haley before. Why was this nervousness taking over his body all of a sudden? He looked down at her desk and saw a picture of the two of them and smiled.
"Our first kiss?" he said as she was still fixing his bow tie.
She blushed at the words.
"Yeah, ain't we cute?" she giggled.
"You were the aggressive one back then Hales, but now it's different" he said suggestively as he grabbed the frame.
"Look at you in your pink dress, I remember how much you hated pink, and the dress especially" he said in a nostalgic tone.
"Well look at you in your adorable little bow tie and white buttoned shirt." She said as she looked over at him wearing a similar outfit and herself as well.
"Seems like things really don't change" she laughed as she smiled widely at Nathan.
"Want to do a remake of this picture?" he said catching himself off guard.
"Wait, what?" she asked shocked.
"I mean- the rules of the auction state that we must kiss at midnight." He said saving his ass from that comment.
"Oh," she said a bit disappointed that it wasn't a genuine 'want' from Nathan.
"Sure," she agreed quickly.
"We should get going" he said as he put the frame down.
"Yeah, let's go"
As they were about to enter the restaurant Haley grabbed onto Nathan's hand. He looked at her with pleasant surprise.
"I don't want to fall in these heels" she said with a semi-grimacing face.
"Yeah, don't want to look like a fool in such a fancy place" he joked.
"Of course not, I couldn't do that to my best friend"
To Nathan's surprise the words hurt him a bit, not necessarily wanting to be just friends.
As they proceeded to enter Haley saw the waving arm in the air and automatically smiled a big toothy smile.
"Nathan," she said with the happiest tone.
"Yes?" he said as he smiled at her reaction.
They reached the table and it became a love fest. Everyone was hugging someone and it just felt so nice.
"Auntie Deb, Uncle Dan, it's been too long" Haley said as she sat next to Nathan at the round table they had for 6.
"Always a pleasure to be with you Haley love," Auntie Deb said as she smiled.
"Thanks for setting this up Nate, we haven't seen Haley Bob this happy since- well since forever!" Jimmy James thanked Nathan.
"It's no problem Uncle Jim, and Aunt Lydia, you look beautiful tonight" Nathan added.
"Well why thank you, you don't look too bad yourself Nate." Lydia replied.
The dinner they were having was wonderful. Filled with laughs, happiness, and love. This couldn't have been a more perfect night.
"Lydia, Jimmy, we appreciate so much for taking caring of Nathan while we've been gone for so long" Dan said appreciatively to the James'
"It's our pleasure, Nathan has grown into such an amazing young man, not to mention, handsome" Lydia complimented.
Nathan and Haley smiled at each other at all of these overly sentimental comments, but it was all worthwhile.
When their dinner was over they asked the waiter to take a picture of them with Haley's camera and it was as if they were one big happy family.
"The most beautiful family I've seen" the waiter said as he handed Haley her camera.
Everyone looked at each other and were at a mutual happiness.
"Where are you two headed?" Jimmy asked the teens.
Nathan looked at his watch and saw that it was only 9 o'clock.
"If you don't mind can I have Haley for the rest of the night Uncle Jimmy?" Nathan asked respectfully.
Jimmy looked at Lydia who looked at Deb who looked at Dan, clearly an assembly line of approval needed.
"Yes, but make sure you take care of my baby girl, just because you're Nathan doesn't mean I can't kill you" Jimmy joked to Nathan.
"Of course I will, but before we go can I talk with you, privately?" Nathan said as he pulled Jimmy aside.
"Yes, sure son." He said as he stepped to the side with Nathan and left Haley with Lydia and the Scott's.
"What's the matter son, you look nervous." Jimmy chuckled.
Nathan simply smiled at his humor.
"Spit it out boy," Jimmy said anxiously.
"Well here it goes" Nathan said taking a deep breath.
"Mr. James, can I ask your daughter to be my girlfriend?"
Jimmy looked at the boy seriously trying to decipher his emotions.
"Why now?' Jimmy asked.
"Because your daughter means the world to me, I know it took me 16 ridiculously long years to realize it, but today I finally did, and I don't want to live another day with Haley not being as close to me as possible" he confessed to her father.
"Do you love her?"
"With all my heart sir,"
"Will you protect her no matter what?"
"Like a knight"
"Promise to never hurt her?"
"Could never imagining doing that" he said with truthfulness
"Well you have nothing else to prove to me, go get her son" he said as he smiled at Nathan.
"Really Uncle Jimmy?!" Nathan asked excitedly.
"I couldn't imagine anyone else who'd level up to you Nate, I've seen you grow up, the way you take care of Haley, the way I find you my own blood"
Nathan smiled at the words; this was his family.
"Thank you" Nathan said as he gave Jimmy a tight hug.
"Thank you for everything" Nathan repeated as he patted his back before letting go.
The two returned to the group happier than ever.
"Well, we'll be going now." Nathan said as he had an arm around Haley
"Aunt Lydia" he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"We're leaving town in an hour so please take care Nate" Deb said as he gave him a kiss and hug.
"I will mom."
"Take care of yourself son" Dan said as he gave him a hug.
"Bye dad"
And Haley and Nathan finally got back into his car.
"Well that was fun!" Haley said enthusiastically.
"Tons," he smiled.
"What were you talking to my dad about Nathan?" Haley said curiously.
"It's a secret" he said as he smirked.
"Where are we heading now?"
"Back to my place all right?"
"Mhm, can I stay over? It's going to get late before we know it"
"That's fine" he said as he continued driving.
"Watch a movie?" she said as she grinned to him.
"Fine with me, which movie?"
"Hm… you choose!" she said happily.
"Well if I choose it won't be a chick flick"
"I know, I'm fine with some gore and blood"
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre?"
"PERFECT" she said as she got excited.
"You're such a boy" he laughed.
"I am not, take that back" she said as she crossed her arms.
"Haley Bob James is such a boy" he said mockingly.
"Nathan Royal Scott I will not allow to be teased like this" she said in an austere tone.
"Haley Bob James is my girl"
"Better." She said before she realized what he actually said.
"Wait, come again?" she said as she went closer to him as if she heard incorrectly.
The car came to a halt right in front of his house. He stepped out of the drivers seat and opened the door for her.
"Nathan, please tell me what you said." Haley asked nervously.
She quickly followed behind him as he walked to his front door.
"Haley, I know what I'm about to say will sound crazy but please… hear me out."
Haley's eyes bulged at the nervous Nathan in front of her.
"Nate just tell me, come on." She said as she grabbed on to the sides of his muscular arms
"Hales, we've known each other since we were born. I haven't lived a day in my life where I haven't known you." Haley grew more nervous as she imagined a series of scenarios in her head.
"If it's about Peyton, I'm extremely sorry" Haley said apologetically.
"Ugh, Hales! Don't worry about Peyton right now," Nathan said frustrated.
"Then what?" She said as she furrowed her brows.
"Haley, I love you, I'm incredibly in love with you, and I know it's taken me forever to figure it out but it's evident, I'm crazy about you and I can't imagine not living without you" he spat out breathless.
Her face became shocked, speechless by the words that came out of Nathan's mouth. She was in complete awe that he has just confessed his love for her. She didn't know how to feel, her heart was fluttering in the most amazing way and a wave of happiness took over her body.
"Oh god Nathan" she said as her eyes began to water from joy.
"Everything I said is true Hales," he said assuring her this was no joke.
"Nathan, I-I just—I love you too Nathan!" she said as she jumped into his arms.
He held her so tight and spun her around. This moment was so perfect; absolutely nothing could ruin it. He gave her a bunch of kisses on her face and she laughed as she was being tickled by the feeling of his lips.
"I was hoping you'd say yes" he smiled as he let go to get a good look of her.
"Picture, the picture Nate! Remake it now?" she asked.
"Anything for you baby," he said as he took her camera and aimed it at the two of them.
"Are you ready? He said as he steadied his arm.
"As ever," she replied as she got on her tippytoes to reach his lips and kiss him.
The flash of the camera bounced off of their cheeks, as he let his arm fall to the side his lips never left hers. The kiss finally ended and they stared each other in the eyes.
"I can't believe we're together" Haley added.
"And why is that? He said as he began to unlock his door.
"Because it feels like a dream, I've dreamed of this for a long time now Nate" she confessed.
"Same here Hales, same here" he said as he guided her inside the house.
A/N: NALEY! NALEY! NALEY! This chapter is shorter than others but equally as good! Hope you enjoy and please review!