A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind reviews on chapter one! I'm not a "real" writer - I just do this for fun, so it's so encouraging to know that other people are enjoying what I write! :)

Happy New Year everyone! I'm declaring '23 the Year of Nathan Scott for us all.

XX

Haley observed in silence as the crowd filed into the stadium seats row by row, filling one side of the court across from two cameras and the film crew. The arena lights flickered off and then back on a few times as the production team tested equipment and the Lady Cats cheerleaders stretched on the sidelines nearby.

Once the seats were filled and the crew was satisfied that the equipment was set properly, Clay Evans took the floor. "Testing, testing, can everyone hear me?" he spoke into the microphone.

The crowd cheered in response, and Haley was amazed at how loud it was, even though the stadium wasn't even close to full.

"Alright, good deal!" Clay gave a thumbs-up. "We'll bring out the man of the hour in a few minutes, but first we have some housekeeping items to go over. First of all, thank you all so much for volunteering your time to be here today, you're all awesome human beings." He raised his hands above his head and clapped, the microphone thumping with the motion.

"Secondly, this is our director, Joe." He pointed to a bearded man in a backwards baseball cap who was focused on one of the cameras across the court. At the sound of his name, he gave a wave towards the audience without looking up.

"Joe is the boss today, and what he says, goes," Clay continued. "We're all gonna be here for a couple of hours, so make friends with the people next to you and get comfortable. When Joe gives the signal, you're all going to cheer and shout and go absolutely wild like the Bobcats are up by two in overtime with four seconds left on the clock, got it?"

The crowd roared and the Lady Cats shook their pom-poms in encouragement. Haley looked around, wide-eyed. The excitement in the air was palpable, and the thought crossed her mind again that she definitely did not belong here.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Clay enthused. "Just like that! Now, my ladies in the front row here, you've gotta give those cheerleaders a run for their money, got it?"

Haley could've sworn the agent was looking right at her, and she prayed that the court would open up and swallow her whole. She was no cheerleader. She had no place being in the front row, and the thought suddenly occurred to her that this commercial was actually going to be seen by other people. She was going to be seen by other people…on television! She swore she was going to kill her roommate as soon as she got home.

Her murder plot was interrupted as the overhead lights dimmed and a spotlight flashed across the floor.

"Ladies and gentleman, the man you've all been waiting for," Clay boomed in his best announcer voice, "The man of the hour, starting point guard for your Charlotte Bobcats, number 23 himself - Nathan Scott!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening as they rose to their feet, leaving a dumbfounded Haley the only one seated as Nathan Scott himself sauntered out onto the court, a sideways smirk stretched across his full lips as he eyed his crowd like a king overlooking his subjects.

Haley swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as she took in the sight of him. She had been attracted to his boyish charm in high school, but the man he had become was impossibly handsome.

He had always been fit, but he was no longer a lanky teenager; he had filled out considerably, with strong, lean muscles that bulged in all the right places. His thick, raven hair was perfectly mussed, and his blue eyes were as piercing as a winter wind that cut all the way to her bones. There was an ease to his interaction with the crowd as he scanned the faces in the stands and offered a smile or a wave to the enthusiastic fans, even giving high fives to a few he seemed to recognize.

For a brief moment, his sharp gaze caught her eye and she suddenly found herself standing to her feet, compelled by the raw magnetism of his presence.

Haley was in a daze as Clay tossed him a basketball and he began to dribble it between his legs, tossing it up to catch in a spin on his middle finger. His movements were smooth and controlled, muscles rippling with every motion as he warmed up.

He showed off for the crowd and tossed the ball around a bit until Joe indicated they were ready to start rolling.

The cameras followed Nathan's every move as he made shots around the court, seemingly playing a one-on-one game against himself. Haley's jaw dropped as he dribbled up to the basket, twisting and dunking the ball in one fluid motion, his biceps flexing and straining as he hung onto the rim for an extra few moments after the ball went in. She was in awe of how graceful he was. Surely someone as tall and muscular as him should be awkward or gangly, but his movements reminded her of a bird soaring effortlessly on the wind.

Before she knew it, she was on her feet and cheering as loud as the girls around her like she was in high school all over again, watching him lead the Ravens to the state championship.

Once the director was satisfied with the performance shots, he called Nathan and the film crew in to go over the script and prep for some close-ups. The camera crew filmed the cheerleaders while Clay took the microphone once more and advised the volunteer audience to take a ten-minute break.

Haley stayed in her seat, worried she may lose it to one of the Nathan Scott groupies if she left for even a moment.

That's a different tune than you were singing earlier, James, she scolded herself. As much as she didn't want to admit it, seeing Nathan in person again had that same funny little feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach from all those years ago.

She watched as he paced the court, running a hand through his sweaty hair as he reviewed the script and mouthed the words under his breath. She appreciated the fact that he was taking the work seriously, instead of spending the break flirting with the cheerleaders.

Although, it occurred to her that if the rumor she'd heard earlier was true, those bridges might already be burned.

She was quickly distracted from the unpleasant thought as a commotion across the court caught her eye.

"What do you mean Alex can't work?" Joe bellowed at a production assistant. Nathan had looked up from his script as Clay rushed over to see what was going on.

She strained to hear as the group spoke in hushed voices for a moment before Joe threw his hands up in the air. "Well if she's too high to work, you're going to have to find someone else here who can say the line," Joe instructed Clay. "They're already charging us out the nose to use the court today, we don't have time to waste."

Haley was watching intently now as Clay and Nathan exchanged a few words she couldn't hear. Nathan was gesturing animatedly towards the stands as his agent's gaze scanned the arena.

A slow, wolfish grin stretched across Clay's face as his sight came to rest upon Haley. He grabbed one of Nathan's moving hands and gave him a firm smack on the back, nodding his head in Haley's direction.

Her cheeks flushed with heat as Nathan turned, his brow furrowed as his eyes searched her face. Her heart beat a little faster. Surely he wouldn't recognize her, would he? Haley suddenly felt completely exposed, as if he could see through to her very soul.

Damn, what is happening to me? It's like I'm turning into one of the groupies, getting all hot and bothered just because he's looking at me!

Oh god, they were coming over.

"Hilarie, was it?" Clay asked as they approached.

"Um, Haley," she reminded him, trying hard to keep her expression neutral and her eyes on Clay. "Haley James."

"Haley, that's right," Clay snapped his fingers. "Haley, have you ever done any acting before?"

"Err…no," she admitted, her eyes widening. "I mean, I took a speech and debate class once, and I'm a high school teacher, so I'm used to speaking in front of people…well, I mean, I guess I should say I will be a teacher, I just finished school. College, I mean. I graduate next month, and then I'll be a teacher, but – "

"Well then Haley James," Nathan's deep, soothing voice mercifully interrupted her anxious rambling. "It sounds like you're already more qualified than the model we just fired."

She was suddenly at a loss for words as she stared at him, her mind racing. Nathan Scott was speaking to her. He had said her name. Fourteen-year-old Haley had awakened somewhere deep inside of her, and she was suddenly weak in the knees at the smile he was giving her.

That smile…she'd had dreams about that smile. That smile that tilted slightly to the right, and reached all the way to his mesmerizing eyes, crinkling the corners and somehow making him look even more handsome. She'd seen that smile when he would tease his friends in the halls of Tree Hill High, and when the Ravens had won the state championship.

She never dreamed that smile would be directed at her.

Haley suddenly realized she had been quiet a little too long, and was probably staring. Get it together, Haley - he's just a person. She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Clay - he was easier to talk to. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand," she said slowly.

"Well, it's pretty simple, actually," Clay assured her. "The model who was supposed to say one measly little line decided it was a good idea to focus on some lines of a different kind today, if you catch my meaning."

Nathan pinched his forefinger against one side of his nose, tipping his head in a snorting motion for emphasis.

Clay smacked him in the chest as he gave Haley a tight smile and continued. "What that means for us is, we've got this whole stadium filled with people, and if we can't find another girl to replace her and say the line, we've got to shut this whole production down and come back here another day. And as I'm sure you noticed, boss-man Joe isn't too keen on that idea."

"So, what do you say, Haley James?" Nathan spoke up. "You want to make your acting debut and save our asses?"

Haley blinked, staring back and forth between the two men, trying to absorb what they were saying. Her brain was stuck on the fact that Nathan kept referring to her by her first and last name, and she knew that later that night when she was alone with her thoughts she would be over analyzing that little detail to death.

She shouldn't agree to this, right? That would be crazy. She wasn't an actress, or a model - hell, she had just been freaking out over the idea of being seen in the background of this damn commercial only moments before! How on earth was she supposed to speak in front of a camera? More importantly, how was she supposed to speak in front of Nathan?

She should definitely say no to this.

Before her brain could communicate that thought to her mouth, she heard herself saying, "Okay, sure…why not?"

Clay clapped excitedly. "Perfect! I knew you were the girl for the job, I just had a feeling about you as soon as I saw you earlier." He took her gently by the elbow and led her down the row, past the death glares of the other women nearby who had heard the whole exchange.

Haley was barely listening as he explained that someone was going to come and touch up her makeup while she read over the line she'd be saying. She nodded along, absent-minded, as a production assistant shoved a script into her hand and pulled her into a chair on the sidelines.

She stared down at the paper in her hands as a frazzled-looking woman with horn-rimmed glasses emphasized Haley's features with some additional makeup.

Her eyes finally came into focus on the highlighted line: "Hey, 23! Call me!"

Oh god. Oh god, she couldn't do this. How was she supposed to look at Nathan Scott, her first real crush, and openly flirt with him in front of a camera?

She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. She thought of her first day substituting a class all by herself, and how terrified she had been. She'd managed to stay calm and collected, even when one of the students had given her a hard time. This wouldn't be nearly as bad. She'd say her line, and then she could go back to her normal life of not being obsessed with Nathan Scott. Maybe freshman Haley would be satisfied with this crazy interaction and she'd even stop having those occasional dreams about him after this was all over.

"You look nervous, Haley James." Nathan's smooth voice came out of nowhere, causing her to nearly jump out of her seat.

Or maybe not.

"God, you scared me!" she breathed, placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry about that," he chuckled, pulling up a chair across from her. He placed it so close that his knees nearly touched hers once he was seated.

"Why do you keep doing that?" she blurted before she could stop herself.

He frowned, his brow creased in confusion. "What, scaring you?"

"No - calling me Haley James."

His frown quickly lifted into a smirk. "Because. That's your name isn't it?" He cocked one eyebrow and his eyes danced with mirth. "Or have you started this relationship off with a lie? I'm disappointed in you, Haley James!"

She rolled her eyes, trying hard to ignore the fact that he'd just said the word 'relationship' in a context that applied to her. "No, of course that's my name, but most people don't call me by my full name. Except maybe my mom, when I'm in trouble. It's weird."

"Well I'll just have to find something else to call you then, won't I?" he teased. Was it her imagination, or had he leaned closer to her when he said that?

Before she could reply, a buzzer sounded signaling that they were ready for the next shot…her shot. Her stomach twisted into anxious knots.

"You ready to do this?" Nathan asked, jumping up from his seat and offering a hand to help her out of her own chair.

The knots in her stomach tied themselves tighter as she took his outstretched hand. The brief touch of their skin felt like fire burning into her palm, and she mourned the loss of its fleeting warmth.

Shaking her head to clear it, she realized she hadn't yet answered him. "As ready as I'll ever be." She was pleased to hear that her voice sounded more confident than she felt. She wasn't an actress. What if she ruined the whole thing?

No. It was just one line. Surely it was impossible to ruin one line. She could do this.

The director set the scene, showing Haley to her mark, a tiny piece of black tape on the hardwood floor just in front of where she'd been seated before. "Okay, he's going to be walking away from you, and you call out and say your line," Joe explained. "Got it?"

She nodded her understanding and gave her shoulders a shake in an attempt to relax.

"Quiet on the set!" Joe hollered.

Nathan turned his back to her, throwing one last look over his shoulder to wink at her. Her heart was pounding, but his simple gesture helped calm her.

The first couple of takes were rough as she struggled to say her line loud enough, or with enough authenticity, or with the right expression on her face. She could tell the director was getting a bit frustrated, and she was more determined than ever to prove that she could do this.

She felt Nathan's eyes on her, and she gave him a small, nervous smile. He tipped his head at her, a you-got-this nod before turning his back to her to begin the scene again.

Haley closed her eyes, imagining herself back in high school. What if she'd been the cool, confident girl, instead of the shy, bookish girl? If she had been as comfortable in who she was back then as she was now, how would she have spoken to that Nathan Scott, King of Tree Hill High?

"Action!"

Haley opened her eyes, narrowing them slightly as she called out, "Hey, 23!"

Nathan spun to look at her, and she paused to scrunch her nose and bite her bottom lip before she followed up with, "Call me!" and a wink.

"Cut!" the director called out. "That's the winner, let's move on!"

Haley pumped her fist in the air, beaming over at Nathan, who flashed her a wide grin and gave her a thumbs-up. Her euphoria was short-lived though, as the crew sprang to action to set the next scene, and Clay was announcing to the audience members that they were done filming the crowd and dismissed everyone for the day. The frazzled makeup artist from earlier had pulled Nathan away for touch-ups.

Her heart sank a little that it was already over. She had been so focused on her small part, and she had really been having fun with it there at the end. And Nathan had been unexpectedly encouraging.

She had been about to turn and follow the rest of the crowd out of the arena when Clay called out suddenly, waving her over.

"Hey, great job!" Clay congratulated her. "Do you have another hour or so to spare? Joe wants to use you in one more scene."

"Oh, uh…sure," Haley sputtered. "I thought it was just the one line though?" She couldn't believe her luck.

"No lines for you in this one, just Nathan," Clay assured her. "You just have to stand there and look pretty."

Haley blushed. "I guess I can try to do that…"

"Oh come on, you're a natural!" the agent assured her with a wink, gesturing for her to follow him across the court where Nathan was getting prepped for the next scene.

"Jersey off, sweetheart," the makeup artist ordered just as Haley and Clay reached them.

In one motion Nathan tugged the jersey over his head and tossed it aside without second thought. Haley feared she might spontaneously combust from the sudden warmth that spread throughout her body at the sight of the expanse of chiseled flesh before her. Broad, muscular shoulders tapered to a narrow waist which barely held up his low-slung basketball shorts. Her eyes were drawn against her will to the only hair on his torso, trailing from his navel and disappearing into his shorts.

Are you kidding me?! He looks like he's carved out of stone!

She couldn't help but continue to stare as he was misted with water to make his skin glisten under the lights. The sudden urge to run her tongue over the contours of muscle before her was overwhelming. She wondered, not for the first time, what he must be like in bed. All that smooth, toned flesh…he was a masculine masterpiece.

He noticed her eyes on him and grinned back at her as he raised one arm to flex his bicep, unabashedly showing off for her. "Like what you see, Hales?" he asked with a wink.

The odd name snapped her out of her reverie. "Hales?" she repeated. Her voice sounded strange in her own ears.

"Sure," he shrugged. "Just kind of rolled off the tongue. Told you I'd come up with something else to call you."

She didn't say anything, just raised one eyebrow. His confident grin faltered slightly, and she couldn't help but feel pleased that she could throw him off balance as well. At least now she wasn't the only one.

"I mean, um," he cleared his throat nervously, and then seemed to bounce back, "if you don't like it I can go back to calling you Haley James." There was that cocky grin again.

She smirked back at him. "Ha, ha. You could just call me Haley, like everyone else does."

He took a few steps towards her, invading her personal space and smiling broadly down at her, and it was only then that she realized how he towered over her. She swallowed, suddenly feeling vulnerable and small. Her gaze was locked with his as he leaned forward and said, "Now where's the fun in that?" His breath teased her ear, sending a shiver of excitement through her body. "It'll be our thing."

She opened her mouth to respond and found that her mind felt too hazy and sluggish to produce a witty response. The close proximity of all that warm flesh was messing with her head.

"Alright, Nate," Joe's voice interrupted, sparing her the embarrassment of silence, "We're gonna take it from the top. You know what to do?"

Nathan nodded, immediately transitioning back to work mode, and Haley wondered if she'd imagined the entire interaction. She gave her head a little shake and tried to focus. How was it that he had this effect on her, even all these years later? She had never considered herself especially good at flirting, but she felt fairly confident in who she was and didn't find interactions with men all that intimidating. Nathan had always been the exception, but she had assumed it was because of immaturity and teenage hormones.

Apparently it was just a Nathan thing.

"Alright sweetheart, your job is easy," the director assured her. "Nate's gonna say his line, and you're just gonna stand there with your arm around him and stare at him adoringly. Got it?"

Haley's throat closed up. She was going to have to touch him in front of all these people? When he looked like that? She nodded slowly, her heart beating out of her chest as Nathan sidled up to her and lifted his arm to put around her.

He frowned at the deer-in-headlights look on her face and paused, arm hovering in midair above her shoulders. "You okay?" he asked softly, genuine concern etched across his face.

More than okay, she wanted to say. She'd had no idea when she woke up this morning that all of her high school fantasies were going to come true. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yep, I got this," she assured him.

He smiled that sideways, closed-mouth smirk at her again and pulled her tightly against his side.

Breathe, Haley, just keep breathing and pretend no one is watching, she told herself as she slid her arm around his bare back. She couldn't help but notice his unique masculine scent as she breathed in deeply and forced herself not to think about that right now.

"Good, let's take it from the top then," Joe ordered. "And…action!"

Haley was grateful that she didn't have to speak or look at the camera; Nathan's warm skin beneath her palm and the way his jawline moved as he spoke his line was consuming all of her attention. She didn't even hear what he was saying - she barely noticed when the director called for them to cut.

"Not bad, but you're stiff as a board, doll," Joe admonished. "It's a body spray commercial, it needs to be sexy. Lean into him a little, maybe caress his chest. He won't bite."

Haley blushed furiously and nodded, glancing up at Nathan for permission before gingerly placing a hand on his chest.

He smirked down at her and gave her shoulder a shake as he leaned into her and snapped at her, his teeth clicking together and his upper lip curling just a bit. He let out an amused laugh as she jumped a little and gave him a gentle shove. "That wasn't very nice, Scott," she laughed.

"I couldn't help it," he snickered, pulling her back to him and squeezing her waist gently in reassurance.

Haley feigned suspicion as she eyed him for a moment before she leaned into his side again and placed her right hand on his abdomen. Fine, she thought, if he wants to tease…two can play that game. When the cameras began rolling, she began gently running her fingers along the grooves of his muscular torso, her eyes focused on his handsome face.

She couldn't help but notice the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his jaw ticking slightly before he opened his mouth to say his line. Was she imagining it, or did his voice suddenly get huskier?

He glanced down at her as he finished speaking, and their eyes locked. The intensity of his gaze made Haley's breath catch in her throat, and Nathan began to slowly dip his head closer…

"Aaand, cut!" Joe called out. "Perfect! That's a wrap everyone, great job today!"

Upon hearing this, the crew sprang into action and began dismantling equipment and cleaning up. Nathan was still staring down at her, seemingly as affected as she was, when he was whisked away by Clay and the director to discuss when he could schedule coming into the studio to record some additional voiceovers.

Haley blinked a few times and shook her head to clear it. She had almost forgotten anyone else was in the room, much less that they were being filmed. The blush returned to her cheeks as her mind ran wild with what might have happened if they had been alone.

She looked around, unsure of what to do. The audience was long gone now, leaving only the production team to finish up their jobs. What was the protocol for an extra at these things? Should she just leave? Did she need to sign off on anything, now that her role in this little commercial had expanded?

Nathan and Clay had disappeared, and the crew was busy cleaning up so they could get out of the stadium as quickly as possible; she didn't want to interrupt anyone to ask what she should be doing.

Haley chewed her bottom lip as she looked around, considering. Maybe if she waited around a few minutes longer, Nathan would turn up again. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she at least wanted to thank him for helping her not come across as a complete fool on camera.

Not wanting to look like she was just hanging around like a groupie, Haley retrieved her purse from where she had dropped it nearby and pulled out her phone. She had a couple of missed calls and texts from Lindsey.

Since you've been gone all day, I assume you ended up staying after all? the first one read.

Followed by: I'll take that as a yes. I can't wait to hear everything! Did you get to meet Nathan Scott?! Send me a photo!

Haley smiled at her roommate's enthusiasm. She snapped a selfie on the nearly empty basketball court and had just hit send when she heard someone call out her name and turned to see Clay jogging across the court towards her.

"Thank goodness…you haven't left," he panted. "Nathan would've killed me. He wanted me to make sure you were still here and see if you had any plans for the rest of the evening?"

Her heart was suddenly pumping double time. "Umm, n-no," she stuttered in surprise. "No plans." Was Clay asking her out on Nathan's behalf?

"Good," Clay sighed in relief. "He's just getting changed now. Come on, I'll take you back."