Haley awoke to a persistent buzzing sound coming from the other side of the bed. Blinking away the sleepy fog, she glanced over at Nathan to find him fast asleep. In the moonlight of the darkened room, he looked like a black and white photograph: raven hair against white sheets, shadows dancing across his naked back. He was snoring softly, his arm slung across her waist and the content smile of a man who's just gotten laid gracing his lips.

The buzzing stopped momentarily, and Haley noticed the screen of Nathan's phone glowing in the darkness with a missed call notification before it immediately began buzzing again. She glanced at the bedside clock. It was just past midnight. Who could be calling this late? Concerned that it might be important, Haley carefully removed Nathan's arm and leaned across him to look at the caller ID.

Brooke Davis.

Haley's heart leapt into her throat.

Of course she remembered Brooke Davis from high school, she was captain of the cheer squad and student body president Haley's freshman year. But even if they hadn't gone to the same school, Haley would have to be living under a rock these days to not know that Brooke had started her own clothing line and become a very successful fashion designer in New York. Naturally Brooke knew Nathan, they were the two biggest celebrities to come out of Tree Hill. But why would she be calling him in the middle of the night?

The phone gave one last short buzz, catching Haley's attention again, and a text message flashed across the screen:

Hey Stud! Just wanted to see how the shoot went. So sorry I couldn't come support my Boy Toy in person! Call me tomorrow! xoxo

Haley suddenly felt like the dark hotel room was closing in on her as full-blown panic set in. She looked back in horror at the man sleeping soundly next to her. How could she have been so stupid? Of course Nathan Scott had a girlfriend, and of course it was someone incredible like Brooke Davis!

She swore silently to herself. She knew he was always photographed with different women, but why had she just assumed that meant he wasn't in a relationship? She recalled his last words before she'd kissed him: "I'm trying hard to be a good guy." She had thought it meant because of his reputation; obviously he had meant that he had a girlfriend he was trying not to cheat on. And she had gone and jumped his bones at the first opportunity, just so she could live out her teenage fantasy of being with Nathan Scott. The thought made her feel dirty. She had been so blinded by her feelings for him that she had probably destroyed his relationship in the process. This is why she avoided one-night stands, she reminded herself angrily, blinking back tears. She had to get out of there.

As swiftly and quietly as she could, Haley slipped out of bed and located her dress, sliding it over her head with shaking hands. She quickly located her phone to look up the number for a taxi service and tears burned hot behind her eyes as she swiped through several text messages from her roommate inquiring where she was.

Slinking out of the penthouse bedroom, she didn't allow herself to look back at the man she left sleeping soundly in bed. She didn't think her heart could take it.

—

Haley clenched her teeth as her key scraped into the lock of her apartment door, the sound deafening in the quiet hallway.

She had barely cracked open the front door when a voice sounded from inside the apartment: "Well, well…who knew my roommate was such a party girl!"

Haley opened the door fully to find Lindsey Strauss seated on the living room floor in pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt, blonde hair piled precariously on top of her head and secured with a claw clip. She was surrounded by textbooks and paper spread all over the floor, and was so busy tapping away on a graphing calculator that she hadn't even looked up at the sound of the door. Haley sighed, grateful at least that she hadn't woken her roommate. "You're still studying?" she asked incredulously.

"I know, I know," Lindsey groaned, finally looking up from her work. "I can't wait to finish this semester and graduate already. Have I mentioned how much I hate math? Why is it even a requirement for my degree? It's not like I'll be editing textbooks."

Haley laughed at that, flopping down onto the couch and kicking her heels off. "I'm sure you'll do great," she assured her friend.

"You're so lucky you're already done with finals." Lindsey rolled her eyes and set her calculator aside, crossing her legs beneath her and reaching for her coffee mug. "I'm taking a break, and I want to hear all about your day. You took a picture with Nathan Scott! How did that even happen?! Ugh, I'm so mad that I didn't go now!"

There was no hiding the deep blush that crept up Haley's neck and filled her cheeks. She had probably blushed more today than she had in her entire life.

Lindsey glanced at the clock and frowned. "Holy shit, is that the actual time? I was joking about the party girl thing, but you're never out this late. Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

Haley bit at her lower lip, the sharp sting from her teeth instantly drawing the memory of Nathan's teeth provoking the same feeling just hours ago.

"Hay…" Lindsey dragged out the nickname, a slow smile spreading across her face at her roommate's obvious embarrassment. "Were you with a boy tonight?!"

The heat that rushed through Haley's body at the question left no doubt in her mind that her face must be a bright shade of tomato red at this point. "Well, he was definitely no boy…"

Lindsey squealed and leapt up, coffee sloshing out of her cup as she scrambled to the couch and planted herself next to Haley, her attention rapt. "Oh my god, tell me everything! Did my sweet little Hay-Hay have a one-night stand?!"

Haley covered her face with her hands, and that was all the answer her friend needed. "You did!" Lindsey crowed. "I can't believe it! Come on, woman, spill!"

"Ugghhh, Lindsey…it was literally the best sex I've ever had in my life," Haley groaned into her hands. Lindsey's excitement gave her a dose of courage to continue. "I know I don't have much to compare it to, but it was so good. I didn't even know it could be that good."

Lindsey squealed again and bounced up and down on the cushion, shaking the entire couch. Haley couldn't help but laugh at her normally cool and collected friend's exuberance. "Okay okay, back up," Lindsey exhaled. "How did this happen? Did you meet him at the commercial thing? Is he a basketball fan?"

"Um…you could say that…"

Realization dawned on Lindsey's face as she suddenly put the pieces together. "Oh. My. God. Haley James…did you fuck Nathan Scott?"

Closing her eyes to block the sight of her roommate's shocked expression, Haley pressed her lips together and slowly nodded.

Lindsey grabbed a throw pillow and held it to her face to muffle the excited shriek she couldn't contain. "Haley James, you little minx!" she teased once she had finally calmed down enough to speak. "Give me all the details. Start from the beginning."

"Well…the thing is…I actually knew who Nathan was before today," Haley started slowly.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Well duh, Hay, everyone in North Carolina knows who Nathan Scott is. Probably half the world knows who he is."

"Yes, but…" Haley sighed. "You know how I'm from Tree Hill, right?" Her roommate nodded. "Well…I actually went to high school with him." Lindsey's jaw dropped and Haley quickly continued, "I mean, he was a senior when I was a freshman, so I didn't, like, know him. But I saw him my first day of school and pretty much fell head over heels for him. My entire freshman year, I only had eyes for Nathan. He was kind of my first real crush."

Lindsey sat back in disbelief as she tried to process what she had just learned. "Are you serious? How come you never told me this?"

"Because I felt so stupid!" Haley sighed. She was relieved to be getting this out in the open. Her crush on Nathan had been a carefully guarded secret for so long, and a weight lifted as she shared with her best friend. "He never even knew I existed, I was so far out of his social circle that we might as well have been at two different schools. I was so infatuated with him…one day I was late to class because I followed him in the wrong direction down the hall for an entire passing period, swooning over the back of his damn head! I was so heartbroken when he left for college because my fantasy of running into him somewhere around town and having him immediately fall in love with me like some cheesy romantic comedy was never going to happen."

"Well, I haven't heard the whole story yet…but I think this is the rom com," Lindsey giggled, curling her fingers tightly around her mug in excitement.

Haley rolled her eyes. "I just…I had it bad for him for an entire year. And I know teenage crushes are totally normal and it's not like I'm the only girl who's thought she's in love with some guy who's way out of her league…but I didn't expect my first crush to turn into this famous hot-shot basketball star. I mean, he's Nathan Scott. I tried to forget about him, but the man's face is everywhere, especially in this town!" She twisted the ring on her pinky finger in embarrassment. "I never wanted to talk about him because I think part of me was afraid I'd get all crushed out on him again and then actually get crushed when he ended up settling down with some supermodel."

Lindsey nodded sympathetically. "I totally get it. He's completely gorgeous, and if I'd known any of this I never would have bailed on you this afternoon or told you to stay. I'm sorry, Hay."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Haley assured her. "You didn't know because I never told you. I never told anyone. And it's not like you forced me to stay…I think part of me did kind of hope to see him again."

"Wait a minute, but there were like a ton of people there, right?" Lindsey frowned. "How did you even end up meeting him in the first place?"

Haley detailed the events of the afternoon: how Clay had picked her out of the crowd to sit courtside, how the actress they'd hired to be in the commercial with him had partied a little too hard before the shoot, and how they had eventually asked her to fill the spot.

"Oh my gosh, my roommate is going to be on TV!" Lindsey chirped. "So what happened next?"

"Well, once we were done filming, his agent found me and told me that Nathan wanted to know if I had any plans–"

"Yeah he did!" Lindsey interrupted with a knowing smile.

"And he asked me to dinner," Haley continued. "He was a perfect gentleman, and he didn't seem at all like the sleazy playboy that the media is always making him out to be. He was kind, and respectful…" She trailed off, memories of the night running through her mind. "And…he really seemed to like me," she finished softly.

Lindsey reached forward and took her roommate's hand, squeezing gently. "So you had this great dinner, had the best sex of your life…then what? Why aren't you over the moon right now?"

Haley sighed. "Everything was perfect. We just connected, and it was amazing…and then I found out he has a girlfriend."

"What," Lindsey hissed, her blue eyes flashing. "He slept with you and then told you he had a girlfriend and just kicked you out? What an asshole!"

"Actually, after we had sex we fell asleep together," Haley admitted. "I really only intended for it to be a one-time thing, but when he wrapped me up in his arms…it just felt so right. It seemed like he felt it too. I think I kind of hoped that in the morning he'd still be into me. I woke up when his girlfriend called his phone."

"Ouch." Lindsey winced. "What did he say when you confronted him about it?"

"Nothing. He slept right through the call and I got the hell out of there before he woke up. I didn't think I could handle hearing his excuses. I never would've even agreed to dinner if I'd known he was with someone."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Lindsey said sympathetically, rubbing her hand along her friend's arm. "That really sucks. But if you're going to throw caution to the wind for one night, Nathan Scott was definitely a good choice."

"God, it's all so embarrassing though, Linds," Haley groaned. "I've never had a one-night stand, and definitely never been with a guy who's already taken! But it's like I couldn't help myself…like I turned into this sex-crazed teenager or something!"

"Oh, come on Hay, cut yourself a little slack!" Lindsey laughed. "It's okay to have a little fling…and you went out and got flung by Nathan Scott. That body…" She sighed dreamily. "You're going to kill me for asking, but I've gotta know…"

Haley raised a skeptical eyebrow. She was pretty sure she knew where this train of thought was headed.

Her roommate bit her lip, practically vibrating with anticipation. "How was…you know…Little Nathan?"

"Um, believe me when I say there was nothing little about him." Haley's cheeks flushed bright red at the admission as her roommate squealed in delight.

"Oh my god I'm so jealous," Lindsey sighed. "And you're the only person I know who can actually cross someone off your elevator list!"

Haley couldn't help but laugh at that, clenching her thighs reflexively as she recalled exactly what Nathan had done to her in the elevator. The feel of his lips on her skin and his fingers working her to the brink of the most mind-blowing pleasure…

She pushed the memory out of her mind. It wouldn't help to dwell on it now.

Suddenly the wild rollercoaster of the day's emotions caught up with her, and a glance at the clock told her it was closer to sunrise than to her usual bedtime. She rose to her feet. "I'm headed to bed, I think…don't stay up studying too long or you'll sleep right through that final."

Lindsey groaned and stood also. "No, I think you're right…I should probably call it a night too. Besides, I don't think I could focus on doing math problems when I just found out my roommate's been doing a celebrity all night." She winked before her teasing tone softened and she reached over to give her roommate a hug. "I'm really sorry he has a girlfriend though, Hay. It's his loss, believe me."

Haley smiled and they said goodnight, heading to their rooms on the opposite ends of the apartment. She felt a sudden pang of sadness at the thought that they weren't going to be roommates much longer. They had lived together all through college, and she was going to miss these late-night talks. They had always supported one another, and she was thankful to have a roommate that had become her best friend. After graduation, Lindsey would be moving to New York to work for a publisher, and Haley herself would be getting settled into a new apartment alone.

She was looking forward to the future, but sometimes all of the changes felt a little overwhelming. Maybe that's what tonight had been about. Nathan represented something she had always wanted, and it had been every bit as good as she ever dreamed. Better, even...at least until his relationship with Brooke Davis came to light. Maybe whatever the future held would be just as good. Maybe she had just needed to get him out of her system.

It was probably for the best, anyway. Even if he had been single, how would they have made it work if he'd wanted something more with her? She was just about to start her career, and he was a public figure, constantly jetting around the country for games and events. She'd lived in Charlotte for four years and never once crossed paths with him before today, he was so rarely in town. And who's to say it could even last if they did figure something out? Instead of a messy, public break-up, she got to experience the most incredible night of her life with a man she had always been attracted to. It was definitely better this way. All she could do now was hope that one night with him was enough to cure her little crush.

She sighed and settled into bed, the exhaustion finally catching up with her. But when she closed her eyes, she was haunted by the fear that maybe sex with Nathan Scott had ruined her for any other man.