Chapter One
October 5, 2010
Adding a packet of sugar to her espresso, Haley James gave it a quick stir before popping the plastic lid back onto her to-go cup. She turned to leave and almost collided with the person who had been standing directly behind her. Luckily, she somehow managed to keep a hold on her coffee without spilling it over either of them. "I'm so sorry," she said. The guy she'd bumped into was some kind of giant she realized when she had to take a step back so she could look up into his face. Her eyes widened when she instantly recognized him.
"Nathan?"
"Haley James, is that you?"
She felt a warmth run through her at the fact he also recognized her, particularly as she looked pretty different from the last time they had seen each other. She'd heard via the Tree Hill grapevine that he'd recently moved to New York but she hadn't even considered the possibility of their paths crossing.
"Still a bit of a klutz, I see," he teased.
"You talking to me or about yourself," she quipped back.
"Whatever."
Noticing that the coffee shop was beginning to fill up with the morning rush, Nathan Scott placed his hand on Haley's lower back and led her over to a vacant table in the corner. "You wouldn't by any chance have time to drink that here?" he asked, gesturing to the cup she was holding.
She shook her head. "No, I wish I could. I've got a meeting to attend as soon as I get into the office and I'm already running a little late."
"That's not like you. I remember you being a stickler for punctuality."
"I know, I know," she replied, laughing. "There must have been a power outage during the night 'cause my alarm clock didn't go off this morning."
"Are you, uh, free for dinner tonight, then? It feels like forever since we last saw each other and it'd be great to catch up."
Haley smiled up at him. "Sure, I'd really like that." Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a business card and handed it over to him.
Reading it, he said, "You work for a publishing house, huh?"
"I'm an assistant editor there," she informed him. Glancing at the clock situated on the far wall, she said, "Listen, I hate to run out on you like this but—"
"It's fine," he told her, understandingly. "I've got to get going as well actually. I'll give you a call later, okay." Retrieving his wallet from the back pocket of his pants, he slid her business card inside of it.
"Okay." Placing her hand on his arm, she said, "It's great seeing you again, Nathan."
"You too, Hales. Have a good day."
Hearing the familiar nickname roll off his tongue, her smile deepened. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before she left, making her way through the other patrons queuing to give their orders to the baristas who, it appeared, were becoming busier by the minute. Once outside, she turned the corner and stood for a moment with her back against the side wall of the shop. She couldn't believe she had just bumped into Nathan Scott. Seeing him standing in front of her had been a surprise... a really nice surprise. It had to have been at least ten years since they had last seen each other but, if possible, he was even more handsome now than he'd been back in high school and those blue eyes of his were even more dazzling.
Realizing she hadn't had any of her coffee yet, she took a sip of the now tepid liquid and grimaced. She hated espresso but had opted for it this morning as a way of hopefully jolting her awake. Whenever she overslept it left her feeling off-kilter but now, thanks to her encounter with Nathan, she was buzzing. Tossing her coffee cup into a nearby trash can, she hurried towards where her office building was located. She couldn't wait for Nathan to call her later. Hopefully she could get out of work a little early so she had a chance to go home and change before their date.
Wait, was it a date? Or was it just a catch-up dinner? He hadn't specified and she didn't want to assume, especially since she'd probably be wrong and end up making a fool of herself. He'd already seen her being klutzy this morning and she was grateful to whoever up there was looking out for her that she hadn't spilled her coffee all down his front. Haley felt her cheeks heat up as she envisioned cleaning him up... touching that hard, muscular body...
She was already a total basket-case and Lord only knew how much worse she'd be later today if and when he called her.
"Morning, Haley."
"Huh? Oh, good morning, Robbie," she said, greeting the security guard sitting at the front desk and giving him a small wave as she headed over to the elevator bank. She was working on auto-pilot because she hadn't even realized she'd arrived at her building. Entering the elevator and pressing the button for her floor, she glanced at her watch and saw she still had ten minutes to spare and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Resting back against the metal wall of the thankfully empty car, she knew she had to try and push Nathan to the back of her mind because otherwise she had a feeling she wouldn't be getting any work done today.
Besides, for all she knew, he wasn't going to even be calling her and had just suggested dinner as a way of being polite. They hadn't seen each other in such a long time and she doubted whether he had even given her a passing thought over the past decade. If he called, he called but if he didn't... well, it was fine.
It would have to be.
* * * * *
"So, did you think I wouldn't call?" Nathan asked, smirking. Taking a drink of his mineral water, he watched the rosy blush infuse her cheeks and knew he had his answer.
"You're too cocky for your own good," she told him. When he raised an eyebrow, she sighed. "Fine, I wasn't sure whether you were just being polite when you mentioned us having dinner together."
"Me, polite?"
Haley laughed. "Yeah, I know. What was I thinking, right?"
"So, Haley James, how's life been treating you?"
"Things are pretty great," she told him. "I've been in New York for a couple of years now... I came here to interview for my current job and then relocated here when they hired me."
"Where were you living before that?" he enquired.
"Charleston. I interned for a firm there during college and they offered me a full-time position so instead of going home to Tree Hill, I moved to Charleston permanently. When I saw the New York job advertised I couldn't pass up the opportunity of applying." Picking up her glass of white wine, she took a sip. "To be honest, I didn't think I'd get it. I figured they'd want someone more experienced but the interview went really well and they offered me the job later that same day."
"That's great, Haley."
"So, what about you?"
"I can't complain," Nathan stated simply.
"That doesn't tell me anything," she teased before sobering as she remembered what had happened. With Tree Hill being a small town, the news, when it had broken, had travelled fast. "I, uh, was so sorry to hear about your injury."
He shrugged. "Thank you."
"I wanted to call you but... I wasn't sure if you'd want to hear from me."
"I'd always want to hear from you," he told her sincerely. Closing his eyes for a moment, Nathan remembered the pain – both physical and emotional – of the injury he'd suffered to his left wrist during a practice game in his second year of college which had ended his dreams of one day playing in the NBA. "The first few months after it happened weren't good... hell, they were a total nightmare but I managed to get through it," he said, hoping he wouldn't have to go into any greater detail than that.
Biting her lip, Haley pondered whether or not to ask the question that was now at the forefront of her mind. "Uh... how did your dad take it?" She recalled how domineering he had been of Nathan, and his older brother Lucas, during their high school years and when she had heard about Nathan's injury, one of her first thoughts had been to wonder about how Dan Scott would take the news.
"He was great, actually." He laughed at the shocked expression she now wore. "Seriously, he was the one who really helped me through it. I think he realized how badly he'd dealt with the situation when it had happened to him that he didn't want me to go down the same path. Of course, he took me to get a second and third opinion but when they agreed with the first doctor that my injury wouldn't allow me to play professional basketball, he got me thinking about my options and what kind of career I wanted." Nathan was grateful when their waiter suddenly appeared to clear away their dinner plates. While Haley had always been a great listener and he was certain that trait hadn't changed, he wasn't ready to tell her about those missing months between being injured and his father forcing him to look to the future. At least not yet.
"Would you like to see the dessert menu?" The young man asked them.
"Um..."
"Yes," Nathan replied, smiling across at his companion. "C'mon, Hales... I won't believe for a second that you don't still love chocolate as much as you used to."
"Okay, you've twisted my arm," she said, returning his smile.
After perusing the dessert menu their waiter handed to them a few minutes later, they selected a slice of chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream for Haley and a piece of crème brulee cheesecake for Nathan along with two coffees.
Haley's eyes fell shut and she couldn't help moaning as she tasted the first spoonful of her dessert and she blushed when she opened them and saw Nathan smirking at her.
"It's that good, huh?"
"You want some?" she asked, scooping up some more of the gooey chocolate and proffering her spoon towards him.
"Uh... sure." Leaning forward, he let her feed him, keeping his eyes fixed on her beautiful brown ones as he did so. "Mmm, I can see why you moaned," he told her after he'd swallowed the dessert. "You want some of mine?"
"Not right now, thanks. Maybe save me a little for when I've finished this."
"I can't promise anything," he told her, flashing her a wink.
"Pig!"
"Oink oink," Nathan retorted and he laughed at the giggle that escaped from her. Watching her eating her dessert, he couldn't help observing her. If possible, she was even more gorgeous than he remembered. Haley's eyes had always been so expressive and that saying about eyes being the windows to the soul could have been written especially for her. Her hair was the main difference about her though. In high school, it had been a deep auburn color which she'd tended to wear straight but now it was a rich honey-blonde and curly. Tonight she was wearing it pinned up with a few loose tendrils framing her heart-shaped face and it suited her perfectly.
When he'd seen her that morning, she'd been dressed smartly in a grey skirt and matching jacket with a pale blue blouse beneath it. She'd obviously been home to change because she was currently wearing a form-fitting wintergreen dress with thin spaghetti straps which subtly dipped in the front to give a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage. His former tutor was definitely all grown up!
"Do I have something on my face?"
Her voice brought him out of his reverie. "Sorry, what?"
"You were looking at me so intently I wondered if I had something on my face."
"No, you don't," he said, grinning. "I'm sorry for zoning out on you. It's been a long day."
"Oh?"
"I've been apartment hunting and it's not going well," he explained. "The good ones seem to have already been taken leaving me with the places that aren't exactly fit for human habitation."
"I've been there," she said, sympathetically. "My first apartment was a dump and that's putting it nicely. If it wasn't for Lindsey… she's a friend of mine from work," Haley informed him, "offering me her guest room I don't know what I would have done."
"You, uh… wouldn't be interested in helping me out with it, would you? I mean, coming along with me and giving me your opinion. I'm not sure if maybe I'm being too picky and just seeing faults where there aren't any."
Haley smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'd be happy to. Is this weekend good for you?"
"That'd be great. Thanks, Haley."
"You're welcome. We can discuss my commission later," she teased.
"How about I spring for dinner and a movie as a way of saying thank you?" he offered.
"Hmm, that's a start. You can also buy my popcorn and candy."
"Deal," he said, a half-smirk gracing his lips. Picking up his cup, he leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee. They were bantering back and forth like they used to do and he was liking it a lot. His move to New York hadn't been for the best of reasons but now… he was starting to think that someone up there liked him and was wanting to give him a second chance. He hoped that this was an opportunity to start putting his past behind him and begin moving forward.
* * * * *
As Nathan drove her home, Haley turned slightly on her seat so she could see his face. "So, you never told me, what do you do for a living?"
Giving her a quick glance, he smiled at her before turning his attention back to the road. "I'm in advertising."
"Really?"
Chuckling, he asked, "What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. I figured you'd be involved in something sports related... maybe coaching or you'd be an agent."
"I thought about going down the coaching route for a while but I decided against it. To be involved in basketball but not actually playing the game... I think it would've been too hard."
"Yeah," she agreed. Without thinking about what she was doing, Haley reached out her hand and placed it on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Looking across at her, he gave her a grateful smile.
"So was it your job that brought you to New York?"
Turning his head, he focused on the road again. "Uh... yeah. The New York office had a couple of positions to fill and they decided to recruit internally so I decided to put my name forward. I was wanting a change of scenery so it seemed like perfect timing."
"You were in California, right?" she asked, vaguely remembering what she had heard about him the last time she had been home.
"Yeah, Los Angeles."
"And you decided to swap the sun and surf for New York?"
Nathan laughed. "I'll probably regret it when winter hits."
"Especially with me here to remind you," she teased. Looking out of the window and seeing her building coming into view, she said, "You can pull up just over there."
"Okay." Turning on the indicator, he slowed the car down and then brought it to a stop by the curb before putting the car into park.
Haley played with the strap of her purse, hesitating with what she was about to ask him. Before she could ask him anything, Nathan spoke.
"I had a really great time tonight, Hales."
"I did, too," she replied. "Um... would you like to come up for some coffee?"
"I'd love to but I've got a presentation first thing tomorrow and I need to review some papers when I get in."
"Oh, okay... sure."
"Are we still on for Saturday?" he asked. "You know, with helping me find an apartment."
"Yes, of course."
"Great," he said. "How 'bout I pick you up here at, say, ten-thirty?"
"That'll be fine."
Smiling, he unfastened his seatbelt and then leaned over the centre console to press a kiss onto her cheek. "I'll see you then."
Haley felt a shock of warmth run through her entire body and she did her best not to moan at the feel of his lips against her skin. "Uh... yeah. I'd better get going." Undoing her own seat belt, she opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, the night air instantly cooling her down. Giving Nathan another smile and a small wave, she closed the door and began walking towards the building. Reaching into her purse, she retrieved her key for the door to the communal entrance and let herself in. When she turned to close it, she saw his car was still there and she smiled at the fact he had waited for her to safely get inside.
While he'd always been nice to her during their tutoring days, Haley couldn't help feeling a tiny bit surprised and disappointed at him turning down her invitation to come up to her apartment. His reputation with the female population of Tree Hill High had been somewhat legendary and, at the very least, she had been expecting a proper goodnight kiss from him.
Walking towards the rear of the lobby, she pressed the button for the elevator and after a minute or so had passed, the doors slid open and she got in, pressing the button for her floor. Closing her eyes, she remembered the feel of his lips and late-in-the-day stubble brushing against her skin and she quietly sighed as she wondered how long she would have to wait until she felt those lips against her own.