Chapter Six
December 24, 2010 - Christmas Eve
Standing on the Scott family's doorstep carrying a bag of gifts together with the chocolate fudge brownie cake she and her mother had made earlier that day, Haley looked around and took in the surroundings. It hadn't changed much in the past ten years since she had last stood here. She remembered how nervous and intimidated she'd felt the first time Nathan had invited her over for one of their study sessions.
"Haley! It's so good to see you, honey," Deb Scott exclaimed a few seconds later when she had opened the door, her voice breaking into the younger woman's thoughts.
"Hi, Deb. It's good to see you, too. Thanks for inviting me over today."
"You're very welcome. Come on in," she said, pulling the door wider and taking a step backwards.
Haley smiled as she crossed the threshold. Glancing around, she noticed that while not much had changed to the exterior, the same couldn't be said for the interior and it was decorated differently to the last time she'd been there. For a start, it was much lighter and brighter. "The house looks great."
"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," Deb replied, smiling.
"Oh, this is for you," Haley said when she realized she was still holding the Tupperware box containing the cake.
"You didn't have to bring anything," she told her, "but thank you. Why don't we go into the kitchen and I'll pour us some coffee... unless you'd prefer something a little stronger."
"No, that's okay," the younger woman replied, giving a small shake of her head. "Coffee will be fine, thanks."
Haley followed Deb into the kitchen and after setting down the box onto the polished granite worktop and then slipping off her jacket, she took a seat at the breakfast bar. "So, uh, where's Nathan?"
"He's out with Dan running some errands for me. They shouldn't be too much longer." Placing two cups of coffee onto the counter along with a small jug of cream and the sugar bowl, Deb took a seat on the stool beside her. "So, you and my son, huh? I've got to admit, I didn't see that coming."
She laughed. "Yeah, me either. To be honest, I didn't think he'd remember me when we bumped into each other."
"Oh, believe me, he's never forgotten you. You made quite an impression on him even if he might try and tell you otherwise."
Haley felt her cheeks warm up. Busying herself with adding a splash of cream to her coffee, she asked, "So, uh, how are you?"
Deb smiled as she lifted her cup and took a sip of her own coffee, letting the young blonde change the subject. "I'm fine, thanks. The café keeps me busy," she replied, referring to Karen's Café which she co-managed with its owner who just so happened to be her friend and sister-in-law. "If you ever feel like doing a little bit of waitressing... you know, for old time's sake, we'll be happy to take you back on."
Haley chuckled, recalling her very first job which she'd had throughout her high school years. "I'll keep that in mind."
* * * * *
Fifteen minutes later, Nathan arrived home with his father and he immediately heard the sound of laughter coming from the living room. Hanging up his leather jacket over the banister, he walked into the room, closely followed by Dan.
"Hey, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you arrived," he told his girlfriend, bending over to press a kiss onto her cheek.
Smiling up at him, Haley said, "Don't worry about it. Your mom's been keeping me entertained and is filling me in on everything that's been happening since my last visit home."
"You should breathe a sigh of relief, Nate, that she didn't bust out the baby photos," Dan quipped as he took a seat in his favorite armchair. "Hi, Haley, it's good seeing you. You're looking well."
"Thanks, Mr Scott. It's good to see you, too."
"Call me Dan," he told her.
She nodded. "Dan," she said quietly.
"That cake looks good," Dan remarked as he noticed the chocolate cake the two women were eating.
"Haley brought it with her. She and Lydia made it especially for us," Deb informed him. "There's plenty more in the kitchen so help yourselves."
"I'll get it, Dad," Nathan said, getting up from his own seat. "Hales, you wanna give me a hand."
"Uh, sure," she agreed, smiling across at him. Setting her plate down onto the coffee table, she stood up and followed him into the kitchen.
Deb couldn't help smiling at the young couple and after she saw them disappear from view hand-in-hand towards the kitchen, she turned to her husband. "Did you see the way his face lit up when he saw her?"
Dan nodded. "Yeah, I couldn't miss it. It looks like our boy's got it bad, doesn't it?"
"It sure does. He's totally smitten." After a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Nathan and Haley weren't around, she leaned forward and said in a slightly quieter voice, "I'm so glad, honey. With everything that happened back then and... well, ever since... I've been so worried about him."
"I know, Deb; I've been worried, too. He seems better though... and happier."
"He does," she agreed. "I just hope it continues."
"Well, judging by the way he hasn't stopped talking about her in the past twenty-four hours since he arrived home... I can't see things changing any time soon. I mean, when was the last time he's ever willingly talked to us about his love life?"
The blonde laughed softly. "I know."
When several minutes had passed and neither Nathan or Haley had reappeared, Dan smiled over at his wife. "So, what's the betting I won't be seeing any cake any time soon?"
* * * * *
Later that evening, Haley followed Nathan up to his old childhood bedroom and once they were inside and the door was closed he pinned her up against it, his lips instantly finding hers.
Dropping her purse onto the floor, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed herself up onto her toes, moaning contentedly at the feel of his tongue sliding along her own.
"I missed you," he whispered, kissing his way down her throat.
"Mmm, I missed you, too."
As Haley hadn't managed to get home for Thanksgiving, a few of her siblings and their families had decided to come home to Tree Hill and celebrate the holidays there so they could see her and, ever since her arrival on Wednesday afternoon, she'd been kept busy catching up with the ones who had already arrived as well as helping her parents get everything ready for the big day. Unfortunately, it had meant she hadn't been able to spend as much time as she would've liked with Nathan.
"You're coming over tomorrow night though, right?" she somehow managed to ask him. God, the things this man could do with his lips and tongue... If it wasn't for his parents sitting downstairs she was about ready to rip his clothes off and drag him down onto the floor.
"Uh huh..." he murmured before attaching his lips to the base of her neck and sucking hard.
"D-don't mark me," Haley warned him. She could just imagine the ribbing she'd get from her family if they saw her neck dotted with hickeys.
"I'm not..." he said, chuckling against her skin. Drawing back from her, he flashed her a smirk. "You really think I wanna get off on the wrong foot with your dad and brothers?"
Haley giggled, her fingers lightly scratching the back of his neck. "I wouldn't put anything past you."
Stealing another kiss, Nathan took her hands in his and pulled her further into his room, leading her over to his bed. When she'd taken a seat on the end of it, he asked, "Can I give you your Christmas present now?"
She nodded eagerly and clapped her hands together. "Yes. If you grab my purse from the floor I'll give you yours too."
He fulfilled her request first before going over to his desk by the window and pulling open the top drawer. Reaching into the back of it, he pulled out two neatly wrapped gifts. As he held them, he suddenly felt nervous and his stomach roiled slightly. He'd never bought a gift for a girlfriend before and certainly not for anyone he cared about as much as he did for Haley. Oh, he had bought presents for his family and friends but that was different.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Uh... yeah. Sorry." Walking over to the bed he took a seat beside her and before he made himself feel even more ill with worry, he held them out to her. "Merry Christmas, Hales."
"Thank you," she replied, taking them from him. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Nathan," she said, handing him a large, plain white envelope. "I... I hope you like them. I, uh, called your brother before I bought them to check that you'd be okay with it and he said you would be so..."
"I'm sure I'll love it. You want me to open it now?"
"Yes, please. Before my nerves get the better of me and I snatch it back from you," she half-teased.
"Okay, okay," he said, laughing. He had to admit, knowing Haley was nervous about them exchanging gifts kind of made him feel a little better. Carefully tearing open the envelope, he pulled out the contents and grinned when he saw what he was holding. "You got me tickets to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden?"
"Uh... yeah. Is that okay?"
"It's more than okay, baby," he told her. Moving towards her, he cupped her cheek as his lips captured hers. "Why were you worried?"
"I don't know... I guess I wasn't sure how you still felt about the game."
"I still love basketball. Does it still hurt that I didn't realize my dream to play professionally? Yeah, it does but it's not something I spend all my time thinking about."
"So, you like the gift?"
"I love it. It's strange that in the couple of months or so that I've been living in New York I haven't even thought about trying to catch a game." Checking the date on the tickets, he said, "I hope you haven't got plans for the third of February."
"You don't have to take me with you," Haley told him. "I'm sure you've got a friend or colleague who'd love to go with you."
Laughing, he shook his head. "Oh, you're not getting out of it that easily. I want you to come with me."
"Yeah? Well, if you're sure."
"I am," he said, punctuating the statement with a kiss. "So, are you ready to open my gifts?"
"Uh huh. You shouldn't have got me two, although..."
"Although what?"
"The tickets aren't your only gift. Back in New York I made up a gift basket for you with some of your favorite things. I didn't want to bring that with me on the plane so I hid it in your apartment and I thought you could have it as a New Year's present given that you'll be there and I'll still be here."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I wanted to."
"I hate that we're going to be apart at New Year's!" Nathan exclaimed. With him having just started at his firm's New York office, he'd been lucky that his bosses had let him have any time off at all for the holidays so, to be fair, he probably shouldn't be complaining too much about the situation but it didn't mean he had to like it.
"Me too. Maybe we can do something nice together when I'm back in the city."
"Yeah, definitely."
Looking at the gifts she was still holding, Haley contemplated which one to open first.
"Open the bigger one," he told her. Without realizing he was doing it, he held his breath as he waited to find out her reaction.
"Oh my gosh... Nathan!" Her eyes watered as they settled on the photograph he had given her in a beautiful silver frame.
"Do you like it?" Nathan asked when several minutes had passed and she still hadn't said anything else.
"I-I love it. I can't believe you still had this picture of us," she said, smiling shyly.
The photograph in question had been taken at Nathan's Graduation ceremony which he had invited her to. She remembered him saying that if it hadn't been for her and all of her hard work he wouldn't have been going to Duke so she more than deserved to be there. She'd nervously approached him afterwards to congratulate him and, even now, she found herself blushing as she recalled the big hug he'd given her and the feel of his lips and warm breath against her ear when he'd thanked her for everything.
Before she knew what was happening, Deb had insisted on taking a photo of the two of them and this was the result. They were standing side-by-side, Nathan's arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders as he hugged her to him. This was her first time seeing the photograph but she'd always assumed he'd been looking straight ahead so she was completely shocked to find that had been looking at her as she smiled for the camera. The expression on his face was undecipherable and her forehead creased slightly.
"What is it?" Nathan asked when he saw her frown.
"Nothing," she lied.
"Hales?"
A quiet sigh escaped her lips. "I'm just wondering why you were looking at me like that in the photograph."
"Oh," he replied, shyly, before answering her. "I... uh... realized in that moment how much I was going to miss you."
Haley's heart began to pound and butterflies took flight in her stomach as she listened to him.
"We spent so much time together during my final year of high school and somewhere along the line those tutoring sessions became the highlight of my day. With the exception of Lucas, you were the only other person I felt I could really talk to. I never felt like you were judging me and you never made me feel dumb just 'cause I needed a tutor."
"Nathan..." The strangled moan she released was muffled by his mouth urgently pressing against hers and she kissed him back just as hard.
"I'm so glad we found each other again, Hales," he said a long while later when the kiss eventually ended. Leaning his forehead on hers, he closed his eyes and savored the feel of her fingers stroking his cheek.
"I'm glad, too." The urge to confess her teenage crush on him was strong but, for some unknown reason, she held back from vocalizing it.
"Okay, open your second present."
"I'm not sure you'll be able to top the first one," Haley told him, a smile tugging at her lips as she slowly and carefully unwrapped the oblong shaped box. Her mouth dropped open a minute later when she saw the famous store's signature blue box and the white ribbon tied around it. Staring at him, she said, "What did you do?"
Nathan grinned at her stunned reaction as he tucked an errant curl behind her ear. "Just open it."
Cautiously lifting the lid off the top of the box, she gasped when she saw the white gold snowflake charm which was adorned with diamonds together with the matching white gold chain it was attached to.
He didn't know what to think when he saw a single tear roll down her cheek. "Haley?"
"Y-you remembered," she whispered, tentatively touching the sparkling piece of jewelry. Cupping the back of his head, she drew his face towards hers and then kissed him. "It's beautiful... Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said, his mouth reattaching itself to hers.
Nuzzling her nose against his, Haley giggled girlishly. "If it wasn't for your parents sitting downstairs, you'd be getting so lucky right about now."
The images her comment conjured up sent a jolt of pure lust to his groin and as much as he would love to be with her in that way, he wasn't anywhere near ready and was actually grateful for the fact his parents were in the house.
"Nathan, honey... Haley... Come downstairs. Lucas and Peyton are here," they heard Deb call out a moment later.
Nathan inwardly sighed with relief, even more grateful to his mom for interrupting them and giving him an excuse to not react to his girlfriend's comment with anything other than a rueful smile.
"Looks like your mom has the same perfect timing that my parents do," Haley quipped.
"Yeah," he replied. "Hey, before we go downstairs, do you want me to put on your necklace?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure it'd suit you but go ahead if you want to." She yelped when he pinched her side. "Hey!"
"Serves you right, smart-ass," he countered, chuckling.
"I'd love you to put my necklace on for me," she said, turning so that her back was to him. A few seconds later, he'd slipped it around her front and she held her hair up for him so he could secure the clasp at the back of her neck. Getting up from the bed, she walked over to the full length mirror on the back of his closet door and admired the delicate little charm.
Standing behind her, Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley's waist and he felt her sink back against him. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he smiled as he watched their reflection in the mirror and caught her eye. "It looks perfect on you," he told her.
Covering his hands, which were laying across her stomach, with her own, she nodded her agreement. "Thank you so much for this. I love it and I love the photograph." Turning to face him, she slipped her hands beneath his arms and splayed them in the middle of his back. "I feel I owe you more Knicks tickets or something."
Laughing, he shook his head. "You don't. I'm just happy you're happy."
Pushing herself up onto her toes, she said, "I am happy... and it's all because of you, Nathan," before fusing her mouth to his and thanking him properly for her wonderful Christmas gifts.
* * * * *
"That was some Christmas gift you bought your girlfriend, little brother," Lucas Scott said as he and Nathan sat in the den and played a game of NBA Live. "I'd say someone's got it bad."
"Shut up and keep playing," he replied, trying to hide his embarrassment. All anyone had been able to comment on was the necklace he'd bought for Haley and he'd felt all eyes on him at dinner as his family kept shooting amused looks and smiles his way.
"I'm just sayin'."
"You think it was too much?" Nathan asked a moment later, pausing the game and turning to face his older brother.
"No, but the more important question is do you?"
He didn't hesitate to answer. "No. I knew I wanted to get her a necklace or a bracelet and since I know she loves the movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' I thought it might be cute to buy it from there. As soon as I saw this one I remembered a conversation we'd had during one of our early tutoring sessions when we were getting to know each other. I can't recall exactly what we were talking about but she told me she loved snowflakes and actually collected them. I made some smart-ass comment about how collecting them must be hard what with them melting so fast and she giggled and it was so cute." He laughed, shaking his head. "When did I ever think a girl's laugh was cute, for crap's sake?"
Lucas had to agree with him on that. Nathan might have thought of girls as hot or any crude equivalent of the term but he couldn't remember him ever using the term 'cute'.
"Anyway, she started telling me how she collected snowflakes made out of glass and crystal; that she'd often get a new one on her birthday or at Christmas."
"So you saw the snowflake charm in the jewelry store and remembered the story?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I did worry that maybe it was too much seeing as we've only been dating for a couple of months but... I couldn't help picturing her face when she saw it so I bought it."
Lucas smiled at his younger sibling. "I'm glad you're happy, Nate. I know you'll think or say otherwise but you deserve it, okay."
"Luke, I—"
The sandy-haired blonde shook his head and smiled as he unpaused the video game. He was pretty sure Nathan was going to dispute what he'd just said. "Sorry, bro, not listening so don't even start."
Nathan stared at him before a half-smile crept onto his face. "Thanks, Luke."
"You're welcome. Okay, so now the mushy stuff's outta the way, let's get back to me kicking your ass at this game."
"Yeah," Nathan said, laughing, "in your dreams."
* * * * *
December 25, 2010 - Christmas Day
"So, you seem really happy, Haley-Bob; I'd say living in New York is agreeing with you," Lydia James commented as she watched her daughter slicing a freshly baked apple pie.
"I'd say it's more like a certain someone is agreeing with her," Taylor, Haley's older sister, chipped in.
Ignoring her sibling, the blonde replied, "I am happy, Mom. I love living in New York an—"
"And you luuuurve Nathan, right?"
"Shut up, Tay!"
"Girls, come on, it's Christmas," Lydia said. "Please try to get along."
"Sorry," Haley muttered before shooting her sister an angry glare.
The two sisters had always had a rocky relationship and, unfortunately, it hadn't improved much as they had gotten older. Until Haley had come along, Taylor had been the baby of the family and though it was left unsaid, Haley often felt like her older-by-two-years sister resented her for taking that title away from her.
"Haley, honey, why don't you go and take Nathan his piece of pie."
She nodded and after adding a large spoonful of whipped cream to the dessert, she carried hers and Nathan's plates into the living room where he was sitting with the rest of her family. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she tried hard not to laugh at the sight of him sitting in the middle of her two brothers, Ryan and Tommy. Those two couldn't be more overprotective of her if they'd tried.
"Hey, why don't one of you boys go and sit over there," she said. "I want to sit down."
"Why don't you go and sit over there," Tommy replied, pointing to the empty armchair on the other side of the room. "I'm comfy where I am."
Rising from the other couch, Jimmy said, "You and Nathan can sit here, sweetie."
"Thanks, Daddy." Turning to look at her brothers, she stuck her tongue out at them. "C'mon, Nathan, come and sit over here with me."
Nathan briefly hesitated before he pushed himself off of the sofa and crossed the room to take Jimmy's empty seat. Once he was settled, he took the plate and spoon Haley held out to him. "Thanks, Hales."
As they ate, he could feel Haley's family watching them and to say he felt uncomfortable was an exaggeration. Her parents, maternal grandparents and eldest sister, Vivian, had been nothing but sweet and welcoming to him but the others... well, they weren't making things easy.
"You okay?" Haley asked him, breaking into his thoughts.
"I'm fine," he said, smiling warmly at her. "This pie is awesome. Did you make it?"
"No," she answered, shaking her head. "Grandma Rose made it this morning. If there are any leftovers I'll let you take them home."
"What are you two whispering about?" Ryan asked.
"None of your beeswax," Haley told him.
"Aunty Haley?" Vivian's six-year-old daughter, Michelle, said.
"Yes, honey?"
"Are you and Nathan gonna get married?"
The unexpected question caused the piece of pie Nathan had in his mouth to suddenly go down the wrong way and he started coughing.
"Are you okay, baby?" Haley asked, patting his back.
"Uh huh," he managed to reply a minute later. Reaching forward, he picked up his glass of soda from the coffee table and took a long drink.
"So, are you? Gonna get married."
"Uh... well, I don't know. We've only just started dating and, uh... Why do you ask?" Haley felt like everyone's eyes were on her and she knew her face was probably flaming red. Her skin sure as hell felt hot enough.
"'Cause I wanna be a bridesmaid," the little girl told her.
"Me too," her three-year-old brother, Cameron, chimed in.
"Duh, silly. Boys can't be bridesmaids."
"They can so!"
Nathan could feel a headache forming as the kids bantered back and forth and he hadn't failed to notice the pointed glares growing stronger from Ryan and Tommy.
This was definitely one Christmas he wouldn't be forgetting in a hurry.
* * * * *
"Hey, Mr James," Nathan said, bumping into the older man who was just coming down the stairs. "Have you seen Haley anywhere?"
Jimmy patted his daughter's boyfriend on the shoulder. "I think she might've snuck outside for some fresh air. I don't know if you've noticed but these James family gatherings can be kind of overwhelming."
"Uh..." He didn't know how best to answer the question without possibly insulting the man's family.
Laughing, Jimmy said, "It's okay, son. You don't have to say a word." Walking with Nathan towards the front door, he found Haley's maroon jacket on the coat-stand and handed it over. "Why don't you go outside and join her. I'm sure you want to spend some time together before you leave tomorrow."
Nathan nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Merry Christmas, Mr James."
"It's Jimmy," he told him. "And Merry Christmas to you, Nate. Have a safe trip back to New York and when she gets back next week, you take care of my baby girl for us."
"I will... Jimmy," he replied, shaking his hand. Grabbing his own jacket, he pulled it on before picking up Haley's again and opening the front door. Stepping outside, he instantly felt the chill of the night air on his face. Turning his head, he saw her sitting on the porch's loveseat with her eyes closed. "Thanks for leaving me in there at the mercy of Taylor," he teased.
Hearing the familiar voice, Haley opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed some air. I should've told you where I was going."
"It's okay," he said, taking a seat beside her and handing her her jacket.
"Thanks." Quickly pulling it on, she wrapped her arms around herself trying to warm up.
"How long have you been out here?"
"Not long. I just didn't realize the wind had picked up a bit... it makes it feel colder than it is."
Nathan didn't fail to notice the melancholy tone in her voice. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he drew her in close and tried to share his body heat with her. "What's wrong, baby?"
Biting her lip to stave off her tears, Haley snuggled into him and breathed in his familiar, comforting scent before replying, "I'm going to miss you."
He felt a surge of affection for her... and another emotion he wasn't yet ready to admit to. "I'm going to miss you, too. Next week is gonna really suck without seeing you but you'll be back in New York before you know it."
"Yeah," she mumbled. "Can we get out of here for a little while? I just... I want us to spend some alone time together. The past couple of days have felt so manic with everyone here and I feel like we've hardly seen each other."
A wave of apprehension and anxiety washed over him but he tried hard to stay relaxed and not tense up. "Sure... I'd like that. Where should we go?"
"How about the River Court?" Haley suggested.
"Yeah, okay."
"C'mon then, let's go." Standing up, she reached for his hands and pulled him up, stretching to plant a kiss onto his lips.
Nathan watched amusedly as his girlfriend all but ran to his car which was parked right outside the house. Taking a long, deep breath, he reached into his pants pocket for his keys and made his way down the path.
* * * * *
Nathan couldn't breathe. The windows of his car were all fogged up and they had pretty much used up all of the air inside of it. Haley was practically devouring him... not that he was complaining, of course. Right now, the flat of her tongue was slowly dragging its way up his throat and he could feel his temperature soaring as his mind conjured up erotic images of her doing the same thing to another part of his anatomy.
Despite the cold weather outside, his shirt was unbuttoned and her delicate hands seemed to be touching him everywhere. As much as he'd tried not to, he hadn't been able to stop from popping the buttons on her own top, rewarding him with a terrific view of her breasts in the skimpy black lace bra she was wearing beneath it and his eyes were immediately drawn to the white gold necklace he'd given her yesterday, the diamond encrusted snowflake charm dangling provocatively in her cleavage line.
It had been years since he'd gone parking down at the River Court, a place which held many fond memories for him. He was definitely adding this latest escapade to the vault. When she'd made the suggestion that they come down here he hadn't quite expected to end up parked under one of the large trees surrounding the basketball court. Being winter, there were no leaves on those said trees so they weren't exactly offering them much shelter from anyone who happened to pass by.
So, here he was in the backseat of the car he used whenever he was back in Tree Hill with Haley straddling his lap, her inner thighs gently pressing into the outside of his. He growled in the back of his throat as she began sucking on his tongue while she lightly scraped her fingernails over his pectoral muscles; her hips gyrating against him which was putting a delicious yet torturous pressure on his throbbing erection. He was so hard right now it was bordering on painful.
"God, you feel so good," Haley murmured breathlessly before seizing his mouth and frantically kissing him.
Nathan tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her forward that little bit more and he smirked at the low moan she released. He knew he needed to stop this and soon, before things escalated any further. He wanted to be with her so damn much but, as the thought entered his mind, he could already hear the faint echoes of that fucking voice in his head and feel his body's instant reaction to it. "Haley..." Her lips were trailing liquid fire down his neck and his hips jerked upwards into her when she bit down on the base of it with blunt teeth. "Hales.." he repeated.
"Uh huh..."
"We... we need to stop," he said.
His words didn't register with her at first... she was too busy kissing her way down his chest. It was only when he placed his hands on her shoulders and stilled her that her lust-addled mind took them in and she looked at him, a confused expression etched upon her face. "What?"
"We need to stop."
"Why?" she asked. Her eyes bored into his as she tried to work out what was going on. He'd been kissing her just as enthusiastically as she had been kissing him so what was the problem?
"I don't want us to get busted," he replied, keeping his gaze on her for as long as he could before glancing to the side. "We're kind of out in the open here."
"Yeah," she agreed with a smile, "but we've done a good job of steaming up the windows so they'd have trouble seeing much of anything."
"I guess," he mumbled. "I just think—"
"You know what I think?" Haley interrupted.
"What?"
"I think you think too much," she teased. Closing the gap between them, she suckled on his top lip before retreating. "It's late and there's no one's around so just relax." Keeping her eyes open, she brushed her mouth over his; flicking the tip of her tongue over the sensitive tissue inside his bottom lip.
Nathan felt his resolve slipping and he did his best to ignore the nagging voice that was getting louder by the minute. Her fingers were suddenly on his belt and he panicked. "C'mon, babe," he coaxed, trying to keep his voice natural. "Let's not do this here..."
"Where then?" Haley asked. "You're staying with your parents and I'm staying with mine and I know we're all grown up now but I don't feel comfortable doing this under their roof and especially not when they're downstairs or just down the hall."
"We could always wait until we're back in New York," he suggested.
Sighing, she said, "Why am I not surprised to hear you say that." The sting of rejection was becoming an all too familiar feeling and she hated it.
"Haley, I—"
"You what?"
"I want our first time to be special," Nathan told her. "You're not just some girl to me and I don't want our first time making love together to happen in the back seat of a car."
She scoffed at that. "Is that right? We've had ample opportunity over the past couple of months to do it in the comfort and privacy of your apartment but you haven't exactly acted upon it."
Nathan was the one to sigh this time. "What's the rush?"
"What's the rush?" she repeated incredulously. "Wow, I never thought I'd ever hear those words coming from you where sex is concerned." Climbing off his lap, she sat beside him on the back seat and began buttoning up her cherry red shirt. "Every time we start getting intimate you put the brakes on and I guess I'm confused as to why that is, especially considering the way you kiss and touch me."
"People change, Haley. I know I had a colorful reputation in high school but I... I've changed, okay. If you're looking to date the guy I was back then... I'm sorry but he's gone." He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more than it already was.
The pain Haley saw in his eyes increased her confusion but, at the same time, it also made her feel guilty. "I want to date you, Nathan... the person you are now. I just... I wasn't expecting you to have changed this much." She felt her cheeks heat up as she realized how she must have sounded a few minutes ago. "You must think I'm such a... a nympho," she said, hiding her face in her hands.
Nathan tried to bite back the laugh he felt forming in his throat but he wasn't successful. "Sorry," he said, sheepishly when she glared at him. "I promise, that thought never entered my head. It's actually pretty damn awesome to know how much you want me."
"Oh God," she muttered.
Threading his fingers through her hair, he gestured for her to look at him which she did a couple of seconds later. "I want you just as much, Hales. Please don't think that I don't."
"Okay," she said, smiling shyly. As much as Nathan was telling her otherwise, Haley was certain there was more to this than him having grown older and wiser over the years. She didn't want to keep asking him or force him into telling her what was wrong; she wanted it to be something he did on his own and hopefully he would open up to her when he was ready to do so. Her imagination was going into overdrive though, conjuring up all sorts of scenarios as to what it could involve.
"How 'bout I take you home?" he said, his voice cutting into her thoughts.
"Sure," she agreed. Going home was the last thing she wanted to do but she figured she might as well now that their night had come to an abrupt end.
As they drove through the quiet streets of Tree Hill to her parents house, Haley wondered how much more rejection she could take from him. On the one hand, it was nice to know he wasn't pressuring her into having sex and was wanting to let their relationship – which, she was well aware, was still in its early stages – develop at a slow and steady pace but, on the other, it was strange to go from hot and heavy one minute to freezing cold the next. Something wasn't right and, deep down inside, she knew he was keeping something from her.
The question was what.