Chapter Three
Four days later…
Haley nervously paced her living room. Glancing at her wristwatch, the butterflies in her stomach started flapping even more fiercely when she saw that Nathan would be arriving for their first official date any time now. If he had just told her where he was taking her maybe she wouldn't be feeling like this, she mused to herself. All he'd said was for her to dress casually. Unfortunately for her, Lindsey was away for the weekend visiting her family so she couldn't get an opinion on the outfit she had selected for her date.
Having checked the weather forecast that morning and seeing that the day ahead should stay dry and fairly warm, Haley had chosen a royal blue maxi skirt and teamed it with a lightweight white sweater. A pair of wedge sandals completed the outfit.
While she'd always hated surprises, she had to admit she was excited by what Nathan had planned for them today. Opening her purse, she retrieved her compact from inside of it and gave her appearance a final check. She had decided to wear her hair down and was using a blue silk scarf as a makeshift headband to keep it off of her face.
When the doorbell rang a few minutes later Haley jumped and she giggled to herself as she walked over to open the door. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him standing on the other side looking just as gorgeous as ever. "Hi."
"Hi," Nathan replied, smiling. When she opened the door wider, he entered the apartment and as soon as she had closed the door, he leaned into her and kissed her. "You look amazing," he told her once the kiss had ended.
"Thank you. You're looking pretty good yourself."
"Only pretty good?"
She swatted his bicep. Looking him up and down, she took in the blue Levi's and dark grey T-shirt he was wearing. "Yep, pretty good just about sums it up," she teased. She seemed to suddenly notice the flowers he was holding and her smile widened. "Are those for me?"
"Uh… oh yeah," he said, handing over the posy of purple wildflowers. "Sorry," he mumbled, his own nerves getting the best of him.
"Thank you, they're beautiful," she said, bringing them up to her nose and breathing in their delicate fragrance. "I'll just go and put them in some water."
Heading into the kitchen, Haley found a small glass vase in one of the cupboards and filled it with some water before quickly arranging the flowers into it. Carrying it into the living room where Nathan was waiting, she smiled at him as she set the vase down onto the coffee table.
Walking over to where she was standing, he asked, "You ready to go?"
"Uh huh. Are you going to tell me where we're going?"
"Nope! It's a surprise."
"Nathan," she whined. "I hate surprises."
"I know," he said, cupping her cheek. "I remember you telling me that one day in school."
"Really?"
"I remember everything from our tutoring sessions," he quietly confessed.
"I do, too." Haley raised up onto her toes just as he lowered his head and she sighed when his lips touched hers. When they parted, she couldn't resist teasing him. "I especially remember how you tried getting out of the assignments I set you."
He laughed, shaking his head. "You were such a slave-driver, Miss James, and bossy with it."
"You didn't give me much of a choice," she quipped.
"I was an angel," he said, tongue firmly in his cheek.
Her mouth dropped open. "More like the devil." The pouty look he wore caused her to laugh and lifting her hand, she lightly stroked his cheek. "You want to know a secret?" When he nodded, she said, "Out of all the people I tutored you were kind of my favorite."
"Yeah?"
She wasn't surprised to see the familiar smirk grace his lips and it made her smile. "Now, if you tell anyone else I'll deny it."
"They probably wouldn't believe you," Nathan joked before stealing one more kiss. "C'mon, let's get going. And before you ask again, I'm not going to tell you where we're headed."
"I wasn't going to ask," she lied.
"Uh huh," he said knowingly as he led her towards the front door.
* * * * *
Haley smiled as she watched her boyfriend shake out and then lay the blue and black plaid blanket onto the grass. For some reason, a picnic in Central Park hadn't been what she would've expected Nathan to have organized for their first official date but she loved it. It was perfect in its simplicity. Setting down the hamper she was holding in the centre of the blanket, she knelt and then sat down, arranging her long skirt around her legs.
"So, is this okay?" Nathan asked her as he opened the hamper and began removing its contents.
"It's more than okay," she replied. "You definitely surprised me and in a really good way. What made you think of it?"
"Google," he said, grinning. "We'd already done the dinner and movie thing before we'd gotten together and I wanted something different for our first proper date so I Googled romantic first dates in New York and a picnic in the park was one of the first things that came up. I know it's October and the weather could've been an issue but I took a chance."
"I'm glad you did 'cause I love this."
"Good." His smile widened. "As for the food... I bought it all so you're safe."
"Well, after that dinner you cooked for me a couple of weeks ago I wouldn't be complaining if you told me you'd made everything. You're pretty good in the kitchen."
"That's not the only room I'm good in," he murmured and he smirked at the flush that infused Haley's cheeks.
"You're incorrigible."
"I know."
Haley watched in amazement at the amount of food he had packed. "Is anyone else joining us?" she asked, gesturing to the spread in front of them.
"No... I guess I might've gone a little overboard, huh?"
"Just a little," she agreed, "but what we don't eat now we can take back home with us. It won't go to waste."
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Uh, according to the website I looked on, you're not allowed to bring alcohol into the park and since I didn't want to risk us getting busted on our first date I figured it was best to stick to the rules."
"Really? That's not like the Nathan Scott I used to know," she teased. "He was all about breaking the rules."
His eyes darkened and he swallowed thickly. He didn't want to ruin the mood so he forced himself to smile, hoping it looked genuine. "I grew up, I guess."
Haley noticed the change in his demeanor but she decided not to mention it. She was pretty sure he would talk to her if something was bothering him and she didn't want to push him into anything. "What did you bring to drink then?"
Her smile helped relax him and he returned it. "Sparkling apple juice," he replied. "I also brought some bottled water and sodas just in case you wanted something different."
"I'll have some of the apple juice," she told him.
Retrieving a couple of glasses from the hamper, he handed them to her to hold before grabbing the bottle of apple juice and uncapping it. After pouring some into each one, he screwed the cap back on and then took one of the glasses from Haley and held it up. "To our first official date," he toasted.
Haley beamed at him. "To our first official date," she repeated, clinking her glass against his and then taking a drink of the cool, fizzy beverage. "This looks so good," she said, gesturing to the assortment of sandwiches, salads, gourmet cheeses, fruits and desserts laid out in front of them.
"I, uh, had a little help," Nathan admitted.
"Google again?" she asked, tilting her head.
"No, my mom actually. I wanted our first date to be perfect so I called to ask her advice on what I should pack." The tips of his ears turned pink as he quietly said, "I've never done this before... been on a romantic picnic, I mean."
Her heart melted at his confession and scooting forward slightly, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him softly. "Me either."
"Really?"
Haley nodded. "Yeah. I've been on family picnics but I've never been on one with a date."
"Your previous boyfriends didn't take you on any?" he questioned, twirling one of her curls around his pointer finger.
"No. I guess it wasn't their kind of thing."
"Well, it's definitely ours," he stated, brushing his lips over hers before deepening the kiss.
"Yeah," she whispered breathlessly when they drew apart several moments later.
"I don't know about you but I've kind of worked up an appetite."
"C'mon then," Haley said, rolling her eyes, "let's feed you."
* * * * *
Haley felt waves of anticipation swirling around in the pit of stomach as she and Nathan walked up the stairs to her apartment. The elevator was out of service and, in a strange way, she was kind of glad as she wanted a little more time to think before she arrived home.
The whole day had been idyllic and she couldn't have asked for a better first date. After they had eaten, they had walked through the park hand-in-hand just enjoying each other's company and savoring what was possibly the last of the warm fall weather. As the day turned into evening, Nathan had surprised her with two tickets to see the musical "Jersey Boys". She vaguely recalled telling him during one of their tutoring sessions that she loved musicals and one day hoped to be able to see at least one Broadway show. She couldn't believe that after all these years he'd remembered that.
The show had been amazing and while Haley was pretty certain musical theater wasn't Nathan's thing, she believed him when he'd told her he'd enjoyed it and had had a good time.
When her front door came into view, her nervousness cranked up a notch and she debated with herself as to what she should do. She'd never slept with a guy on the first date before but she was willing to make an exception for Nathan. Things with him were so different and, again, she put it down to the fact that they already knew each other and that she felt so comfortable in his presence. She'd never felt like this with anyone else before.
"I had a really great time with you today, Hales," Nathan said, taking her hands in his and rubbing his thumbs along the backs of them.
His voice cut into her thoughts and she gave herself a little mental shake. "I did, too. Thanks for giving me an amazing first date."
Releasing her hands, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. "It was my pleasure," he replied huskily as he lowered his head and kissed her again.
Twining her own arms around his neck, her fingers played with the fine hair at his nape as she parted her lips and welcomed his tongue into her mouth. She shivered when Nathan slipped his hands beneath her sweater and ran his palms up and down her bare back. "Do you want to come in?" she asked. One of her hands had slipped down to rest on his chest and she could feel the fast rhythm of his heart beneath her palm and it reassured her to know she wasn't the only one affected by their dizzying kisses.
"I-I'd love to but I'm going to say no." Seeing the surprised look on her face made him chuckle. "You weren't expecting me to say that, huh?"
Haley's cheeks flushed but she found herself nodding. "Yeah."
"It's just... I want to do things right with you, Haley, and I think sleeping together so soon might mess with that."
"Oh," she mumbled. She definitely hadn't expected him to come out with that and although she knew he probably had a point, she couldn't help feeling slightly rejected by his words. She couldn't imagine the Nathan Scott of old ever saying something like it.
Cupping her face between his hands, Nathan leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. "Don't think I don't want you, Haley James," he told her. "I just don't want to spoil things with us before they have a chance to get started. Keeping his eyes open, he suckled on her bottom lip; releasing it after a couple of seconds. "Besides, good things come to those who wait." Punctuating his statement with a smirk, the girlish giggle she then released made the tightness in his chest ease up a little bit.
"Is that right?"
"Oh yeah," he drawled. Sealing his mouth over hers, he kissed her hotly; his fingers tangling in her hair.
"Are you sure you don't want to come inside?" Haley asked, gently stroking the back of his neck.
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"
"I'm just testing your self-restraint," she retorted.
"It's damn near non-existent whenever you're around," he told her, chuckling when she ducked her head and buried it against his chest. "How can you be embarrassed when you're basically inviting me inside to... corrupt you?"
"I'm not embarrassed," she said, tingles shooting through her entire being at the sensation of his hot breath puffing against her ear as he leaned down to speak into it. "And what's that about corrupting me? I'm not that naïve little teenager you used to know."
"Believe me, I've noticed," Nathan replied, his hands skimming over her butt. He laughed when she swatted his arm.
"Well, I'm going to go inside and start getting ready for bed," Haley said, lowering her voice so it was nothing more than a breathless whisper.
"I was right... you are trying to kill me."
Giggling, she pushed up onto her toes and pressed a kiss onto the corner of his mouth. "Thanks for a wonderful date, Nathan. I loved it."
"You're welcome." Before Haley could move out of his reach, he captured her lips again. The kiss went on for several minutes and he was seriously rethinking his decision not to enter the apartment with her. Deep down, he knew it was for the best. Before they took that step he needed to be completely honest with her but he wasn't yet ready to come clean. He knew that he should really be talking to her now before she got in too deep but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
They were both panting for breath by the time the kiss had ended and it took a moment for them to regain the ability to speak.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" Nathan asked her.
"You're going to get awfully sick of me," she teased. As always seemed to be the case whenever he was around, she felt a warmth infuse within her, pooling low in her belly.
"Not a chance," he told her. "God, I love it when you blush."
"You're not helping," she said, fanning herself with her hand.
"Sorry," he said, though he didn't sound it. "So, are you free tomorrow?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Great. I'll, uh, call you in the morning."
"Okay."
Nathan kissed her again before he reluctantly pulled away. "Talk to you tomorrow, baby."
"Tomorrow," Haley echoed. Watching him walk away, she found she was already missing him; something she'd already felt whenever they said goodbye but now, after their first official date, the feeling was much stronger. And even though his earlier words about why he wasn't coming into the apartment with her had somewhat reassured her, she couldn't help wondering whether there was another reason behind it and if so, what it could be.