Title: Once Upon A Christmas Eve
Author: Diane
Fandom: One Tree Hill
Characters: Nathan/Haley
Category: AU
Prompt: 18 - Gift
Rating: Teen Rated
Disclaimer: Nope, I don’t own a thing!
Spoilers/Warnings: None as it’s AU. The main thing to keep in mind with this story is that Nathan is Luke's older brother. Other than that, I think it’s fairly self-explanatory.
Summary: As she followed behind him, Haley saw that the guestroom she’d be staying in was the one directly across from his bedroom and the memory of the one and only time she’d ever been in there hit her head like a ton of bricks and caused her cheeks to flame with embarrassment.
Author’s Notes: This has been written especially for the girls on my Flist as a thank you for the lovely Christmas cards and gifts they’ve sent to me. All of your kind words have meant so much and have put a big smile on my face so thank you. *hugs* It’s also dedicated to those of you who have taken the time to read and feedback my stories this past year. I really appreciate all of your comments and they definitely help keep me writing so thank you.
It’s also been written for my fanfic table at 25fluffyfics.
The smile on Haley James’ face instantly faded when the large wooden door in front of her opened to reveal the last person she was expecting to see. Her so-called best friend had promised her he wouldn’t be there this year and despite her reservations she had believed him. Yeah, she wouldn’t be doing that again in a hurry, she thought to herself. Lucas Scott had some serious explaining to do when she got a hold of him.
“Hales…”
She inwardly cringed at the familiar shortening of her name. “Nathan. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“Yeah, I gathered that from the look on your face. You wanna come in?”
“Uh… Where’s Luke?”
“His plane hasn’t landed yet,” he informed her.
“But he was supposed to have arrived yesterday.”
“I know but apparently something last minute came up at work and he decided to fly out today instead.”
“Great,” she mumbled under her breath. “I, uh… I’m gonna go and—”
“Go where, Haley?” Nathan interrupted, surreptitiously looking his brother’s best friend up and down. She was wearing a pair of worn blue jeans which moulded to her every curve and beneath her winter coat, which was partially open, he caught a glimpse of her moss green, knitted, V-necked sweater which offered him a tantalising view of her cleavage. Her rich, auburn hair tumbled around her shoulders in loose waves and he yearned to thread his fingers through it as he tipped her head back to meet his kiss.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard her reply but he managed to catch the word ‘hotel’ which had him shaking his head. “No, you’re not going to a hotel.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Luke would never forgive me if I let you go to a hotel instead of staying here like you’d both arranged. And besides, it’s Christmas Eve. Most places around here are bound to be full.” Taking a step towards her, he picked up her suitcase from the porch and brought it inside his childhood home. “C’mon, it’s freezing out there and you must be tired from your flight.”
Releasing a quiet sigh, she nodded and sucking her bottom lip into her mouth, she tentatively crossed the threshold and then closed the front door behind her. The house looked and smelled exactly the same as the last time she’d been inside it and she couldn’t help but smile at the familiarity of it.
“My parents said to say hi to you,” Nathan said a few minutes later, breaking into her thoughts.
“I’m sorry I missed them,” she replied. “They’re visiting Mae and Royal, right?”
“Yeah. I was supposed to be going with them since I skipped Christmas with them last year but I managed to get out of it. I had to promise I’d see them at New Year’s though.”
Haley laughed. “Poor you. Is your grandpa still as fierce as I remember?”
“Worse,” he told her. “You’d have thought me getting into the NBA would’ve made him happy but no… He seems to enjoy telling me where I keep going wrong.”
“I’m sorry.”
Nathan shrugged his shoulders. “I’m used to it. At least Dan’s not on my case anymore.”
“Yeah, Luke told me that he’s… better.”
“He is. I mean, he still has his assy moments… he wouldn’t be Dan Scott if he didn’t, right?” he quipped before adding, “But he’s nowhere near the person he was when we were growing up.”
Haley gave him a sincere smile. “I’m glad,” she said quietly.
They stood there awkwardly for a long moment before Nathan broke the silence. “So… uh, do you want to go upstairs and unpack your stuff?”
“Um… sure.”
“Okay.” Picking up her suitcase again, Nathan started climbing the stairs.
“You don’t have to do that,” she told him.
“I know,” he said, throwing her a smile over his shoulder. “C’mon…”
As she followed behind him, Haley saw that the guestroom she’d be staying in was the one directly across from his bedroom and the memory of the one and only time she’d ever been in there hit her head like a ton of bricks and caused her cheeks to flame with embarrassment.
After placing her case by the bed, Nathan turned and saw Haley’s eyes fixed on his bedroom across the hall and he knew exactly what she was thinking about from the red flush she wore. Damn! His own thoughts suddenly went back four years to the night of her high school graduation.
“Haley… I—”
“I think I’ll take a nap,” she quickly interjected, practically pushing him out of the room and slamming the door as she mumbled, “I’ll see you later.”
He was just about to knock on her door when the telephone rang and heading into his room, he picked up the receiver, frowning when he heard his brother’s voice on the other end of the line.
* * * * *
After unpacking, Haley had taken a quick shower to try and clear her head and feeling pretty tired as a result of spending most of the day travelling, she’d decided to take a little nap. When she’d woken up, it was pitch black outside and switching on the lamp on the nightstand, she saw it was a little after nine-thirty.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she’d missed dinner and getting up from the bed, she pulled on a pair of comfy grey sweatpants and a pale blue tank top before heading out of the room. Her gaze immediately went to Nathan’s room and she was surprised to see him lying on his bed, his eyes trained on her as she stood frozen to the spot.
“Hey.”
She gave him a shaky smile. “H-hey.” Coughing to clear her throat, she came closer and stood in the doorway. “I, uh, fell asleep.”
“I figured,” he replied, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his back against the headboard. “Listen, Luke phoned a few hours ago and, uh… he’s not going to make it tonight. Apparently, there’s been a freak snowstorm in New York and all flights have been cancelled.”
“Of course they have,” she muttered. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was some kind of setup but I know Luke wouldn’t do that to me.”
“You’re right, he wouldn’t… but I would.”
Haley’s eyes which had been focusing on the swirly pattern in the carpet suddenly flew up to meet his and her breath caught in her throat at the heated way he was watching her. “Nathan…”
“You’ve avoided Tree Hill for the past four years, Hales, and I know it’s because of what happened… or didn’t happen that night and I figured it was about time we dealt with it. I hate that you feel you can’t come home when you know I’m in town or tha—”
“Wow!” she cut in. “You really do think a lot of yourself. Let me guess, you think I’ve been pining for you all this time, right? Well, let me tell yo—”
“I love you!” Nathan blurted out, interrupting her tirade.
“Wha… What?” She stared at him incredulously as his words registered in her brain.
“I said I love you… I’ve loved you for so long and not seeing you has been killing me. I came with the others this summer to see you graduate but I stayed out of sight ‘cause I didn’t want to ruin your day and you don’t know how hard that was.”
Haley’s eyes filled with tears at his words and she blinked them away, shaking her head as she did so. “You’re lying,” she whispered, remembering that night when she’d offered herself to him and he’d been so cold towards her.
Getting up from his bed, he slowly walked towards her and as soon as he was close enough, he cupped her face between his palms. “I’m not lying,” he told her, leaning forward and resting his forehead against hers. “I promise.”
She removed his hands from her face and took a step back. “Then why did you push me away that night? I-I wanted you to be my first, Nathan… I told you I was in love with you and you laughed before turning your back on me.”
“I know,” he whispered shamefully. “Being with you would’ve been so amazing, Hales, but I was already at Duke and you were going to be leaving for Stanford and I… I took the easy way out. I made you think that I didn’t want you like that when it was all I wanted. And then there was Luke to consider… you’re my little brother’s best friend and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have been happy about us being together.”
“He knew all about my feelings for you,” Haley told him. “I think he actually realised how I felt before I did.”
“I wish—”
Cupping the back of his head, she drew his face towards hers, sighing with relief as soon as their lips touched for the first time.
“I meant what I said,” he said several moments later when the need for air had come an issue. “I love you… I’m in love with you.”
“I… I…”
“It’s okay,” he assured. “You don’t have to say it back. I know I don’t deserve it after what I did.”
“I still love you,” she finally whispered, her eyes glistening with tears. “I’ve been out with other guys and even though I haven’t seen you in so long… you’re still all I can think about.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“I believe you,” she said, smiling through her tears. Sliding her arms up his chest, she wrapped them around his neck, her fingers idly playing with his hair. She moaned when he kissed her again, instantly parting her lips and granting his tongue access.
“Can I give you your Christmas present?” he asked and Haley shivered at the huskiness of his tone.
“You got me a present?”
He nodded and pressing another kiss to her too tempting lips, he pulled back and went over to his nightstand and slid open the drawer so he could retrieve the blue velvet box he’d placed there a few days ago when he’d first arrived home. Going back to where she stood, he held it out to her. “It’s, uh, a joint Christmas and Graduation present,” he explained. “I mean, it was what I wanted to give you at Graduation but since I didn’t, I figured it could be a joint present but I can always get you something else if yo—”
“You’re so cute when you ramble,” Haley said, laughing at the slight blush that tinted his face. “A joint present is fine.” She held the box in her hands for a long moment before finally opening it up and she gasped at the silver charm bracelet that lay inside on the plush, Royal blue velvet cushion. “Nathan…”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she stated, looking up at him again through tear-filled eyes except this time they were happy tears. “It’s gorgeous.”
Threading his fingers through her silky hair, Nathan tipped her head back slightly and wasted no time in capturing her lips in a sinfully hot kiss. He moaned into her mouth when he felt her tongue glide against his own. His smile was almost shy when they slowly pulled back from one another and taking the jewellery box from her hands, he removed the bracelet from it and soon had it fastened around her slender wrist.
“Thank you,” she whispered, pushing herself up onto her toes and suckling his bottom lip before repeating the action on his top one. She giggled at the frustrated sound he made when she refused to deepen the kiss.
“Haley…”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“You know what,” he replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“So, is me being alone here with you all a setup?” Haley finally asked the question that had been plaguing her since the start of their conversation.
“Not exactly. Luke and I were arguing about something… I can’t even remember what it was now, and then he just threw in how yet again you weren’t coming home for Christmas and that it was all my fault. Him saying that kind of just… defeated me, I guess, and I ended up telling him about how I really felt about you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I thought he’d be shocked or angry but he wasn’t. He just said it was about time I admitted it and that I needed to do something about it before it was too late.”
Haley couldn’t help chuckling. “Luke is such a romantic, isn’t he?”
“He’s like an old woman,” he retorted. “Anyway, I asked him to tell you that I wasn’t coming home for the holidays and I hoped that we’d get a chance to talk. Luke being delayed in New York is true, unless he’s lied to me and wanted to give us time alone.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t put that past him.”
Wanting to do things properly, Nathan took a deep breath and asked, “Will you go out me, Haley James?”
Her smile lit up her face and she nodded eagerly. “Yes… but you’re still on probation, okay? I’m not letting you off the hook that easily.”
“I don’t blame you,” he replied sheepishly, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “I’ve got no intention of hurting you again but if I ever do, you have permission to kick my ass. Not that you need my permission,” he hastened to add.
“Glad to hear it,” she stated before kissing the corner of his mouth and then giggling when he turned his head slightly so she could kiss him properly. “So, when are we going on our first date?”
“How ‘bout right now?” Nathan suggested.
“It’s Christmas Eve, not to mention it’s pretty late and I’m not even dressed for going out.”
“Who said anything about going out?” Banding his arms around her waist, he held her close and nuzzled his nose against her cheek. “I was thinking we could maybe order some takeout and snuggle up together on the couch and watch a movie.”
“Mmm, that sounds… kinda perfect.”
“Well, that’s me,” he quipped which earned him a slap on the arm. “Hey!”
Haley laughed along with him for a moment before her expression sobered. “Are we really going to do this?”
“Yes,” he stated simply. “I want this more than anything… I want you more than anything.”
Her hands pressed down on the back of his head, urging his face towards hers and she felt her entire body tingle when their lips fused together. The kiss was sending her blood pressure soaring and she tightened her hold on him, laughing softly when she felt herself being lifted off of the ground.
“Do you want this?” Nathan asked, needing to hear her say the words.
“Yes… I do.”
Those last two words conjured up an image of her dressed all in white and he was surprisingly comforted by it instead of feeling the need to run far away. Deep down he’d always known she was the one for him and he knew that one day in the not too distant future they’d be saying those words before God and all of their families and friends.
Pressing another kiss onto her lips, he reluctantly drew back from her and then intertwined their fingers. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs… If you’re lucky, I might even let you pick the movie.”
“You will, huh?” Giving his fingers a gentle squeeze, she pulled him along behind her as she exited his room and started to make her way downstairs. “I feel so special.”
“You are special,” he told her, smiling when she blushed.
“Still a smooth talker, I see.”
As they entered the den, Nathan released her hand and watched as she went to choose a DVD from the rack in the corner of the room. He knew he had a lot to do to make up for how he’d treated her that night four years ago and he made a silent promise to himself to do everything in his power to make her happy. As he continued to watch her, he knew that it all started tonight and he couldn’t be happier.
Fin