I told myself I'd never write another multi-chapter fic again but lol here I am with a brand new fic. It took a long time to get it started but now that (I think) I have it planned out, I'm quite excited about it! It's going to be a short story. Probably 3-5 chapters- I was going to make it a long one-shot but I got too excited and wanted to post it before I could continue. Anyways, hope you like it!

. . .

Nathan Scott was never the paranoid type; he'd roll his eyes at rumors and laugh at the people who believed in following 'bad feelings.' He trusted almost everyone in his life- they'd never given him a reason not to. Most importantly, he trusted his girlfriend. And he trusted his best friend.

Until recently.

Nathan didn't know why it bothered him so much that Alex and Chase had grown closer over the last several months. But it did. It started small- small enough that Nathan could almost forget the lingering looks between them. Or the way Chase would grin anytime Alex walked in. It was easy to ignore. Alex Dupre was a knockout. He really couldn't blame a straight man for staring. A former model, Alex stood nearly as tall as Nathan, with long, slender legs made for strutting down runways in lacey lingerie. She was - by most men's standards- hot, in an undeniably obvious way.

It didn't bother Nathan when he caught other guys staring- it's not like he owned Alex. She was always friendly, which, of course could be mistaken for flirty, but as far as he knew, she never let anything get too far. And he wasn't the jealous or territorial type, not unless someone was blatantly objectifying or hurting her. The only time Nathan had threatened another guy was after he caught him pawing at his clearly uncomfortable girlfriend.

But this was different now. Chase wasn't just checking Alex out - and by the looks of it, she wasn't at all uncomfortable with his arm intimately slugged around her shoulders. Her two large dimples hung like quotation marks above her wide smile, laughing at whatever corny joke Chase had just cracked. They looked like a pair of lovers perched on a lounge chair beside the pool- alone and in their own little world.

Nathan sighed from his spot above them on the deck and took a long swig of beer, desperately hoping it was all just in his head. Chase had been one of his best friend's since high school - almost ten years - and Nathan had been dating Alex for well over 8 months. They met through work - a public relations firm a few miles outside Tree Hill. After a devastating injury from the NBA four years ago, Nathan opened his own sports agency, coincidentally in the same building where Alex worked as a talent manager. The two hit it off fairly quickly, both commiserating over their lost dreams - Alex gave up modeling after a lengthy battle with a cocaine addiction. Since then, she'd been clean for five years and wanted to help budding models and actresses avoid the pressures involved in the industry.

Not long after they started dating, she, Nathan, and Chase had quickly become, what Nathan's brother Lucas dubbed them as, 'the three amigos'. Not only was Chase Nathan's best friend, but he was also his roommate. And, because Chase worked odd hours as an airplane pilot, he was around the couple quite frequently. Neither minded his presence. Chase was a big-hearted goofball and Nathan loved how well they all got along. It never occurred to him, though, that Chase and Alex's quick friendship could blossom into something greater.

The sound of Alex's laughter pierced Nathan's intense thoughts and floated through Lucas' backyard like a lead balloon. It was a cloudless, beautiful afternoon in June; Lucas and his wife Peyton had invited their friends for a Saturday barbeque- something Nathan always looked forward to. There was nothing he loved more than spending time with his friends and family. He'd never admit it, but sometimes he fantasizes of having his own wife and kids someday. It was far too soon to tell whether Alex would be that woman, but she was his longest relationship since college and his feelings were getting stronger each day.

Nathan genuinely enjoyed spending time with her- more so than any of the past women he'd dated. She was funny and sexy and knew how to have a good time. It was an easy relationship - but by no means was she perfect. She had a past. A dark one at that, but so did Nathan. If anything, it made their connection stronger. But sometimes she was hard to read and Nathan was afraid of pushing her, because one wrong move and she could be explosive. Her quick temper came as a shock, but it was nothing Nathan feared. It was something he'd just have to get used to. Lord knows he's not perfect, either.

"Hey! It's Nathan, right?"

Nathan was once again pulled from his thoughts by a soft-as-cotton voice. He turned, and to his surprise, didn't have to fake a smile because the woman's own grin was infectious.

"Yeah, hi. Haley?"

He recognized the petite woman immediately. She was Lucas and Peyton's new neighbor and one of the bartender's at Tric. They met a few times, in a brief passing, but he didn't know her as well as his other friends seemed to- maybe because he spent the majority of his time with Chase and Alex. Still, from what he gathered, Haley seemed like a nice person. And he couldn't help but notice her radiant beauty. It was different than Alex's. Nathan was never one to blatantly compare women (he liked them in all shapes, colors, and sizes), but Haley had a natural beauty that most women would probably kill for. It was refreshing, actually.

Her honey blonde hair fell just past her shoulders in a gentle cascade of waves. He felt his eyes roaming below her neck and towards her curves but stopped himself before it got too far. His eyes worked fine, that much he knew, and he wasn't about to disrespect Haley - or Alex- by openly staring at her body. Her beauty extended beyond her hint of cleavage anyway- it wasn't Haley's sundress or hair that made her beautiful. It was the little things. Like the specks of gold embedded in her warm brown eyes and the tiny pink freckle on the lower edge of her lip. She was simultaneously simple and stunning.

"Lucas asked me to take everyone's food order. Hot dog or hamburger?" She asked somewhat shyly.

"Both, please," he watched her hastily scribble something on a napkin and laughed. "And tell Lucas you're off duty. You shouldn't be taking anybody's orders."

Haley's laugh wrapped around him in a warm embrace, "It's okay. I don't mind."

"You should at least get paid for your service," Nathan smirked. A twinge of guilt twisted inside his stomach. He was flirting with her. And his girlfriend was only a yard away. It left a sour taste between his teeth and hoped it would wash away with another swig of beer.

"I'd take this over the bar anyday," Haley admitted.

Nathan's curiosity piqued. He could have sworn he overheard Lucas say she graduated from Stanford. He wondered, then, why she was a bartender. And how she ended up in small town Tree Hill, North Carolina.

"But don't tell him I said that," she nervously added. Nathan noticed her cheeks twinge red. "I'm really thankful he and Peyton hired me to work at Tric. I'm still looking for a teaching position and I needed something to help pay the bills."

He nodded slowly, taking in each of her words. "You're a teacher?"

"Yeah. Well, I was, back in California. I taught English and Music."

"That's pretty cool. What brings you to Tree Hill? If you don't mind me asking-,"

"Oh, not at all," she smiled, "it's nice getting to know everyone and make new friends."

Nathan smiled wider.

"I grew up in North Carolina. Actually, not too far from here. I've been wanting to move for ages. I liked Palo Alto but I started feeling homesick. My sister and her husband - Clay Evans, I think you know him- bought a house here not too long ago and when I came to visit, I fell in love with Tree Hill. So, I packed up everything and here I am."

She was a rambler, he noticed. It was quite adorable.

"Oh, gosh," Haley stumbled over her words upon noticing his amused expression. "I'm talking too much again aren't I? I'm sorry. I tend to do that around new people and I-"

"It's okay, I don't mind."

Haley tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and Nathan's stomach twisted again. He was attracted to her like a moth to a flame. The guilt was piling higher with every word she uttered. He wondered if Alex would say something later. But, when Nathan looked in her direction, she hadn't even seemed to notice him at all. She and Chase were still laughing. This time, he was whispering in her ear and she was swatting at his chest.

Nathan's eyes narrowed. What the fuck? It was one thing for them to talk and laugh in private, but this was crossing a line. He knew Chase was harboring a slight crush on his girlfriend - it was painfully obvious - and though it wasn't cool, Nathan knew Chase would eventually get over it. But for Chase to act on those feelings? Completely against bro-code. And Alex… she was shamelessly flirting right back.

He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to stare at them. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Um, sure," Haley squeaked. His change in mood flickered like a switch. He went from smiling to clenching his jaw in a matter of seconds.

"Do you think something is going on between them?"

Haley squinted and shaded the top of her eyes with the palm of her hand to block out the sun to get a better look at who he was referring to. She'd only moved here a few months ago and was still getting to know everyone. From the looks of it, she recognized the gorgeous skinny girl as Nathan's girlfriend. They met once when Peyton introduced them at the bar. It was a quick, half-hearted introduction- she couldn't remember her name and she couldn't recognize the guy sitting with her, either.

"Isn't that your girlfriend?" Haley didn't want to admit the truth but it definitely looked like something was going on between them. The question, drenched in disdain, spit from her throat. She didn't mean for it to sound that way but she was upset for Nathan. How could this girl throw herself on another man when her boyfriend was right there (a boyfriend that was Nathan Scott, no less!)?

As practically any woman with a brain would admit, Haley was disappointed to learn that Nathan Scott was not on the market. It's not as if she ever would have made a move, but he was easily the best looking man she had ever seen. Her jaw nearly dropped upon seeing him the first night at the bar- those damn arms all but clinging to his tight black t-shirt still surfaces in her dreams. And when Lucas introduced him as his brother, she reverted back to her sixteen-year-old sullen self; shy and nervous around a cute boy.

But, that all faded when she met the woman on his arm. Oh well. It was all for the best, any way, Haley told herself. She wanted to stay single as she settled down in the new town. The last thing she needed was to stir up trouble.

"Yep. That's my girlfriend, Alex Dupre," Nathan muttered emotionlessly. "And that's my best friend. Chase Adams."

"Oh," Haley blinked. Well, that just made things ten times more awkward.

"Yeah. 'Oh'." He repeated. This time, Haley couldn't help but hear the hurt in his voice. "So what do you think?"

"I, I probably shouldn't …"

"Am I crazy to think there's something going on?" He turned away from Chase and Alex to look at Haley.

She noticed his gaze and smiled at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I can't really tell. But if you think something's going on, maybe you should confront them."

He released a heavy sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. "Yeah. I guess I should. I think I'm just afraid of what I'll find out."

She placed a comforting hand on his forearm, desperately trying to ignore the way his veins poked between the space of her fingers. "I hope it's not what you expect."

"Yeah," he stared off into the distance again, "me too."