This is just going to be a oneshot, I think! I do have a few more ideas for it, so if enough people show interest, I might do another part or two.

I really, really enjoyed writing this.

'haleyjames started following you'

The notification popping up on his watch nearly made him fall off the treadmill Nathan was running on.

He was hit by a ton of bricks just by something so simple.

He'd never cut a workout so short in his life, he pulled the key out of the treadmill, it coming to a fairly abrupt stop that he was thankfully ready for.

He whipped his phone out of the tray, standing on the still treadmill, staring down at the notification.

'haleyjames started following you'

He read again to himself, swallowing thickly.

Thankfully, and yet surprisingly, he was the only person in the gym at the moment, otherwise he would get curious glances as to why he stopped so suddenly.

Nathan wiped his face on the shirt he was wearing, before opening up Instagram and reading the notification one more time.

He tentatively tapped on her name, letting out a sigh at the conclusion he came to.

She was on private. So he would have to follow her back if he wanted to stalk her.

How long did he have to wait?

He quickly switched to his own page to view what she could view. Okay... Nothing too bad.

If she scrolled for a little bit, she'd hit his partying days, but those didn't matter anymore. At the age of 27, he pretty much posted pictures of his niece and nephew, some with some players from various sports teams, some with some friends, and the occasional picture of a landscape, rarely a photo of just him. Each with a corny joke that he found pretty funny, and his friends would tease him about.

A notification from Haley James was not something he had seen in almost six years.

The one that got away. That's what he'd call her if the sting of her breaking his heart didn't still hurt so bad.

Haley had been a grade older than him in high school, his brother Lucas' best friend since they were kids.

Nathan had pretty much had a thing for her since the beginning. Probably his first crush, he would say. His first real crush.

But she'd seen him as Lucas' younger brother.

So all through high school, he pushed her out of his mind. Forced himself into the role of a womanizer pretty much and he had fun doing it.

But there was always the nagging for Haley James in the back of his brain.

So he decided to request her as his tutor. It wasn't a stretch, because he really needed the help. She was probably the reason he passed his sophomore and junior year of high school.

Of course, his senior year, she'd gone off to Stanford.

He remembered every moment he shared with her. It was probably unhealthy how much he held onto those memories this many years later.

He remembered trying to flirt with her, but most of the time she'd just dismiss him. Every once and awhile, if he was lucky, she'd have a flirty response for him.

"Did you dye your hair?" Nathan asked her, eyebrows raised. "Wait a minute, is this a new outfit?"

"Oh, he noticed!" Haley playfully slapped Nathan's arm, a big smile on her face.

"Of course I noticed. I notice everything about you, Hales," Nathan said, offering her a genuine smile.

"Oh really?" She hummed, raising her eyebrows and leaning closer to him. "What else do you notice?"

"How you twist the ring on your pinky when you get nervous," He said, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed by his observations, but he wasn't going to let that show. He was going to charm the hell out of Haley James.

His eyes flickered down to her hands, noting that she was twisting the ring now.

"Do I make you nervous, Hales?" He asked her, scooting closer to her and raising his eyebrows.

Haley paused, looking at him with a dumbstruck look on her face. She opened her mouth to answer, before closing it.

"We should really get back to work."

Tutoring was the only time he had with her, because every other time, Lucas was around.

There was a brief stint his junior year where he had a girlfriend- a real girlfriend, not just some girl he booty called when it was convenient for him.

Peyton Sawyer. Now Peyton Scott.

Lucas had ended up marrying her, which was not a surprise to him at all.

That was probably the worst time of Nathan and Luke's relationship. When Nathan started dating the girl that Lucas had been eyeing for years.

Haley had talked to him significantly less, which destroyed him inside and turned him into the biggest jack ass.

Until she had been at their house and he'd left one of his tests on the table, marked with a bright red 'F'

Then the tutor inside of her took over, and she spent three hours in his room helping him with his homework.

He remembered her standing outside his bedroom so clearly.

There was a knock at his bedroom door.

Nathan let out a groan, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath.

"Go away, Dad, I'm not in the mood!" He called out, staring up at the ceiling and sighing.

Another knock, and Nathan was fuming.

He stood up, marched over to the door and pulled it open, ready for a fight.

As soon as he saw who was actually standing there, his features softened.

"Haley," He breathed out, raising his eyebrows. "What are you doing here? I thought Lucas left..."

"I was on my way out when I saw this," She said sheepishly, holding up the test booklet.

"Yeah," He mumbled, rubbing his hand down his face. "I haven't been doing so well."

"Well, then let's go study," She said, tentatively resting her hand on his chest, pushing him back into his room, closing the door behind them.

Nathan felt his mouth run dry at her actions. Of course, they were just going to study, but his mind couldn't help but wander.

"Get your English homework out," Haley said, sitting down on his bed, scooting up until her back hit the headboard.

Nathan did as he was asked, sitting down next to her slowly, his arm touching hers.

He held the worksheet out to her, letting out a deep breath. "I just don't care about it, Haley," He mumbled, shrugging.

"Well I care about it," She said, smiling at him, before turning her focus to it.

After finishing the English worksheet, they moved to Science. The subject that Nathan probably excelled the least. You could explain a math problem to him, sure. But as soon as you threw the periodic table into his day, he was all sorts of lost.

He was getting really, really frustrated, and he finally tossed his notebook aside, jumped up to his feet and stared down at her.

"I'm done, Haley! I don't want to do this anymore," He grumbled, shaking his head. "I'm just going to travel overseas, play basketball in a league there for a couple of years, then move back and play in the NBA!"

"Nathan, come on..." Haley said, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "You were getting it."

"No! I've had a really shitty day, and frankly I don't understand why you're even helping me. I thought you froze me out," He snapped at her, searching her eyes.

The guilt flashed across her face.

Before he knew it, she was crawling across the bed towards him.

It was like it was happening in slow motion. He swallowed thickly. What was she doing?

She stepped off the bed, standing so close to him right now.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever stood this close to her.

She slid her arms around him slowly, pulling him into a hug, her head falling to rest on his chest.

Nathan wanted to keep his defenses up, but honestly, he was defenseless to her.

He rested his chin on her head, his arms wrapping around her with ease.

"I'm so sorry, Nathan," She said quietly, rubbing her hands up his back soothingly.

"Do you only help me because of Lucas?" He asked quietly, frowning slightly.

"No, of course not. You're my friend too, and I want to help you," Haley assured him, letting out a deep breath. "I was just hurt for Lucas, I don't know... But I'm going to help you, Nathan. I care about you too much to let you fail."

For Lucas. Kind of a blow, but he was standing in his room, hugging her nonetheless, so he wasn't going to get hung up on the details.

Not to mention she cared about him.

He held her tighter, squeezing his eyes shut.

She held him just as tight to his surprise, continuing to rub his back soothingly, letting out tension he didn't even know that he was holding, until they were finally ready to get back to work.

Somehow that became their routine after that, any time he got stressed, she'd hug him. When he got a huge load of homework, he almost cheered because he knew that he'd be that much closer to Haley James. Sometimes he'd get cocky, and sneak in a hug at the beginning or end of each session.

They grew close, a lot closer than he expected, honestly. There were times where they'd be sitting on his bed, homework forgotten, having deep conversations about each of their futures. They'd laugh, they'd fight a little, but it was perfect.

There were so many times Nathan almost told her. To the point where he'd get out 'Haley, I'm-' but then he'd get scared.

When she left for college, his heart broke. She went all the way across the country, and never looked back. She'd promised to stay in touch, but she had not kept that promise.

"Haley, I don't want you to go..." Nathan admitted to her, looking at her with sad eyes.

"I know," She laughed, glancing over her shoulder at him as she packed up her last suitcase.

Lucas had left the week earlier, so Nathan and Haley had been hanging out nonstop for a week.

"When are you coming back?" He asked her, taking a seat on her bed, before falling back and staring at the sealing.

Haley abandoned her suitcase, falling down next to him. "Christmas, maybe."

"Not thanksgiving?" He asked her, looking over at her and frowning.

"No," She said, looking at him as well. "Depending on whether or not I get a job, I might not even come back for Christmas," She said, sighing softly.

"Oh," He said, a new wave of sadness passing over his features, but he quickly covered it up.

"You don't need me here, Nathan, I promise. There are lots of great tutors at Tree Hill, and you have plenty of friends," She assured him, smiling. "In fact, I'm not even sure how you've hung out with me this whole week. Don't you have like a billion people inviting you places?"

"You're my favorite person in the world, how could I leave you to get all this done by yourself?" He gestured around her room.

"Oh so your intentions were to help me?" She laughed, raising her eyebrows. "I didn't see that happening."

He shrugged slightly, looking up at the ceiling again and sighing.

He felt an electric shock shoot through his whole entire body when she grabbed onto his hand, interlocking their fingers.

He glanced over at her, but she was staring at the ceiling.

Play it cool, Nathan. Don't bring any attention to the fact that you're in love with her.

"California is kinda far," He mumbled, squeezing her hand lightly.

"It's my dream school," She told him, letting out a deep breath. "It's scary, but I'm ready."

"I know," He said, looking over at her and smiling. "I'm just, uh, really going to miss you. Not just because you're my tutor."

"I know," She said back to him, smiling at him. "I'm going to miss you too, Nathan. A lot."

"Not until Christmas, huh?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Probably not," She said, shrugging slightly. "My parents have talked a little bit about coming there for Christmas though. Taylor lives in California too- for now. She could be long gone. And Vivian lives in Oregon."

"I see," He said, letting out a sigh.

"You can still call me anytime, Nathan. It's not like I'm just going to forget you," She laughed, squeezing his hand, brushing her thumb over his knuckles.

"I know," He said, shrugging. "I just really like having you around."

"If you're ever in California, you know where to find me," She laughed, "I'm sure my roommates will fall in love with you."

That hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes snapped to hers, his grip on her hand tightening.

"I don't want that," He said quickly, before he could even stop the words.

She looked at him, and he could tell she was trying to read the message his eyes were sending her.

It was now or never.

He leaned forward until his forehead connected with hers, which was a lot sooner than expected, so she'd been leaning forward too.

His nose bumped against hers, and he could feel her breath on his lips. He was just about to make the final move and kiss Haley James for the very first time, when there was a knock at the door that had them both jumping apart.

Jimmy had brought them both plates of food and decided to sit around and talk for a little while.

When Nathan finished helping her load the last bag in her car, her parents both finding their seats. They were driving to California with her and then flying back.

Haley turned to Nathan, a sad smile on her face.

Nathan pulled her into a hug, his finding it's place on her head with ease. "I'm really going to miss you, Hales."

"I'll miss you too, Nathan. But I'm not gone forever, and you have my phone number, and I have yours," She told him, hugging him tightly.

"I know, it's just different now," He said, shrugging slightly.

Haley looked up at him, her hand moving up to cup his cheek.

He thought she was going to kiss him, and maybe for a moment she considered it, but instead she just pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, before she gave his hand a squeeze, and told him goodbye, rushing to her car.

He waved as they drove off, feeling the sadness really sink it. Of course, she'd put a band aid on it by kissing him on the cheek.

That was the last time he saw her for a year. She'd texted him on his first day of school, asking how it went, but the conversations dwindled after that.

He threw himself into his senior year. Threw himself. He went to more parties than he even remembered.

He tried to block Haley James out of his mind, but it never worked. He really loved her, and he really tried not to. No one else could fill the void in his heart.

He must've typed out a hundred different texts to her, some as simple as 'hey' but he never sent them.

Lucas would talk about her when he'd come home. He'd talk about how great she was doing, and how much she was loving the California lifestyle.

Jealousy always filled him. He wanted to know this stuff from her, not from Lucas.

When he was applying for colleges, he couldn't help but apply to Stanford. He didn't think he'd actually get in, but he hoped that his basketball skills were appealing enough to overlook his grades.

It was so crazy, because he'd always planned on Duke. His dad had always planned on Duke. His grandpa had always planned on Duke. And Duke was great, but Haley wasn't there.

And maybe it was crazy to switch his whole plan over a girl, but Haley was not just some girl. Everyone that met her knew that.

So when he got the acceptance letter to Stanford, he didn't give a shit about Duke. He was going to Stanford. His dad was pissed, but Nathan didn't care.

When he called Haley to tell her, she had been so excited to hear it.

He knew he made the right choice.

He'd decided to drive himself rather than take his parents along.

When he arrived, he pretty much threw all his stuff into his apartment, vowing to organize it later. Then he'd quickly showered, and changed, since he was meeting Haley for dinner in an hour.

When he arrived at her apartment, his heart was beating out of his chest. He tentatively knocked on the door, it being opened by a girl he didn't know, but grew to know very quickly, one of her roommates.

"Haley, door is for you!" The girl called out.

Haley hurried into the entryway, running up to Nathan and throwing her arms around his neck.

Nathan lifted her up off the ground, spinning her around, a big smile on his face.

"I missed you," He said quickly, hugging her tight.

"I missed you too," She responded, smiling up at him. She gestured to her roommate, letting out a deep breath. "This is Brooke."

"Hi Brooke," Nathan said, keeping one arm wrapped tightly around Haley, waving at her.

"Nice to meet you, Nathan. Haley has been so excited to see you," Brooke hummed, smirking at Haley.

"Would you, uh, like to come with us?" He offered politely, raising his eyebrows.

"No, that's okay," Brooke answered, waving her hand dismissively. "My boyfriend is coming over and it's not very often we have the apartment to ourselves."

"Brooke," Haley groaned, shaking her head. "Let's go, Nathan..."

She took him to her favorite place, a little diner that was walking distance from her apartment building.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy.

Well, yes he could. And it was when he was with her.

"So tell me everything," Nathan said, staring at her from across the table after their food was set in front of them.

"Well, Stanford is amazing. I'm really having a great time here. I love school, you know that, but college is so great because you can focus on what you want to do," Haley told him, smiling brightly. "I'm actually set to graduate early since I received my Associate's in high school."

"Wow... How early?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I have two semesters until my bachelor's and then I'm trying to decide if I want to continue from there," She told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh wow," Nathan said, both pride and a twinge of sadness flowing through him. "Let me guess, education?"

"Yep," She said, smiling at him. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't really know yet," He laughed, "I'm just signed up for general classes right now, but I was kinda planning NBA."

"Well, you are pretty damn good at basketball. And that's coming from someone who knows nothing about it. I guess it could be bias, because I do quite like you," She said, winking at him.

Nathan grinned at her, tapping his fingers on the table. "What about your social life? Do you even have one?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I did have more friends than just Lucas in high school," Haley laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Sure," Nathan hummed, shrugging slightly.

"Brooke doesn't go to Stanford, but I spend quite a bit of time with her and her boyfriend, Julian. And then I do have some other friends that I spend time with. Maybe if you're lucky I'll let you meet them," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What does your boyfriend think about them?" Nathan asked, not very slyly, smiling at her with raised eyebrows.

"Don't have one," She told him, resting her elbow on the table, planting her chin in her palm. "I did for a little while, but he just... Wasn't the guy for me," She hummed, clearing her throat. "What about you? Leave anyone at home?"

"Nope," He said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm coming into the solo. No strings attached back at home."

"Hm," She said, biting her lip.

"What?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Nothing," She hummed, taking a French fry off his plate. "It's just nice to know."

Nathan felt his mouth run dry at her words. Was she happy he didn't have a girlfriend?

The rest of dinner had been really, really fun. He remembered why he was in love with her in the first place. She made him feel carefree.

When he stepped up to her apartment door, he smiled down at her.

"You know, I'm going to need a really good tutor, so I don't think you've seen the last of me," He told her, smirking slightly.

"Well, I hope that's not all you'll need me for," She hummed, resting her hand on his chest briefly, pushing the door open. "Goodnight, Nathan."

"Goodnight, Hales," He said, waving at her. When he walked back to his car that night, there was definitely an extra skip in his step.

Their relationship had escalated quickly. Maybe it's because Lucas wasn't around, maybe it's because she finally saw him as something more than Luke's younger brother. They were both in college now.

He'd needed her for tutoring right off the bat, and she'd been more than happy to oblige. She did have a job though, besides tutoring, so sometimes he would have to come at ten o'clock at night, not that he was complaining at all.

He was still in love with her. He'd never lost that. And as the first month passed by, he was almost positive that she had feelings for him.

They had been cramming hard for a test that he had the next day when everything changed for them.

Nathan looked at the clock, rubbing his eyes and sighing. It was nearly one in the morning. Haley was still wide awake somehow. Sitting next to him on her bed, pointing out various things in the book.

He couldn't even focus on the material anymore. All he could do was look at her. He found himself doing it more frequently lately.

She'd noticed, of course she had.

But tonight, there was something different in the room. The air had changed about a half hour ago when she'd put her hand on his arm to get his attention.

"Nathan, are you even listening?" She asked him, laughing.

"No," He said quickly, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not."

"So blunt about it, hm?" She laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm in love with you," He blurted out, rubbing his neck.

"What?" She asked him, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"I'm in love with you, Haley," He repeated, shaking his head. "And it's not the sleep deprived version of me that's doing the talking. I'm in love with you."

"I know," She said, clearing her throat. "I've, um, I've always known."

"You have?" He asked her, frowning slightly.

"Yeah," She said, offering him a smile.

"Oh," He said, leaning back against the wall, staring at the wall across from them.

Before he knew was what happening, Haley had tossed the book out of his lap, grabbing his face and pulling him in for the kiss he'd been waiting his whole life for.

They kissed for hours, sometimes it was more of a make out, others it was just gentle, quick kisses.

He was kissing Haley James. Holy shit. He'd told Haley James how he felt about her, and she kissed him. She kissed him hard, for hours.

Eventually, as 5 a.m. rolled around, they had laid down on her twin bed, Haley cuddled up into Nathan's side.

"This isn't going to change, is it?" He asked her quietly.

Haley smiled up at him, kissing him again. "Do you think I could give up on a kiss that good?"

"Most definitely not," Nathan laughed, rubbing his hand over her arm.

"What do you say we sleep for two hours, then study for your test for two hours?" She suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Deal," He mumbled, already feeling his eyelids start to get heavy.

"If you get an 80 or higher on your test, I'll take you to dinner. If you get lower, you have to take me to dinner," She said, rubbing her hand up and down his torso.

"Another solid plan," He laughed, kissing her one more time, before he pretty much passed out.'

He'd gotten a 79 on that test. Which was still a pretty great grade considering he was a sleep deprived, love drunk the whole day.

They'd continued to escalate quickly after that. They were official. Even told people back home. No one was surprised, except Lucas, of course.

They went on double dates with Brooke and Julian, and made friends with other couples.

It had been amazing. But two months into dating, two things had yet to happen. Haley had not told Nathan that she'd loved him, and they hadn't quite crossed over from making out and some heavy over the clothes petting to full on sex.

Nathan was more than happy with what was going on. It was a little discouraging that Haley had not to him she loved him, but he wasn't going to pressure her. And the sex thing... Well he'd always known that she was waiting for the right guy, and she told him point blank that she was still a virgin. And he didn't want to pressure her there either.

When she finally did say it... They crossed both those lines.

Nathan had showed up to his own apartment after a particularly rough day in class, and then the day continued into basketball practice. He ached from head to toe, and he's actually been avoiding Haley's phone calls because he was in that bad of a mood.

Thankfully, his roommates were both gone for the weekend and it was Friday night. He opened up the fridge, grabbing a carton of orange juice out of it and drinking straight from it.

It was one of the few things that Haley put in his fridge, claiming they had joint custody over it so he wasn't allowed to do what he'd just done.

Then he'd rebutted with the fact that they play tonsil hockey, so it didn't matter. And then he'd proceeded to show her how much it didn't matter.

He laughed at the thought. He really loved his girlfriend.

His girlfriend. Wow. He was so lucky to have her. Why had he been such a jerk that day?

He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, trying to call her but it went straight to voicemail.

Probably dead. He was always nagging to her to charge her phone, because why would anyone let the battery get to zero before plugging it in?

He sighed softly, rubbing his neck and setting the carton back in the fridge.

He walked down the hall to his bedroom, raising his eyebrows when he opened the door.

"Hales?" He asked, looking around the candlelit room. "You know, we're really not supposed to light candles in here," He joked.

"I love you, Nathan," Haley told him, a big smile forming on her face. "I'm in love with you."

He grinned, tossing his gym bag into the hall, stepping over to her quickly and kissing her.

"I love you too," He said quickly, nodding at her.

"I want you, Nathan. All of you. And I want you to have all of me," Haley said quickly, picking up his hand and resting it on her heart.

"Are you sure?" He asked her quietly, raising his eyebrows.

"I've never been so sure, baby. You're the one for me," She said softly, taking a small step closer to him.

He leaned down and kissed her quickly, easily guiding her over to the bed.

Nathan couldn't help but smile at the memory. Haley James had been his whole world. And boy had she loved the new discovery she'd made with him. She pounced on him every chance she got. He'd been so glad his roommates weren't home.

This was a train he rarely let himself get on. He tried so hard to never think about her. But he'd never found someone to love the way he loved her.

Their first real fight was over something so stupid. He still cringed at the thought. It was over a board game. It was one of the few times Lucas had visited him in California. Actually, it was more of a them now.

They were at Haley's apartment, Brooke staying with Julian for the weekend. They'd been playing monopoly with Lucas.

Haley had broken the ultimate monopoly rule as the banker, and slid Lucas some money under the table when he was almost out.

Nathan noticed Lucas' bills had increased, but he was never the best student so he dismissed it as he had done the math wrong. Until all of the sudden Lucas had more money than him.

There were way more exciting things to do than play monopoly—which is pretty much the longest, most irritating game to play.

When Lucas bought one of his squares, Nathan lost it.

Deep down he knew it was because he was slightly jealous that Lucas and Haley were such close friends. Close enough that Haley would cheat for him, but he made it all about the game.

He'd made a scene, literally shoving Lucas' pieces off the table, standing up and storming into Haley's room.

Haley was hot on his heels, a look to kill on her face.

"What the hell, Nathan?" She asked him, poking her finger into his chest.

"No, what the hell to you, Haley?" He asked back, scowling at her. "Why are you cheating?"

"Oh my hell, Nathan! It's a game!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"So what? You don't cheat at stuff, Haley! So why would you do that?" He snapped at her, throwing his hands up in the air. "This game is so damn long, and you made it longer by keeping him in the game. I was going to win!"

"It doesn't matter, Nathan. We were just having a good time. Can't you just chill out? Why is it always a competition with you and Lucas?" She snapped to him, rolling her eyes.

"I was winning!" He argued, crossing his arms defensively. "I would have won if you hadn't kept him afloat. It's not a competition when I'm kicking his ass."

"You can be such a jerk sometimes," She said, rolling her eyes at him again.

"Me? Why the hell do you jump on me being a jerk? He was egging me on. Hell, you were egging him on," He said, scowling at her.

"Maybe you should just go," She said, pointing towards her bedroom door.

"Maybe I will," He said, storming out of the room, walking right past Lucas, grumbling a quiet "Stay here with her" before he went out the front door.

It seemed so stupid now, and they'd made up fairly easily. He'd come over a day later with his tail between his legs, apologizing for being a jerk, and she'd apologized for upsetting him, and that was that.

Haley had been there for him when he'd decided during his sophomore year that even though he loved basketball, he wasn't sure that he wanted to pursue it past college. Which left him lost and irritated.

He'd had a new roommate move into his apartment a month later—Clay Evans.

She'd encouraged him to shift his focus towards Clay's degree and become a Sports Agent, which was the career he was in today.

This was all in his second year of school. His dreams had been changed, but he found something he had a true passion for, thanks to someone he had a true passion for.

They weren't a perfect couple. His temper could be quite the problem sometimes, and she had a little bit of a know-it-all attitude occasionally that made him feel stupid.

But they loved each other. Their love made them perfect for each other.

The downfall still haunted him to this day.

Haley had decided to continue on with her education and get her Master's degree.

They'd moved in together when her lease was up on her apartment, and it had been the greatest time of his life.

Haley had somehow introduced Clay to her sister, and the two of them had really hit it off. They were best man and maid of honor at the wedding not only six months later.

Brooke had started to make a name for herself in the fashion industry, and Julian was producing Indie films.

They had settled into a perfect routine.

And as soon as Haley found out what day she would be graduating with her Master's in Literature, Nathan called Jimmy and Lydia James.

He was 21 years old at the time.

Nathan sat nervously on the phone, sitting down at the kitchen table, spinning the velvet box in his hands.

"James residence," Lydia's voice answered.

"Mrs. James, it's Nathan," He said, clearing his throat. "Nathan Scott."

He'd never really called the Mr. And Mrs before, so it was a bit odd.

"Nathan!" Lydia said cheerfully. "Jimmy, Nathan's on the phone."

He could tell that he'd been put on speaker phone, letting out a deep breath.

"Mr. James, hello," Nathan breathed out, suddenly feeling his throat get tight.

"Please drop the formality," Lydia laughed into the phone.

"Sorry," Nathan said, sighing softly.

"What's wrong, Nate?" Jimmy asked him.

"Nothing is wrong, sir. I'm actually... Perfect," He said, swallowing thickly. "The reason I'm calling is because, well... It's because I would really like to ask your daughter marry me."

It was quiet for a second, before Jimmy said something.

"Taylor?"

Lydia laughed and smacked her husband.

Nathan forced at laugh, shaking his head. "No, Haley."

"Absolutely," Jimmy said, humming softly. "I've never seen Haley happier than when she's with you, Nate. So please, ask her to marry you."

"Really?" Nathan felt himself relax, a grin forming on his face.

"Of course, Nathan. We love you," Lydia added, smiling at his excitement.

"Thank you so much. I'm going to ask her the night before she graduates. I'll send you a picture of the ring. Oh, thank you so much," Nathan told them quickly, smiling brightly.

"We can't wait," Lydia hummed. "That way we'll get to see her right after."

"Oh, I think she's home, I have to go!" Nathan said quickly, darting into their bedroom and hiding the ring quickly in his gym bag.

He felt himself start to get angry at them memories that were flooding him, his eyes looking down at Haley's Instagram again. He'd somehow requested to follow her without even realizing it.

He locked his phone, hurrying to the locker room and grabbing his bag, before he was heading out of the gym, to his car, the cool night overwhelming him.

The whole drive home he tried to suppress thoughts of her.

But one memory kept replaying.

Nathan listened as she talked about her day while they were at dinner, a small smile on his face, but he wasn't too focused on what she said.

He kept glancing at his watch, sucking in a slow, deep breath. She was eating so slowly.

She was unusually talkative too. She always talked to him, but she was talking more than she usually did. Like there was never a silence.

When she'd finished eating, he'd paid for dinner, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

"You didn't have to take me to dinner tonight, Nathan. We're going tomorrow," She told him, her hand finding his on the walk to the car.

"With your whole family. I want to celebrate, just the two of us," He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. He pulled open the car door for her, letting out a deep breath.

"Very true. We can celebrate as loud as we want to tonight," She said, grabbing onto his hand when he got into the car.

"You read my mind," He smirked at her, leaning over and kissing her briefly. "I'm so proud of you."

"I'm so proud of you too, Nathan," She told him, squeezing his hand.

He sent a crooked smile her way, before feeling his nerves start to get high as he started the car.

He felt like he was floating as he drove to the spot. The spot they'd tell their kids about, and their grandchildren. They'd recount this story for years to come, so it had to be perfect.

"Where are we going?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows as he turned the opposite way of their apartment.

"You'll see," He said, clearing his throat, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles.

It was about a thirty minute drive when he pulled up to the secluded cove they'd stumbled upon one day. It had been the perfect place to study, or to get away from anyone else, or to have alone time, just the two of them. And this was the spot they'd get engaged. It was perfect.

Candles lined the path. He'd never been a particularly romantic guy, but with a little help from Brooke Davis, anything was possible.

He walked around the car quickly, pulling open the door and helping Haley out.

He lead her along the path, letting out a slow, deep breath.

"This is awfully romantic of you, Nathan Scott," Haley informed him, squeezing his bicep lightly as he led her along.

"Just wait," He told her, smirking slightly when they got to the center, candles surrounding them and illuminating the night.

He could see her eyebrows raise as she looked around, before looking up at him.

She looked so beautiful. The candlelight lit her face perfectly.

He couldn't help but lean down and kiss her before he began.

Something had been a little bit different in this kiss, which he'd brushed off, but she'd grabbed him and kissed him hard and long.

When he finally broke away, she tried to pull him back in, but he said her name quietly, causing her attention to shift to his eyes.

He slowly sank down to one knee, pulling the box out of his pocket, his other hand reaching up to grab hers.

"Haley, I've had a crush on you since I was eight years old," He began, smiling up at her. "You were the first and only girl I've ever loved. I tried really hard to avoid thinking of you, but everything always came back to you," He said quietly, letting out a deep breath. "Even today, I still can't believe that you're mine. And I'm not good with words, as you know, but I'm in love with you. And I've been in love with you for a long time now." He informed her, his smile turning to a grin. "With that being said, Haley James, will you-"

"Nathan, wait," Haley said quickly.

With those words, Nathan realized the tears flowing from her eyes weren't happy tears. They were sad tears.

Haley pinched the bridge of her nose, pulling him up to his feet and keeping a tight grip on his hands. "I love you, Nathan, I really do."

"What are you doing, Haley?" He asked her quickly, a frantic tone to his voice.

"I got a job offer, Nathan," She told him quietly. "In Arizona."

"What? When?" He asked her, clearing his throat, shoving the ring box into his pocket.

"They called me today. Nathan... I have to take it," Haley said quietly, squeezing his hand.

"I'll go with you," He said quickly, shaking his head. "I'll transfer schools."

"No," She said, clearing her throat and biting her lip, shifting slightly. "You need to finish up school here."

"No, Haley, I don't! I'll figure something else out... Please, don't do this," He begged her, holding her hand to his chest. "I need you."

"Nathan, I love you," She told him, stepping closer and kissing him briefly. "Do you love me?"

"So much, Haley," He said softly, staring down at her.

"I have to go, Nathan," She told him firmly, brushing her hand over his cheek. "I love you, but it's what I have to do."

"You're saying no," He said slowly, clearing his throat and taking a step back from her.

"I'm saying no," She confirmed, biting her lip and letting out a deep breath, wiping the tears that fell from her eyes.

"I want to go with you, Haley," He said firmly, staring at her.

"Nathan..." She said, stepping toward him again and brushing her hand through his hair. "You need to stay here, baby..."

"No I don't," He said, shaking his head. "I don't care about California. I came here to be with you, Haley."

"You've based your future around me, Nathan, and I don't want to stunt your potential by moving somewhere else. Stanford is an amazing school," She said, letting out a deep breath. "Please, Nathan."

"You're asking me not to fight for you, Haley! Not to fight for us?" He was getting angry now. Some of it was because of her, most of it was because of the situation.

"Yes," She said, biting her lip. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, Nathan, but it's what needs to be done. Maybe in a year when you graduate, we can see where we are..."

"That's bullshit. You're pulling a coward move, Haley," He snapped, glaring at her.

"Hey," She said, stepping closer to him. She pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you, you know that. Have you ever doubted that?"

"No," He whispered, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes, feeling the first of many tears start to stream.

"Then you have to understand how difficult this is for me," She said, holding him tightly. "Because I want nothing more than to say yes and move away with you. But we're young, Nathan. I need to do this."

"We can do long distance," He pleaded, looking down at her.

She sent him a sad smile, standing on her toes and kissing him again. "I love you," She whispered.

"I love you too," He mumbled back, rubbing at his eyes.

Haley brushed one of his tears away, kissing him one more time. "I'm going to stay at Brooke's tonight, okay? I'll come and get my stuff tomorrow."

"You're graduating tomorrow," He told her quietly, staring down at her with blank eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

"Don't come, Nathan," She said, patting his chest lightly. "Stay home, please."

"Why are you doing this to me?" He asked her quickly, stepping away.

"I'm doing this for you, Nathan! For me! You need to finish school, and I need to take this job offer. I can't do the long distance, not with you, but I can't pass up the opportunity," She said, letting out a deep breath. "Please, baby..."

"I don't understand. I'm offering to go with you but you're pushing me away," He said, shaking his head. "I'm not holding you back, and begging you to stay. I'm begging you to let me follow you."

"You followed me here, Nathan. Just give me one year, that's all I ask. In one year, you can move to Arizona and propose to me again and I'll say yes! But you need to stay here and finish school. Enjoy your senior year. Be the king of the school," She said, shrugging her shoulders.

He stared at her, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "You should call Brooke and have her come get you."

"I love you, Nathan. I know it might be hard to wrap your head around, but I truly believe this is the best option," She said softly.

"When were you going to tell me?" He asked her, scowling.

"I was going to make the decision with you, but when I saw you pull the box out of your pocket, I knew I couldn't string you along," She said softly, looking up at him.

"I love you, Haley. I'm sorry," He said quietly, shifting his attention to the candles, when the wind picked up and some of them went out. "At least I won't have to blow them out."

"Don't apologize to me, Nathan. I'm the one who is sorry," She said quickly, grabbing his hand. "I love you."

"I know," He said softly, wiping his eyes again. "It just sucks."

"As soon as you graduate..."

"We'll see," He said quickly, clearing his throat.

He saw the pain flash over her face at that comment, which was pretty ironic given the situation.

"I'm going to call Brooke. You can go," She said softly, gesturing to the car. "I'll clean this up."

"Yeah, because you broke my heart and I'm going to abandon you in the middle of nowhere," He said sarcastically. "Save it, Haley. Just go wait in the car. I need to clean this up."

Haley sent him a somber look, squeezing his arm lightly, before heading towards the car.

Somehow, when he emerged from the painful memory, he found himself in the shower. He slammed his fist against the wall. He was so angry at the story. It hurt him down to his core to think about the pain she'd inflicted. He never reached out to her again. She never reached out to him after she moved either. He made sure he was gone when she picked up her stuff. Before she moved she tried to see him again. But he'd been so full of resentment towards her, and he knew if he saw her then he'd let it all go because he had a weak spot for her. So he shut her out completely. She still had two channels into his life though: Quinn and Lucas.

Lucas had begged him to go after her, telling Nathan that Haley was making a mistake, which he'd scoffed at that comment. Lucas never thought Haley did anything wrong, so he knew that her decision was the wrong one.

Quinn didn't try to push him one way or another, which was why she was so gracious.

It took Nathan almost two years to be able to even speak with anyone in her family besides Quinn, and even still, no one dared to bring her up.

He assumed it was the same for her. No one brought him up.

But maybe not. She'd always been more secure than he had.

Maybe she'd been okay.

He really didn't know.

The closest he'd heard about Haley was when Lucas got married. She'd actually flown to Tree Hill, but ended up with the flu on the day of the wedding.

Nathan had actually asked him that day, very casually where she was, and Lucas told him she'd been super sick.

Maybe it was true, maybe she was avoiding him. Knowing Haley, it was most definitely true.

But it's not like he would have spoken to her.

He glared at the shower wall in front of him, feeling the familiar ache in his heart.

She'd done a number on him.

Maybe she never loved him the way he thought.

He still didn't think that was it though.

She just thought she was doing what was best for him, and most of the time she was right, but this time she'd been so wrong.

So, so wrong.

He quickly shut the shower off, grabbing a towel and drying himself off before wrapping it around his waist.

He grabbed his phone off the bathroom counter, looking down at it and sighing.

'haleyjames accepted your follow request'

He shook his head, walking into his bedroom and getting dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt quickly, before laying down on his bed.

He looked down at his phone in his hands, unlocking it again and clicking on her Instagram handle.

Up brought photos of her.

He clicked on the newest one, posted five days ago. It a was a picture of her and Quinn coincidentally. He glanced over the caption.

Oh yeah... Quinn's birthday.

His eyes focused on her face, a smile forming on his lips. She looked so beautiful.

He went through her Instagram for a little while, admiring just about every photo of her, before he made a decision that if he didn't do now, he'd never do.

He searched her name in the direct message tab, sucking in a deep breath.

He began to type out a message, before deleting it quickly and beginning another message.

He just wanted the small talk... Why was it so difficult to find the correct words to say?

How did he make small talk with someone that absolutely destroyed him?

"Forget it," He grumbled out loud to himself, pushing a frustrated hand through his hair and tossing his phone on the bed next to him.

Not even ten seconds later, it lit up with a notification.

'haleyjames: Hi Nathan! It's Haley James, which I know you can already tell. It's been awhile... How have you been doing?'

His heart almost burst out of his chest when he saw the message, a small smile forming on his face.

Even after everything, Haley James still had a hold on him.