I had every intention in writing more this summer but honestly, work has been crazy, and I have absoltutely no motivation/inspiration anymore. My sincere apologies. Anyway, this week I went to Joy's concert in NYC and had a sudden struck of inspo (where this story idea came from) and found the time to try and write again. keep in mind, this is not my best work, but I needed to get something out there... if anyone still reads these anymore lol.

Side note, I met Joy and fell in love with her all over again. I'm still in shock. She's so sweet and even cuter in person. It happened so quickly and I totally fangirled and can't really remember any of it, but we took super cute pictures. Anyway, here's the story:

"I WEAR A HALO WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME, BUT STANDING FROM HERE-"

Nathan kept his eyes focused on the cluttered parkway, blowing out deep breaths under the blaring sound of the radio in which his six-year-old niece was currently screaming along to.

Why, he inwardly questioned, did he ever think taking her to a concert was a good idea? His steady blue eyes then glanced quickly in the rearview, noticing her giddy smile, and he found his answer. He'd do absolutely anything for that little girl-including taking her to a concert nearly two hours from their home in Tree Hill, North Carolina.

After being in the car with her for nearly an hour and a half, Nathan was sure he knew just about every word of this "Halo" song, sung by what he presumed was a teenage starlet. Whatever, as long as Sawyer was happy, he was happy.

Okay, maybe that's stretching it. He definitely was not happy about the amount of traffic right now, nor was he happy about listening to the same song sixteen times in a row.

His head began pounding in time with the steady bass. Sure, it wasn't the type of music he'd willingly listen to, but whoever this Haley James chick was, had a damn good voice-Nathan would admit that much. A two hour concert wouldn't be that bad. He could tolerate it… at least that's what he thought when he first bought the tickets for Sawyer's birthday.

A smile tugged on his lips when he remembered giving them to her. He knew it'd be the perfect gift considering 'Haley James' was the only name to ever spew from the six-year-old's lips. When Sawyer opened the present, shrill screams shattered through glass as she began jumping up and down. Not only were there two tickets for the show, but Nathan was also able to snag meet and greet passes.

Sawyer immediately begged Nathan to be her 'plus one', and he couldn't possibly resist her large, spear-mint green eyes, or her pouty lips. So, here they were, en route to Charlotte for the Haley James concert.

After six more barely bearable rotations of "Halo", Nathan and Sawyer had finally arrived at the concert, which, as Nathan predicted, was packed with pimpled pre-teens, and giddy kindergarteners. As they made their way through the throngs of people, Nathan searched desperately for any signs of males. Though they were far and few between, Nathan shared sympathetic smiles with the unfortunate Dad's who got stuck on concert duty.

"Okay, Sawyer, you ready to go to our seats?" Nathan asked, holding tightly onto his niece's hand when they made it through the ticket line.

"Yes, Uncle Natey! I can't wait. Haley is like, the bestest singer in the entire world!"

Nathan chuckled as he swiftly crouched down and swung Sawyer onto his hip, for it would be easier and quicker to find their seats. "Alright, well, let's get going then, shall we?"

Sawyer clung tightly to her uncle's neck, but made him stop at the concession stand, using her familiar warfare tactics-flashing those irresistible green eyes in his direction. Nearly forty dollars later, Nathan carried both his niece, their sodas, and snacks his sister-in-law would surely kill him for buying, to their seats.

He was impressed by how close they were to the actual stage. Nathan couldn't remember the last time he was at a concert, but he was excited for Sawyer. This would be her first concert and he wanted to make it special for her.

She was already bouncing up and down in her seat, giddy as a giggling clam. Despite his resistance to come, he couldn't deny how adorable Sawyer looked with her curly blonde hair tied in loose pigtails.

Feeling like a proud uncle, Nathan pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures of her and sent them to her parents. He decided to keep them for future bragging rights, too.

He looked up from his phone when the lights started to dim and the sound of a guitar shook the crowd. Thousands of screaming girls shattered his eardrums, causing Nathan to inwardly curse for forgetting his earplugs. It was going to be a long night.

Remaining in his seat, Nathan watched closely as Sawyer got up and started to scream. God, she was a freakin' replica of her mother. It was actually kind of cute.

Peyton, Sawyer's mom, was an absolute fanatic for music, though their taste in music couldn't possibly deviate any wider. She's been trying to push The Cure and Dave Grohl on her daughter since she was in the womb, but the efforts were futile.

Just as Nathan was about to snap another photo of Sawyer, he glanced towards the stage where Haley James popped up, prompting the wide drop of his jaw, and sudden dryness between his lips.

Haley James was no teenage starlet...she was a beautiful, classy, mesmerizing, woman. Nathan couldn't look away from her even if his eyes were suddenly pulled from their sockets. She was absolutely breathtaking.

"How are you all doing tonight?" She greeted the crowd with her silky voice.

Nathan brought the straw from his soda to his lips, in need for a dire relief, finally understanding why his niece was obsessed with this singer. Hell, he felt himself becoming a crazed fan by the end of the night.

Not only did Nathan Scott become a Haley James fan by the end of the concert, but he also found himself incredibly nervous as he and Sawyer waited on the meet-and-greet line. What was he going to say without sounding like a complete dip-shit? He knew if he told her how amazing she was, he'd be at the risk of sounding like a twelve-year-old girl, but he also didn't want to scare her and end up flirting foolishly with her.

He wiped his sweaty palms on the edges of his jeans, mentally berating himself. In high school and college, he was considered the 'popular jock' who could get any girl he wanted, and now, here he was, nervous to meet some singer. Okay, but it wasn't just some singer, Nathan thought, she was Haley James… America's sweetheart, and by far the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on.

If his brother Lucas was there, Nathan knew he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"I can't wait to meet Haley!" Sawyer giggled, pulling on Nathan's hand, and subsequently pulling him from his nervous thoughts.

"Me too, Sawy."

"Oh my Gosh! Look, there she is! There she is!" Sawyer screamed, pointing toward the front of the line where the meet-and-greet has already started.

Nathan noticed she had changed from her navy blue dress into a pair of black jeans, and a white lacy shirt. She looked even more beautiful, if possible.

"Isn't she pretty, Uncle Nathan?"

Nathan focused on the singer and smirked, "She sure is."

Haley absolutely adored meeting her fans. They were incredibly sweet and endearing; this was the reason she loved what she did. She wouldn't be here if it weren't for them.

"Hi Haley!" She heard a tiny voice squeak, prompting her to turn and smile widely. The blonde haired girl was incredibly adorable, Haley couldn't help but hug her.

"Hi sweetie, what's your name?"

"Sawyer Scott!"

"It's lovely to meet you, Sawyer." Haley greeted.

"You too! I love you! You're my favorite singer and my Uncle Nathan bought me these tickets!"

"Aw thank you. You're so cute! Would you like to take a picture?" She asks, crouching down to get closer to the little girl.

"Yes! Uncle Natey, can you take our picture please?"

Nathan almost blushes at the nickname, not to mention the fact that the incredibly gorgeous singer is a mere inches away from him. He'd never been star-struck before, but he suddenly became speechless.

"Oh, um, yeah, sure." He mumbled, fumbling with his cellphone.

Haley glanced up at the sound of a man's voice and felt her heart squeeze through the confines of her chest, nearly gasping for breath. This man was unbelievably sexy! His bright blue eyes were like crisp moons hanging above an irresistible slanted smirk. Haley was practically melting in his presence.

"Hi, I'm Haley." She smiled confidently, holding out her hand.

Nathan looked down, almost in shock as the singer began speaking to him.

"Oh, um, yeah I know. H-hi, I'm um, Nathan. Nathan Scott."

Shit. Shit. Shit. He thought. Way to screw up. Even Sawyer acted cooler and calmer than he just did.

"It's nice to meet you, Nathan Scott." Haley felt the flirty tone oozing from her lips, and she wanted to kick herself. Never was she ever this forward with anyone-especially not with family members of fans.

"I, um- you're, wow. Sawyer-my niece- she's a big fan. She-we- listen to your music all the time. You have a great voice."

Haley felt the skin of her cheeks ripen with a tomato red flame. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"I'm sorry I'm totally acting like a fangirl or something right now, it's just, you're beautiful and I… I should probably shut up before I scare you."

Haley giggled, which was absolute music to Nathan's ears, "No, don't worry, it's cute."

It was Nathan's turn to blush, and he felt himself flush with embarrassment. "Ok, let me take a picture of you girls."

Haley pulled Sawyer into a hug and smiled at Nathan's phone. Sawyer squealed excitedly, "Thank you so much! And thank you Uncle Nathan for taking me, I love you!" She ran over towards Nathan and hugged his legs, making Haley melt yet again.

"What do you say we take a picture too? You know, as a thank you for bringing your niece and letting me meet her."

"Oh yeah?" Nathan cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "Sure, we can do that."

Haley then grabbed his phone, pointing the camera towards them and quickly plopped a kiss on his cheek as she snapped a picture. "How's that?" She asked, looking at the screen.

"I think a lot of people are going to be jealous." Nathan smirked, "Thanks again. It means a lot. You definitely just made Sawyer the happiest person alive." He chuckled.

"And what about you?"

"I'd say I just became a lifelong fan of Haley James." Nathan winked.

"Well," Haley bit down on her lip, contemplating whether or not she should do what she was thinking of doing. "Let me give you my autograph then."

Nathan smiled, "I'm sure Sawyer would love that, too."

Haley grabbed a piece of paper and pulled a pen from her pocket and scribbled something on the paper, then quickly shoved it in Nathan's hand.

"Thanks again for coming out. It really was nice meeting you both. Maybe I'll see you again sometime?"

Nathan's eyes widened, "Oh, yeah, that would be, um, that would be great. Thanks for the pictures. What do you say Sawyer?"

"Thank you, Haley! I love you."

"Aw, you're so sweet. I love you, too. Hug your Uncle Nathan for me, okay?"

"Okay, bye-bye!"

"Bye Haley James." Nathan smiled widely and grabbed Sawyer's hand, waving one last time.

Haley watched them walk away, feeling her heart lurch one more time. There was something about them that made her want to stay. Unfortunately, the next fan in line came over, and she forced the thoughts of those blue eyes to the back of her mind, knowing full well, she'd see them in her dreams that night.

Nathan and Sawyer drove two hours back to Tree Hill, once again listening to Haley's CD on repeat-but this time, Nathan didn't mind it one bit. He might not ever admit it, but he also sang along, unable to stop thinking about the brown eyed singer.

It was almost midnight by the time they got home, and since he promised Lucas and Peyton he'd babysit, he carried a now sleeping Sawyer into his guest room. She couldn't stop talking about Haley the whole night, but now she was completely exhausted.

At least one of them would be able to sleep soundly. Nathan knew he'd be up all night, unable to stop thinking of Haley James.

As he began changing out of his jeans, he remembered the folded piece of paper Haley signed, and pulled it from his pocket.

No way, he thought as he read the note, his smirk growing. He couldn't believe his luck.

Nathan,

I don't do this...well, ever, but there's something about you and I'd be an idiot to let this moment pass. Maybe I'm taking a huge leap of faith, but I hope it's worth the risk. Anyway, you should call me sometime… if you want. Below is my number. Hope it's better than an autograph.

Xox

H.J

Thanks for reading. I have plans to add a few more chapters to this. It's going to be a quick short story, and hopefully I keep my promise to update... I definitely plan to. I also have ideas for other one-shots that I came across today and want to jump back into.

As for "Path We Follow" I definitely plan to update soon. Thanks for all the feedback. I tried writing a chapter a few days ago and it sucked so badly haha, I'll try to edit it and get going on that.

Thanks again! xo