Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill.

Summary: Nathan Scott is rich, handsome, CEO of a big Software Company and totally reckless. When his dad wants to take the company back, Nathan's brother comes up with a plan to prevent it. But maybe he just pulled the trigger to more trouble. NALEY. AU.

A/N: Back with another chapter! I'm glad it didn't took so long for me to update this time! :) Anyways, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, and I hope you guys keep reading!

Chapter 8: Struggling With Memories

Haley was changing TV channels slowly, not really paying attention to what was showing. She sighed and shook her head while thinking about how her life was just getting out of hand since she met Nathan Scott again. She was beginning to wonder if coming to New York had been a good idea after all, with all this going on. Of course she was happy to be around Lucas again, but she obviously forgot that they came as a full package: she had to stand his ass of a brother too; but now, Haley would be stuck with him for undetermined time.

She wondered what would happen when they get married. Going to parties with him, parading around as his wife, kissing him in public... now, thinking closely about the situation, Haley was not so sure if she made the right decision in accepting this deal. She would get nothing out of it, just lots of bad moments with him and a bunch of fights. Just like the old times, yeah, but worse. She would be living with him all the time, there would be no avoiding like when they were in college.

Well, she couldn't back off now.

Haley gazed at the ring he got her and sighed. It was really beautiful... but the situation was not real. She wanted so much to meet someone, get married and all of that... and now she was getting it, but not like that. Not with Nathan.

"You know, he really has a good taste. This ring is just gorgeous..."

Haley looked up to see Brooke smiling dreamily while checking out her wedding ring again. She shook her head and rolled her eyes at her friend.

"He probably asked one of his secretaries to pick it, you know. This would be so like him."

"Maybe." Brooke nodded. "But it's still really gorgeous. So... you sure you're doing it?"

"I'm not sure of anything..."

"I just don't get it, Haley, why are you doing it? You've always been so sure that you hated him and everything, and now you just accepted getting married to help him out."

"I... I don't really know." Haley ran her hands through her face. "I just..."

"And don't say you did it for Lucas, 'cause I'll know you'd be lying. You are doing it for Nathan. Just tell me the truth, Haley... you guys have a history... right?"

Haley shook her head slightly, but Brooke kept looking at her, waiting for a true answer.

"What?"

"You can't fool me, ok? It's the only explanation I can see. Besides, I saw how he made that scene just because of the guy you were talking to on the charity ball."

"He didn't made a scene because of that. Nathan just likes to make my life horrible, that's it."

"Yeah, ok... Haley, I'm your best friend... you know that, right?"

"It's all in the past now. And it's not anything important, you know?"

"So he must have screwed up big time, huh?" Brooke grimaced but Haley just didn't say anything.

Brooke watched as tears started falling on her friends face just after that, and instantly regretted bringing it up. Well, Nathan certainly did something. And she would find out, oh, she would...

"Haley... I'm sorry..."

"No, it's ok..." Haley started rubbing her eyes, trying to stop the tears coming down, but it was now impossible. It just pained her so much to think about that year... they truly went on a big emotional rollercoaster in that senior year... sometimes things would be ok, sometimes they were just great, them they would fight like crazy and hate each other all over again, and after that they couldn't be away from the other. Well, that was before everything went downhill.

"He's a bastard, you know." Brooke told her. "If just thinking about it makes you cry, Nathan obviously doesn't deserve what you'll be doing for him, Haley! You don't owe him anything..."

Haley just shook her head and kept crying silently while hearing what her friend was saying.

"You don't have to go through that, Haley... unless you feel something for him?"

"Of course not..."

"Well, I hope you're saying the truth... I just hope you don't get hurt in this story, Haley... be careful, ok? And if you want to tell me what happened, you can just do it anytime you want. Ok?"

"Yeah... ok."

"Now let's just stop talking about this jackass and let's order a pizza! How does that sound?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Nathan looked at the picture again and smiled to himself. He was at his home office, just looking through some drawers when his eyes were caught by that one. He and Haley at a pizza parlor after a day filled of fun on an amusement park. God, he could recall that moment so perfectly in his mind... they had so much fun that day... then, he decided they should take a picture, so they could remember it later, when they were not in college anymore. Haley thought it was a great idea, actually.

Yeah, the picture was doing its job the right way.

He smiled again. She was beautiful there, her eyes beaming with happiness, while she embraced him loosely. He was smiling openly - like on rare occasions since then - his blue eyes focused on her, as she faced the camera.

Nathan wondered for a second if she still had her copy of that picture. He made sure they got two, and, besides everything, he decided to keep his. Sometimes he used to look at it, and got mixed feelings: anger, happiness, sadness... or sometimes, all of them together. Suddenly, his smile faltered and he just felt pain. He kept looking at them in that picture, just thinking how things just got better after that day... and then, a couple of months later, everything was escalating to an end. He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about it... all of that was in the past.

"Nate?"

The blue eyed man closed the drawer instantly and forcefully, startled by his brother's voice. He then turned around to face him, trying to act as if everything was normal.

Lucas gave him an odd look.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Lucas took a sip of his whisky and tilted his head, looking attentively at his younger brother. He was obviously nervous about something, but he decided to let it go. He could check that later on, and he knew not to push him.

"So... ready to finally be out of market?"

Nathan rolled his eyes at him and then growled.

"I'm beaming with happiness, man." He answered sarcastically. "Really."

"I can see that." Lucas chuckled lightly. "Well, Haley is a great girl, and she's really beautiful. You're a lucky guy, little brother."

Nathan glared at him, Lucas enjoying the whole thing. What an ass of a brother he had... and people said he was the bad guy.

"You know how things are with me and Haley."

"Actually, bro, I don't."

Lucas sighed and shook his head, like he was thinking about something, and Nathan didn't like it a bit.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan decided to ask after some seconds.

"Senior year." Lucas answered and these two words were enough to make Nathan shift uncomfortably.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I'm not so sure." His brother was not smiling anymore when he said that. He put the glass in a small empty table on the right and kept looking at Nathan. "You know they published that picture of you and Haley together... looking happy and embracing each other... like a couple. Well, Haley was really taken aback when she saw the picture, and later you told her you didn't even remember it. Well, I don't believe it. What's the story after all? The true story about it?"

"I already told you, Luke... I didn't even remember that. Maybe I was drunk, I don't know. It's not important."

"You are a terrible liar, Nathan... I want to know what happened. And by the looks of it, something really happened. What did you do to her?"

Nathan shook his head and scoffed, really disturbed by his brother question. He was just so pissed now... so he was always the one who was wrong. Sometimes he believed Dan was right about him.

"So you just assume I did something. Ms. Perfect couldn't do a thing wrong, right?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Yeah, right, I forgot how I can screw up just about anything. God..."

Nathan distanced himself from the desk and started pacing around the room, unable to look at his brothers for some instants. His blood was boiling now, he didn't want to bring that shit up. Since Haley was around again, all he could think was about her and everything involved... and he really wanted to clear his mind of that as much as he could. He was doing okay before.

"Nathan... stop that." Lucas scratched his head, trying to look for a better choice of words. "I just... I just want to understand what happened between you guys that year. Something did, I want to know what it was."

"I don't wanna talk about Haley, Lucas... ok? It's just enough that I'll have to live with her from now on... I just don't want to talk about anything."

"That's exactly how she reacts when I ask her about you and college. I just wanted you to know, Nathan, that talking may help. You guys need to be civil to each other, and maybe if I knew what happened I could help. Or maybe you could just let it go and..."

"Let go?!" Nathan groaned, now visibly furious with Lucas and that situation. "There's no way, Lucas! No way in hell! And just stop pushing me with this shit, I don't want to talk about anything! Take a hint and leave me alone already! If I wanted to say something, I would, ok?!"

"Sorry, man, I..."

Nathan didn't wait for him to finish what he was saying and left the room quickly entering his bedroom and shutting the door closed after that. Lucas raised his eyebrows and sighed, looking around the office. Obviously the memory let Nathan pissed. He would find out, sooner or later... he needed to.

Silently, Lucas opened the drawer that Nathan closed so forcefully minutes later, and looked for anything that might caught his attention. Well, when his eyes met the picture, Lucas knew that it was exactly what he was looking for.

They looked happy in the picture, just like on the other one. He smiled at the sight. The way Nathan was looking at Haley on that picture told him everything: his little brother, at least there, had some kind of feelings towards her, even though he would never admit it to anyone.

He turned the picture around and found a little note on its back.

You should be looking at the camera, mister! This was one of the best Sundays ever. Hope this pic always put a smile on your face, no matter how many years have passed. -Haley.

Lucas put it back in it's place and smiled a little. So they were obviously not hating each other through their last college year, he could say that. But still, he wondered what happened to them after that.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"What are you doing here?"

Nathan rolled his eyes at her and entered her apartment without asking for permission. Haley looked at him, already pissed by his behavior, closing the door forcefully on the process. He was checking the place out, making sure he didn't miss anything, and it was definitely starting to piss her off more and more. Who the hell did he think he was entering her apartment like he owned the place... he couldn't be more of an asshole than he already was.

"What the hell do you want?"

Nathan focused on her again, a blank expression on his handsome face. He could say she was not especially happy with his visit, but he couldn't care less.

"Go change your clothes, Haley, and save the bitching for another one."

"What?" She put her hands on her hips. "You can't come here, uninvited, I must add, and boss me around!"

"Go change your fucking clothes, Haley, don't make me lose it." He said through gritted teeth, her presence starting to bother him too. "I don't have all fucking time in the world."

"I'm not doing anything, you bastard. Can you please get out?! Now!"

Nathan just ignored her completely and went to her couch, sitting comfortably on it, changing the TV to ESPN in the process. Haley looked at him with wide eyes, her temper rising way too quickly. She thought she was about to kick his ass any time now if he didn't take a hint and leave her house already. What was wrong with Nathan Scott after all?!

"Are you deaf?! I asked you to leave!"

"Jeez, would you stop screaming?! I'm trying to watch something here..."

"Nathan!"

"Just go change, Haley, for god's sake, what's so hard about that?!"

"I'm not changing into anything! I just want you to leave my house so I can resume watching my movie! And turn the TV back on that channel."

"I need to distract myself as you get ready." He finally looked at her again, and he regretted it instantly, 'cause she was really angry this time. Her face was all flushed and her eyes glaring at him furiously. "So please, don't take so long... we got reservations, and I surely don't want to lose them."

What? Reservations? Did she hear it right? Haley kept looking at him, slowly her eyes changing from angry to quizzical.

"Reservations?" She finally asked and he smirked.

"Yeah. It's nothing fancy, I know how you don't like it... but I don't want us to be late for dinner."

"Uh... is this really necessary?"

"We need to be seen together, right? So it's the easiest way to go out on a date."

Haley bit her lower lip, now thinking about what he said. A date... a date with Nathan Scott. It was starting, it really was... suddenly, she felt nervous about it. What was she supposed to do on that date? Kiss him? It was better not to think about that.

"God..." She mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"Now go, you're blocking my view."

She disappeared down the hall after that and he sighed, thinking if it was a stupid idea. truth was Nathan was bored out of his mind at home, and had nothing better to do. Instead of spending his night alone and drinking - like he did every other night - he decided to make reservations for them in a nice restaurant and ask her on a date.

Well, he wanted to ask her... but as soon as he saw her, he just started acting on his asshole mode all over again. It didn't work out as he planned on his mind before leaving the house, but ok... she was getting ready for them to leave and that was the important part.

When Haley returned some good forty minutes later, Nathan quickly glanced at her, his breath caught on his throat instantly. She was beautifully dressed in a black dress that reached before her knees, her hair naturally framing her beautiful face, her makeup perfectly done. He turned the TV off without taking his eyes off her and got up right away, approaching her slowly.

She put a strand of her hair behind her ear, and he took a glance of the beautiful earrings she was wearing. He smiled at her and sighed, while she looked at any place besides him.

"So, is this okay?" She finally asked.

"Yeah. You look... beautiful."

Haley smiled back, although he could say she was still in a bad mood. But now, Haley was also nervous.

"We should get this over with real quick." She snapped out of it and shook her head quickly. She walked past him quickly, trying to clear her mind in the process, maybe trying to escape from his blue eyes.

Nathan grabbed her arm in an impulse and pulled her back to facing him so fast, that Haley never had a chance to stop it.

"Not so fast, Hales..."

The next thing she knew his lips were colliding with hers and his tongue was asking permission to enter her mouth. Her first thought was to pull out of his arms and just hit him, but she was stunned by his actions. Haley found herself allowing him to kiss her and she could hear him moaning as she started kissing him back.

He tasted the same, she could remember... she loved being kissed by him so much. His arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer to him, and Haley instinctively embraced him at the same time, her arms on his shoulder, her hands now on his hair.

Nathan deepened the kiss, his body now crushing hers completely, her scent invading him, bringing back all the memories... the good and the bad ones. He slowly broke the kiss some instants later, and sucked lightly on her lower lip before opening his eyes again. Haley still had her eyes closed, a stunned expression on her pretty face. Nathan smirked at the sight, amused.

He let her go slowly and Haley opened her eyes, licking her lips in the process, maybe trying to feel if that kiss was really real.

"Now we're good to go..."

"What was that for?" She asked softly.

"Just checking... you know... we'll need to be doing it a lot from now on. I just wanted to do a small test."

"Just make sure you don't do it again unless it's absolutely necessary." Her face now turned pissed again and Nathan smirked again, obviously enjoying the whole thing. "It was uncalled for."

"Right... let's get this show on the road, James."

To be continued...