The Good Comes to Those Who Wait
By Alaricnomad
The world was iridescent and bright, an overwhelming kaleidoscope of color and light that had his eyes straining and his vision blurring, rapidly blinking to bring his sight to some semblance of normal focus. His world was still white, a bland, pallid, monotonous white, and his world was pain, his body aching and tight to the very depths of muscles and tendons.
His nostrils filled with the nauseating scent of sterilizing cleaner and stale hospital air, the steady beeping of the heart monitor nearby droned out by the low hums of the music playing through the headphones placed delicately in his ears. His lips, dry and cottonmouth as they felt, curled into an amused smile.
Slender fingers brushed against his arm, and as he turned his head to the side, warmth spread through him like wildfire as he spotted the head of curly blonde hair asleep at his bedside. Slowly, agonizingly slowly as he ached to touch her, he reached out, combing his fingers through her hair, tracing his pinkie down the curve of nose, the softness of her lips.
Peyton stirred, eyelashes fluttering like spider silk against porcelain skin, sleepy hazel-green widening and racing with astonishment, wonder, disbelief, and most of all, the love he had been so blind to see for so long as they locked with his, fully awake.
"Luke?"
"Hey, gorgeous."
He leaned his head up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, chest and sides, brushing back a stray ringlet of hair from those same eyes before pressing his lips to hers, softly, gently, the barest whisper of a caress before he pulled back and inhaled quietly, the scent of lavender a soothing, familiar scent to his senses.
"Tell me this isn't a dream," she whispered, her voice hoarse and husky with disbelief, her gaze begging with him to let his awakening be reality and not just another fruitless fantasy.
"This isn't a dream," he replied reassuringly, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
"No," and she choked, tears obscuring her vision as she clung to his hand like a vise, pressing a light kiss to the calloused palm, "But it's good to hear. Cause I love you too."
"I know. I'm sorry to have made you wait so long."
She shook her head, a teasing smile playing across her lips despite her tears. "I told you before, Scott. I'd wait forever if I had to."
He cocked his head in her direction, his trademark, boyishly sweet Lucas Scott grin breaking out over his handsome face. "Am I really that worth it?"
"Always."
