Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.... or do I?? No, no I don't.
A/N: I know I need to work on my other stories, but this popped into my head and I had to write it! I swear I'm working on my other stories. I'm not sure about it, or if it even makes sense, but here it is.
I'll Tell You Why
Lucas watched Peyton sleep, his bags packed, as he stood by the side of the hotel room. He leant down and placed a kiss on her forehead as he put a CD beside her on the pillow. He turned to leave the room, suitcase in hand, thinking the previous night over in his mind for the fiftieth time that night, word by word. His hand was on the doorhandle when he paused, one thing running through his head. One year, she kept saying. He turned back into the room as Peyton stirred.
'Luke?' She asked sleepily, looking around the room. She spotted him at the door, suitcase by his feet. 'You're leaving? You were just gonna take off without talking to me?' She asked angrily, sitting up.
'I was, but I can't stop thinking about what you said. You said you wanted to wait a year. You pretty much said you'd say yes in a year, but not now.' She didn't say anything, so he continued. 'Peyton, why would a year make a difference? If you know you're gonna say yes in a year, why can't you say yes now?'
'Cause we still have so much to do! Luke, we both have dreams to live out, and-'
'And we can't live them out together? Engaged?'
'Luke-'
'No, Peyt. I don't understand. I'm not begging to get married right now, it's not like I'm asking you to get on a plane to Vegas or something, I'm just-' He trailed off at the look she gave him. 'What?'
'Nothing, it's just... Luke, I just wanna know where this is all coming from. It's so out of the blue, I mean-'
'Peyt, it's anything but out of the blue. This was my mum's ring, I've had it since the end of high school. I always knew I was gonna give it to you, since my mum first gave it to me. I didn't know when exactly, and then yesterday we won the game, and I kept remembering our championship and how that was the night I knew, and I knew I was ready to ask you. I had it all worked out, then you had to go to work, so I re-worked it but you didn't turn up and well, you know how it turned out after that.' He paused, turning to look out the window.
'You know, I thought about this moment, a lot in the last year, and of all the ways I thought about it going, you not saying yes was not one of them. You were right when you said that it hasn't been easy for Nathan and Haley, and I didn't mean to compare us to them, but I've spent almost the last year living with them and watching how they are together and with Jamie, and it just made me even more sure that that's what I want and I want a family, Peyton. More than that, I want a family with you. You are all that I need and want for my family. I look into the future and you are the only thing I see. And you say you want to be with me, but you won't say yes and I just want to know why, Peyton. Why?'
She looked up at him, her big green eyes wide open in shock at his confession; she'd been frozen in the same position since he'd said it was his mum's ring and he'd had it for a year.
'Because I'm scared Luke.' It was such a simple sentence, but if knocked all of the anger and sadness at the thought of her rejection out of him, replaced with understanding. He should have known. But he needed to know the specifics.
'Scared of what, Peyt?' He asked, his arms coming around her and pulling her into a hug.
'Of everything. I don't want you to give up any thing for me, and then wake up one day regretting it, resenting me. I mean you say I'm all you want but how do you know? How do you know you won't wake up one day and...'
'Peyton, look at me. That will never happen. Hey,' he put a finger under chin and lifted it up when she ducked her head down. 'Trust me. No matter what happens, who comes into our lives, what we do, I will always, always love you. It's always been and will always be you. It's not the best example, but even when I was with Brooke, I had to know what you were doing, if you were ok. I loved her, but it can never compare to what I feel for you. Nothing I feel for anyone can ever compare to what I'll feel for anyone else.' Tears were silently pouring down her face as she watched him. 'Hey, shh. Don't cry, please don't cry.' He pulled her closer again, trying to comfort her, not knowing what he had said. 'Peyton, what's wrong?'
'God,' she pulled back, laughing at herself, wiping her tears away. 'I'm sorry Luke. It's just... I had this awful dream last night. You left this morning before I left, and we didn't see each other for three years. You started dating this other woman, Lindsey and then I came back to Tree Hill and you were always with her, and then...' She stopped here, tears flowing again.
'What? What happened?'
'You proposed to her with my ring, an hour after you kissed me at Tric. I went to see you, to tell you I wanted to be with you, and Lindsey opened the door and shoved her hand in my face. I had to watch you get ready to marry this other woman. You said I do and then I woke up.' She was trying to hold back her tears, so he held her, leading her back to the bed where he lay them down, pulling her close and waiting for her calm down. When her crying had subsided he pulled back to look at her, using his thumb to gently brush over her cheek.
'Peyton, it was just a dream. I'm sorry that it upset you, but know that I'll never stop loving you. You're the one I want standing next to me when all my dreams come true, and I want to be standing next to you when yours come true.' She smiled.
'Yes.'
'What?' He asked, confusion covering his face.
'Yes, Luke. Yes! I'll marry you. I'm sorry I was scared, I'm sorry I didn't say yes last night. I wanna come back to Tree Hill. You were right about my job here. I wanna come home, and I wanna marry you. You said you wanted to be next to me when all my dreams came true, well you just were.' He smiled before he leant down a kissed her.
'You just were too, Peyton. You were too.'