I don't own anything.
Peyton was on the pool table in her office, the one Skillz made her get, drawing. She hadn't done this in forever and she wanted to get back into it. She drew a heart in the sand, but this heart was getting destroyed every time the waves came in and carried it half away. She realized once she was done that, that heart was hers. "Now it only needs a crack in it somewhere," she said out loud to herself.
When she was done she got up and hung it above her desk. She missed drawing. It was really the only she could express her feelings.
She walked out of her office and over to Owen who was getting ready for tonight's shift. "Hey Owen, what's up?"
Owen looked up. "Oh hey Peyton, I'm just getting some things done before I have to leave."
Peyton looked at him confused. She thought he practically lived here at night. "Where are you going too?"
"Didn't Brooke tell you? We're going out to dinner tonight. I asked her out the night after you guys were here celebrating Mia's thing," he said waving his hand towards the stage.
She understood why Brooke didn't tell her now. The day after Tric Peyton was very closed in. She really didn't want to do anything with anyone. Nathan, Skillz, and Brooke all tried to do something, but she just didn't want to do anything. She had to get that evening out of her mind.
Though it had been three days since Tric. Peyton wondered why Brooke hadn't told her today or even yesterday. Was she being that much of a zombie? "Oh, I think she might have told me. I just wasn't paying attention probably," Peyton said. "I should probably get going though. See ya."
Owen waved to her as she headed towards the door. She raced down the stairs towards her car. Suddenly she froze. "Lucas?"
"No, sorry, but I actually came here to see you," a shy voice said stepping out from behind the car.
"Lindsay, sorry, I just never saw you driving that car before," Peyton said with an apologetic smile.
Lindsay smiled back pulling the sleeves of her shirt down over her hands. "Sorry if I scared you, I just wanted to ask you something."
"Um, before you do, I feel like I owe you an apology. I've been really rude to you lately and I feel terrible about it. I just jumped to conclusions to fast and I hate when I do that. I'm sorry."
"I owe you one too because the way I acted at Tric the other night was not really directed towards you. Just more you and Lucas in general."
"Yea I understand," she said shifting her weight to the other foot. "Um, so anyways, what did you need to ask me?"
Lindsay looked down at her hands for a second and then looked up smiling. "I wanted to ask you if you could find a band for the wedding."
She looked at her confused. "Who's getting married?"
"Lucas and I, of course. Oh no, you didn't know did you?" Lindsay said taking a step back. She heard stories of Peyton from Haley and Brooke and she didn't want to get punched in the face.
Peyton stared straight ahead. She didn't know. No one told her. Is that why everyone was distancing themselves from her these days? "Wow, um, no I really didn't know, but congratulations. I'm happy for you two. And of course, I will get a band you guys. I'm pretty good at that."
Lindsay looked down and laughed. "Yea, I heard that. Thanks Peyton, and I'm sorry about springing this on you. I just figured Lucas, or Brooke, or Nathan would have told you by now."
"Yea so did I," Peyton said. Then she waved good-bye and got into her car. This was not happening to her.
"Brooke! Damnmit Brooke, you have some explaining to do!" Peyton said storming into the house.
Brooke hurried down the stairs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Owen called me, I know I should have told you that we are going out, but you have been walking around like a total zombie for the past like three days!"
Peyton scowled. "It's not that, that I'm mad at you for!"
"Then what is it?" Brooke asked totally confused.
"So guess whose getting married!"
"Oh no, you heard?"
"Oh yes I did! And guess who told me!" Peyton said. Brooke was silent not really knowing who would tell her. No one wanted to tell her. "Lindsay!" Peyton exclaimed after awhile.
Brooke's mouth dropped. "Why the hell would Lindsay tell you?"
"I'm getting a band for their wedding."
"You're what?!"
"Yep, Lindsay asked me herself at Tric. God Brooke, why didn't anyone tell me? I was standing there like an idiot asking who was getting married."
"I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you as soon as we all heard, but once Lucas left we all agreed it would be better if he told you. We just didn't want to cause you more pain then you were already in because of him."
Peyton sighed walking about the kitchen. "Well there's nothing I can do about it, right? Anyways I have to go, I'm babysitting Jamie tonight while Nathan and Haley go out."
"Isn't that what the nanny is for?"
"Carrie is going out with some guy she met. So I volunteered," Peyton said grabbing her purse and heading towards the door.
"Peyton," Brooke called after her, "I'm really sorry, but you still could win him back."
"No, Brooke, I can't. He loves her and he wants to be with her. I can't do anything," she said walking out the door.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jamie ran towards the door. "Aunt Peyton!"
"Hey Jimmy Jam," Peyton said picking him up into a hug. "How are you?"
"Great! I'm so excited for me, you, and Uncle Lucas to hang out!"
Peyton stared at him. Nathan then walked into the room. Peyton looked up at him with quizzical eyes. "Uncle Lucas is coming?"
Nathan laughed. "No why would he come?"
"Because I asked him to babysit Jamie tonight," Haley said walking into the room. She froze when she saw Peyton standing in the doorway holding Jamie. "Why is Peyton here?"
"Because I asked her to babysit Jamie tonight," Nathan replied.
Haley, Nathan, and Peyton all stared at each other. "You've got to be kidding me," Peyton said putting Jamie down.
Haley shrugged. "Look, Peyton, we all know how hard this is going to be-"
"Especially because he's engaged now," Peyton said cutting off Haley.
"How did you know?" Nathan asked her shocked.
"Lindsay asked me to pick out the band for her and Lucas's wedding. When I didn't know what she was talking about she so kindly explained that her and Lucas were getting married in a few months."
"Peyton we are so, so, so sorry! We should have told you, but we thought Lucas should-"Haley started.
"Where is my favorite nephew?" a blond man yelled into the house.
"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said running towards Lucas.
"Um, we're going to go," Nathan said pushing Haley out the door.
"Bye guys!" she said rushing out the door leaving Lucas and Peyton staring at each other.
"Peyton, what are you doing here?" Lucas finally got out.
"Nathan asked me to babysit Jamie. Apparently Haley and him doing talk about who they are getting to babysit their son," Peyton said with a hint of anger in her voice. She really didn't want to be here right now.
Lucas laughed nervously. "Yea, I guess they don't. Um, so do you want me to leave?"
"No, we should stay here because Jamie's too excited."
He sighed nodding; he looked at Jamie who was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. "Hey Jamie, why don't you go upstairs and get Chester. I'll be up in a second, okay?"
"Okay," Jamie said running upstairs to his room.
"Peyton," Lucas called after her because she was fallowing Jamie upstairs, "can I talk to you?"
Peyton sighed knowing she couldn't get out of this one. "Sure."
"I wanted to tell you something that happened to me the day I got home from Tric," Lucas started looking around the room, but never at Peyton.
"You and Lindsay go engaged," Peyton said bluntly finishing Lucas's thought.
"How did you know? I thought they were all going to leave that for me," Lucas said finally looking at her.
"Does that include Lindsay?" Lucas looked at her confused so Peyton continued, "Lindsay came to Tric today and asked me to pick out a band for your wedding." She held up her hand to stop Lucas from talking so she could finish. "When I asked her whose wedding she told me it was yours."
Lucas looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry. When I got home from telling them all I told Lindsay not to tell you because I was going too, and also I was going to ask you if you could pick out the band, but I just kept putting it off. I didn't really want to explain to you that I was going to marry someone else."
Peyton sighed. "Well I wished I would have heard it before today, but whatever. Anyways, I should go check on Jamie," she said heading up the stairs.
Lucas just walked over to the couch and sat down with a deep sigh. This wasn't how he wanted to tell her. He told Lindsay she shouldn't say anything because it would look like she was bragging, and well now it did.
Peyton and Jamie came down about an hour later to make some cookies. Peyton remembered she hadn't made cookies since her and Lucas did, so she wanted to give it another try. When they came downstairs she saw Lucas asleep on the couch. She was relieved at first because now she didn't really have to face him, so she and Jamie just went into the kitchen to make them.
Lucas though woke up as soon as he heard the sound of crashing cookie pans. "What the hell?"
"Lucas, language!" Peyton yelled at him laughing.
Lucas laughed getting off the couch and walking over to the kitchen. "Sorry, sorry. So what are you guys doing that it's so loud in here?"
"We're making cookies!" Jamie exclaimed.
"Oh no, you clearly weren't born the last time Peyton made cookies," Lucas said laughing at the memory of the salty cookies.
"Well sorry! I'll make sure not to put so much salt in them this time! Besides you said you liked them," Peyton say putting some of the ingredients into the bowl.
"Yeah that was only after our cookie dough fight," Lucas said back to her laughing.
"What cookie dough fight?" Jamie asked intrigued.
"Well," Lucas started, "Peyton over here put a handful of salt in to cookies while she was trying to make me some when we were dating. And well after I told her how bad they were she threw some at me and we got into a big fight of throwing them back and forth."
Peyton laughed. "Yes and I won that fight, I might add. It didn't last too long once I said a few words," she said raising an eyebrow.
Lucas laughed at her remembering when she said she had cookie dough down her shirt and she was going to take it off. "Yes, but that was unfair."
"No, not really," Peyton said mixing the ingredients now. "Here try this. I only put in a dash of salt now," she said putting some cookie dough on her finger and held it out to Lucas.
Without thinking Lucas took it off Peyton's finger with his tongue. "Mmm, much, much better than last time."
Peyton laughed staring down at the bowl. Lucas, however, put his finger into the dough and stuck it into Peyton's mouth. "See. I told you," he whispered.
They locked eyes at that moment. Peyton felt a spark between them at that moment, but Jamie had no idea. "Can we bake the cookies yet?" he asked staring up at his love-struck aunt and uncle.
"Sure sweetie. Um, why don't you get a spoon and we can spoon the dough onto the cookie pan," Peyton said handing the bowl to Lucas while she went to get the cookie pan.
Ding!
The timer went off, so Peyton went to get the cookies out of the oven while Lucas and Jamie got the cooling rakes ready. Lucas grabbed a cookie as soon as Peyton put the pan down and broke it in half.
"Here try this," he said holding the cookie up to Peyton's mouth.
Peyton looked into his eyes and then bit the cookie off Lucas's fingers. "Mmm, you're right it does taste better than last time."
"I'm not sure about that. I mean the dough after our cookie dough fight tasted pretty good on your neck," he said laughing to himself.
Peyton looked down blushing. This is not something they should be discussing in front of Jamie. "Hmmm."
"Why did you take the cookie dough off Aunt Peyton's neck?" Jamie asked looking up to his uncle.
Lucas looked down at him embarrassed. He forgot about Jamie for a second. "Um, she had so much on her she couldn't eat it all herself."
"Oh."
Peyton laughed at Jamie while he began putting the cookies onto the pan again confused by what Lucas was saying. "You know, you should be careful about what you say when Jamie is around," she whispered to Lucas.
"I forgot he was here," Lucas admitted sheepishly.
Once the cookies where done, it was nine o'clock. "Jimmy Jam, time to get ready for bed!" Peyton said as Lucas picked him up and started upstairs. Jamie tried to wiggle free, but Lucas was too strong for him.
Peyton, however, didn't know how long they were going to be so she made her way over to the couch and sat down closing her eyes. She let her mind wonder free through the days events. First, finding out that Lindsay and Lucas were getting married, then finding out that they were babysitting Jamie together, and then the sparks she kept feeling every time their arms or legs came close to touching.
"Hey," a deep voice whispered.
Peyton opened her eyes to see Lucas walking into the room. "Hey."
"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you."
She shook her head. "Don't worry I wasn't asleep. Just resting my eyes."
He laughed. "Yeah, Jamie is a hard boy to handle."
"No, he really isn't. I just had a hard day at work, and after work," she said looking away from him.
Lucas understood what she meant by 'after work'. The whole Lindsay thing came to mind. "Peyton, I'm sorry. I should have told you about the whole engagement thing."
"Yea, you should have," she said nodding her head and turning her gaze to him. "I need to tell you something though."
"What's that?"
"Um, never mind. It's not important right now."
Before he could answer Nathan and Haley walked in. "Hey guys. I hope Jamie wasn't that much of a burden," Haley said. "Wow, who made what?"
"Jamie was fine, and Peyton and Jamie made chocolate chip cookies for you guys," Lucas said waving his hand towards the kitchen.
"I hope this wasn't too awkward," Nathan whispered to Peyton who was at his side.
"Na, it was okay. I actually got to hear that he was engaged from him. Well sort of. I kind of spat it out at him," Peyton said shrugging.
Nathan laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for doing this P. Sawyer."
"Anything for you, Nate. I should get going though," she said pulling out of their hug and heading towards the door. "See you later Haley. Lucas," she said nodding towards him.
He waved and watched her walk out. Probably out of his life too.
Once Peyton was home and the door was closed she ran over to the couch and buried her face into a pillow. This was not supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to get engaged.
It was supposed to be me, Peyton thought to herself.
A/N: I'm sorry, but Lucas and Lindsay had to get engaged. I know, I hate it too, but next chapter you will find out how he did it and what Haley has to say about it, along with the rest of the crew. Please review though!