Chapter 9

3 month later

-It was Friday night, but Peyton wasn't on the road yet. The ravens were playing and as she had promised Brooke she always attended the home games and tonight was one of them. It was harder for her to be here tonight since Lucas wasn't playing. His team had the week off, so she could have been with him all weekend without basketball, but here she was.

-"Could you at least try to look a little cheery", Brooke said to her.

-"I am", Peyton argued.

-"Come on, you look like you'd rather be anywhere but here"

-"Actually I would, but here I am", Peyton said with a fake smile.

-"What's wrong with you?" Brooke asked her friend.

-"What are you taking about. Nothing's wrong with me." Peyton disagreed.

-"You used to love cheerleading. Now you're barely showing up and when you do, you look like you're here against your will." Brooke stated.

-"I kinda am" Peyton joked. She stopped laughing when she saw the death glare Brooke was giving her.

-"Sorry. I'm going right into cheerleader mode." She said still smiling and went back to cheerleading.

-The rest of the game went not too badly for Peyton as she found herself almost enjoying the game. The Ravens won, which was not unusual and Peyton had just got out of the shower. She had decided to shower at the gym so that she could take off for Charleston earlier. She was getting dressed when her cell phone rang. She smiled before picking it up.

-"I'm just leaving. I should be there soon." She said into the phone.

-"You know, you're really cute in your cheer uniform. You should really bring it some weekend."

-"Will do, but how would you know?" she asked him.

-Lucas ignored her question. "I also really like that move you did just before the half-time. It was real inspired."

-"Luke, what is going on?" Peyton asked suspiciously.

-"Get out of the locker room and find out." Lucas told her.

-Peyton smiled as she put her cheerleading gear into her bag and put it over her shoulder. She headed for the door. "You didn't, tell me you' re not… HERE" she screamed as she opened the door and saw Lucas sitting on the bleachers.

-Lucas got up as Peyton just stood there amazed, still holding the phone to her hear.

-"Peyton", he said into the phone, "I think you can hang up now." He smiled as Peyton didn't take her eyes off him as she slowly closed her phone and put it into her purse. He could see it in her eyes when the surprise wore off and she realised that he was standing in front of her.

-"LUCAS", she screamed as she ran into his arms.

-Lucas caught her and spun her around before letting her down and hugging her with all his might. The two of them stayed entangled for a few more seconds before Lucas pulled back slightly, so he could look at her.

-"So, good surprise or bad surprise?" He asked her uncertain.

-"Great surprise", she said as she got on her toes and took his face in her hands.

-"Yeah?" He asked her smiling.

-"Yeah", she confirmed as she grazed her lips to his.

-Lucas kissed her back bringing her flush against him as she deepened the kiss.

-They kept kissing for a little longer until Peyton pulled back and looked up at him.

-"No that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" She asked him.

-"Well, like you know I wasn't playing tonight so I sat there counting the hours till you would be there and then I figured, why not surprise you. I went to see my mom and then I decided to come and see you in action. I gotta say, I should have spent more time watching you when I played here, you really are something to see." He said giving her a smile.

-Peyton laughed. "That probably would have gotten you into trouble. You know, since you were suppose to be playing."

-"Probably. So not that I don't like hanging out with you in the gym but where do we go from here. I mean we could go back to my mom's, I doubt Brooke would show up there" Lucas said as he kept his hands on her waists.

-Peyton looked up at him. She knew Lucas hated that he couldn't tell any of his friends in Tree hill about them. For Peyton, the last three months had gone better then she had expected, but now she hated that Lucas felt weird about doing something so romantic for her. She didn't want him to have to question himself like that.

-"No, let's go to my place. You got your stuff right?" She asked him.

-"Hum, yeah. What about Brooke." He asked hesitantly.

-"She knows I'm never home on week ends, I doubt she would show. Beside, I'm not her favourite person right now anyway."

-"Why?" He asked.

-"Let's talk about this at my place alright, I'm beat." She said resting her head on his chest.

-"Okay. Let's go." He took her hand and led her out of the gym.

-The two of them had to take separate cars seeing as they both had took a car to the gym.

-Lucas parked behind Peyton's car and took his bag out of the trunk. Peyton was waiting beside her car with her bag. Lucas walked up to her and kiss her cheek as he took the bag from her shoulder and put it on his as Peyton led him into the house.

-Lucas and Peyton were laying on her bed listening to music. Peyton was laying on Lucas's chest and he played with her hair, when he remembered something.

-"What happened with Brooke? You said you were going to tell me later and well, it's later."

-"Oh! It's nothing big. Brooke's been on my case for a while. She's pissed that I don't go to away games anymore and she says that I don't look like I want to be there when I am there. She'll get over it."

-"So you'd rather be with me than watch basketball and do cheerleading?" Lucas said as he kissed her hair.

-"Did you even have to ask. The problem is, Brooke doesn't know that I have such a great alternative to cheerleading now? That's why she has a problem"

-"You know, you could just tell her." He told her. Lucas took a deep breath. It was the first time they had approached the subject of telling Brooke and he didn't know how Peyton would react.

-"I know I'm just scared. I mean things are going so great right now and every time I want to tell her it just jumps at me, the minute I tell her, her and I are done. Does it make me selfish that I want to keep things good for as long as I can?" She asked him.

-"Of course not. It is your decision, you tell her when you feel like it. I just think that it probably is going to be much worst if she finds out by herself."

-"You're right. I just. It's just, it's so hard to find the guts to do it, you know."

-"Yeah. When you do decide to tell her, if you want me there, I'll be there." He kissed her head again.

-"Thanks, you're the best boyfriend ever."

-"I know", he said cockily.

-"Hum, you know don't you?" She laughed.

-"Actually, yeah I do." He said as he turned them over so Peyton was lying on her back and he was on top of her. He kissed her and then pulled back. "So, what do you think?"

-"I think I was right, you are the best boyfriend ever, and very sexy." She added as she kissed him.

-"Umm, I knew it", he joked against her lips before deepening the kiss.