"Hello?" a voice called out from the kitchen.

"Hey Haley," Lucas called back as he set Catcher In the Rye down. He got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Hi Luke," Haley greeted him with a hug.

"How was shopping?" he asked her.

"It was good. We got a new blender and I told Nathan he wasn't allowed to use it unsupervised this time." Lucas chuckled at this. "And we got new towels for the bathroom, and a couple new outfits for Jamie. How was he anyways?"

"He was good," Lucas replied, "but have you been talking to him about my love life?" He sat down at the kitchen table.

"What? Of course not," Haley replied as she sat down across from him at the table.

"Well Jamie asked me if I love Peyton because his mama says I do. And that Peyton loves me. You were talking to somebody and Jamie overheard."

"I might've said something to Nathan about it..." Haley replied casually as she rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the cabinets.

"Do you think I made a mistake in asking Lindsey to marry me?"

Haley looked back at him with a look of surprise on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Did I make a mistake? Do you really think Lindsey and I were meant to be together? 'Cause it sounds like everyone's on Peyton's side."

"Peyton's side?" Haley asked, not quite sure what he was getting and not sure of what he wanted to hear.

"Yeah," Lucas replied, not giving her any hint as to what to say.

"Luke, just say what you want to say, because I have no idea what you're getting at."

Lucas took a deep breath, then looked directly at Haley, "Do you think I should be with Peyton?"

Haley tilted her head slightly, feeling sorry for her best friend now that she knew what he wanted to know. It was such a hard decision for him. She knew that he loved Lindsey, and she had rooted for them, but it seemed that he was bound to wind up with Peyton again. She thought for a moment and chose her words carefully, knowing they might have a huge impact on his life.

"Luke, I know you love Lindsey, but I feel like it's Peyton. That in the end, Peyton's going to be the one there with you, like how I see Nathan next to me. You pined after her and time after time, you ended up going back to her. You two were so happy when you were together. I know you were happy with Lindsey, and even Brooke, but when it's you two together everyone can't help but be envious of what you have. It's love, Lucas. And I know she still loves you."

"So you do think I made mistake."

Haley shook her head, "No, I'm just telling you what I see. I have no right to judge."

Lucas couldn't help but feel a little bit angry, everyone wanted to dance around the subject and all he needed was someone to tell him what to do. He was so lost and he just needed a bright neon-flashing sign to show him the way, to lead him to his happiness because he certainly wasn't happy now. And his anger focused on Peyton again.

He shoved himself up from the table, and leaned on it with his hands pressed down upon it, "She said no Hales. How can everyone think she's the one for me when she said no. I asked her to marry me and she turned me down. Do you know how much that hurt? I loved her Haley and she tore my heart out," Lucas spat out, reliving the hurt of that night.

She sat calmly in her seat and shook her head. "No, she told me Lucas. She told that she told you she wanted to wait but you couldn't wait."

Lucas pushed off of the table and turned towards the cabinets, rubbing his hand through his hair, Haley was trying to blame this all on him. It was always his fault, Peyton saying no, Lindsey leaving, his words not meaning enough.

"You know how Peyton is Luke. You can't dump marriage on her and expect her not to balk out. She's not prepared for those kinds of things, they scare her. And if you loved her you would know that," Haley told him. She could tell that he was hurting and was angry, but he needed to hear these things.

"I loved her Haley, and it wasn't enough for her!" he yelled at Haley.

"It was Luke! You were nineteen years old. You didn't even know what you were doing at that point, how could you expect her to? How could you expect her to drop her work there and move back to Tree Hill for you when things were getting good for her? It wasn't fair Luke, and you know that," she told him. He looked at her and then looked away. Suddenly she got it, "You're mad at yourself for proposing to her when you know you should've waited."

It made sense, he knew it was too soon and instead of apologizing he came back home and moved on. He always did have a little too much pride. He wouldn't have dumped Lindsey because his ego was still hurting that Peyton said no in the first place, and now he seemed to be wanting Lindsey because she also hurt his pride by leaving him. Even in the beginning, his pride was hurt and he took it out on her when she started hanging out with Nathan and spent less time with him. He hurt the ones who hurt him the most.

Lucas collapsed back into his chair, suddenly exhausted as he let his head fall into his hands. "I don't know," he mumbled.

"I think you do know," she told him.

He dropped one hand from his hand and traced the blue gingham pattern on the tablecloth. "It's always been Peyton...?"

"Yeah," she agreed softly.

So I really don't know if this is plausible or not. His whole reason for him walking out on Peyton (his pride). I mean I think it might be, but if you disagree, please please let me know. And maybe give me a reason? Maybe I'll rewrite it. I just...don't know. You have no idea how much agony I'm in over this chapter. I just image this chapter with a lot of dramatic Lucas movements.

Funny thing: I started this with Haley ringing the doorbell, then after about two sentences I said to myself "A doorbell? They don't use doorbells in Tree Hill, they just walk right in." And so I wrote the beginning like I did instead of with the doorbell. (And I seriously said that to myself in my head.)

And this chapter was originally going to be called "Blue Tablecloth" but I figured the red fit the mood better.