Chapter 14: It's About Friggin' Time

School started again and the kids got back into their regular routines. After classes, the group came back to the Parry Manor, ate a snack, then sat around doing homework or procrastinating to do their work. Peyton would sometime race to the piano the minute she got home to play, but she always ended back with the boys eventually.

After homework came dinner, and then the tradition of video games. Around this time, no one noticed that Peyton would slip out, followed by Caleb. The boys were too focused on beating one another that it never occurred to them that some parties might be missing from the living room.

Peyton would walk out of the house and into the backyard. Through the patio, down through the garden and out into the start of the forest. Not far beyond the forest was a hill that led down to a secluded little cove on the cold Atlantic coast. Here in the center was a beautiful circle of sand, Peyton would lie back and stare up at the sunny sky. It was relaxing and peaceful, a comfort place that made Peyton feel safe.

On a cloudy afternoon, Caleb ended up following her, joining Peyton soon after she had arrived. They sat there in silence. Caleb had been starting to see Peyton light up the more she hung out with the guys. She was laughing, joking, smiling, even glowing even more than ever before. It seemed happiness was consuming the girl who had once been a closed girl. He learned more about her everyday and was falling head over heals for the girl.

What Caleb didn't know was that Peyton was falling for him just as hard as he was. He was intoxicating, brilliant, sexy, kind, loving, and sweet. Of all the boys, it seemed as though he alone listened to her and truly cared about her feelings, thoughts, and ideas. She wanted to tell him everything, hold nothing back, and she felt no shame in wanting to tell him her secrets and giggling about ridiculous things, though nothing was ever serious.

"Baby girl, seriously, what's with the bright colored hair?" Caleb was smiling and giggling at her. He enjoyed teasing her and she always knew it was out of care.

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"There's nothing wrong with your hair. Just wondering where the color came from."

"Well, it came from a bottle.' Peyton smiled and giggled as Caleb rolled his eyes. 'It does!"

"Truthfully..." Peyton's face dropped and looked down at the grass from where she was sitting on the side. Caleb could read in her face that there was a sensitive story behind the color of her hair, and the reasons behind it.

He whispered to her, showing that she was safe and he cared to know. 'We don't have to talk about it..."

"No, no. It's okay.' Peyton took a deep breath and began to tell her reason. 'Ever since we left, mom has... had been dating guy after guy for God knows how many years. Everytime mom would get dumped, she got a tattoo.' Peyton smiled at the memory. 'She had this huge design going on her back, and she added a piece everytime she got dumped."

"Once I turned 14, I wanted to do the same, but mom flipped out when I suggested I get a tattoo.' The memory made her laugh. All she could think about was the many pros and cons lists her mother and her had made, just like they had done with every major decision. 'We eventually came to a compromise of me dying my hair."

Peyton stood up and walked to the water. She stood before the waves, close enough to feel it spray but not close enough to get wet. Caleb continued to sit behind her, staring at her skinny frame.

"Really?' Caleb smiled and laughed as the girl blushed. 'And I take it that it wouldn't have been as fun if it was a natural color?"

"Nah. I did all the natural looks. Blonde, brunette, ebony, redhead, grey, etc. Once I hit 16, I ran out of the natural colors and moved onto more... fun colors' She smiled and shook her head at the thought of her hair. 'Gosh, I can't even remember my natural hair color." Silence was followed as she thought hard on the question.

"Brown.' Caleb's eyes were spaced out, lost in a memory as he recalled the image of the girl he had held onto since she had been taken out of his life. 'It was brown. Like a honey color, only deeper. It was a warm color."

"You remember that?" Peyton was stunned by his memory. Her body quickly turned around and her heart leapt at the idea of his memory when she went to look at him. She so badly wanted it to be sign that he cared for her as more than a friend, but she couldn't think why he would.

"I remember everything about you Peyton." He looked her deep in the eyes, seeing only the woman he loved and not the insecure scared girl she felt she was. Her look was one of awe and of disbelief, like Caleb was speaking a foreign language. The boy took a deep breath and spoke the words he had been dying to say.

"I remember your pale skin, your tiny freckles that run along your nose. I remember the way you smell, like oranges and flowers. I remember you love to read and your favorite book is, or was, The Catcher in the Rye. You like horror movies because you like being scared."

Caleb stood up now and began walking towards Peyton's body. The girl was shaking, but not from the cold. She shook with nerves, just scared of what was going to happen next.

"And I remember your music. The way you look when your sitting at the piano, your fingers dancing over the keys.' He was looking even deeper within her, penetrating her soul. It frightened her yet excited her, sending her insides into twisting knots. But, the look on her face and her body's reaction to his movements weren't enough to stop the boy from slowly approaching Peyton. 'I remember your laugh, the way you cried. I remember your warmth and your caring nature. How sweet you are, how kind, and loving you can be. How beautiful you are."

Peyton's body continued to shake but at his last words she took a quick intake of breath. He was standing right before her, not even a foot separating them. Her forehead came to his chin, and she looked down at her shaking hands. His own moved up to her shoulders, rubbing her forearms because of her shivering body.

"You're shaking." He dipped his head so their foreheads were touching. Peyton gulped but reached her hands up slowly to either side of his torso. She felt the starch clean shirt under her fingers and when she pressed farther, his solid body came into contact with her fingertips.

His warmth was enough to send her over the moon, but when his hand swept her falling hairs behind her ears, she felt it in her bones. Safe and scared all at the same time, these feelings flooded her like a storm without warning.

With both his hands cupping her face, Caleb gently pulled Peyton to her tippy toes as he bent down to meet her in a tender lip lock. Velvet lips pressed together to make a slow and loving kiss, the kind that you only see when 'Happily Ever After' has passed.

Peyton closed her eyes and kissed him with all she had, giving herself into the kiss. Caleb kissed her back with equal passion and a sense that this was right where they belonged. It seemed as though they fit together as they melded into the embrace.

Slow and tender was how the kiss started, and continued to be that way even as Caleb shyly caressed her lips with his tongue. Peyton surprised herself by opening her mouth without thinking, allowing him to explore her tongue with his own. With other guys, kissing with tongue just felt wrong, dirty in some way. It was almost funny and she usually had the urge to pull away. But not with Caleb.

With Caleb, this was right. His hands braced her head and she let him explore her mouth. It didn't feel wrong or embarrassing or silly. It felt right, like it was an action she had done many a time before. She gripped his middle tightly, anchoring herself to him, the ground while Caleb's touch sent her rocketing to the moon. He was an expert kisser, and though Peyton knew little about kissing, if he was feeling even a tenth of what she was felt, the kiss would blow his mind.

Neither wanted to break the kiss, but it was inevitable. Peyton moaned a little as Caleb's lips pulled away from her own, making him smile just a bit at the corner of his swollen mouth. Foreheads grazing each other, neither moved from their embrace, wanting to savor the moment for as long as possible.

"Be mine.' Caleb's voice was harsh and parched, but still full of need and desire. He whispered to her, making her pull away to look in his eyes. Peyton needed to search his gaze for the truth, to know that he was truly meaning what he said. He knew she would have trouble trusting it, but he needed the chance to prove to her that they belonged together. He bent his knees down to meet her teary eyes. 'Be mine."

It came out as a demand, not a question. Peyton knew she had no choice but to surrender to him because deep down she knew she was already his. It had only been a short while since her mother died, but she was certain that she had never been this happy or felt this way about anyone or anything, and that told her it was the right thing for her.

She nodded her head eagerly which was greeted with a big smile from Caleb and another kiss on her lips. He then picked her up and swung her around, just elated to know that the girl of his dreams wanted him as much as he wanted her.

o0o

They spent the next few hours together on the beach, lying in the sand and kissing to their hearts content. The hours flew by and before either knew it, the sun was setting on the horizon. Peyton and Caleb reluctantly made their way back to the Parry Manor hand in hand. They hadn't once stopped touching since that kiss on the beach, and Peyton was dreading the moment when she knew they would have to.

When they reached the house, the two walked into the house with their hands intertwined. Peyton loved the feel of his skin near hers, the heat radiated from his flesh which sent her heart pounding, knowing he was feeling it too.

At the doors to the living room, Peyton and Caleb stopped and stood beside the closed doors. The dark haired boy lifted the girls hands to his face and planted two sweet kisses on both of her knuckles. Peyton blushed furiously and looked down, sending Caleb into a huge grin, which in turn made Peyton giggle.

"You ready?" Caleb asked Peyton who looked at him with complete trust. Shyly, she nodded her head. There was no way she wanted to walk in there and announced what had passed between them. It had been private and intimate, a moment she wanted to relish in for awhile before Reid turned it into a joke and Tyler to faun over. She already knew Pogue would look tense and uncertain, indicating a serious talk to follow, but she also knew her cousin would want her to be happy.

As though reading her nervous thoughts, Caleb eyes twinkled with a plan.

"You know, we could always wait it out. Figure things out for us first." He hadn't even finished the sentence before Peyton was smiling with agreement. Caleb was willing to do anything to make her happy and he wanted nothing more than to keep her to himself for awhile. Knowing it would come out eventually, he thought why not keep it close now while they still could?

Caleb released Peyton's hands to cradle her soft face. One hand smoothed back her orange hair while the other used its thumb to caress her smooth cheek. He felt Peyton's grip grow tighter around his waist as he leaned down to kiss her, feeling an even larger spark then the one they had experienced when they had kissed for the first time. If anything, the feelings were getting stronger and with each kiss came more fireworks.

His soft lips continued to assault hers, an attack she surrendered passionately to. His tongue invaded her mouth and the taste of Peyton was almost intoxicating to Caleb. As she quietly moaned in his mouth, the boy felt his entire body light up and his body was quickly reacting to her touch.

Just when the couple were driven into the heat of the moment, a snigger brought them out of their own private world.

"Well, well, well... "The two broke apart and with swollen red lips turned to see Reid standing before them, looking as smug as ever. With his arms folded over his chest and his eyes mischievously darting back and forth between them, the blonde looked elated at the sight before him.

He laughed which made Peyton nervous and made Caleb stand closer to her, wanting to take away the embarrassment he knew she was feeling. He could pound on Reid right then and there, but his next words saved Caleb the trouble of beating his brother into a messy pulp.

"It's about friggin' time!"

o0o

Hullo readers! I am so sorry for the long long delay! I have just returned to the states for my final year at University and it has been quite a chore to settle in and start all new lessons. Another chapter will be presented sometime this weekend (once it is complete), so hopefully that can make up for the wait. But, please please please please please please (and I can't say PLEASE enough) review! Your opinions matter most and I need them to write! Send me a note and tell me what you think or want to see and I promise more chapters in a few days!

xoxox Ash