Chapter 3
Meanwhile Peyton was still making the long, and quite cold, journey from Lucas' home to her own. She was worried, she knew how Brooke could be and she knew how strong Lucas' feelings had been for her, not to mention Brooke's killer looks Sighing she turned the key into her lock and pushed through the front door, not surprised to find the house painfully empty. Sighing she slid her jacket off and settled it on the back of a kitchen chair. Tender finger tips raked through her blonde curls, leaning back and rotating her neck in many circles until she felt less tense. Her arms flopped down to her sides and turned to head to the bathroom. Cracking back the door, Peyton entered, unbuttoning her banks and sliding them down and over her hips, then pulling her shirt off and removing the rest of her clothes, leaning into the bath tub and drawing warm water from the faucet. She needed to relax right now.
Brooke was still clinging hopelessly to Luke's waist by now, and he was just blankly staring down at her. Needless to say he didn't know what to tell her, he loved her...but he had come to the realization that he wasn't, per say, in love with her.
"Brooke, look–come here, we really have to talk." She popped up, lacing her fingers behind her back and pressing her chest out just a bit, and biting into her bottom lip.
"What is it?" She seemed to put up a defensive wall suddenly, and her eyes were set hard upon him, moving her hands to cross over her chest.
"Well, Brooke...to tell you the truth...you know how they say everything happens for a reason–." Brooke breaks in rather rudely on him, muttering bitter comments.
"Yea. I never liked that quote." She huffed, looking as though she was about to continue when Lucas rose his hand to meet her incoming comments.
"Listen Brooke. Peyton and I happened for a reason," Brook was by now, a bit tear eyed, but never the less rather bitchy looking "And I really think I want to give us a shot...and I never meant to hurt you Brooke. But people make mistakes, and now I need to fix them..." He bit his lip a bit, and took a step back.
"You really hurt me Luke, but I guess I have to respect you for confronting me about your feelings. You know how I feel about Peyton..so just, I don't know. I'll talk to you later, OK?" With that she turned and strode from the gym, her heels of her boots clicking methodically across the gym floor, her hips swaying as if to say 'Here's what your missing.' But he had already turned from her. He knew Peyton would be a bit skeptical, and she was probably at home now worrying about what kind of tricks Brooke had up her sleeve for him.
And Peyton was, just as Lucas though she would be, wallowing, with a glass of sprite nestled into the warm waters of her tub, but it was short lived. She was getting a bit over heated in the steaming waters, and with one final dip under the water, she stepped out and dried off, wrapping the towel around her to cover her mid section, and fluffing her hair to jump start the drying process.
Lucas rapped gently on Peyton's front door, standing there a few moments, actually quite some time, before peyton came to the door. buy now she was glad in a short pair of shorts and a slightly over size tank top, her hair slightly damp, but looking rather beautiful all around.
"Hey beautiful.." His voice was memorized, which she couldn't figure out because she rather thought she was looking pretty horrible. But despite herself a gently smile tugged at the corners of her lips, before her brow furrowed and she looked intently at him.
"Oh please Lucas." She sighed and folded her arms, leaning against the door way, not yet opting to allow him entry into her home. "How did it go."
Stubborn again, he shook his head a bit. "As good as it could go..." He looked at the ground a bit, staring at a stain that was embedded into the carpet of Peyton's entry room. "She wants to be with me."
"Oh great...so that's what you're here to tell me, that everything that's happened since this weekend–." She protested.
"Just listen for once in your life Peyton!" He exclaimed, obviously frustrated. "I told her I wanted you Peyton. Because I do, your who I want Peyton, just you."
He heart melted at that moment, and a warm blush flushed her face suddenly. "Now can I come in?" He questioned softly, and she slid off the wall, using her arm to push her off into the room, and allowing him passage into the house.
"Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to go dry my hair." She gave him a seductive smirk, and slid into the bathroom, and Lucas heard the hair dryer flip on and the roar drown out any hope that she was going to invite him into the bathroom, and he turned to find her bed, which he hesitantly flopped down upon her bed, and flipped his head around to stare into her camera, and then to her computer screen, which he found to be a picture of his body stretched out across her bed. Lovely. He sighed and shifted into an upright position to take off his shoes, he slid his brace off, exercising his elbow back and forth gently, a wince of pain crossing his face as he jutted it out to harshly.
"You know, the doctor said you should just leave it in the sling..." Peyton was staring at him, leaning once again against the door way, this time of her own room.
Lucas rose off the bed and went to the doorway, his eyes locked on her own, and his hands(his injured one very gingerly) lowered to her hips, and he leaned his forehead against her own, craning his neck down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "You know...you look really beautiful."
"What? I'm wearing an oversized shirt and my hair isn't even done.. and I–" Lucas pressed two fingers to her lips, and a tender smile crossed his lips.
"Shhh, Peyton..quit being so cynical. Your ruining this for me."
"Ruining what?" But her walls were fading fast, and his finger tips were tracing up and down the small of her back.
"Shh...please." His neck craned down and he hovered his lips just above her lobe. "Just stop being defensive." Both of his hands were now at her sides, stroking up and down the curves of the sides of her stomach.
Peyton was timid now, but she nodded as Lucas' lips pressed against her forehead and she nodded, letting him slide his arms around her gently. "Lucas..." Her forehead was now pressed into the hollow of his arm.
"Yes Peyton?" Her head slid up his chest and his eyes sought refuge in his, hungry to be even closer to him. A slow and gentle grin crossed her lips and both their eyes slowly grew to twinkle softly, and Lucas took Peyton's hand holding it up to kiss each of her knuckles softly.
Meanwhile Peyton was still making the long, and quite cold, journey from Lucas' home to her own. She was worried, she knew how Brooke could be and she knew how strong Lucas' feelings had been for her, not to mention Brooke's killer looks Sighing she turned the key into her lock and pushed through the front door, not surprised to find the house painfully empty. Sighing she slid her jacket off and settled it on the back of a kitchen chair. Tender finger tips raked through her blonde curls, leaning back and rotating her neck in many circles until she felt less tense. Her arms flopped down to her sides and turned to head to the bathroom. Cracking back the door, Peyton entered, unbuttoning her banks and sliding them down and over her hips, then pulling her shirt off and removing the rest of her clothes, leaning into the bath tub and drawing warm water from the faucet. She needed to relax right now.
Brooke was still clinging hopelessly to Luke's waist by now, and he was just blankly staring down at her. Needless to say he didn't know what to tell her, he loved her...but he had come to the realization that he wasn't, per say, in love with her.
"Brooke, look–come here, we really have to talk." She popped up, lacing her fingers behind her back and pressing her chest out just a bit, and biting into her bottom lip.
"What is it?" She seemed to put up a defensive wall suddenly, and her eyes were set hard upon him, moving her hands to cross over her chest.
"Well, Brooke...to tell you the truth...you know how they say everything happens for a reason–." Brooke breaks in rather rudely on him, muttering bitter comments.
"Yea. I never liked that quote." She huffed, looking as though she was about to continue when Lucas rose his hand to meet her incoming comments.
"Listen Brooke. Peyton and I happened for a reason," Brook was by now, a bit tear eyed, but never the less rather bitchy looking "And I really think I want to give us a shot...and I never meant to hurt you Brooke. But people make mistakes, and now I need to fix them..." He bit his lip a bit, and took a step back.
"You really hurt me Luke, but I guess I have to respect you for confronting me about your feelings. You know how I feel about Peyton..so just, I don't know. I'll talk to you later, OK?" With that she turned and strode from the gym, her heels of her boots clicking methodically across the gym floor, her hips swaying as if to say 'Here's what your missing.' But he had already turned from her. He knew Peyton would be a bit skeptical, and she was probably at home now worrying about what kind of tricks Brooke had up her sleeve for him.
And Peyton was, just as Lucas though she would be, wallowing, with a glass of sprite nestled into the warm waters of her tub, but it was short lived. She was getting a bit over heated in the steaming waters, and with one final dip under the water, she stepped out and dried off, wrapping the towel around her to cover her mid section, and fluffing her hair to jump start the drying process.
Lucas rapped gently on Peyton's front door, standing there a few moments, actually quite some time, before peyton came to the door. buy now she was glad in a short pair of shorts and a slightly over size tank top, her hair slightly damp, but looking rather beautiful all around.
"Hey beautiful.." His voice was memorized, which she couldn't figure out because she rather thought she was looking pretty horrible. But despite herself a gently smile tugged at the corners of her lips, before her brow furrowed and she looked intently at him.
"Oh please Lucas." She sighed and folded her arms, leaning against the door way, not yet opting to allow him entry into her home. "How did it go."
Stubborn again, he shook his head a bit. "As good as it could go..." He looked at the ground a bit, staring at a stain that was embedded into the carpet of Peyton's entry room. "She wants to be with me."
"Oh great...so that's what you're here to tell me, that everything that's happened since this weekend–." She protested.
"Just listen for once in your life Peyton!" He exclaimed, obviously frustrated. "I told her I wanted you Peyton. Because I do, your who I want Peyton, just you."
He heart melted at that moment, and a warm blush flushed her face suddenly. "Now can I come in?" He questioned softly, and she slid off the wall, using her arm to push her off into the room, and allowing him passage into the house.
"Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to go dry my hair." She gave him a seductive smirk, and slid into the bathroom, and Lucas heard the hair dryer flip on and the roar drown out any hope that she was going to invite him into the bathroom, and he turned to find her bed, which he hesitantly flopped down upon her bed, and flipped his head around to stare into her camera, and then to her computer screen, which he found to be a picture of his body stretched out across her bed. Lovely. He sighed and shifted into an upright position to take off his shoes, he slid his brace off, exercising his elbow back and forth gently, a wince of pain crossing his face as he jutted it out to harshly.
"You know, the doctor said you should just leave it in the sling..." Peyton was staring at him, leaning once again against the door way, this time of her own room.
Lucas rose off the bed and went to the doorway, his eyes locked on her own, and his hands(his injured one very gingerly) lowered to her hips, and he leaned his forehead against her own, craning his neck down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "You know...you look really beautiful."
"What? I'm wearing an oversized shirt and my hair isn't even done.. and I–" Lucas pressed two fingers to her lips, and a tender smile crossed his lips.
"Shhh, Peyton..quit being so cynical. Your ruining this for me."
"Ruining what?" But her walls were fading fast, and his finger tips were tracing up and down the small of her back.
"Shh...please." His neck craned down and he hovered his lips just above her lobe. "Just stop being defensive." Both of his hands were now at her sides, stroking up and down the curves of the sides of her stomach.
Peyton was timid now, but she nodded as Lucas' lips pressed against her forehead and she nodded, letting him slide his arms around her gently. "Lucas..." Her forehead was now pressed into the hollow of his arm.
"Yes Peyton?" Her head slid up his chest and his eyes sought refuge in his, hungry to be even closer to him. A slow and gentle grin crossed her lips and both their eyes slowly grew to twinkle softly, and Lucas took Peyton's hand holding it up to kiss each of her knuckles softly.