I'm battling with the fear inside me… the guilt I have been burdened with since… Lucas closed his blue eyes. He could not face the one he knew cared about him. He let his mind drift back to when he and Peyton were on speaking terms.
He remembered how Peyton had been so sad and cried even, which was very out of the ordinary, for she never cried, only on occasion, her mother's death included. He remembered how she had yelled at him—he was so regretful.
I should have never slept with Nikki…things might have been different…if I hadn't.
Lucas remembered seeing Peyton everyday, what that was like…pure happiness. He thought of her golden-blonde curls and deep auburn eyes. He remembered her sexy legs—the comment he made. At this, he smiled, but it soon faded when he thought of what he did to her. The guilt returned, but the feelings lasted. The feelings I have will always last…I will always love her.
Lucas opened his eyes to the crying Peyton. He was holding her in his arms. After what happened to her at school, someone followed her home and t-p-ed her yard. Peyton had just about enough of this thing and couldn't handle it—She was crying her eyes out to the first person she saw…
"Lucas?" Peyton sobbed.
"Yea, Peyt, I'm here." he softly whispered.
"No, Lucas, what I mean to say is…" Peyton sniveled enough to turn her head toward his so that their eyes locked. She gulped as she gathered up the courage to tell him her feelings for once. "Thanks, Luke, for being a good friend when things like this happen, I…" Her voice trailed off. Could she tell him now, at a time like this? A tear welled up in her eye as she thought, here it goes… "I love you."
Lucas automatically panicked a little when he first heard the words but pushed those thoughts gently aside as he glided his hand along a golden hair lock, tucking it safely behind her ear.
"Look, if you don't feel the same…"
"No," Luke defended calmly, "I do. I do love you Peyton Sawyer. I've loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you."
Peyton couldn't stop the tears now; they were practically streaming down her face. "Luke…" she started, but the words wouldn't go through her tears.
"I know…"
"Luke, I…" Peyton finally found her words as she spoke through the tears. "I have always loved you…and always will." With this, the newly-reconciled couple shared their first passionate kiss, each partner enjoying it more than everything they had went through in the past few months.
"Wait, Luke," Peyton said as she pulled away suddenly. "What're we gonna tell Brooke?"
End
