Chapter 4
Upon his return from his daily jog, Nathan heard a loud truck behind him. He turned around to see a brown UPS truck pulling up to the front of the house. Nathan curiously waited by the front door for the delivery man to emerge from the truck. After signing the digital tablet, Nathan accepted the medium sized package and made his way into the house.
"Haley?" Nathan called out as he entered the house.
"In here," Haley yelled back from the kitchen where she was fixing two turkey sandwiches. She looked up momentarily to flash her husband a quick smile.
"Looks good," Nathan was famished.
"Thanks, and the sandwiches don't look too bad either," Haley joked.
Nathan laughed and placed the mail on the counter top. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. They shared a quick kiss before Haley's curiosity got to the best of her.
"Hey, what's that?" Haley pointed at the brown box that he had just set down, "Is that a present pour moi?"
Nathan shrugged, "There's no return address on it...so I'm guessing it's from Peyton,"
Excitedly, Haley's face lit up. She reached across the counter and pulled the medium sized package towards them. Nathan let out a chuckle as he watched Haley tear into the box. Within seconds the box was open. Both husband and wife peered in and saw a neatly folded piece of paper.
I'll see you guys later tonight.
8pm Tree Hill
time.
Love Peyton
That was all it said. They exchanged a quizzical glance before going through the rest of the contents in the mysterious package.
He leaned against the window sill and looked up at the sky. He watched as the darkness of the night was slowly taking over the sun's light.
"Lucas! Lucas!" Brooke called out a number of times as she tried to take his attention away from whatever he was thinking.
"Huh? Sorry, you were saying?"
Brooke sighed as she sat up on the couch. She was growing tired of his behavior and couldn't put up with much longer. Ever since Peyton left, he had been even more distant and seemed to zone out every so often.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" She asked quietly.
Lucas looked away. He couldn't lie anymore but he didn't want to hurt Brooke either.
"I can tell when you do, I mean you do it so often now..." she laughed bitterly, "You get this little twinkle in your eye and...the corner of your lips want to smile but you seem to fight it...it's the same look you always gave her when you'd see her across the room,"
He remained quiet, but the guilt on his face spoke volumes.
"It's ok, I miss her too, you know,"
He looked up with surprise.
"What? We were best friends for ten years," Brooke shrugged, "I can't just stop caring just like that...I'm not that cold heartless bitch everyone thinks I am,"
"Brooke..." he started sympathetically.
"No, it's ok. I know I can be sometimes...especially when I'm the one who is going to get hurt. But I guess I was setting myself up for this one," Tears slipped from her eyes. "Lucas why couldn't you love me?"
"I do, Brooke. I do love you,"
"Not the same why you love her..." she cried. "Lucas she's not even here and she's still all you think about,"
"She's not...I'm just worried about her. That's all," Lucas denied, "I'm right here with you Brooke,"
"No, you're not...I'm here," she pointed to herself on the couch and then to him, to where he was standing across the room, "and you're over there...wishing that you were with her,"
"Actually we leave in two weeks," Nathan spoke into the mic that was hooked up to computer. "Coach Johnson wants to make sure I'm settled in early so I can focus on training camp when it starts,"
"You look excited. You both do," Peyton said as she saw the huge grins on their faces. She was happy to see her friends again, even though it was only through the computer screen. Sending the Scotts a webcam and a mic was a great idea on her part.
"Hey, Peyton, you look good," Haley couldn't help but notice that Peyton didn't stop smiling since they logged on.
"Thanks, Hales," Peyton nodded. "I feel different too. I mean ever since I've gotten myself settled here, I've really had a chance to think and reflect, you know...and without all the drama, I think I've gotten to know myself more too,"
"So what else have you been doing out there?" Nathan asked.
"Well, aside from dog sitting my neighbour's dog, he's the cutest dog by the way, you should see him. He's a beautiful Yellow Labrador Retriever…but he has this tendency of pawing me out of bed before dawn," she laughed.
"Peyton up before dawn? Not a good thing," Nathan joked.
"Yeah, I used to dread it, but now…I don't mind walking him so early in the morning…anyways I've been painting and sketching more. Oh and I got a part time job at this cool coffee bar down the street - it's like Karen's cafe meets the record store - and I've been meeting some pretty cool people,"
"Hmm...does meeting cool people require any girl talk...cause Nathan can totally finish washing the dishes while we talk,"
"Hey," Nathan interjected.
Peyton laughed. "No, I'm not dating, if that's what you're trying to find out," she let out a sigh. For the first time that night, her captivating smile disappeared from her face. "I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I still need to deal with some stuff first,"
"Well, you do look great, Peyton," Nathan said sincerely. "So what's your address again? Haley and I started putting a care package together for you,"
"Nice try, Nate," Peyton smirked at them through the cam and shook her head, "You know I'm not giving that up yet. Besides I think I'm getting used to this anonymity thing I've got going on here,"
"Oh come on, Peyton…just a little hint?" Haley begged.
Peyton thought for a moment, than slowly leaned in, keeping Haley and Nathan on the edge of their seats. Peyton looked cryptically around as if she was making sure no one else was around. Than she whispered, "I'm not in…Tree Hill,"
"You are such a tease," Haley pouted.
Peyton laughed while she looked at her friends. "Alright, alright…the wind of freedom blows. That's all y…" she froze. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung loosely in surprise. Peyton could feel her heart speed up while breath got caught in her throat.
Haley glanced over at her husband who was still watching the screen. His eyebrows narrowed and his forehead wrinkled – he was in a deep thought. He was probably wondering the same thing - why had Peyton stopped talking mid-sentence. Suddenly, Haley noticed something in the corner of her eye. She looked back and saw Lucas staring past her and right at Peyton.
Through the lens of two cameras, miles apart, Peyton and Lucas stared at each other much like a deer caught in headlights. It had been almost two months since they last spoke to each other on the phone. Suddenly, the screen in Tree Hill went dark and just like that, she was gone again.
With her hand covering her web cam, Peyton watched her screen as Nathan and Haley walked Lucas out of their bedroom. She couldn't bear to go through another angry confrontation with Lucas, especially in front of Haley and Nathan. But when she saw Lucas stare right back at her, she didn't see the hate or resentment she thought she would see. His eyes appeared to be soft, surprised and maybe even lost.
She looked down at her new friend who picked the perfect moment to keep her company.
"Hey, Charlie boy," Peyton said as she gently ruffled him under his collar.
Charlie looked at Peyton carefully. He then gently placed his head on her lap. Peyton smiled as she continued to pet the top of his head, "I just saw Lucas…"
Charlie suddenly lifted his head and darted out of the room.
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Peyton logged off the computer and sank back into the chair.
A few seconds later, Charlie was right by her side again. Peyton looked down at him. She took the leash that he was carrying from his mouth. "How about we go for a walk later," It wasn't really a question. Peyton just didn't feel like doing anything.
Peyton put the leash down. Charlie looked at her for a moment then picked up the leash again. Like a true friend, Charlie wasn't going to let her wallow over a boy or her past again. He stood in front of her with his tail wagging carelessly behind him. He cocked his head to the side as he gave her his best puppy dog eyes.
"Oh, alright. Who can say no to those beautiful eyes" she sighed with a smile. Peyton took the leash and hooked one end to his collar. "Maybe some fresh air will do me some good,"
"We swear, Luke. We don't know where she is. Peyton never told us," Haley assured him.
"I need to talk to her Hales…did she at least give you her new phone number or something?" Lucas sounded desperate.
"Did something happen between you guys?" Nathan finally asked. "I mean before she left, you guys were friends and out of anyone I thought she would at least keep in touch with you,"
Lucas fell quiet. Tired and dejected, Lucas sat down on the couch. He never told anyone about the last kiss he shared with Peyton and certainly not the last conversation where he basically told her he wanted nothing to do with her anymore.
Haley sat beside her best friend and gently rubbed his back, "What happened?" she softly asked.
Shamefully, Lucas explained everything to his brother and best friend. Nathan and Haley remained quiet well after he finished telling them that he and Brooke also broke up earlier that night.
"I screwed up things with her again, didn't I?" Lucas looked up at Haley with tears in his eyes.
Not knowing what to say, Haley wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Lucas had been put in an uncomfortable predicament and was just trying to do the right thing by Brooke. But was he ever doing the right thing by Brooke if his heart truly belonged to someone else?
"Hey, why don't you help Haley and I move?" Nathan broke the silence, "Maybe it'll help get your mind off things for a while…just for a week. You can keep Hales company while I work out with the team,"
"Yeah, come on Luke! It'll be fun," Haley encouraged.
Lucas smiled politely. "Thanks, guys. But my mom needs help…apparently it's not easy being pregnant,"
Haley jokingly elbowed Lucas.
"Alright, man. But the offer still stands," Nathan said with a grin.
Lucas sat alone in his truck. He sat in the Scott's driveway, thinking. Reaching into his pocket, Lucas pulled out his cell phone. He began to scroll through his address book. After finding the number he was looking for, he pressed the send button and put the phone to his ear. Four rings later, it picked up:
"Hey, it's Jake. Sorry I'm not in. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you,"
"Hey, Jake. It's Lucas…I'm actually calling 'cause I need to get a hold of Peyton. I was wondering if she was there with you," he paused momentarily, hoping that she wasn't with Jake, "or if you know where she is. Anyways, give me a call when you get this,"
A/N: Thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the LP dialogue made sense. I was just worried because I wasn't sure if I was conveying their feelings properly.
Anyways, as for Peyton's location - that will be revealed in the next chapter, but you can guess if you want ;)
Review if you can - your thoughts/ideas and constructive criticism are always welcomed.
