Chapter 8

It had been a few days since they last talked. Whenever she went over to talk to him he would tell her that there was nothing to say and than walk away. After trying to get him to listen, Peyton finally gave up and gave him the space he wanted. Nobody could get through to him, not even his best friend or brother.

Perhaps not seeing him or pestering him for a couple days was the best decision she made because when she stepped onto her balcony that late afternoon, she saw him. Looking down across the street, Peyton saw the hood of her car popped open and Lucas tinkering around with the engine.

"Hey," Peyton greeted with caution as she approached him. "I was on my balcony and I saw you out here so…I thought I'd come out to say hi,"

Lucas answered without looking up and in a flat tone. "Well, I promised you I'd fix your car before I left so here I am,"

"Ok…um, do you want to take a break? Maybe we could talk,"

He didn't answer and kept his focus on the car.

"Luke, I know you have questions and I'll answer anything you want to know," she tried. "Anything you want… I don't have anything to hide from you,"

Lucas remained quietly sullen.

Peyton sighed and just started to explain things she knew he wanted to know. "Look, when I to Savannah…I went because I was feeling alone and confused. I also needed to know if he was alright…and to see if there was anything left between us,"

She saw Lucas's body tense up. His jaw was shut tight and his right bicep flexed as his gripped the wrench with all his might. Peyton looked away. It was hard for them both but she wanted to be honest with him.

"When I got there, my loneliness disappeared. I spent time with both Jake and Jenny and it was like they needed me, they wanted me to be there and it was the greatest feeling in the world. I know it was selfish but I wanted to hold on to that, Luke. And then I asked Jake to marry me,"

Lucas laughed bitterly. He let his hand rest against the front of the car and looked up at her. "How can you stand there and tell me that you asked him because you felt alone and confused. Peyton, people propose because of love…because they want to spend the rest of their lives with that other person,"

"Well, maybe that's why the guy is supposed to ask," she tried to joke but it didn't garner even a smile from him.

Lucas just shook his head and went back to work.

"Look, I'm not going to apologize for anything I did because I didn't do anything wrong. At the time I was doing what I thought was right for me. And if I hadn't asked him, then who knows if I'd be standing right here, in front of you right now,"

Lucas stood upright and put his wrench down. "You sure it's not because Jake changed his mind about you or because you think there's no one else?" He said harshly.

Throughout this whole situation, Peyton hadn't been upset with Lucas, but she was now. He didn't understand what she was going through this past year and he didn't even bother trying to. Yet, here he was questioning her motives.

"You know what…just go back to Tree Hill," she said with tears on the verge of falling.

Lucas rolled his eyes and picked up his wrench. "Whatever," he muttered.

"I mean it, Luke," she raised her cracking voice, "If you can't even bear to look at me or even at least try to work this out, then don't bother with me or my car anymore. Just leave,"

"And exactly how are you going to get back home?"

"This," she gestured with her hands, "is my home now,"

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed and turned his attention back to the car, "Your home is in Tree Hill, you said so yourself,"

"Not anymore. There's nothing left for me there,"

Lucas froze momentarily. His head slowly looked up at her again. Peyton stared back with a serious and cold stoned face. With a sudden burst of anger, Lucas slammed the hood shut. "FINE,"

He threw his tools back into his bag and stormed passed her. Standing alone beside her car she watched Lucas walk away from her, perhaps for the last time in her life.


Lucas was standing alone in the dark living room, looking out the window. He couldn't sleep with the constant replaying of his conversations with Jake and Peyton going on in his head. His love for Peyton was never in question but he did question hers. It was something he couldn't help. She had walked away from him before and ended up finding solace in Jake's arms more than once. That was what bothered him – the possibility that she could go back to Jake. It was a risk he was scared to take; a risk that could break his heart beyond repair.

"Still up?" Nathan sleepily asked Lucas as he entered the living room.

Nathan sat himself down on the couch and comfortably sat back while putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"Yup," Lucas replied.

"Hales told me what happened. She even told me she hid your plane ticket,"

Lucas rolled his eyes. He had already heard an earful from Haley earlier and he was pretty sure that Haley sent Nathan out for round two. Lucky for him, Nathan had a more subtle approach.

"Tell her to keep it, I'm gonna catch an earlier flight anyways,"

"So you really gonna head back home early?"

"Yup. You guys are all moved in now and there's nothing really left for me to do here, so…"

Nathan shook his head. He was clearly disappointed in his brother.

"You know, when Peyton left Tree Hill, all you wanted to do was to find her just to know she was ok and now that you have…you're just gonna leave everything the way it is and go back home?"

"What choice do I have?" Lucas spat out bitterly. "Peyton's the one who made the choice to leave in the first place…and she's the one who made the choice to stay..."

Nathan suddenly interrupted, "Well, the way I see it, you have choices too…either you can get on that plane tomorrow back to Tree Hill and never look back, regret it even, or you can stay and fight like Hell to make things right and bring Peyton back home,"

Lucas sulked back onto the couch.

"Do you love her?" Nathan asked.

Only silence answered him.

"It's not about what you say, Luke. It's about what you do,"

Lucas looked over at his brother, strangely the words did sound familiar to him.

"Peyton said that. You know, Luke, back when I was with Peyton or even when you were with Brooke, you always dropped whatever you were doing the second Peyton needed someone, even though you knew it would piss me or Brooke off. And today, regardless of what happened between the two of you, you still went over to fix her car, Luke,"

"So what? Doesn't mean much, does it?"

"I think it does. Look, I know you're pissed off and confused but don't you think you should at least try to understand where Peyton's coming from?"

"It's not that easy, I mean how do I know that she's not in love with him?"

"Well, did you ask her? Did you even give her the chance to explain?"

Lucas looked away from his brother. He knew he wasn't being fair to Peyton but at the same time he was hurt and scared for himself. "She told me she went to Savannah to see if Jake still loved her,"

"But did she say that she loved him?"

"She asked him to marry her. I think it's pretty clear, Nate,"

"Are you sure about that?"

"I didn't propose to Brooke,"

"No, but you told her you loved her and you even told Peyton that. I mean at the time you were trying to move on with Brooke. Don't you think Peyton was trying to do the same thing? Look, you and I both know that when it comes to feelings and love, Peyton never really knew how to deal with it all,"

"So that's her excuse for everything now? Is that why she runs off every chance she gets?"

"Would you would quit being so stubborn for one second? If you did, then maybe you'd see what she's been running from all this time…it's the same thing you are running from now,"

Nathan paused to let it all sink it for Lucas before continuing. One of the worst feelings in the world is a broken heart. And not too long ago, Nathan felt it when Haley left him to go on tour. For months he felt the ache in his heart and he swore to himself he would never go through that feeling again, even if she would return. She did return and no matter how hard he tried to protect his heart, it still longed for her. It wanted her back and it hurt more every time he turned her away. The pain never went away until he let her back in. Nathan didn't want his brother or Peyton to go through it either– no one should.

"Luke, why do you think Peyton's here in California and not in Savannah fighting for Jake? There's a reason why she left Savannah in the first place. And I'm betting it's the same reason why she never had the intentions of going back,"

"He's right,"

Both brothers looked up and saw Haley walking towards them on the couch. "Peyton told me that Jake told her to go back to him if there was no one else in her heart. Lucas, she could have run back to Jake, but she didn't. She even could have run off again the first night she saw you here, but she didn't,"

Lucas's mouth opened to say something but Haley knew what he was going to ask and cut him off before he could.

"She's not the one running away this time. Peyton's staying here; in the exact place where you found her. You let her slip away once, don't let her slip away from you again,"

"She's right, bro. I know it's hard," Nathan took Haley by the hand, "I mean Hales and I took a while to get to where we are right now, you know that. And let me tell you this; when you find the one you're supposed to be with…fight like Hell to keep it cause in the end it'll all be worth it,"

Haley smiled down at her husband and brought his hand to her lips. She looked back at Lucas and smiled. Her hand tossed some papers onto the coffee table in front of him. "There's your ticket. It's not my decision to make,"

Then gently, she tugged at her husband's hand to tell him it was time to leave Lucas alone. From the couch, Lucas watched them go back to bed. Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley's waist and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head just before they disappeared from view.

Lucas looked down at the coffee table. The light from the window was just enough to illuminate the ticket. He sighed as he reached out and picked it up. It wasn't until then when he noticed that there was something else attached to it underneath. Curiously he brought it to the forefront. A smile escaped from his lips.

It was a photo of him and Peyton on graduation day. It was the 'buddy' picture he had taken just before she left. She looked happy standing there in his arms. Her head rested gently on his shoulder and his head lightly resting on hers. Both of them were smiling happily.

He closed his eyes and remembered. When he opened them he stared at the picture before letting his eyes look at the plane ticket he was still holding on to in his other hand. His eyes wandered back and forth between his ticket home and the picture of his love – the choice he had to make was now in his hands.


A/N: I just wanted to put this chapter up to try to get into Lucas's head. I think Peyton leaving hurt him more than what he was letting on and finding out about her proposal to Jake was kinda like the last straw for him.