"Peyton!" Brooke gently tapped her friends shoulder and sat down beside her "Can we please talk"

"Umm.." Peyton hesitated, and then slowly nodded yes. Surprising herself and especially surprising Brooke.

"P Sawyer" Brooke gave a small smile "I miss you. Listen I guess that me being with Lucas is a little uncomfortable for you but please, for the sake of our friendship can we try and get past it. I know you going to say that, that's not it. But I know it is!, it's been 2 months now and I love him Peyt. I really do"

Peyton had to look away from Brooke's pleading eyes. She wanted to shout "I loved him Brooke!, but that didn't stop you from sleeping with him!". She sighed and looked back "Listen Brooke, i don't know. Things are confusing right now, and I think maybe our friendship should stay on hold right now. I loved him to you know, and it kind of takes awhile to get over seeing your best friend with the guy you loved". She quickly gathered her drawing materials and hurried out of the library door, leaving Brooke sitting speechless in her wake.

Peyton was sprinting down the hall towards the main entrance. She wanted to make it to her house quickly so she could let out the tears that were building in her eyes. She was walking so fast she didn't notice the person standing in front of her. She landed with a soft thud on the floor

"Peyton?" Nathan asked worried, quickly sweeping her up from the floor "Are you okay? I guess I wasn't watching where I was going"

"I think it was more me that wasn't watching where I was going" she mumbled and wiped a few escaped tears from her eyes "Listen I gotta run, see you around okay?"

Nathan was about to ask what was wrong when she took of sprinting again. He stood and debated for a moment then immediately took off after her. "Peyton" he cried, grabbing her hair and causing her to halt right in front of her car

"God!" she screamed "Why are guys such jerks!"

"Me?" Nathan asked confused

"you" she nodded slowly "Lucas" . She started to smile, remembering a similar moment that had happened just a few months ago.

"What's going on Peyt?" He asked, suddenly aware that his hand was still on her arm. She seemed to have noticed to because she pulled away

"Life I guess" she shrugged, pulling herself up on the hood of her car in a sitting position "So much changed in so little time. I guess. 4 months ago Nate me and you were a couple, Brooke was my best friend forever, and I don't think we even knew that Jake, Lucas and Haley went to this school. And now, Jake's my only friend, Brooke's with Lucas, and your with Haley. When did this happen, because I can't seem to remember when everything went wrong". At this point tears were freely flowing down her face. Nathan always had hated seeing her cry; he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"God Peyton" he whispered into her blonde locks "why did we have to hurt each other the way we did. Sometimes I wish we could go back, back to the beginning and start all over again. If we had been more open with each other maybe things could have been different", his voice then dropped below even that of a whisper "you could still be mine".

-

Lucas had slept in that morning; he had walked slowly to school. He had a lot on his mind lately. Mostly he had Peyton on his mind. He missed her, he was beginning to think that he missed her more then he liked being with Brooke. Those were the kinds of things running threw his mind when he walked into the parking lot and stumbled upon Nathan holding Peyton. He was speechless. What about Haley? He thought Peyton hated Nathan, they had ended so badly?, were they getting back together? Have I lost her for good? That's when he fully came to the realization that he was still very much in love with his girlfriend's best friend.

-

"Want to get out of here?" Peyton asked softly, pulling away from Nathan and locking her big brown eyes with his beautiful blue ones. He nodded and reluctantly let her slip from his hold. He hopped in her passenger seat and she brushed a few more tears away before starting the car up. They were both silent as they drove, nether quite sure where they were headed. "the beach house" Nathan said quietly and she only nodded. The beach house was a place that held many memories for them as a couple. Some good, some bad. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered the first time he brought her there.

--

They had been 15 and walked threw the front door of his dad's beach house hand in hand. They had only been an 'official' couple for a mere month, but he was the captain of the basketball team and she was one of the prettiest girl in the grade so people had suspected one say these two would one day be a couple. They nervously sat down on the couch, both not sure what the other was expecting to happen on this little visit.

"Nathan?" she finally spoke up "Why exactly did you bring me here?"

"Umm.." he nervously fiddled with a loose thread on his sweater "Well.. I kind of wanted to be alone with you"

"Oh" her eyes darted from Nathan to the stairs leading upstairs and then back to Nathan "I see then"

"Peyton" he said softly and reached for her hand "Just because were alone, doesn't mean we have to ... You know" he shrugged "I wanted to get away from Brooke, Tim our parents and everybody really, and just be ... us I guess. You know?"


A genuine smile formed on her lips and she nodded "I know"

--

"A lot has changed since then, huh?" she smirked, thinking of the very same memory as they pulled into the drive way.

He nodded in agreement "We were so different back then"

"Maybe not so different. I think you're more like your old self these days... Since Haley" she finally dared to bring up the elephant, so to speak, in the room.

"or maybe just since I realized I lost you" he stopped at the door and tucked a stray curl back behind her hair " I never planned on being with Haley, Peyt. I wanted to win you back, Haley just sort of happened"

Peyton nodded and shrugged "I never meant for Lucas to happen, but he did. You can't help who you fall for"

"Your still hung up on him I take it" Nathan sighed fumbling with the key to the house.

"Not so much" Peyton admitted "Things are just… one big confusion"

"I get that" he nodded, finally getting the door open.

They sat down on the couch, feeling as if they had come back to that moment so long ago. "Why exactly did you bring me here" Peyton smiled, repeating the same words she had said before on the very same couch

"I kind of wanted to be alone with you ... "Nathan smiled "and I never brought you here, you brought me here this time"

"You suggested it" she laughed slapping his arm

"I missed that" he said and suddenly it seemed as if the world had stopped

"What" she asked taking a deep breathe

"Your laugh" he smiled, moving a little closer, "Us..."

Everything grew serious and before either knew what was happening Nathan's lips were softly brushing against Peyton's.