Chapter Two: Coming To Terms

Hours had passed and Lucas and Nathan were still sitting on the couch, controllers grasped firmly in their hands.

"You definitely have to watch out for Brooke. I love her, but the girl gets around." he said seriously. Lucas nodded his head, making a mental note. He was done with hooking up with the easy girls, he didn't want to be that guy anymore.

"Alright, don't sleep with Brooke. Who else should I know about?"

"Haley James is off limits." Nathan replied seriously.

"Ahh, your girlfriend?" Lucas guessed.

"Best friend." he corrected.

"Oh, I get it." Lucas said with a smirk.

"Get what?"

"You like her."

"Of course I like her, she's my best friend." Nathan said, trying to shrug it off.

"No, you like her like her. You should tell her."

"I can't tell her!" Nathan said, proving Lucas right. "I mean, there's nothing to tell her." Lucas laughed and shook his head.

"You like her, just admit it. Why haven't you told her?" Nathan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What if I tell her and she doesn't feel the same way? Things would be so awkward between us and I don't want to lose her as a friend."

"Eh, I guess that makes sense...well good luck with that." he said with a chuckle. It sounded like a tough situation, but he couldn't be sure until he saw him and this Haley girl together.

"Boys! It's time for dinner!" Deb called out to them. They both reluctantly stood up, Nathan turned off the television and headed towards the kitchen. Lucas followed, stopping himself when he heard the doorbell ring.

"You mind getting that? Mom always has me help her set the table." Nathan said, walking off before Lucas even had a chance to respond.

"Sure, why not. You're welcome." he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he walked to the door. He pulled open the door and was surprised to see Peyton standing there. "Hi..." he said, unsure as to why she was here.

"Hey." she said with a grin. Lucas just stood there, not saying a word. "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Oh, uhm, yeah...come in." He stepped aside so she could walk in, closing the door behind him. "So what happened to your jerk of a boyfriend?" he asked. She had mentioned earlier that she was waiting for him, yet for some reason here she was.

"My jerk of an ex-boyfriend, is probably out with Tiffany right now." she said with a shrug.

"Oh, I'm sorry Peyton..." he said apologetically. If he had known that he would never have brought it up.

"Don't worry about it. It should have happened a long time ago. So where are the rest of the Scotts?"

"We're just about to have dinner."

"Good, I'm starving." Deb was always more than willing to have Peyton over for dinner. She always made enough food to feed a small country, and she had said before that she wanted Peyton to have a nice home cooked meal every now and then. "Deb won't mind that I'm here, I'll just tell her to set an extra place." Peyton smiled at him and walked towards the kitchen.

"Peyton, I'm glad you're here. I was actually going to ask you to come to dinner, your place is already set." Lucas smiled softly, Peyton apparently was like a member of the family. He hoped that that meant he'd be seeing a lot of her. He made his way into the dining room, sitting down next to Nathan.

"Lucky for you, she's over here like every day. You two will fall in love before you know it." Nathan said with a grin.

"We'll just have to wait and see I guess."

"Wait and see what?" Peyton asked, walking in and taking the seat across from Lucas.

"Lucas here is going to try out for the basketball team." Nathan said. Lucas sent him an appreciative look before shifting his gaze to Peyton.

"Oh really? I don't know...you don't seem like the basketball type."

"Yeah, I'm too muscular right?" he asked with a smirk. She grinned and nodded her head, letting their banter continue.

"Absolutely. You definitely have more of a football body."

"Good to know you've been checking out my body." Lucas had no idea where that came from, he normally wasn't this quick with the lines. He had always used his quiet mysteriousness, and his broody good looks to get him girls. The main reason that he didn't really speak to them was because he didn't want a relationship, and words always complicated things. Peyton bit her lip softly, smirking. She felt her cheeks brightening at his flirtation...she had never been one to blush easily. Nathan glanced over at Peyton, sending her a knowing glance. They would definitely be talking later.

"Alright, dinner is served." Deb said with a smile, walking in with the rest of the food, setting it all down on the table. Dan followed behind, a glass of liquor in hand.

"How was practice?" Dan asked.

"It went fine. Same as it always is. Whitey had us do suicides like crazy though." Nathan focused on the plate of food in front of him. He hadn't eaten since before practice, and he was starving.

"You boys should be working more on your game, not running." Dan said, a hint of anger clear in his voice.

"No basketball talk during dinner." Deb reminded them for about the millionth time.

"I was simply asking him how practice was going. Had to make sure Whitey wasn't going to mess up Nathan's chances of getting in the NBA." Lucas simply sat back, eating his food and glancing around the table. He wondered if this was what every dinner was like for them, because so far he felt really awkward and out of place. When his eyes connected with Peyton's, he realized that he was not alone. Peyton should have been used to this sort of discussion during dinner, but it didn't change the awkward factor. She sent Lucas a reassuring smile, knowing that it was weirder for him then it was for her.

"This is Lucas's first night here, could you two stop it?" Nathan requested, taking a sip of his water. Normally he just let his parents go at it, but him and Lucas seemed to get along pretty well, and he wanted him to stay. Surprisingly, Nathan's comment shut Dan and Deb up. They finished eating in complete silence, aside from the rare cough or sneeze. "Peyton and I are gonna take Lucas out. Show him around." Nathan said once they had cleared the table.

"Alright, don't be out too late." Deb replied seriously. Nathan just smiled and nodded his head, walking with Peyton and Lucas to the living room.

"Go get changed." he told Lucas.

"Why?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. He looked over to Peyton and she just smiled.

"You're going to attend your first Tree Hill party."

"And you have to look sexy." Peyton added with a grin.

"Are you saying I don't look sexy enough now?" he asked, smirking at her.

"I never said that…" she replied simply, winking at him before walking away. He couldn't help but watch her walk, feeling his pants tighten slightly with each swing of her hips.

"Close your mouth, you're drooling." Nathan said with a laugh, patting him on the back. "Go get changed, we'll meet you out front." Lucas headed upstairs, trying to decide what he wanted to wear as he took each step. Usually he would just wear a t-shirt and jeans, but Peyton was going to be there so everything was different. Nathan walked outside, finding Peyton standing against the railing of the porch. "So, Lucas, huh?" he asked with a grin, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What about him?" she asked innocently.

"Oh don't play all innocent with me Sawyer." he replied, shaking his head. "I am the king of flirting, so your little flirtation with Lucas did not go unnoticed." She opened her mouth but couldn't deny his claim. Yeah, they were flirting, but that was it…

"So what? Yeah, we flirted a little…it's not a big deal." she replied with a shrug, her tone very unconvincing.

"Alright, whatever you say." he replied, shaking his head and smiling softly to himself. When it came to Peyton, flirting was never not a big deal. She didn't flirt with any of the guys at their school, the only exception being Julian. She only flirted when she liked someone, it was a fact. And as much as Peyton wanted to deny it, it would only become more obvious with each passing day. He sent her a look, conveying what he wanted to say in words. She opened her mouth to respond to his silent insinuation and it was that exact moment Lucas chose to walk out the front door.

"How's this? Sexy enough for a Tree Hill party?" he asked, directing the question to Peyton of course. She looked him up and down, noticing how the blue polo shirt made his blue eyes even more intense. A simple chain hung around his neck, loose enough that it brushed lightly against his neck when he walked.

"Definitely sexy enough." she replied with a wink.

"The girls will be all over you." Nathan added, glancing over at Peyton. Her teeth clenched, she did not like the mental image she was getting.

"Let's get going. Brooke will have a fit if I don't get there soon." She just wanted to get off the topic of Lucas and the girls of Tree Hill. The three of them got into Nathan's car and headed over to Brooke's. By the time they got there, the party was already going full blast. The music was blaring, and you could see people in every single window of the three story house. Nathan parked the car and as they walked closer towards the house, you could hear the rowdy teenagers yelling the songs. "Are you ready?" Peyton asked Lucas with a grin.

"As ready as I'll ever be." he replied with a smile. She pushed open the door and the smell of booze wafted into his nostrils. People were dancing in every corner, making out, drinking, talking; everyone was doing something.

"P. Sawyer!!" Brooke called, stumbling over towards them. She wrapped her arms around Peyton, laughing softly. It was obvious that she was more than a bit wasted. "And this must be Lucas, right?" she asked, glancing over at him. "Peyton has told me sooooo much about you." she slurred, winking at him. Lucas looked over at Peyton, raising an eyebrow. A light blush crept onto her cheeks; sometimes she really hated drunk Brooke.

"Oh really?" Nathan asked, a smirk on his face.

"Natey!" Brooke exclaimed, stumbling over to Nathan. She hadn't even noticed him at first. "Come dance with me before Tim tries again." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out towards a group of people dancing.

"So, what exactly have you told Brooke about me?" Lucas asked with a smile. Peyton shrugged her shoulders, biting her lip softly.

"Just that you were new, and living next door, and…let's just go get a drink." She slid her arm through his, walking with him to the kitchen.

"Who are you?" Theresa asked with a smirk, sliding herself closer to Lucas. "I'm Theresa."

"Lucas." he replied simply, grabbing one of the many red plastic cups and filling it with beer.

"You know…there are some extra rooms upstairs if you wanted to go and talk…" she said with a playful grin, her hand brushing up against his arm.

"Hey Theresa, nice to see you." Peyton said, smiling sweetly over at her.

"Oh, hi Peyton." she replied, glancing over at her for a moment before turning her attention back to Lucas. "So, what do you think? Want to go upstairs?" Peyton rolled her eyes, sickened by what was happening before her eyes.

"Why don't you go upstairs by yourself. No one wants any of your STDs." Peyton said in frustration, gulping down her beer. Lucas glanced over at Peyton, trying to conceal the small smile on his face. She really didn't want him to go anywhere with Theresa, and he liked that. She was acting so…protective of him, and he couldn't deny that it was turning him on.

"You're just jealous that I've slept with more people then you." Theresa replied with a smirk, clearly proud of herself for thinking of a comeback.

"Oh yes, I'm totally jealous of your extensive sexual experiences." she scoffed, shaking her head. Peyton refilled her cup and walked away, not wanting to see how things with Lucas and Theresa turned out. She needed to shake off this jealous feeling she was getting; she didn't like it. Lucas watched Peyton walk away, glancing back over to Theresa and noticing the accomplished smirk she had on her face.

"Back to my question…" she said with a smile. "Want to go upstairs?" Lucas rubbed the back of his neck softly. Sex wouldn't be bad, and he hadn't been with anyone in a while; but then again Peyton had definitely displayed some jealousy at the thought of him and Theresa going upstairs.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm all set." he said after a few moments of thought. All he really wanted to do was go and find Peyton, talk to her about why she had acted so jealous. Theresa raised an eyebrow at his response, surprised that he had actually just said no to her.

"Well…if you change your mind, come find me." She sent him a playful wink before walking away. The girl was hot, but he had more important things to focus on. Lucas drank his beer, leaning against the kitchen counter, trying to think of what he was going to say to Peyton.

"Hey Broody! Why are you in here br-ooding all by yourself?" Brooke stumbled into the kitchen, her arm hooked through Nathan's.

"Oh man…you saw? I'm sorry. She's drunk and not thinking straight, she's not usually like that." Nathan said apologetically. He knew that Lucas had a thing for Peyton, and he felt bad.

"Wait, saw what? What are you talking about?" Lucas asked confused. Nathan's eyes widened, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He hadn't seen?

"Uhm…damn. I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you." Nathan ran a hand through his hair, looking to Brooke for some sort of drunken assistance.

"Peyton's making out with Justin." Brooke said simply, grabbing another drink. She had no idea that Lucas was into Peyton so she didn't think it was that big of a deal; plus, her drunken state was affecting her thought process. Lucas clenched his jaw lightly, a bit frustrated. He knew he had no reason to be, they weren't dating. He had only known her for a few days; he had obviously let his lust and infatuation take over his mind. Peyton and him were just friends, that was it.

"She can make out with whoever she wants to, I really don't care." Lucas said with a shrug, walking out of the room. He looked around the party and spotted Peyton dancing up on some guy who he assumed was Justin. He sort of felt jealous, and he didn't like it. "I changed my mind…let's go." he whispered in Theresa's ear, smiling softly at her. She slipped her hand into his and led him upstairs. He figured that if he got with other girls, then whatever he was feeling towards Peyton would go away. Peyton looked up, wiping the sweat from her forehead, and she couldn't believe what she saw; Lucas hand in hand with Theresa walking upstairs. The jealousy she had felt before was back with a vengeance, coursing through her veins. She shook her head lightly, trying to shake the emotion out of her head. She had known Lucas for a day; she knew that she shouldn't be feeling this way. Love at first sight wasn't real… All she knew was that these feelings needed to disappear. She'd just have to pretend until they were truly gone. Her and Lucas could be just friends, they were just friends. She had to come to terms with this simple and disappointing fact. Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer were just friends and that's how it would be…for now.

Author's Note: In the past I have been horrible at causing drama where LP is concerned. They are just so amazing together that it's a bit difficult making them have problems. But I have decided to start off the relationship with drama, and just keep it going throughout. Of course there will be some fluffy moments, and lots of them, but what's a story without some pain and heartache? I hope you liked it, any ideas are welcome! The title is a song by Carolina Liar; I own nothing. Please review.