Lucas awoke the next morning, not remembering much. He looked over, next to him, and saw Lindsey, asleep. Then he remembered.
"Oh, God" he whispered. He sat there for a while, thinking of the night before. He knew what he was doing last night, and he was angry at himself. That's a great way to prove your love for Peyton. The thought of Peyton made him angrier. Yeah, Peyton. The person you were meant to love always. The one you proposed to a year ago, but she said no. The one who was with another man last night. He sat up in bed. Lindsey woke up.
"Hey" she said, smiling.
"Hi" he said.
"So… last night was..." She trailed off.
"A mistake", he said, looking away.
"No, don't talk like that", said Lindsey, placing her hand on his face to draw his attention.
"It was, and I'm sorry Lindsey. I am just so angry at Peyton, and that anger is mixed with loneliness, and I just wanted to forget about it, even if it was for only a little while. It was a mistake"
"Or maybe it was just the first step of moving on"
"I'm never going to move on. I love her."
"Lucas! Will you wake up and see what has happened!" She said angrily. "I have read your book, and in your book, Peyton is one amazing girl. But she is not that girl anymore. People move on, people let go, and you need to start doing it, because if you don't you are going to be alone for a very long time".
"Lindsey, I just... I just can't. She will always be in my heart. I will always be in love with her"
"That doesn't mean you can't be in love with someone else. You can keep her in your heart, like I am sure she has done with you, but you need to see that she has moved on." There was a silence. "People always leave, remember?" Quoted Lindsey, remembering the phrase from the book, a phrase she read that Peyton had believed to be true for a long time.
"But sometimes they come back"
"Sometimes being the key word. Lucas, I'm sorry, but you needed to hear this. I have seen you mourn her absence for the past year, and it's not the way you should be living your life. You need to focus on something, try to fill that void she left. Why don't you try writing another novel?"
"I have tried. But I've deleted nearly attempt, mainly because they all sucked"
"I'm sure that's not true. Why don't I go out and get us some breakfast?" asked Lindsey.
"Thanks, Linds, but I think I'm just going to take a walk, clear my head"
"Okay. I'm going to unpack. I think you are long overdue for a break, and we can have a break here"
"You sure? I mean, don't you have to get back to work? I'm sure I'm not your only editee" He said, trying to joke.
"Your not, but you are an important one, and you need a break. I'll call my office later. You just go for a walk"
"Thank you" he said. He got out of bed, and chose some clothes from his suitcase. He took a quick shower and got changed. He walked out of the bathroom, towards the door, and then stopped. Lindsey was still in the bed. He walked over to her, sat down on the bed and kissed her gently on the lips. "Thank you Lindsey". He then walked out.