As Peyton sat at the kitchen counter with Brooke, already on her second glass of wine, she could feel the conflicting emotions waging war within her. She knew he had every reason to be angry but she couldn't deny she was a little pissed at him herself. He was acting like a first class hypocrite and she wasn't going to stand for it. While they had talked a lot about everything that had happened the past few years, there was still a lot of anger they were both holding back.

Brooke hung up the phone and walked back over to sit with her friend, a pensive look on her face. Peyton had never been an open book but she was finding it harder than usual to read her tonight.

"P Sawyer? That was Owen. He's really sorry about what happened, He didn't know that you hadn't told Lucas. I should have warned him....."

Peyton looked up quickly, a small look of confusion on her face.

"Brooke, he has nothing to be sorry for, neither do you OK? This is all my own fault, I should have told Lucas right away. It was a stupid thing to do, I backed myself into a corner."

"What are you going to do?" Brooke asked gently.

Peyton gave a deep sigh, taking another mouthful of wine while considering the question.

"Apologise, that's all I can do. Not for sleeping with Michael, but for not telling him. He almost called me a slut you know?" Peyton said sadly.

"What! Who the hell does he think he is?"

"A morally superior Jackass, that's who! Can you believe him? Anyway, I think he was right about me staying here tonight. We're not going to get anything resolved while we're both so angry. I might go see him in the morning, see if he has calmed down any."

"Probably a good idea sweetie, and you know you are welcome here any time. You and Luke are both passionate people with trust issues. I have a feeling my spare room will get a lot of use over the years!"

Peyton laughed lightly, though she was a little unsettled at the truth in Brooke's words. Her and Lucas were so alike, there were times she had thought it could never work. Haley and Nathan were complete opposites but that was what made them a strong couple. Could she and Lucas survive this if they were both as stubborn as each other? She didn't want Brooke to see the effects her words had so she played along.

"You're probably right B Davis, so if you could refrain from having any kids I'd be grateful."

"No problem, babies are so last season anyway!" Brooke explained.

"Thanks for this, Brooke," Peyton added seriously. "I think I'm going to go to bed now." She kissed her friend on the forehead as she made her way out of the kitchen.

Peyton woke in a more positive mood the next day, sure things would be straightened out today. They had both had a chance to sleep off their anger and they would be able to put this behind them.

She let herself into their kitchen the next morning, expecting to find Lucas making breakfast but the house was in silence. She figured he had probably gone over to Haley and Nathan's place, it's where he usually migrated to for meals. They hadn't really had an opportunity to buy groceries for the new house so this made sense to her. She decided to wait it out, not wanting to discuss this in front of Haley. Just as Brooke would always be firmly on her side, Haley would always be on Lucas's side. She understood that and didn't want to make it awkward for anyone.

She made herself a cup of coffee and put on some music. It was a beautiful day and their kitchen was filled with light, she hadn't really noticed before how badly this place needed to be painted. It was currently a pale yellow colour and every mark on the walls was showing clearly, making the place look unclean. They would obviously have to make painting a priority, and the small garden would need to be tended too. She couldn't wait to get started, creating a home for her and Lucas was something she had dreamed about. She walked through the rooms of the house one by one, reviewing the colours she had marked out for each one.

When she got to the bedroom, she noticed her weekend bag sitting on top of the bed. She didn't remember unpacking that yet. When she took a closer look she noticed a piece of paper sitting on top of the bag. A note from Lucas.

Peyt, I have packed some things to last you a couple of days. I think it's best you stay with Brooke for now. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk. Lucas.

She read the note again in disbelief. The rage she felt bubbling up inside was threatening to take control. She grabbed the bag and took it out to the trunk of the car. She stormed back in to the house, to the bedroom and grabbed the marker pen she had been using. She wrote on the wall in huge lettering.

SCREW YOU! LOVE PEYTON.

She spent the rest of the day feverishly making plans and trying not to think too hard about what was going on. There would be plenty of time for that. She walked into TRIC late afternoon to find Owen getting the place ready for opening. He visibly winced when he saw her, sure she was about to rip him a new one.

"Relax Owen," she chuckled as she took a seat at the bar. "I'm here to apologise. I'm sorry you and Brooke got caught in the middle of this thing with me and Lucas. I should have told him."

"Oh," Owen visibly relaxed. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Nope, I came here to apologise and ask for a favour if that's OK?"

"Sure."

"I'm going to be gone for about a week. The band are scheduled to play here on Friday, can you make sure they're taken care of? Just let them in early to set up their equipment and do a sound check, that kind of thing?"

"No problem, do they have any demands? Puppies in the dressing room, a bowl of blue M&M's etc?" Owen asked jokingly.

"Nope," Peyton replied. "They're not nearly big enough to expect anything like that yet, maybe in a couple of years."

"Cool, will you have your cell so I can call if there are any problems?"

"Sure, and I'll probably call twenty times that night anyway. Thanks for this Owen, I know they're in good hands. I'll see you in a week."

"OK, have a nice time Peyton."

She let herself into the house for the second time that day, this time hoping he wasn't in. Her luck had run out, however, and she could hear the TV coming from the living room.

He got up to investigate the noise and found her in the bedroom, an open suitcase on the bed. She was packing quickly and he felt his blood go cold. As if her message on the wall wasn't bad enough, now this.

"So what, we have one fight and you're leaving me? That's typical Peyton, run away when things get rough," he sneered, stalking into the room and glaring at her.

"You're the one who kicked me out of my own house Lucas," she spat back at him, still hurriedly putting her things in the case.

"I didn't kick you out, I asked you for some space and you're running away," he yelled. She turned around to face him.

"Sound familiar?"

"Come on Peyton, don't be childish. we'll talk in a few days when I've calmed down," he tried to reason. He put his hands on her shoulders but she quickly hook them off.

"Do you think you're the only one who needs to calm down? You're acting like I've committed some kind of huge betrayal. How dare you."

"You should have told me!" He shouted. "How do you think I felt finding out like that? I was planning your birthday and found out you kept this from me."

"Not as bad as finding out you tried to screw my best friend the day after you proposed to me!" she screamed. There was silence in the room as what she said sunk in. He opened his mouth a couple of times, quickly closing it again, not knowing what to say.

"Did you honestly think Brooke hadn't told me? She's my best friend Lucas, she called me the next day," she said with emotion dripping from her voice. "The reason I've never brought it up is a figured it didn't matter, it was a mistake. I didn't think you kept it from me because of some ulterior motive. I guess I just think more of you than you do of me."

She zipped up her case and set it down on the floor.

"Peyton, please don't leave it like this. You're wrong, I think the world of you, I was just upset. We can work this out."

"I'm going to visit my dad for a week in Florida. I think we both need some time to think about what we want. You asked for space, you got it."

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