'Oh…My…God, I feel so drunk, I don't think I can walk' Peyton cast her eyes around the pool and she focused in on Brooke and Jake arm wrestling and Luke standing to the side smiling at her.
'Peyton' Brooke called out to her best friend.
'Yeah' She lifted her head up and peered blearily at the blob in front of her.
'Can you get some more alcohol, I don't think I can move' Brooke looked up at her with her best doe eyes.
'Would love to help you out B but I can't feel my legs and I think we just drank the last of it' She squinted her eyes and could see Brooke a little more clearly.
'What the hell are you talking about? My dad restocked the cellar last month, I'm sure you will find some down there' Brooke waved expansively with her hands and then turned back to her arm wrestling.
'Well why didn't you say so before, I'll get right on that ma'am. Is there anything else I can get you, a hot stone massage or maybe a pedicure?' Peyton's voice dripped with sarcasm and her eyebrow was raised in defiance or what she could muster considering how drunk she felt.
Lucas sighed and walked over to his girlfriend, 'Come on blondie, we'll go together you can hold on to me for support' She giggled and struggled to get up, she swayed uncertainly on her feet and fell forward into his chest. She laughed harder; she hadn't been this drunk in a long time.
'Peyt, can you walk by yourself or do you need me to carry you' Lucas teased, he knew this would galvanise her prideful side and that she would do her best to walk despite her obvious inebriation.
'I can do it Luke, I've been walking since I was 11 months old thank you very much, it can't be that difficult' He chuckled at her and saw her square her shoulders and shuffle forward, she grabbed onto the side of the house for support and propelled herself forward. Baby steps, she kept telling herself that, she shuddered at the thought of walking down steps.
Luke kept a close watch on her and stayed a few feet behind her, ready to spring into action should she trip or fall. She guided herself carefully into the house and heard Brooke call out.
'Can you hurry up Peyton, some of us need refills' Brooke had a smirk on her face and a devious glint in her eye.
'Bite me Brooke, if you think you can do this any faster, get your skinny ass over here and do it yourself. In fact I have half a mind to just turn around now, but I'm determined to prove to Lukey over here that I can manage just fine on my own'. Peyton huffed the last part out; she wasn't annoyed in fact it was quite the opposite.
Brooke chuckled and lay her head back down on her lounger, she felt so comfortable right now, she had a nice buzz going on and the boy she liked was tucked into her side, his hands lazily draped across her stomach.
Peyton made her way down to the cellar; she flicked on the light switch and peered into the cavernous room. It was stocked floor to ceiling with all kinds of alcohol, they could stay drunk for a year just by what Brooke's dad had supplied them with.
Peyton grabbed vodka, mixers, beer and wine, she handed them all to Luke and then went back up the stairs, she made a beeline for the bathroom and emerged minutes later feeling less drunk. She had splashed cold water on her face and taken a large glass of water from the kitchen she didn't want to wake up feeling like the corpse bride which was a sure bet if she kept drinking the way she was.
Brooke had managed to mix drinks and was now handing them out to everyone.
'Peyt, I made this one weaker than the last ones'
'Thanks Brooke' Peyton took her drink and sat down by the pool. Luke joined her and sat down behind her, she was nestled comfortably between his legs and he had his arms wrapped around her.
Peyton remembered being carried to a room and being laid down gently on the bed, she could hear Brooke giggling down the hallway and then she felt Luke slid into bed next to her. She rolled over and into his arms and laid her head on his chest, he sighed in contentment and she pressed a kiss to his chest where she could feel his steady heartbeat. He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head and then murmured something.
She sat up straight and peered at him through the light being cast from the bedside lamp.
'What did you say?' She looked scared and happy and like she didn't really know what to feel.
'I said I love you' He kissed her gently on the lips and smiled at her.
'I can't do this' She broke apart from him and cast her eyes around the room looking for something warm to put on.
'You don't have to say it back Peyt, I'm only telling you because I couldn't not tell you and I know you're scared but you don't have to be. I'm not going to hurt you' He pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her temple. He rubbed his hands soothingly down her arms and she felt awful for not having said the words back to him. They were on the tip of her tongue and she wasn't afraid to say them, she was afraid to let someone all the way in and see her for who she really was. Luke was different though, he had an all access pass and he didn't even have to try.
'I kinda like you-you know that?' She smirked at him.
'Good cos I kinda love ya' He brushed his lips against hers and settled back into the pillows, he would wait for her to be ready to tell him that she loved him. He was confident that she just needed time, he knew how she felt-it was demonstrated in every kiss and touch she placed on his body. She was in love with him but she was scared and it didn't surprise him that she wanted to wait and get to know him better.
'Get some sleep Blondie, I'll see you in the morning' She buried herself into his side and he pulled her so that she was strewn across him.
'I sleep better with you on me' She giggled and he pulled her closer to him. She kissed his lips and he gripped her hips as she settled on top of him. He looked into those green eyes of hers and saw hope and trust, she didn't know it yet but she was already in so deep he knew he would never lose her love.
'God I love you' He whispered against her lips, she mewled low in her throat and kissed him back just as fiercely.
'I love you too Luke' She whispered it quietly into his chest and he pulled her into him and kissed her tenderly.
'Good, I'm glad' Then she shuffled down his body and let his steady heartbeat lull her to sleep. He sighed, this is what he had always dreamed of, a girl to call his own who loved him with all her heart and just needed a boy like him to let a girl like her be herself.
Peyton woke up with a dull headache and a pair of arms wrapped around her, she cast around her for some sort of clarity and then everything started hitting her at once. Luke told her he loved her, and then they fell asleep. She sighed and put her head back down she couldn't deal with this right now. She went back to sleep, he tightened his arms around her and kissed her lightly on the shoulder. She smirked just before she fell asleep again, he was the sweetest boy she'd ever met and she wasn't sure why he loved her the way he did-she wasn't complaining she was just thanking her mom.
They drove to school in separate cars and Peyton spent the whole day lurching from class to class and cursing Brooke. She cut out of school before last period and buried herself underneath her covers and fell fast asleep.
Luke felt surprisingly great all day, but that was probably due to his athletic disposition and the fact that he had stopped drinking earlier. Their relationship was still kept under wraps and it was knowing looks and stolen kisses when no one else was around, he loved the feel of her lips against his and the way she breathed his name out when she was turned on. He could have kissed her for hours and that's what he intended on doing as soon as school and practice was over.
He pulled up outside her house at around 6 and saw the lights on low and soft music playing in her room. He crept quietly up the stairs and lent on the doorframe watching her, she had a sketchpad in her lap and her hand was effortlessly gliding across the page as she furrowed her brow in concentration. He smiled as he watched her create something out of nothing.
'Hi babe' she lightly breathed out. She had smelt him as soon as he stood in the doorway; she had also sensed his presence as soon as he entered the house. She had lived alone for a long time and there was a distinct difference when someone else was around but it was more than that, she could literally feel the air around her become charged with everything they felt for each other. She had never felt this way before and it changed everything, she felt like maybe he was the boy she never knew she wanted until he was standing right in front of her and just offering her what she needed but would never say.
He stood in front of her and she looked up through the bangs that were falling softly in front of her eyes, he breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. She was utterly gorgeous and he sometimes couldn't believe that a girl like her would give a boy like him the time of day.
'Hey yourself, how you feeling?' She looked up and rolled her eyes.
'Well I spent most of the day with an elephant stomping on my eyes then came the washing machine cycle and it was finished off with a chorus line of Moulin rouge ladies dancing across my forehead. So yeah my day was awesome. I feel a little better but it comes and goes'.
He smiled at her and settled himself on the bed; she carried on sketching as he lay back against her headboard his hands clasped behind his head.
'So, not to rain on your parade Peyt but I think people are starting to suspect we are together' She looked up with a furrowed brow.
'What makes you say that?' He took a deep breath and spoke softly.
'Um, well Bevin kinda saw us kissing in the library the other day, she won't tell anyone but it's only a matter of time before everyone else finds out. I think we should tell Nate together'
'Ok, I think he would prefer to hear it from us rather than the entire student body and even though we weren't in love I still care about him I don't want to hurt him by not telling him first' She stood up and lay next to him, she curled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her whilst placing a soft kiss to the side of her head.
'You're a good person Peyton Sawyer, I always knew that' She smiled and palmed his face with her hands, she pressed her lips tightly against his and he moaned in pleasure, she really was the best kisser.
'How about we tell him tomorrow?' She looked into his eyes and saw him nod in agreement.
They spent the rest of the evening just quietly talking about nothing and everything, it felt like the first real moment where the calm in their relationship could be the precursor for the fireworks that were sure to erupt the next day and cause shockwaves through the entire student body when they found out she was dating the brother of her ex-boyfriend.
Peyton called Nate over to her house that night and left the front door unlocked, they had decided he needed to know as soon as possible, he would have at least a night to deal with it and then everyone else would know soon enough.
'What was so urgent I had to come over right away Sawyer?' Nate stood in the doorway and looked at his ex-girlfriend and then saw his half brother over by the window.
'What's he doing here, what the hell is going on?' He crossed his arms over his chest and he knew, he could tell by the way she bit her lip and looked over her shoulder at Luke that somehow these two were together.
'Nate, we wanted to tell you together; because I felt like I owed it to you. I'm with Luke, I got together with him after we were over, I never cheated on you' He nodded his head and inclined his head at Luke.
'I guess I always knew you were too good for the likes of me Peyton' He pulled her into his arms and whispered a thank you against her curls.
'Thanks for telling me before I found out from someone else; you were always the decent one. I'm glad you found someone who can treat you the way I should have treated you' Luke held his hand out to Nate as a peace offering and maybe even a glimmer of hope for the future-that they could be friends.
They shook hands and Luke smiled at Nate and was surprised at how well he was taking it.
'We thought you might have been angry and wanted to kill me, I'm kinda relieved to see you taking it so well' Luke looked up and saw a curious expression cross Nate's face.
'I always knew she would never stay with me, I knew from the start of junior year we were on borrowed time. She never looked at me the way I saw her looking at you. I think I always knew it would be the two of you, I guess that's why I'm not mad or even sad. You guys have something that we never had and as strange as this may sound I'm happy for you. I'm trying to be a better guy, I guess I owe a thank you to Peyton she made me see who I really was, I didn't like that version of myself' Luke nodded his head and clasped her hand tightly inside his own.
'Nathan Scott-the good guy, I never thought I'd see that day happen' Peyton smirked at him; he knew she was joking and he smiled and wished them well.
He walked down her staircase and let himself out, he felt lighter somehow, he was already falling for someone else and he half suspected that his love interest would cause a lot more of a profound change in the social hierarchy than the two of them. The way he figured it, they could go public first and then he would be free to pursue the girl who had skipped into his world with a promise of higher grades but who ended up offering him the promise of a better all round version of himself.
'Haley it's me, can you come over tonight?' She grinned when she saw who was calling her.
'Sure, is everything ok' Haley sounded worried, all they had done was kissed and she had started feeling something very unusual and perhaps even life altering for the bad boy of the basketball team. He was a social king where she was merely a handmaiden, an unseen student within the school who would be propelled to the higher echelons in a matter of days.
She arrived at Nate's house thirty minutes later and he opened the door with a smile on his face and a smirk just tugging at the corners of his lips.
'I spoke to Peyton tonight she told me she's with Luke' Haley just nodded her head.
'How long have you known Hales?' He looked at her curiously and waited for her to answer him.
'Since the beginning, I couldn't tell you because I was sworn to secrecy and he's my best friend. We weren't together and well I hated not being able to tell you' She took a deep breath and felt like maybe it would all be ok.
'It's ok Hales; I don't hold it against you. I'm glad you didn't tell me because that just makes me realise how more amazing you really are, you're loyal, kind and the best friend a guy or girl could ask for' He pulled her tiny frame into his body and pressed his lips lightly against hers.
He pulled her into the house and kicked the door closed with his foot, he pressed her up against the door and she pulled him a little closer with her hands tightly clutching his sides. She was so much more than what he saw at school, she was funny, goofy at times and she was an amazing kisser, he felt like just maybe he could really love this girl who blew into life at a moment when he felt that nothing would go his way. She was important to him and he just didn't care what people thought anymore, he was tired of being the bad boy with the golden touch and the king of hill.
He wanted to be Nathan Scott and nothing else. Too many people had expectations of him and he was sick of it all, he could never live up to the ideals of everyone else and he was tired of chasing a dream for his father-a man he was becoming to despise.
They had the house to themselves, as his parents were out of town at some sort of business owner's weekend retreat something. He had tuned out as soon as his dad rambled on about the Scott empire and the responsibilities that came with being the heir to it all, he didn't want a damn thing from his father and as soon as he could he was going off to Duke on a full scholarship and then it was the NBA. He couldn't wait to start a life where his father was well and truly absent, out of sight and most definitely out of mind.