Among The Shadows

The Kiss

Peyton remained seated on Brooke's bed with the brunette's head resting on her lap, fast asleep, occasionally whimpering, to which Peyton comforted her by running her fingers through her hair. 'It is alright, Brooke,' she whispered.

Despite the continuous ringing of her phone, Peyton seemed to have lost track of time, choosing to ignore it for what seemed like the tenth time as her primary concern was Brooke's well-being.

'Will you be attending to that call?' Brooke inquired, gazing up at Peyton with an annoyed expression in her hazel eyes. 'It is starting to bother me,' she mentioned, transitioning from her reclined position to sitting upright.

Peyton, after rolling her eyes at the brunette, finally reached for her phone. 'My apologies, sleeping beauty,' she said, resulting in a playful smack from Brooke. 'If I were not in such discomfort right now, you would be pleading for mercy,' Brooke teased in response.

 'Oh, truly? In what manner?' Peyton inquired with curiosity about Brooke's intentions, wondering how the brunette would act if she didn't answer the phone. 'I am unsure,' Brooke responded nonchalantly.

'Reply to the call promptly, or you will face the consequences.' Brooke stood up from the bed as Peyton's phone started ringing. 'It is likely Lucas attempting to reach you,' she remarked, heading to the closet to select her outfit.

'Engage in conversation with him while I prepare.' Peyton glanced at her before lifting her phone. 'I will be in the living room waiting,' she stated. 'Agreed, now vacate my room and converse with your fiancé, or I will throw a shoe at you,' Brooke warned.

"'Alright, alright, notify me if you require assistance changing,' Peyton said with a wink and a blush, playfully offering her help. 'I am capable of dressing myself,' remarked the brunette in a high-pitched tone.

Upon leaving the room, Peyton dialed Lucas to ascertain his intentions, primarily concerned about Brooke's well-being. 'Peyton, I've been trying to reach you countless times,' Lucas expressed on the phone. 'I apologize, Lucas, I fell asleep after checking on Brooke,' Peyton explained with a sigh.

'Oh, I see. Did you find out what was wrong with her?' Lucas inquired as Peyton paced the room, contemplating whether to disclose Brooke's situation to him. After a pause, Peyton responded, 'She's doing fine,' and felt uneasy when Lucas chuckled and insensitively remarked, 'I knew Brooke would be fine; she possibly found someone to spend the night with.'

Peyton inquired about the meaning behind Lucas's statement, expressing her disapproval. She was aware that Brooke was no longer involved with anyone following Owen's departure because of Angie. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel envious at the thought of Brooke moving on with someone else, although she couldn't pinpoint why.

Lucas disparagingly referred to Brooke as the 'Slut of Tree Hill,' prompting Peyton to interject with a questioning tone. She proceeded to defend Brooke, highlighting the challenges she was facing with Angie and her mother.

However, their conversation was interrupted by a loud noise emanating from Brooke's room. Consequently, Peyton decided she didn't have the time to engage further with Lucas. In a more formal manner, she stated, 'I will contact you later, Luke. A friend requires my assistance,' before ending the call abruptly on the blonde man attempting to add something.

Brooke was in the process of reaching for a pair of heels on the closet rack when she abruptly lost her footing and felt a sharp pain in her ribcage. She winced as she landed on the floor, expressing her discomfort with an 'Ow.'

Lying there and gazing at the ceiling, she waited for the pain to alleviate before attempting to stand up, shielding her face with her arm. Reflecting on the height of the shoe storage, she pondered, 'Why did I even put shoes up on the top shelf?'

Startled by Peyton's sudden appearance and her sharp questioning, Brooke scolded the blond for startling her while she was on the floor, remarking, 'Jesus Christ, P-sawyer, don't ever do that to a person laying on the floor.' Despite the pain, Peyton's amusement was evident as she struggled to contain her laughter.

Brooke, displaying a hint of sarcasm, rolled her eyes and retorted, 'Hahaha, very funny, I forgot to laugh,' as she attempted to stand up and nearly stumbled. Peyton inquired about her presence on the floor, assuming she was in the process of getting dressed, her smirk never leaving her face.

Brooke sarcastically remarked to Peyton, 'Well Blondie, I decided I wanted to hang out on the floor for a bit.' She then explained, 'No, I was trying to get my black heels in the middle, and I lost my balance and fell on the floor,' as she shrugged out of her robe.

Peyton, walking over to the rack to retrieve the heels Brooke was reaching for, scolded her for not asking for help. Brooke frowned and sighed, realizing she should have sought assistance from Peyton but didn't want to disrupt Peyton's time with Lucas.

She felt disappointed in Lucas for still labeling her as the town's 'slut,' even after all this time. Despite this, she was proud when Peyton confronted Lucas about his words, bringing a smile to her face.

Brooke was aware that Peyton would likely check on it after finishing her conversation with Lucas, which is why she attempted to retrieve the heels discreetly to avoid being caught eavesdropping. However, her plan was interrupted when she accidentally fell.

'I know, but you were talking to Lucas and I didn't want to be more of a burden than I already am,' Brooke explained as Peyton assisted her in putting on the jeans, causing her to bite her lip when Peyton paused.

Peyton gazed at Brooke upon hearing her refer to herself as a burden. 'Hey, you don't say that, and you are not a burden,' Peyton reassured as she helped with the jeans.

'I am, I mean you should be getting things ready for your wedding, not helping some worn-out woman,' Brooke expressed, holding back tears. 'I should have just called Haley or maybe Millie to help me with this.'

Peyton shook her head" Look at me Brooke." She whispered and placed a finger under the brunette chin " Huh?" Brooke whispered fighting back tears.

"Assisting you is my voluntary intention, as you are a dear friend and certainly not a worn-out individual," Peyton expressed, leaning in closer to the brunette with her green eyes meeting Brooke's hazel ones. She paused, feeling a slight proximity to Brooke's lips." You, Brooke Davis, are the most remarkable woman I have ever known." 

Before Brooke could react to or protest the situation, Peyton leaned in to peck her on the lips. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise as the blonde's lips lingered, yet she offered no response. 

Confused by her actions, Peyton abruptly pulled back from Brooke and whispered, "I apologize, Brooke," before standing up. 

Brooke gazed blankly, shook her head, and said, "Perhaps I should remain in the robe and head to the hospital as is; it is too painful to attempt dressing at the moment." She wanted to erase the recent incident from her mind.

Brooke re-draped the robe around herself and departed from the room alongside Peyton. 'Perhaps you should go to Lucas. I will manage on my own, and I will contact Haley or Millie to accompany me to the hospital,' she suggested.

Peyton, feeling surprised and disappointed by Brooke's reaction to the kiss and now her insistence on being alone, responded, 'Why? I can still accompany you, Brooke.'

Brooke firmly replied, 'No, you have a wedding to attend to and a perfect husband-to-be who needs his wife-to-be,' before leaving the room. 'I need some time to reflect on what just happened,' she murmured, hurrying out after grabbing her keys and phone, not allowing Peyton the chance to speak.

Observing her friend's departure, Peyton frowned and questioned to herself, 'Why did I act that way? Now, my actions may have jeopardized our friendship.'

Shaking her head in regret, she then proceeded to leave the house to see Lucas. Despite wanting to go to the hospital with Brooke, the recent kiss made her think she should give Brooke some space.