"Peyton. Peyton, wake up, I brought bagels." Kate nudges Peyton who is buried under her covers. "I know how much you love bagels and well me of course." Kate lifts the blanket off of Peyton's head and laughs when Peyton glares at her. "Come on, lazy! I want to go to the beach so get up!" Kate tickles Peyton's side, which finally gets a smile out of her.

"Okay, okay, I'll get up! But only for a bagel." Peyton smiles at Kate and reaches for the bag of food, picking out a blue berry bagel.

"Ah ah, not until I get a kiss." Peyton rolls her eyes and leans over to Kate. She kisses her cheek and then grabs the bag of food, laughing. Kate pouts at Peyton but eventually lets out a small laugh. "So what are we doing at the beach?"

"Well I don't know what you're doing but I will be laying on a towel all day getting darker by the minute."

"Hmm, I guess I can manage to just lay on a towel for the day. But I'm brining my speakers and iPod."

"Of course, what would Peyton Sawyer be without her music?"

"That's a scary thought, let's not go there."

"You know, I love you so much." Kate smiles at Peyton and scrunches her nose up.

"I know, I love you too, crazy."

Peyton wakes up feeling disoriented. She hadn't had a dream about Kate in a long time and she wasn't exactly thrilled to be having one right now. Peyton rubs her eyes and looks over next to her. Brooke is still sound asleep. Peyton thinks that she looks even more beautiful than she did last night; Peyton feels a slight blush spread across her cheeks thinking back to last night. She still couldn't believe that she had had sex with Brooke. Sure, the thought crossed Peyton's mind as soon as she basically saw Brooke but she would have never in a million years thought that it would actually happen, especially three times in one night.

Peyton runs her finger along Brooke's lip and then traces the outline of her face. She looks so peaceful. Peyton feels dirty all of the sudden. Here she was sleeping next to the most beautiful girl she's ever seen and she was having dreams about her ex girlfriend. Peyton draws her eyebrows together. It's ridiculous, really, thinking of Kate like that. If Peyton remembers correctly, which she's sure she does, then it was just later that week that she found out Kate had slept with someone from her marketing class.

Peyton sighs, it isn't like she didn't have feelings for Kate, for a while she was totally in love with her, and if she's being honest with herself she was in love with her even after they broke up. Peyton had casually dated a few people after they broke up but it just seemed to make things worse. She would compare them to Kate and then that made her want to call Kate, it ended up with Peyton and Kate falling into bed together. Peyton knew she was never going to fully be able to move on if she ran back to the person who hurt her every time she was feeling lonely or like it was never going to work with anyone else. So she decided to move back home, somewhere she would have never imagined Kate would come.

Peyton told Kate after she paid the security deposit on her new apartment that she was moving back to Tree Hill in a little over a month. She explained to her that it was too hard to see her and talk to her and that she needed to move on. At first, Kate understood, she distanced herself from Peyton and gave her the space Peyton needed. Then things got complicated. The way Peyton understands it, is that one of their mutual friends told Kate that Peyton still wasn't seeing anyone and Kate took that to mean that it wasn't the fact that Kate and her were still talking that prevented Peyton from moving on but that it was simply because Peyton couldn't love anyone the way she loved Kate. Peyton probably would have agreed had it been before Kate cheated on her, but Peyton decided the moment that happened that she wasn't meant to be with Kate. She wasn't going to be with someone who one day said she loved her and then the next day was sleeping with someone else.

So they had a fight that led to both Peyton and Kate saying things they regret and Peyton moved to Tree Hill the next weekend. She was tired of the calls and texts from Kate blowing up her phone all the time so she changed her number. Then Peyton met Brooke. Peyton isn't going to be over dramatic and act like she fell in love with Brooke the moment they met, but she was intrigued by her, she thought Brooke was beautiful and funny and completely unique. And now, a few months later maybe it wasn't crazy to say that she was falling in love with Brooke. When Peyton thinks about Brooke she knows that she feels happy and excited and she knows there's no one else that she would rather be hanging out with or telling stories too. Maybe Peyton was already in love and she was so fucked up from Kate she couldn't even understand it herself because the possibility of getting hurt again was so unthinkable.

So it hurts Peyton to think that while Brooke was lying next to her after last night, she was dreaming of Kate. Peyton looks over at Brooke and notices the small scar above her left eyebrow and traces it with her finger. She hopes that she can fall in love with Brooke and that Brooke will feel the same. Peyton also thinks the only way she's going to be able to fully give herself to Brooke is if she talks to Kate, she can't keep letting the memory of her ruin her relationships.

Peyton rolls over on her side and runs her finger along Brooke's hand. She traces the bumps of her knuckles and feels an overwhelming sense to kiss her. So she does. Peyton leans over and lightly places her lips over Brooke's. It's sweet and tender and Peyton thinks that if this is how she had to wake up every day for the rest of her life that just might be okay with her. Brooke squints her eyes a little bit and makes a slight sound of protest to being woken up. Peyton puts her face a little closer to Brooke's and smiles.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Peyton pokes Brooke in the shoulder and laughs when Brooke shoves her head further into her pillow.

"No, no, time for sleep."

"Nope, it's time to get up. You keep talking about our wonderful date that we're going to have so I want to get started, so wake up."

Brooke opens her eyes slowly, and looks at Peyton. She's taken away by how beautiful she is, even after just waking up.

"You're gorgeous, you know that, P. Sawyer?" Brooke wraps her hand around Peyton's and smiles, showing off her dimples. Peyton feels a blush creep up her cheeks.

"Thank you." Peyton says softly. "You are, well, you're more than beautiful." Brooke leans across the bed, closing the gap between them and places her lips on Peyton's. In that moment, everything felt right between them.

OOO

"You know, I don't know what it is about pancakes but I could eat them everyday of my life." Brooke puts another bite of pancake that is dripping in syrup in her mouth. Peyton shakes her head and laughs at her.

"Well at least you wouldn't starve, you know since it's about the only thing you can cook. Since I have yet to see the other two mysterious things that you can cook." Peyton smirks as she takes a sip of her coffee; it was iced coffee, her favorite.

"Wow, you're hilarious." Brooke sticks her tongue out the other girl. "Last time I checked you were pretty happy to get to eat my pancakes."

"Oh yes, I would eat your pancakes any day, Brooke Davis." Peyton winks at Brooke. Brooke rolls her eyes but she can't help the laugh that leaves her lips.

After Peyton finally convinced Brooke to get out of bed they made the decision to get breakfast at a little diner beside of the beach, which is where Brooke was taking Peyton for their date today. Since it was too cold to swim, Brooke thought that they could sit on the beach and just talk. Peyton rolled her eyes at that, stating that they talk too much already to which Brooke ignored and said it would be fun. Brooke told Peyton to grab her bluetooth speaker and just worry about putting some music on that wasn't depressing. Then she kissed her and went over to her apartment.

The two met up a little while later and decided to go over to the little diner next to the beach. Brooke insisted they order pancakes, saying it was going to be the start of a beach day tradition. Peyton ordered two pancakes, which looked like nothing compared to Brooke's six.

"I just don't understand how someone so small can eat so much." Peyton wonders out loud as Brooke shoves her last bite in her mouth.

"It's a gift really." She says through a mouthful of pancake.

"It must be because if I ate six pancakes with the gallon of syrup you poured on them I would throw up."

"You just aren't as talented as me." Brooke shrugs her shoulders and takes the last drink of her orange juice. "You about ready, P. Sawyer?"

"Yep." Peyton throws a twenty down on the table and takes Brooke's hand as they walk out the door of the restaurant.

"I could have gotten that you know, this was my idea."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I could have! Here, this way, this is the best spot."

Brooke pulls Peyton by the hand over to a spot on the beach in between two sets of rocks. The place was separated from the rest of the beach, the rocks making it more private than most places on the beach. Brooke laid out the oversized blanket she brought with her. She sits down and pulls Peyton down by her hand. Both girls take a minute to get situated and then Peyton takes her blue tooth speaker out and picks out a song to play.

"Is this from another playlist you made me, because you're so obsessed with me?" Brooke laughs and looks at Peyton. She watches as Peyton cheeks turn slightly pink and how she scrunches her nose a little bit. "It is, isn't it?"

"I mean it's from a playlist, that I made."

"Mhmm that you made for me." Peyton rolls her eyes and lies down on her back. She can hear the sound of the waves rolling out, swelling, and then crashing back down. It's soothing and makes Peyton feel at ease. Maybe Brooke was right and this was a good spot for a date. Peyton reaches into her bag for her sunglasses and slips them on. She can feel Brooke staring at her.

"Yes?"

"Oh, it's nothing really." Peyton looks over at Brooke, sighs, and pushes herself up on her elbows.

"Please tell me, really, I'm just dying to know."

"You are such a smart ass!" Brooke laughs and gives Peyton a slight shove. "I was going to say that you look really beautiful today and that all I can think about is kissing you among other things."

"Uhm, yes among other things. Uh, you look, well you're-" Brooke leans over and kisses Peyton.

"I know." Brooke says after pulling away and then lies back down. "I think flustered Peyton is my favorite." Peyton rolls her eyes and turns up the music.

Peyton assumes not even thirty minutes have passed when Brooke starts whining that she's bored. Peyton rolls her head to the side and looks at Brooke, who is now sitting on her knees with her arms outstretched to the side, slightly moving them up and down. She lets out a short laugh causing Brooke to kink her eyebrow up at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing." Peyton props herself up on her knees and scoots over to Brooke, mimicking her pose. "I just thought you looked so cool like this."

Brooke puts her arms down and reaches for Peyton's hands, looping their fingers together.

"Tell me something you've never told anyone before." Brooke says as she pulls Peyton in closer to her. She loves the way the sun makes Peyton's skin look like it's glowing slightly and how even though her hair is pulled up, a few curls managed to sneak out and frame her face. She really is one of the most beautiful people Brooke has ever seen, especially when she looks so relaxed.

"Okay, but you have to do the same, deal?"

"Deal." Brooke sits back down and leans back on her hands. Peyton makes her way in between Brooke's legs, leaning her head back against Brooke's chest.

Brooke looks down at the top of Peyton's head and just feels like her whole body is wrapped up in a warm blanket. She knows that it's silly really, to get so happy about such a small gesture but with someone like Peyton it's hard not to feel like even the small steps are giant leaps. Brooke wraps one of her arms around Peyton's waist.

"I don't really know what to say." Peyton turns and lifts her head looking up at Brooke.

"I don't know, just something no one else knows. I'm sure you have lots of secrets, since you hardly ever talk to anyone." Brooke smirks and Peyton rolls her eyes.

"Very funny. Let's see, well, I'm…uh I'm afraid of heights."

"You've never told anyone that?"

"Nope, it never really came up." Now it was Brooke's turn to roll her eyes.

"C'mon Peyt, I mean something serious, something you've never told anyone because it hurt too much or because you didn't trust them enough. Something you'd only tell someone that you were sure you could trust."

"Oh, well I can't do that. I could never trust someone as evil as you." Peyton laughs and then moves away from Brooke, knowing she was going to swat her arm. Peyton catches Brooke's arm mid swing. "Gotta be quicker than that, B. Davis."

Peyton moves to lie beside Brooke was sitting, she lies on her side, propping herself up on her elbow and gestures for Brooke to come lay with her. Brooke lies down and she draws a pattern in the sand in the seconds that pass.

"I had my heart broken once." Brooke mumbles while looking at the sand. She traces her finger back over the pattern. "When I was in high school." When Peyton doesn't say anything Brooke takes that as her queue to keep going, so she does.

"I know that it sounds stupid to think about that still, five years later, but there's just something about the first time you have your heart broken that stays with you for forever. You know what I mean?"

Peyton lets out a sigh. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"She was older than me, a senior when I was sophomore and we got together right before graduation. I don't want to be cliché and say that she taught me everything I know or whatever but it was sort of like that. I mean she was the first girl I had dated and she was definitely the first person I had ever loved. I thought we would stay together when she went to college, I had made plans for us, but then the summer ended and she left for some school in Texas. I remember it was about two weeks before she was leaving and we were at the beach at night and she told me that she wanted to stay together and that she loved me and that we would make it. It wasn't even a full month after she had started classes that she sent me a text saying it was too hard and she hoped I would understand and to have fun because she was. She fucking told me to have fun. That's how she broke up with me."

"Want me to kick her ass? Because I will, I mean, I may have chicken legs but I can try." Brooke lets out a laugh and grins at Peyton.

"That's okay, she's not worth you maybe getting hurt. You're too cute."

"Hmm, okay. No arguments there."

"I've never told anyone that. I always just let people assume I was the party girl who never had serious relationships. I've never even told Nathan or Haley, or even Lucas. I kept her a secret that whole summer, not even on purpose really. I just didn't' want anything to mess it up, funny how that turned out."

"Well, you're secret is safe with me. You know Brooke I would never hurt you. At least I would never mean to hurt you. I think about you, uhm, a lot and I just want you to know that. I think you're, well I think you're pretty amazing. I don't say it enough or show it or whatever but I do think it. Just so you know." Peyton lies on her back. "I guess it's only fair if I say something now, huh?"

"I think so." Brooke says behind the tears that are brimming behind her eyes. She doesn't think she could be happier with Peyton than she was right then.

"I don't know if this counts because it's only been a secret for a little while, actually I might have just realized it this morning but it's the best I have." Brooke puts her finger to her chin like she's thinking about it.

"I guess it will do." Brooke watches as Peyton's chest raises and falls with every breath she takes, thinking about how beautiful she is again.

"I'm terrified to fall in love with you." Peyton doesn't move. She just lays on her towel, staring up at the sun, Ray Bans on her face. Brooke feels her breath catch in her throat. "But that doesn't seem to be stopping it from happening."

Brooke decided she was wrong, she couldn't be happier with Peyton right then.