"I never promised you a happy ending
and you never said you wouldn't make me cry, but we did both."
Green eyes followed the movement of the windshield wipers, back and forth before drifting to the storm clouds that rolled across the darkening sky. The vintage Mustang raced along, eating up the miles of empty highway that laid out before them, the swishing of the wipers the only sound in the car. With each swish they made grating a little more on her nerves more then the silence that had laid between them for the last few hours, leaving her wondering when the silence between them had become more than she could bare.
With a sigh, she reached over to the radio, needing to end the silence and pressed a button, waiting for the sound of music to fill the air but was only met with silence.
"You know it's broken."
His first words in hours broke the silence, slicing through the mundane pattern of the falling rain and the movement of the wipers and she merely scoffed lightly in reply, her eyes darting to the console in front of him before leaning back against the leather seats, her eyes closing, "Fill up. The tank's nearly empty."
His eyes drifted to the gas gauge, noticing the position the dial had taken and sighed. He had begun to hate when she did that, pointed out the obvious. He once, long ago, found it endearing but now he just down right hated it.
"Don't do that." She said softly, her eyes opening and never turning to face him.
Squinting his eyes, he glanced over at her before looking back at the highway. "Do what?" he replied.
"That," She said shifting her in her seat and continuing to look forward, watching the rain pour down. "Make that face."
Sighing, he glanced in the side view mirror before easing the Mustang over into the right hand lane and exiting the highway. He didn't want to fight. They been doing nothing but fighting for the last few months and he just wanted a moments peace.
"Fine, I won't." He said softly as he turned into the closest gas station. Pulling the car up to the nearest pump, he turned to her form, a form that had turned towards the window, away from him, her fingers tracing patterns against the window.
Another habit he had grown to hate over time.
"Want anything from inside?" He asked reaching for his wallet that laid in the console between them. His eyes never leaving her form.
She shook her head, her blonde curls swaying with the movement as she continued to trace patterns on the foggy window. His mouth opened, ready to say something only to shut. Shaking his head with a sigh, he pushed open the door and stepped out of the car in one swift motion and making a dash for cover from the rain.
And away from the discomfort of the car.
The door chimed as Lucas stepped into the store and out of the rain. Tossing a faint smile at the attendant in greeting, he made his way to the back of the store, his eyes scanning the cooler for a familiar bottle before reaching in and pulling one out. Shutting the cooler door, he started back towards the front, only pausing momentarily to grab a familiar bag of chips and moving to stand in line.
He glanced out the window, a sigh of relief escaping his lips at noticing the rain had let up. There had been a time when he loved the rain and they way it renewed the day but now it was just another thing he chalked up as a dislike.
His gaze shifted to the vintage Mustang parked outside, another sigh escaping his lips when he spotted her sitting in the same position he had left her; curled against her side of the car, away from him.
He could remember when she'd have run through the rain with him, laughing the whole way only for it turn into a giggle when he'd pull her to him, telling her it was the sweetest sound he ever heard.
"Sir?" a voice called out pulling him from his thoughts. "All set?"
Lucas's head jerked to the sound of the attendants voice, his light eyes meeting gray ones behind a pair of spectacles, a hint of annoyance in the older mans eyes. Smiling, he placed his purchases on the counter and pulled out his wallet.
"Will this be all?" The man asked, taking the debit card Lucas held out.
"Twenty on the Mustang." He replied with a nod of his head and taking the card back before lifting the bag from the counter and retreating back outside.
Back to the silence of the car.
Opening the car door, he tossed the items on the front seat without a second glance Peyton's way and shut the door, not caring if it startled her. He was tired of the silence and if it led to an argument, he'd slam a few more doors, he thought.
Anything but the silence.
Twisting the cap off the gas tank, Lucas's lifted the pump and began filling the car up before leaning back against the side of the Mustang, watching the numbers change with each gallon added.
"Just like a ticking clock," He said aloud and earning a raised brow from the old man across the way. With a smile, Lucas turned away, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the cars window and settling on her form, watching her.
He had mastered it years before, the ability to watch her without her knowing and knowing when she did. It was only in the last few months that he found himself watching her more and wondering if he really knew her at all.
If they were really meant to last forever.
Sighing he shifted against the car, watching as she unfolded the old map that he long ago tucked away in the glove compartment, intent on slipping in back into her car with a picture from that trip so long. But it remained buried away, tossed aside like another forgotten memory from their past.
His lips curved up slightly as she bent forward, reading the map, her brow furrowed as she traced a finger along one of the many blue lines and for a moment, he wondered if she was thinking of that road trip from long ago.
As if on cue, she turned towards him, her green eyes meeting his blue ones through the car window and smiled. She lifted a hand, brushing a strain of hair behind an ear, her eyes never leaving his and his smile grew.
Maybe, just maybe there was still hope he thought.
She had felt his gaze upon her and she hadn't wanted to turn but looking at that old map had her wondering, wishing, for it all to be different and she felt herself shifting in her seat and meeting his gaze.
She still loved his eyes and the way he looked at her. She'd catch him sometimes, staring and she'd pretend that they hadn't been drifting apart and they were still happy. But then they'd say something and he'd look away and she'd go back to existing in a world that was crumpling down around them and looking into his eyes now, she wished for one more chance to do it again.
To be able to fall in love with that boy from long ago.
He smiled. That faint smile that often showed in his eyes and caused her stomach to flip and her heart to beat a little faster because in that smile, she knew he loved her.
And there it was and she couldn't help but smile back.
Maybe there was hope, she thought, their gazes breaking at the ding of the pump, his gaze drifting to the machine beside as he topped off the tank before sliding into the drivers seat once again.
She let out a sigh, her eyes shifting from him to the window as the tension filled the space around them, trying to pin point just when it had all changed between them.
"Here." He said, pulling her from her thoughts and offering her the bottle of soda and chips he had tossed on the seat moments before.
She smiled and he couldn't help but notice that it didn't quite reach her eyes as her fingers brushed his. Her eyes were dull, lacking the emotions he had grown to love over time.
And he chalked it up to another thing he missed.
"I thought you hated me drinking the 'diet crap'," She said as she took the bottle from his hand and not failing to notice the way he jerked his hand away from her touch.
Shrugging, he placed the car in gear and made his way out of the parking lot and towards the highway, "Habit I guess."
"Right," She whispered, settling herself into the passenger seat, her gaze drifting to the window and road that laid before them. "Habit."
Turning onto the exit to the highway, Lucas shifted in his seat before settling back with a sigh, "We should be there sometime tonight." He said, never once glancing her way as he moved into the flow of traffic.
And missing the frown she wore and the tears that burned in her eyes.
She fiddled with the cap of the drink before glancing over at him from the corner of her eye and letting out a sigh. They had been sitting in complete silence for the last two hours and she was beginning to find it down right annoying.
She hated silence, specially this silence where one could cut the tension with a knife and he knew that.
"Why didn't you fix the radio?" She asked softly as she placed the empty bottle into the cup holder.
"Didn't think about it."
"Right." Peyton mumbled, folding her arms across her chest. Sure he didn't think about. He probably did and knew it would piss her off and…
"Stopping pouting."
Narrowing her eyes, Peyton wants nothing more then to stick her tongue out at him but she doesn't after all she's an adult and she's trying to be bigger than what she had once been.
"It's hot out, huh?" She said, turning to look at him. Attempting to make small talk. Anything but the silence that seemed to follow them everywhere. His head moved up and down in agreement and she started to wonder when time had shifted and talking became the hardest thing to do with them.
"The rain's helping." He replied softly. His eyes never leaving the highway.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Peyton turned away, reaching for the random gossip magazine Brooke had handed her as they were leaving. Something to pass the time, she had said with a wink, Beside it will make your life seem less messy. She had wanted to laugh her off, telling her it wasn't her style but as she flipped through the glossy pages she couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.
"What's so funny?" Lucas asked, glancing quickly at the blonde beside him before return his gaze to the road.
"Nothing." It wasn't really funny but there they were staring back up at her. A picture taken from a night spent in New York, an evening meant to rekindle a dying fire he had said and now it laid out before her for the whole world to see, a tear down the middle creating more space between them.
A caption printed right across them; Is the epic love story of famed Ravens author not so epic anymore?
"It's raining again." Lucas stated, breaking the silence that had once again fallen over the couple.
Glancing up from the magazine, her brow furrowing at the way the rain seemed to fall in sheets, barely allowing them to see more then a foot in front of them. "Don't you think you should pull over?"
"It's fine." He mumbled as he slowed the car, his hands steering the car between the two lines prefectly.
"Luke."
"It's fine, Peyton." He bit out only to regret the moment he saw her jump slightly at the harshness of his voice. "I'm sorry Peyt but if we stop now we won't get there until tomorrow and…"
"You promised." She whispered, finishing his thought.
Nodding in response, Lucas gently eased the car past a slow moving truck, his eyes never leaving the road, "It will let up soon anyways."
"Right." She said softly, her eyes watching his profile as he concentrated on the task at hand. With a sigh, she turned back to the magazine, the rhythmic sound of the rain and the swish of the wipers filling the silence once again.
Maybe it was right, she thought staring at the glossy picture of them. Maybe their epic story had come to an end.
"So who's going to tell her?"
She arched a golden eyebrow at his words, her eyes never leaving the article that ran along side the picture. Where did they get their facts? she thought before replying to his question, "I thought we decided to wait until after she was back from summer camp?"
"I know," He said with a sigh. "I just…"
Looking up, her brow furrowing at his actions, "You just what, Luke?"
Glancing quickly her way, Lucas let out a sigh, "I just think we shouldn't pretend that we're fine. She's smart, Peyton."
With a shake of her head she turned back to the magazine and let out a faint chuckle before flipping the page away from the broken photo of them, "Tell me this Luke, how do you tell your kid their parents are divorcing?"