Pressure
"Lucas."
Static.
"Lucas I need to tell you something."
A blur.
"Lucas when you were with Brooke, when we…Somethin—"
"Peyton?" Lucas picked up his cell phone. "I just found my phone, what were you saying?"
Peyton gazed down at her sketches. Truth one read, above a picutre of a black heart with 23 written in the middle. "Nevermind."
"No Peyton, tell me," Lucas pressured.
"No it's fine. Really." She nodded in self-assurance. "Just this problem I was having. I remembered the answer when you picked up. It's fine."
"Peyton if something's happened, you can tell me," Lucas said, concerened.
"Look Luke, it's nothing, okay?" she said, defensive.
"Alright." Lucas calmly punched the button and laid back, torturing himself about what she did, what she would need. He cared about her so deeply, he needed for her to be alright.
"Well it looks alright." Fern plopped on a bed and sank into the dead springs. "Maybe not," she said, inching away from it.
Dan chuckled. "So what do you want to do?"
"Here?" Fern said.
"Anywhere you want." Dan stared straight into her eyes, looking as charming to her as ever.
"Can we drive off into the middle of nowhere and do it? Like we're teens again?"
"Of course." And the self-assured smirk stood on his face once again. "I'll even throw in a special treat for you," he said, walking towards the door.
"Oh yea, what's that?"
"Well I can't tell you, then I'd ruin the surprise!" His hands moved to her waist and brought her to their first kiss of the evening, each tasting the pleasure of risk on their tongues.
Tim sat in the waiting room a bit unpaciently. He sat down, got back up, paced back and forth, sat back down again. He maybe would go and get a snack while worrying if she'd always be this way.
Comatose.
Now the doctors said it might not be for long, maybe a month at most, but he was still worried there was a chance that she might never wake up. And he'd never be able to tell her, to prove to her that he loved her, he wanted her…to seduce her. He had wanted that since the day he first saw the woman at a party at Nathan's house, how she gracefully clinked the wine glass, the black, sexy revealing dress…He loved her to death. But he hoped he wouldn't have to…
"Maccaroni and cheese?!" Haley said, frustrated.
"Maccaroni and cheese. And mashed potatoes and gravy and a nice glass of milk with that."
Haley stared at the waiter trying to hide the smirk from her face. When he left, she nearly burst into tears from laughing. "You know, the gods aren't here everyday," she said, putting her hand over her face, embarrassed.
"But you are." He smiled at his fianceé, whom he loved dearly. "And you'll get whatever food you like tonight." They were celebrating her birthday, and he had a surprise planned for her later, but now he kept to himself and let her eat. She'd need that energy later.
Haley titlted her head down and chucked, then tilted her head back and rolled her eyes. "Maccaroni and cheese…Could this night get even more fun?"
Nathan chuckled as well. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said with a smile.
Haley smiled back. "Mmm…Try me." She leaned forward to hear the secret.
"Well, it goes a little bit like this," Nathan said, pressing his lips against hers gently, and pulling away just as smoothly.
"I think I'm gonna like this night."
Nathan just sat in his chair and looked at his beautiful soon-to-be bride. She was amazing.
