Peyton sighed heavily and pounded the edge of the steering wheel in
frustration, though not hard enough to sound the horn. Her radiator steamed
noisily from the other side of the raised hood. The two bottles of water in
the trunk of her car had not been enough to cool it down sufficiently, so
now she had to wait for the tow truck. She stared idly at the river over
the passenger door of her vehicle, trying to cool her impatience slightly.
Turning sharply at the sound of crunching gravel, she turned to see the tow
truck pull up and behind the wheel was the person she least wanted to see,
or so she told herself.
Lucas idled behind the wheel of the tow truck momentarily before cutting the engine, opening his door, and climbing out, facing the desperate, but less than gracious, female with her arms folded across her chest and her foot tapping against the asphalt. 'She sure is something else,' he thought to himself.
"What seems to be the problem?" Lucas asked her, though the thick cloud of white smoke was a sure indicator of a shot radiator hose.
"What does it look like?" Peyton shot back almost immediately.
Frustrated with the situation, Peyton huffed off a few feet from the tailgate of her defunct car and began furiously punching buttons on her cellphone.
Lucas meanwhile raised her car onto the platform and began securing it for transport. He then went to the truck to grab the necessary paperwork, trying to focus on the task at hand and not listen in on Peyton's conversation with his half brother, or so he'd gathered.
"...So leave the gym, Nathan," Peyton ordered shrilly into the speaker, getting fed up with her pesky boyfriend. He was a hassle more than anything as of late. Seeing he would be no help, she slammed the flap of her phone closed noisily, effectively ending the conversation and cutting of her boyfriend's plea for understanding. She didn't have the time or patience to even try that now. She was certain that he thought she didn't know about the other girls. How couldn't she? She'd even heard that his latest incident involving the near- wrecked school bus had included him being lip-locked with one of the more promiscuous girls on her squad, and was more than inclined to believe it.
"Are you sure you don't need a ride?" Lucas questioned, producing the stack of paperwork awaiting her signature.
"Positive," Peyton snapped, "Have your dad call me when it's ready," she continued.
"My uncle you mean," Lucas said to her and began to walk back the open driver's door.
"If that's your story," Peyton called after him smugly.
He turned around sharply and his mouth was moving and words were coming out before he could stop himself. "Can I ask you a question?"
"It's a free country," she replied, irritated.
"Why are you a cheerleader? Because, no offense, you're like the least cheery person I know."
"One, you don't know me, and two you don't know me!" was her quick response.
"Well, fine, is there anything you've ever known you were absolutely better at that anyone else?" he tried.
"Sex," she answered without a second thought, more as a jest than anything.
He smiled broadly at her comment, leaving her to verbalize her joking intentions. Feeling the need to share something with her, he quickly recounted the story of junior league basketball with Nathan, leaving her wondering why he'd even told her that. They didn't even know each other. But maybe that was the whole point, he said.
He walked to the truck with her in tow, and held the door open wider for her.
She climbed up into the truck and across the seat, and he got in behind her, adjusting his rear-view mirror and double-checking that the hydraulics were all locked into their upright positions.
Peyton sat close to the window in deep perusal for a moment, her eyes travelling over Lucas' form, stuck in deep concentration on the truck's central control panel. 'He's certainly attractive' Peyton thought suddenly to herself, and then spent five more seconds wondering where that voice had come from.
Before she even knew really what was going on, and unable to resist, she was moving back across the seat and her hand settled on his extended right arm, brushing it slightly but deliberately. He glanced up at her briefly, and she returned his gaze before moving even closer and pulling his hand away from its previous tasks at the same time.
She pulled on him while moving the final few inches closer, and acting before she had a chance to rationalize otherwise. Her lips found his heavily, and his arms immediately went around her head out of pure instinct. It was so wrong, but felt so right. Getting further into the kiss, despite his mild protests and attempts to pull away slightly, which she found odd and troubling but didn't dwell on, she climbed onto his lap, pressing herself against him fully and eliminating any distance that remained between them.
Locking her arms around his neck so that he couldn't move away from her, she pulled back slightly to breathe and gaze at his face. Beyond the shock and utter confusion she found the first inklings of fire in his eyes and it was all the confirmation she needed to continue. She dove back in, his lips meeting her halfway this time, as the world was shut out and the tangible heat raised a few more degrees. She pulled back again and adjusted herself, attempting to get closer to him, though it really wasn't possible at that point, and he groaned audibly, which she immediately silenced with another kiss.
He thought she'd been kidding when she'd made the comment earlier, and she said she had, but the only thoughts that echoed in Lucas' head at that moment were 'how could she have been lying, if kissing her is this good, god, what was sex with her like?' He had a feeling that even his "brother" didn't know, a thought which was oddly comforting.
Not noticing his loss of focus on their lust filled activities, Peyton had moved down and begun to suck on his neck not so gently. The feel of her moving back and forth on his lap and her hands running up and under the thin white T-shirt he wore and across his chest and her mouth sucking on his skin so desperately brought some rational thought crashing into Lucas' head for some reason. He pulled away and gazed at her swollen lips and mussed hair with a grin.
Peyton returned his expression with an equally wide smile of her own. She gave him his space, knowing neither had to vocalize the immorality and yet passion of their actions. It had been exciting and refreshing and so worth it.
She settled back into her seat on the opposite side of the vehicle, and Lucas gunned the engine and pulled out onto the road to begin the trip back to her house and to the body shop. They rode in pleasant silence, the appropriate mood for the afternoon, both their heads spinning with seemingly identical thoughts. As they approached her street, Peyton reached for his hand and gripped it firmly. She raised her head to glance at his turned head slightly and smiled for the second time in five seconds. 'I guess he can't call me un-cheery now' she thought to herself, and got out of the since parked vehicle with the widest grin on her face. It wouldn't be the first and last time they were together like they'd been today, not by a long shot.
Lucas idled behind the wheel of the tow truck momentarily before cutting the engine, opening his door, and climbing out, facing the desperate, but less than gracious, female with her arms folded across her chest and her foot tapping against the asphalt. 'She sure is something else,' he thought to himself.
"What seems to be the problem?" Lucas asked her, though the thick cloud of white smoke was a sure indicator of a shot radiator hose.
"What does it look like?" Peyton shot back almost immediately.
Frustrated with the situation, Peyton huffed off a few feet from the tailgate of her defunct car and began furiously punching buttons on her cellphone.
Lucas meanwhile raised her car onto the platform and began securing it for transport. He then went to the truck to grab the necessary paperwork, trying to focus on the task at hand and not listen in on Peyton's conversation with his half brother, or so he'd gathered.
"...So leave the gym, Nathan," Peyton ordered shrilly into the speaker, getting fed up with her pesky boyfriend. He was a hassle more than anything as of late. Seeing he would be no help, she slammed the flap of her phone closed noisily, effectively ending the conversation and cutting of her boyfriend's plea for understanding. She didn't have the time or patience to even try that now. She was certain that he thought she didn't know about the other girls. How couldn't she? She'd even heard that his latest incident involving the near- wrecked school bus had included him being lip-locked with one of the more promiscuous girls on her squad, and was more than inclined to believe it.
"Are you sure you don't need a ride?" Lucas questioned, producing the stack of paperwork awaiting her signature.
"Positive," Peyton snapped, "Have your dad call me when it's ready," she continued.
"My uncle you mean," Lucas said to her and began to walk back the open driver's door.
"If that's your story," Peyton called after him smugly.
He turned around sharply and his mouth was moving and words were coming out before he could stop himself. "Can I ask you a question?"
"It's a free country," she replied, irritated.
"Why are you a cheerleader? Because, no offense, you're like the least cheery person I know."
"One, you don't know me, and two you don't know me!" was her quick response.
"Well, fine, is there anything you've ever known you were absolutely better at that anyone else?" he tried.
"Sex," she answered without a second thought, more as a jest than anything.
He smiled broadly at her comment, leaving her to verbalize her joking intentions. Feeling the need to share something with her, he quickly recounted the story of junior league basketball with Nathan, leaving her wondering why he'd even told her that. They didn't even know each other. But maybe that was the whole point, he said.
He walked to the truck with her in tow, and held the door open wider for her.
She climbed up into the truck and across the seat, and he got in behind her, adjusting his rear-view mirror and double-checking that the hydraulics were all locked into their upright positions.
Peyton sat close to the window in deep perusal for a moment, her eyes travelling over Lucas' form, stuck in deep concentration on the truck's central control panel. 'He's certainly attractive' Peyton thought suddenly to herself, and then spent five more seconds wondering where that voice had come from.
Before she even knew really what was going on, and unable to resist, she was moving back across the seat and her hand settled on his extended right arm, brushing it slightly but deliberately. He glanced up at her briefly, and she returned his gaze before moving even closer and pulling his hand away from its previous tasks at the same time.
She pulled on him while moving the final few inches closer, and acting before she had a chance to rationalize otherwise. Her lips found his heavily, and his arms immediately went around her head out of pure instinct. It was so wrong, but felt so right. Getting further into the kiss, despite his mild protests and attempts to pull away slightly, which she found odd and troubling but didn't dwell on, she climbed onto his lap, pressing herself against him fully and eliminating any distance that remained between them.
Locking her arms around his neck so that he couldn't move away from her, she pulled back slightly to breathe and gaze at his face. Beyond the shock and utter confusion she found the first inklings of fire in his eyes and it was all the confirmation she needed to continue. She dove back in, his lips meeting her halfway this time, as the world was shut out and the tangible heat raised a few more degrees. She pulled back again and adjusted herself, attempting to get closer to him, though it really wasn't possible at that point, and he groaned audibly, which she immediately silenced with another kiss.
He thought she'd been kidding when she'd made the comment earlier, and she said she had, but the only thoughts that echoed in Lucas' head at that moment were 'how could she have been lying, if kissing her is this good, god, what was sex with her like?' He had a feeling that even his "brother" didn't know, a thought which was oddly comforting.
Not noticing his loss of focus on their lust filled activities, Peyton had moved down and begun to suck on his neck not so gently. The feel of her moving back and forth on his lap and her hands running up and under the thin white T-shirt he wore and across his chest and her mouth sucking on his skin so desperately brought some rational thought crashing into Lucas' head for some reason. He pulled away and gazed at her swollen lips and mussed hair with a grin.
Peyton returned his expression with an equally wide smile of her own. She gave him his space, knowing neither had to vocalize the immorality and yet passion of their actions. It had been exciting and refreshing and so worth it.
She settled back into her seat on the opposite side of the vehicle, and Lucas gunned the engine and pulled out onto the road to begin the trip back to her house and to the body shop. They rode in pleasant silence, the appropriate mood for the afternoon, both their heads spinning with seemingly identical thoughts. As they approached her street, Peyton reached for his hand and gripped it firmly. She raised her head to glance at his turned head slightly and smiled for the second time in five seconds. 'I guess he can't call me un-cheery now' she thought to herself, and got out of the since parked vehicle with the widest grin on her face. It wouldn't be the first and last time they were together like they'd been today, not by a long shot.