Whole
"Wait a second." He smiled the smile she had known for years, the comfortable, trusting smile she detested as much as she needed.
"What?" she raised an apprehensive eyebrow, ignoring the fingers wrapped all too knowingly around her forearm. "Lucas, I don't have time for this. I have to get to Nathan's."
"Yeah, yeah. I think he'll survive for a few more minutes. What's up with you?"
"Nothing."
"Haley." He pulled her towards him without anticipation; bringing her far too close to the breaking point of whatever sanity still remained in tact. Lucas brushed the hair away from her face, and if she didn't know this routine as well as she did she might have expected something else. "You've been weird."
"Yeah well, it's reciprocal."
Lucas sighed, releasing her. He walked back a few steps; letting his legs guide him to the edge of his bed. He patted the empty space beside him and reluctantly, she followed suit. "Seriously.why him?"
"Why not him?"
"You know how I feel about it."
"I know how you feel about it, Luke. I know how you feel about everything, and I'm sorry but I find it ridiculous for you to impose those feelings onto my behalf. He's different with me than he is with you." He's different with me than you are with me. She shook her head, ridding her mind of the thoughts. "You're being really fucking selfish."
"I'm not selfish." He murmured, the hurt evident in his features.
She might have regretted the words were it not easier to put the blame on someone else, even if it was him. "Then stop acting like it."
"I." Lucas trailed off, deciding against speaking the unthinkable. He wrapped his fingers around hers, smiling to himself at how small her hands were in comparison to his. He heard her sigh and looked up to meet her eyes, only she was looking at the ground. "What's wrong?"
"I have to go."
"Oh."
"I'm already late."
"Yeah, sorry."
"It's fine, I just.I don't get it, Lucas. Don't you see that I'm happy?" Haley reprimanded the lie by snatching her hand away from his. Somehow it didn't feel right to hold him and be pathetically untruthful at the same time.
"Are you?" His skepticism was bare, as unmasked as her pretension. In that instant she wanted to kiss him for seeing through her bullshit, respond that of course she wasn't happy and he was entitled to his righteousness.
But she didn't.
Instead she feigned agitation. "Yes, so get over it." She moved to stand and he yanked her back down. "Goddamnit Luke, you-"
Her words remained unfinished as his lips pressed against hers without warning or hesitation. It was as unapologetic as it was sincere, as harsh as it was gentle. It was slightly awkward, a little fumbled as lips learned from lips. It was as imperfect as any first kiss is, and as whole as any genuine kiss can become.
"Wait a second." He smiled the smile she had known for years, the comfortable, trusting smile she detested as much as she needed.
"What?" she raised an apprehensive eyebrow, ignoring the fingers wrapped all too knowingly around her forearm. "Lucas, I don't have time for this. I have to get to Nathan's."
"Yeah, yeah. I think he'll survive for a few more minutes. What's up with you?"
"Nothing."
"Haley." He pulled her towards him without anticipation; bringing her far too close to the breaking point of whatever sanity still remained in tact. Lucas brushed the hair away from her face, and if she didn't know this routine as well as she did she might have expected something else. "You've been weird."
"Yeah well, it's reciprocal."
Lucas sighed, releasing her. He walked back a few steps; letting his legs guide him to the edge of his bed. He patted the empty space beside him and reluctantly, she followed suit. "Seriously.why him?"
"Why not him?"
"You know how I feel about it."
"I know how you feel about it, Luke. I know how you feel about everything, and I'm sorry but I find it ridiculous for you to impose those feelings onto my behalf. He's different with me than he is with you." He's different with me than you are with me. She shook her head, ridding her mind of the thoughts. "You're being really fucking selfish."
"I'm not selfish." He murmured, the hurt evident in his features.
She might have regretted the words were it not easier to put the blame on someone else, even if it was him. "Then stop acting like it."
"I." Lucas trailed off, deciding against speaking the unthinkable. He wrapped his fingers around hers, smiling to himself at how small her hands were in comparison to his. He heard her sigh and looked up to meet her eyes, only she was looking at the ground. "What's wrong?"
"I have to go."
"Oh."
"I'm already late."
"Yeah, sorry."
"It's fine, I just.I don't get it, Lucas. Don't you see that I'm happy?" Haley reprimanded the lie by snatching her hand away from his. Somehow it didn't feel right to hold him and be pathetically untruthful at the same time.
"Are you?" His skepticism was bare, as unmasked as her pretension. In that instant she wanted to kiss him for seeing through her bullshit, respond that of course she wasn't happy and he was entitled to his righteousness.
But she didn't.
Instead she feigned agitation. "Yes, so get over it." She moved to stand and he yanked her back down. "Goddamnit Luke, you-"
Her words remained unfinished as his lips pressed against hers without warning or hesitation. It was as unapologetic as it was sincere, as harsh as it was gentle. It was slightly awkward, a little fumbled as lips learned from lips. It was as imperfect as any first kiss is, and as whole as any genuine kiss can become.