The Beautiful Dance
Chapter 11
It had been an unseasonably hot April afternoon. Basketball workouts had been cancelled due to Whitey being under the weather. Peyton and Lucas decided to spend the afternoon at her house trying their best to keep cool.
The discovery of a long forgotten six pack of ice cold beer pushed towards the back of the refrigerator gave the restless afternoon a new direction.
Lucas drained the last bit of amber liquid from his second bottle and set it loudly on the coffee table in front of him. He was sprawled out on the sofa in Peyton's living room with a large floor fan pointed in his direction. His girlfriend sat across from him in her father's favorite armchair.
"Let's play a game." He said twisting the cap off from his last beer.
"What kind of game?" She rested her cool beer bottle against her forehead.
"I'll ask you a question and you have to answer it." Lucas smiled.
"What kind of game is that?"
"I'm bored and it's the only thing I could think of that doesn't involve moving. Come on, I'll even let you go first."
Peyton eyed him suspiciously, but decided to go along with him. "Alright, who was the first girl you ever kissed?"
"That would be Haley James." Lucas laughed as he watched his girlfriend jaw nearly hit the floor.
"What? How could I have not known about this?"
"I think we both just pushed it far back into our repressed childhood memories." Peyton arched her eyebrow, silently letting him know she wanted the whole story. "We were 11, at her house watching My Girl and she leaned over and kissed me. It took less than five seconds for us both to realize it was to weird to be kissing your best friend, and we never talked about it again."
Lucas ignored his girlfriends smirking and asked his question. "What would have happened if I had left Tree Hill?"
She was silent as she contemplated her answer. "I probably would have been a little depressed, but I would have hid it very well. Even when I was angry with you I never wanted you to leave."
"So you would have missed me?"
"I would have. There would have been a Lucas shaped gap in my heart if you had left." Peyton clutched her hand to her chest for overly dramatic effect. Lucas huffed and tossed a bottle cap in her direction.
"Alright next question."
"What is your favorite make out spot and song?"
"Oh that's easy. The cramped backseat of your car with Jimmy Eat World's My Sundown playing in the background." Lucas grinned as his mind wandered back to three weeks ago and that same situation.
"What is it with you and that backseat?" Peyton smiled as Lucas shrugged his shoulders.
"Did you ever love Nathan?" he asked suddenly.
"What?" she was taken aback by the seriousness of his question.
"It was my turn to ask the question, and now it's your turn to answer."
"I just asked you what your favorite make out song was and you turn around and ask me about my past relationship with your brother."
"I'm just curious Peyton."
She stared at him for a beat before answering. "No I was never in love with Nathan. And looking back I'm not completely sure I ever wanted to be in love with him. Nathan was a bad guy back then. I don't really know why I stuck around for so long."
"That's all in the past." He said gently. Lucas knew how hard it was for her to relive the mess from her past.
Peyton stood quietly from her perch, grabbed her half empty bottle and plopped down on the couch near Lucas.
"Why do you love me?"
"Because it's the easiest thing I've ever done." He said simply before drinking from his bottle. "We've been together for months and my heart still races every time you're close to me. I don't ever want that feeling to go away. I think I'll love you for the rest of my life."
There was something about the honesty and gentleness in his voice that made Peyton want him more in that moment than she ever had before.
Peyton practically dragged Lucas to his feet and up the stairs. She kissed him hungrily as they fell backwards onto the bed.
"So I'm guessing the answer was good." Lucas asked breathlessly as Peyton sat up and pulled her t-shirt off over her head.
"The answer was very good." Peyton grinned leaning back to kiss him.
Things would have gone much farther if it had not been for the familiar sound of a truck door slamming shut. Peyton hurried off the bed and over to the window, and saw her father's truck parked in the driveway.
She barely had time to warn Lucas before the front door swung open and Larry Sawyer announced his presence.
The two teens scrambled to pick up their few discarded items of clothing and dress quickly. As her father's heavy footsteps ascended the stairs Peyton pushed Lucas into her closet and shut the door just as Larry knocked on her door.
"Peyton, can I come in?"
Peyton opened her door and was genuinely excited to see her father standing before her. Larry stepped forward and wrapped his only daughter into a bear hug. "Hi dad."
"So did you have guests over?" Larry asked pointedly.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the empty beer bottles in the living room on my way up to see you and Lucas' truck parked out on the street. Why don't you come out of the closet Lucas?" Larry turned towards the closet to see the boy emerge from the closet with shame evident on his face. Larry knew that Lucas had been dating his daughter for month's and he had been grateful for the happiness he brought her.
"I want to know what's going on right now." The older man's cool demeanor was quickly fading.
"We were studying dad, and we just decided to take a break. That's it." Peyton couldn't look her father in the eye as she lied to him.
"Then why was Lucas in the closet and why is your shirt inside out?"
"Mr. Sawyer I can explain." Lucas started.
"I think it's best of you just headed home Lucas." Lucas nodded silently and left Peyton's room quietly without looking back at Peyton or her father.
It was a very rare occasion that Peyton would ever be angry with her father especially after his first time home in months, but this day was an exception. She felt her cheeks grow warm with anger and embarrassment.
"What is going on here Peyton?" Larry was firm in his voice. "I'm not completely naïve, I realize that when I'm gone you and Lucas are alone in the house. But it's a completely different matter when you're home alone with your boyfriend drinking beer and having sex in your room. This is my house and I'm not going to tolerate this kind of behavior Peyton."
"How is this your house when I'm the only person that lives here." She shot back.
"Since I'm the one that pays the bills." Larry hollered back.
Peyton could have counted on one hand the number of times her father had ever raised her voice at her. The fact that he was being so stubborn about the entire situation was making everything worse. She knew in her heart that she was right, her father was never around and Lucas was always there for her. But her dad couldn't see that.
"If you're done yelling at me I'd like to be alone." Peyton said turning her back on her father and picking up a sketchbook.
"I'm done, but I'm telling you right now Peyton I don't want you seeing Lucas for the time being." Larry closed the door behind him before Peyton could protest.
As soon as he had left Peyton picked up her cell phone and dialed Lucas' number. He answered on the second ring.
"Is everything ok?" he asked gently.
"No it's not. I don't know what has gotten into him but he's forbidding me from seeing you. And believe me Lucas you are not the problem and I don't want you thinking you are. Something is going on with him I just don't know what it is." Peyton paused for a second and remembered that Lucas had driven to her house. "You're not driving are you?"
"No I figured after a few beers and an unpleasant run-in with your father was reason enough to take my time and walk home. I'll come pick up my truck later tonight."
"I'm sorry that this happened Lucas."
"It's okay Peyton, we'll get through this just like we always do."
"I have to go. This little mess is wearing me out. I love you."
"I love you to Peyton."
She closed her phone and lay back on her bed. She could hear her father cleaning up downstairs but didn't bother to go down and help. It wasn't as if she was ready to go down and hash things out with him, she knew it would just lead to a bigger argument. But Peyton knew she couldn't avoid her father forever.