By the time Lucas reached the church, the seats were almost full of people wanting to pay their respects to Larry Sawyer. Lucas took a seat at the back of the church. He scanned the church for Peyton. He finally spotted her sitting in the front pew beside Haley and Nathan.
At the end of the service, Nathan and Haley walked Peyton up the aisle. Peyton's face was like stone; there wasn't any emotion. Her blank eyes stared forward, not really taking in the surroundings. But as they neared the last pew, Peyton eye's shifted. It was as if they were drawn to something. That something was Lucas. For a brief moment, her eyes locked onto Lucas's sympathetic eyes. His soft look of concern and passion comforted Peyton, but she never let it show and kept walking out of the church.
After the funeral, there was a small gathering at Karen's café to remember Larry. Although Peyton wanted to mourn privately, she couldn't say no to Karen.
Lucas watched Peyton from across the café. He was trying to find the right time to talk to Peyton. Every time he tried to get near her, somebody would pull her aside to talk to her. As Lucas watched Peyton, it pained him inside to watch her act like she was ok, when in fact she was ripped apart inside. Her smiles were fake and he knew it. He saw through them like he did all those years before.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Peyton. If there's anything you need, just let me know," said an old cheerleading friend.
Peyton smiled politely and softly said, "thanks," But she couldn't take it anymore. She had to get out of there. She was tired of hearing 'I'm sorry for your loss,'. It was if they were trying to tell her that they knew what she was going through, when in fact they had no clue. They didn't lose their mother at the age of nine nor did they lose their father nine years later. They all had someone watch them grow up and take care of them. They all had someone who loved them.
Peyton looked around the room, hoping no one was watching her so that she could make her escape through the back door. But as she scanned the room, her eyes found a pair staring right back at hers. It was Lucas. He stood from across the room. When their eyes met, Lucas began to make his way over too her. She tried to turn and walk away, but she couldn't. Her nerves glued her to floor. Peyton didn't know what to say or how to react. But she didn't have time. Before she knew it, Lucas had his arms wrapped around her tightly.
It was the only thing that Peyton wanted and he knew it. She didn't want to talk. She only wanted to be held. When she accepted his hug, she rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes in his embrace. His eyes closed as his hand stroked her hair. It was like everything that happened that day was forgotten. The people around them seemed to disappear one by one.
Lucas and Peyton stood, wrapped in each others arms, in their own little world until a loud crash came from the kitchen. The crash sent them back to reality. Lucas turned his head in the direction of the crash. It was only for a few seconds, but it gave Peyton enough time to slip out like she planned. When he turned his attention back to Peyton, all he saw was the back of her, walking out the door.
Lucas began after her, but was stopped as his hand reached for the door.
"Lucas, I need your help," Karen said as she walked up to him.
"But, mom…" he protested as he motioned to the door.
"Please, Luke. I need a case of coffee mugs from downstairs. Deb accidentally knocked a try of mugs over and now we barely have anything to serve the coffee in,"
Lucas's eyes gazed outside. He wanted to go after Peyton, but he couldn't say 'no' to his mother. After letting out a sigh, he let go of the door. "Alright, I'll get them,"