KING LUCAS
CHAPTER 33
His phone woke him up at 5 in the morning, he let out a groan, the sky was still dark outside. He wanted nothing more than to stay in bed for a couple of hours, but he knew he had work to do. He managed to get out of the room without waking the others, Farkle had practically passed out the minute they got home. He was responsible for the abrupt end of his long awaited kiss with Maya, it lasted less than he had hoped it would, after Farkle ran out of the bar and emptied his stomach on the sidewalk. According to Riley, who ran after him, began feeling ill after the bull ride, Lucas should've thought of that, Farkle had been drinking like an endless pit all night. They ordered a car and cut Zay short of his talk with Jessica, he wasn't too happy with his friend either. He tried talking to Maya after they got home, but she quickly entered their room and went to bed.
When he came down the stairs Pappy Joe was already sitting in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal, Lucas did the same, he had a long morning of work set out for him. He began working on the farm since he was 11 and it had always been the same routine. They woke up at five to get the horses ready, and rode to the warehouse on the far end of the property, they kept the tractors there. It was a nice ten minute ride, they had done it so many times that the path had worn down.
The other workers would join them as they divided in teams and each one took on a field. This year, since they had pumpkins, it would be up to Lucas to collect those. It was a long process, someone waited on the pick up while two persons would load the pumpkins in the back, but every two rows it was full and they had to deliver them to the storage barn, where Zeke his friend would throw the pumpkins at him from the cargo and Lucas placed them on the stands.
The sun had already come out when they finished harvesting the field, Zeke and Pappy Joe left to fix the fences on the property, so it was up to him to put the tractors back on the barn and chop the wood of the trees that his grandfather had chosen to take down. Since Lucas was a big fan of wood work, Pappy Joe always left him with this job. He would cut the branches in chunks with an electric saw, those would stay in the farm, for the heater. The trunk was left intact to dry and sell later.
While Lucas worked, Maya was awaken by a loud tud in her head. It was strange, she didn't feel sick, her head wasn't spinning as it usually did after a night of drinking, but she didn't remember drinking that much. She saw Riley in the bed next to her, her pink earplugs separated her from the loud sound of New York, even here miles away from town she seemed uncomfortable by the farm sounds. But it was louder than she had imagine, she walked to the window and it was no joke, she could hear the motor of some tractor that wasn't visible through the trees. Among the trees, she found the explanation to the sound in her head.
Lucas was chopping some wood with an axe, he seemed to have a big pile of already chopped pieces next to him. With brutal force he separated the wood, he didn't take two swings, he didn't need it. She had her head resting on her hands, it was a little hipnotizing to watch him work, he was on his undershirt, his flannel made an appearance from time to time to dry the sweat on his forehead. She was lost in thought when he looked up at her window, he waved at her, causing Maya to walk away and fall on her ass.
She stayed on the floor for a few seconds, her blood had rushed to her cheeks, she just hoped that it hadn't appeared as ridiculous as she thought it did. She crawled to the door, to avoid being seen by Lucas again. Her nose was flooded with a smell she recognized, it was pancakes, a smile appeared on her face as she walked downstairs. In the dinner table a big breakfast had been layed down, and a monstrous pile of pancakes was the main course. There were also some fruits like apples, oranges and pineapple, oatmeal and bacon. She couldn't resist and reached for a strip of bacon, before she could put it in her mouth, the door of the kitchen opened.
"If you steal the food, you do the dishes." Lucas' grandmother warned her, she was holding two tankards of juice. Maya put the bacon back and ran to help her hostess.
"I'm sorry, let me help you." Maya apologized, the old lady laughed.
"I'm messing with you, go ahead, you can get started, God knows I will." She sat down on the head of the table and poured herself a cup of coffee. "You drink coffee, sweetie?"
"Yes, please." Maya sat down next to her and passed her cup. She drank her coffee with half milk and three sugars, just like Katy did.
"Did any of your friends wake up?" She asked, filling a small bowl with oatmeal and pouring honey on top.
"No, I would still be in bed if it weren't for..."
"For all the noise those men are making." She said, rolling her eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I love that Lucas has a passion for woodwork, but if I hear that God-damned axe one more time I might lose my mind."
Maya giggled taking a plate of fruit and some biscuits, they were so fresh that butter melted at touch.
"How do you deal with it?" She asked her.
"After you live somewhere for so long you start to dismiss certain things. I used to help at the harvest, y'know, before I had my hip replaced." She said patting her side. "I guess I'm just jealous that I can't do anything but stay in this house all day."
"How long have you had the farm?" Maya asked, intrigued.
Mrs. Friar continued to tell her how the farm was already in the family when she married Pappy Joe, apparently a very long time ago when lands were still unclaimed it was law that an orchard was enough to make a person the proprietor of the land, so the Friars planted over 200 trees. Part of that original ground became this farm, the other descendants sold or left for the state to take it away. When she was 19, she picked Pappy Joe, against everyone in her family, because he was the only man in town with some sense in him.
"Why did they move to New York?" Maya blurted out, distracted by the situation, her eyes widened as she realized how personal she was getting.
"Oh, well, Elizabeth received a good job offer, big salary, insurance, the board promised to get Lucas in a good school, it all sounded perfect when she told us," She replied calmly. "But I still think she just wanted to leave, get Lucas away."
"Did he cause a lot of trouble?" She wondered, Maya herself had spent several hours in detention, if it wasn't for Riley she would've been kicked out of school eventually. But Lucas, he didn't have a Riley when he was growing up.
"He was so angry all the time, it seemed like the only thing that could calm him was coming here, he came most weekends after they moved to Houston." Lucas' grandmother told her, she talked very slowly, but with a catching voice, Maya had stopped eating just to hear her talking about his past. "He is just like his mother, thankfully... He found that running away is easier, but I can't blame him..."
"Because of his dad?" Maya said, Mrs. Friar was surprised to hear this.
"He told you–" Strangely, she seemed pleased. "My boy, he's... a tough nut to crack, with a father like his who can blame him for being so defensive." Maya remained silent, she hadn't thought about that, his need to defend himself in his own house, his need to be the strongest, feelings make you a mess and he couldn't afford to be a mess. "After all he's seen and done, I'm amazed of how beautiful he's grown on the inside." She turned around and touched the china cabinet behind her. "Only a person like that can create a piece that is so beautiful. He just needs a strong person to tear those walls he has built." She reached and grabbed Maya's hand, her mouth opened a little at the implication.
Lucas walked in, still in his undershirt, the flannel around his hip, a faint gloss of sweat covered his arms and neck.
"Morning." He said, tipping an imaginary hat.
His grandmother looked at Maya one last time and winked at her before letting a short laugh and pulling a chair for Lucas.
"What were you talking about?" He asked, pouring a glass of juice and gulping it down, he poured a second one.
"I was just telling Maya your old Mutton Bustin' stories." She replied.
"You didn't." He looked at Maya, in disbelief. "She didn't." Maya lifted her shoulders a little. "You didn't."
"I guess you'll never know." Her grandma said, lifting her plate and disappearing in the kitchen.
They were left alone in the table, after a minute they heard the door that leads outside open and close. The awkward silence was only broken by Lucas filling his plate up with food.
"Are you hungry?" She asked, laughing a little.
"I've been working a little." He said sarcastically.
She didn't know what to say, she definitely didn't want to talk about what had happened yesterday. That kiss felt too good for her to admit it aloud, it was decisive, he didn't hesitate in making his move after he found out Josh was out of the picture, she knew that he was waiting for her next move.
"I..." They both began, they laughed.
"You talk." She told him, relieved.
"Okay." He said, cleaning up the last bites of food left on his plate. "I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk around the property?"
"Oh..." She trailed off, expecting the start of a different conversation. "Sure."
"Great, I'm going to hit the shower and I'll meet you down again."
After both of them had washed and changed, Maya had hoped that any of their friends would wake by the time they were heading out, but it seemed like it was just the two of them.
Lucas walked in front of her, heading to the barn, they passed the spot where he was chopping wood, it was all stacked nicely now.
"Did you hurt yourself?" He asked.
"When?" She asked back.
"When you fell down this morning." Her cheeks turned red again, he had indeed seen her. He laughed at her silence. "It seemed like you were watching me." He commented.
"I wasn't watching you." She lied. "I was looking at the horses." She said entering the barn with all the horses inside, she had one just next to her, it was so beautiful. Its eyes were black and shining, its mane a beautiful blonde just like the rest of its body. She slowly reached for her head, Maya had no clue if this was the right way of doing it or if the horse was going to bite her hand off, but she couldn't help herself. Surprisingly, the horse bowed its head and let Maya pet it. "Wow." She whispered, she turn to look at Lucas. "Are you seeing this? I'm the freaking horse whisperer."
He let out a short laugh and came close, he had a brush in his hand, he petted the back of the horse.
"Maya, meet Belle; Belle, this is Maya, the other blonde I told you about." He opened her gate, so Maya could brush the rest of Belle, the horse loved it. "She likes you." Lucas said.
"The closest thing I've ever been to a horse are the ones at Central Park, but I had never touched one." She explained. "They're beautiful."
"I'm glad you like her, that's the one you're taking." He said, bringing a riding chair from the back.
"Wait, what?" Maya asked, getting away from Belle.
"We're going for a ride."
"Oh, no, I'm not getting on that thing." She said.
"C'mon, Belle won't drop you, she hasn't done it this year... that I know of." He jested, her eyes widened. "I'm kidding!"
"Me and horses don't mix, Huckleberry, I can walk just fine." She backed away.
"C'mon, I'm sure you'll love it, you haven't tried it." He settled the chair on Belle and offered his hand to Maya.
"Look, I'm all here for you experiencing your roots and everything, but I'm from the city, the wildest ride I've had was the one time I mistakenly rode the F train." He rolled his eyes, without waisting a second, he caught her and lifted her from the floor. She closed her eyes and waited for the best, but when she opened them she was already on top of the horse, Lucas was taking another horse out of the stables for himself. "Oh my God! I'm riding a horse!" She freaked out, she looked down and realized how tall she was, Belle didn't move bellow her, even after all her screaming. "Good girl." She patted her side gently.
After Lucas mounted his horse in one swift motion, he grabbed her reins and escorted them outside. It was like that for a few minutes, before Maya was confident enough to guide Belle herself, but after Lucas taught her the basics it was a different experience from what she imagined.
"This is amazing!" She yelled, as they picked up the pace.
They rode to the edge of the property, where a wired fence separated the farm from a large prairie, Belle just seemed to follow whatever the other horse did, so as Maya pulled the reins she quickly stopped moving. Lucas was already on the ground, making sure she wouldn't move as Maya managed to get down from the horse.
"Aren't they going to run away if you leave them here?" She asked.
"No, they are home growned, they are not going anywhere." He said smiling. "Come look at this."
She stood next to him, from the hill they could see most of the property, the fields going all the way to the horizon, she could spot a chimney, but the rest of the house was hidden by the trees they came from. From her room it didn't seemed like the farm was this big, she had never seen something like that, all she could think of was grabbing a pencil and try poorly to encapsulate such beauty.
"Maya, about last night..." Lucas began.
"You don't have to say anything, okay? Let's forget about it, pretend it never happened like the last times." She told him, taking a few steps forward.
"I don't want to forget." He said, taking her elbow, but she brushed him away. "Why didn't you tell me about Josh?"
"I don't know." She said almost in a whisper.
"I mean, when did it happen? Did you break up with him?" He insisted.
"I did it, it's been a couple of days." She replied, lowering her head.
"Since the batting cages–" He completed her sentence, he let a big breath out. "Why do you keep running away from me?"
"I don't know!" She tried to say confidently, but her voice broke.
"Tell me." He didn't ask.
"Because you're you! And I don't want to be hurt again." It had finally come out. "And I can't help but feel that you will."
"I could never–" He started.
"I feel–" She interrupted him. "Sometimes I think I know you and I'm even scared of how you make me feel so safe and understood, but then I–" She stopped to quickly gaze at him. "There are times when I don't recognize you."
"Look at me." Lucas told her, walking until he was in front of her. "Look at me and tell me who are you seeing now." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "Tell me I'm not the same guy who took you home every day after school, tell me I'm not the one who let you win all the games or eat my food or steal my sweaters, tell me I'm not a Huckleberry or a Ranger Rick anymore. Tell me and I'll believe you."
"You're always a Huckleberry." She said, smiling a little. He smiled back, walking forward and closing the space between them.
This kiss was not like the others, it wasn't rushed or a secret, no friendship depended on that kiss. It was slow, like they were kissing for the first time, he felt her soft lips against his as her smell flooded his nose. The wind behind them, sent her hair flying everywhere, they laughed as they broke the kiss. He took his hands and brushed her hair down, resting at her cheeks.
They stayed in the prairie for several minutes, Maya took almost a hundred pictures of the scenery, they laid down on the grass to look at the clouds, until eventually they figured someone would ask for them if they didn't return soon, this time Maya only asked Lucas for a little push over Belle and she even rode ahead a couple of times.
"Thanks for the ride." Maya said, as he closed Belle's stable. She was planning on walking back when Lucas pulled her arm back. She grabbed his arms for balance, but quickly pulled him in for another kiss. If only they weren't surrounded by people they knew. They found themselves walking to an empty stable, Lucas lifted her up against the wooden wall as he traveled her neck and she let out a hard breath every time he suck the skin between his teeth. She had already undone the buttons from his flannel.
"Boy!" A deep voice called inside the barn, it was Pappy Joe.
They immediately got in the ground, hoping the walls would cover them, Maya began laughing, Lucas put a hand over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping. He called a couple of times before giving up and leaving the barn.
"That was close." Maya said. "You almost slept in the shed tonight." Lucas rolled his eyes as he fixed himself, their meeting had opened an appetite and he felt ready for his third breakfast of the day.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, just quickly want to say that I'm sorry this took so long and that I'm going to answer a few questions that I got:
Guest: There are only two chapters left, after this one, of this story and then a small epilogue. I'm taking my time writing them so be patient.
2LAZY2LOGIN: Thanks for the suggestions, they are great! I never intended for this story to continue after what I have planned, but I encourage you to write your own stories, it seems like you have many ideas. If you want to talk to me personally for one-shots ideas, then send me a message!