+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+
What Peyton doesn’t want to do, especially on this particular night, is to wear an overpriced green toga courtesy of her best friend’s fashion line. Her husband sinabi it compliments her eyes, and Lucas Scott always knows what he’s talking about so if he says Peyton’s beautiful then she has to take his word for it.
She’s now facing the mirror, twirling around for a few segundos just to get a good look on her slim figure, and as she did, she tells herself she’s happily married, and this is what dreams are made of. Needless to say, it feels like her dress is the one wearing her and not the other way around. It’s just as well, since it’s also the kind of feeling she’s been having about her wedding ring—and she’s even feeling it for her kid, for god’s sake—what is wrong with you, Peyton, she mused morosely.
“It wouldn’t help if you just watch yourself all the time while wearing that, Peyt.” Lucas appeared in the doorway, his arms crossed. There’s something about the way his eyes went up and down her from where he stood that didn’t settle right inside her. And he wasn’t smiling at that. He walked towards her and placed his hands around her waist, his grip weak, as if holding her doesn’t take a lot of his effort to accomplish.
“This is one of the things I like about you, Peyton,” he remarked. “You’re as skinny as the first araw I saw you in seventh grade.”
“That’s all you could say to me right now, Luke? That I’m not fat?”
“Would you rather be teased about your chicken legs again, sweetie?”
“Guess not,” Peyton was tempted to roll her eyes but she didn’t. She lets Lucas hold her like that instead, contemplating about what he might be thinking this very moment.
She couldn’t exactly understand when it started happening but they’ve been married for three years now, and so if she’ll be the one to make an estimation, she’ll say the awkward silences and blank gazes had roughly started fourteen months nakaraan after they left puno Hill. Since then, it was always so easy for Lucas to come tahanan for hapunan and bounce his daughter on his lap every night before she goes to sleep, but when he’s all alone with his dear wife, there isn’t a lot of things to talk about, except whatever their little girl needs and whatnot.
Standing there in front of the mirror with her husband still latched on her body, Peyton is thinking about buying their kid new books for her bedtime story ritual, and maybe Lucas was thinking about something else entirely unrelated to their tahanan life. There was a time when Peyton would be up-and-about interested to know his thoughts as she would hook her arms around his neck and ask him what he’s thinking—but their months together seem to spill over the pretense of enjoyment so lacking that just talking about it will be tiresome enough, and so they both grow weary of the game.
Peyton couldn’t master any madami energy to pretend she cares either.
“I’m thinking of taking you some place nice, Peyton.” He whispers in her ear, undaunted sa pamamagitan ng the way she winced in his embrace. “I know you think I just asked you to wear this dress for no reason, but lately I feel like you’re sad about something and I just want to cheer you up.”
He’s looking at her eyes in the mirror and she met his with less enthusiasm.
“That’s thoughtful of you, hun.” She faced him this time and kissed him as tenderly as she could manage, her eyes shut tight. Lucas further enveloped her whole body in his arms and when they withdrew from each other, his smile was strained with something they know too well to understand, and nothing reached his eyes, which they also know too well.
Peyton rubbed his cheeks nevertheless, wondering if it’s time for sex.
Her husband didn’t want to mess the whole evening he planned, apparently, for he pulled her away from him and led her down the stairs instead. “Babysitter’s gonna come in five minutos for Sawyer Brooke.” He explained.
It’s not like she’s annoyed sa pamamagitan ng it, but every time Lucas calls their daughter, he calls her Sawyer Brooke, like Mary Jane. It shouldn’t bother her since she was the one who picked the names anyway.
“Are you cold, sweetie?” Lucas asked her, taking off his dyaket as courtesy.
Peyton frowned, shaking her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want this night to be special, okay?”
“Like all other nights for the past three years?” Oh no, don’t lash out. He’s being sweet.
Her husband blinked, his eyebrows meeting in confusion. He chuckled but he’s far from amused. “Sorry. I’m just trying to be nice, Peyton, so sue me.”
“I’m sorry, Luke.” And she meant it. She’s so goddamn sorry for everything lately.
To ipakita she’s apologetic, she let Lucas balutin his dyaket on her shoulders. He smiles at her again in the same fatigued manner and says, “Let’s go, babe. I’m gonna take you somewhere you’ll love.”
“Really?” Peyton can’t help but feel curious. Her husband might not make her chest boom against her ribcage like he used to, but he still makes the little things matter. Peyton kept in touch with Haley over the years, and they’ll trade marriage stories every other week so it doesn’t surprise Peyton to find herself terribly feeling unromantic towards Lucas.
That’s normal. All couples have their dry days, even Nathan and Haley, as she found out. That revelation is a constant reminder that what she has now, and hopefully forever, is still a dream come true. Her personal fairy tale—being Mrs. Lucas Scott.
***
If Lucas’ smile wasn’t reaching his eyes earlier (and ever since fourteen months ago, really), it’s now brighter than ever, like the way she remembered it perfectly, as if it’s the first time he fell in pag-ibig with her again. If she hadn’t promised herself already to give up on her quixotic expectations from this marriage, she would have cried right there, and she might as well have, considering what he had done.
“Luke! Honey, this is amazing!” She laughed into their kiss, her chest feeling heavier than she anticipated. Her husband hugged her in the same excitement he shared now with her.
“I’m glad you’re happy again, Peyton.” He breathes into the curls of her hair.
Peyton let him go for a second. “But how did you find this place?”
“I know some people who know some people who handle business with small-time no-name companies that are just dying to get their paychecks exclusively affordable.” Ah, even his sense of dorky humor is back.
“I don’t know what to say, Luke!” Peyton started to ilipat around the great expanse of emptiness that she will soon fill with music. “This is beyond whatever I thought you have planned for tonight. But why would you even want me to wear a stupid gown, huh?”
Lucas crossed his arms, laughing. “I think you deserve to feel pretty again.”
“Thank you,” Peyton kissed him, this time meaning it for the first time in three years. He cradled the back of her head, his fingers sending chills down her spine like it’s that halik in the motel again. She pulled away, amazed with his sheer ability to make everything perfect again. “I promise that this place is gonna rock some teenager’s world the moment he or she steps into this place.”
“Yup. And the rent is cheap at that,” he remarked. “I got a good deal out of this beat-up piece of crap so you better make it shine, babe, okay?”
“You’re a good husband, Lucas Scott.”
“And don’t you forget about it, wifey.” He takes her into another embrace and all those speculations she had of him being bored around her, or that he’s possibly having an affair, suddenly don’t matter.
“I do miss producing albums.” Peyton closed her eyes, thinking about the days inside her bedroom covered in red walls, listening to music all araw long.
Lucas laughed. “Well, this is just a hobby to keep you occupied.”
“What do you mean?” She looked at him.
“I mean, it’s just a little place for you to hang out with our neighbors.” He explained. “We got this place set up so you have something to entertain yourself with every time I’m at work. I know you’re having problems being cooped up in our house with Sawyer Brooke so I guess I want you to take a break and let me worry about stuff like that.”
“Luke, I don’t understand—”
“What matters is you can play loud music for as long as you want and no one’s gonna bother us about noise and all that stuff.”
“Wait, what?” Peyton took a step backward and Lucas didn’t even mind her disengaging from their reunion embrace a while ago.
“Peyton, come on, sweetie, you know what I mean.” Lucas grinned. “It’d be nice for you to be doing something you like again. Because I notice that you don’t like being a housewife, and you’re right, babe, it’s not you. This is you.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Peyton breathes out. She’s suddenly conscious about the way she looks in her toga and she doesn’t even know why.
“So?”
“What?”
“Are you ready to get this place rocking?” Lucas approached her for another hug and just as the unpleasant shiver went away easily, it came back just the same, with a stronger impression even. Peyton pretended she didn’t feel it.
“Yeah, sure, I mean this is very nice of you—”
“There’s gonna be guys coming to help you with the equipment tomorrow. You’ll be able to set up in no time. And maybe your lady mga kaibigan can come too. Isn’t this great, babe?”
This isn’t working. “Just fantastic, hun, I don’t know how to thank you enough—”
“Nah, it’s cool.” Lucas scratched his head, faking bashfulness, but Peyton knew the game well enough to see through it. “How about candlelight dinner? Would that work for you?”
Peyton felt sick to her stomach. All that her husband wanted to do was to make her happy so she shouldn’t feel so depraved like this, because she isn’t. Lucas had been nothing but wonderful and forthcoming. This is something to be grateful about, besides, all couples have their dry days, and this is still her dream, it’s her fairy tale—
“Sure, Luke, honey, whatever you say.” Peyton gives him a quick halik on the lips and then she takes his hand, smiling wearily. Lucas must have felt something else is wrong because he returned the same kind of tired smile again and he looked away even as he held her hand. Peyton was only too familiar with the way things always go.
And so they walked out of the abandoned old place that’s supposed to be a small-time recording store starting tomorrow, but Peyton can’t help but feel that it’s only just a great expanse of emptiness she’ll soon call her married life.
+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+
Footnotes: As you can see, Jake and Jenny aren't introduced yet. sa pamamagitan ng the susunod chapter, they will be incorporated, hopefully. The prologue is just an introduction, after all. It simply shows the time and setting of the story, and how Leyton are like after three years of marriage.
link
image credit: brattynemz
