My mom beamed as she shook their hands, happy to have company in her home again. "Please, call me Vicky, only my mom calls me Victoria." She glanced at Sawyer standing beside me after introductions were finished. "Oh, Sawyer...you look beautiful, honey."
Sawyer blushed and looked down at the compliment. "Thank you, Mrs. West."
Sawyer and my mom had never truly been officially introduced, but they'd seen each other plenty of times, including that unfortunate time when I was whacked out in the nurses' office. There was enough familiarity between them that I didn't need to make any introductions. Besides, my mom adored Sawyer. Sawyer made me smile, and at a time when not much did, that was enough to practically make Sawyer family to her.
Mom looked over at me, a huge grin on her face. Noticing the pie in my hands, she grabbed it and ruffled my hair. I bit back the embarrassment as she merrily thanked me for holding it. She artfully thanked Sawyer's parents for bringing it, complimenting Mrs. Smith on her shoes and Mr. Smith on his tie. Both of Sawyer's parents had dressed up for the occasion, probably in the nicest clothes they owned. With the ease of someone used to throwing dinner parties, which we never really did, she ushered both parents into the kitchen to help her open a bottle of wine. She winked at me before she disappeared with them and I grinned; Mom had just given me alone time with a girl. I started to wonder just how much Mom liked Sawyer.
I nodded over to the couch and Sawyer followed me. She sat down beside me, fidgeting a bit as she remembered she was wearing a dress and not jeans, and finally crossing her legs demurely in front of her. She leaned back with me on the sofa and put her hand over mine, lacing our fingers.
"I wasn't expecting to see you for awhile." I said quietly over the music.
She shrugged. "I wasn't expecting it either." She glanced back at the kitchen. "They told me last night when I got back from your place. They were a little mad that I was late, but when I told them that you were..." She trailed off and I blushed and looked down. What I'd been was bawling like a baby. Great, she'd told them that? Oh well, that was probably the least embarrassing thing they'd heard about me. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, after that, they told me about the invite and I begged them to say yes." I looked over at her when I felt her squeeze my hand. "Surprisingly, they said okay." She grinned and leaned into my side.
I leaned back into hers, leeching her comfort as surely as her warmth. "Well, I'm glad they did."
She smiled warmly and then a small frown turned her lips down. "Are you alright? After last night, I mean." Her free hand came up to cup my cheek. "You were really upset..."
I swallowed and looked away, down to the ring on her thumb enclosed in my fingers. My own thumb came up to stroke the cool metal. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just...too much..."
I let that trail off, not wanting to go into details. Sawyer didn't ask them, instead, switching the topic to her overprotective parents and the list of rules she'd been given before leaving the house, one of which she was breaking already by being alone with me. I chuckled and she amended that, "Well, technically they said I wasn't to be alone in your room with you, so I guess this is okay."
She squeezed my hand and I laughed and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Then I suppose I shouldn't tell them you were in my bed last night."
She giggled and glanced back to the kitchen. "God no, they'd drag me out of here so fast, you'd see the smoke trails."
I sighed and looked over her face while she giggled. "They really don't care for me, do they?"
Her giggles subsided while she returned my gaze. "I told you...it's not you, Luc." She bit her lip and I could tell there was a big fat 'but' following that. I motioned with my hand for her to spit it out. She chuckled a little and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, come on. I have a history of poor choices when it comes to guys and, here I am, hanging out with a cute boy who just got suspended from school for being high, and is surrounded by sordid rumors of drinking problems. You do the math."
She eyed me with that adorable half smile and I grinned in spite of myself. Ignoring the hurtful truth in her statement, I focused on the one part I could make light of. "You...think I'm cute?"
She laughed so loud at that, that we both glanced back to the kitchen, but my mom was doing a great job of running interference for us. We laughed and talked some more while my mom occupied her parents, but eventually she did come out and motion to us that dinner was ready. Our kitchen was too small for everyone to eat in, so we'd set up a card table and some folding chairs in the living room. After everyone loaded up their plates with delicious smelling food, we all scrunched together at the table, Sawyer and I taking one side, while one parent each took the three remaining sides.
Sawyer and I laughed and bumped each other playfully at our close proximity, which made her dad scowl and clear his throat at us. Sawyer twisted her lips at him but I straightened up and stopped fooling around. He eyed us throughout the meal, like he was waiting for me to do...something. Sawyer's mom watched us too, but skillfully hid it between polite conversations with my mom. Her dad didn't care about being polite; he was practically screaming 'keep away' at me. I would have found it funny, if he hadn't been so intimidating.
For her part, Sawyer looked torn between accepting her parent's strictness and telling them off for it. I wasn't sure where the line was for her, but when her dad suggestively cleared his throat when she leaned in to ask me for the salt and pepper, I thought she was quickly approaching it.
Sawyer sat back in her chair after that and scowled at him. He matched her look for a second, before shifting his eyes to mine. For a moment, I saw Sawyer's gray eyes staring back at me, and that momentary resemblance relaxed me some...until he spoke.
"So, Lucas..."
My body tensed at the possible list of questions he could ask me. Sawyer beside me tensed as well. He glanced over to her and shut his mouth, maybe changing his mind. He twisted his lips and sighing a little, shrugged. "To be perfectly honest, we only agreed to come here today because Sawyer begged us."
Everyone at the table stopped eating and an uncomfortable tension filled the room. I glanced at my mom, who was frowning at him. He cleared his throat and continued, "But, now that we're here, I think this is the perfect opportunity to say that..." he took a deep breath and turned to face my mom, "your son needs to keep his distance from our daughter."
My mom dropped her mouth open in shock, her face paling at the directness of his statement. I felt Sawyer beside me start to shake in anger and even Sawyer's mom closed her eyes and hung her head. Either Sawyer or my mom were about to lose it, I could tell from their looks and body language. Surprisingly, I lost it first.
"What? Why? Because of what happened with my friends? Because of the rumors about that night?" I shook my head, irritated. "None of those are true." Noisily throwing my fork down on my plate, I practically yelled, "I'm not a drunk!"
His intense eyes focused on mine, but the next words spoken, came from Sawyer's mother and not him. "No, Lucas. This isn't because of your...situation, not solely anyway." I shook my head, confused, but she sighed and grabbed her daughter's hand, squeezing it gently, her eyes nearly begging her daughter to calm down as Sawyer looked about ready to smash her plate on the floor. "This is because of Sawyer's...situation," she said quietly.
The anger in my body instantly evaporated, replaced by concern for my best friend. I looked over at Sawyer, who was shaking her head, tears starting to fill her eyes. "I don't understand," I whispered.
Sawyer jerked her hand away from her mom, who looked hurt by the rejection. Her dad's deep voice answered me, a surprising softness in it. "She's been through a lot this last year and she doesn't need someone...like you...dragging her back down."
I bristled at the derogatory tone in the word 'you', but it was Sawyer who flew off the handle. "He doesn't drag me down, Daddy." Her hands flew up in the air as she glared between her two parents. "I'm doing better, you even said so yourself!"
Her mother reached over for her hand again, while my mom and I exchanged confused glances. I really had no idea what they were talking about. "That's because of your efforts, dear."
Sawyer pulled away from her hand again and shook her head, a tear dropping to her cheek. "No - it's because of him! I'm better because of him!" More tears fell and her voice started quavering. Not caring that her parents were denouncing me in front of her, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tight, my need to comfort her, stronger than any stern warning her father could give me. She leaned into my side as her tears flowed freely. "You can't separate us, Dad, we need each other."
Her pleading tone tore my heart and tears stung my own eyes. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew this moment was critical for Sawyer's and my continued relationship. If they forbade her from seeing me...I wasn't sure what would happen to me. "She's right...please?" I looked between her parents, begging clear in my eyes and in my voice.
Her father's eyes turned surprisingly sympathetic and nearly as tired looking as my own mother's eyes so often were. "We just don't want to see you hurt, Sawyer..."
I immediately answered for her, as I shook my head. "I'd never hurt her, she means everything to me. She's my best friend."
My mom, finally getting over her shock, started to interject, but Sawyer's mom placed a hand on her arm, staring intently at her husband, who seemed to be turning over my words. Finally, he slowly said, "Just...a friend, you have no romantic interests in her?"
Sawyer straightened from my side and wiped a hand across her eyes. "Dad!"
I ignored her protest and held his eye, knowing that this was the make or break point for her father. This was the way I could keep her close...by pushing her away. "No...no, I'm not interested in her that way. I'm with someone...else. I have a girlfriend."
The entire room silenced as my words sunk in. Sawyer minutely inched away from me, shrugging my arm off of her. I couldn't look at her, but I imagined that her face was confused, maybe even hurt. I glanced at my mother instead who kept looking at Sawyer with bewilderment clear in her features. She didn't know what I meant, she never saw me with anyone but Sawyer. She didn't realize I meant Lillian. Sawyer's parents looked between each other with surprised faces. Sawyer's mom looked at her, concerned, but her father looked at me, pleased.
"Oh, well...that changes things a bit." He smiled and leaned back in his seat. "Okay then, Sawyer, if being his friend means that much to you, I suppose we can support it. You have improved and maybe he is why..." He thought for a moment, while my mouth dropped open as I tried to understand what they were talking about. Just when I was about to ask a question, he smiled and leaned forward in his chair. "Okay, the short visits you had before would be alright - but short mind you." He pointed at me when he said that, and I swallowed and nodded.
I finally looked over at Sawyer, worried I'd hurt her, but she was eyeing her parents scornfully. "Well, thank you, Dad, for bringing that up here, like that, and completely embarrassing me." She stood and tossed her napkin on her plate. "The meal was wonderful, Mrs. West, please excuse me." With that, she left the table and walked outside, slamming the door shut behind her.