Falsities

Chapter Eight

Rowan's POV
The date was boring. I pretended I was having fun at the restaurant, but I just wasn't. Plus, it was weird that Peyton hadn't driven me on a date. It had been the first time in a very long time that an adult had to drive me to my date. I didn't like it, but that was just because I had gotten used to Peyton driving me everywhere.
I scraped my fork on my plate while Alex talked. He wouldn't stop talking. And smiling. I smiled twice, maybe, because the paparazzi were sitting outside the restaurant window, looking in and taking pictures of what was supposed to be a happy couple. I felt so conflicted inside. I was supposed to be distancing myself from Peyton, but this didn't make it better. Now all I wanted was to be here with him instead of Alex.
I pulled out my phone, unlocked it and opened instagram. "Hey!" Alex says, and I look up. "Are you even listening?"
"No," I tell him. "I'm also not going to be paying, so I'll meet you in the car." I get out of my seat and he grabs my wrist with full force. It hurts. It hurts a lot, actually.
"You could at least pretend you like me," he says. "The fate of your show and your friends careers do lie in my hands, I hope you know this." Ouch, ouch, ouch. I want to scream, but I figure that would create a scene. "So smile and pretend you have a crush on me, or they're going to find out about you and Peyton." He gestures towards the paparazzi. I give him a forced smile, even a small giggle. He drops my arm and I run out to the car, crawling into the back seat after fighting through a sea of paparazzi. I unlock my phone and tell Peyton I'm coming back to the studio now, then put it away and begin to rub my wrist. It hasn't stopped hurting, and I'm wondering if it will bruise in the morning as Alex joins me in the car. We are silent the whole ride back, and when we pull up to the studio, Alex follows me inside. I want to slap him.
Peyton is waiting by the door for me and accepts me gladly into his arms when I go to him. Michael, Joel and Dean are also standing there. "How was the date?" Joel asks.
"Boring," I say at the same time as Alex says, "Good."
Peyton smiles and runs his hand through my hair.
"She's a little young for you, isn't she, Meyer?" Alex asks cockily.
I turn around and both of us give him a dirty look, even though I know he's right. "Fuck off," Peyton says.
"Peyton!" Joel scolds.
"That was honestly necessary," Peyton says.
"Apologize," Joel orders.
"He doesn't need to apologize for that," I say, rubbing my wrist.
"Apologize," Joel says, "right now Peyton or Lucas is going back to Texas for a year and you two can deal with the fans." Damn it.
"Sorry," Peyton spits at Alex, who stands there smirking.
"Can we go?" I ask Michael. "I'm tired and I don't want to look at Alex anymore."
"Could you two at least try not to be rude?" Michael asks.
Peyton and I look at each other, then back at Michael before saying, "Nope."
Michael sighs. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. Rowan, I'll send you an email."
"Okay," I say, then turn and walk away. Peyton follows, catches up, and intertwines our fingers. I'm not sure what I'll do without him, when I let go of him and of us. He's my anchor. He's the reason I haven't completely lost it on Alex yet.
But I just can't. He can't be an eighteen year old with a fifteen year old girlfriend. That's not fair to him. I'm not ready to do what normal eighteen year olds do. Plus, when I do let him go, it will be better for everyone. We won't have to worry about the show ending and we won't have to worry about getting caught, because there will be nothing to catch.
We walk to my dressing room, and when we get inside we both change into pajamas. I get some lotion from my bathroom and rub it over my wrist. Since I left the door open, Peyton comes in and steps behind me. "That killed me," he whispers, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Knowing that you were on a date with him."
"It was forced. I would have much rather been with you," I tell him. He kisses my neck softly and I smile at him in the mirror.
What does he see in me?
I look down, at the sink and at my fingers, which are lying on top of Peyton's. He kisses my cheek before letting me go and walking into the main living space. I splash water on my face, take a deep breath and walk out. I lean on the doorframe and ask, "Why did you ask me out?"
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What do you think is gonna happen? How is Peyton going to react?