5SOS Preferences and Imagines

Luke Asks Your Father For Your Hand In Marriage

LUKE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, HIS BREATH HITCHED IN HIS THROAT AT WHAT HE JUST DID AND WHAT WAS COMING AFTER. HE HEARD FOOTSTEPS NEAR THE DOOR AND IT OPENED REVEALING ONE OF THE VERY FEW MEN IN THE WORLD THAT HE WAS DOWNRIGHT TERRIFIED OF, YOUR DAD.

YOUR DAD GAVE HIM A WEIRD LOOK AND PEEKED HIS HEAD OUTSIDE, LOOKING TO THE LEFT AND THEN THE RIGHT BEFORE FALLING BACK ONTO LUKE. "NO, (YN)?"

LUKE SHOOK HIS HEAD. "NOT THIS TIME, I ACTUALLY NEEDED TO TALK TO YOU ALONE."

INSTANTLY YOUR FATHER STIFFENED, BASED OFF OF HOW LUKE STOOD AND THE LOOK ON HIS FACE, YOUR FATHER SENSED SOMETHING WAS UP, HE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO ADMIT HE KNEW WHAT IT WAS. "ALRIGHT, COME INSIDE. HER MOTHER'S OUT WITH A FEW FRIENDS, WON'T BE BACK UNTIL LATER SO IT'S JUST YOU AND ME." THEY'D REACHED THE KITCHEN TABLE, YOUR FATHER SITTING DOWN AND MOTIONING ACROSS THE TABLE. "SIT."

LUKE DID AS HE WAS TOLD, HIS HANDS IMMEDIATELY CLASPING TOGETHER, HIS FEET TAPPING AGAINST THE FLOOR, A MILD HEADACHE BLASTING HIS HEAD, IT WAS AMAZING HE HADN'T GOTTEN SICK YET, BUT WITH ANOTHER LOOK AT YOUR FATHER'S STERN FACE, LUKE WASN'T RULING OUT THE POSSIBILITY.

"WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON WITH MY DAUGHTER? IS SHE PREGNANT? WHY WOULD SHE SEND YOU IF SHE WAS?"

WHEN YOUR FATHER MENTIONED PREGNANCY, LUKE QUICKLY SHOOK HIS HEAD. "NO, SHE'S NOT PREGNANT. MAYBE IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE'RE NOT READY FOR THAT QUITE YET."

"SO IF IT'S NOT A BABY, WHAT IS IT? SHE ALRIGHT?"

"YEAH." LUKE NODDED. "SHE'S GREAT, I'VE ACTUALLY ARRANGED IT SO WE CAN COME BACK IN A FEW WEEKS AND SHE CAN SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOU GUYS."

YOUR FATHER TAPPED HIS FINGERS ON THE TABLE. "GREAT, I MISS THAT GIRL. NOW, FOR THE THIRD TIME LUCAS, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU AND MY DAUGHTER? WHY ARE YOU HERE WITHOUT HER?"

THIS WAS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, YOUR FATHER WAS GROWING AGITATED. ALL HE WANTED FROM ANYBODY WAS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT QUESTIONS AND HE'D GIVE A SOLID QUICK ANSWER. THIS WAS DRIVING HIM CRAZY ESPECIALLY SINCE THE BOY WHO STOLE HIS DAUGHTER'S HEART AND TOOK HER ACROSS THE WORLD WITH HIM WAS SITTING ACROSS FROM HIM, CLEARLY NERVOUS, ALMOST TO THE POINT HE WAS ABOUT TO GET SICK.

"I LOVE YOUR DAUGHTER MORE THAN ANYTHING, I TAKE CARE OF HER ON THE ROAD AND IF SHE NEEDS ANYTHING, I GET IT FOR HER IN AN INSTANT. YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HER, SHE'S OKAY WITH ME, I'D NEVER HURT HER. I ACTUALLY WANT A FUTURE WITH HER, A LONG AND HAPPY ONE. I WANT TO MARRY HER, AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR BLESSING BEFORE I ASKED HER. SEEMS LIKE THE RIGHT THING TO DO."

TRYING TO DENY IT SINCE THE MOMENT YOU WERE BORN, YOUR FATHER KNEW THIS DAY WAS GOING TO COME ALONG. HE'D PREPARED SPEECHES OVER THE YEARS AS TO WHAT HE'D SAY IF A BOY CAME TO THE DOOR ASKING FOR YOUR HAND, BUT NOW THAT IT WAS HERE, HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

LUKE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AS HE STARED AT YOUR FATHER, COULD SEE THE WHEELS SPINNING, SEE HIM PROCESSING THE NEWS. NOW HE WAS JUST HOPING HE'D ASKED IT THE RIGHT WAY, WAS IN YOUR FATHER'S GOOD GRACES ENOUGH TO GET HIM TO SAY YES.

THIS WASN'T GOING AS QUICKLY AS HE'D THOUGHT IT WOULD. SEVERAL MOMENTS HAD PASSED WITH NOT A WORD SPOKEN BETWEEN THE TWO, LUKE WAS GROWING MORE NERVOUS BY THE SECOND, HIS PALMS SO SWEATY THEY LEFT STREAKS ALONG THE TABLE, HE NOTICED AND WIPED THEM OFF ON HIS PANTS, LEAVING MARKS THERE TOO. DAMN! HE JUST COULDN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

SNAPPING LUKE OUT OF HIS TRANCE, YOUR FATHER CLEARED HIS THROAT. "I NEEDED TO PROCESS THAT, SORRY FOR ANSWERING YOU."

LUKE COULD ONLY GIVE A SHORT NOD, GLAD HE'D GOTTEN SOME KIND OF RESPONSE FROM YOUR FATHER THAT DIDN'T SOUND ANGRY.

"YOU WANT TO MARRY MY DAUGHTER. I KNEW FROM THE FIRST TIME I SAW YOU WITH HER, I'D NEVER SEEN HER THAT HAPPY BEFORE AND I'VE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES BEFORE, YOU LOOKED HAPPY AS HELL ALSO. FOR AS LONG AS YOU PROMISE TO NOT HURT HER, ALWAYS PUT HER FIRST, I GIVE YOU MY BLESSING LUKE. JUST TAKE CARE OF HER, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH SHE MEANS TO ME, SOMEDAY YOU'LL UNDERSTAND BUT UNTIL THEN, JUST TAKE CARE OF HER. SHE'S THE ONLY DAUGHTER I'VE GOT. YOU HURT HER, AND I'LL HURT YOU."

LUKE'S JAW DROPPED TO THE TABLE, YOUR FATHER SAID YES! HE COULD ASK YOU TO MARRY HIM. SLOWLY, HIS JAW PICKED UP AND A SMILE REPLACED IT AS HE STOOD AND SHOOK YOUR FATHER'S HAND. "THANK YOU, SIR, I PROMISE I'LL NEVER HURT HER."

YOUR FATHER STOOD AND WALKED LUKE TO THE DOOR. "NOW, WHEN YOU ASK HER, MAKE IT SOMETHING THAT SHE'S ALWAYS DREAMED OF, SHE DESERVES IT."

LUKE NODDED. "SHE DOES."