This one is for Bagilia. I hope you like it lovely girl!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.
Julian Baker wasn't a bad guy.
In fact, he was actually a really nice guy, and that was why he was sitting in the corner of one of the most popular clubs, Neon, in Los Angeles nursing a bottle of beer alone. The bar was infamous for attracting famous people—not exactly actors and actresses, but their agents and managers, the occasional supermodel and sport star, and several film directors and clothing designers. There were always attractive people in this bar, and yet Julian was sitting in the corner by himself, paying no heed whenever a pretty girl came him way. Maybe the correct terminology was that Julian once wasa nice guy—he had been a nice guy. And now, ever since Rachel Gatina, he was almost indifferent to females around him. She had gotten a small, non-speaking role in a film that he had co-directed with his father. The film had been a success, winning three notable awards and being nominated for many more, and Julian got a gorgeous girlfriend out of it as well. Rachel was absolutely stunning and when she smiled at him, it was like he was the only guy on the planet.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that Julian hadn't had eyes for anyone except the red-head, when she had been offered a role in another movie, she had moved on to the director of that one, pushing her non-speaking, twenty second appearance to being in almost half the film. The worst part was that this other director was almost twenty years older than Julian and a well-known jackass. As she had been packing her bags, Julian had shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest and asked why she was leaving, when she knew that this guy would only treat her like shit. Rachel had rolled her eyes and said that he was naïve if he thought that all a girl wanted was to be treated right. A girl wanted someone who could give her what she wanted, and keep her rolling in cash and pretty clothes. She had said that he was too nice, that he was boring, that she needed someone who kept her on her toes.
And now here he was, almost a month later, and had slept with more girls in those four weeks than he had in the rest of his life. He had been with Rachel for nearly twelve months, the longest relationship he had ever had, and he had thought he had been doing everything right. When she had ripped apart his belief system, he may have gone a little haywire. Julian had slept with every kind of girl there was, and had kicked them out on their asses the minute he was done. And what was worst, was that they seemed to like it. They would text and call him, come back for more—Julian didn't understand. He was treating them worse than he had ever treated a female before, and it turned out Rachel had been right. The worst he treated them, the faster they came back.
"Hey, handsome," the girls voice was so sugary it was as though it was laced with candy-canes. "Can I buy you a beer?" She was pretty enough, and he wasn't going to turn down free alcohol.
"Sure," he mumbled. She grinned and slapped down several notes on the bar, taking a seat next to him. He didn't listen as she bumbled on, his eyes flickering around the bar. Another girl shot him a smile, a prettier girl than the one next to him, and Julian made a mental note to seek her out later. Julian knew that he had already had more than his quota for the night of alcohol, but that didn't stop him from accepting another drink from the blonde. He continued looking around the bar, his eyes stopping on a lone brunette.
Now she was gorgeous.
Absolutely stunning. And when the bartender guy that most girls were tripping over themselves to flirt with asked her what drink she wanted, she spoke to him bluntly, gave a tight smile, and then looked back down at her phone. The bartender looked disappointment but quickly gave her a small tumbler of what looked like rum. Julian threw back the rest of his beer and slid off his seat, ignoring the little huffing noise the blonde made, and walked over to where the brunette was sitting. She shot him a look out of the corner of her eye before looking back down at her phone, effectively dismissing him. Julian felt his lips curve in a half smile before he leaned against the bar next to her.
"Hey," he murmured, moving in close to her so that she could hear him over the music. He saw her mouth tighten slightly and her shoulders tense up, but she continued to keep her eyes trained on her phone. "I'm Julian," he pushed on, that cocky smile still playing across his face. Finally, she licked her lips and swivelled around on her barstool to face him fully. For some reason, she seemed even prettier when her eyes narrowed at him.
"Right. You're Julian," her voice was husky, as though she was a two pack a day smoker, but from a quick glance down at her fingers and at her perfectly white teeth, he guessed there was a chance that was just her normal voice. "And you came over here to ask me, what, exactly? If I'm religious? Because I'm the answer to all your prayers? Or if my daddy is a baker, because I have a nice set of buns?" Her voice dripped heavily with sarcasm and Julian couldn't help but let his surprise show plainly on his face. Her lips turned up in a sneer as she slid off her barstool, tucking her phone into the little black purse she was carrying. "I screwed every guy in high school who acted like you—I would eat you for breakfast and spit you out. Get with the times, asshole." And with that, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the club, Julian staring after her.
He didn't forget that brunette from the bar—it wasn't like he thought about her obsessively, but every time he past a petite brunette on the streets or saw one sitting in a café, he did a double take. Julian knew the odds that he would actually see the brunette he was looking for on the busy New York streets were slim but he was still hopeful. And when he went back to the same bar two weeks later, he was rewarded with seeing her sitting across the bar, except this time she wasn't alone, there was another pretty girl with curly blonde hair. Julian took up his usual seat, where he could see most of the club, including the bar, and especially the brunette. His brain was turning over with what she had said to him last time, and he was trying to plan out how he was going to approach her. His chance came when her blonde friend got up and wound her way through the crowds in the direction of the bathroom. He tapped his hand down twice on the wooden bar top as he pulled together the courage to get up and talk to her, before making his way around the drunken dancers and around to her side of bar. She looked up with a wide smile when she saw someone appear at her elbow, obviously assuming it was her friend, and it froze when she saw him.
"What?" She snapped out, her persona completely changing. Julian licked his lips quickly before sticking out his hand, putting a good metre between them. She glanced down at it questioningly and then back up at him, making no move to take it.
"Hi," he began with what he hoped was an honest smile, something a little like his old smile. "I'm Julian." She continued to regard him with a frosty expression, but at least her expression relaxed more into a confused look than that of annoyance. "I think that maybe last time I came off as a little—"
"Douchey?" She supplied, but there was slight teasing edge to her voice. Julian felt his whole face light up when he realized that she was actually giving him a chance. He opened his mouth to continue when the brunette looked over his shoulder and a smile spread across her face. "P Sawyer! You ready to dance?" Julian turned around and saw the curly haired blonde making her way over, a warm but confused grin on her face when she saw Julian. He offered her a smile, but her attention was quickly switched back to her friend when as she skipped over to her.
Julian had never thought skipping was adorable before.
It had become an addiction. He went to Neon lights every Friday and Saturday hoping to see her, but it wasn't until nearly three weeks later that he caught a glimpse of the brunette again. She was alone, and as she settled at her side of the bar, her eyes instantly caught his and she allowed a small smile to curve those glossed lips of hers. Julian instantly got off his seat, wasting no time coming around to her side of the bar and snagging the seat next to hers.
"You move quick," she noted with a smirk.
"Third time's a charm," he replied with a grin. She nodded slowly.
"Okay," she pursed her lips and turned around the barstool so that she was facing him. She looked at him expectantly and for the first time in a long time Julian felt nervousness set in.
"I'm J-Julian," he began, almost stumbling over his name and feeling a nervous smile grace his lips. He shot her a look and realized that she was actually smiling at him, leaning forward slightly, a little dimple creasing her creamy cheek. "I've directed a couple of films with my dad, and I'm not going to tell you who that is, because people either love him or hate him and I don't want you to judge me on that asshole." She giggled at that and he breathed out a sigh of relief. "I've lived in New York for about five years now, and I'm still too scared to take the subway. I've never had Starbucks, because I refuse to pay over six dollars for a cup of coffee, and I'm addicted to strawberry jelly doughnuts from Dunkin' Doughnuts." He took a deep breath for his last comment. "I was with a girl for twelve months and then she left me for an old guy who makes more money who's an asshole because apparently I'm too nice and predictable."
"So…You won't pay more than six dollars for a cup of coffee," the girl noted and Julian blinked in surprise. That was what she had picked up from his little spiel? He had definitely not wanted to start a conversation about his ex, but that was usually what girls latched onto. "What about a seven dollar mojito?" She had an amazing, cheeky smile—it made her look untouchably innocent and yet absolutely alluring at the same time. "Buy me one and I might tell you my name." Julian's hand was up in an instant, attempting to get the attention of the bartender. He slapped down a ten dollar note, not caring about the change as a delicate glass was pushed across the counter. The girl caught it with ease, rolling the skinny straw between her fingers before putting it between her perfectly glossed and plump lips and taking a long sip. Julian managed to keep his thoughts clean until she finished the drink and her tongue slid out to run over her lower lip to catch any escaped alcohol. Then he definitely started thinking about her lips and tongue elsewhere and had to grit his teeth. She smirked at him as though she knew what he was thinking.
"So I laid down a tenner for that drink," Julian grinned at her, desperate to take his mind off her mouth. "Do I get your name now?"
"Brooke," she said, smiling widely, the dimples appearing on her cheeks once more. "Brooke Davis."
The name sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it.
"It was nice meeting you, Julian," that gorgeous husky voice made his name sound better than he had ever heard it before. She quirked another smile at him before sliding off her barstool and weaving her way through the crowds toward the door. Julian felt a ridiculous amount of joy when she glanced over her shoulder and their eyes locked onto each others. She gave him another quick smile before disappearing.
Julian knew for a fact that he had the biggest, shit-eating grin on his face.
Technology was an amazing thing. He put Brooke Davis' name into Google and it spat out a hundred search results and even more pictures. He realized why her name sounded familiar and he could have kicked himself. She was pretty much a self made millionaire, starting designing her own clothing at high school and then winning a bunch of shows before starting her own business. She had her own magazine, and was on a hundred billboard around the city, but he had never paid close attention as fashion wasn't exactly an interest of his. But Brooke Davis definitely was. There was a bunch of glamour shots of her, at movie premieres, award ceremonies or hosting fashion shows. She looked stunning in all of them, her eyes sparkling cheekily, her smile flawless. But his favourite photo was one that was taken about two or three years ago; it was apparently a leaked photo from one of her close friends weddings. She was standing with two other girls—he recognized the blonde as the one from the club with her—and another girl with long brown hair and a wide smile. It wasn't a professional shot, probably just taken on someone's personal camera. The girls were all wearing similar dresses—obviously all bridesmaids—and they were deep purple. It looked as though they were getting ready to pose for a photo but someone had distracted them and all three girls were laughing. Brooke was almost doubled over, looking up at someone off camera. Her mouth was in a huge smile and tears were gathered at the corners of her eyes. Julian grinned at the natural expression on her face and how happy she looked with her friends.
"Jesus Christ," he muttered as he stared at the hundreds of photos on the screen. "This girl's got me turning into a stalker."
It was two weeks later before Julian saw Brooke again, and it wasn't actually at the club but in the middle of an overcrowded movie premiere. It had been a crappy movie and Julian had been falling asleep for the last two hours. But the instant he caught sight of Brooke in a strapless, floor length, champagne coloured gown that dipped low at her back and had intricate beading around her chest.
What made it better was that she looked just as bored as he did.
"Brooke!" He called out her name, surprised that it carried across the room. She looked up, one eyebrow raised as she scanned the crowds. He managed to push through the crowds and was rewarded with a wide grin when he finally stopped in front of her.
"Julian!" She gave an excited squeak that made him grin even more. "Hey!"
"Hey yourself," he tried to tone down the fact that he wanted to smile so widely it would break his face. "Enjoy the movie?" Her gorgeous smile faltered slightly and she glanced around them.
"I fell asleep half way through it," she told his conspiringly. Julian laughed at that. "I only came because my mother wouldn't stop nagging me. One of her toy boys was in the movie—don't even ask!" She warned when she saw him scrunch up his nose as a question. "You do not want to know about my mothers exploits, I promise you.
"My dad was one of the financial backers for the film, so I really had no choice in the matter," Julian stuck out his lower lip in a pitiful expression that somehow managed to be cute at the same time. Brooke nodded and looked around, pursing her lips. He wondered momentarily if she was looking for someone more interesting to talk to when she leaned in and lowered her voice.
"I don't think anyone is going to notice if we leave now," she whispered. "You got a car here?" Julian nodded and she grinned that perfect, dimpled smile of hers that had his heart pounding. "Lets go."
"Where?" Julian asked as they slipped through the front doors and he grabbed his keys off the valet who's offer to bring the car around was quickly declined.
"I've got the perfect place," she murmured.
It felt as though they were driving forever, but Julian wasn't about to complain. It was a warm night, and they had the windows wound all the way down and Brooke had let her hair out, dumping an astonishing amount of bobby pins into the centre console of the car. It was blowing back in the wind and tangling around her face, and she was nodding her head to the music that was playing loudly through the speakers. Julian didn't know the song, but it had a fast beat and she seemed to like and so he was happy. Every now and then she would shout out a direction over the music before going make to tapping her fingers to the beat and occasionally singing along.
"Ooh, ooh!" She piped up, sitting up straight in her seat and pointing at an exit that was hidden by trees and the fact that the street light that was meant to illuminate the street sign was broken. "We're almost there. Take that exit." Julian slowed his Porsche down and turned down the skinny, bumpy road.
"Is this…Is this the part where you kill me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as they came to the end of the road and were met with more trees and bush. Brooke gave a one shouldered shrug and raised an eyebrow back, leaning in close to him.
"If you're scared, stay in the car," she replied, her eyes dark and her voice huskier than usual. Julian almost shivered at the way her words sounded. She got out of the car and headed into the trees, not bothering to turn around and look at him, although the swing in her hips gave off a confidence that made it seem as though she knew Julian was going to be right behind her. She kicked off her trees and gathered her dress before disappearing into the bushes. Julian jumped out of the car and made his way quickly after her, tossing his suit jacket off and in the direction of her shoes. When he caught sight of her gown tossed carelessly over a log he paused, glancing around.
"Uh, Brooke?" He called out.
"Hurry up!" Her voice came ringing through the woods and he pushed on, almost stumbling into a pond that seemed to come out of nowhere.
"You coming in?" Julian's eyes zoned in on the brunette and his lips curved upward in a boyish smile. She straightened up and he saw that she was wearing a black strapless bra which pressed up her breasts and made her cleavage look amazing. Not like it needed any help. Her hair was wet, plastered to her back and sticking to her neck, and her eye makeup was beginning to clump in the corners. But the smile on her face and brightness in her eyes gave her that same look as in the photo he had seen of her and had liked over all the others. It was a look of just plain joy, something that she didn't exude when she was dressed up in thousand dollar gowns and surrounded by people who wanted to pick apart her life.
He was kicking off his shoes and throwing off his clothes without a second thought, wading into the cool water in just his boxer briefs.
"Took you long enough," she joked lightly, twisting her body around so that she was floating on her back. Julian distracted himself from the back that her black lacy bra was teamed up with matching underwear by flipping onto his back as well, both of them paddling gently with their feet and hands to keep their bodies afloat.
"How did you find this place?" He asked her, his voice sounding so loud in the stillness of the night.
"When me and my bestfriend, Peyton, moved here after college, we moved from this little place, called Tree Hill," Brooke began, her voice sounding slightly dreamy. "It was where we had always lived, and when we moved here, we were totally taken aback by how big and how busy the city was. We wanted to find somewhere that we could, and just escape, and have it feel like home." Her lower body sunk and she paddled over to him, her arms stretching out in front of her. Julian straightened up as well, only just able to touch the bottom of the pond with his feet. "We looked forever for something that wasn't all touristy and then we found this place." She reached him and looped her arms around him, her legs sliding around his waist. She grinned as she held onto him and Julian knew he was grinning back like an idiot.
"Thank you for trusting me enough to show me," Julian told her honestly. Brooke tilted her head to the side as though deep in thought.
"Well, if you show anyone, you know I'll have to kill you," she replied honestly. Julian let out a laugh and Brooke joined in with a giggle of her own. As they quietened down, they stared at each other. He slid an arm around her waist to steady her, the other coming up to push a strand of wet hair away from her forehead. She pursed her lips together as she tilted her head into his hand, which he left at the side of her face, one thumb lightly brushing over her cheek. The smile dropped from her face and she chewed on her lower lip for a moment before saying,
"Some girls are just too young." Julian raised an eyebrow at her. "Your ex girlfriend? Some girls just…They have this mindset that they're stuck back in college and that the boys with the best car or the most money are the best boys to date. And usually if they like boys who are 'bad' then they're the type of girl who just cheat right back." Julian swallowed hard, wondering where this conversation was going. "I had my high school experience, I dated a hundred jerks, and then I grew up." She moved her face closer to his and Julian's arm around her waist tightened. She rubbed her nose against his, her lips whispering over his. "Nice guys don't always come last, Baker." He smiled at her, their mouths still only a hair-breadth apart.
"How you know my last name, Brooke Davis?" He asked, his voice thick.
"You think I just go off in the middle of the night with some guy I know nothing about?" Brooke grinned and he could feel her lips moving up against his. "Now, Baker boy, you going to kiss me, or what?" He didn't need another invitation, pressing his lips harder against hers, their mouths melding together. Their tongues flicked together in her mouth as she slid her fingers into his damp hair, pulling him closer to hers. Julian felt himself getting more and more aroused as she twisted her body against his, their bodies almost becoming one. His hand came around to touch the clasp of her bra and Brooke pulled away, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry, too fast?" Julian mumbled, dropping his mouth to her neck and sucking at the soft skin lightly. Brooke let out a little moan before pulling away and grinning at him.
"Like I said," she murmured, releasing her arms from around him and reached behind her back. Her legs tightened to keep herself upright and a moment later she held up her hands and he realized that she was holding up the saturated item that was her bra. "Nice guys don't always come last."
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I'm sorry about any mistakes!