Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.
English Proverb
The Makings of a Resolution
HE FINDS HER at the brand new Starbucks at the edge of town, knowing full well the reason she's there is for the anonymous setting it offers to her. She's sitting in the booth in the back corner with her English and French books scattered on the table and her gaze lingering anywhere but the books before her.
Brooke's never looked more beautiful in this moment.
He knows he regrets hurting her in these past couple weeks, but he'll never regret the time her spent with her. Brooke Davis is an enigma, he muses slowly making his way towards her table. She wears a carefully constructed mask to protect herself, surviving this far.
But Lucas wants to see more of the girl underneath.
He's seen her before.
The real Brooke Davis loves English Literature and manages an A in AP French, an impossible feat for anyone with Madame Cunningham. He wants to see the dancer and the laugher and the girl who swears up and down that the BBC's version of Pride and Prejudice is a brilliant movie.
But he can't.
He lost his chance.
He lost his chance to be with the girl that he's hopelessly in love with. He let her down.
That's why Charleston seems to be such a good idea.
He could come back a better person.
For Brooke.
"Lucas?"
Brooke's coffee-colored eyes are wide with surprise.
"Lucas, what are you doing here?"
He swallows nervously. "Can I sit?"
"I— um, sure," she murmurs. He watches as she reaches over and shuts her books. He wants to tell her not to because it's as if she's hiding herself from the rest of the world. But he's just as guilty of making her hide herself as well.
"So," she states softly. Brooke stares straight ahead and Lucas silently wishes for her to meet his gaze.
"I've screwed up haven't I?"
She laughs softly. "At least we finally agree on something, handsome."
"Brooke..."
"Look Lucas," she cuts him off. "I don't know how or why you found me. But I came here to get away from the drama, not to be followed by it."
"Maria," he responds quietly. "Your housekeeper."
Brooke's eyes close and she curses under her breath.
"Brooke," he tries again. "You have every right not to talk to me. But if you just hear me out for a moment..."
She leans back, a strand of hair falls into her eyes and his fingers itch to push back. She says nothing, but sighs, which he takes a signal to go on.
"I'm leaving Tree Hill."
Her eyes widen. "What?"
"I'm leaving Tree Hill," he repeats louder this time, carefully searching her guarded expression as it began to waver.
"Does Peyton know?" She responds finally. He watches as she begins to fumble with her pen cap and wonders if there was a double-meaning to her question.
"Not yet. Just Keith and my mom."
Brooke swallows and then shifts. Her lips tremble. "Why... why are you telling me this?"
"Because I have to." Because I want to, he adds silently.
She looks at him in surprise. "Lucas, you don't owe me anything."
He shakes his head and takes advantage of her surprise, taking her hand in his and gently rubbing his thumb against her palm.
"Luke..."
"I owe you a lot Brooke," he cuts her off. "This is—"
She wrenches her hand out of his grasp. The intensity of the loss of contact is overwhelming, so much so that he has to struggle to find words to speak again. But Brooke's faster.
"If you think that telling me that you're leaving Tree Hill is your twisted solution of handling things—"
"I'm leaving, Brooke," he cuts her off, slamming his hand on the table. "I'm leaving because if I stay things will get worse."
She's silent and he continues looking away.
"I can't stay in a place, where me not knowing how to handle things are making people's lives worse. I need a fresh start. I need to find the person that I've lost."
She says nothing, but he can feel her gaze burning into him as if she's searching for a motive beyond what he's just revealed to her.
"Where?" She asks finally.
"Charleston." He watches her carefully.
"Charleston," she repeats softly and he can feel his heart breaking. Lucas is surprised when she reaches out and takes his hand back in hers. "I hope you find what you're looking for."
He watches in amazement as her lips curl into the faintest of smiles, but a smile nonetheless.
"I will," he answers. "As long as there's something to come back to."
Brooke nods slowly and he realizes that this is a start, a start of what to look forward to.
Finished.
A/N: I took a little creative licensing with this one. I loved Brooke and Lucas, as you can tell, and I'm hoping that the two of them have some sort of resolution in the second season. Or at least there's some angsty unresolved tension that I can use for fanfiction. Remember reviews make the author very happy, so use that button.