Ok, this is the first story I write in… a LONG time! I don't even know how I did it this time! Anyways, be good to me since I don't always write and I hope this doesn't suck completely.
This goes to Merds, cause I wrote it to her project. To Cas and Summer, since they argued so much about what I should write and in the end I didn't use any of their story… LOL And to Lynn, even thou she's MIA. I know she won't believe I wrote something. LOL Oh, and for Cibele (Kyra) for beta-ing it and always going "More! Write more!"
Disclaimer: I don't own OTH, cause those girls know that if I did… "oh" how good it would be. We'd have BL on 24/7!
Review, that's what keeps me going… bit since this is a one shot. Ok, enjoy the story. :D
The weather wasn't the nicest one in Tree Hill. It was a chilly and rainy night but still the main street of the small city was the busiest any Tree Hill citizen had ever seen. All thanks to Lucas Scott, the writer, and his second book being published.
He had talked to his publisher and said he'd only do the author's night if he could do it in Tree Hill and at his mom's cafe. And that's what was happening now. After sending out invitations to all his high school and college friends Lucas stood there, looking around the red decoration that matched the cover of the book and saw at least half of the people he invited and some other people who admired his work was there waiting for him to sign their copy.
Nathan, Haley and James were there already and right now were talking to Karen. Actually, Haley and Nathan were. James was running around chasing Lily. When he got tired of playing with Karen's little girl the little boy ran straight to Lucas and hugged his legs. "Uncle Lucas!"
"Hey, buddy! What's up?" Lucas asked the boy messing his hair.
"Mommy said it's a big night to you and that I should behave. Am I behaving?" He asked looking up to meet his Godfather eyes.
"You're behaving like a true… 5 year old, buddy! Just try not to hurt yourself… or anyone while playing around, ok?" Lucas said not having the heart to scold him from running around with his little sister.
James nodded. "Mommy also told me aunt Brooke will be here! Is she here already? I can't see her!" James asked excited about being around his godparents.
Lucas frowned. "I'm sorry, buddy, she's not here yet." Lucas said a little disappointed, matching the disappointed look he saw on his nephew's face.
Haley got a copy of his book and upon seeing the cover of the book she knew what it was all about. She then excused herself from talking to Karen and walked to Lucas and James.
"Are you giving your Uncle a hard time, Jamie?" Haley asked.
"No, Uncle Lucas said I'm behaving, right?" James said grinning at Lucas.
Lucas chuckled and Haley shook her head. "Right." Lucas agreed.
Haley held up a copy of Lucas' book. "Nice cover you have here, huh, Lucas?! Subtle too. I'll never get the title though. Colorblind?"
Lucas decided to pretend he didn't know what Haley was talking about. "What?! It's just a normal cover. And to get the title you'll have to read the book, Hales."
Haley nodded and opened the book, reading the preface. "Yeah, I see it's just a normal book with a normal cover. I'm just afraid the muse of your work is not gonna show up." Haley looked at him sad and Lucas tried not to show any emotion. They weren't together for more than 4 years, they've seen each other once in a while and it was all because of James. Why all of a sudden he missed her more than anything?! Maybe it was because James always brought up her and how he missed his Auntie Brooke, or how she was the coolest person on earth. These little things always got Lucas thinking how his nephew was right.
"I'm sorry, Luke." Haley said grabbing a hold of his left arm and caressing it providing some comfort to her brother in law.
He smiled at Haley. "That's OK. The night's supposed to be about the book, right?"
Haley nodded. "Right. And successful!"
Lucas kissed her cheek and walked to the table he was supposed to sit for at least an hour and sign the books.
---
After 2 hours of signing, people started to leave. His mother had already left with Lily since the girl was whining too much to stay there and wait for her brother.
Jake approached Lucas with a sleeping Jenny on his shoulder and Peyton by his side. "Hey man, we gotta go. Jenny couldn't handle being awake anymore."
"Thank you for coming, Jake. And don't be a stranger anymore." Lucas said shaking his friend's hand.
"No problem, man. I hope your new book's a hit just like the other one." Jake answered Lucas shaking his hand back.
"The same goes to you, Peyt." Lucas said hugging Peyton. "Thank you for coming." He added.
"It's always good to see everyone again." Peyton said and then whispered. "I'm sorry she didn't come."
Lucas nodded. "It was still worth it."
His friends smiled to him and walked to the front door where everyone could see it was still pouring outside.
---
After half an hour Haley walked to her friends a little too hyper for someone who had spent half the night running around a 4 and a half years-old. "Alright, we're also gonna go before James trashes the whole place."
Nathan walked right after her with a too much awake James on his arms. "…we can't go, I didn't see Auntie Brooke yet!"
"But we have to. Everyone's going to their houses already; we can't spend the night here." Nathan told the kid.
"But…" James started and Haley knew he wouldn't let it go.
"James, why don't you give Uncle Lucas a big hug and say goodnight to him, huh?" Haley said smiling.
"No!" James folded his little arms over his chest and stuck his bottom lip out.
"James…" Nathan started. He knew it was gonna turn into an argument.
The kid shook his head and was still pouting and with his arms folded over his chest.
"Alright, let him be." Haley said and then turned to Lucas. "Bye, Lucas. You're still coming tomorrow for lunch, right? Peyton and Jake are gonna be there too."
Lucas nodded, "Sure. I wouldn't miss it."
"Alright then, see you tomorrow." Haley said while hugging Lucas.
"See you tomorrow, bro." Nathan told Lucas knocking fists with him.
"You know, James, Uncle Lucas' really sad at you." Haley said and James looked at Lucas. Lucas nodded.
James shook his head. "He's sad because Auntie Brooke's not here, like me!" James then reached his arms to Lucas who got him only to gain a hug from the little boy. "Bye, Uncle Lucas."
---
Lucas waited till his publisher staff cleaned the place. All the red decoration, extra chairs and tables were put in a corner of the cafe and they'd pick it all up in the morning.
"Congratz again, Lucas! I'm sure your book will do great!" His publisher walked past him and patted his back. Lucas smiled and was turning the kitchen lights off.
He heard the door opening and then closing and without looking at it he shouted, coming out of the kitchen. "Tom, I told you your keys aren't here. Jonathan probably took…" Lucas stopped dead on his tracks when he saw the sight of the woman he wished to see the entire night
"H-hi Lucas." Brooke said in a low and raspy voice while closing her umbrella and leaving her trolley bag next to her. Her shoes were all wet from the rain and her hair a little messy too.
"Brooke…" Lucas said and stopped by the counter. "I thought you were not gonna come." He said truthfully.
"I wasn't sure I was gonna come either. I hope it's not too late though." The day Brooke got the invitation she was dead set she'd be there. The she spent the next week dreading if she was really supposed to go. By the time she made up her mind again about she found out she had to attend another event from her office in NY. And to top it all her flight got delayed due the rain which made her pretty sure she wasn't gonna be there in time.
"Well, the signing started 4 hours ago, but who's counting?!" Lucas said chuckling and a little mad at the thought she had considered not coming.
Brooke wasn't sure if she should step further into the coffee or not so she just stood there like a lost little girl. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. I'm sorry I should probably go."
She got a hold of her bag and turned around to leave when Lucas spoke again. It was not the first time he saw her walking away on him but he was really hoping it was gonna be the last.
"Why would you consider not coming? And when you're here, late, consider leaving then?!" He asked not really getting where she was coming from.
She stopped on her tracks and shrugged turning to look at him by the counter. "I wasn't sure why I didn't wanna come. But then I realized you were there for me when I needed it. When I graduated from college and when I launched my clothing line for Victoria's Secret the first time. It wouldn't be fair if I wasn't here."
"And yet you miss it…" Lucas said in a low tone but high enough so she could hear it.
"I'm sorry, Lucas. My flight was delayed and I had another event from my office this afternoon. If the weather wasn't so crappy I'm sure I was gonna be here on time." She said and Lucas could hear some desperation on her voice. Or maybe that's what he wanted it to sound.
"You're here now." He said smiling to her his Brooke Davis smile. The smile he reserved only for her.
"Ass, you were here giving me a hard time to just give up like that." She said walking to the counter. They hugged, or tried to hug since they were on opposite sides of the counter.
"It's not like I can stay mad at you forever." He said. "You want some mocha?" He said before she could comment on his previous sentence.
"Sure. I'm freezing here thanks to this awful weather." Brooke said sitting by the counter and putting her purse on the barstool next to her. "How was the signing, big famous author Lucas Scott? Where's the book?" She asked excited.
He handed Brooke her mug of mocha and put his on the counter. "I have some left over there." Lucas said signaling with his head to a table in the other corner of the room.
Brooke stood up from her barstool and walked to the table, grabbing a book. "Oh, I like the cover already! I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a hit!" Brooke said grinning. She walked back to the counter and placed the book on it. "But… Colorblind?"
"Do you like it?" Lucas asked unsure.
Brooke took a sip of her mocha. "Well, the cover's nice… but I'm not sure I get the title."
"Usually I'd tell you to read the book and find out… but I'll explain it to you." Lucas said also taking a sip from his coffee. "You know, colorblind people have some trouble seeing the colors. There are some of them that can't really tell the difference between green and red. And this boy on the book couldn't really tell the difference between… green and red, so to speak."
"So… he's colorblind?!" Brooke asked nodding.
"Kinda… not really. See, you have to read to get it." Lucas said almost desperate.
"Ok, then I'll read it and once I'm finished I let you know what I think." She said grinning.
Lucas nodded. Part of him was relieved she hadn't opened the book now but part of him was almost opening the book himself and asking her to read the preface.
There was no need; Brooke opened the book and started reading it.
She was fiercely independent. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave.
In two years she'd grown more than anyone I had ever known.
She is going to change the world someday and I'm not sure she even knows it.
This is the story of how red changed his world.
Brooke blinked a few times and read the preface once again to make sure she wasn't making up the words. The same words she read on Lucas first book and that gave her the strength she needed to believe she'd go great in college and after that. And she saw he was right.
"Lucas…" She started but she actually didn't know where to go from there.
"Yes?" He asked as if not knowing what she was gonna talk about.
"This… this is the same stuff you wrote about me in your first book… Wh-Why is it in here?" She asked afraid of the answer. They were good around each other in the past months and tonight was no different. They even got over the fact she was late and considered not coming. She didn't wanna ruin it.
"Yes, it's… it's the same stuff I wrote about you in the other book." Lucas said a bit confident and a bit nervous, if that's even possible. "Remember how… 2 years ago I said I had no inspiration to write another book? I didn't know what to write about?"
Brooke nodded waiting for Lucas to go on.
"So, it was the same time James got super attached to you, all he talked about was how great Auntie Brooke is and how much he missed her… and I realized he was right." Lucas sighed. "Auntie Brooke's indeed great; she's more than that actually. And I also missed her. It took me my nephew for me to realize that… that shows you how dumb I am."
Brooke shook her head trying not to lose it. And suddenly some of the things made sense. Like why he was mad she wasn't there. Or why he had called a day after she got the invitation for the signing to make sure she was gonna come.
As good as it was to listen to Lucas say it all and writing this book about her, or for what she read in the epilogue, about them, she knew it wouldn't work. With them it never did.
"Lucas… It's…" Brooke took a deep breath and ran her hands through her face. "I miss you too, I'm not gonna say I don't because I do. I miss our friendship and… hanging out with you, with everyone…"
"No, Brooke, you don't get it…" Lucas tried reasoning walking next to Brooke in the other side of the counter.
"I get, it Lucas. I think after you giving me two speeches and me falling for this over and over again, I finally get it." She sighed turning herself to him, who just took a seat on the barstool next to her. "We are not meant to be. We tried too many times and it never worked… The only way we work is when we're friends!"
"It's not and you know it, Brooke. Sophomore year we tried being friends and it never worked… Senior year we said we'd try and be friends… but we never kept that promise." Lucas said.
"No, you never kept the promise." Brooke said getting angry.
"And you know why? Because I knew it wouldn't last! It was too hard to be around you and know I couldn't keep on falling for you because you needed time. Dammit, Brooke, why do you make it so hard?"
"Because it is hard, Lucas." She said with gritted teeth trying not to cry. The whole time she thought he didn't care about her was exactly the opposite. "You can't write a book, with a pretty cover and some pretty words and expect me to come running back to you!" She yelled while she felt her first tear rolling down her cheek.
Seeing he had made her cry again broke his heart. It always did. "Then what it takes, Brooke?"
She chuckled shaking her head. "You can't ask me that Lucas and expect me to answer." She then put her right elbow on the counter and supported her head with her right hand.
Lucas stayed quiet for a minute and looked back at Brooke again. "Tell me you're happy in NY…" Brooke then lift her head and looked at him. "…on your own and alone there. Tell me you don't miss me, you don't miss my touch; tell me you don't feel a thing right now that you're crying. Tell me you think I didn't love you that much. Tell me you don't feel anything. I'll let you go and move on." Lucas tried one last time.
"I can't." Brooke said crying harder than before and Lucas had some tears on his eyes. The truth is that just like Brooke said she'd always love Lucas, she did. Even when she was with Chase, she knew he was a good boy to her or to any girl out there but he wasn't the right boy for her. Nor any of the other ones she tried dating.
That was all Lucas needed to hear. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't tell him anything that would make him move on and yet, they couldn't be together. In his mind it didn't make sense. All it made sense and felt right right now was to kiss her. To make sure Brooke stopped crying and was somewhat safe.
And that's what he did. Right after she finished her sentence Lucas went forward and kissed her a passionate kiss. Brooke resisted at first but to Lucas surprise she replied it with more passion he expected her to. He felt a tear roll down her face and put an arm around her neck, pulling her closer and she broke the kiss. She rested her head on his shoulder, next to his neck and Lucas dried the tears that were still falling. He then kissed her hair.
Brooke took a deep breath and turned to the counter, grabbed the book and rested her head back on Lucas' neck. She opened the back of the book and went to the final page of the story and took a moment to read it. Lucas was watching her the whole time.
After a few minutes she closed it and lifted her head to look at Lucas. "So, they got back together in the end?" She asked almost in a whisper.
Lucas nodded. "Yeah." He then put a string of her hair behind her ear. "Don't you know people that are meant to be together always find their way in the end?" He asked smiling at her.
Brooke remembered when they were younger and how it was her saying that to him. She remembered how she fell for him the first of many times back then. "Yeah, I know now." Brooke nodded while biting her lower lip and kissing Lucas again.