It had been a year since they'd last seen each other, Brooke did not really know what to expect as she was walking to meet Lucas Scott. He had called her early that day to let her know he was in New York City and wanted to meet up with her that evening, before that phone call today they hadn't spoken since the summer after they graduated from High School. When she saw his name appear on her cell phone she purposely did not answer it, how could she? He was the love of her life and also her best friends boyfriend. Well he had been her boyfriend but a lot had changed since then, and she was not sure that even though she wanted to see him tonight she could. Brooke sat thinking to herself after she had listened to his voicemail.

I still love him, and he is in New York… I wonder if something happened between him and Peyton? And couldn't possibly see him, should I call her and ask if everything is okay? He is MY friend too, I should not not go see him just because he's Peyton's boyfriend now…

She had contemplated going or not for hours as she got ready for a night out. Even on the walk to the bar she was not sure if she was actually going to go inside or not. She was afraid it would just bring all the pain and hurt back that she had just recently gotten off her mind. And then in an instant it all came rushing back to her, the butterflies and heartache. She did not know how the mere sight of one boy could cause her so much pain and yet make her the happiest she had been in a year.

"Mr. Scott there's a women here, she said you'd know her from Tree Hill?" the waiter said to Lucas.

"Brooke!"

"Lucas you look amazing! What do I have the pleasure of having you in New York for?" Brooke asked, he hadn't really made it very clear as to what he was doing here when he called to ask if she'd meet him.

"Well this-" He pointed around the bar," Is my uh…I guess publishing party?" Lucas wasn't even sure what it really was.

"Did they pick up your book? Oh my god Lucas that's so amazing! I bet Peyton is so excited!" Brooke trailed off for a second thinking to herself.

"Where is Peyton, Luke?"

"She didn't call you today?" Now Lucas looked just as confused as Brooke.

"No, why should she have?" Brooke had a very questioning expression on her face, what had happened that Peyton should have called her?

"Peyton and I broke up this morning Brooke, and your best friend didn't even call to tell you about it!"

What? What did he just say? They broke up? Brooke couldn't believe what he had just said to her.

"What happened? You guys seemed so happy when I left Tree Hill."

"Brooke that was over a year ago." Lucas stated

"Yeah?"

"Has Peyton even called you in the last year or for that matter returned an email?"

"Lucas, that's not fair were all busy trying to get our lives figured out right now, I haven't spoken to you in the last year either."

"Brooke can we go some where, I don't know a little more private? And talk about this."

"Yeah, sure. We can go back to my place."

As they walked to her apartment they really didn't talk much, all Lucas would say is that they would talk about everything when they got to her apartment. She could sense that he was very upset about everything, and really wanted to know what happened. What could have happened to the 'soul mates', the two people that she loved most in the world, that destroyed her to be together, broke up? Brooke just couldn't grasp what could have happened to them. Finally they reached her apartment, she was dying for Lucas to spill what had happened.

"Ready to talk yet?" Brooke asked, she didn't want to push him because she knew he would open up to her when he was ready.

"You know I had actually thought about asking her to marry me this morning?"

WHAT? Please tell me he's joking, he couldn't marry her they haven't even been dating that long. Brooke thought to herself, or course she would never say anything bad to either one of them because then she'd look like she didn't want them to work out. She had to pretend everything was okay or else she'd feel bad for coming between them and their love.

"And why did you want to do that? Do you really think either one of you is ready for marriage?" Brooke asked, she tried to keep a neutral tone so that Lucas wouldn't hear the anger/joy in her voice. She was angry that he had thought Peyton was the one when he had tool Brooke he was the one for her, but she was also joyful that they had broken up as bad as that may sound.

"I guess I was just trying to hold on. I knew we were slipping apart, and for the first time in the last year I realized we just weren't 'meant to be'."

"What made you think you guys weren't meant to be?"

"Brooke… I've seen her twice in the last year, we talk on the phone maybe once a week, and I'm lucky to get an email every few days. That's not a relationship, it's a security blanket."

Brooke couldn't believe what Lucas said, she couldn't even think of something to say back to him for a few moments. What do you say when the man of your dreams just tells you everything you've been wanting to hear for the last year, but you know what you have together won't work.

"Lucas I'm really sorry, I don't even know what to say…" Brooke trailed off again lost in her own thoughts.

As he looked at her, all his old feelings suddenly came rushing back to him. He didn't even know why, it had been a long time since he'd felt anything more then platonic towards Brooke, but I guess it's hard to have feelings for someone when you only communicate through emails. He hadn't seen that smile of hers in a year, or he kink her eyebrow while trying to be cute. Lucas knew he needed to do something, lighten the mood, just hang out with Brooke Davis, yeah I'm the guy for you. Then he just blurted out, "Let's go get drinks or go to a club or something!? Your Brooke Davis, you must have some strings you could pull." Lucas said with a smirk.

"Well, let me go get changed and we can go to my favorite spot. But don't you think for one second your going to get off without telling me the rest of the story!"

As she went to go get changed Lucas looked around her apartment, he saw a lot of pictures from High School, not too many of him and her together. Which he thought was funny because even though he had been dating Peyton he still kept his pictures of her, she was his Pretty Girl, and nothing could change that. Brooke finally reappeared in a cocktail dress with her make-up freshened.

"Alright Broody, I'm ready to go!" Brooke joked.

"Hey now Cheery don't get me started." Lucas fired back.

They walked and talked for a while, nothing too meaningful Brooke was waiting until they got to the restaurant to get into the good stuff.

"Brooke what is this? This isn't a bar or club?" Lucas looked confused as she walked him into her favorite place in Manhattan.

"I know Luke, but this place is really good and I'm staving!" She pleaded, " Please, please, can we stay?" They both broke out into laughter, it had been a long time since she'd acted this way with him.

"Anything for you Brooke." A smile broke out on Lucas' face.

"Nice, I think I've heard that before…"

They finally got a table a few minutes later, Brooke might be an up and coming fashion designer but she wasn't the most famous yet, so it took a little while since they didn't have reservation.

"Brooke I thought you were 'making it big'?" Lucas joked with her, as she hit him.

"Your book hasn't been published yet Mister!"

Once they were seated Brooke started asking question, she really wanted to know how long he was going to be in New York, and still wasn't very clear on what had happened with Peyton.

"So, tell me Lucas, how long do I have the pleasure of having you in New York City?"

"Well I really don't know yet. Lindsey, my editor, said she would explain everything on Monday, but she did say that it would take a year to get my book completed. So I guess a year." Brooke couldn't help but smile, Lucas Scott in New York with her for an entire year, how did she get so lucky!

After they finished eating, Brooke ordered them both a few cocktails.

"See this is what I'm talking about!" Lucas said as he drank his first margarita.

"Jimmy makes the best margarita's in Manhattan!" Brooke stated as she raised her glass in the direction of the bartender, who Lucas assumed was Jimmy.

"Okay tell me Mr. Scott, why didn't you propose to Peyton this morning?" Brooke couldn't help herself from asking, plus she knew the more liquored up she got him the more he would tell her.

"Well she said no before I even got the chance to ask her." Lucas looked genuinely sad as he said this.

"What? Did you have a ring? Wait how did she say no if you didn't ask?"

"I had a ring." Lucas then dug the ring box out of his pocket and showed Brooke the ring, which was funny, because it was actually a ring his Mother had given him while he was dating her. It was never intended to be for either girl at the time, Karen had just given it to him for 'Someday'.

"Luke!" Brooke squealed as she looked at the ring. "This is just… Gorgeous!"

"Yeah, you should recognize it." Brooke then looked at Lucas with a questioning expression on her face, as she was lost deep in thought.

"This is Karen's engagement ring from Keith…" She finally figured out. "I'm at a complete loss for words Lucas…" Just then the waiter came with another round of drinks, he stopped and saw the ring Brooke was holding in her hands.

"Congratulations!" the waiter yelled to the bartender, "We have an engagement in the house, bottle of champagne on the house!"

Brooke and Lucas both looked at one another in complete shock neither one really trying to correct the waiter's mistake. Brooke looked at Lucas and said "What the hell? Champagne on the house." As she slipped the ring onto her finger, they both started to laugh. After that there really wasn't much serious talk, mostly just them taking a trip down memory lane and drinking, which with these neither one was good. After a few long hours of drinking and talking Brooke decided it was time to take Lucas back to his hotel room, after all she did have to get up in the morning and go to work.

"Brooke, what do I do now?" Lucas asked.

"What do you mean Luke?"

"Now that I don't have Peyton anymore, what do I do?" Lucas looked so sad, Brooke couldn't help but feel for him because she knew exactly how he felt.

"Well… You could do what I did. After we broke up I was lost, heartbroken. That's when I started Clothes over Bro's, I threw myself into my work so I wouldn't have to think about how much I was hurting." Still am hurting. She thought to herself.

Just then Lucas looked into her eyes, deep into those beautiful eyes, and began kissing her. At first Brooke was shocked, didn't know what to do, or how to react.

Do I kiss him back? Or stop him? I don't want to stop him… So she decided to kiss him back, it felt right, it always had felt right.