So, this story sort of starts at the end. It will be a multi-chapter fic leading up to this moment and then concluding. I'm really excited about this one!
He moves toward her with calculated steps as he places his hands in his pockets. Suddenly, the uncertainty of the past few weeks has been overshadowed by an undeniable air of confidence. It took him eight years but he was finally assured in what he wanted; moreover, what his heart wanted… or needed… or both. He wanted Brooke Davis. He needed Brooke Davis. He knew that much was true. He could deal with the rest of it later, but right now he needed her to know that.
The corners of his mouth softly curled upwards as he took her in. She was twirling their god son around on the dance floor. Jamie seemed to be completely enthralled by his aunt. 'You're not the only one kid,' he thought. Her hair fell in perfect, loose waves past her shoulders. Her skin appeared porcelain against the contrast of her black dress. And then she smiled in a way that only she could. As her dimples appeared, his pulse quickened. He loved her. He was in love with her. And he realized that he never really had a choice in the matter.
"Jamie, do you mind if I steal your Aunt for a dance?"
The smile fell from her face as she appeared to be hesitant to partake in whatever trick he had up his sleeves. It didn't matter thought Nothing was going to deter him from what he was about to do.
"Ugh, Uncle Luke, I just got her!" His nephew whined as he found it endearing how much the small boy loved his aunt.
"I know. I know, but your mom has a big piece of chocolate cake waiting for you. Just figured I'd let you know. I can just go have it if you want to stay here though." He mocked turning around to leave when he heard Jamie whiz by him running toward his mother.
"I'll be right back Aunt Brooke!" He yelled over his shoulder as he retreated away from them toward his mother.
"Hm, why do I feel like Haley didn't say that?" A small smile played on her lips quickly as he turned to see Haley sending him a death glare from the desserts table. And just as quickly as she smiled appeared it was gone.
"I might have embellished that story a little. Dance with me."
Her entire posture seemed to stiffen. To most, those three words were merely an informal invitation. To them, however, it meant so much more.
"Dance with me."
His heart plummeted into the bottom of his chest. He could see in her eyes that this was the beginning of the end. He would hold on forever, that is until she told him to let go. And he had an eerie feeling that she would do just that.
Holding her petite figure against his chest, he tried to take in this moment.
"Did you miss me while you away?"
Her voice emanated vulnerability and he wanted to tell her that it would all be okay. He just wasn't sure if that was true.
"Everyday. I was just angry and upset about Keith and I just needed to be alone. But, that doesn't mean that I didn't miss you, Brooke, because I did."
He tried to exude his very feelings in his voice and show her in his eyes that he had meant every word of that. But her otherwise bright eyes were clouded with uncertainty.
"I needed to hear your voice. There's just so much stuff going on with me."
"What kind of stuff?"
After a brief pause, she leaned up and kissed him. And as questions swirled through his mind, he decided to brush them off for now because kissing her felt so right. If he could hold onto to this one perfect moment with her, then he would at all costs. And as she pulled away from him and nestled her head into his chest, he rested his own head against hers. And he prayed that this wasn't the end. He wasn't ready for that. He wasn't sure if he ever would be.
"Dance with me, Brooke." He repeated his words with a soft, encouraging tone as he extended his hand. Watching her eyes dance with inner debate, she looked down fiddling with her fingers before finally obliging. Taking her hand in his own, he held rest one hand on the small of her back drawing her closer with the other.
"You can't ask me to dance, and expect everything to be okay, Luke."
"You can't expect me to just walk away from that night… from you."
She scoffs sadly mirroring the disappointment in her eyes that he has caused her so many times.
"Sure, I can. I've seen you walk away before." Her jaw quivered softly at the end of that sentence, and his heart split in two.
"We would be so ignorant to believe that the past has a hold over our future. Someone once told me that people that are meant to be together always find their way in the end."
"I'm not sure if that girl that said that even exists anymore."
"She does. You know what, I think we're both in there… deep down. And it took you to wake me up. I felt myself again that night."
She didn't pull away. She didn't say a word. Instead, she just stood there. And it took him back.
4 months earlier
"God, Brandi is such a little bitch." He watched Brooke's trance as she spoke vehemently about this character on one of those real housewives shows that for the life of him he couldn't remember the actual name. He laughed realizing that it was audible and not just in his head as he had originally intended. She turned her head meeting him with her large dimples.
"What?" She giggled.
"I cannot believe you watch this." He continued to laugh as he shook his head at her.
"Well, I cannot believe that you read, but I never say anything about that do I?" She spoke with mock disdain as her smile returned to her face. "Besides, I don't see you asking for me to turn on Sportscenter In fact, you've been watching contently over there." Her eyes lit up mischievously as she fed herself another piece of sweet and sour chicken.
"Once upon a time, I didn't see you complaining much about reading either. Steinbeck would back me up on that one." Two could play this game. He reciprocated her own laughter as she threw a pillow at him.
"Okay, Mr. real housewives. Touché." She saluted him with her chop sticks. "So, do you think we can drag those friends of ours out this weekend?"
"Hm, I'm sure with some serious coercion that may be a distinct possibility."
"Well, I happen to be very coercive. I mean, God, without me you would have run away to the Sin City."
"And I owe you my life for that."
She smiled seemingly pleased with herself.
"And don't forget it."
He's not sure he ever would.
His legs shook incessantly as nerves coursed through his body. Scanning the throngs of people who moved throughout the terminal, his hopes of her arrival seemed to dissipate with each passing minute. Grabbing his lone duffle bag in disappointment, he slung it over his shoulder staring at the two plane tickets in hand.
"Luke!"
His head jerked up at the sound of the raspy voice. She came. Relief pooled in his chest as he greeted her in a hug. Pulling away, he realized she had no bags.
"Care to explain the 'let's go to Vegas' phone call?"
"You don't have any bags." He said ignoring her question all together.
"And you don't have a clue. Luke, come on. What are you doing? You think running away is going to help? It won't. Believe me."
He dropped his head realizing that she was right. And despite that, it didn't mean that he wasn't saddened that she was.
"I needed to get away. I needed to get away with the one person who I know would give me the truth even if I didn't want to hear it. That's why I wanted to go… with you."
Her features softened staring up at him.
"Well, you're in luck. I just did give you truth that you didn't want to hear. And whatever you need, I promise I'll help you do here. You just need to stick it out, Luke. Trust me."
And he did; trust her. So, just like that, he turned to the trashcan that occupied the space next to him and ripped the two tickets softly before turning back to face her.
"Let's go home." He whispered as he held his hand out to her. "I need some serious Brooke Davis life intervention."
"I can help you with that. It all starts with a little Ben and Jerry's." She flaunted her signature smile at him as she placed her hand in his.
"I still owe you that promise, too."
"What promise is that?"
"You rescued me. You keep on doing it. Let me do it for you."
She tilted her head attempting to suppress her own emotions. Forming a tight lipped smile, she squeezed his hand in her own.
"Let's get out of here."
Walking away hand in hand from an averted mistake, he felt content for the first time in a long time.
"Well, I should head home, and I'm not suggesting that you bring me fro-yo or anything like that to work tomorrow for me or anything like that, but … it wouldn't hurt since you owe me your life and all."
Her sentence pulled him away from his reminiscence as he nodded smiling at her.
"I may be able to arrange that."
"Well, you are just the greatest friend in the whole world." She sauntered toward him as she kissed his cheek quickly before grabbing her bag that lied next to the door.
Friend.
The word replayed in his mind. It was a word that had continued to plague him. Not in life, but certainly concerning Brooke Davis. His shoulders slumped as she called out from the door.
"See you tomorrow, broody boy!"
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he tried to shut off the recurrent thoughts that trampled his mind. And as he gathered the Chinese food containers scattered in his living room, he led himself to his bedroom where he was sure to lay restless thinking of that very word.
Friend.
And he's not sure when or how this happened, but he knew one thing: the tides had turned, or maybe returned. He knew exactly why he didn't have the answers Peyton wanted him to have. It was because he didn't want Brooke Davis to be his friend. He wanted so much more than that.