Lucas sat on his bed with his laptop sitting in front of him. He was trying to focus on his term paper, but it just wasn't working on him tonight. And it was even an easy subject. All he could think about was her; she was upset, and he couldn't be with her to help her anymore. They'd broken up. Actually, she broke up with him. He'd even thought he'd loved a girl other than her. Boy, was I off, he thought to himself. It wasn't just that easy though. He couldn't just be happy without her being with him; even though she told him to. "I need you to be happy." And she broke up with him; that wasn't how to make him happy, contrary to what she believed. She believed he was in love with her best friend.

Peyton Sawyer. Was it bad that now everytime he thought of her, he thought of Brooke? Being with Peyton killed Brooke. And the hurt in Brooke was killing him. He was in love with her, not Peyton. So why was he just letting that pain in Brooke be?

Lucas shut his laptop immediately. He looked at his wall, which contained a mirror of himself. He saw a stranger that he didn't like, so he rolled over and picked up his phone, pushing 1 on his speed dial panel.

"Hello?" Brooke asked raspily. Who is calling me at 1 in the freaking morning? she'd asked when she heard her phone vibrating against her dresser; actually, Rachel's dresser, but that was besides the point. When she picked it up and looked at the screen, she saw Lucas's name. She debated on and off at whether or not she should answer it. But we're friends now, right? I can answer it...she thought.

"Brooke," he said with relief. "Did I...wake you up?"

She swallowed heavily and pushed her hair back out of her face, as she sat up in her bed. "Uhm, no. No, I couldn't sleep actually," she said with a soft, innocent chuckle to make him disregard any thought of thinking she was up because of him.

"Oh, good."

Brooke furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her clock, waiting for him to talk. 1:07 it read.

Lucas swallowed hard and pushed back what sanity he had left back. "Brooke, can I come over?"

"What?" she said. "Lucas, it's 1-"

"I...I know," he said quickly. "I know it's late, or early, whatever." He laughed. What am I doing? "I just...wanted to make sure you were up before I come."

"Is something the matter, Lucas?" she asked with seriousness. This wasn't like him at all; more of something she herself would do, yes. But not him.

"No, no. Nothing's wrong. I just think we need to talk," Lucas told her.

"Oh. Uhm...all right." Brooke bit her lip. Was this good or bad?

"Okay? So I'll be over soon."
"Wait. Rachel's parents are home though," Brooke said quickly.

"Since when?"

"I don't know; I came home last night and they were here," Brooke said. "I'll meet you at the door?"

"That's fine," he said. "Be there soon."

Brooke shut her phone and looked down. Did she just make a mistake? "What does he want?" Brooke asked out loud, but to herself.

Brooke put on some sweats and pulled on a black fleece pullover. She sat back down in her bed, wrapping her covers around her. Why am I acting like this? Brooke got up and shook off. "Calm down, Brooke. It's just Lucas, and you love him, right? You can just talk to him; you have before." Brooke walked over to her window and sat down in the window seat, watching for any signs of Lucas. It was 5 minutes before she saw him walking down the sidewalk. "Why are you walking?" She jumped up and walked out of the room, down the stairs, and tiptoed to the front door. Rachel's dad was laying asleep on the couch; heaven forbid him actually sleeping in the same bed as his wife for once.

Brooke quietly opened the door as she saw Lucas through the window of it, and shut it behind her; doing all of this without looking at Lucas once. "Lucas, this is ridiculous. Everyone's asleep, and it's dark. This could've waited til morning," she complained in a whisper.He laughed to himself, just watching her uncomfortably move about on the porch in the dark. He could see only the side of her face by the light of the moonlight.

"Not to mention it's freezing out here," she went on.

Lucas laughed again, this time out loud so she could here it.

She finally looked at him. "What? What're you laughing at? You get me out of bed at 1 in the morning, and drag me outside, and now you're laughing?"

"I had to laugh. You weren't looking at me," Lucas said.

Brooke crossed her arms to her chest and leaned against the house. "Well please hurry, because I do need to sleep."

Lucas put his hands in his pockets. He didn't know what to say. "Brooke, I...don't know how to say this."

Brooke put her arms down. That's not how she wanted this to start, that's for sure. "Are you all right?"

And all she's concerned about is me, Lucas thought to himself. "Yeah, I think so."

She nodded as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Lucas just talk to me. It's just me," Brooke said. "You can tell me...anything." She swallowed hard as she finished that; maybe she didn't want to hear just anything.

Lucas nodded his head and sighed. "Brooke, you know I still love you..."

Brooke felt her knees starting to shake.

"...right? You know that."

"Yeah...I guess. I mean, except you told me you weren't the guy for me..."

Lucas held his hand up for her to stop. He winced as he heard her speak the words of his biggest mistake.

Brooke bit her lip as she slowly put her cold hands in the pockets of her jacket.

"Brooke, I'm in love with you," Lucas told her flatly.

Brooke swallowed hard as she felt warm tears start to swell up in her eyes. "Luke," she whispered. "No you're not."

He nodded. "I am."

"You're with Peyton, Lucas," Brooke said lowly.

Lucas shook his head. "No. I'm not, Brooke. I'm with you," he said. "My heart. It's with you. I thought it wasn't, but it is. It's with you."

Brooke started to tremble more, from a mixture of her feelings and the cold.

"Brooke, I want to be committed to you. I want to know that nothing else will ever come between us," he said.

I love you, Lucas. Brooke told him in her mind. But she didn't say it out loud.

"Do you love me?"

Yes, she said in her mind again. I do. I'm in love with you. Brooke just watched him.

"Brooke," Lucas said. "Will you...marry me?"

"What?"

"We don't have to get married right now. But, I want you as my fiancee. We can engage ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives; showing you that I'm never going to let anyone come between us ever. Again."

"Lucas," Brooke said. She held her arms out to his hands; he slowly held onto them tightly. "We're eighteen."

"Do I even need to spring the Haley and Nathan example on you?" he asked with a laugh.

Brooke looked away and sighed. "We're not Haley and Nathan. We're you and me. And...Peyton."

"There's not a Peyton in this anymore, Brooke. Not to me," he told her. He raised his hand and pushed her hair back out of her face

Brooke shook her head, biting her lower lip again.

"Say something, Pretty Girl," he said.

Brooke's eyes fell down to her feet, and finally she spoke. "Okay."

"What?" Lucas asked, not believing she just said it.

Brooke looked up into his eyes. "Okay," Brooke said. "I will."

"You'll...?"

Brooke nodded. "Yes."