Title: Memories
Disclaimer: None of this material is owned by me.
Summary: 4 years later, two people meet again.
Mouth had forgotten how much he loved this place. He had so many good memories here, at the river court. As he sat down on the old picnic table where he used to announce games between his friends, he felt at home for the first time in four years. It was a good feeling, being back. Tree Hill was where his heart was and always would be.
He couldn't help but wonder if he was the only one who remembered the promise that everyone had made to each other, to meet here after college or whatever. Had his friends changed so much that they wouldn't show up? Pulling out a worn copy of his favorite book from his jacket, he settled into a comfortable position. He sat there, for who knows how long, immersed in an interesting literary universe, before he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Somehow, I knew you'd be here."
He smiled behind his book before replying. "I was beginning to think I was the only one who was going to be here. Though I should have known Brooke Davis would remember."
"You bet your ass I remembered," Brooke said, standing with her hands on her hips. "Now get over here and give me a hug, Lips."
Grinning at her nickname for him, he got up to greet her. Brooke, not known for her patience, captured him in a firm hug. "I missed you so much," she said, holding onto him as though he might disappear.
"I missed you too, Brooke."
She finally released him after a few moments, springing up onto the table and patting the spot next to her. "Come here and tell me what you've been up to lately."
Sitting down alongside her, he related his recent adventures. "Not much actually. I've just been traveling around now that I'm done with college. Ended up back here, not knowing what I'm going to do with the rest of my life." He glanced over at Brooke. "What about you? Why isn't Chase here with you?" The flash of sadness on her face told him everything. "He didn't break your heart, did he?"
She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It just didn't work out. We didn't fit, I guess." Brooke leaned back on her arms, looking up at the stars. "Last I heard from him, he was engaged to a lawyer named Becky."
"I'm sorry."
Brooke shrugged. "He just wasn't the guy for me." She rubbed her arms against the chilly night air. "I forgot how cold it gets here at night."
Mouth picked up the jacket he had taken off earlier and handed it to her. "Thanks," she said, wrapping it around her shoulders. They sat there, enjoying the quiet and the companionship of each other for awhile. He had missed this, just being alone with her, whether they were talking or not. "Nobody else is coming, are they?" he asked abruptly.
"No, they aren't." Brooke swung her legs slightly as she thought about her friends. "I haven't heard from Rachel in over a year, who knows where she is. Lucas and Peyton are on their honeymoon, somewhere in the Bahamas." She nudged him with her shoulder, pulling the jacket tighter around herself. "Have you heard anything from Skillz?"
"He and Bevin are in Spain. He didn't get drafted by the NBA so he joined a European league. They got married in Italy a few months ago." Mouth smiled, remembering the pictures he'd received.
Brooke smiled as well. "Yeah, Bevin sent me a postcard from here along with a picture from their wedding day."
"The one with her licking cake off the side of his face?" They laughed together, the memory of the picture fresh in their minds.
Brooke's smile fell as glum thoughts entered her head. "I wonder if I'll ever find something like they have. You know, that kind of love?"
"Of course you will, Brooke."
"How do you know that?"
"I just know," Mouth said, as if there was no other possibility.
Brooke studied him for a minute. She was lucky to have somebody like Mouth in her life, somebody who would always be there for her, who'd never abandon her when she needed him the most. Sitting here with him now, she didn't like the idea of not seeing him everyday. He could always make her feel special, just by saying a few words.
"What about Nathan and Haley?" he said, cutting off her train of thought.
She rolled her eyes. "Tutor mom gave me some lame excuse about being too busy to come tonight when I talked to her the other day."
"You still call her that?"
"I'll always call her that. Just like I'll always call you 'Lips'," Brooke said, throwing him a quick wink.
He chuckled softly. "We're a sad pair, aren't we?" Seeing the confused look on Brooke's face at this impromptu question, he continued his thought. "Everybody else has moved on with their lives. Yet here we are, standing still, with nothing but our memories. Wondering if we've missed our chances at finding that special somebody. Not knowing what to do next."
The realization had struck her hard at that moment. They shared the same fears, the same doubts. How could she have not seen it before? The guy for her had been standing next to her the whole time, in the disguise of one of her best friends. She stood up suddenly, sliding her arms into his jacket. "We haven't our chance yet."
Mouth looked at her, surprised. "Our chance? Brooke..."
Brooke held out her hands to him, all her doubts gone when she pictured herself having a life with him. "Come on, stop thinking about it so much. Let's make some new memories, Mouth. Together."