First chapter complete! WOOHOO! And hey, if anyone feels like being a kind of beta for me, I would love some feedback! Anyway, just let me know what you think of it or whatever. I don't really want someone to correct the chapter grammatically, unless of course they want to, just someone to read through it at tell me if it makes sense or not and what not.
Chapter 1
It Wasn't Over
August 9, 2009
12:24 p.m.
It was ridiculous, really. Why would Julian and Peyton request to meet Brooke and Lucas at the same time for lunch on the day they returned? Brooke didn't get it. Why wouldn't they want to meet separately? It was hard enough trying to forget about what she and Lucas shared without having him in her face constantly. How could she appear normal when just the presence of him made her knees weak and her palms sweat?
She went late, hoping that by the time she got there, Julian and Peyton would already be there, so she wouldn't have to be alone with Lucas. Unfortunately, Julian and Peyton were later than she was. And when she saw Lucas for the first time in two days, she was suddenly glad no one was around to see her reaction. Because she had to stop mid-step and catch her breath. Her stomach flip-flopped, and her heart dropped, because as much as she wanted him, she can never actually have him again.
He can feel her coming before he can actually see her. Brooke Davis had presence, and Lucas Scott had an internal alarm for whenever she was about to appear. It had been two very long days since he'd seen her. She requested that he didn't come around so that she could adjust to not being able to have him before the other two showed up. He protested, God did he protest, but inevitably, he gave in to her. Because he would always give in to her. And after two long days, it was breathtakingly refreshing to see her once again. She was nervous, he could tell, but he also caught that she had to stop and catch her breath before she could approach him.
He was so in love with that girl.
She cleared her throat as she took the seat across from him. "No Peyton or Julian?" She questioned, trying to avoid his eyes. If she avoided his eyes, she could stay the least bit sane.
"They called," he nodded, his hand venturing slowly across the table, needing to touch her. She scooted back farther, even though her need was just as great as his. "I've missed you so much, Pretty Girl."
"Lucas," she cut her eyes at him. "Don't." She shook her head. "What did they say?"
He didn't want to tell her yet that they had been delayed, and would not be returning that day. The sooner he told her, the sooner she would take off. And he wanted more time with his Pretty Girl. He needed more time with his Pretty Girl.
"Brooke, don't pretend when it is only me," he begged.
"It is not only you, Lucas. Look around," she gestured around them. "Any one of these people will tell on us." She diverted her eyes. "And it's just too hard."
"It doesn't have to be," his tone dropped to just above a whisper. "We can leave them. We can leave them, keep us secret for a while, and then eventually tell them we just kind of happened. Because we did, Brooke, just kind of happen."
"They'd never understand," she shook her head, adamantly. "They would never understand, and I wouldn't either. We can't do that to them. Do you know how long I have been best friends with Peyton? Do you know how long I have been with Julian?"
"Same as me, Brooke. I get it. I know how much it'll destroy them, but I also know how much it'll destroy me having to watch you and him kiss and hold hands. I can't watch him claim you as his. I'll go crazy."
"We have to deal with it," her hazel eyes met his blue ones. "We have to, because they deserve it and we don't. We cheated, Lucas. That is so…low. How could we ever behave that way?"
"I don't regret it," he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't regret any minute of it because," he sat forward and put his elbows on the table, "because, I have never felt more alive than the time I have spent with you. I have never felt about Peyton, the way I feel for you. I think we've spent the last three years of our lives with the wrong people."
"No we haven't," she looked away from him. "If we hadn't been with them, we would have never met."
Lucas was relieved to hear her talk that way, because he was becoming more and more afraid she truly didn't feel what he felt. She had been so adamant about not being together, that it was impossible, that he himself was starting to back down. But, it was hard to let go of such strong feelings. Feelings so strong that he was sure she was it for him.
She was trying to stay strong. She needed to stay strong. After everything that she had been through with Julian and Peyton, and everything they have pulled her through, she couldn't betray them anymore than she already had. So, she had to sacrifice her true happiness for a lesser happiness, and she was okay with that. She had no choice but to be okay with it.
"Lucas," she turned back towards him, "what did they say?"
"They're not coming home today," he finally told her, and her face contorted. "Things got delayed, and they won't be home until tomorrow. Julian didn't call you?" She shook her head and looked away from him. Because they both knew, Lucas would always call her.
"I should go," she stood, and so did he. "You stay here."
"I can't. We can spend time together, Brooke. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Yes there is," she nodded. "It's just too hard, Lucas. I can't be around you without wanting to touch you."
"That's okay, I don't mind," he smirked. And she offered him the faintest smile before inhaling deeply. "Let me at least give you a ride."
She paused for a second, knowing she had to say no, but said, "okay," instead.
The ride was quiet. And not a comfortable quiet, a palpable quiet. He so desperately wanted to pull over and make her his again, and she did, too. They couldn't, though. Because Brooke refused to allow herself those pleasures, and Lucas wanted to respect her. So they sat in a silent torture.
As she was getting out of his Mustang, he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back in. Because even though he wanted to respect her, he needed to kiss her. So he pulled her into his chest, and fervently pressed his lips against hers. She wanted to protest, she really did. But, she couldn't. His kisses were mesmerizing, and she was sure this was the last one they'd be able to share. And she wanted to remember it forever.
He cupped her face as his lips caressed hers. Both blond and brunette melted into the kiss, everything else disappearing around them. For just a moment, both allowed themselves to pretend as though there was nothing keeping them apart. For the last time.
And just as quickly as it started, it ended. Brooke pulled away from him, gave him a sad smile, and went to her house. Lucas watched until she was inside, her scent still on him. And he knew he should be sadder than he was, because it seemed like the end for them. But, for some reason, he knew it wasn't the end. Something as strong and as passionate as what they have could never end.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
August 9, 2009
04:36 p.m.
He was setting the table for his mom and uncle Keith, and he must have been doing a horrible job because his mom made a comment about his mind being elsewhere. He just shrugged her off, but he knew what she meant. He hadn't been able to think about anything but Brooke for the entire summer. And now that he can no longer have her, his head is foggier than ever.
"Something bothering you, my boy?" Karen asked, setting her hand on his shoulder. He jumped, slightly. He turned toward her, and tried to smile.
"Fine, ma," he lied.
"Don't you lie to me," Karen said. "You forget I am your mother."
"It's nothing, really," he tried to sound more convincing.
She nodded her head, but wasn't convinced. He continued to set the table, trying to concentrate harder, not knowing his mom was watching him as he did so. She knew her son well, and right now she knew there was something bothering him, terribly. And she had the slightest inkling of what it was.
"I haven't seen Brooke around much the past couple of days, did you two get into a fight?" She questioned, returning to the stove to stir her food.
"No," he shook his head, not looking up from the table.
"Lucas, you know I adore Brooke to no end, but what did you think could become of you two?"
Lucas was startled by her question. Was he so transparent? Never once had he made it obvious in front of his mom the way he felt for Brooke. They were mostly friendly, joking around and laughing a lot. It was no surprise Karen took an immediate liking to the infectious brunette, but had he really given enough signals for his mom to find out his feelings?
Karen knew she had hit the nail right on the head as she watched her son be speechless. She had watched the two interact, and the more she was around, the more Karen could see the feelings of friendship fading into something so much more. She was scared for her son. Because, something like that could lead to so much destruction, considering the complications surrounding their circumstances.
"I know you better than you think," she chuckled.
"I don't…I don't know what to do," he shrugged.
"What do you want to do?" She questioned.
"I know what I want to do, but it could never happen."
"Lucas, I've watched you grow up with Julian Baker. From the time you were both only knee high, you've been best friends."
"I know, ma," he sat into a chair and put his head in his hands. "But she's just so-so….I can't even explain."
"She's great, Lucas. She's beautiful, funny, pleasant, charming, a whole handful of things, but you can never replace a friend like you have. You will never have someone who knows you like he does."
Lucas knew this. He had just been trying to hide from it. Hell, he remembered when Julian first started dating Brooke, and how much Lucas thought she was just annoying. She used to steal Julian's time away from Lucas. And then, they introduced Lucas to Peyton, and then they all fit together. They double dated, hung out at lunch, they were almost inseparable. Until that summer.
"I know, ma," he sighed. "But, I don't think I will ever have the same feelings for another girl that I do for Brooke."
Karen smiled, remembering how it felt to be young and supposedly in love. She was sure he felt that same way about Peyton not too long along, but long enough that in his teenage head, he had already forgotten. What she didn't know, was that Lucas would swear up and down his feelings for Brooke were overwhelmingly greater than his feelings for Peyton.
Karen only hoped he hadn't already crossed the betrayal line.
"Sometimes you have to follow your heart," she shrugged. "Sometimes you have to remain loyal. Only you can decide what is best, Lucas."
"Thanks, ma," he finally looked up from the table. "But, I don't think I really have a choice in this."
"And what about Peyton?" She asked. "Where does she fit in?"
"You know I love Peyton, but, it's different. It's different from how I feel for Brooke. And it's so hard to explain."
"Teenagers can be so indecisive," she chuckled.
"Maybe," he shrugged, "but I don't have a decision to make. I know what I want, I just also know what I can't have."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
August 9, 2009
07:48 p.m.
Brooke knew she shouldn't be bothering Haley, but she felt so extremely lonely, she needed to see her. And when the shorter brunette answered the door with a smile, Brooke remembered she could never actually bother Haley. She was just great like that.
"What's up, Brooke?" Haley asked, opening the door far enough for Brooke to come in.
"Just bored," Brooke shrugged. "Where's Nate?"
"Where else?" Haley rolled her eyes. "Lucas called a little while ago, and of course Nathan immediately shot up and went down to the river court. I swear, sometimes I think he's cheating on me with a damn basketball."
Brooke chuckled. "He doesn't make you take a basketball to bed with you, does he?"
"Not yet," Haley shook her head. "I imagine that is coming soon, though."
Brooke smiled at her friend, feeling comfort automatically come over her. And for some reason, it was nice to know that even though she's already betrayed Peyton, she would always have Haley. And while Haley could never replace Peyton and their memories, she was one of the greatest people Brooke had ever known.
"Speaking of Lucas, have you seen him lately?" Haley asked, and Brooke slowly shook her head. "He's been kind of off the last couple of days. Like, I know he's broody, but damn has he been broody lately. I'll ask him a question, and I'll have to repeat it, and then he takes like ten minutes to even answer. I don't know, it's weird, though."
"I don't know," Broke shrugged turning away to hide her face. She hated lying to her friend. "Maybe he misses Peyton?" She offered, and she almost cringed after she said it. Because even though she's going to pretend like it doesn't, seeing Lucas with Peyton will bother her to the point of insanity.
"Could be," Haley shrugged. "What have you been up to, anyway?"
"Not much," Brooke shrugged. "Just hanging out, you know."
Things grew silent between the two, and while Haley thought it was a comfortable silence, Brooke was fighting an inner battle. She so horribly needed to get off her chest her indiscretions, but she knew she couldn't unload all of that on Haley. Haley did not need to carry the burden of keeping that secret, and Brooke would never do that to her. But for once, she just wished she could gush over how she felt for Lucas, and how bad she felt for her friend and boyfriend.
"Haley, if I say something will you promise not to ask questions and to not judge?"
Haley looked sideways at her friend. Brooke had never really been candid before. She was more of a 'tell it like it was' type of person. "Sure, Brooke."
Brooke inhaled deeply, and shut her eyes. "What if you knew someone that had been with someone for a very long time, but-" she stopped mid-sentence and thought before continuing. If she didn't think about it, she would reveal too much and Haley would know exactly who she was talking about. "I mean, is it possible to love someone so much that no matter how much betrayal it would be to be with that person, it would be worth it?"
Haley was silent for a long time. Too long for Brooke. "Are you talking about you, Brooke?"
"You promised no questions, Haley."
"Right," Haley sighed. "I guess, I mean, yeah if the love is really worth it, then yeah. I'd like to think that Nathan and I would stop at nothing to be together."
"But what if something like this would break so many hearts? And ruin everything?"
"It's..uh..I guess it just depends on the person. Sometimes it's more important to put your feelings in front of what everyone else thinks."
"That's the thing. It's like, if you're not with," she stood up and started to pace, "this person, then you just know you're going to go insane. And when you're around them all you do is ache to touch them."
"Brooke, are you cheating on-"
"No questions, Haley, remember?" Brooke interrupted her. Haley put her hands up in defeat.
"Then I think that if just because of the ultimate betrayal of everyone else, that it would be worth it, because you can't keep yourself from being happy. That's kind of a huge point of life. To be happy."
Brooke sat back down; feeling even more conflicted than before. She knew she wanted to be with Lucas, and that if she wasn't, then she would just go insane. But, at the same time, a little piece of her just hopes that when Julian comes back, everything will go back to normal, and she will be happy with him again. And Lucas will be happy with Peyton again. But for some reason, she highly doubted that things would go back to normal. Ever.
"Can I ask now, what that was all about?" Haley asked. Brooke shook her head 'no'. "I have to just go around wondering what the hell you were talking about?"
"Yes," Brooke nodded. "I'm sure some day you will find out."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
August 9, 2009
11:48 p.m.
"Damn, it's almost midnight!" Nathan cursed. "Shit, Haley is going to kill me."
Lucas laughed as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm sure she's probably thinking about how much of an idiot you are for losing track of time while playing basketball and not about killing you."
"Either way, I'm dead," he laughed. "I gotta get up early for work tomorrow."
Lucas shook his head. "Hey man, you mind if I crash on your couch tonight? I don't really feel like going home."
"Yeah, sure bro, anytime."
"Thanks," Lucas smiled.
Neither had brought a car, so they walked silently back to Nathan's. Both were exhausted from their rigorous game play, but more so than that, Lucas was mentally exhausted. All he had done all day was contemplate what he should do about Brooke. He wanted nothing more than to disobey her wishes, and demand that she be with him because they were undeniable, but he wasn't completely self-serving. He knew he would lose his best friend, and also a girlfriend that has been very loyal through the years. And while the feelings he had for Brooke were strong, very strong, he did still care for Peyton. How could he not when he had spent the last three years calling her girlfriend? He didn't want to hurt her. And parts of him still yearned for Peyton's touch, too. It had just become so much easier for him through the summer to forget her touch, and become addicted to Brooke's. Sometimes, he wondered if maybe once Julian and Peyton came back, things would go back to normal. But then he remembered that him and Brooke had already crossed too many lines.
"What are you thinking about, Lucas?" Nathan suddenly broke through his thoughts.
"How tired I am, and glad that I decided to walk the ten minutes to your house instead of the twenty to mine."
Nathan chuckled. "Well, I figured if I brought you home with me, Haley would be too embarrassed to yell at me in front of you."
"Not true. Haley has yelled at you in front of me before."
"Oh yeah," Nathan furrowed his brow. "Well, then, this way I can at least place some of the blame on you and you can take half the yelling."
The two continued to joke back and forth for the rest of the walk. Lucas followed Nathan up his stairway and into his house. The cooled air in their apartment was definitely refreshing as he wiped his brow with his shirt. He hadn't realized how bad he had been sweating. And in the middle of him wiping his forehead, he heard Nathan greet Brooke.
Brooke's breath caught in her throat when she watched Lucas walk through the front door behind Nathan. It was a good thing she hadn't been standing because she would have collapsed. And when he got into the apartment, and lifted his shirt to wipe his forehead, and his perfectly sculpted ab muscles came on display, she almost started to hyperventilate. And then Nathan said her name.
Lucas started to cough after he heard Brooke's name, and saw her sitting on the couch. An uncontrollably, embarrassing cough. Both Brooke and Nathan turned to look at him to see if he was okay, and he tried to wave them off, but the coughing wouldn't end. He went to the sink and got a drink of water, and that seemed to calm it.
"Damn, dude, swallow a bug or something?" Nathan asked.
"Or something," Lucas nodded, stealing a glance at Brooke. And his heart fluttered because he noticed she was wearing an over-sized t-shirt and some really short shorts. God, she was gorgeous. "Nice shirt," he nodded his head at her.
Brooke looked down at her chest and shrugged. "It's Nate's."
"Nah," Nathan shook his head, "Lucas left that here the last time he crashed on the couch. Speaking of looks like you two are going to be sharing the couch because Lucas is crashing here, too."
Brooke gulped. Not only was she incredibly comfortable in what she thought was Nathan's shirt, but turned out to be Lucas' shirt, now she was going to have to spend the night with the one person in this whole world she was trying to avoid. She could do it. She could practice enough self-control, and keep to herself. She didn't need to be close with him if he was in the same room. She could do it. For some reason, during her pep talk, she knew she was lying.
"Great," Brooke plastered a perfectly fake smile on her face, and looked past Nathan at Lucas. He mouthed 'fake' to her. She rolled her eyes. Damn did that boy know everything about her.
"Bout damn time you got your ass home," Haley finally emerged from the bedroom. "I was about to go down there looking for you to make sure you hadn't fallen into the river."
"Hey baby," Nathan tried to sweet talk. He sauntered up to his wife, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I have missed you this entire time." He kissed the tip of her nose.
"Damn, I was so mad at you until you did that," she giggled.
Lucas made a retching noise from the kitchen. "I think I just threw up in my mouth," he joked.
Nathan and Haley ignored his teasing, and continued to sweet talk and kiss each other. Lucas took this as an opportunity to sit next to Brooke on the couch. And as soon as he did, his heart started to speed up, and his hands started to sweat. All because the sides of their thighs were lightly grazing each other.
Brooke almost groaned out loud from just the small amount of contact between the two. And she knew she was doomed then, because if just that much skin contact could get her breathless and make her heart flutter, she knew there would never be any way to conceal how she felt for him in her eyes.
"You smell wonderful," he dipped his head down and whispered into her ear.
"Haley's fabric softener, probably," Brooke patted his shirt.
"I don't think so," he shook his head. "You always smell wonderful."
"Well, you smell sweaty," she scrunched up her nose.
"Maybe I should take a shower?" He lifted an arm and pretended to smell his underarm. "Care to join me?"
"First of all, yuck," she laughed. "Second of all, I don't think so."
"You don't think so?" He questioned. "So it that a maybe?"
Brooke slowly closed her eyes, and remembered back to the night when they did share a shower, and suddenly there was a familiar ache between her legs, right where she wished Lucas was.
"You guys want to watch a movie?" Haley asked, breaking up the secret conversation.
"Honestly?" Lucas turned towards one of his closest friends. "I'm so tired I'd just pass out. I think I'll use your shower and then hit the sack."
"You mean, hit the floor," Brooke corrected him.
"No way, I get the couch. I asked Nathan," Lucas shook his head with determination.
"I was here on this couch long before you even got here," Brooke opposed. "Besides, it's the gentlemanly thing to do," she gave him her sweetest smile.
"You could just share," Nathan offered. And both turned towards him wide-eyed. "I'm just sayin!" He held his hands up. "It's not like you're gonna do anything, and besides, you two are like brother and sister now, anyway."
"Yeah," Haley backed him up. "One can sleep at one end, and the other can sleep at the other end. No big deal."
Lucas and Brooke stayed silent, but gave the married couple sheepish smiles. Haley and Nathan shrugged, and then bid their goodnights to the secret lovers. Little did they know how unlike brother and sister Brooke and Lucas were.
"Shower time?" Brooke asked Lucas, hoping he would be in the shower long enough for her to fall asleep.
Lucas groaned, wanting nothing more than to just stay there next to her all night, even if it was just to talk. "Yeah, I guess I should head in there," he said and stood up. "Sure you don't want to join? I could use some help scrubbing my back."
"I'm sure that's all you need help with," she shoved him in the leg. He smiled a real, genuine smile, and turned around for the bathroom. And for once, since Lucas had gotten there, Brooke could breath calmly again.
She laid out the blankets Haley had given to her, and the shut off the lights. Well, most of them, because until Lucas was out of the shower, she would be too afraid to be all alone in the dark. So she left a small light on and lay on the couch. She could hear the water in the shower turn on and then Lucas stepping into it. She wanted nothing more than to just go in there, and even just watch him. Even more than that, she wanted to be touching him. But, she exercised the self-control she had thought about earlier, and remained on the couch.
The next day, Julian would be back in town, and things would be back to normal. Her boyfriend would be back, and distract her enough so that she didn't have to think about Lucas anymore. That's all she needed. Because even though her feelings for Lucas were strong, they were only there because Julian was gone, and she had no one else to give her love to. And as she tried to convince herself of this, she also knew she was lying.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to go to sleep, but she knew it wasn't going to come. Not when Lucas was just in the other room. Naked. Naked with water dripping down his perfectly toned arms, and abs and-
"Stop," Brooke scolded herself. She exhaled loudly, and rolled onto her other side. This was going to be a long night if just thinking about Lucas in the shower was driving her crazy.
She was jus about sleeping when she heard him shut the water off. And suddenly, she was wide-awake again. She didn't know what he was doing, but she could just imagine him wiping the steam off the mirror to check his reflection, and maybe even flexing in the mirror. She giggled at the thought. Then, she could picture him toweling off, and wrapping the towel around his waist. She could vividly picture little beads of water clinging to all of the muscles on his chest and abdomen, and the way his arm muscles flexed when he reached into the cabinet to pull out some toothpaste.
Her eyes clenched tight, and she listened harder to what he was doing. All she could here was the floor creaking, and every once in a while, a cabinet closed. She sighed. She really had it bad. And suddenly, she couldn't wait for him to get out of the bathroom so they could spend some time alone, since they hadn't in two days. Damn her self-control.
"Mom," she heard him whisper from within the bathroom, and Brooke smiled wide. She loved his mom. And she loved how much he loved his mom. "I'm crashing at Haley and Nathan's tonight…" his voice was low, so he didn't wake up Nathan and Haley. "I was too lazy to walk home after playing basketball." He chuckled after Karen said something. "Love you too, ma. Bye." Brooke sighed. There was nothing like a man who treated his mom right.
Moms. Mostly, Brooke thought they sucked. Her mom sucked. Julian's mom sucked. Peyton's mom died. Haley's mom left. Nathan's mom sucked. And Lucas, the one that was supposed to be the "outcast" because of his father, had the best mom in the world. She may be the only mom left in Tree Hill. And Brooke yearned so much for a mom like Karen. She tried so hard at first to get Karen to like her, and Lucas noticed. She was embarrassed when he confronted her, but he gently pushed some hair behind her ear and quietly told her to just be herself, and his mom would love her. And he was right. She started just being herself. The same person she was when she was around Lucas, and Karen started inviting her over every night for dinner. Because, apparently Karen thought families were supposed to have dinner together. Brooke wondered if her own mother would laugh about that, or have a heart attack. Either way, she would trade her own mom for Karen any day.
"Pretty Girl," Lucas whispered, causing Brooke to jump. She could feel his hot breath against her cheek, and it made her shutter. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"I was sleeping," she reprimanded, even though she was lying. "You get that end." She pointed to the opposite side of the couch.
"Don't think so, Pretty Girl," he smirked. He lifted her covers and shoved himself on the edge of the couch, squishing Brooke against the back of the couch. And while she was completely uncomfortable, being that close to Lucas again brought her so much emotional comfort that the physical faded away.
"You smell a lot better," Brooke teased.
"You're gorgeous."
"We could get into a lot of trouble for this," Brooke said.
"Nathan's my brother, and Haley's my sister in law. They won't tell."
"How do you know?"
"I just know," he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "I missed being this close to you."
"Me too," Brooke admitted. "We can't do this, Lucas."
"All you say to me lately is how we can't be together, and how it's not possible for us, Brooke." Lucas cupped the side of her cheek. "I know what we're doing is wrong. Julian is my best friend, and Peyton is my girlfriend. But, damn it, Brooke, this feels too right for it to be so wrong. How can that be?"
"I don't know," Brooke whispered, not taking her eyes away from Lucas' for even a moment. "I have no idea, but I know what you mean."
Lucas shut his eyes, and took a deep breath in. When he opened his eyes a slight smile formed on his lips. "Maybe we should just run away to another state where no one would no about our betrayal?" Brooke giggled.
The smile on Brooke's face soon faded, and a deep frown now etched away at her face. "Tonight has to be the last night," she whispered, now tearing her eyes away from her blue-eyed lover's. "Tomorrow Peyton and Julian will be here, and we have to be over."
Lucas felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach, but he knew she was right. After tonight, he had to let go of her. And as much as he didn't want to, he knew it was the right thing to do. But, for that night, he was going to make her his one last time, and he was going to make it memorable.
"Tell me your favorite quote, Lucas," Brooke whispered, finally looking back into his eyes. He furrowed his brow. "From everything we read to each other this summer, what was your favorite one?"
Lucas thought back on all the nights the two shared sitting under a lamppost on the beach or at the river court, just reading from various books to each other. He remembered the first time they had done it, and how surprised he was that Brooke actually enjoyed anything like that. That was probably the first time he realized that Brooke wasn't only just a beautiful and brilliant cheerleader, but a beautiful and brilliant girl with so many layers of surprises and walls all covering this vulnerable young woman. Her face lit up as he fluently read through the words of Walt Whitman. And before that moment, his heart had never beaten that fast for one person. And through all of the nights following that one, one quote stuck heavily in his memory.
"The heart has it's reasons, that reason knows nothing of," he let roll off his tongue without having to think.
"Pascal," Brooke smiled. "I love that one."
