AN: Hey guys! Third chapter here, hope you like it. And thank you all so much for your reviews, it's so nice to read :)
III.
It's a cold November evening when Peyton and Brooke are on their way to some tiny bar in Brooklyn, Peyton having gotten clear instructions to look out for new talent. They had actually planned a girls night at Peyton's apartment, consisting of lots of ice-cream and the latest season of Grey's Anatomy. Until, of course, Peyton's boss had called, telling her to go check out the open mic night in that bar a few blocks away from Peyton's place. Peyton had reluctantly agreed, knowing that even though she got along with her boss well enough, he was still that, her boss. Brooke decided to come with her best friend so they'd bundled up for the cold evening air and they'd left the apartment.
They're halfway there when Brooke grumbles, "Tell me again why we're walking."
Peyton laughs. She's actually been waiting for that question. "Because it's only a few blocks away."
"But it's freezing." Brooke objects. She's wearing a warm coat, there's a scarf tied securely around her neck and mittens on her hands. She's not that cold anymore if she's honest, but she'd rather taken the car to the club than walking the distance.
"It's not that cold. Besides, we're almost there." Peyton says with a smile.
She doesn't really like that her free night has been interrupted –she really, really wanted to watch some TV with her best friend– but she's hoping the music at the bar will make up for it. She knows the small bar quite well, visits it regularly, and she knows that most of the time the live music is good. She really hopes there's something worth leaving the warmth of her apartment for tonight as well.
"It is. I'm practically freezing to death." The brunette argues, a pout on her face, but she's not very serious and Peyton knows it.
"If you really are dying, please tell me I'm your only heir." She jokes and receives an eye roll from her best friend.
They round the last corner and then walk the last few steps to the bar. Once they're inside they get rid of their coats and scarves and make their way towards the bar. It seems a bit of a dingy place, Brooke thinks, but then again, she's used to neat Manhattan bars where high society meets up for drinks.
They've been there for fifteen minutes and Peyton's bobbing her head to the music, mentally taking notes on the acts she sees. There's some potential, she can tell already, and she can't wait to go talk to some of them once she's seen everyone. Suddenly, Brooke nudges her in the side urgently, her eyes fixed on something across the place.
"What?" Peyton asks confused. Her eyes travel across the crowd, but she can't see what Brooke is apparently seeing. "Am I supposed to see something?"
Brooke nods quickly, "There," She almost hisses, pointing to a figure resting against a wall on the other side of the room. "I think that's… Oh my God, it is him." She says, surprised, but Peyton still can't really see the man.
"Who is who?" She asks, still confused.
Brooke shifts her gaze from the mystery man to her best friend and then quickly back to the man. Peyton recognizes who Brooke is talking about at the same moment Brooke says, "That's Lucas, Peyton."
Peyton's eyes focus on the figure across the room and for a moment she thinks her heart stops beating. She's never really given much thought to the day she'd see him again; never really considered that a possibility. He was out of her life and she hadn't had wanted to change that for quite some time now. But seeing him now, seeing him move around the place as he makes his way to the bar, she can't help the thought that even had she been thinking about this day, she'd never really be prepared.
"You want to go say hello?" Brooke asks after a while. Peyton's gaze is still lingering on Lucas and she actually has to reach out for Peyton's arm to catch her attention.
The blonde's head snaps up, "No." She says decisively and is quickly met with Brooke's raised eyebrows. "It's been ten years, Brooke, what are we going to say? Besides, I'm here for work." Her tone suggests finality and even though Brooke has never been one to just keep quiet she now does so anyway.
So they sip their drinks and listen to the music, but Peyton's gaze keeps trailing back to that blonde man not too far away from them and Brooke has to bite her tongue every time she notices, which is practically every time it happens. It's ridiculous, she thinks, that Peyton doesn't even want to go greet the guy, but she knows why she's insistent on not letting their presence known. She's trying to prove that that man hasn't been on her mind at all and she's not in the least affected by him.
Brooke doesn't know if she's trying to prove it to her, Julian or to herself. She thinks mostly the latter.
After ten minutes Peyton thinks Lucas has noticed them when he starts walking right in their direction. She drowns her drink and looks at Brooke, "I think he saw us." She mutters under her breath as she looks at Lucas from the corner of her eye.
"Could be." The brunette shrugs. "Especially since I just waved him over."
"Brooke!" Peyton groans and tips her head back a little.
She's over him, she is, but she'd never expected to see him again. It's not that she's still mad at him, though she really has been. She just doesn't want to be reminded of everything that ever happened between the two of them and she just knows she will once she talks to him.
Her life is good now, and she doesn't need a reminder of turning points she once missed.
She mutters an I hate you to Brooke and she wants to say more but then Lucas is suddenly so close to them and she can't say anything anymore without having to whisper and make it even more obvious that she's talking about him.
His legs feel heavy as he walks towards the two women he didn't really think he'd see again. Sure, Nathan told him he should get back in touch and Lindsey made a few comments, but New York City is big. He hadn't expected to just run into them. They look amazing though, he can tell even from afar. Brooke is smiling, waiting for him to join them, but Peyton is looking down, smoothing out some wrinkles in her shirt. He can't see her face yet and he doesn't know if he should be thankful for that or not.
Then she looks up and for a moment he stops breathing. It's been ten years, but in a way, she still looks the same. At the same time, she's so very different. Her hair is longer and a bit darker, but her hair is still very much curly and as far as he's concerned, she still looks beautiful.
He walks the last few steps and when he's close enough Brooke calls out to him with a smile,
"Lucas Scott. It's been quite some years, huh?"
He smiles back at her and dares a glance at Peyton as well. He's at a loss for words seeing them again and he wishes there was some sort of guidebook for encounters like this.
Peyton's not doing much better. She's letting Brooke do the talking, because honestly, she has no clue what to say to him. He greets them and she nods at him, a weak smile on her face. Julian words from a few months ago ring in her head. You loved him though.
"What are you doing here?" Brooke asks, curiosity getting the best of her.
Lucas rubs his neck and Peyton somewhat hates how much that one gestures still tells her. He's a little uncomfortable, just like she is, and she's pretty sure he has no clue how to act around them either.
"I actually live here now."
"In New York?" The brunette asks, surprised. She'd been on the phone with Haley a few days ago, but she hadn't mentioned it. Then again, she almost never mentioned Lucas.
"Yeah, I sort of followed my ex-wife." He says with a laugh. Brooke raises her eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. "I didn't want to live far away from Emily, my daughter."
She smiles at him, "Right, you're a dad."
"That so weird?"
Brooke laughs, "Considering that the last time I saw you you were nineteen, pretty much yeah."
They make small talk for a while and Peyton wonders why she has so much trouble talking to him while Brooke seems to be just fine. He tells them how long he's been in the city and they ask him how he's doing. Brooke has just asked if he has a photo of his daughter when her phone rings. She hands over the photo to Peyton and excuses herself, leaving Lucas and Peyton alone.
Blue eyes look up at Peyton from the photo and she has to take a breath. She's always loved that shade of blue, ever since she first locked eyes with Lucas.
"She's beautiful, Lucas." She smiles at him. It's the first genuine smile she manages to send his way.
He has to smile as well. "I guess she takes after her mom."
Peyton shakes her head a little, giving back the picture, "She looks just like you."
Lucas simply nods before he takes another sip of his drink. It's quiet for a few moments as they both pay attention again to the stage. Peyton's bobbing her head to the music again, swaying a little bit and all he can do is watch how she can still be so captivated by new music and artists.
"So, you're here for work, huh?" He asks after a while.
She turns towards him again and nods, "Checking out new talent. I work at a small label company."
"Do you like it?" She was working in the mail room of a label company the last time they saw each other and he had been sure she'd grown to hate her job in LA. He wonders if it's all so much different now.
"My job? Love it." Peyton answers with a fond smile. "It's not the mail room anymore, Luke. I get to work with artists now; decide who we sign and who we're going to work with. It's what I always wanted." She says then, as if she knew what he'd been thinking just moments before. She wonders if he noticed that she already slipped back into the old habit of calling him Luke. He has.
"That's really great, Peyton." He smiles. "I'm glad you found something you love."
She nods at him in agreement and she wants to say something more when Brooke rushes back to their side,
"Bad news, best friend." Brooke says with a sigh, addressing Peyton. "Millicent just called, there's some sort of crisis. I have to go."
Her voice suggests annoyance and Peyton knows how much Brooke loves her free evenings. She works incredibly hard, has been for the last ten years. Clothes over Bros is flourishing with both a women and men's line and magazine stands his ground in an age with magazines for probably every single subject. She's doing well and whenever Peyton is reminded of that, she feels a surge of pride for her best friend.
She says goodbye to Lucas, tells him it's really good to see him again. She smiles at him and says they should go for drinks some time and he smiles right back at her, agreeing that they should. They hug briefly and when they break apart, she grumbles,
"I really hate it when my assistant calls me on my free nights." She turns to Peyton and hugs her as well, "At the same time, this could be interesting." She tells Peyton as they embrace, making sure Lucas doesn't hear her. She lets go of her blonde friend and quickly winks at her before walking away.
Peyton can only roll her eyes at that.
"This happens a lot?" Lucas asks then, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction Brooke went.
She shrugs her shoulders a little, "Not too much. Millicent is a great assistant, she tries to handle most things on her own when Brooke has a free night."
He nods and then they fall silent for a while. It's another few moments and then Peyton tells him she has to go. After all, she's there for work. They say goodbye, maybe a little awkwardly, and he watches her walk away with a hint of a smile on his face. He's glad he moved to New York.
.
Peyton rushes through the New York streets, bumping into one or two people as she tries to make her way through the crowd. She loves the city, but December and Christmas are fast approaching and there are people everywhere. She's been in meetings all day and all she wants right now is a hot chocolate and maybe a muffin. She hates that all these people are preventing her from getting to her place of destination as quickly as possible.
When she finally gets to the cosy café she feels a rush of warmth come over as soon as she steps inside. She waves at Lisa, the owner, and asks for a hot chocolate and a triple chocolate muffin.
"Someone's heavy on chocolate today." A voice calls out, teasingly, and Peyton turns around immediately, a wide smile on her face.
"Haley!" She cries out as she rushes to their usual booth and wraps her arms around her friend. Brooke is beaming in her spot, happy to have surprised her best friend. "What are you doing here?" Peyton asks then and sits down as well.
They don't see each other very often, but in the ten years since Brooke and Peyton have left Tree Hill, they've always made sure to keep in touch one way or another. They'd call or Skype, mail each other and send photo's back and forth. Leaving Tree Hill has never meant leaving behind Nathan and Haley and their boys.
"We're here for the weekend. See how Luke's doing. Brooke told me you saw him last week?" She says, her hands around her hot cup of coffee.
Peyton nods, though if she's honest, she doesn't really feel like talking about Lucas. "We did. But hey, we talked on the phone yesterday. You didn't tell me you were coming!"
Haley laughs and points at Brooke, "Your best friend there asked me not to tell you anything."
The brunette shrugs, "I thought you could use a nice surprise after the last few months."
In that moment, Lisa approaches them with Peyton's hot chocolate and muffin and Peyton smiles appreciatively at the older woman. She then looks back at her friends,
"Well, it's definitely a nice surprise." She says with a grin and pulls Haley closer into a side hug.
They fall into comfortable conversation for a while, talking about work and friends and family. It's always nice to see Haley again, no matter how long it's been since they last saw each other. Haley grabs her purse then and retrieves two sets of photo's of Jamie and Aiden. Brooke and Peyton love getting new photo's of their two favourite boys.
They smile giddily over the pictures and it's when Haley's eye lands on one of Jamie that she has to think again of the man he was named after,
"So how was seeing Lucas?" She looks at Peyton as she asks the question, Brooke already having recounted her version of the evening. She wants to know what her blonde friend thought of seeing the man again they once all thought she'd marry someday.
Peyton swallows down her bite of muffin before she answers. It buys her a couple of seconds, because honestly, she has no idea what to say. She saw Lucas again and that was that, she's not going to let it mean more than it did. "Okay." She says eventually, shrugging her shoulders a little. "We didn't talk very much, but it was nice, I guess."
"Wasn't it weird?" Haley inquires. "I mean, it's been ten years and when you last saw each other..." She lets her sentence trail and tries for a smile instead.
Peyton shrugs again, "A little maybe. I don't know, Hales. Seeing Lucas again hasn't changed my life or anything, I'm not going to dwell on this." She looks down into her cup of coffee again, oblivious to the look Haley and Brooke are sharing.
She's not completely honest with her friends though, and she doesn't really know why. She's never been one to openly convey her emotions, but Brooke and Haley are her best friends, she shouldn't have trouble telling them how she feels about all of it. Then again, she doesn't really know what she's feeling either, so maybe not telling them isn't too weird after all.
All she knows is that the day after she saw Lucas she went out and bought all his other novels. She also picked up The Catcher in the Rye again. It's always been one of his favourites. She wonders if it still is.
When she looks up again, both Brooke and Haley are looking rather pointedly at her.
"What?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" Haley asks. Brooke is uncharacteristically quiet and Peyton has to wonder if that's because she doesn't have on opinion about it all (which would be very unlike Brooke Davis) or that maybe she's just saving her opinion for later. She hopes for the former, because she's really not looking forward to the latter.
"Yes. Why would I not be?" She answers Haley's question.
"I don't know. Just... You know, first the break-up with Julian, now seeing Lucas again."
Peyton smiles at her friend, "Well, I guess you'll be relieved to hear then that I am over both Julian and Lucas. I'm honestly fine."
Smiling back, Haley nods, "Okay."
"Besides," The blonde starts again, "why are we only talking about me? Brooke's dating someone new, I don't hear you asking questions about this new guy!"
Brooke groans as Haley perks up, a wide grin on her face. "Right! You said you were going on a date, how did it go?"
The brunette shoots a glare in her best friend's direction before turning to their other friend. "Great. His name is Ethan, he's a doctor and –"
"She means he's a cardiothoracic surgeon." Peyton chimes in with a smile and Brooke can't help but roll her eyes. Peyton's been insanely enthusiastic about Brooke dating again. Haley nods appreciatively before Brooke continues,
"Anyway, we went out a few times and it's been really nice, but it's still early." She's been disappointed a few too many times when it comes to dating, she doesn't want to get her hopes up now. "We're just going to, you know, see what happens."
"I'm happy for you, Brooke. You deserve it."
"It's still early, Hales." She says again, reminding her friend not to get too excited already. She's been trying to do the same with Peyton, but those attempts are quite failing.
"Still." Haley insists.
Brooke only smiles at that. She knows Haley only wants her friends to find what she has already found with Nathan. She just wishes for her friends to be happy and find love.
Brooke's been wishing for the same thing.
.
Lucas had been living in New York for two weeks when he saw Brooke and Peyton again; three weeks when his brother and sister-in-law came to visit him, and though that didn't seem very long, he was already pretty much settled in the city.
He bought a spacious apartment in Manhattan, though not as much as his house in Tree Hill. It's probably too big for only him and Emily, but they both loved it and he could afford it, so the decision was quickly made. He started writing again, something real and good this time, he thinks. If he can, he spends his days with Emily; let them both explore the city.
If you'd ask him, he'd say he's quite happy.
"So, New York's good?" Nathan asks, wringing his gloved hands a little. They're sitting on a bench at Battery Park, looking out over the water.
Lucas nods, "I like it here. I think Emily does too."
His brother raises an eyebrow at him, "Emmy's probably missing her uncle Nate like crazy." He says and Lucas laughs. Emily really does miss her aunt and uncle though. "Where is she anyway?"
"Lindsey's week." Lucas explains. "But she's having dinner with us tonight. Lindsey didn't mind." Nathan rolls his eyes at the mention of Lindsey and Lucas laughs again. "Did you just roll your eyes?"
"I'm not a big fan of your ex, okay? She took Emmy away from me." He says and he sounds so serious that Lucas almost feels bad about laughing. Almost.
"You're such a softie, Nate."
"Shut up."
They fall silent for a while as they sit in the cold November air, both men's eyes fixed on the water before them. Nathan's not one for sitting quiet though, so he suggests they get out of the park and into the city again, maybe find a basketball court somewhere.
They've been walking for ten minutes maybe when Nathan gets just too curious,
"I heard you saw Brooke and Peyton last week."
"Of course you did." Lucas deadpans.
"And?"
"And what?"
The darker haired Scott rolls his eyes, "How was it?"
"Good. It was nice to see them again, I suppose." Lucas answers.
Really nice, he thinks, but he's not going to tell his brother that. He's been wondering, hoping actually, that he'd bump into them again, but if he lets Nathan know that Haley will know immediately as well and she'll get giddy and that's not something he's particularly looking forward to. He wants to see them again though, especially Peyton if he's honest.
"I bet Sawyer was nervous." Nathan says after a while, pulling Lucas from his thoughts.
"What? Why?"
His brother scoffs, "Uh, I don't know, maybe because you just left her in a hotel room ten years ago. Did you ever even apologize for that?"
"Did she ever apologize for saying no?" Lucas counters, though he knows she shouldn't really.
"She didn't say no." If there's one thing he has learned from the many phone calls between him and the curly blonde some ten years earlier it's that she had never meant to say no to his brother. Not at all.
Lucas lets out a bit of a frustrated groan. In the ten years since he and Peyton broke up, Nathan has made his point more than enough times. She didn't say no and he shouldn't have left. He knows it by now. Nathan is Peyton's biggest fan and he has never been very fond of Lindsey, but sometimes, Lucas wishes he would just keep that all to himself. He can't fault his brother for simply being honest, though.
"Give me your phone." Nathan demands then, breaking the silence and holding out his hand.
Lucas frowns, "Why?"
"I'm giving you a chance to finally apologize. Come on." He says and as his brother hands over his phone, he knows what's happening. If this was Haley, he'd probably find a note with a number scribbled on in his pocket when he got home later. But this is Nathan and he's not as subtle as his wife. Nathan gives back the phone, Peyton's number sitting between his other contacts.
"You know she's going to be pissed, right? When she finds out you're just handing out her phone number." Lucas reminds his brother. He figures there are a lot of things he doesn't know about Peyton Sawyer, but this is not one of those things. She definitely will be pissed.
He shrugs his shoulders, "She'll thank me later."
Lucas rolls his eyes at Nathan's confidence. "I'm not going to use it. I'm not just going to call her up out of the blue."
Nathan just raises his eyebrows at him, as if to let him know that he doesn't believe a word he's saying. And to be honest, even he should know that eventually, he'll cave anyway.
.
It's obvious that November is reaching its end. Even though there's still Thanksgiving to come, there already hangs some sort of Christmas feeling in the air. The tree lighting at Rockefeller Center is next week, all the shops are already decorated for Christmas and there seem to be a lot more people on the streets. Peyton knows though that this is nothing in comparison to the rush of people New York will know once December rolls in.
Brooke and Peyton are sitting on a bench in Central Park, talking and laughing and spotting people. Brooke had an hour or two to kill in between meetings and Peyton had a free day so it was sort of a given that they would meet up. They watch an old man walk by with a little girl who they both assume is his granddaughter and it puts a smile on both their faces. Everyone is bundled up in hats and scarves and gloves and Peyton couldn't love it more.
After a while, Brooke turns towards her best friend, "So, this Lucas thing, huh?" She says and looks expectantly at Peyton.
The blonde, however, has no idea what Brooke wants her to say. "Yes?"
"I didn't want to say much the other day with Haley, you know." Peyton raises a eyebrow. "I mean, he's her best friend, I didn't want it to get weird or something." Brooke explains, but Peyton is still wearing a confused look.
Peyton nods slowly, "Okay. I don't get it though, there's not much to say."
"Except for the fact you went out and bought all his novels." Her best friend scoffs. "You've been thinking about him, haven't you?"
Peyton wants to roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of her friend's words, but she can't really. She hates it sometimes how well Brooke knows her. Still, she says, "I haven't.
The brunette lets out another scoff, "You so have. And there's nothing wrong with it, Peyton, so don't deny it."
She sighs, "I don't know, Brooke. It feels wrong to let myself think about him. I stopped doing that a long time ago and I don't want to do it again. I guess it's just the shock of seeing him again, you know. It'll pass." Peyton shrugs her shoulders and Brooke thinks her best friend is actually convinced of that.
She doesn't really understand how Peyton, given her history with the blonde haired boy, can believe that.
.
His phone rings for the third time and he really should pick up this time, but he's going through every single drawer in his apartment in search of a suitable tie to wear and in that moment, that seems a tad more important. He's already late for a meeting with his publishers and after that, he also has an appointment with the editor-in-chief of some magazine. He'll probably be late for that one as well. On top of all that, the babysit for Emily has called him fifteen minutes ago to tell him she can't make it.
"Ems, put on your coat!" He calls out to his daughter as he finally finds a good tie and starts putting it on.
The little girl appears in the doorway, "You look nice, daddy." She notes and he sends her a smile before his eyes travel back to the tie in his hands. "Am I going to stay with mommy today?"
Lucas lets out a small sigh, "Maybe." He tells her. He's tried calling Lindsey four times, but she's not picking up and he doesn't really know what to do with Emily now. He doesn't know a lot of people in New York yet and even if he did, he wouldn't know how to contact them. Except for one.
He's calling her before he can properly think it through.
"Peyton Sawyer." She sounds businesslike and he hopes to God she's not actually working right now.
"Peyton, hi, it's Lucas." He breathes out, a little nervous. "I know this may seem weird, but Nathan gave me your number and I wasn't going to use it, but I'm in a bit of an emergency so..."
"Okay, what's going on?"
"I have a couple of meetings right about now actually and the babysit has cancelled, I can't reach Lindsey and I can't take Emily with me and –"
He's cut off by a reassuring chuckle, "I'll look after her. I'm on my way out of Central Park actually, so tell me where to wait for you."
Lucas lets out a breath and smiles, "You're sure? I wouldn't ask this of you normally, but I don't know anyone else in New York. Or well, no one I trust with my daughter anyway."
It's implied that he does trust her with Emily and for some reason, Peyton's smiling at that on the other end of the line. "I'm sure, Lucas. I'll look after Emily."
"Thank you, Peyton." He smiles and then tells her where to meet.
When they hang up he turns towards Emily and makes sure she's all bundled up before they leave the apartment, on their way towards Peyton.
AN: There's just one more thing; I went back to university last week and I'm already pretty much buried under papers and books and whatever else to read (I swear, this semester is going to kill me) so it may be a while before I can update. I definitely will though; I just don't know how much time I'll have to write. So please, bear with me? :)