Ten minutes later they got to Nathan's apartment.
Brooke got out first and shut the driver's door before going round to the passenger side and helping Nathan out of his car. She helped him up the stairs and into the apartment where he semi collapsed on the couch, the empty bottle of scotch falling beside him.
Brooke leaned over and gently touched the cut above Nathan's eye. "Let me get something for that." She said.
"Top of the medicine cabinet." Nathan said quietly.
Brooke walked into the bathroom and got some disinfectant and cotton balls out of the medicine cabinet before going back into the lounge room and sitting on the couch next to Nathan.
"Here, let me..." She trailed off as she cupped Nathan's face in one hand and cleaned the wound above his eye with the other.
Nathan winced as the disinfectant soaked into his wound and he closed his eyes.
Brooke put two little white bandages on to keep the cut together and smiled at her handiwork. "There you go." She said.
"Sorry about all that." Nathan said quietly.
Brooke grimaced. "You're not the one that should be apologizing Nate." She said gently.
"I know, but I shouldn't have come." Nathan said. "I knew it would probably cause trouble." He sighed.
Brooke shook her head. "As you said, it was my party, and I asked you to come, you had as much right to be there as anyone, including Felix!" She replied.
Nathan smiled.
Brooke smiled hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to come?" she asked.
Nathan looked down for a second then back up into Brooke's eyes. "I got a call from Haley." He said. "The first since she left."
Brooke grabbed Nathan's hand quickly and squeezed it. "Nate, that's great!"
Nathan sighed. "Yeah, the first time she's called me since she left, she called to tell me that she was going to be on TV and that she wanted me to watch."
Brooke groaned inwardly. "Oh Nathan!" She said when she saw the pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry." She said, squeezing his hand reassuringly.
Nathan pulled his hand away abruptly and jumped up. "How could she do that?" He asked Brooke. Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "She left me. She walked out on our marriage, and the first time I hear from her is for to tell me that she's going to be on TV."
Brooke looked down at her hands, not sure what to say.
Nathan picked up the empty bottle of scotch that had been sitting on the floor since he dropped it when he came in.
"I gave up so much for her Brooke!" He said his voice angry.
"I know." Brooke replied soothingly, trying to calm him down a bit.
"And she left! She cheated on me and she left!" Nathan yelled and threw the bottle at the wall.
Brooke instinctively flinched and ducked her head but it turned out to be an educated shot on Nathan's part, shattering on the other side of the apartment into a million pieces. Brooke automatically jumped up and grabbed both of Nathan's hands. "Is wrecking everything you can really going to make you feel better?" She asked quietly.
Nathan looked down, but didn't pull away this time.
"I just want it to go away Brooke." He said quietly, looking into her eyes. "I don't want it to hurt anymore."
Brooke looked up at him sincerely. "I know exactly what you mean." She said quietly.
Nathan cocked his eye brow and gave an almost smile. "You're wife cheated on you with pretty much a stranger who, you know, just happened to be an asshole that could give her the chance of a lifetime to pursue her music career?" He asked in a half joking voice.
Brooke smiled wryly. "Take out the marriage and the music parts, but instead of having your partner cheating on you with a stranger, try having them cheat on you with your best friend..."
It was Nathan's turn to give Brooke's hands a reassuring squeeze. "That does gotta suck... They really hurt you hey?" He asked.
Brooke nodded. "Yeah."
"But you're over it now... you've forgiven them both? How did you do it?" Nathan asked, his hands still in Brookes.
Brooke smiled sadly. "It took me a long time to stop hurting Nate, I still haven't fully, I don't think I'll ever really be 'over it' But I have forgiven them." She said shrugging her shoulder. "You've just got to give it time."
Nathan smiled thoughtfully. "Thanks Brooke." He said finally, letting go of her hands and walking back over to the couch.
Nathan sighed. "So, did you hear about Keith?" He asked, wanting to change the subject.
Brooke smiled. "Yeah, isn't it great?" She said.
"It's not going to last." Nathan replied bitterly. "Marriage is overrated."
Brooke stared down at him sympathetically for a second but couldn't contain herself for longer than that and burst out laughing, quickly she recovered until she saw the hurt look on Nathan's face and collapsed in giggles again.
Nathan was hurt initially, but when he noticed Brooke couldn't stop laughing, he actually cracked a smile. "What's funny?" He asked.
"You!" Brooke replied, finally catching her breathe. "Marriage is overrated" She mimicked in an exaggerated male sounding voice. "You're so melodramatic!"
Nathan had to grin at her bluntness, leave it to Brooke to say exactly what she was thinking.
Brooke grinned back, glad that she had got a smile out of him.
"I am happy for Keith though. He deserves to be happy." Nathan said.
Brooke smiled. "I agree! He's such a great person. Too bad that him and Karen didn't end up together though." She said.
Nathan shrugged. "Yeah... I guess." He said.
Brooke studied Nathan for a second. "Speaking of... what's going on with you and Lucas?" she asked carefully.
Nathan shrugged. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"Lucas just said tonight that he hadn't talked to you for awhile.. I was just wondering if you were avoiding him for some reason." Brooke continued.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Have you seen him lately Brooke?" He asked. "He's living with my parents, in my house, god, he probably even wears my clothes sometimes..."
Brooke laughed. "Oh... and you're resentful because that was your life and you feel like Lucas is taking over it?" She asked.
"Kinda..." Nathan admitted with a smile. "It's not like I want that life back exactly..."
"You just don't want Lucas to have it..." Brooke finished for him, nodding her head.
"Yeah..." Nathan said. "Does that sound stupid?"
"Kinda..." Brooke replied, getting a laugh out of Nathan. "But I'd feel exactly the same if I was you." She finished.
Nathan shrugged. "It just annoys me to see him acting all happy families... with my family!"
Yeah..." Brooke said nodding her head sympathetically. "He really does just want to help you though." She said cautiously.
Nathan shrugged. "I guess... just having trouble tolerating him lately." He said.
Brooke nodded and felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, quickly she pulled it out and looked at the caller I.D. "Speak of the devil." She said, flipping it open a putting it to her ear.
"Hey Luke what's up." Brooke said into the phone.
"I was just wondering how Nathan was" Lucas relied from the other side of the phone. "You didn't get back to me.
Brooke winced; remembering that she'd promised Lucas that she would message him to let him know everything was alright,
"Sorry Luke... I forgot." She said quickly.
Nathan rolled his eyes at her from the couch and she had to turn around to keep from laughing.
"You still at Nathan's?" Lucas asked. And almost jealous tone in his voice.
"Yeah. " Brooke replied, wondering whether Lucas sounded jealous because Nathan was spending time with her or because she got to spend time with Nathan.
"You there Luke?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah..." I'm here..." Lucas relied, his voice a little strained. "But uh, I have to go, I'll talk to you later."
"Ok." Brooke said clicking her mobile closed; curious as to why Lucas was acting so strange.
Brooke spun around to face Nathan who was still sitting on the couch smirking at her.
Brooke grinned, "What's with the smirk?" She asked.
Nathan laughed. "Lucas is jealous isn't he?" He asked. "You've been spending all your time with me lately. And he's jealous..."
Brooke grinned. "Don't act pleased about it or anything..." She said.
Nathan just grinned at her.
Brooke couldn't help grinning back.