AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Okay, this chapter is pretty fluffy/angsty, and I hope you like the new developments.
I definitely do.
This chapter is for Danielle.
WARNINGS: Language, Slash, Sensuality, Future f/f
ENJOY!
xxxx
Brooke didn't even know why she was so upset about what was going on with Beth, but she knew that she was. Seeing Beth hit on the girl at the bar was making Brooke feel like she finally had to face the music—she finally had to admit that her feelings for Beth were complicated. Why did she feel like Beth should have been hitting on her instead? Why was this so hard when it didn't need to be?
"Brooke!" Beth called after her.
Brooke stopped and stood where she was without turning around. "What?"
"Well at least you stopped." Beth told her, catching up and taking Brooke's hand in hers.
"What?" Brooke asked again, only this time it was softer.
Beth was running her thumb along Brooke's hand absent-mindedly, Brooke swallowing because it felt nice. Brooke was a little nervous about how happy she felt having her hand in Beth's, and then it hit her—Beth had followed her. She hadn't even been sure that Beth had even been watching her, but Beth had been…and Beth had cared enough to come after Brooke when Brooke had stormed out because of the jealous feelings that were swirling around in her gut.
"You're upset…talk to me." Beth told her, smiling a little when Brooke turned to face her slowly.
Brooke bit her lip. "I just…I'm fine."
"You're not fine, Brooke Davis—you forget that I know you." Beth replied, taking a step closer and glancing at Brooke's mouth, licking her lips at the sight of Brooke biting her lip again.
"I'm just…it was getting all dramatic in there." Brooke said lamely, holding her breath as Beth took another step into Brooke's space.
Brooke looked up and her eyes caught Beth's, catching Beth looking at her mouth and blushing a little bit. She didn't know how she felt about this, but she definitely knew that no matter what happened she was starting to understand that her feelings for Beth were more than just the feelings for a best friend. Beth had always been there for her and Brooke knew that she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss between them for a reason.
Beth had kept Brooke's secret when Brooke had told her too, even when she really hadn't wanted Brooke to lie. Not to mention no matter what Victoria said, Beth stuck by Brooke one hundred percent and made her feel like she was someone who mattered. Brooke smiled a little and reached out to stroke Beth's hair, wondering how on earth she had gotten lucky enough to have Beth on her side.
"Why do you do all these things for me?" Brooke asked Beth.
Beth shrugged and ran her thumb along Brooke's cheek. "I have to."
"No you don't." Brooke told her, shaking her head. "You could be anywhere but here, but you keep coming back. You keeping looking after me. You keep taking care of me. You keep—"
Beth kissed Brooke, cutting off her sentences because Beth wanted Brooke to understand once and for all that she did things for her because of how she felt about her. They weren't drunk this time and Beth knew where she stood, and the fact that Brooke was kissing her back made her smile a bit and pull her closer. Even if she was a little confused, Brooke knew that she was enjoying the kiss and she let Beth wrap her arms around her, trying to figure out the feeling in her stomach.
As Beth ran her tongue along Brooke's bottom lip, Alice shook her head at Lucas as he walked into the bar, taking a deep breath. He knew how Alice felt about him and he knew that he really couldn't make her think any better of him because of what he had pulled years ago and recently. Beth was Brooke's best friend and since Beth thought that Lucas was a douche for stringing Brooke along, the feeling was only intensified where Alice was concerned because she wanted to kill him for making Beth worry.
"I assume if I say 'hello'…I won't be getting anywhere with you?" Lucas asked her.
Alice laughed and nodded. "You would be correct. Until you stop breaking hearts and finally make a Goddamn decision, you're pretty much dead to me."
"Oh, because I was alive to you before?" Lucas asked her with a chuckle. "Where's Peyton?"
"Peyton is talking to Haley…or she was—they stepped out a little bit ago." Alice explained to him, leaning on the bar and looking at him. "So…you think you made the right decision?"
Lucas nodded slowly. "Yeah…yeah I do."
"That sounded amazingly sincere." Alice said sarcastically, looking Lucas over and then ordering a beer.
Lucas smiled at her and he nodded, knowing that he shouldn't be finding Alice attractive but he always had. She'd always been the kind of person that spoke her mind and helped people—she was powerful and she was almost the perfect mix of Peyton, Brooke, Haley and Lindsey. Lucas knew that was why he was so drawn to Alice and it unnerved him sometimes because if she had made the effort, he knew that the two of them would be amazing friends…but she didn't really want to have anything to do with him.
"I think it's about time you and I became friends." Lucas said, taking the seat next to Alice.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Yeah? I don't think so."
"Why don't you think so?" Lucas asked her.
"Because you're a pig." Alice replied, smiling at him a little. "I could probably be convinced to consider it if you covered my beer…"
"Done." Lucas told her holding out his hand, both of them smiling and then shaking hands.
xx
"So you haven't been avoiding me?" Peyton asked Haley.
Haley shook her head as they walked along the sidewalk. "Of course not. I'm just worried is all and I'm trying not to let it affect our friendship but obviously I suck at this."
"You don't suck at this Haley!" Peyton assured her, putting her arm around Haley's shoulders and pulling her close, leaning her head on Haley's. "Trust me, you're the perfect friend."
"Thanks, Peyton." Haley managed, wishing she wasn't feeling so confused about her…why she was feeling kind of happy to be this close to her.
Peyton kissed the top of her head. "So…how is Brooke?"
Haley shrugged at her. "I think she's been in a space lately that only Beth seems to be able to get into."
"Well I think Brooke needs to rethink where she stands." Peyton agreed, still leaning on Haley.
Peyton had seen the way that Brooke had reacted to Beth hitting on the girl at the bar and she knew something was going on there. She had been surprised to hear about the kiss, but if Beth made Brooke happy then so be it—Brooke deserved happiness. It was kind of inevitable actually. Peyton remembered how Brooke used to talk about Beth nonstop all the time and she just wanted things to work out—she hated seeing Brooke upset.
"You know how stubborn Brooke is, Peyton." Haley said with a shrug.
Peyton nodded slowly. "Yeah, but if Beth makes her happy then Brooke needs to go for it."
"You're not just saying this because you want to make sure Brooke can't go for Lucas, are you?" Haley asked her.
"What? Why would you even ask me that?" Peyton asked Haley, pulling her arm away. "What is going on with you, Haley?"
Haley shook her head and just walked ahead of Peyton as Beth and Brooke stumbled in the front door, lips still together, Brooke taking off her jacket. Neither of them had stopped to talk about anything—they didn't see the point in potentially getting into a fight possibly about feelings. All they knew right then was that they felt good about what was happening, and when Beth felt Brooke's fingers fumbling for the buttons on her shirt, Beth nodded a little.
"Brooke are you sure?" Beth asked her.
Brooke took a step back and knew that she didn't understand where their understanding had gone. She thought that they weren't going to talk because things might get awkward or ugly, but things were going so well and she wasn't sure where this conversation was going to go. All she really wanted right then was to keep kissing Beth and to maybe figure out where this was going to go—or how this was going to work since her senses were on fire.
"Doesn't it seem like I'm sure?" Brooke asked Beth.
Beth ran her thumb along Brooke's red lips. "God, I wanna hope so."
"I'm sure." Brooke said nodding, pulling off her shirt and going back to Beth's buttons. "I just…I want this with you."
"Then I need to be honest with you." Beth told her, taking Brooke's hands and stopping her.
Beth didn't want to get into this relationship without Brooke knowing how she felt because she really wanted to be honest with her. If there was one thing that Beth was sure of, it was that she wanted Brooke to understand where she stood because she wanted Brooke to know that she could lean on her. Besides, Beth didn't want this to be some kind of relationship that just fell apart—she didn't want it to be a fling.
"You look like you're getting serious." Brooke told her, feeling her stomach sink a little.
Beth nodded and took a breath. "I love you."
"What?" Brooke asked her.
"You heard me, Brooke—don't pretend like you didn't." Beth said, running her fingers through her own hair as Brooke took her hands back.
Brooke closed her eyes sadly. "I'm not ready for this, Beth."
Even though she had been expecting it, Beth was upset that Brooke had said it like that. After being hurt by Lucas, Brooke wasn't ready to invest herself into another relationship and as much as Beth understood there, she had hoped that after all these years, Brooke would know that Beth was never going to leave her. When Brooke opened up her eyes, she saw the hurt look on Beth's face and she picked her shirt and her jacket up off of the floor, pulling them on.
"Please don't go." Beth told her.
Brooke shook her head. "I have to."
"No you don't, Brooke! Just talk to me." Beth pleaded, stepping into her space again.
"What do you want me to say, Beth? This is all new for me, and it's confusing, and I really definitely do not want to deal with something serious with all this drama floating around me. I mean Haley probably has feelings for Peyton and vice versa, but Haley is married with a son and Peyton's engaged! Not to mention you were actually just hitting on someone else tonight!" Brooke explained to her.
Beth shook her head. "That was Alice's plan and it worked—you have feelings for me and now I finally know…I'm confused too, Brooke. You're not the only one."
"I know, I know, I just…I need to think instead of getting caught up in my hormones." Brooke told her, taking a deep breath and then slowly, she left Beth's, Beth sitting on the couch and putting her head in her hands.
Note: So there you have it! Angsty but feelings are out there! And what is up with Lucas and Alice? Feedback is always appreciated!
