Chapter 8
Brooke hurried through the airport exit and walked outside into the warm North Carolina air. She had caught a plane earlier that morning and it was now noon, which meant she would have plenty of time to help Jenna out at the shop.
"Brooke!"
She turned quickly at the familiar voice and smiled. "Hi Tutor mom!" she said, heading towards where Haley was waiting in her car. "Thanks for picking me up."
"No problem," Haley replied, getting out and opening the trunk of her SUV and helping her put in her bags. Soon they were both back in the car heading towards Tree Hill.
"How long to you think you're gonna be here?" Haley asked.
Brooke shrugged. "I don't know for sure yet. No less than a couple of days but no longer than a week. So, how bad is everything?"
"It could be a lot worse," Haley said and Brooke sighed in relief. "Jenna's so young; she's just barely out of high school, so she's just a little overwhelmed. But she's doing a good job with what she's been given. I've been trying to help out as much as possible but with school and Nathan and Jamie, not to mention helping look after Peyton's studio, I've got a lot to do. I've only really been able to be there a couple of hours a week."
Brooke smiled sympathetically. "I feel so bad for asking all of this of you. You've already got so much going on and I've only been adding to the stress. Listen, when I leave don't worry about helping out at the shop. I'll just have to hire a few more people and everything should be alright, okay?"
"Brooke, it's really okay," Haley said sincerely. "I just wish I could help out more."
"You're an amazing friend, Hales," Brooke replied, feeling guilty for all that she'd put her through the past few weeks, "but I insist you take a break. You need to spend more time with Nathan and Jamie and I won't take you away from that anymore."
Haley laughed and nodded her head slowly. "If that's what you want, I'll try to take a break."
Brooke smiled and turned her head to stare out the window, sitting in a comfortable silence. During the plane ride Brooke had been so caught up in thinking about the work situation in Tree Hill that she'd barely had time to think about Lucas. She wanted to ask Haley if he was back, but for some reason she was hesitant. She had been planning on avoiding him as much as possible if he was home, but she knew that'd be next to impossible because, as much as she hated to admit it, she missed him like crazy. She wondered how she had been able to live the four long years after high school with him barely in her life. The thought of him not in her life seemed totally crazy now. She wondered if he missed her too. The answer was most likely yes, just probably not as much as she missed him, but she figured that he must miss her because their friendship definitely wasn't one sided.
"What's on your mind?"
She turned to look at Haley and smiled sheepishly. "Just the whole work thing," she lied. "Hey, did I tell you that Rachel's moving into my apartment?" It was time to change the subject before she mentioned the man she wasn't ready to talk about.
Haley looked at her in surprise before quickly frowning. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Brooke?" she asked disapprovingly. "What about the whole drugs and stealing thing?"
"We talked about it and I really think she's gonna do good. She's been clean for awhile now and she has a job and her own apartment. She didn't need a place to live, but I asked her anyway. I think I could watch out for her, you know? Make sure she doesn't go back to her old ways. Plus, she and Peyton actually seem to be getting along. I think it's because both of their lives are kind of screwed up right now so they've both got a lot in common. Anyway, I think they'd be a good support system for each other."
Haley didn't look convinced. "Are you really sure about this?"
"Yeah," Brooke said and she was telling the truth. She really thought that Rachel was heading in the right direction, that she was finally doing something good in her life.
"If you say so," Haley replied, sighing heavily. "So…how's Peyton doing?"
Brooke shrugged. "She's hanging in there. She's kind of doing everything she can to distract herself. She's been going out to clubs almost every night, which isn't exactly a great thing—she's been drinking a ton and I've even caught her making out with random guys a couple of times, which is totally out of character for her. We're gonna have to work on that. But despite that, I really think she's on the road to recovery. We've talked about Lucas a lot, actually, and she seems to be handling it better every time."
"How much longer do you think you'll be there?"
"A few more months probably," Brooke sighed. She knew that being back in Tree Hill was going to make her not want to leave and she found herself wishing that she wouldn't have to be in New York for much longer. Mostly because there was no Lucas Scott in New York.
"That kind of sucks," Haley said, smiling weakly at her. "We all miss you both. It's not the same here without you. And Jamie's been dying to see you. I swear he didn't sleep at all last night; he was so exciting that you would be coming home."
"I've missed him," Brooke said, smiling at the thought of her godson. She regretted that she hadn't been in his life lately, especially since she had promised herself that she would always be involved in his life when she had returned to Tree Hill last year. "I've missed everyone," she added, thinking of Lucas, Nathan, Haley and the others.
"Lucas has been asking about you actually," Haley said and Brooke's heart skipped a beat—he was home.
"Yeah?" she said as casually as possible. "When did he get home?"
"Yesterday afternoon, actually," Haley responded, "but he was really curious about why you left. I think he was really disappointed that he didn't get to see you right away."
Brooke smiled lightly, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering in her stomach that had formed when Haley had mentioned that he was disappointed about not be able to see her. "Does he know I'm back?" she asked quietly.
Haley nodded. "I called him this morning and told him. He seemed excited."
Brooke grinned. "Who wouldn't be excited to see me?" she joked. She was ready to turn the conversation away from Lucas; she didn't want Haley to become suspicious.
"I know, right?" Haley laughed as she pulled in front of Brooke's house. "So, I'm guessing you're spending most of the day at your store, but do you think you could make it to my house for dinner tonight? Everyone will want to see you and Lucas will be there."
"Definitely," Brooke replied, stepping out of the car. She couldn't deny Haley's offer, not when everyone wanted to see her. She'd just have to deal with Lucas sooner than she'd thought she would. "What time?"
"Around 7, I guess. Or as soon as you can get there, it doesn't really matter."
"Sounds great," she said, hugging Haley tightly before heading into her house. "Thanks again for everything!"
"It was no problem," her friend responded, waving as she drove away.
Brooke practically collapsed onto the couch once she made it inside. She would be seeing Lucas tonight. The thought made her both excited and nervous at the same time. She wondered if he'd want to talk about the kissing incident or if he'd even really cared enough about it to bring it up again. She knew one thing, though—if he didn't bring it up she definitely wouldn't.
She slowly stood up, knowing she had to get down to the shop as soon as possible and headed back outside, wondering what the day had in store for her.
She sat in her car for what seemed like forever, but in reality it had only been a few painstaking minutes. He was in there, waiting to see her, and she was more nervous than she'd ever remembered being. Why did he have to make her feel this way? It made her angry to think that a boy could have such a hold on her, control her in ways that she would never be controlled otherwise. Lucas was the only guy that ever did that to her, she knew that, and only a few months ago she had thought those feelings for him were gone for good. But apparently, they weren't; they had only been in hiding.
"Aunt Brooke!"
She couldn't ponder over Lucas any longer; Jamie had appeared at her car door and was doing the best he could with his short little body to knock on her window. She grinned and quickly opened the door.
"Hi Jamie!" she cried, bending towards the ground and pulling him into a hug. She hadn't realized how much she missed him until she actually held him in her arms. "How are you doing, buddy?"
"I've missed you," he said, smiling widely at her.
She melted at the sight of his adorable little grin and kissed his cheek. "I've missed you too, Jamie. Oh, it's so good to see you!"
"Hey Brooke," Nathan said, grinning as he stood at the front door. "Come on in."
Brooke set Jamie on the ground and took his hand gently, letting him lead her into the house. It was half past six—she had gotten out of work earlier than she expected—and she wasn't sure if Lucas would be there yet since she hadn't seen his car. She hoped he wasn't; she wanted some time to spend with Jamie without being under Lucas' penetrating gaze.
"Brooke, you're early!" Haley said cheerfully as she stepped into the kitchen. Thankfully there had been no sign of Lucas.
"Yep, I was able to get away from the shop sooner than I thought I would."
"How'd everything go?"
"It was a bit chaotic, to be honest," she replied, picking out a cucumber from the salad Haley was making, "but I think everything should be okay after a few days. I decided that I'm definitely going to hire someone before I leave, which shouldn't take too long."
"You're leaving again?"
Brooke's heart broke at the sound of Jamie's sad voice. He was standing behind her looking up at her with a frown.
"Just for a little while longer, buddy," she said, crouching down to his level and looking at him straight in the eye. "I've just got a few more things to take care of, okay? I promise I won't be gone much longer. But I'll be here for the next few days and we can spend plenty of time together. Maybe I can even take you to that zoo you're always talking about."
His frown turned into a huge smile. "Yeah!"
She knew that finding much time to spend with Jamie during her stay was going to be hard, but she was going to try her best to find the time to be with him. She had missed him more than she thought she had and she knew that she needed to spend some quality time with her godson.
"Uncle Luke's here!" Jamie said suddenly as they all heard the front door open.
Brooke exhaled deeply and plastered on the best smile she could. This was it. She was still nervous, but the excitement of seeing him again seemed to be overpowering it and suddenly she was very eager to see his face.
She followed Jamie into the living room and her smile grew even larger once she saw him.
He was standing by the couch, Jamie in his arms, laughing at something Nathan had said. He didn't seem to notice her at first, but Jamie quickly pointed out her appearance.
"Look Uncle Luke, Aunt Brooke's back!"
His smile stretched from ear to ear as he turned to look at her and her heart nearly stopped at the sight of him. He looked so incredibly happy to see her that that it was almost overwhelming. He shouldn't be looking at her like that, should he?
"Brooke," he said quietly, gently setting Jamie down and walking slowly over to her. She stood there, frozen as she beamed at him. She hadn't been prepared for how happy she was to see him. It almost felt wrong to be so full of joy at just the sight of him.
"Hi Luke," she finally said, walking a few feet to meet him. He pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, the smile never leaving her face. Yes, she hadn't expected how happy she was to see him, but at the same time she hadn't expected how easy it was, even after everything that had happened.
As she pulled away and looked into his eyes she saw no awkwardness. She only saw pure joy—the joy of seeing the one person who makes you feels whole. The look kind of freaked her out because she knew she was looking at him the same way.
"It's been awhile," Brooke said, breaking the silence as she noticed Nathan staring at them both with a huge smile.
"Too long," he replied as she pulled away. He didn't seem very eager to let go of her, but she knew that Nathan would think something was going on between them if they kept this up and she wouldn't let that happen.
"So how have you been?" she asked. She sat down on the couch trying to look as casual as possible and he sat down next to her, sitting closer than she would have thought necessary. She didn't mind at all, though.
"Pretty good," he said, still grinning at her. "But it's great to be home. I have to admit, though, I was kind of surprised when Haley told me you and Peyton were in New York."
"Yeah," Brooke said guiltily, "it was all Peyton's doing actually. She thinks she'll have a better time getting over you there, so I'm not gonna argue with her, you know?"
"Yeah, of course…How's she doing?"
"A lot better," Brooke replied. "She's still kind of messed up but I think she's finally coming to terms with the whole thing… I think she's known for awhile now that you two weren't meant to be together, now she just has to really get over you and the idea of what could have been, you know what I mean?"
He nodded. "I'm glad she's doing okay, though. So…are you going to be heading back to New York any time soon?"
"I'm only gonna be here for a few days, actually," she said, smiling guiltily. His smiled turned into a frown and she couldn't help but be happy at his reaction; he obviously didn't want to see her go.
"That sucks," he said, his eyes narrowing.
Brooke chuckled. "Yeah, that's pretty much what Haley said."
"I guess we'll just have to make the best of our time together," he whispered, his voice low and gentle. He was so close to her now; his legs brushed against hers and his hand was on her knee in what she assumed was a friendly gesture, but what she hoped was anything but. He was looking directly into her eyes, his gaze soft and sincere, and she found that she couldn't look away. Her heart was beating like crazy and she felt like her throat was closing up. And underneath all those other feelings, she felt an overwhelming desire to pull closer to him, just like she had in his bedroom the night before he left.
But she fought against it with more strength than she thought she had. She broke contact, her heart thumping wildly in her chest, and looked around the living room, noticing for the first time that no one else was with them. She heard Haley in the kitchen and glanced out the window to see Nathan out by the pool with Jamie.
They were alone.
If she kissed him right now, no one would see it. She quickly dismissed that idea, though. She wouldn't go against what she'd decided back in New York—she couldn't do that to Peyton.
He was looking at her oddly when she turned to look at him again. It was almost like he felt the same way she did, like he was trying to fight the urge to feel her lips on his, to be near her, to touch her in the way he shouldn't be touching her.
She quickly decided she couldn't be alone with him much longer without losing control and so she stood up and looked towards the kitchen.
"I'm gonna go see if Haley needs any help," she said, her voice low and raspy as she left before waiting for his reply. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the idea of being alone with Lucas in his bedroom, their lips coming closer and closer until finally meeting each other in a searing kiss.
She practically groaned at the thought; she should not be thinking like that.
"What up with you?" Haley asked when she entered the kitchen.
Brooke glared at her. "Everything's just so damn frustrating!" she blurted out. After having only Rachel to give her advice on the whole Lucas ordeal, she suddenly felt the urge to Haley everything. This was Haley after all, the girl who always came up with the best, most logical solutions; surely she could help Brooke out with this situation.
Then she came flying back to reality and realized that Lucas was right in the next room. There was no way she and Haley could have this discussion right now.
"What's frustrating?" Haley asked curiously, her attention solely on Brooke.
Brooke sighed, angry that she couldn't talk to Haley about it and even angrier about the fact that she knew she wouldn't want to tell Haley about it at a later date. She needed to be keep silent on the subject. Rachel knowing was enough. "Nothing. Never mind. I…I have to use the restroom, excuse me…" She walked away without a second glance, tired of hiding from her feelings and stalked up to the bathroom.
Brooke glared at herself in the mirror, silently scolding herself for feeling the way she did about Lucas. If this is what five minutes with him could do to her, she wondered how she was going to be able to survive the rest of her time in Tree Hill.
A/N: So, I was able to finish this chapter before I leave! But unfortunately that means this is the last chapter until I get back. I believe I'll be getting home on Friday night, possibly Saturday morning, and I will try to work as fast as I can on the next chapter. I've got basically everything planned out already for the whole story, so it shouldn't be too hard.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! You never know, maybe if you guys leave me a lot of reviews when I get back I'll write super fast…just a suggestion ;D
