AN: Thanks for reading guys! I've had some writers block with this story, hence the long break between updates. This chapter is sort of filler but I think I figured out what to do with this story for at least a few more chapters, so hopefully it won't be too long until the next chapter. As always, thank you for reviewing and reading! It means a lot to me.
The rain is coming down in sheets and Brooke pulls away from Peyton, laughing, still holding onto Peyton's hips.
"Let's go to the car before we get pneumonia, P. Sawyer." Brooke grabs Peyton's hand, lacing their fingers together, and walks in the direction of the car. Both girls are soaked to the bone and shivering by the time they make it through the crowd of people out in front of Tric. Peyton unlocks her Comet and they both climb inside.
"So, where to?" Peyton asks Brooke while she turns the car on, blasting the heat, and turning the music down just a little.
"Let's go home."
On the drive back to their apartments both girls' minds are running wild. Peyton can't help but think about what this all means and if she made a mistake. She looks over at Brooke and sees her chewing on her fingernails, a nervous habit, and Peyton's worry increases. What if Brooke realized this was all a big mistake and that she could never love someone like Peyton? Of course that's what Brooke is probably thinking, Peyton thinks to herself, Brooke doesn't have all the emotional baggage that she does. Peyton sighs realizing that this will never work because she could never be the type of person Brooke deserves.
Brooke looks over at Peyton and sees her tugging at her curls, biting on her lip and Brooke knows what she's thinking. Brooke reaches her hand up to grab the one Peyton is using to assault her hair and intertwines their fingers. Brooke hears Peyton exhale a breath and she only squeezes her hand a little tighter.
They ride like that for the rest of the car ride until they pull into the parking lot, since it's still raining Peyton gets a spot as close to the stairwell that she can. They get out of the car and race through the parking lot, dodging puddles as they make their way to the stairs. Peyton makes it up the fourth step before Brooke stops walking in front of her. She turns around and looks at Peyton.
"I want this, you know, all of it." Brooke reaches down and puts her hand on Peyton's neck. "I want you, Peyton." Then Brooke leans down and their lips touch for the second time and both girls feel like they've been doing this for their entire lives.
"But I'm so, uh, I'm just so me." Peyton groans in frustration and puts her hands in her hair. Brooke, who still has her hand on Peyton's neck, just pulls her closer until their noses are lightly touching.
"Well, lucky for you, just so you, is perfect for me." Brooke pulls back and drops her hand down from Peyton's neck then she turns around. Yelling over her shoulder she says, "Now come on! I'm freezing out here." And both girls head up to Brooke's apartment.
Brooke unlocks the door and turns on the lamp beside the couch. She rubs her arms noticing that she has chill bumps. She looks back behind her at Peyton and sees that the other girl looks to be freezing as well.
"I'm going to change because I'm soaked and freezing. I can give you some clothes?" Brooke walks towards her bedroom and glances at Peyton.
"No, that's okay. I'll just go home and change really quick." Peyton fiddles with her keys in her hand.
"Well, if you aren't back in ten minutes I'm calling the search party." Brooke flashes Peyton a dimpled smile and walks into her room. Peyton laughs and goes back outside and walks the few doors down to her apartment.
Peyton opens her door and strips off her dress. She walks into her bedroom and digs through her closet until she finds her old Jack's Mannequin t-shirt and a pair of leggings. Slipping them on she looks at herself in the mirror. Her hair is a mess due to the rain and her make up is smearing. Grabbing her black zip up jacket she goes into the bathroom and takes her make up off. She looks at herself and wonders what it is Brooke sees in her. She's just a skinny, blonde wreck.
Sighing, she splashes water on her face and then wipes it dry. She walks back into the living room and looks at the couch. It would be easier, she thinks to herself, to just sit down and draw rather than going and talking to Brooke. Hell, she didn't even know what she would say. She kissed Brooke and yet she had no idea where she wanted this to go. Sure, Brooke says she wants Peyton but what did that mean? Does that mean a relationship or does she just want a fling? Peyton rubs her eyes and sits down.
"What was I thinking? God. I'm so stupid." Peyton puts her elbows on her knees and rests her head in her hands. She sits there for a few minutes just thinking about what she needs to say to Brooke. "Yeah, like I'm going to figure that out." She sits back up and decides that she's just going to have to face the consequences to what happened. Yeah, she was going to have to man up.
Peyton gets up off the couch and slips on her converse and goes back to Brooke's apartment. When she opens the door she sees Brooke pacing the living room in old Tree Hill High cheerleading sweats and a black tank top, hair on top of her head, no make up and glasses. Peyton takes a breath in. She's the most beautiful person Peyton has ever seen.
"You're going to wear a hole in the carpet." Peyton laughs at Brooke and sits down on the couch, thinking if she acts like she's fine maybe she won't have a panic attack.
"I was just nervous that you were going to freak out and not come back." Brooke looks at Peyton and eyes her outfit. "Do you own anything other than band t-shirts?"
"Very funny." Peyton sticks her tongue out at Brooke, so far so good. "I'll have you know that I have like five other things that aren't band t-shirts. I mean you saw me in a dress tonight, that's impressive."
"You're right and I must say you looked very good in that dress." Brooke winks at Peyton and goes over to sit besides her pressing their thighs together. Peyton takes in a breath and holds it in her chest. Brooke acts like she doesn't notice and reaches for the remote, turning the TV on.
Peyton's mind is going crazy. Does Brooke not think what happened is a big deal, she kissed Peyton in the hallway and told her that she wanted this, them or whatever she meant. Now though she's just sitting on the couch watching some stupid reality show like nothing happened. Great, Peyton thinks, another girl who is going to completely break my heart. Peyton starts to scold herself for opening up to someone when she knows it never ends well. When is she ever going to get it through her thick head that she's better off to be alone.
Then Peyton feels Brooke wrap her arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. She exhales. Maybe Peyton needs to learn to stop second guessing Brooke Davis.
A few more minutes pass and then Brooke turns her head towards to Peyton. She smiles and then lets out what Peyton is sure is the cutest laugh to ever be heard.
"What's so funny?" Peyton asks and she leans her head up to look at Brooke. Her eyes are a bright green and her gold flecks are shining brighter than Peyton has ever seen them.
"I just can't believe it." Peyton gives her a quizzical look. "I mean, I had such a crush on you from the moment I first saw you! And here we are cuddling on my couch. It's just great. You're great." Brooke gives Peyton a peck on the lips and then laughs again.
"Well lucky you." Peyton gives Brooke a small smirk.
"Peyton! You better tell me you think I'm great, too." Brooke puts on her best pout and Peyton wants to kiss her.
"Or what?" Peyton kinks her eyebrow up and moves out from under Brooke's arm, putting her hands on her hips.
"Oh you don't even want to know." Brooke leans back on the couch and crosses her arms over her chest.
"I'm never going to say it so I guess I'll just have to find out." Peyton mocks Brooke and crosses her arms.
"Okay. You asked for it."
Before Peyton could move out of the way Brooke jumps on Peyton, straddling her then she starts tickling Peyton.
"You asked for it." Brooke is laughing at how hard Peyton is laughing and how she keeps gasping for air begging Brooke to stop. "Tell me I'm great!"
In between gasps for air Peyton manages to get out, "Okay, okay! You're great." Brooke slowly stops tickling Peyton but she doesn't move off the other girl. Brooke puts her arms on her thighs and looks at Peyton, who keeps her arms stiffly by her side.
"You know Peyton, it's okay to touch me. I won't bite." Brooke laughs and picks Peyton's hands up, placing them on her hips.
"Unless I want you to, right?" Peyton says remembering the other time Brooke said that to her.
"Right, exactly." Brooke leans down and kisses Peyton. She draws her tongue along Peyton's bottom lip and then Peyton can't think straight; not when Brooke is doing the things she's doing with her mouth or the way her hips feel under Peyton's hands. Peyton feels Brooke start to kiss down her jaw and onto her neck and she thinks that she's going to die from how hard her heart is beating.
Peyton moves her hands from Brooke's hips to her neck and tilts Brooke's head back up and kisses her again. Peyton tries to pour every emotion she can into kiss; the fear she feels knowing that this could all blow up in her face again, the adoration she has for Brooke, the hope that this will be something amazing. She puts it all into the kiss and hope that Brooke feels it too.
About ten minutes later Brooke pulls back from Peyton, "We have to stop or I'm not going to be able to control myself." Brooke puts her hands on either side of her legs and looks at Peyton. Her hair is messed up from the rain that hit them earlier and also Brooke's hands running through it. Peyton's lips are swollen and red and it makes Brooke happy to know that it's because of what they were just doing.
Peyton nods her head and looks at Brooke. Her chest is going up and down faster than usual with each breath and her lips are puffy and they look so soft that Peyton want to run her finger across them. She looks at Brooke's eyes and notices that they're a dark green color and slightly squinted. She smiles thinking that she got Brooke this hot and bothered.
"Yeah, probably a good idea."
"Right, so uhm, I'm going to go sit over there. Far away from you." Brooke gets off of Peyton's lap and sits on the other end of the couch. "Actually I think I'm going to go get a drink, want one?"
"Sure, what do you have?"
"Wine or beer?"
"My kind of woman." Peyton smirks at Brooke and follows her into the kitchen. "I'll take some wine."
"Sounds good." Brooke gets a bottle of white wine out and opens it up, and then she pours Peyton and herself a glass. Peyton walks up behind Brooke and reaches for the wine glass. Her front presses against Brooke's back and she hears Brooke take in a breath.
"Thanks." Peyton takes a sip from the glass but doesn't move away. Instead she puts her hand on Brooke's hip. Brooke turns around so they're face to face.
"I said I needed to get away from you not have you all pressed up against me!" Peyton puts up her hands in a position that says she surrenders and backs away from Brooke laughing. The girls sit down at Brooke's kitchen table sipping their wine in comfortable silence. That is until Brooke decided that the battle she's had going on in her head where too much to ignore any longer.
"So, not to ruin this or anything, but I think we need to talk." Brooke says to Peyton as she sets her wine glass down.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Peyton can feel herself getting nervous. She tarts to play with the strings of jacket. What if Brooke realized this was all a big mistake?
"I like you Peyton, like a lot." Brooke grabs Peyton's hand from across the table.
"I like you too." Peyton says while looking down at the table.
"But I don't want to mess this up and ruin our friendship." Here it comes, thought Peyton, she's about to come to her senses that I'm damaged goods. "So I don't think we should rush it, I think we should get to know each other."
"We do know each other." Peyton says confused.
"I mean like get to know each other as more than friends. I mean we should date each other, casually, see where this goes without all the pressure, and really get to know each other." Brooke smiles at Peyton.
"Casual dating? Like where we see other people?" Peyton asks still confused. Earlier Brooke said she wanted Peyton and what was she saying now, that she wanted her but wanted other people too? Peyton didn't think that was something she was going to be comfortable with.
"No. I'll kick your ass if you date someone else." Brooke says seriously but then laughs. "Honestly Peyton, if you wanted to be in a relationship today I would say yes. But I know you got hurt before and I don't want you to have any doubts about us. So I'm saying date me and let me show you that I'm different, that we can be different."
Peyton looks at Brooke and sees how hopeful she is. Peyton wishes that she was in the type of place where she could jump into a relationship with Brooke and not fee like it was all going to blow up in her face but she just isn't. She was too messed up over what happened with Kate and she wasn't ready to put he heart out on the line even more than it already was. What Brooke was offering was a way for Peyton to see that she could trust Brooke and Peyton thought that while her head was telling her this was a bad idea, her heart was telling her to go for it.
Peyton looks at the way Brooke is staring at her, hopeful, and she knows that she needs to stop being so afraid and take a chance. Maybe Brooke was the girl that was going to change it all and even if she isn't Peyton felt like she owed to herself to at least try. There comes a time when you have to make a choice, whether you're scared or lonely or hopeless, and this was that time for Peyton.
"I'd love to date you, Brooke Davis."