Chapter Ten
Two weeks passed in what felt like two minutes for Brooke Davis. She had been so busy during the past fourteen days that she had barely had time to do much of anything other than get the store ready for the grand opening.
She missed her friends… she missed Jamie… but most of all, she missed Peyton.
Sure, they lived together, but Peyton too had been extremely busy the past two weeks. The band she signed turned out to be a major problem, and with Haley's urging, they had dropped them and instead signed the piano player as a solo artist. Both Peyton and Haley had spent a lot of time getting Mia ready to record.
Brooke knew that she was doing it again… distancing herself from Peyton because it was easier than dealing with her feelings. But even though she was pulling away, it was as if Peyton didn't let her.
Peyton made sure to bring Brooke dinner to the store every single night when she was working late… even if she only dropped by to drop it off and couldn't stay. It was the thought that counted and Brooke couldn't help but be grateful that Peyton wasn't going to let this get between them again. She had told herself just this morning that as soon as the store opening was done, she was going to spend some quality time with her best friend again, feelings be damned!
"Hey B. Davis…" Peyton says, entering the shop with a bag in her hands. "Wow!" she says, stopping just inside the door way. "Brooke, this place looks amazing!"
"You think so?" Brooke asks, stepping from behind the counter and moving toward Peyton who is looking around in awe.
"I know so! You did a great job!"
"Thanks... there's still some left to do tomorrow but most of it's all set," Brooke says, happy to give into the hug Peyton has pulled her into. She relaxes into it and almost whimpers when it ends. "So… what's in the bag P. Sawyer?"
"Dinner… I figured since tomorrow was the big day you wouldn't be getting home any time soon… and… and I miss you. So I thought I'd come and see if I could help you and we'd eat and hang out… if that's alright?" Peyton questions, sounding a little different than Brooke is used to.
"That's so sweet of you Blondie… you didn't have to do that. But I'm starving and I'd love the company and help!" Brooke says, not turning away food and free labor.
The two girls settle in the middle of the store, six different cartons of Chinese food settled around them. Both girls have their own carton in their hands and are eating quietly with chopsticks. Brooke glances at the carton Peyton has in her hand and leans over a little to grab a piece of beef from Peyton's dish.
"Hey!" Peyton says, her mouth full of food. Brooke laughs.
"My, my… since when did Peyton Sawyer forget how to share?" Brooke asks, making a joke out of it and enjoying the casual friendly banter between them.
"Since my best friend ate all of the Chow Mein and didn't leave any for me!" Peyton replies jokingly.
"Well, I'm an only child. I'm not supposed to know how to share!" Brooke says.
"I'm an only child too!" Peyton exclaims.
"Technically, no. You do have a brother… remember?"
"Half brother," Peyton says, cringing at the thought of that time in her life when she first found out about him. Just the memory of Ian Banks and him posing as her brother can still give her nightmares. But the real Derek... her real brother, wasn't that bad. They didn't talk much, but they made sure to visit at least once a year and keep in touch through emails when they could.
"Still…"
"And it's not like I was raised with him. Therefore I have every right to be selfish like you!"
"Oh, so now I'm selfish huh?" Brooke asks, laughing as the words come out and she tries to make a serious face. Peyton just smirks at her. Brooke can't keep a straight face so instead of trying she flicks the noodles on her chopsticks in Peyton's direction, hitting her directly between the eyes.
"Brooke!" Peyton shouts, shocked at the noodles landing on her face. She puts her carton of food down and tackles Brooke to the floor, tickling her at her sides.
Brooke is laughing uncontrollably and begging Peyton to stop, but Peyton doesn't relent. She just keeps tickling and laughing right along with Brooke.
"Uncle! Uncle!" Brooke manages to get out, and Peyton stops the tickling assault and it is then that Brooke realizes the position they are in on the floor. Peyton is on top of Brooke, her hands on either side of the brunette's head, holding her body up and their faces are inches apart.
"Brooke…" Peyton starts, but Brooke knows better this time. She's worked long and hard to not let herself make the same mistakes she's made before. She sits up before Peyton can finish.
"So… what do you say we get this place cleaned up and get the hell out of here?" Brooke asks, not wanting to show Peyton just how flustered she is.
"Sounds good to me. But wait… don't you have more work to do?" Peyton asks.
"I can finish in the morning… I just need to get one thing," Brooke says, carrying several empty cartons to the trash and tossing them in. "It's in the office."
Peyton throws the remaining cartons in the garbage and leans against the counter, just looking around at the beautiful store Brooke has created. Everything is perfectly in its place and Peyton just knows that tomorrow is going to be a great night. Brooke returns within a few minutes.
"Here," she says, holding a garment on a hanger out for Peyton. "I made this for you."
"For me?" Peyton asks, surprised at the gesture but taking the hanger anyway. She unzips the bag and inside is a beautiful dress. "Oh Brooke… it's beautiful. You didn't have to do this for me!" Peyton says, smiling at her friend.
"I wanted to. I wanted you to be wearing a Brooke Davis original on the night of the opening. So… do you really like it?" Brooke asks.
"It's amazing Brooke. You're amazing," Peyton answers.
"I'm glad you like it… now lets get out of here before I find something else that needs to be re-done," Brooke says, sounding tired after a long couple of weeks getting everything ready. Peyton re-zips the bag and leads the way out of the store, watching as Brooke locks up.
"Are you asleep?" a quiet voice rings out into the darkness and Peyton sits up at the sound of it.
"Brooke? What's wrong?" Peyton asks, seeing the outline of her best friend standing in her doorway. She can almost see the tears in Brooke's eyes from the soft moonlight filtering in through the window.
They had made their way home and hung out on the couch talking and enjoying spending time together before they both had called it a night, not wanting to be too tired for the long day tomorrow. Brooke had tossed and turned for hours before finally getting up to see if Peyton was having the same problem.
"I can't sleep," Brooke says, making her way closer into Peyton's room.
"What's going on in that head of yours Brooke Davis?" Peyton asks, patting next to her on the bed, inviting her friend to lay next to her. Brooke smiles and settles under the covers next to Peyton, resting her head on her shoulder laying together the way they had since they were kids.
There was something about the way they were laying that comforted Brooke, and it always had. She had laid this way with Peyton so many times over the course of their long friendship. Nights when her parents screaming and fighting was more than she could handle... nights when everything seemed to be falling apart. Peyton had always been her comfort.
"I guess I'm just nervous about the opening. I mean… if the store doesn't go well then Victoria will be on my ass about it and I just so badly want to shove it in her face," Brooke says, getting even more comfortable with Peyton next to her. Peyton has started to play with Brooke's hair, running her fingers lightly through the brown locks. "I just want to prove to her that I can do it, you know?"
"It's going to be great Brooke. Besides… who cares what Bitchtoria thinks… all that matters is that you have your friends here and you're happy."
Brooke sighs.
"I am happy," Brooke says, feeling her eyes start to get heavy now that she's safe and comfortable in Peyton's arms. "Can I sleep in here tonight?" Brooke asks.
"Shh… close your eyes Brooke… of course you can," Peyton whispers and she places a soft kiss on the brunette's forehead. But before Brooke can even think about it, her eyes are closed and she's drifting off to slumber land.
Brooke wakes the next morning to find herself in Peyton's bed. She instantly sits up and replays the night in her mind after checking to make sure she was fully clothed, thankful when she remembers she merely came to lay next to her best friend for comfort the night before.
"Nothing happened," Brooke says out loud as she looks to see the other side of the bed is empty. She's not sure if she's glad for that, or sad.
Brooke stretches and then makes her way out of the room to the kitchen where she smells breakfast being cooked.
"Morning," she says casually when she sees Peyton standing at stove making bacon. "That smells amazing."
Brooke can't also help but look at Peyton's attire this morning. She's wearing a tight white tank top that leaves nothing to the imagination and the shortest pair of boy shorts Brooke's ever seen. Peyton's legs look as if they go on for miles.
"I made coffee too. I knew you'd need a good breakfast to get you through the day and tonight," Peyton says smiling and handing Brooke a cup. "Breakfast should be done in a few minutes."
Brooke smiles finally tearing her eyes away from Peyton's legs.
"I can't believe you made breakfast. You're the best ever!"
"You're not so bad yourself," Peyton remarks and Brooke gets a strong feeling of happiness at hearing the words.
She drinks her coffee in silence until Peyton slides over a large plate of bacon, eggs and pancakes in front of her. She makes herself a plate of the same and sits down at the counter beside her.
"So… what plans do you have for today?" Brooke asks. "You have a lot of work to do at the studio?"
"Not much actually. I left the day open in case you needed any last minute help," Peyton says, taking a bite of pancake.
"Really?" Brooke asks, feeling an overwhelming sense of desire to kiss the girl sitting next to her. "I could really use you by my side today to keep me from freaking out," Brooke admits.
"That's why I took the day off. I know you too well Brooke Davis," Peyton says, patting Brooke's hand next to her before picking her fork up and taking another bite. "Now eat up and get ready. We've got an opening to get ready for."
The day is over in a blur. There was a lot more to get ready than either Brooke or Peyton thought, but somehow, with the help of Millie, Brooke's assistant, they managed to get it all done and have time to go back to the house and get dressed for the event that night. Brooke has just finished dressing and is putting on her necklace when she hears Peyton cursing from behind her closed door. She makes her way out of her room and over to it, knocking quietly.
"You alright in there Peyton?" Brooke asks, concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I just can't reach the zipper," Peyton says through the door. Before Brooke can reply, the door is opened and Peyton is standing there in Brooke's dress. "Can you zip me up?"
Brooke nods, speechless at how beautiful Peyton looks and she makes her way into the room so Peyton can look in the mirror. She slowly zips the back of the dress up, careful not to let her fingers brush over the beautiful skin she so desperately wants to touch.
"There you go," Brooke says, still overwhelmed by Peyton's beauty. Peyton must notice the way Brooke is looking at her and she turns suddenly.
"What's wrong? Is it... does it look..."
"Nothing… you just… you look amazing P. Sawyer," Brooke admits. Peyton smiles big at the compliment.
"You too," Peyton says, seemingly eying Brooke up and down. Brooke swallows the lump in her throat.
"Ready to go?"
"Yep, let's do this."
They drive to the store in silence. The limo driver keeps glancing back at them through the mirror and it's starting to make Brooke even more nervous than she had been before she left the house. They are running a little bit behind schedule, but Brooke didn't really care. After all, it was typical of her to be fashionably late for her own parties.
"Just take a breath Brooke," Peyton says, once the car has rolled to a stop and the driver has gotten out to open the door for them. "I'm right here beside you," Peyton finishes, taking Brooke's hand and squeezing it slightly.
The door opens and Peyton smiles, stepping out first and pulling Brooke a little with her. They stand in front of the store, seeing it completely packed inside already. Brooke starts to shake a little.
"I don't know if I can go in there Peyton," Brooke says, overwhelmed with emotions at the sight of all those people in there to see her designs and buy her clothes.
"Sure you can," Peyton says, linking her arm with Brooke's and pulling her close. "We'll do it together."
They take a step forward and when they finally enter the door, all eyes turn to them. Customers and friends alike are all there to support Brooke Davis and Clothes Over Bros. Haley and Nathan smile when they see the girls arms linked and Haley makes her way to the door to greet them.
"Brooke, this place is amazing! Everyone loves it!"
"Really?" Brooke asks, her arm still tight around Peyton and refusing to let go despite Peyton trying once before.
"You've already sold ten dresses and it's only been open for fifteen minutes!" Millie says as they make their way to the counter. "Clothes Over Bro's is a hit!"
"Wow… I mean… good wow… but… wow," Brooke says, looking around at the sea of faces. She had believed in her store, but she had no idea that people would be this excited about it.
"Brooke, congratulations," Nathan says, leaning over his wife to hug Brooke. "Hi Peyton… you both look beautiful."
"Thanks," the girls reply at the same time and Haley nods in agreement. Soon a hand on Brooke's shoulder has her spinning around, pulling Peyton with her.
"Hi Brooke," Lucas says, looking nice dressed up for the event.
"Hey Luke. Thanks for coming," she says, hugging him lightly and then gripping Peyton's arm even harder.
"Peyton, it's good to see you," Lucas says, his eyes washing over Peyton from head to toe and then settling on her eyes again. "It's been awhile."
"Yeah… you look nice," Peyton replies, glancing around the store. "Where's Lindsay?"
Brooke's eyes raise at the question and she starts to wonder the same herself. She had personally invited Lucas' new girlfriend, and not just because she wanted to get to know her better, but because she wanted to make sure that there was someone there by his side to keep him away from her girl. Even if Peyton didn't know she was hers.
"She had to go back to New York for a few weeks. Work," Lucas says.
"That's too bad. She was looking forward to coming," Haley says, joining the conversation. Lucas doesn't respond and everyone notices. "Everything alright Luke?"
"Me?" he says, startled by her calling him out. "Yeah, everything's fine."
The sound of Brooke's name being called causes her to look away from her friends and to the owner of the voice.
"Great… Victoria's here," Brooke mumbles under her breath and instantly Haley, Peyton, Nathan and Lucas all look in the direction of where Victoria's voice had come from. The older woman comes striding up to the group with a sneer on her face.
"So… I guess you think you proved me wrong or something. That your little bit of success tonight will continue," Victoria says, still sounding disappointed in only the way Victoria Davis can do. "But it won't last."
"Why do you have to do that… did you come here just to ruin her night?" Peyton asks, defensively. She's seen Victoria do a lot of damage to Brooke over the years and Brooke is grateful for Peyton always sticking up for her when it comes to her mother.
"You're still here? Figures… all you ever did was leech off Brooke anyhow…" Only a firm grip on Peyton's arm from Nathan keeps Peyton in the same spot and from lunging at the older woman.
"Victoria…" Brooke warns, but it goes unnoticed or disregarded… probably the latter of the two.
"Brooke… we need to discuss a few things. I set a meeting up for a week from today about expanding the line," Victoria says, handing Brooke an envelope. She doesn't wait for a response before she turns on her heels and walks away.
"She's…" Haley starts, having been the only one to have never met Victoria Davis and feeling slightly overwhelmed by the presence of her just moments before.
"A bitch?" Peyton offers.
"Evil?" Lucas adds.
"Scary?" Nathan finishes. They all laugh at Nathan. "What? She is! She gives me the creeps and scares the shit out of me!" Nathan says again, getting another group laugh.
"Yeah, she's something alright," Brooke says, her eyes finding Peyton's and she is able to smile when she sees the calm in Peyton's eyes. Peyton always knew just what to say or do to make Brooke feel better again after Victoria had hurt her. Just the look Peyton is giving her is helping Brooke to stay calm herself.
"Well, come on. This is your night Brooke Davis, and we're going to enjoy it!" Peyton says, leaning over and grabbing drinks and passing them around. Everyone takes one and they toast to Brooke before taking their first sips.
The night continues on the Clothes Over Bro's seems to be a huge success. The party is dying out with mostly friends remaining in the store and a few random customers and business associates from New York. Brooke smiles as she watches her friends mingle and admire her clothing. She scans the room and her eyes land on Peyton in the far corner, engrossed in a conversation with Lucas, him leaning close to her so she can hear him over the noise of the crowd. Peyton laughs at something Lucas says, and Brooke can't help but feel a sharp pain of jealously as she watches.
So much for Peyton being over Lucas, she thinks to herself before downing another drink.