Chapter 11: You've got to Trust Me

"So, you got plans today?" asked Brooke before taking a sip from her latte.

Peyton nodded as she flipped through a magazine, "Yeah, I'm picking up Kyle then we'll meet Luke and the rest of the gang."

"Whoa, did we just leave Haley with the guys today?" exclaimed Brooke with surprised eyes.

Peyton couldn't help but laugh as she nodded, "Uhuh...she's probably 'gonna kill us for this."

"Hey, I'll take the guys over Ethan any day," remarked Brooke.

Peyton looked at her with knowing eyes, "Right...even if Tim is one of the guys?"

Brooke let out an exasperated sigh as she turned to Peyton with gloomy eyes, "I would have known the answer to that question if we were just still college freshmen."

The expression on Peyton's face suddenly turned slightly serious, "Look Brooke, just because Ethan's about to get married doesn't mean you can't patch your relationship up."

"And what's your idea of patching up, P. Sawyer? A little quickie in my office," retorted Brooke with a haughty smile.

Peyton stuck a tongue out at Brooke, "Okay, can you ever think of patching up without the quickie part?"

Brooke just shrugged, "Maybe I can try with Ethan."

Peyton couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, "That's good, Brooke. Now, why don't you two try being friends? I mean, wasn't that how you started in the first place?"

Brooke suddenly flashed Peyton a wicked grin, "Actually...we were 'kinda introduced through the quickie." A bewildered expression just appeared on Peyton's face.

"Jenny Jagelski for the 3!" shouted Jake as his daughter attempted to make a shot from the 3-point line. As usual, the ball ended up flying below the basketball ring.

Jake turned to his daughter with sympathetic eyes, "It's okay kiddo, some more practice and you'd be able to shoot like a pro."

"By pro, did you mean you?" prompted Jenny with a knowing smile.

Jake glared playfully at his ten-year old, "Yes Jenny, the pro is me!"

Jenny waved a dismissive hand at her father, "Whatever dad, the only time I remember that you're a pro is whenever I see girls screaming out your name. Have I mentioned they can be quite annoying?"

Jake couldn't help but laugh, "Oh c'mon sweetie, they're not bad. In fact, they inspire my game."

"I thought you said you're a one-woman man," retorted Jenny with a puzzled look on her face.

Jake let out a sigh as he played with the ball in his hand, "I am...but, that one-woman thing doesn't seem to be working out well for me."

Jenny looked at her father with sympathy in her eyes, "You think it's over with Theresa, huh?"

Jake gave his daughter with a sly, trying to hide the sadness in his eyes, "I don't know, Jenny. I don't think there was ever anything between us for her."

"Why don't you talk to her?" asked Jenny.

Jake stared emptily into space as a sad expression appeared on his face, "Yeah, why not? Damn, I don't even know where she is!"

"Okay, stop! I don't want to do anymore running and Tim, you can't make me! Damn, I think I sprained an ankle. " exclaimed Haley as she pointed a finger at her teammate. She clearly looked beat as she bent down to rub her left ankle and proceeded to limp her way toward the benches.

Tim pouted like a disappointed kid, "C'mon Haley, play with me...please!"

Haley couldn't help but laugh at Tim's face, "Um...Dim, sorry to break it to 'ya, but you don't have whining rights."

"I won't be whining if you just keep playing," said Tim with hopeful eyes.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh as he watched his best friend and his girlfriend arguing, "Are we on for another round or what?"

"Yeah, c'mon you two...you're holding up the game," prompted Lucas as he played with the basketball.

Tim turned pleadingly at Nathan, "Hey Nate, why don't you convince your girlfriend here to stay on my team."

"Just say you want her to play, Tim," Nathan pointed out with a knowing smile. He suddenly walked over to his girlfriend who had already taken a seat at a nearby bench.

Haley looked at Nathan with a serious expression on his face, "Nathan, there's nothing you can do to bring me back on that court!"

Nathan let out a sigh as he thought for a moment. Taking Haley by surprise, he suddenly leaned down towards her and grabbed her left foot. He smiled at her as he started rubbing the sprained area, "Does it still hurt?"

After awhile, Haley gave him a wicked smile, "If I say it still does, will you keep working on it?"

Nathan grinned, "You know I can work on this all day."

Haley giggled as she leaned forward for a kiss, "Mmm...sounds great!"

As they pulled away, they both turned toward the court and saw Lucas and Tim having a little one on one. Nathan and Haley both looked at each other before bursting into laughter. "Looks like they've forgotten about us," remarked Haley as she watched Lucas make another 3-point shot.

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, looks like."

A knowing grin suddenly appeared on Haley's face, "Well, that's great coz'...I want you to myself."

Nathan just laughed, "I guess it's a blessing in disguise that you hurt your ankle, huh?"

"If I had known that there was free foot massage, I would have joined this little play date," remarked Peyton as she appeared from the parking lot with Kyle.

Nathan just smiled, "Hey Peyt...hello Kyle."

As Peyton got nearer, she saw what Nathan was doing and frowned with concern, "Hales, did you fall down or something?"

Haley smiled as she shook her head, "Nothing that bad. I just 'kinda sprained my ankle."

Peyton nodded, "That should be gone in no time...especially with Nathan's expert hands."

Suddenly, Peyton felt a pair of hands around her waist. She giggled as she turned to face her husband, "You know, I actually dreamt of you last night. You were putting your sweaty arms around me."

Lucas smiled, "Really, was that all I did?"

Peyton thought for a moment, "Not really..."

Lucas nodded, "I bet I did this..." He leaned towards Peyton for a long passionate kiss.

As they pulled away, Peyton couldn't help but giggle, "Are you sure you weren't dreaming of the same thing?"

Lucas shrugged, "Well, it depends...did I give you anything in the dream?"

Peyton just shook her head in puzzlement.

Lucas let out a sigh, "Just what I thought...I'm not giving in dreams..." He suddenly took something out of his pocket and handed it to Peyton, "That should make up for it."

Peyton quickly opened the envelope and gasped at what she found, "Oh my god Lucas, you didn't!"

Lucas let out a soft chuckle, "I know how much you've been wanting to go to the Bahamas, baby so I booked us a trip. Don't worry, I've taken care of everything."

"Luke, I love you!" exclaimed Peyton as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Lucas couldn't help but grin, "I love you more." He was about to lean into Peyton's lips when Tim broke the moment.

"Oh c'mon...hello, basketball player on his own out here!" exclaimed Tim with a hint of annoyance as he watched Lucas and Nathan with their girls.

Haley couldn't help but laugh, "Oh c'mon Dim, couples sharing a moment over here!"

Peyton and Haley shared a smile as they high-fived each other, leaving Tim looking even more desperate.

Tim let out a sigh as he realized that their game had really come to an end. Suddenly, he felt someone tugging at his shirt. He grinned at the little boy, "Will you play with me?"

Kyle thought for a moment and just shrugged his shoulders, "Umm...okay."

"You know Tim, if Kyle beats you, you better think twice about playing against us this coming week!" remarked Nathan as he watched Kyle dribble the ball.

Tim made a face at Nathan, "Oh you better be careful with what you say Nate coz' the Tim is in the house and-"

"Just say you're 'gonna beat us Tim!" said the Scott brothers in unison as they shared a knowing smile.

"Hey, these are for you," said Ethan as he handed Brooke a purple box.

Visible confusion suddenly appeared on Brooke's face as he looked at Ethan questioningly.

Ethan just shrugged his shoulders, "Look, consider it a peace offering."

Brooke looked at him suspiciously as she untied the ribbon on the box. As she opened it, she was surprised to find an assortment of her favorite chocolate truffles, "Do you always declare peace by making someone fat?"

"Oh c'mon Brooke, you know it's not that. Besides, you used to love those. I even got the lavender-scented and orange-scented ones," explained Ethan desperately.

After awhile, a sly smile appeared on Brooke's face, "Alright, peace offering accepted."

"Brooke, there you are! I've been looking all over for the two of you," remarked Maria as she approached them.

As Maria got near, she noticed the box of chocolates, "Ooh, who's the guy?"

Brooke grinned at Maria as she watched Ethan's worried face from the corner of her eye, "Umm, a somewhat of a jerk who thinks I'll forget about our past with just a box of chocolates."

Maria couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, I know this. It's that guy you mentioned before. Am I right?"

Brooke nodded with a smile, "Uhuh...it's him!"

Ethan frowned to himself as he continued to listen to Maria and Brooke, "So Brooke, um you think all guys are jerks now?"

Brooke gave Ethan a bewildered look, "Um...well, not all. I mean, I've got really great guy friends..."

Maria burst into laughter as she heard her fiancé's question, "Don't worry baby, we weren't trying to gang up on you. It's just that Brooke once said there was this jerk who just took off on her."

Ethan was getting more and more nervous. In his mind, he was pleading something to Brooke, "Please don't tell her!" Nevertheless, he tried to maintain a calm demeanor, "Well, I'm really sorry to hear that."

Brooke gave him a sly smile, "Thank you, Ethan."

Maria just looked at Brooke with a hint of pity, "You know Brooke, maybe you should...try to forgive him. I would believe that it took a lot of courage for that guy to suddenly appear out of nowhere and give you chocolates."

Brooke nodded as she looked at the heart-shaped box of chocolates. As she looked up, she discreetly met eyes with Ethan and gave him a knowing smile, "I suppose forgiveness would be inorder."

Maria nodded in agreement, "You know, I bet he still...cares for you."

Brooke just smiled as she looked down. She suddenly couldn't find the courage to even look at Ethan from the corner of her eye. Somehow, she was scared of the expression she'd see on his face. She didn't know if what Maria had told her was true and for the moment, she'd rather not know.

"I bet he still...loves you," Ethan suddenly remarked, which took Brooke by surprise.

Brooke suddenly looked up and met Ethan's eyes that seem to be trying to tell her something. For a moment, she was lost in his eyes. Her thoughts seem to travel back in time. The way Ethan was looking at her gave way for a feeling within Brooke to recur. It was one that she had not felt in a long while. It was a great feeling, yet it scared her, "Never again, I promised myself." Suddenly, she withdrew from his eyes. She looked down as she shivered.

Maria noticed that something was wrong, "Brooke, are you alright? You seem to have gotten a little tense."

Brooke turned to Maria with a weak smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just uh...a little chilly out here."

Maria looked at her with pity as she put her arms around Brooke, "Well, let's go inside and get you warm. I bet you can use some coffee."

Brooke could only nod as she let out a soft sigh. All of a sudden, she held up the heart-shaped box, "Coffee and chocolate, I'd be feeling warm in no time!"

Maria smiled as she led Brooke to the café. Ethan followed behind them closely. He didn't know what overcame him a moment ago. He just knew he had to say out those words. At that time, it didn't matter if it were right or wrong. Somehow, he could not stop his heart from speaking out. As he walked behind the women, Maria suddenly turned her head and smiled at him. "I guess saying the truth wasn't such a bad idea after all," he said to himself as he returned a smile to his fiancé.

It was late afternoon and night was soon approaching. Jake was taking a stroll in a nearby park as Jenny and her friend Tina played inside the house. Claire, a 15-year old girl who lived next door, volunteered to watch the girls. Jake gratefully took the offer as it would allow him to have some time to himself.

He thought he needed to go for a walk to clear his head. Throughout the day, Jenny had done everything she could do to cheer him up. As much as she got him to smile, however, there was still something bothering Jake and he simply could not let it go. The air was chilly and Jake tucked his hands in his side pockets as he continued to stroll around. The truth is the cold didn't bother him at all...it was Theresa that troubled him. "I would have never thought my love life would suck after Nikki," he sadly thought.

Suddenly, the silence around the park was interrupted by the sound of a car passing through. Jake didn't bother to turn since he was busy with his thoughts. Behind him, he could hear the car coming towards him. Still, he didn't turn around. Nevertheless, it startled him when the car parked beside him. This time, he turned confusingly towards it.

"Um...hey," greeted Theresa as she rolled down her window.

Jake was simply surprised to see her, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

With serious eyes, Theresa answered firmly, "I need to talk to you. I need to show you something."

Jake was still left confused, "What is it?"

Theresa took a deep breath, "You need to come with me."

Jake just stood still. In his mind, he quickly thought of reasons why he should and should not go with her. As he did, he realized a very important reason as to why he should go: he might lose her. Nonetheless, he remained still as he looked intensely at Theresa.

Theresa must have read his mind as the expression on her face softened, "Look Jake, I'm sorry. I know I owe you an explanation. And tonight...I plan to give you that."

Jake never uttered another word. Instead, he nodded and got in the car, unaware of anything but his feelings for her.

A/N: I'm really sorry it took so long to update. I've been busy with a lot of things lately. Nonetheless, I hope you still keep reading this and telling me what you think. You guys really keep me going with this. Thanks so much!