He was nervous. She'd never actually seen him nervous before, so it took a moment for her to recognise if for what it was.
She had known he was tense the minute they'd left her house. It had been there in the set of his shoulders, in the grip he'd had on the steering wheel. And no amount of small talk had seemed to help.
So she gave up on small talk. "What are you nervous about?"
"It's not so much nerves, I just don't wanna deal with the questions. Last time I saw them I was planning my engagement to Peyton."
She had a lightbulb moment. But she wanted him to be able to talk it through. "You haven't spoken to them in a while then?"
He shook his head. "II just don't want you to have to hear me explain it again and again."
"You're nervous for me?" She smiled. "I'm nervous enough for myself, don't you worry."
The second glance he gave her was more serious. "Do you want to go back?"
"No."
He looked as if he didn't completely believe her. "Liar. But I'm glad you're coming with me."
One large hand reached away from the gearshift and enclosed her smaller hand, where it lay in her lap. With the back of his hand then resting against her thigh, he squeezed her fingers tightly.
Trying to ignore the warm hand against her thigh, Brooke concentrated on talking. "Tell me a bit about them. It's so odd that we have had these lives apart when it feels like just yesterday our lives were so intertwined."
"Ah." He aimed a more relaxed smile at her before loosening his hand to change gears. "Adam was the point guard for my collage team. The rest of the team will be there too."
"I will never remember the names of an entire basketball team." She curled her hand in her lap again, feeling a chill without his warm touch. "So help me practice."
"You don't have to worry about that. I plan to keep you right by my side all evening."
Well at least he wasn't so tense any more. She smiled when he changed gear again, and reclaimed her hand. Long fingers reached out and squeezed her hand. "Stick close to me and we might just get through."
…..
When Lucas had first thought about inviting Brooke as his date he hadn't intended to hide behind her. He simply wanted to introduce her to the people he had grown fond of when they had ben apart.
A lesser man might have wanted to show he wasn't sad and alone by bringing someone to the wedding. But Brooke wasn't just a random date or camouflage.
She was his Brooke.
And now, at the reception, she was fielding his friends questions like the social butterfly she was. He grinned broadly as she systematically charmed the pants off each and every one of them.
"You're amazing." He steered them through the crowd to the packed dance floor. "You really are."
When their feet hit wood he whirled her around one, and then again. Until finally he hauled her against the length of his body. She swiped at his shoulder with her hand before resting it there. Their bodies settled into a synchronised swaying in time to the music and Brooke smiled up at him as she realised how easily it had happened. No awkwardness. No taking time to adjust to each other. They just fitted. As if they'd been dancing together for years.
His body stiffened as he missed a step, his arm closing tighter around her waist to steady her. He glanced down at their feet for a second, before resuming a smoother rhythm.
Lucas held onto Brooke while a million memories rattled around inside his head, his eyes focusing on hers while he thought. He watched the lights reflecting in their depths, deepening the green until they had as many facets as the precious stone that so closely resembled.
The last time they had danced like this it had felt like a goodbye, an ending. This time was different, this time he wouldn't let her go. He would never let her go again.
It took a while of swaying and a change of background music before Lucas finally spoke. "Thank you. For coming with me. Thank you for coming back to me."
She felt Lucas' fingers squeeze hers and looked into his face, smiling at him with shimmering eyes.
He smiled back, released her hand, to cup her cheek.
The touch of his lips against her hair was so light she could have imagined it. But she knew in her heart it had happened.
Just as surely as she knew she was in love with him.