"Hey." Brooke put her hand on Lucas' shoulder, "How are you holding up?"
Lucas gave her a sad smile, "I'm not."
"I'm sorry, Lucas."
Lucas laughed, "Are you?"
"Of course I am." Brooke said seriously, "I don't like seeing either of you in pain."
"Yeah, well, I should be used to it by now. I guess I just pick the heartbreakers."
"I didn't mean-"
"I know you didn't."
"Listen…I know that this whole thing sucks, but if you need me, I'm here."
"Thanks Brooke. You're a good friend."
Brooke's heart sank when she heard that. Friend. They had agreed to be friends, and now that it was actually happening, she wasn't sure if she could bear it. Brooke mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been roaming around in her head for the past week. "Do you love her Lucas?"
Lucas looked at her strangely, "That's not even a question, Brooke."
"Humor me."
"The truth is, I don't know anymore. I mean, I love her, I've always loved her, but…"
"But there's a but."
"No, no but. I do love her." Lucas said determinedly.
This was the answer Brooke had been dreading, but if she was honest with herself, she knew that it was also the answer she had been expecting. Without really meaning to, she spoke again, "If you really love her, you won't let her go again. She's miserable without you." And so am I. She managed to stop herself from saying the last part. If she was going to tell him how she really felt, now was not the time to do it. She didn't want to be rebound girl, someone Lucas was just using to get over Peyton.
"How would you know?"
"You're not the only one who's ever broken up with someone." That was the closest she would allow herself to get to telling him how she felt.
"I don't know what else to do. I've tried talking to her. I called her, but she won't pick up. I sent her flowers, I asked everyone I knew to talk to her for me, I tried going to her house. She just doesn't want to see me."
"It's because she loves you." Brooke said simply.
"Then why…?"
"She knows that if she sees you, or even hears your voice, she'll take you back in an instant." Peyton hadn't actually told her any of this, but Brooke guessed from the way she had felt when she and Lucas split, that Peyton was feeling the same way.
"I want her to take me back. I don't want it to end like this."
"There's no good way to end a relationship. Someone always gets hurt."
Lucas sighed, "I just want to figure this out. If she loves me, why would she break up with me?"
I still love you, and I did it. I did it so you could be happy. But now no one is happy. "So where do you go from here?"
"I don't know. I guess…I guess I just have to give her what she wants and let her be alone. I don't have much of a choice."
Don't ever let someone you love go. If you do, they might not come back to you, and then it will be too late. Tell them now, I wish I had. I love you, Lucas.