Author- Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

Disclaimer- I don't own the characters, only the story.

A/N- Thank you for the reviews guys :) I didn't get so many that chapter, so i'm hoping to make it up now. Enjoy

Life Is What You Make It

Chapter 21- A New Perspective

They lay on the couch, side by side, him careful not to press on her stomach, her just being careful. Their eyes were shut, no brown meeting blue, no dimples or warm smiles on display. They were content to just be with each other, Lucas' lips grazing Brooke's from time to time, her hands lingering on his sweater.

Not once had their tongues crossed into each other's mouths: the kisses weren't about desire or lust. It was just a communication between the two of them, him telling her that he was there, her telling him that she'd let him in.

And that was all they needed. They didn't need words, they didn't need to open their eyes to know what the other was feeling, and they certainly didn't need to have sex to prove the way they felt. Just laying together was enough.

He didn't want to think about the status of their relationship, what the kiss meant. But yet, it was all he could think about, wondering what he was actually going to say when one of them needed to speak, where he was going to sleep that night, whether she was going to sleep with him. He wondered whether she wanted him as a father figure for her child. He'd be that, she didn't even have to ask. But Lucas knew he couldn't just assume. Because that's how things could get screwed up. He knew they needed to communicate every step of the way if they even so much as had a shot of making this thing between them work.

But he stopped thinking when she inched closer to him, her hands which had been previously just resting on his sweater, now holding onto it as she bit his bottom lip lightly, sending a smile across his face. She smiled too, that dimpled smile that made him open his eyes and just stare at her, actually looking completely happy for once while her eyes were still shut, before he leant in to kiss her again.

His hand cupped her face, caressing the soft skin as her own hand moved to the back of his neck, playing with his blonde hair which had grown back to the length it was when he had first met her. The necklace she had given him in Peyton's father's car was present, as too, was the scent of his cologne which she loved so much. There was just something about that scent that she found comforting, making her want to fall asleep with it's musky smell still in the air.

But of course, for over five years she hadn't smelt that when she went to sleep, instead, the scent of her cherry shampoo was the comfort she had, no match for Lucas. But now, things were going to be different. She knew that she could go to sleep in the same bed as him, his arm around her protectively like she wanted with the scent of his cologne in the air, without so much as having to tell him she didn't want to have sex just yet. She knew he knew. And she loved him even more for it.

Brooke broke away, opening her eyes for the first time in over half an hour, and upon seeing Lucas' face that close to her own, a smile broke out between the two, his blue eyes shinning as she caught herself looking into them once again.

"So that was….."

"Just what I've wanted for the last five years" she told him honestly, receiving a nod, and a heartfelt smile.

"Me too"

"As good as you'd imagined it?"

"Different to how I imagined it" he admitted. Sitting alone in that big house for all that time, Lucas had had enough moments to think about the present in his head. And not once had he thought it would turn out like it had. And he was glad. Because it felt even better.

"Good different?" She questioned, but knew exactly what he meant. She thought that when they if and when they did finally kiss, it would have been something like you see in the movies: fiery and passionate and filled with lust. She thought they'd have been ripping at each others clothes in a frantic need to rid themselves of them by the time they had reached the bedroom. But it wasn't. And she enjoyed it even more.

"Definitely good different."

She lay her head against his chest, that soothing sound of his heartbeat letting her know that she was safe. Lucas kissed her hair lightly, smoothing it down with one hand while stroking her back with the other. He wanted desperately to rest one hand on her stomach, to have that contact with her and the baby. But even though she'd showed that she had let him in, there had been no mention about the future, no planning, no discussion.

"What are we going to do?" he asked, feeling a sudden release as the words spilled from his mouth. She opened her eyes again, moving her head so that she could look at him.

Brooke simply replied "Take each day as it comes" And with that, she rested her head contently back on his chest, indicating end of discussion. But that wasn't enough for Lucas.

"But we'll do it together?"

"Together" she mumbled sleepily, interlocking her fingers with his as she brought their hands to her flat stomach, a large smile breaking out on Lucas' face.

"I'll be there Brooke" he stated, letting his fingers trace lazily along her skin as it tingled. She had no doubt that he would be there. But she was too comfortable even to speak. And she loved it. And she told herself that waiting five years for this was worth it, because if anything, she appreciated Lucas so much more.

He awoke during the night to find her body missing from the small space on the couch where it had been resting for the past few hours, a mixture of disappointment and confusion written across his face. Lucas made his way from the living room down the hallway, pausing at each doorway to see if he could see her. His heart beat faster as he came to the last bedroom, praying that she was there, and hadn't just left him.

"Looking for me?" she asked. He nodded and smiled, placing a hand on his chest as if to steady his heart beat.

"I thought you'd…."

"Never" she cut in, moving closer to him. "I just wanted to think that's all."

"About?"

"About how things have changed in a matter of weeks. How I feel, how you might feel."

"And how do you feel?" he interlaced his fingers with hers as he kissed her forehead.

"A little scared, nervous" she admitted "But happy."

"So if you're happy….." he moved a strand of her shiny hair from out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Do you wanna come lay back on the couch. I was getting kinda cold on my own."

"As much as I like your couch Lucas, I'd prefer a bed." she giggled as he kissed her nose.

"Sure. You can have my bed and I'll"

"Stay with me" Brooke cut in, earning her a smile.

"You sure?"

"Positive" She gave him that dimpled smile, telling him that she was absolutely sure about this, and that he didn't need to ask again. She changed in the bathroom, into a pair of sweats and a tank top, tying her hair back loosely. It hadn't taken her long to find the clothes, after all, she only owned a few, and most of them were unsuitable to say the least.

Lucas changed too, a pair of sweats making up his sleeping attire, although he figured that he should put on a t-shirt, so as not to seem like he was encouraging anything. But Brooke's frown when she emerged from the bathroom was enough to make him ask

"What's the matter?"

"Where's the shirtless Lucas I used to enjoy sleeping with so much five years ago?"

"I thought that maybe…."

"Lucas, you don't have to tip toe around me" she half laughed, half told him softly.

He chuckled a little too, and removed his t-shirt, earning him an appreciative smile and a raise of the eyebrow from Brooke.

"If we'd have been doing this back in college neither of us would have this many clothes on right now."

He captured her lips in a kiss that said it all: how much he wanted to be with her, how much he'd missed her, how much he loved her. And she responded, not by pushing him away, or saying they should slow things down, but by opening her mouth just that bit wider to allow his tongue to slip in, moaning softly as his fingers dug lightly into her soft skin.

They moved to the bed, all the while kissing and caressing each other, but no items of clothing removed. They controlled themselves before anything got too out of hand, Lucas knowing that Brooke wasn't quite ready to go further, Brooke knowing that when they did eventually have sex, it would be that much more special, even if it did sound cheesy.

Lucas broke away after a few more minutes, content to just lay there with his arms wrapped around her, listening and watching as her chest rose and fell slowly, her eyes flickering until they were almost closed. And as she snuggled that bit closer, the musky scent of his cologne that she loved so much surrounding her, Brooke knew that things would be okay.

Please review, and also, check out my new story 'just watch her move'

Emily-Grace xxx