Chapter Twenty-Five
The sound of the doorbell ringing shakes both Peyton and Brooke out of their restless sleep. It had been three days since they had had their argument with Lucas in the studio. They hadn't seen or heard from him since and had kind of been keeping to themselves for the past few days to recuperate from all the events of the previous days.
"I'll get it… you just rest," Brooke says, quickly sitting up and placing a kiss on Peyton's forehead. The blonde smiles but her eyes close again as Brooke makes her way toward the door, pulling on a robe to cover her otherwise naked body. Just as the front door comes into sight, the doorbell can be heard again.
"Just a second!" Brooke calls out to whoever is impatient behind it. She glances at the clock to see that it's early… only just after nine… before unlocking the deadbolt and opening the door. "Geez… what do you…" she trails off when she sees who is standing there in front of her.
"Hi Brooke," Julian says, a grin on his face as he stands there holding a tray of coffee cups.
"Julian…" Brooke says, still stunned to see him standing there. "What are you doing here?"
"Well… turns out that the movie isn't going to go through… so I'm headed out of town this afternoon. Just wanted to stop by and maybe catch up with Peyton before I head to the airport later," Julian explains, watching her eyes as they grow. "I brought coffee."
"Uh… okay, come in. Peyton's still sleeping but I'll go wake her," Brooke says, opening the door and allowing Julian to enter the house fully. She closes the door softly behind him and he looks around as if he's scoping out the place.
"Nice house Brooke… but then again… you are a designer so it doesn't surprise me."
"Thanks… I think," Brooke replies, watching him. "I'll just go get Peyton."
She disappears quickly and as soon as she rounds the corner and gets into the bedroom that her and Peyton now share, she closes the door and her panic hits her.
"Peyton! You've got to get up!" Brooke whispers loudly as she chucks Peyton a t-shirt she finds on the dresser. "P. Sawyer… move your hot skinny ass!"
"What? Huh?" Peyton asks, being startled from her sleep. She squints to look at the clock before she groans and rolls over, pulling the pillow with her and covering her face with it. "Brooke… it's too early!" she whines, not one for being interrupted from her sleep before noon if she doesn't have to be.
"Peyton! Listen to me… Julian is here… you need to get up!"
The name instantly awakens Peyton and she shoots up from the bed.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know," Brooke says, tossing Peyton a pair of jeans and desperately trying to get her own on. "He just said that something fell through with the movie and he's leaving town today."
"The movie fell through? What happened?" Peyton asks, pulling her shirt over her head and looking at Brooke who seems very frantic still.
"I don't know… I was a little too busy having a panic attack and didn't ask him."
"So he's… he's leaving… back to L.A."
"Yep," Brooke says, finally getting her clothes on and taking the chance to really look at the expression on Peyton's face. She has made no effort to put her jeans on and is still using the sheet to cover her lower half.
"So if I want to tell him in person… I'm going to have to… now is going to have to be the time," Peyton practically whispers and Brooke is at her side as the tears form in her eyes.
The two women had discussed talking to Julian and had agreed that it didn't hurt to wait a few more days for both of them to be ready. Brooke was nervous about what was going to happen once he found out that Peyton was pregnant with his child.
Was he going to want Peyton back? Was he going to be yet another obstacle for her and Peyton to have to get through in order for their relationship to work? Or was he going to run… the way Peyton seemed to think he would? They would never really know until they actually told him.
"Hey… Peyt. If you aren't ready we don't have to do this now. We can take a trip out to L.A. sometime… when you are more prepared," Brooke says, her hand latching Peyton's. "Whatever you want to do."
"No," Peyton breathes out, almost like she is trying to center herself. The tears that were in her eyes have disappeared when she opens them again. "We need to get this over with. So that we can start to enjoy it," Peyton replies, a hint of a smile on her face. "I want to enjoy this with you Brooke."
"You sure?" Brooke asks, no smile anywhere in sight on her own features. She was petrified of what was going to happen but she tried to not let it show.
"I'm positive," Peyton says, placing a kiss on Brooke's lips before standing up and pulling on her jeans.
The two women walk hand in hand out of their bedroom and Julian stands when they come into view.
"I was wondering if you were going to ever come out," he replies, realizing only after he makes the comment just how it sounds. "I meant of the bedroom… into the living room," he fumbles around the words and Peyton just chuckles.
"Hi Julian," she says, a smile on her face. It is sincere and it makes Brooke want to throw the closest large object at the man in front of them.
"Hey," he says back, his eyes looking deep into hers… almost as if he's remembering every moment he had with her. "Sorry to wake you so early but my flight leaves this afternoon. I brought you guys some coffee to make up for it," he says, moving toward the counter where he had placed the three cups and he holds one out to Peyton. "Coffee… lots of sugar from what I remember," he says smiling as Peyton takes it from him. He then glances to Brooke. "Now… I don't know you very well but I feel like I do because of the book… so I went with a non-fat latte with no foam?" Julian questions as he hands Brooke the cup.
Brooke just stares at it for a second before looking over to Peyton who is giving her a semi-pleading look. She knows that Brooke is nervous about telling Julian… and she is too, but she doesn't want Brooke to think she has any reason to be jealous. She wants nothing more from Julian Baker than the cup of coffee he's already given her this morning. She wants everything with Brooke.
The brunette finally smiles and takes the coffee from him, still a little hesitant but a bit more willing to give him a chance now.
"Not bad… spot on actually… thanks," she says, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip.
The three stand there in silence for a few minutes, each of them just taking a sip of their coffee now and again. No one knows what to say and finally the silence is too much for Peyton to handle.
"So Brooke mentioned the movie fell through," Peyton says, studying Julian's face for a reaction. He had always loved making movies and he never took on a project that he didn't fully believe in. So she was expecting to see him be upset that this one wasn't going to work out. But instead she just sees his signature smirk.
"Yeah… it just didn't feel right, you know?" he asks, and Peyton nods in agreement, thankful to some extent that the movie wouldn't be made. The last thing she needed was more of a reminder that Lucas Scott was hopelessly in love with her still.
Julian had decided it would be best for all involved not to tell them that there was never going to be a movie. He didn't want to make things worse and he certainly didn't want to have to deal with Lucas showing up in his face again. He felt the best thing to do was go along with the story he had originally presented and slip away... no harm... no foul.
"You just here to say goodbye then?" Peyton questions, and Brooke can feel that Peyton is trying hard to ignore her nerves.
"Yeah… I guess. We really didn't get a chance to catch up… so I thought I'd come by… spend some time with you and get to know the infamous Brooke Davis," Julian says with a smile as he glances over at the brunette who is just watching the interaction between her girlfriend and her girlfriend's ex. "After all… Peyton never could stop talking about you."
"What? Shut up! I didn't talk about her that much!" Peyton says, with a laugh, getting Brooke to finally relax a little as the conversation seems to be headed in a seemingly friendly direction. The three make their way to the couch and Brooke is relieved when Julian chooses a seat across from Peyton, leaving room for Brooke next to her.
"Ohh… tell me more… I always like to hear stories about myself after all," Brooke says, chuckling as she takes another sip of her coffee.
"I do know that about you," Julian says, glancing from Brooke to Peyton quickly before fixing his eyes on the brunette again. "Man... it's almost like meeting a celebrity!" he says excitedly and Brooke actually blushes.
"Stop it!" she teases. "Though... I was quite the celebrity in New York."
"I bet you were," Julian replies, almost as if he's flirting with her. Now it's Peyton's turn to feel jealous. Thankfully Julian must pick up on it as he changes his tone and starts talking again. "But I meant because of how Peyton talked about you. She would go on and on about her best friend Brooke Davis and how amazing she was all the time. How beautiful you are." Peyton blushes a little but Julian doesn't stop. "She even talked about you in her sleep," Julian says, knowing he's embarrassing the blonde in front of him but enjoying every moment of it, the way two old friends could.
"Oh she did, huh?" Brooke asks, taking one of her hands and lacing her fingers with Peyton's. She pulls Peyton's hand to her mouth and kisses the back of it before setting it down to rest on her thigh. "She was dreaming about me was she?"
Julian smiles.
As much as he loves Peyton, he can see that she's truly happy with Brooke… and that's all he's ever really wanted for her. He knew that their relationship would never work. He was aware that he was just a distraction for the blonde as she tried to figure out what it was she truly wanted.
He had read An Unkindness of Ravens the third or fourth night that he and Peyton had hooked up. He had snatched a copy of it from her bookcase, thinking she wouldn't notice if one of the thirty copies was missing. Apparently he was wrong though because she came stomping over to his apartment the next day demanding he give it back.
Thankfully he had spent the entire evening reading it. He was completely engrossed in it. And not because of the love story between Lucas and Peyton. It was very clear to him even then that the true soul mates in the novel were Peyton and Brooke.
And he was okay with that.
He cared about Peyton… he wanted to see her succeed in every aspect of her life. Her career, which he knew meant everything to her… her love life which she had always had such trouble with… her family, the one he knew she one day wanted to have. The best he could hope for was a friendship with the blonde.
If you took the sex out of their relationship, they had actually been pretty good friends and he was hoping that maybe, just maybe they could be friends again. He wasn't going to push it but was going to offer before the day was over.
"Always... every night," Julian replies.
The way he says it makes Brooke's heart melt. As if he had some insight as to how much Peyton loved her before even Peyton did.
For some reason Brooke had it in her mind that she was going to hate Julian Baker… the man that had fathered her girlfriend's child. But the more she sat across from him, the more she realized that he was a pretty good guy. She could see what Peyton had liked about him. She was starting to feel a little more relaxed about their situation now at least in the sense that she wasn't threatened by him still wanting a chance with her girl.
He didn't look at them with disdain or anger… he just looked happy to see them happy. And that alone was enough for Brooke to give him a chance.
"Anyway…" Peyton says, wanting to change the subject. "I'm glad you stopped by before you took off… I was going to call you but…"
"Yeah… I heard about the whole Lucas confrontation… sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry… it isn't your fault," Peyton instantly responds Julian just looks down.
"No… maybe not. But I'm still sorry you had to go through that. You deserve to be happy Peyton… and so do you Brooke. Lucas will come around I bet."
"Thank you Julian… it means a lot to hear you say that... and I hope you're right," Peyton replies and smiles warmly at him.
She had a lingering hope that Lucas would find a way to be happy for her and Brooke eventually. Because as much as she hated him for the things he had said and the way he had treated not just her but Brooke also the other day... she still cared about him. He was still family.
And as she sat across from Julian she realized she felt the same way about him. She had to admit that they had some good times together. While it was never a serious relationship, at least in Peyton's mind… he had always been good to her. He was polite and kind and thoughtful. She had a quick flash of some of their good times together and how he had helped her truly realize just how in love with Brooke she was. He probably didn't even know he had done that for her, but she felt she owed him a thank you in some small way.
"And thank you… for everything else too," she says, finding the courage to keep her eyes on him. "I know that I was a mess back in L.A. and you are always there to listen," she continues, feeling Brooke squeeze her hand tightly.
"You don't need to thank me Peyton… I'm just glad you finally realized what it is that you want," Julian responds, his eyes falling on Brooke again before going back to Peyton. "It's nice to see you smile."
Peyton blushes a little and looks down, instantly feeling nervous again because she knows that she's going to have to bring up the baby. There is never going to be a right time, just like there was never going to be a right time to tell Brooke how much she loved her or a right time to tell Lucas about their relationship. She was going to have to just suck it up and tell him.
When she looks up again she is still smiling, but tears have formed in her eyes against her wishes. Brooke sees them and her own form as she struggles to keep it together for the both of them. The moment had come... there was no turning back now.
"Julian… I actually have something I need to talk to you about," Peyton starts, watching as Julian scoots forward on the couch a little across from her, worried at the sudden change in her demeanor and tone.
"Sure... is everything okay? Lucas didn't hurt either one of you did he?" Julian questions, thinking that Lucas could be the only thing to cause Peyton to be this upset in the moment. He sets his coffee down on the table between them and folds his hands on his lap as he waits for a response.
"No… no, he didn't… we're fine," Peyton responds. She shakes her head from side to side however and clears her throat before continuing. "Actually… I'm not exactly fine but Lucas has nothing to do with this," she finishes. She can practically feel her heart pounding out of her chest.
"Okay… well… what's up then?" he asks, looking between the two women again.
Peyton finds that she physically can't say the words. She's struggling to breathe as it is and the words are there on the tip of her tongue but just won't come out. It isn't until she feels Brooke's free hand snake around her back and pull her close to her side that she looks over to her girlfriend.
"Just take a breath and say it baby," Brooke whispers. Julian watches the exchange and he sits up a little straighter waiting for Peyton to speak.
"I… I… I don't know how to say it," Peyton finally gets out and Julian finds that her tears are making his own eyes water. He has always hated to see Peyton upset and right now is no different. "Okay… okay," Peyton says, trying to calm herself once more and finally taking a deep breath and letting it out loudly. "Julian… I'm pregnant."
Julian's laugh startles both women and their eyes go wide at his seemingly carefree reaction to the news. They watch him as he settles down from the laughter and focuses his eyes on Peyton again.
"Wait… you're serious?" he questions after noticing that their expressions haven't changed. "You're actually pregnant?"
"Yes… I just found out a few days before you showed up in Tree Hill," Peyton explains and Julian is suddenly on his feet and pacing around the living room. Peyton tries to follow him with her eyes but finds that it is only making her feel sick to her stomach. "I know this is a lot to take in… but I figured you would want to know…"
"Hold on a second…" Julian says, coming to a stop in front of the couch and finally sitting again after his short pace around. "You mean it's my kid? I got you pregnant?"
"Well… yeah… I thought that was kind of understood," Peyton says, sounding a little annoyed that he just figured that part of the reveal out.
"How… when?" he asks through his hands that are covering his face. "I mean… the last time we were together was…" he trails off as he seems to remember the night before she left L.A. for good.
"The night before I left L.A.," Peyton says for him.
"Wow," is all he manages to say when he finally removes his hands from his face and settles his eyes on the women again. "So… what do we do now?"
"I… I'm not sure," Peyton replies, looking to Brooke who has remained quiet throughout the entire conversation. Peyton is glad that she has Brooke by her side but she knows that this can't be easy for her.
"Okay," he says, pausing as he turns his attention to Brooke. "What do you make of all of this?" he asks, curious that she hasn't said anything.
He has to admit he underestimated Brooke Davis a little bit. The Brooke he had read about in the book was outspoken and a little self absorbed. This Brooke however seemed to be completely different.
"Me?" Brooke asks, pointing to herself with her finger. "I'm just here for moral support… whatever the two of you decide is up to you," Brooke replies, despite wanting to tell him that she wants to raise the baby as her own. The second her sentence comes out she feels Peyton squeeze her hand and use her free hand to turn her chin so she can look at the blonde.
"Brooke… you know that's not true," Peyton says quietly and Julian clears his throat to get their attention again. "Julian," Peyton starts, watching as he grows more and more agitated at the conversation. He had come over here looking to close a chapter of his life and instead found out he was starting a whole new one. "I know this is unexpected but…"
"You could say that," Julian replies, standing once again and catching both women off guard. He starts his pacing once more and this time it is Brooke that watches him walk around the room. "What am I supposed to do here Peyton? I mean… you've had a bit more time to process this information than I have. Tell me what I'm supposed to do."
"I can't tell you what to do... I don't even know what I'm supposed to do," Peyton remarks, watching as he stops pacing again and stares at her. "I just thought you'd want to know."
"You know what," Julian says finally after a long pause. "I think I need a drink. Do you guys have any whiskey in here?" he asks, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah… in the kitchen… I'll get some for you," Brooke replies, standing from the couch and making her way toward the kitchen. She knows it's way too early for alcohol but given the way the day is going, she might just pour herself a glass as well.
She can barely hear the conversation that is ongoing between the two in the living room as she pours the drink. But she stops suddenly when she hears her name come up.
"Are you sure Peyton?" Julian asks quietly. Brooke can see he is sitting again, this time next to Peyton where Brooke had been before. "I mean... one hundred percent sure?"
"The doctor seemed pretty certain" Peyton responds, a little louder but still quiet all the same.
"I just… I…" he trails off and Brooke takes the opportunity to come back into the room holding his glass of whiskey. He glances up at her as she enters and suddenly stands. "I'm sorry… this is just a lot to take in right now," he explains as he backs away from Peyton and toward the door. "I'm just going to go clear my head."
He moves to the doorway and Peyton is up and following him while Brooke just stands still.
"Julian… we need to finish talking about this… we can't just leave it like this," she explains, sounding a little worn out and almost like she's going to cry. Julian stops for a second and takes in her appearance… the tears forming at the corners of her eyes and the way her lip is quivering slightly.
"We will… I just… I just need to get some air," he says, this time opening the door and exiting the house without another word.
Brooke sets the drink she had poured down on the coffee table and moves toward Peyton who is still standing in front of the door with her back to the brunette. She carefully moves to wrap her arms around Peyton from behind.
"Peyt? You alright?" Brooke asks, concerned about Peyton first and foremost. She wants to try to push the negative thoughts out of her mind and chooses to do so by concentrating on Peyton instead.
"Yeah," Peyton breathes out, relaxing in Brooke's arms. She turns around to face her girlfriend and their foreheads rest against one another. "He took it better than I thought he would. I was kind of expecting him to pass out or something."
"I'm proud of you P. Sawyer," Brooke says smiling at her and leaning down to kiss Peyton quickly. "I know that was hard."
"It wasn't so bad with you by my side," Peyton admits and Brooke can't help but smile. "Thank you Brooke… I know this isn't easy for you and you're being so great about all of this," Peyton says again, staring into Brooke's eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Julian had spent the past two hours just sitting on the beach and watching the waves crash in the distance. His mind was running a million miles a minute, trying to digest all the information he had found out this morning.
He glanced at his watch finally and saw that his plane was scheduled to take off in just over an hour. But instead of getting up and making his way to his car, he just sat there, staring off into the distance some more.
He couldn't leave… not now. I mean… Peyton was pregnant. With his child. But she was with Brooke. It wasn't like he and Peyton were going to have a relationship or anything. He didn't even want to be with Peyton. Sure... he loved her... but he had realized about the same time that she did that it wasn't the kind of love that was everlasting for a relationship. And his whole life was back in L.A. There was no way he could up and move to Tree Hill and continue to make movies… he would have to give up everything he'd worked so hard for.
He sighs out loudly as the thoughts tumble through his mind. None of them give him any indication on what he actually should do. The sound of his cell phone ringing is what finally gets him to stop over thinking.
He pulls it out of his pocket and glances at the name on the I.D.
Peyton Sawyer.
He smiles, but hits the ignore button, still not ready to talk to her and still not sure of what he's going to say once he does. He goes back to staring at the water but the sound of his cell ringing again stops him from getting lost in the waves again.
Peyton Sawyer.
Again.
He sighs out, figuring there's no real way to avoid her, and taps the button to answer the phone.
"Hey Peyt... sorry about earlier," he says into the receiver and waits for a response. But the voice he hears isn't the one he was expecting.
"Actually… it's Brooke. I borrowed Peyton's phone," Brooke explains and Julian smiles. There was the Brooke Davis he had read about.
"No... it's fine. Is everything alright?" he asks, suddenly concerned that maybe she was calling because something was wrong with Peyton. Brooke quickly reassures him that everything is okay and his breathing returns to normal before he even can realize it had picked up.
"No.. Peyton's fine. She's taking a nap. You woke her up before noon and she doesn't do well without her beauty sleep," Brooke explains, and Julian can almost hear her smile over the phone.
"I remember," is all he says.
"I just wanted to call and… I guess I was just checking in… making sure you were okay... Peyton was worried about you when you didn't come back right away," Brooke says then, surprising him once more with the kindness and selfless question.
"Yeah… I'm alright. Just taking it all in, you know?" Julian responds, finding it easy to talk to Brooke and smiling at the thought of getting to know her better. "How about you? How did you take it?"
"Oh, you know," Brooke starts, sounding like she's moved outside to continue the conversation. "I was freaked out at first but once it all sunk in I was alright," Brooke replies. "Kind of the same way you're taking it I guess."
Julian chuckles in to the phone and something suddenly dawns on him right then and there.
"Hey Brooke… do you think maybe you and I could meet up somewhere? Just to talk… I have some things I'd like to talk to you about without Peyton around," he asks, wondering if she'll be willing to meet him. He doesn't know her and she doesn't know him. But that's not going to stop him.
"I… I guess I could do that. When?" she asks, sounding a little afraid now that he's asked to meet up with her alone.
"As soon as you can I guess… I'm just down at the beach…"
"Okay… but you do know that the beach here spans several miles… you might need to be a bit more specific," Brooke says, with almost a little bit of laughter in her voice lightening the mood once more.
"Oh… yeah… I don't know the area very well… this is my first time I've ever been to Tree Hill… but I just took the first turn off from your house to the beach," he explains, remembering the way he came but not the names of the streets he turned on. "Do you think you can find me?"
"I think I can manage," Brooke says, sounding as if she's writing something. "I'm just going to write Peyton a note and I'll be there in a little bit," she explains.
"Sounds good, I'll see you soon."
The phone call ends with his statement and he can't help but turn and look back at the ocean.
He isn't sure how this is all going to work out in the end, but he knows he has to do whatever he can to make it work somehow.