*waving white flag* as I write this, I'm pretty red faced, I can't believe how long it has been, both since I've updated any stories and since I've read much on fanfic. Apologies, life's just been a rolling ball of hectic. And this will sound incredibly pathetic but hopefully not patronising, but if you have the time to write then enjoy it because if you're like me, one day it might just get swept away from you before you can help it. I miss the days I used to spend writing to my heart's content. Now I only have snatches of time spent writing, and I miss it so, so much!
Anyway, onto this, hopefully now I can get back into this story! Thanks to IcyGold for reminding me of my neglect for you guys! I'd love to hear your thoughts and anything that you want to see in the future of this fic! I really love all of your feedback so fire away. Lexie :)
...
Haley sighed, leaning her head against the rain soaked window, she watched as the droplets streamed down the glass, like a thousand tears, dropped from the darkened sky.
She had always been the most practical of people; she relied on logic and common sense to see her through. But suddenly, she found her heart overruling her head, for the first time in her life. It was calling for her to go back to Charlotte, and back to Nathan. It was ignoring the sensible reminders of her job and her life in New York. All of that was pushed into the background as her mind cluttered with thoughts of the boy she'd had to leave behind.
Observing the rest of the car, she sighed again. Brooke was asleep with her mouth hung open, her head rested on Julian's shoulder. He was absently stroking his hand up and down her forearm in a comforting manner, his warm brown stare locked on the girl sleeping in his arms. Lucas, who was driving, was muttering in a low tone to Peyton who was gazing back at him, a soft contented smile playing over her lips.
Haley tapped her fingernails against the screen of her cell phone. She was trying not to focus on the fact that she hadn't had a text from her boyfriend since they'd left him a few hours ago. She tried to rediscover her usually rational thoughts. She told herself that he had colleagues to catch up with, old friends and countless chores to sort. He wasn't ignoring her; he just had a lot on at the moment. She could appreciate that.
But still she felt needy.
It was so unlike her, but Nathan Scott had a power over her. He could make her forget everything in a mere second, just by settling his cool blue gaze on her. And his slightly arrogant half-smirk still caused her knees to feel weak. She missed his touch most of all though; the feel of his arms wrapped securely around her and his lips brushing at her neck as she giggled and protested half-heartedly. And his whispers, his cool assuring whispers. She missed those too.
"Hey guys," Lucas called to the group, glancing into the rear view mirror. "The storm's getting worse and there's a motel ahead, I think we should stop."
No one was particularly thrilled by the prospect, but he did have a point, thunder was rolling across the sky and lightning was flashing closer and brighter with every moment that passed.
And with a unanimous vote of four, seeing that Brooke was asleep and Julian didn't dare to wake her, Lucas pulled off the highway at the next exit.
…
Nathan sank his hands into his pockets and waited. He didn't have the time to think about what he was doing, before the door was swiftly pulled open.
Her eyes cast up at him and a wide smile grew over her lips, "I knew you'd come, Nathan."
He threw her a dark look but reminded himself of Peyton's words, "Look, I'm only here to make sure you don't do anything stupid, okay?"
Rachel nodded back at him, biting down on her lower lip, "I'm so glad you're here, Nate. I've missed you."
She reached her arms out to pull him into a hug but he lurched away from her.
"If you can't keep your distance, then I can't help you. I'm with Haley." He said firmly, shaking his head at himself. Just why he was here on her doorstep, he couldn't quite explain.
"Okay." She nodded her head obediently, but the thrilled smile was still painted over her glossed lips, "Come in."
Hanging his head, somewhat ashamedly, he stepped inside her studio apartment.
"Can I get you a drink?" She offered, her eyes shining in clear delight, "A beer?"
"No." He groaned but she seemed not to notice. "Look, I have to tell you something. It's about why I left…and probably why I'm sat on your couch right now."
She frowned slightly because he sounded completely soberly serious. In the past she hadn't known Nathan to be much of a serious guy. In fact she was sure that the only thing he regarded with any importance was basketball. Outside of that he was just a guy happy to do anything for a good time.
Rachel took a seat on the edge of the couch, and Nathan was glad to see that she was at least respectful enough to not sit on his lap like the old Rachel would have done. And for a second he could see a glimpse of success in this idea.
"You remember the start of the summer,"
She nodded firmly, "When you disappeared off the face of the earth and left me? Yep, I recall."
Nathan swallowed, when she said it like that it actually sounded a little cold, and he was sorry for that. He should have at least called her to say he was alright. "My Mom, she died."
He glanced up slowly and was shocked by the sincere compassionate stare she was sending him. She reached her hand over and squeezed his shoulder gently and this time he didn't flinch away from her touch.
"I'm so sorry, Nate." She said softly in a voice so unlike her own, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was messed up." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed largely, "You know what, I'll have that beer."
Quickly she moved to the kitchen and uncapped two bottles. "So that's where you went, Tree Hill."
He nodded as he took a long swig of the cool beer, "Yeah, and then to New York, to stay with Lucas."
She looked to be a little hurt by his revelation but she didn't comment. She just picked at the label peeling from the bottle in her hand.
"I just needed an escape from reality." He attempted to explain.
Rachel sighed and nodded, "Then you met Haley."
"Well, kind of," He shuffled slightly in his seat, "but Rach, it wasn't like that. I met Peyton first actually,"
Rachel laughed bitterly, "I knew she was too protective of you! No one punches like that if they're not totally in love with you or something."
It was Nathan's turn to laugh, "Peyton? God, no. She punched you because you said something bitchy about Haley; they're practically sisters. But that's not the point. Peyton helped me out, okay? Her Dad killed himself, just like my Mom did."
Rachel's mouth formed a tiny 'o' shape. And for the first time that Nathan could remember, she was completely silenced.
"That's why I went to New York; I was struggling to cope, to understand. I didn't think that it would give me any actual answers but I didn't really feel like coming home." Nathan looked uncertainly to Rachel, "I guess I just got lucky because Peyton was pretty great and yeah, I met Haley."
"Good for you." Rachel said in a strangled tone, "Maybe I should get my ass up there."
Nathan glanced to his lap, "I'm sorry that I left Rachel and that I didn't call you. I don't have any excuses, just the truth of it."
"It's okay." Rachel said flatly, "I'm a big girl, I don't need looking after."
He looked sceptically to her, "Rach, what happened?"
She smiled but he could tell it was a mask for the pain, "I think I need another beer first."
…
"Ew!" Brooke wrinkled her nose in disgust, "I did not agree to this!"
A very grouchy Brooke had awoken to the news that she was going to have to spend the night in a grubby hotel, and she was not best impressed.
"I can't sleep here, I can't! Those sheets should probably be sent to the health department of…America." Brooke protested pointing to the tinged grey mattress coverings.
Peyton snorted, although the brunette did have a point.
"So who votes that we pull an all nighter?" Julian jested, though a part of him seriously considered the idea.
"I do!" Brooke said instantly, raising her hand in the air.
Lucas wrinkled his nose, "Well as much as it's an unappealing bed, I am kind of beat."
"We have blankets in the car." Haley remembered, relieved that there was now a way that she could get some rest without panicking about what she may be sleeping on.
"Right," Lucas nodded, "And drinks and snacks."
"Snacks!" Brooke squealed slightly, "I could totally take a snack right now."
Lucas was already zipping his jacket back on to face the rain, "I'm on it."
Brooke smiled, her eyes shining delightedly, as Lucas clicked the door shut behind him. "You know what would be awesome?"
Haley looked around the room, "Being home in my nice apartment?"
"Hear, hear." Peyton added glumly.
"No." Brooke shook her head to her friends' wishes for home comforts, "It would be awesome if you guys didn't go to your rooms and we had a giant slumber party!"
Her idea was met with a muted response.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Brooke tried to rally some support, "We can tell stories, talk gossip, have a pillow fight…"
Peyton shook her head, "Sure, I mean why wouldn't we sleep in the rooms we just paid too much money for?"
Brooke just nodded, not catching the sarcasm, "Exactly!"
The rest of the group looked to each other uncertainly. They had no idea how Brooke was managing to look at the situation so optimistically. It was a gift they supposed, that or she'd slept too much in the car and was now far too awake for the late hour that it was.
By the time that Lucas returned with his arms laden with supplies, Brooke had somehow convinced the group into going along with her creepy stormy night in a dirty motel sleepover idea.
"This is going to be a great night!" She grinned. Everyone else looked back at her with sceptical tired eyes.
…
Rachel pushed her hair back out of her face and sighed, blinking back the tears. She was laying herself bare and it was honestly scaring Nathan a little.
"Rachel, you are so much more than you give yourself credit for." Nathan said earnestly, "You're smart, well-travelled, bold, and brave, you're determined, you could do anything you wanted, you know."
She reached for her purse and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, "You know once upon a time you would have said that I'm beautiful too. I remember that. I used to tell myself that, after you left; it's okay, because Nathan said I was beautiful. You were the only one I believed. My boss used to tell me that on shoots and my mother when I was young, plus all of those jerks I used to hook up with. But you were the only one I believed."
"Yeah," Nathan swallowed the lump in his throat, "Well I wasn't lying."
Their eyes met over the coffee table, both of them sporting a hesitant stare.
"Whatever," Rachel said briskly, pulling her lit cigarette to her lips, "So you were the only one that I ever gave a damn about and I guess I thought you gave a damn too. And then you left."
"It's not that I didn't care." Nathan pushed, "I just buried myself."
"In the bright lights of New York." She said flatly, "Look I don't blame you. Who wouldn't want to shake off the needy, pathetic, jobless nobody?"
"Rach," He drawled lamely.
She chuckled lightly under her breath, "God, I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this! You must think I'm even more pathetic than you did before. Who tries to kill themselves after losing one guy?"
All the air from Nathan's lungs left him.
"How about I promise not to do anything like that ever again, and you forget this whole conversation happened?" Rachel proposed, purposely looking everywhere but at Nathan, "Great. Good."
Nathan shook his head, "You can't just bury stuff like that. I'm sorry that I left you in such a state. I want to help you."
"No you don't."
"I do." Nathan insisted, "Because all you need is to realise is that you can be everything you dream of being."
"Except your girlfriend." She added darkly.
Nathan shifted in his seat, "You can be someone else's girlfriend, someone better."
She snorted but allowed him to continue.
"You can be that girl in the magazines; that girl everyone's envious because of the way you wear all those outfits. You can have the great apartment and eat out at the best restaurants. And you can get that guy; the one that doesn't walk out on you one day and not bother to call you. Someone better than me." Nathan drilled.
Rachel spiked an eyebrow, "So you really think that all that can happen?"
"I know it." He smiled slightly, "Because it happened to me. I got my dream job, a great life and I got Hales."
"Good for you." Rachel congratulated flatly, "But stuff like that doesn't happen to people like me."
Nathan sighed in frustration, when he'd met Rachel she'd glowed with confidence. She'd had it abundance, too much of it really. Now he wondered where it had all gone. And he wondered vaguely if he'd played a part in its disappearance.
"You have got to stop thinking like that because it won't ever happen if you just sit around doing nothing. You have to fight for it, make it happen." Nathan told her.
She laughed, "It all kind of sounds like hard work."
He nodded back, "It is. But it's worth it."
…
"Can I just say, as a sleepover virgin," Julian paused to allow for the whoops and whistles of the amused girls sat cross-legged opposite him, "That this is the worst sleepover ever."
Brooke pouted, "Well I'm sorry but we have no alcohol and it's not as though we can play spin-the-bottle or seven minutes in heaven now is it?"
"Thank God." Haley muttered. She'd not been to many sleepovers or parties in her time. In fact most of the ones she had attended had been at Brooke's insistence when they were at college. Even then, a pool of dread would form in her stomach at the idea of having to kiss a random stranger – of either gender – or worse, get locked in a closet with a clueless, desperate guy. No thank you. So it was lucky really that everyone at this particular 'party' was in a relationship, not to mention about ten years too old to be playing such games.
"Truth or dare?" Brooke suggested flatly to her unenthusiastic audience.
The idea was shot down quickly. The girls were sure that they knew each others secrets anyway; Brooke just blushed and nodded in agreement. And since they were confined to the motel room thanks to the rain, the dares didn't promise to be too exciting.
"There's only one thing left then." Brooke sighed. She arched her brow and made a quick motion to Haley and Peyton that made them both grin from ear-to-ear.
"What?" Julian questioned cautiously, he didn't like the look of the three girls conspiring against him.
Quickly Haley scrambled for her overnight bag, as Brooke and Peyton dived forwards to restrain him.
"Hey!" He cried out in a delayed protest, before Brooke covered his mouth with her hand.
"Shh! You'll wake Lucas." She scolded through a giggle.
Julian looked uneasily to the girls' devilish smirks, "Maybe I want Lucas to wake up, I feel a little outnumbered. What part of a sleepover ritual is this exactly?"
Brooke licked her lips and looked to him excitedly, "Makeovers, of course."
Julian groaned behind her palm as Haley pulled an exploding pouch of make-up from her bag in a ta-da moment.
"Close your eyes!" Brooke instructed through a hiss.
He complied, much to the girls delight.
Brooke reached for some eye liner and turned back to her victim, "Makeovers always were my favourite part of a slumber party, you know."
Haley smiled at a memory, "And Peyton's worst."
From his position in front of them, Julian raised a hand, "Mine too, I agree with Peyton, we should do something else."
"Uh-uh." Brooke shook her head even though he couldn't see it. He was wincing behind closed eyes as she branded him with Cleopatra style markings.
"Yeah, I'm actually enjoying it tonight." Peyton marvelled as she spread a scarlet smile over his lips, suppressing her laughter at how ridiculous Julian looked.
Julian huffed, "You know this is completely unfair, just because Lucas is asleep, I'm suffering all the torture."
At his argument, Brooke paused, "You know he does have a point."
Frowning, Julian braved opening his eyes, "I do? I mean…exactly."
"I'm not following," Haley said slowly, afraid that she would become the next victim of the face painting that Brooke was inflicting on Julian.
Brooke smiled devilishly, "Girls!…Oh, and Julian,"
He only shrugged at the blunder.
"What is funnier than torturing someone as they squirm and protest?" She pondered aloud, and slowly realisation dawned on the group.
"Picking on Lucas would be cruel." Haley noted.
Peyton shrugged, "Hales, it would be hilarious."
"What like the time you put shaving cream on my hand and tickled my nose?" Haley shot back, to which Brooke and Peyton collapsed into a fit of giggling.
"Just like that!" Brooke squealed. "Come on, Haley, don't be a spoilsport. I mean if we don't do this to Lucas we'll just have to find someone else to pick on…"
"Okay!" Haley agreed surprisingly quickly, "But we have no shaving cream."
Peyton shrugged, "No biggie, we'll just be inventive."
The three of them watched as the blonde grinned and produced a permanent marker from her pocket.
Julian couldn't help from laughing, "Of course you have one of those to hand."
Peyton took the comment as a compliment and dangled the object before them. She pouted a little at the fact that he injured hand was also her drawing hand, "So, who wants to do the honours?"
…
Nathan yawned widely as he fluttered his eyes open. He felt a crick in his neck and a heaviness over his chest. Adjusting to the light slowly, he took in his unfamiliar surroundings. It took a cool moment before he registered that he'd fallen asleep on Rachel's couch.
He was about to jump up and leave when he remembered the weight on top of him. Turning his head, he saw the reason; Rachel. She was asleep, her head rested in the space under his arm, her hand over his heart.
"Oh jeez," He shuffled lightly from beneath her, hoping not to wake her. He thought she'd get the message better if she woke up alone than to realise that that they'd spent the night entwined together on the couch.
He muttered under his breath, cursing Rachel, cursing Peyton even, but mostly himself. He could feel the panic rising in his chest and the sweat beads forming at his hairline. Technically he hadn't done anything wrong but he felt disgusting, like he'd betrayed Haley. And he had to get out of there.
Grabbing his jacket from the side, he shrugged it over his shoulders and stepped towards the door.
"Going so soon, Nate?"
Her voice cut through him, sending icy dread through his veins. He turned slowly to see her smiling eyes staring after him. "I'm going home. Sorry I fell asleep."
"I'm not sorry you did." Rachel pouted, "It was nice to be in your arms again."
Anger seethed through him, "Don't. Okay, Rachel, just don't."
"Oh, I'm sorry, would your girlfriend not like the fact that you had a sleepover?" Rachel blinked back at him, "I mean you did tell her you were coming over last night, right, to your old flame's place?"
Clenching and unclenching his fists repetitively, Nathan took a deep breath, "I was just helping you out, it wasn't anything more."
Rachel frowned, "Wasn't it? I mean why would a guy hang out at their exes place and stay the night?"
"You manipulative little bitch." Nathan shook his head, "And for the last time we were never together!"
Looking bored with the argument, Rachel turned her attention to her nails, "You're right. I'm sure Haley won't care when she finds out what happened."
Terror shone in Nathan's eyes. He was in deep water and he knew it. "Please don't tell anyone."
Still not glancing up, Rachel smiled a wide wicked smirk.
…
Lucas frowned stepping back into the tiny motel room the five friends had shared for the night. He'd gone out early to grab a newspaper as the rest of the group caught up on some more sleep. He couldn't help from chuckle slightly at how they were all scattered about the space.
Brooke and Julian were curled tightly together on the bed, despite Brooke's earlier protests at the cleanliness. Haley had fallen asleep in the chair coiled with her legs beneath her like a cat. And Peyton had taken up residence on the floor, with just a few cushions beneath her for comfort.
Lucas decided to take a seat beside the sleeping blonde to read his paper. He took a sip of his muddy looking machine coffee and winced. He supposed that had been the reason for the people in the gas station sniggering at him; they'd tried the coffee before and knew it was bad. Shrugging away the fact that he had certainly received some odd looks that morning, he settled into the paper, beginning first with the sports section where there was a write up of the charity game and a generous review of Nathan's performance.
As he finished up the article, he felt a shuffling beside him.
"Hey, Goldilocks." He smiled down at the blonde staring back with a furrowed brow, "Sleep okay on this floor?"
Her frown deepened and she blinked up at him, pointing her finger towards his face, "Are you wearing eye shadow?"
Lucas blanched and she began to laugh. He lifted himself from the floor and crossed the room to the dusty mirror, his eyes widening in shock and surprise. Peyton sidled up next to him, smiling in an amused manner, "I think you can pull it off."
"I've been to the gas station." He revealed in a flat voice.
Struggling to contain her laughter, Peyton bit down on her lower lip. Lucas turned to her with his best squint.
"Oh, you think this is funny, Wiley?" It was clear that he too could see the funny side of pencilled in comedy eyelashes and a Harry Potter lightning bolt scar but they were both willing to go along with the charade.
Peyton began to back away slowly, biting down on her lower lip as she stifled a laugh. Lucas shook his head and grinned, before chasing after her. He caught her easily in the small space and lifted her over his shoulder as she screamed and laughed.
Slowly the rest of the room opened their bleary eyes to the sight of the tussling, giggling blondes.
Haley smiled a wistful smile, missing Nathan instantly. She glanced from Lucas and Peyton to Brooke and Julian. The two brunettes were still coiled together, whispering sweetly in each other's ears and laughing softly under their breaths. Haley smiled, because it really was the picture of a beautiful relationship; two people so blinded by one another that they'd forgotten that they were sat on a most likely soiled mattress.
Unfolding her legs from beneath her, Haley stood from the chair she'd borrowed as a bed for the night. She pulled her cell from her back pocket, where it had been pressing uncomfortably against her skin. She couldn't help the tell tale smile from crossing her features when she saw the missed calls and messages, all from Nathan. Her friends, noticing the smile, cooed and mocked, knowing that they themselves were just as guilty of the same loving glances. A pillow sailed past her head as she stepped outside away from their jeers.
…
Nathan jumped at the sound of his cell phone ringing. Instantly he felt a guilt rise in his stomach but he quashed it down with the heave of a sigh. He just had to admit the truth to Haley. He knew that being the smart and sensible person that she was; she'd understand that he was only trying to help Rachel out, nothing more.
"Haley," He answered the call, too quickly, too brightly, too guiltily.
She didn't seem to notice though. She just sighed his name happily and said that it was great to hear from him.
"We stayed in a motel, the storm was awful! Anyway we ended up all sharing one room and made Lucas look like a female Harry Potter." She laughed, adorably and then apologised for talking about herself too long.
Her sweetness was making him feel guiltier by the second.
"Sorry, here's me talking about how I spent the night with everyone whilst you were all alone." She released a soft melodic hum through her nose, "I wish you'd been here."
Nathan sank onto the couch, telling Haley was going to be harder than he'd anticipated. "I wish I had too, terrorising Luke is always fun. Listen, Haley,"
"Oh!" Haley gasped cutting him off, "I was thinking that we don't have to wait until Thanksgiving. I could fly to you one weekend. Or if there's a game we could meet in a different city, that would be exciting and then we wouldn't have to wait so long to see one another again!"
Nathan smiled, he couldn't help but. She sounded so happy. "That sounds great, Hales, really, really great."
"Are you okay? You don't sound yourself." He cursed his actions at the sound of her concern, "How did you sleep? I always sleep terribly when I'm in a new bed, although I guess that your bed isn't really a new bed, but you've been away a while. Gosh, how silly of me, it must be so strange to be back considering that the last time you were there was before the summer, before…"
"It's not so bad." He cut her off. He couldn't stand to hear anymore of her kindness, not when he'd spent the night at his exes – no matter the motive. "I guess I am a little tired is all, but I'm alright."
If he concentrated hard enough, he could see her nodding but the traces of worry still lying lightly over her features. "Nathan, there's something I should have said before I left,"
There's something I should say now, he thought but couldn't bear to say the words aloud.
"I just wanted to say, and it's probably easier to say over the phone anyway, but I'm really proud of you, Nathan." She paused for a second, "And that sounds really lame but knowing everything that you had to go through to get to your dream and to watch you play, well it makes my heart jump. And you're just incredible at it. I don't want to come between you and basketball; I will always support you in it. I know that basketball is your first love and I see how alive you are on the court. So I don't want you to even consider compromising on your dream because of me. Because I'll wait for you, okay? I know I've said it before, but I really will, Nathan."
Nathan felt like the universe was just mocking him now. Haley saying the sweetest words that his ears could ever imagine when he'd just been the biggest jackass in the world, if unintentionally. He swallowed thickly, feeling his heart drum against his chest, he hated the idea of shattering Haley's perception of him, of them as a couple.
"And Nathan?" She almost sang his name down the line, "I think your Mom would be incredibly proud too."
Al the air in Nathan's lungs escaped him. People had said that to him before, as a comfort or a reassurance, but it had always sounded flat as though it really was just a polite gesture. But he could hear the belief behind Haley's words and the heart. She truly believed that his Mom would be proud of the man he'd become. And deep down he knew that she was right. His Mom would've liked Haley, he was sure of it. And she would have liked that he was no longer partying all the time and sleeping with random girls like Rachel. And perhaps most of all, she'd be proud of his relationship with the game, because he'd worked hard to make sure that basketball hadn't become his entire life. He'd consciously made the effort not to become his father, and his Mom would be eternally grateful for that.
"Thank you, Hales, really."
"It's the truth, Nathan." She said matter-of-factly. "Listen, I've got to run but I'll call when I'm back in New York."
"I love you, Haley." The words fell from his mouth before he could stop them. It wasn't the romantic moment that he was sure that Haley would have preferred for the three little words to escape his lips but it felt right. Because his heart was fit to burst and more than anything he wished that she was back in his arms. He wanted to wake up to her bright smile and shining dark eyes. He wanted that more than anything, for the rest of his life.
She sputtered a little and then laughed graciously, "And I love you too, Nathan."
He told himself then that he would tell her, in no uncertain circumstances. Just not today. He was going to sever all ties with Rachel. Then tell Haley about the error in judgement he'd had.
…
"It feels so weird to be going home." Brooke noted as she and Julian walked hand-in-hand towards the car that Lucas was loading.
Julian frowned slightly, "I thought you'd be excited, to get away from this motel room?"
"Of course, this place is gross. It's just that everything's different now. I mean the last time we were in New York I was panicking about how many pairs of heels to pack for a trip to Charlotte. Now I can't even think about shoes. Julian, I can't even think about shoes!" Brooke prattled.
Julian suppressed a laugh and held a hand to her brow, "Hmm, it does sound like you're sickening for something. Let's think of the symptoms; you don't care about shoes in a crazy – yet adorable way – anymore; you're worried about returning to your favourite city in the world; and what's that last one? Oh yes, you're glowing. I think I know what's wrong with you. I think you're changing, like a caterpillar does into a butterfly. Except you're changing from a fashion designer into a Mommy. There's not room in your mind for shoes because you're worrying about going back home where you'll have to see the doctor."
"A caterpillar?" Brooke echoed, "You're such an adorable dork."
He frowned, "Why thank you."
She laughed, because besides Haley perhaps, she'd never known anyone who was quite happy to be a dork.
"Well, I'm excited to be going home." Julian whispered, to which Brooke turned to him, smiling widely.
"Home." She sounded out the word slowly. She liked the way that it just rolled off of Julian's tongue, because really their home together in New York together hadn't been his home for that long. But to know that he now considered the city and her apartment to be his home made her heart ping.
Julian pulled them to a stop and looked into her sparkling hazel eyes, "Yes, Brooke Davis, home, our home. I can't wait to be back there, starting the rest of our lives."
Brooke bit down on her lower lip and allowed him to continue.
"Because it all starts today. We have appointments to organise, things to send from LA, we should probably meet each other parents…well, maybe that bit can wait a while. So much to do! I'm ecstatic to be going home with you to New York." Julian told her softly.
Brooke blushed slightly and lifted onto her tiptoes, she let her eyelids flutter to a close, not needing sight any longer to find Julian's lips with her own. Julian's hand settled onto the base of her back, his fingers softly caressing her skin as her arms wrapped around his neck.
They broke apart slowly, and for a moment, all they knew of the world was each other. The nearby highway faded into silence, the grubby motel melted away and their friends disappeared from their minds. It was just the two of them, staring into one another's eyes, Brooke's stomach resting against his, safe between them.
"It's going to be amazing," Brooke corrected her earlier statement, "How could it not be, when it's you and me?"
"I couldn't agree more." Julian smiled, blinking in surprise as the rest of the world slowly began to come back into focus. "Let's go home."
"Let's go home." She repeated softly.