Author's Note: To those of you that are reviewing, you are so wonderful. I've been getting such interesting, insightful reviews and I love you guys for it. Hopefully you'll enjoy this one. We're almost to thirty! Yay!
Movie Script Ending
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Two Headed Boy, She is All You Could Need
For his part, Keith seemed extremely surprised to see Nathan standing before him, looking somewhat confused himself. They stood in the Scott Auto Body Shop. Once Keith had made enough money, he had bought it back from Dan years before, and had restored it to its full potential.
Nathan had appeared suddenly from behind a car, hands shoved deep into his pockets, scruff growing over his face, proving that he was more of a man than he'd been the last time he'd worked there.
"Nathan," Keith had started with a smile. "It's a pleasure. Uh, a little surprising, but.." He trailed off uncertainly.
"Uncle Keith," his heart warmed considerably at the fact that Nathan had not called him just Keith, but Uncle Keith. He knew they were family, Nathan did. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but, uh-"
"Not bothering me." Keith quickly interjected, and by now his curiosity level was extremely high. What was Nathan doing here?
Nathan laced his fingers together, and then pulled them apart, repeating the motion several times before he said, "I kind of need a job."
Keith arched an eyebrow and Nathan continued. "Temporarily, of course. I mean.. I just haven't been making a lot of money lately, and well, the bills are starting to pour in, and-"
"It's fine, Nate. You know you always have a job here." He was happy now, that his young nephew would be spending more time with him. Since both boys had graduated from high school, he'd seen little of them. Truthfully, he'd probably seen more of Nathan than Lucas, as Nathan had often spent days at Karen's Café when him and Haley had still been married.
"Thanks, man. You're really saving me here."
"Nah. Just helping you out." Keith offered with a shrug. If there was one thing all Scott men had in common, it was that they were proud. He would not take that away from Nathan, even if the boy was willing to give it up.
The younger man shuffled his feet, barely able to make eye contact with his uncle. "So, when would I start?"
"As soon as you'd like," Keith was smiling. "It's going to be really great having you, Nate. We have a lot of catching up to do."
Nathan nodded his head profusely. "We do. I'm sorry that I'm only just coming around now that I need a job.."
"Don't worry about it, kid." Now, there was a quality most of the Scott men lacked. Keith Scott was probably the best of the Scott family, Nathan decided. His one flaw was a drinking problem Nathan was almost positive he'd given up years ago, when him and Karen had secretly begun seeing each other. It was funny how they'd never gone public with their relationship, but Nathan assumed it would simply cause too much drama. After all, Karen's ex-boyfriend and the father of her child was Keith's brother. Way to follow the Hamlet storyline, eh?
"I could start today." Nathan offered. It wasn't like he had much else to do. That proposal would probably sit at his apartment unattended to forever. He always did this. He always had ideas that he never managed to follow through on. It was ridiculous. How could he be an architect if he couldn't even successfully finish one measly project?
Keith shook his head. "Nah. Go home. Start tomorrow morning. It's late today, anyway. There'll be nothing for you to do."
"Uh, alright.."
"But," His uncle grabbed his arm, holding him in a firm grip. "You're family, Nate. And I know you're going to work hard. So, why don't I give you a little advance on your paycheck?"
"Are you serious? Uncle Keith, you haven't even seen me-"
"It's not that long ago you worked here. Plus, I've got a memory like an elephant. I remember you being pretty hardworking." He was already walking towards his office, where a blank check probably lay awaiting Nathan.
"You don't have to-"
"Come on, Nathan. I know you're proud. But sometimes we all need a little help," he clapped him on the back. "Take the money."
With a bow of his head and a string of gratitude leaving his lips, Nathan took the check from his uncle. He hadn't wanted to, but the truth was, if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been eating anything for dinner that night. Just like he hadn't the night before. And quite frankly, he was hungry.
-
Nathan had cashed the check the second it had been given to him, instantly going for a large all-you-can-eat lunch at a Hometown Buffet. Wasn't exactly one of the five-star restaurants he'd dined at when living with his parents, but it would certainly do for now.
He returned home with the ghost of a smile still on his features. That Keith, man. A really stand-up guy. The check had been a generous amount and would definitely help pay some of his outstanding bills.
He found it funny that he was so grateful for this. In reality, he was a basically unemployed loser who was having an affair with his brother's wife. He had nothing to be happy about. When he thought about it, he was surprised he hadn't killed himself by now.
"Well," He muttered to himself, flicking on the television. "I've always got Friends re-runs. Definite reason to live."
-
"You still don't know very much about cars, do you?" Keith had a stretched smile on his face, and he rubbed the back of his head with his permanently greased stained hands, squinting slightly.
"Uh, about as much as I did last time I worked here." The two were standing in front of a car that had something wrong with fan belt. What exactly, Nathan did not know, because he wasn't - just wasn't - a mechanic. Maybe he was technically, but him and Keith were kidding themselves if they thought he knew a damn thing about cars.
Keith sighed. "Alright. In that case, I'm going to put you on a different job."
"Anything."
"How do you feel about washing cars?"
"Well," he furrowed a brow, "I detailed them when I worked for you in high school. But I mean, is there a difference between detailing and washing?"
Keith frowned. "Yeah, you're going to be need my help."
-
Once Keith had explained to him how to wash a car, Nathan found it was actually pretty easy. The reason, Keith told him, that they washed the cars that were brought in was because quite often, in the shop, the cars were made so dirty they'd become unrecognizable. And it was polite to return a customer's car clean. Keith had learned over the years that the better you treated the customers, the more they came back. It was simple and pretty obvious if you thought about it, but surprisingly, many businesses did not.
Nathan liked that the other people working did not bother him. He himself could wash a car, keeping to his own thoughts. Maybe he would have preferred having someone to talk to, but none of the guys here were really all that, well, polite.
Currently, Nathan was soaping up a flashy red BMW, a convertible that he would have liked to own himself. He couldn't help but think that if he'd never married Haley, he would probably be driving a car similar to this one right now. With a shake of his head, he forced these thoughts from his mind.
"Nathan,"
He froze at the sound of her voice, sure his mind was deceiving him. He wanted to turn around to make sure she was there, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it if she wasn't. Even worse, he wasn't sure that if she was there, he'd be able to stop himself from kissing her.
Swallowing, he turned slowly.
So it had not been an illusion. Brooke stood before him, chewing on her lip in a way he knew she did when she was sometimes nervous. Her eyes collided with his, and he wanted so badly to kiss her that he was not sure he could handle it.
"What are you doing here?" He spoke gruffly. More importantly, how did she know he was working there?
"You didn't tell me you were working at Keith's." Her voice was lowered now, arms fastened across her chest.
He shrugged. "Because it's not a big deal."
"If you need money-"
"Stop." And she did. But Brooke Davis was nothing if not stubborn, and she rolled her eyes at him, then choosing to focus her gaze on nothing but the ground.
In a small voice she said, "I brought you something."
"Brooke, maybe now's not the time.." But it was to no avail. She was already digging through her purse for whatever she had brought for him. When she pulled out the box, he swallowed.
"We're in public. This - this might be suspicious."
"Open it." Her voice held no emotion and he shivered involuntarily, not liking the way she had sounded. Not liking this situation at all. It was strange. He felt something in his stomach like he might throw up.
He opened the box slowly, and when his eyes landed on the folded up, red, button-up shirt, he made a face. She had brought him a shirt? Why? Had this just been an excuse to come see him at work? Because this did not seem like something Brooke would do.
"Thanks?"
"It's nice, isn't it?" She was looking at the shirt now, running her fingers over the soft fabric. "I saw it when I was shopping yesterday. I thought it seemed like something you might wear."
"Brooke, I hardly go to the fancy parties you and Lucas go to." His voice was laced with bitterness and he wondered if she had noticed.
"You still wear a lot of button-up shirts. And collared shirts, too. It's kind of funny, I think." She was smiling now, the traces of dimples becoming much more noticeable. Their eyes met, and hers were kind and he knew his were too.
"Come over soon." He said, practically in a whisper. He was basically begging her, and he knew that if it came down to it, he would beg.
He had never felt so desperate before. Like, if she did not agree to come over, his night would be ruined. Maybe his week too.
He wasn't sure what this meant, but Nathan definitely did not like it.
Well, he didn't like that he actually did like it so much.
-
With a clear shot from his office, Keith watched the two younger people talk.
He was no expert on body language, but there was something about the way Nathan and Brooke were standing that he knew was not normal. The way Nathan's body was inching as close to hers as it could without actually touching her. The way their fingers accidentally brushed together, and when they did finally touch, they jumped apart, looking around to make sure no one had seen.
He would keep his mouth shut, but Keith Scott had a feeling he knew what was going on.
-
As he drove home, Keith could not shake the image of Brooke and Nathan from his mind.
He suspected something was going on. An affair? He just wasn't sure he'd ever see that happening. Brooke seemed so in love with Lucas, at least to him. From what he'd seen over the years, Brooke was possibly more in love with Lucas than he was with her. She treated him like he was above her, that much was obvious. He had a feeling Brooke had a sub-conscious body that told her she was not good enough for him. And Nathan! Well, Nathan was certainly loyal to Lucas. He would not do that to his own brother.
He was however, Dan Scott's son. This was the only reason he had a feeling his hunches were right on. He wished they weren't, because the after-effects - oh, they'd be more devastating than a natural disaster.
Maybe, he told himself, maybe Nathan and Brooke weren't having an affair. He couldn't help but feel the sickening pull in his stomach he'd felt years before, when he had been in love with his own brother's girlfriend. Could this be the same? Could Nathan be in love with Brooke?
It did make sense.
Either way, Keith Scott was sure of something. The way Nathan had been looking at Brooke Davis-Scott was proof of something Keith had felt himself years before.
There was no doubt in Keith's mind that Nathan was in love with Brooke.
No doubt at all.
