Chapter.7...brooke

June 22, 2005

Very seldom did people, other than teenage girls, look at me with disgust. Jealousy, but never disgust. As I walked up and down the streets of downtown Tree Hill I felt like I was a rat in a maze that everyone was watching, anticipating it to run into a wall. I did, however, stumble on a crack in the sidewalk but never turning around to look at my defeater nor did I stop walking as if my tripping was on purpose.

Watching every single person on the other side of the sidewalk and making sure that Lilia still had her pacifier in the mouth and that it wasn't on the dirty sidewalk was a task. I wheeled her into my favorite corner deli, DT Deli. Stepping through the threshold I felt thousands of old feelings all at once. I remembered taking Lucas here for the first time. He was skeptical coming to the deli because of his mother's café. I told him not to worry because this place was just convenient because we were downtown. He nodded, relieved. I would never had admitted to him that a preferred DT to Karen's. That's just between you and me.

When the manager saw me enter he immediately rushed over to me. He was a large, Italian man who spoke with a slight accent. "Mi Bella." He leaned over me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Where have you been?" He asked, sitting down in the chair across from me.

I wheeled the stroller around so that Lilia faced me. "Around." I answered, coyly as I pushed Lilia back and forth in a stroller. She cooed at me and I smiled. She was my best and only friend right now. Her features now blew me away. Those blue eyes that once made me fall in love with Lucas now made me fall in love with her. She had more hair than most forty year old men. I ran my hand over her head and studied her face. She looked like a porcelain doll that collectors paid thousands of dollars for. The only thing I paid was my childhood and in return I got hers.

Nico leaned into the strolled and peeked at Lilia. "Ah! What a beautiful baby!" He cried, "She looks just like her sister." He said looking up at me with a wink. He grabbed her pink sock covered foot and tickled it. She tried to kick her foot and Nico let go.

"Actually," I said pulling Lilia out and putting her over my bare shoulder, "She is my baby." Her tiny body was covered in a pink romper with colorful flowers all over. I ran my hand up and down her back until she fell asleep. Then I lowered her back into the stroller where she continued sleeping. I was relieved she needed all the sleep she could get, but so could I, but that was a different story.

"Oh." Nico slowly replied, taking everything in. He took a deep breath and leaned in close to me, "Well what can I get you? The regular?" Nico stood up from the table and walked behind the counter.

I nodded and he began making my turkey, swiss, lettuce, and mayo sandwich on a sesame seed bagel. Looking away from him and back at Lilia I realized I didn't have a problem with being alone. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes with my hand glue to Lilia's right leg. I awoke from my cat nap when a ringing came from the entrance. Turning my head toward the door, I saw a familiar face.

Daniel Howard stood in the door way, all six feet three of him. He looked like every handsome, young guy who had been in any teen movie and had girls post their pictures all over their bedroom walls over the past five years. His James Dean good looks made girls across North Carolina swoon over him, and then he would drop them like flies. I felt honored to have been one of the girls to have a semi-relationship with him.

His sunglasses, still on his face, gave him this untouchable aura about him. Even I, a fellow untouchable, felt nervous to call out his name. Unshaven in days, he looked astonishingly hip. I watched him raise his sunglasses to the top of his head. He didn't see me until Nico called to me to come get my sandwich.

Daniel's face slowly turned when he heard my name. I watched his face for a change in emotion. "Hey." He said, now looking me in the eye.

"Hi." I said, racing back over to my table scared to leave Lilia alone for a minute. He got his lunch and brought it over to the table where I was sitting.

Before he pulled out the chair to take a seat, he said, "You don't mind, do you?" I shook my head and he took a seat in front of me. "Haven't seen you in a while." He said, taking a bite of his sandwich. He looked down at the stroller, "And I guess I see why."

"Yeah," I said, looking into the stroller to make sure she was still asleep, "It's been pretty insane. The past few months."

"What happened?"

I looked at my Omega watch and looked up at him. He sipped his black coffee and I replied, "I am going to need more time to tell you about everything." He nodded his head and I continued. "Look Daniel, I am really sorry about everything."

His head shook and he replied, "I know Brooke. I am not stupid. You and Lucas," He squinted his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, "I get it." He looked at Lilia and then up at me. "We were too alike, ya know?"

I leaned toward him and spoke again, "Listen, how about you come over tonight? It's not a date or anything so don't worry you don't have to bring condoms or anything." He laughed. "I will cook dinner and we can catch up."

"I would like that." He said back as he took a huge bite of his sandwich. A drop of mustard lingered on his lower lip.

I pointed to it and said, "You have a little something..." With my finger, I wiped his lip and showed it to him.

"Wow," He replied, "What a mother figure you have become since the last time I saw you we were at the wedding and lets just say," He whispered, "You were drinking."

I laughed and stood up, walking over to the trash can and throwing everything away. I went back over to the table and took Daniel's trash. He lowered his glasses to cover his eyes. I picked my white Prada purse off of the black and white tiled floor. Daniel put his hands on the bar of the stroller. "Shall we?" He asked me, as he held the door for me with his other hand.

"Yes we shall. Let's get outta here." He pushed the stroller until we reached my Lexus. I bent over and got Lilia out of her stroller and put her carefully into her car seat. "I know you are looking at my ass Daniel Howard." I turned around and with a seductive smile said, "I am a mother now, you can't do that."

He put his hands on my hips and said, "What else can't I do?"

I put my index finger over his pouty lips and said, "I know what you can do." We leaned in, my lips almost touching his. Before I could reach his, I heard a ringing from my purse. "Damnit." I said under my breath. The cell phone read, "Lucas Cell Calling."

"Who is it?" Daniel asked opening my car door for me.

I got in and answered him, "I'll give you three guesses and the first two," I shook my head, "don't count."