Chapter 2
"Now boarding all passengers for flight 353 to Tree Hill, North Carolina. Repeating, all passengers now boarding for flight..."
Brooke's trance was broken by the calling for her to board. She grabbed her Louis Vuttion carry on bag and stood up. She couldn't believe she was going back. The tension between the two was ever-present from the phone call she had received from him earlier in the morning. Even though they had said a mere thirty words to one another, anyone could have been able to tell that the two were once lovers.
Stepping onto the plan, the realization set in, everything she had left behind years before was going to be different. Part of her expected life in Tree Hill to have stopped when she left and as soon as she crossed the city border, it would pick up again. She expected Peyton Sawyer and Lucas Scott to still be battling with their on again off again relationship. She thought that genius Haley James would still be the biggest nerd ever and she also expected Nathan would be waiting for her right where she left him, behind that tree in the park.
She wondered what he was thinking about. Whether he was thinking about all the perfect nights they spent behind that old oak tree or that one life altering moment on the grass when everything ended, didn't matter to her. As long as he was thinking about her, she was content.
Taking her seat next to the window, she reached into her bag, pulled out a crocheted blanket her grandmother had made before she was born, folded it up tightly, and placed it behind her head. The sun on her face almost was almost relaxing. She was beginning to completely forget about the trip ahead of her, until she heard a familiar voice. It was a voice she was almost one hundred percent sure she knew. Opening her eyes to put a face with the voice, she saw him. She did know him.
He casually took the seat next to her on the 45 passenger plane. He looked at his ticket and then at the seat number to make sure he was in the right place. "Hey." He said to her, not realizing that he was seated next to his long time friend who he had not seen in nearly for years.
She couldn't stand it. Maybe it wasn't him. "Jake?" She said turning her head toward him and leaning forward in her seat.
"Yes."
Her infamous, dimpled smile crept across her nervous face. "Don't tell me you don't know who I am you asshole. I haven't been gone that damn long."
"Brooke?"
"What gave it away?" She asked him, swinging her dark hair over her shoulder and winking at him.
"It might have been the use of two cuss word in the introduction."
"Lets just say, I may have been gone for four years but that doesn't mean leaving Tree Hill cleaned my mouth."
He gave her a nervous smile, "About that..."
"Nope," She said, waving her index finger in his face, "I don't want to start off on that foot."
Jake nodded his head in defeat. All of a sudden she felt bad for being so blunt with him. "No, I didn't mean it like that." She crossed her legs and looked at him, "I just don't really wanna talk about leaving."
"I understand, it's hard enough to come back."
"Right." She paused and felt the plane take off. She looked at him and said, "Well the worst parts over."
"The take off?"
"No, making myself get on this plane and then once I was on, not running away."
"Understandable." He reached into his bag and pulled out his CD player. He put on headphone on, "Listen Brooke, this is hard for me too you know." He took her hand and she looked at him with appreciative eyes, "I left too."
She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. She felt her dimples cave in for the first time, in what seemed like years, "Thanks."
He put the other head phone in his ear and said, "Just tap me if you want to talk."
She nodded her head and kept her hand in his. She reclined her seat and thought about what Nathan had said to her on the phone earlier in the day. Surprised to even hear from him, she could barely speak.
"Nathan, oh hey, I um..." She paused in nervousness. What was there to say to him? She hadn't even heard his voice in four years. This was no time for small talk, but that was all she could manage without vomiting on herself. "It's good to hear from you."
"Listen," By the sound of his voice he was tense too. How could he not have been? He felt like a groom who was speaking to his runaway bride. Worried that the words out of his mouth would not make sense, he swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and nervously continued, "I didn't call to... well I'm not calling for any reason other than the fact that I want you to come home." He paused knowing that what he had just said sound like he wanted Brooke to come back to Tree Hill for him. "Um, I just feel like it would be a good idea if you came, ya know, for the funeral."
She wondered if he wanted her to come back or if it was a family decision. Knowing that his family would not have wanted her there she said, "Okay, I'll come, but under one circumstance." He said nothing and she finished, "You... I mean, we can't..."
"Brooke, that's not why I am calling, I didn't mean..."
"I know, just listen to me, just because I have been gone doesn't mean that I haven't thought about you."
"Please, lets not do this now, over the phone."
"What do think I am trying to do here?"
"I don't know, I just know what I don't want you to be doing."
"What would that be?"
"Trying to make up for what happened that night."
"I never even brought that up." She paused, thinking that this was not how she wanted their first talk to be like. "I don't want there to be this hostility between us." Lying, she said, "We have probably both moved on in our lives."
"Lets talk about this when you get home."
"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about."
"I'll see you tonight."
"Okay." She hesitated to say anything else. Hearing the dial tone she closed her phone and threw it into her purse. It was a very awkward situation they were in. How do you go from telling someone that you love them, to not even talking to them? Everything between them now seemed so nonexistent. There would never be a time in there lives where one of them would not be thinking about what could have been had they not been in the circumstances that they were under.
Brooke opened her eyes and looked out the window. She then looked over at Jake, who was sound asleep. Her hand was still in his. She felt comfort knowing that he was going through the same thing she was. He didn't want to come home either, but he had to.
She felt tension swell up in her chest and was short of breath. She stood up and walked to the tiny bathroom at the front of the plane. She opened the door and slid in. Sitting on the toilet seat, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall wishing that she could just stay in there for the next few weeks.
"Now boarding all passengers for flight 353 to Tree Hill, North Carolina. Repeating, all passengers now boarding for flight..."
Brooke's trance was broken by the calling for her to board. She grabbed her Louis Vuttion carry on bag and stood up. She couldn't believe she was going back. The tension between the two was ever-present from the phone call she had received from him earlier in the morning. Even though they had said a mere thirty words to one another, anyone could have been able to tell that the two were once lovers.
Stepping onto the plan, the realization set in, everything she had left behind years before was going to be different. Part of her expected life in Tree Hill to have stopped when she left and as soon as she crossed the city border, it would pick up again. She expected Peyton Sawyer and Lucas Scott to still be battling with their on again off again relationship. She thought that genius Haley James would still be the biggest nerd ever and she also expected Nathan would be waiting for her right where she left him, behind that tree in the park.
She wondered what he was thinking about. Whether he was thinking about all the perfect nights they spent behind that old oak tree or that one life altering moment on the grass when everything ended, didn't matter to her. As long as he was thinking about her, she was content.
Taking her seat next to the window, she reached into her bag, pulled out a crocheted blanket her grandmother had made before she was born, folded it up tightly, and placed it behind her head. The sun on her face almost was almost relaxing. She was beginning to completely forget about the trip ahead of her, until she heard a familiar voice. It was a voice she was almost one hundred percent sure she knew. Opening her eyes to put a face with the voice, she saw him. She did know him.
He casually took the seat next to her on the 45 passenger plane. He looked at his ticket and then at the seat number to make sure he was in the right place. "Hey." He said to her, not realizing that he was seated next to his long time friend who he had not seen in nearly for years.
She couldn't stand it. Maybe it wasn't him. "Jake?" She said turning her head toward him and leaning forward in her seat.
"Yes."
Her infamous, dimpled smile crept across her nervous face. "Don't tell me you don't know who I am you asshole. I haven't been gone that damn long."
"Brooke?"
"What gave it away?" She asked him, swinging her dark hair over her shoulder and winking at him.
"It might have been the use of two cuss word in the introduction."
"Lets just say, I may have been gone for four years but that doesn't mean leaving Tree Hill cleaned my mouth."
He gave her a nervous smile, "About that..."
"Nope," She said, waving her index finger in his face, "I don't want to start off on that foot."
Jake nodded his head in defeat. All of a sudden she felt bad for being so blunt with him. "No, I didn't mean it like that." She crossed her legs and looked at him, "I just don't really wanna talk about leaving."
"I understand, it's hard enough to come back."
"Right." She paused and felt the plane take off. She looked at him and said, "Well the worst parts over."
"The take off?"
"No, making myself get on this plane and then once I was on, not running away."
"Understandable." He reached into his bag and pulled out his CD player. He put on headphone on, "Listen Brooke, this is hard for me too you know." He took her hand and she looked at him with appreciative eyes, "I left too."
She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. She felt her dimples cave in for the first time, in what seemed like years, "Thanks."
He put the other head phone in his ear and said, "Just tap me if you want to talk."
She nodded her head and kept her hand in his. She reclined her seat and thought about what Nathan had said to her on the phone earlier in the day. Surprised to even hear from him, she could barely speak.
"Nathan, oh hey, I um..." She paused in nervousness. What was there to say to him? She hadn't even heard his voice in four years. This was no time for small talk, but that was all she could manage without vomiting on herself. "It's good to hear from you."
"Listen," By the sound of his voice he was tense too. How could he not have been? He felt like a groom who was speaking to his runaway bride. Worried that the words out of his mouth would not make sense, he swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and nervously continued, "I didn't call to... well I'm not calling for any reason other than the fact that I want you to come home." He paused knowing that what he had just said sound like he wanted Brooke to come back to Tree Hill for him. "Um, I just feel like it would be a good idea if you came, ya know, for the funeral."
She wondered if he wanted her to come back or if it was a family decision. Knowing that his family would not have wanted her there she said, "Okay, I'll come, but under one circumstance." He said nothing and she finished, "You... I mean, we can't..."
"Brooke, that's not why I am calling, I didn't mean..."
"I know, just listen to me, just because I have been gone doesn't mean that I haven't thought about you."
"Please, lets not do this now, over the phone."
"What do think I am trying to do here?"
"I don't know, I just know what I don't want you to be doing."
"What would that be?"
"Trying to make up for what happened that night."
"I never even brought that up." She paused, thinking that this was not how she wanted their first talk to be like. "I don't want there to be this hostility between us." Lying, she said, "We have probably both moved on in our lives."
"Lets talk about this when you get home."
"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about."
"I'll see you tonight."
"Okay." She hesitated to say anything else. Hearing the dial tone she closed her phone and threw it into her purse. It was a very awkward situation they were in. How do you go from telling someone that you love them, to not even talking to them? Everything between them now seemed so nonexistent. There would never be a time in there lives where one of them would not be thinking about what could have been had they not been in the circumstances that they were under.
Brooke opened her eyes and looked out the window. She then looked over at Jake, who was sound asleep. Her hand was still in his. She felt comfort knowing that he was going through the same thing she was. He didn't want to come home either, but he had to.
She felt tension swell up in her chest and was short of breath. She stood up and walked to the tiny bathroom at the front of the plane. She opened the door and slid in. Sitting on the toilet seat, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall wishing that she could just stay in there for the next few weeks.