Brooke closed the front door behind her. So Lucas wanted to see her. She
climbed the stairs heading to the bedroom she'd last seen Luke. She walked
past Jake and Peyton's bedroom and heard them in there talking. She
bypassed their door and walked further in search of Lucas Scott.
"Looking for me?" Brooke asked walking into the bedroom her and Luke were going to share for the next week.
Lucas nodded. "Haley's talking to Nathan right?"
Brooke smiled. "Yeah and Nathan IS going to talk to her; without yelling and storming out again."
"However did you manage that one?"
"I have my ways," she grinned mischievously. "Besides I think Haley's the stubborn one."
Lucas smiled and nodded. "Don't I know it! So very true but at least they're talking."
"If I go out there and they are still standing there and no talking has gone on, Brooke's going to need to do some major scheming." Brooke took a seat on the bed next to Lucas.
"Nice third person reference."
She shrugged. "It happens from time to time. What did you want to see me about?"
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing major. Peyton and Jake are still holed up in their room. I figured we would have a chance to talk."
"Ok...what about?"
"Did you ever e-mail me after the few times in September?" he asked, desperate to know if she had sent e-mails that disappeared like Haley's.
Brooke nodded. "I almost didn't invite you. You never answered back. You never answered me. And more surprisingly you never answered Haley."
Lucas remembered he started to date Christina in the beginning or middle of August.
"Did I do something? Were you mad at me?" she asked softly.
"God no. I think someone may have been reading my mail," he told her, meaning someone in particular; Christina.
"But who would do that?" Brooke asked.
Lucas lowered his gaze. "Christina."
"Oh"
"Yeah. I knew she had insecurity issues when the topic of you or Haley came up but I never thought she'd do that. I trusted her," he said. "Rest assured, that mistake will be corrected as soon as I get home," Lucas assured her.
Brooke didn't know what to say. They seemed to slip into an uncomfortable silence that neither of them enjoyed.
"I take it she's not a fan of me then?"
Lucas laughed. "Hardly. Same for Haley; she hates how close me and her are."
"What's wrong with you being close to a friend?" Brooke asked.
"Close with another girl," he specified. "She's a little insecure."
Brooke smiled. "Still a sucker for girls covered in issues I see."
"That's wrong," Lucas said, shaking his head laughing.
"But true." Brooke paused before asking, "So why doesn't she like me? It's not like we were best friends..."
"But we have history." Lucas looked at her. "You're the ex-girlfriend."
Brooke shrugged, a bit confused. "But that's ex; as in past and not current."
Lucas took a deep breath. "She found something that made her concerned about you."
"Oh Luke that websites been shut down for weeks now," she joked.
He just shook his head laughing. "She found something of mine...about you."
"What?" Brooke asked, surprised.
"I kept things from our dates and things that reminded me of you."
Brooke was speechless. She had no idea what to say. "Like what?"
Luke got up from the bed and went over to his bag. He pulled out a box from inside and sat next to Brooke. He handed her the box.
Brooke hesitantly opened it. She pulled out a coaster from the bar on their first "date". She smiled remembering that night. Next she pulled out the empty package of the herbal tea she bought to help his recovery. Her vision was starting to get blurry; tears stung her eyes. She pulled out a collection of pictures; pictures of her cheering, of them together. There was tons of stuff. The empty pack of condoms, the necklace she gave him, the poster he made him, the empty can of whipped cream, the business card of the tattoo place.
Her heart nearly broke in two as she pulled each of these things out and relived their memories. All this time...he's really cared about her. Deep down, he's loved her. And she always doubted that. She never wanted to trust him again after what happened between him and Peyton. Just last year, he said he wanted to give them a shot again but she turned him down.
Brooke managed a smile when she picked up a pack of those blue star stickers that she always put on her face for a game, one of her raven's cheerleader barrettes, the flyer from the open mic night at the café, and a stack of letters she wrote him. He even saved the box from the home pregnancy test. The last thing Brooke pulled out was a CD single. Savage Garden "Truly Madly Deeply."
She closed her eyes to try and stop the tears that were on the verge of spilling down her cheeks. She put everything back in the box and managed to speak, just barely.
"I...I'll be back." And there she went. Brooke got up from the bed and left the room and ran to Peyton's room, leaving Luke very confused. She banged on the door hurriedly. A few moments later, Jake opened the door.
"Brooke? Are you ok?" he asked with concern.
She nodded, but the tears running down her cheeks betrayed this. "I need to talk to Peyton," she choked out.
Peyton came out of the bathroom and her eyes went wide with confusion.
"What happened?"
Jake shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "I'll be downstairs."
Peyton nodded and went over to her best friend. She wrapped her arms around Brooke. "What happened?"
"He...see there...this box...and...little things...our dates," she babbled incoherently, never finishing a single sentence.
"I need more than that Brooke."
Brooke took a couple deep breathes, and her crying slowed to where she was able to talk in full sentences and breathe at the same time. "Luke and I were talking. And he told me he kept things from all of our dates. He showed them to me. A coaster from our first date, letters, the empty pack of herbal tea I bought him after the accident," she said in amazement. She was truly touched by this. "Peyton...do you think..."
"He loves you? Yes," Peyton answered cutting her off. "What did you say after he showed you all this?"
Brooke bit her lip and looked away.
"You didn't!" she yelled.
"I...I didn't know what to say!" she cried out in defense of impulse to run away. "It just kind of happened."
Peyton sighed and mumbled, "And people tell me I have a lot of drama."
"You really think he loves me?" Brooke asked Peyton, even though she was sure she knew the answer.
Peyton nodded smiling at her best friend. "I do. Are you going to go back and talk to him?"
Brooke shook her head no almost immediately. "I can't."
"And why not?" Peyton asked, exasperated.
"I...just..."
"Do you love him?"
"I do love him...I think," Brooke answered. "Look...I need to go for a run. Clear my head and think Peyt. I'll be back later." Before Peyton could stop her Brooke was out of the room and bounding down the steps and out the back door.
"Looking for me?" Brooke asked walking into the bedroom her and Luke were going to share for the next week.
Lucas nodded. "Haley's talking to Nathan right?"
Brooke smiled. "Yeah and Nathan IS going to talk to her; without yelling and storming out again."
"However did you manage that one?"
"I have my ways," she grinned mischievously. "Besides I think Haley's the stubborn one."
Lucas smiled and nodded. "Don't I know it! So very true but at least they're talking."
"If I go out there and they are still standing there and no talking has gone on, Brooke's going to need to do some major scheming." Brooke took a seat on the bed next to Lucas.
"Nice third person reference."
She shrugged. "It happens from time to time. What did you want to see me about?"
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing major. Peyton and Jake are still holed up in their room. I figured we would have a chance to talk."
"Ok...what about?"
"Did you ever e-mail me after the few times in September?" he asked, desperate to know if she had sent e-mails that disappeared like Haley's.
Brooke nodded. "I almost didn't invite you. You never answered back. You never answered me. And more surprisingly you never answered Haley."
Lucas remembered he started to date Christina in the beginning or middle of August.
"Did I do something? Were you mad at me?" she asked softly.
"God no. I think someone may have been reading my mail," he told her, meaning someone in particular; Christina.
"But who would do that?" Brooke asked.
Lucas lowered his gaze. "Christina."
"Oh"
"Yeah. I knew she had insecurity issues when the topic of you or Haley came up but I never thought she'd do that. I trusted her," he said. "Rest assured, that mistake will be corrected as soon as I get home," Lucas assured her.
Brooke didn't know what to say. They seemed to slip into an uncomfortable silence that neither of them enjoyed.
"I take it she's not a fan of me then?"
Lucas laughed. "Hardly. Same for Haley; she hates how close me and her are."
"What's wrong with you being close to a friend?" Brooke asked.
"Close with another girl," he specified. "She's a little insecure."
Brooke smiled. "Still a sucker for girls covered in issues I see."
"That's wrong," Lucas said, shaking his head laughing.
"But true." Brooke paused before asking, "So why doesn't she like me? It's not like we were best friends..."
"But we have history." Lucas looked at her. "You're the ex-girlfriend."
Brooke shrugged, a bit confused. "But that's ex; as in past and not current."
Lucas took a deep breath. "She found something that made her concerned about you."
"Oh Luke that websites been shut down for weeks now," she joked.
He just shook his head laughing. "She found something of mine...about you."
"What?" Brooke asked, surprised.
"I kept things from our dates and things that reminded me of you."
Brooke was speechless. She had no idea what to say. "Like what?"
Luke got up from the bed and went over to his bag. He pulled out a box from inside and sat next to Brooke. He handed her the box.
Brooke hesitantly opened it. She pulled out a coaster from the bar on their first "date". She smiled remembering that night. Next she pulled out the empty package of the herbal tea she bought to help his recovery. Her vision was starting to get blurry; tears stung her eyes. She pulled out a collection of pictures; pictures of her cheering, of them together. There was tons of stuff. The empty pack of condoms, the necklace she gave him, the poster he made him, the empty can of whipped cream, the business card of the tattoo place.
Her heart nearly broke in two as she pulled each of these things out and relived their memories. All this time...he's really cared about her. Deep down, he's loved her. And she always doubted that. She never wanted to trust him again after what happened between him and Peyton. Just last year, he said he wanted to give them a shot again but she turned him down.
Brooke managed a smile when she picked up a pack of those blue star stickers that she always put on her face for a game, one of her raven's cheerleader barrettes, the flyer from the open mic night at the café, and a stack of letters she wrote him. He even saved the box from the home pregnancy test. The last thing Brooke pulled out was a CD single. Savage Garden "Truly Madly Deeply."
She closed her eyes to try and stop the tears that were on the verge of spilling down her cheeks. She put everything back in the box and managed to speak, just barely.
"I...I'll be back." And there she went. Brooke got up from the bed and left the room and ran to Peyton's room, leaving Luke very confused. She banged on the door hurriedly. A few moments later, Jake opened the door.
"Brooke? Are you ok?" he asked with concern.
She nodded, but the tears running down her cheeks betrayed this. "I need to talk to Peyton," she choked out.
Peyton came out of the bathroom and her eyes went wide with confusion.
"What happened?"
Jake shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "I'll be downstairs."
Peyton nodded and went over to her best friend. She wrapped her arms around Brooke. "What happened?"
"He...see there...this box...and...little things...our dates," she babbled incoherently, never finishing a single sentence.
"I need more than that Brooke."
Brooke took a couple deep breathes, and her crying slowed to where she was able to talk in full sentences and breathe at the same time. "Luke and I were talking. And he told me he kept things from all of our dates. He showed them to me. A coaster from our first date, letters, the empty pack of herbal tea I bought him after the accident," she said in amazement. She was truly touched by this. "Peyton...do you think..."
"He loves you? Yes," Peyton answered cutting her off. "What did you say after he showed you all this?"
Brooke bit her lip and looked away.
"You didn't!" she yelled.
"I...I didn't know what to say!" she cried out in defense of impulse to run away. "It just kind of happened."
Peyton sighed and mumbled, "And people tell me I have a lot of drama."
"You really think he loves me?" Brooke asked Peyton, even though she was sure she knew the answer.
Peyton nodded smiling at her best friend. "I do. Are you going to go back and talk to him?"
Brooke shook her head no almost immediately. "I can't."
"And why not?" Peyton asked, exasperated.
"I...just..."
"Do you love him?"
"I do love him...I think," Brooke answered. "Look...I need to go for a run. Clear my head and think Peyt. I'll be back later." Before Peyton could stop her Brooke was out of the room and bounding down the steps and out the back door.