Nathan walked into the room and collapsed onto the bed. He looked over at the petite brunette and chuckled.
"What the hell are you laughing at, Nate?" Brooke asked, remaining devoted to her task of folding and boxing clothes.
"Nothing. Just that a couple years ago I used to daydream about being alone with you in my bedroom. I didn't think that when it finally happened, we would be doing this," he admitted.
"Well, someone has to pack everything for TutorBitch. She is obviously too good to do it herself," Brooke muttered.
"Don't hate her just for me, Brooke. It's not fair."
"Neither is walking out on your husband for a hick with a guitar, Nathan!" Brooke yelled.
"I know. Trust me, I know all too well," Nathan said, staring up at the ceiling.
Brooke shut the box she had been working on and laid down next to Nathan. He turned on his side to look at her.
"So, Ms. Davis, what is on the agenda for tonight? You want to get drunk and forget about our loser exes?" Nate asked, hoping she would agree.
"Well, that is a lovely invitation. Although it sounds like fun, I'm going to have to say no. I have a paper due tomorrow for comp class, and I haven't even started it. I'll give you a call when I get done, though, to make sure you haven't drank yourself into a coma," Brooke said, getting up from the bed.
"Alright. Thanks for helping out. I'll see you later," Nathan called to her as she was walking down the hallway of his apartment.
"Bye, basketball star!" Booke shouted, running out the door.
Brooke stepped out of the shower and smiled as she wrapped a towel around her small form. She had managed to type her paper, do her trigonometry homework, and take a relaxing shower in only three hours. It was now nine o'clock and way too early to go to sleep. She decided to call Peyton since they hadn't spoken in a few days. She sat on her bed and dialed the familiar number into her cell phone.
"Hey, Brooke," Peyton said into the phone with a grin on her face.
"Hello, best friend. How's it going?"
"It's great. I'm sorry we haven't talked in awhile. I've been hanging out with Jake and Jenny a lot since they get back," Peyton apologized, feeling guilty she had brushed off her best friend.
"It's totally okay, Pey. I know how much you missed them. And I haven't exactly just moped around the house," Brooke teased.
"Really? Did you get back together with Felix?" Peyton asked, intrigued.
"God no. I wouldn't take him back for anything after the bullsht he pulled. I've been hanging out with Nathan. It's kind of like a broken-hearts club or something. He and Lucas even taught me how to play basketball. I'm quite good at it."
"Awesome. So you and Nate? That's unexpected."
"Yeah. We ran into each other a couple days ago at River Court. We've pretty much been attached at the hips ever since," Brooke explained.
"Are you guys... you know?" Peyton asked.
"No, gutter mind. Oh my God. Not all of my guy friends end up in bed with me."
"Liar."
"I know. It's different with Nathan, though. We've really been there for each other. With Felix kicking me to the curb and Haley running off with Chris... it's just been nice to have someone there."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Brooke. I've been so selfish. I'm glad you had Nathan, though. He can be a really great friend to have," Peyton said.
"Yeah, I know. And don't worry, Peyton. You're still my best friend. I don't mind that you've been hanging out with Jake this week. It's cool. Well, someone is ringing the door bell. I'll give you a call back later, okay?"
"Alright. Bye, Brooke."
They both hung up. Brooke ran down the stairs and straight to the front door. She didn't even notice that she was still wearing only a towel. She opened the door quickly to see none other than Nathan Scott standing there.
"Wow. Brooke, do you always answer the door in just a towel with your body shimmering?" he teased.
"No, jerk. I just got out of the shower."
"Damn. You look hot, Davis. Definitely hot," he replied, walking into the house.
"What's up, Nathan? I thought you were going to drink away your misery. I figured you would have Tim call a bunch of strippers or something," Brooke said, walking up the stairs with Nathan following her.
"Why do I need a stripper? You're already half naked? You could do a little dance for me," he joked, dropping onto her bed. He watched her as she dug through her closet, in search of something to put on.
"In your dreams, basketball boy," Brooke said. She walked into the bathroom to change. She put on a matching set of black undergarments, a black spaghetti strap tank top, a short white pair of Ravens Cheerleading shorts with the word RAVENS across the butt, and a pair of black thong sandals. She quickly threw her hair into a messy bun and walked back into the bedroom.
Nathan was lying on the bed reading an issue of Cosmopolitan that he had found on her night stand.
"Learn anything interesting, Scott?" Brooke teased as she took a seat next to him on the large bed.
"Oh yeah. A lot. I can now please a guy in the bedroom with only a scarf," Nathan joked, tossing the magazine aside.
"Well, that will come in handy for you. All those locker room shower sessions," Brooke joked, raising her eyebrow at him.
"Don't even go there, Davis," Nathan warned his friend.
"Why not? I want to hear all about the sordid locker room activities. Come on, Nathan Scott. Make my night. Tell me the dirty little secrets," Brooke said, laying back to come face-to-face with Nathan. She smirked and raised her eyebrows.
"There are no dirty, little secrets, Brooke. Really," Nathan said, trying to change the subject. He knew what she was going to ask, and he didn't want to be the one to answer.
"Come on, Nathan. You know where I'm going with this conversation. I'm just curious. What do all the guys say in there? What do they say about me?"
"Brooke, it's just guy talk. You know how they all are. They talk big. All of them go on about how hot you are and how they'd give anything just to get you for one night. No one takes anything said in there seriously," Nathan tried to assure her.
Brooke rolled over to face away from Nathan. A few tears fell down her face as her body shook.
"Brooke, don't cry. Come on, please. I'm sorry," Nathan said, rubbing her back.
"You don't have to be sorry about anything, Nathan. It's just... that's what I'll always be. I'll just be good for one night. Never anything more. Even your brother... even he cheated on me. It's like no one sees me as having actual feelings. Guys don't care if they're with someone else while they're with me. They automatically assume that it's not going to bother me. It does," Brooke said, turning towards Nathan.
Nathan wrapped his arms around her and held her. "I know it hurts, Brooke. I know. But you are more than just a one night stand. Any guy who can't see that.... they're not worthy of you." He held her as she calmed herself.
Brooke slowly looked into Nathan's eyes. "Thank you. It's nice to have you be here for me. Thanks, Nathan," she said. Brooke slowly leaned her head up and kissed his lips. It was a chaste kiss at first. She pulled back and looked into his eyes for a second before he pulled her face back up to his. They shared another kiss. This one was longer and more intimate.
They lay there, kissing on her bed. Neither of them heard the downstairs door open or the footsteps up the stairway. Neither of them heard the gasp of surprise at the doorway to Brooke's bedroom. They were too occupied by each other to hear the person retreat and run out of the house.