Disclaimer: If I had these rights, why would I be writing fanfiction?
Author's Note: My new One Tree Hill story, Kingdom for a Kiss, is co-written with Summer. You can find it under her penname, IndianSummer.
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Brooke confidently strides into the black tie benefit. Her eyes quickly scan the room for Gary, her producer, but he obviously sees her first.
She flashes him a smile as he quickly kisses her cheek. Gary Schultzman is the executive producer of the show, and had been the one to initially offer her the job. She feels eternally grateful towards him. Brooke doesn't know what she would have done if she hadn't been given the television hosting opportunity.
"Is Cathy here yet?" Cathy Schultzman is Brooke's only real friend in California. They bonded a few days after she arrived during a shopping blowout at Fred Segal. She tries to pretend the fact that she's become a social pariah has everything to do with the fact that she's only been out here for two weeks, but the bad publicity put forth by Christopher's company has hurt her image in more ways than she imagined it could.
Gary nods, "Yeah, she's here somewhere. I think she's talking to Jeff." Brooke nods and they politely converse for the next few minutes. Gary orders her a drink and she takes it, although she hates martinis.
"I'm gonna go checkout the silent auction. Want to bid on anything?" Brooke shakes her head and he walks off.
She tightens her grip on her metallic clutch purse as she wonders if there's a polite way to get rid of the martini without drinking it.
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Lucas' date is chattering away about her new pink purse as he politely smiles at her. He takes a sip of his water with lemon and loosens his grip around her waist.
Marissa--or is it Melissa?-- is even more ditzy than he initially guessed. He leans down to whisper in her ear. "Hey, do you see that guy by the auctions? With the glasses? He's a producer. I think you should go talk to him." She giggles for no apparent reason and walks off. Gary is, in fact, a producer. He has season tickets to the Lakers and they've met before at this type of thing. However, he also knows that Gary will immediately write her off as talentless.
Lucas knows the type. They are, more or less, all the girls he's dated since his move to Los Angeles. They move to California, full of hope and high school musical credits, lured by the prospect of becoming the next Cameron Diaz and marrying Justin Timberlake. Maybe he's become cynical, but he doubts even 10% of them succeed. After all, there is only one Cameron Diaz. He looks around the room, and wonders if anyone he knows has showed up. Braden said he would, and Lucas sees the tall black man over in the corner, talking to a woman in a ruffly black dress. Their backs are to him, and Lucas walks up to them, slapping his hand on Braden's back.
"Hey man."
Braden and the woman turned towards him and Lucas feels a familiar twinge when he spies the female's face.
He pumps Braden's fist as Braden greets him. "What up?"
The girl breaks into a grin. "Hey broody."
Braden looks clueless as his eyes dart between the pair. It's obvious that Braden was planning on getting lucky tonight and it looks like Lucas just thwarted those prospects. "Do you guys know each other?"
She turns to Lucas, unsure of how to respond. "Yeah, you could say that..." Her words drift off and Braden is left even more puzzled.
"Well, Imma leave you two to figure it out?" Braden quickly scurries off, leaving the two former lovers alone.
"So, I haven't seen you since..." Lucas doesn't want to remember the last time he saw Brooke Davis.
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Lucas double checks the address scribbled on the scrap of paper. Haley gave it to him after he begged for a solid hour. He hung up immediately afterwards, and missed her warning.
His hair and clothing are drenced from the rain, but he doesn't notice. There's only one thing on his mind.
Lucas runs past the puzzled doorman and sprints up the stairs. He's too excited to bother waiting in an elevator. Finally reaching the ninth floor, he repeatedly presses the doorbell of apartment B.
He hasn't seen or heard from Brooke in six months but his feelings for her have only grown stronger. Lucas is only twenty three and he already knows he wants to live to be a hundred by her side.
She props the door open with her foot as she loosely ties the the sash of her silk dressing gown. Brooke looks up and is obviously shocked to see him at her doorstep. Lucas notices the surprise on her face, but brushes it off. Of course she's shocked to see him, he thinks. After all, he never wanted to see her again six months ago. He knows he broke her heart but he hasn't felt worse about anything else and is determined to make it up to her.
Brooke shuts the door quietly behind her and steps into the hall. "What are you doing here?" She hisses.
Lucas swallows hard and the words seemingly tumble out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I really am. I love you. I love you and I want to be with you. Breaking up with you was the worst decision I ever made and I don't think I can live without you. Forgive me? I know I made a mistake but I am willing to move past it." He looks up to her, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.
Brooke averts his gaze and pulls her left hand from behind her back. Her eyes are welling with tears but she tries her best to stop crying. All Lucas Scott has done is cause her pain, she reminds herself. It's not worth loving him.
She rubs her eyes with her hand and he notices the collasol diamond on her left ring finger. "Is that? Are you?" Lucas can't fathom the prospect of her marrying another man.
"Chris is a great guy," Brooke speaks slowly and she's sobbing now, not even bothering to stop her tears. "He's handsome and rich and he hasn't hurt me. Chris doesn't cheat on me with my best friend or ask me to move for him. And he loves me and I love him.
"I love you, too, Lucas. I'll always love you. But I can't do this anymore." Brooke's eyes are pleading and he knows he has no choice but to leave. Lucas hopes she's happy with Chris, and knows that he's too late. As the elevator goes down towards the lobby, Lucas takes out the small box from his pocket. He stares at the diamond ring. It's certainly not as big or as expensive as the one Brooke wore and he knows he has to move on. Brooke Davis has always had the very best and it's not him anymore.