Ballad for my One True Love

Chapter Two: Morals of Convenience

"So, who's the lucky guy this week?" Jake asked with a small chuckle, "Paul? Frank? Damian from the pizza place?"

Brooke let out a light laugh rolling her eyes. She was sprawled out on the couch, a blanket over her as she watched The OC on mute on the TV in front of her. The phone was pressed to her ear as she and Jake had their habitual Friday night talk. Ever since four months ago when they'd ran into each other, the two had been becoming closer friends. It was funny because Jake was the first guy that Brooke had been friends with. Maybe it was because he'd known her back in Tree Hill, or maybe it was because they'd already gotten the sex out of the way and they both knew that they wanted the same things. That neither of them really wanted a relationship.

"It's no one," she finally replied, "Don't you remember? I'm single fling-free Brooke this month."

"Well, then you must be deprived," he put in with a laugh, "Sure you don't want me to come down there and fulfill some of your needs."

"Real funny Jake," Brooke can't help but shake her head, "Aren't you the one who hasn't been getting any since that night?"

It was an inside joke between the two of them, their little one nightstand. Normally, it might have caused Brooke to push herself away from a guy. With everyone else it had. She never talked to any of the guys she'd had flings with again after that night, but with Jake it had only brought the two of them closer together. They would laugh and joke and make light of the fact that they'd slept together. Honestly, she couldn't say if her and Jake would've even kept in touch if it hadn't have been for that night.

"All right, you've got me there," he sighed in defeat, "Hey, I was wondering what you're doing next weekend."

"I don't know," she replied, "Going out with some friends from work maybe. Why?"

"Well, I'm coming to town," he mentioned as casually as he could, "With Jenny. I was wondering if you wanted to come apartment shopping with us."

"Apartment shopping?" her jaw fell open in shock, "You're moving to California?"

"Yeah," Jake confirmed, "I figure the business is doing better there and the atmosphere is better for Jenny than here in the city."

"Of course I'll help you go apartment shopping!"

Brooke looked around the apartment with keen curiosity and interest. This was by far the nicest place they had visited, even if they'd only been looking around the three of them for two hours now. It wasn't how nice it looked that had Brooke looking extremely interested in this place, it was the apartment's proximity to her own apartment, just a block away.

"It's kind of big though," Jake mentioned, holding his almost seven year old daughter Jenny by the hand, "I mean, for just me and Jenny. There's three bedrooms."

"I like it though daddy," Jenny mentioned, looking up at him with her dark eyes.

"Yeah, so do I Jenny," he put it, looking over at Brooke, "What do you think?"

"I think that you and I are going to be seeing an awful lot of each other," Brooke grinned, "I mean, you're going to be walking distance of my now."

"Why don't you move in here with us," Jake blurted out, not thinking of what he was saying obviously.

They both froze, looking ver at each other. This was the first weekend they were getting to spend together. The first time they were seeing each other since the night they'd slept together, but Brooke felt closer to him that she had to anyone in a long time. It scared her slightly, thinking about how she'd opened up to him in the past four months. Aside from Peyton and Haley though, Jake was her best friend. Right now, he was her only friend.

Her only issue was that she remembered what it was like to open up to someone. Even if her and Jake were just friends, even if neither of them wanted a relationship she was still afraid. The last time she'd let a boy into her life and into her heart, he had hurt her. It didn't matter that her and Jake weren't in a relationship or in love, but Brooke was afraid that she might find herself falling in love with him if her let him too close. She couldn't help but feel that if that happened she was going to end up broken again.

"I don't know," she bit her bottom lip, looking at him carefully.

"I shouldn't have asked," Jake interjected, "Not now at least."

"Let me think about it, okay?" Brooke put in, "Or let's talk about this later."

"Okay," he nodded in agreement.

Jenny was asleep in Brooke's bed. After the long day of apartment shopping, the two of them had agreed to join Brooke for Chinese Takeout at her apartment. Now, Jake and Brooke were sitting on the couch in silence, Brooke had a cup of tea in her hands. She'd been waiting to bring up the apartment thing again, ask him what he was thinking inviting her to live with him. Her mind was working overtime, her heart was screaming at her to run away because no matter how close her friendship with Jake seemed, this seemed to be taking a turn in the wrong direction for her.

If she did accept to live with him, she wouldn't be able to run away. They'd be stuck together. Her mind kept telling her that this would be in too close proximity to someone she was afraid of. It was leading herself to get hurt by someone she was beginning to trust and Jake was the first guy since Lucas that she was letting in past her tough, "slutty" exterior.

"Jake…"

"When I invited you to live with me, I mean it in a completely platonic way," Jake interjected, "I didn't mean I wanted us to become a couple or anything because don't want a relationship right now. With Jenny and my job I can't have one."

Brooke's heart dropped a little for some reason. This should make her happy. Knowing that the two of them were on the same page, but in a way she wanted him to want her. It didn't make sense in her mind; it was almost as if she was trying to sabotage her friendship with Jake. She wanted him to want more so that she could run away. It angered her a bit, knowing that this was all Lucas' fault. If she had fallen in love with Jake back in their Tree Hill days maybe she wouldn't be so afraid of the slightest commitment.

"Okay," She agreed. She didn't even know where the words had come from, "I was looking for a bigger place anyway."

She kicked herself for agreeing to it, but she wanted to prove herself wrong. It wasn't that she was afraid of their friendship, of their closeness. She could get over this fear; she could let someone into her life. Fear of getting hurt couldn't control her forever and she trusted Jake. He'd been there for her over the past four months, spent hours on the phone with her with the anniversary of her leaving for Tree Hill arrived for the sixth summer.

Their friendship over the phone meant too much to her and now they had a chance to really be there. With them living together, with him living in California maybe Brooke wouldn't be so alone anymore. Maybe she'd finally be able to make more friends, be someone other than the girl who sometimes goes to a party to have fun. The girl who was never more social that necessary, who kept at arms length from everyone.

"Really?" Jake looked at her, almost shocked.

"Yeah, really."