Chapter Ninety-Five: When You Forget To Breathe
As Brooke stared at them all and palor began to replace her usually flushed, animated face, Lucas walked toward her and comfortingly took her hand. Ryan held her breath and automatically turned inward to Jake, who put his arms around her.
"For God's sakes, just tell us," said Leigh eventually in frustration. Brooke snapped out of her reverie and sent her sister-in-law a glare.
"Haley's going to be fine. But she had a miscarriage," said Brooke.
The room was silent for a moment. Ryan couldn't help but be secretly relieved, fearing that the news could have been much worse.
"I didn't even know she was pregnant," said Jake.
"No one did. Nathan just told me a while ago," said Brooke.
"She was on the pill," said Ryan in disbelief.
"She probably skipped one. Or it was just a fluke. Oh God," said Brooke pitifully. Lucas slowly put his arms around her and held her close.
"How did Nathan sound?" asked Leigh.
"Cold. Fine. I don't know."
Leigh glanced around the room. She couldn't help but be amazed, at Brooke and Lucas' lack of communication, at Jake and Ryan's closeness.
"Are they all asleep?" asked Ryan eventually.
"What, the kids? Yeah," said Lucas in surprise. Ryan wandered over to a corner cabinet and pulled out a bottle of tequila.
"Anyone up for some pain numbing?"
"God Leigh, you even legal?" asked Brooke, giggling.
"Just barely," she said sarcastically, drowning another shot.
"Stop that, Leighana Mae Scott. I may have to confiscate that," said Lucas, grabbing the neck of the bottle and bringing it to his own lips.
"Hypocrite," she pouted.
"Cry me a river."
"Mm. I need ice-cream. Do you think they have any in their freezer?" asked Brooke, standing unsteadily.
"Let's go check the freezer. And on the way we can look for Jyan and Rake," said Lucas. Brooke giggled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"Please, it's obvious. Apparently life threatening situations are great for getting laid..." she said giddily, leaning on him as they walked to the kitchen.
"It's always like this. Tragedies always bring us all together, no matter how much we've been torn apart," said Ryan sadly.
"Remember August 2006? Nathan getting shot?" he asked.
"I don't think you guys were even talking to Peyton. God, that was a million years ago. At least," she said.
"At least," agreed Jake.
Ryan turned away from the window she was facing. The moonlight shimmered in her tied back hair. Jake was sitting on her old bed, his hands on his knees, sitting upright and uncomfortably on her childhood bed.
"You and me, too. Tragedies. Or emotional situations. Bring us together. Always," he said. She reached behind her head to pull out the elastic that held up her hair. He stared as she shook out her blonde locks and they cascaded down her back.
Jake held out his hands to her. She grasped them firmly as she climbed onto his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist, straddling him. She linked her hands around his neck and stared into his eyes.
"Where is everyone?" he asked dryly.
"Downstairs. Getting drunk. They won't miss us. Even if they do, they're not about to interrupt," she said suggestively.
"But Haley..."
"Damn, you're not exactly making a girl feel appreciated."
"You're my best friend. We can't just..." said Jake.
"Oh, we can just. And you want to, don't you Jake? I've noticed," she said, smirking.
"But..."
"Hush."
Ryan leaned forward and kissed him. Immediately he responded, and she felt him stiffen beneath her. Her nerves tingled in anticipation as he pulled her body closer in to his and let his hand cup her right breast.
"This is wrong," he murmured, as she shed his shirt, revealing his hard stomach muscles.
"It's right. It was always inevitable. Apparently women and men can't just be friends," she said.
"Do you think I want to be just friends?" he asked, falling back onto the bed and pulling her with him.
She breathed in sharply as his kisses trailed down her neck and his hands began to lift the bottom of her shirt. In a moment he'd revealed her bubble-gum pink bra, and in another he'd unflicked the strap and torn it off to reveal her small, firm breasts. She gasped as his lips fell to her breast and she felt his desperate need of her course through both of them.
As she dug her nails into his back in anticipation, he leaned back up and kissed her lips again. He slowly found her pleasure point with his fingers and slowly slipped them inside of her, feeling her began to breath heavily in response beneath him.
"I need you," she whispered, her lips seeking his again. He kissed her longingly before thrusting inside of her. She looked up into his brown eyes for a moment before her own slid close in satisfaction.
Ryan was tight, but she was no virgin. Jake knew this and accepted that as much as it killed him, someone else had gotten to her first, perhaps years before he'd entered her life, years before he'd begun to want her.
He rolled off of her after he withdrew.
"Nice timing," she murmured.
"Haley's going to be fine," he said.
"Don't look so guilty. Sometimes I think you forget that I'm not seventeen anymore," she said. This had always been a bit redundant, with her being only a year younger.
"Haley's six years younger than Nathan. I know," he said, sounding unconvinced.
"And it isn't anything I've never done before," she said. Jake frowned, wishing she hadn't chosen that moment to bring it up.
Slowly they got out of the bed and began to put on their clothing. Jake stared as she ran around the room in her bra, desperately seeking her shirt before discovering it under the bed. His mind flashed to an internal image of them, with her on his lap, kissing on the bed. He'd been hard already. He wanted her. Again and again. He wanted her right then and there. How had this happened to him?
"Guys? Nathan just called, Haley's awake. We can visit in the morning," called Brooke up the stairs. Jake glanced toward Ryan to gaudge her reaction, but for once she was looking away.