Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everyone who read my stories and left reviews! I love them! Thanks to those who loved the River court scene and totally hated Peyton painting on it. That's why I wrote that scene, I kinda wanted to take back what really happened. And I won't make Peyton too evil. Though in this chapter she may appear that way, but hopefully in the end she's better. Well, anyway. Read and enjoy! Oh, I didn't have time to edit this as many times so there may be a couple of typos.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of my other favorite shows.
Chapter 4: Cooking, Comets and Confessions
"Brooke, I hope you remembered this week's brunch!" Haley said as she opened the door to Brooke's house with Nathan, Jamie and Peyton in tow.
"How could I not? Lucas here has been reminding me about it for the last 5 days!!" she says and glares at Lucas who stands beside her.
"Aunt Brooke!" Jamie screams as he sees Brooke and runs up to her arms.
"Jamie!" Brooke returns Jamie's enthusiasm and carries him on one arm.
"Aunt Brooke, why is Uncle Luke here before us?" Jamie asks innocently and everyone couldn't help but laugh, although Peyton wanted to know the answer to that question more than anyone.
"Uncle Lucas was just making sure that I'm the one who's actually cooking and that I didn't order the food," she explains to Jamie.
"And also to make sure she doesn't poison my food," Lucas adds.
"Yeah, you see, your uncle Lucas doesn't trust me," Brooke replies, now it seems that it's only the two of them in the room, and not even the weight of Jamie's body on her arm could bring her back to reality.
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time that your food made my stomach turn."
"I'm pretty sure it wasn't my food that made your stomach turn and feel all funny inside, it was me…and no, not in a throwy-upy way." rhythm
"No, I'm pretty sure it was the food. You know, when you put beef in the trifle!"
"Hey! That was an honest mistake!" Brooke fights back.
"That's your story," Lucas says finishing their conversation.
"Hmph!" Brooke exclaims, "I hate you!" she continues and sticks her tongue out like a 5 year old would.
Lucas does the same, "I hate you more!"
"Okay, not that this isn't interesting, but I'm starving," finally, Peyton had had enough of Lucas and Brooke's interaction. She and Lucas haven't even had a normal conversation since the painting in river court. She thought that after that Lucas would finally realize that they love each other and they are meant to be. She still thinks that, and today, she will take action. She will talk some sense into Lucas, but not just yet.
"Oh right," Brooke turns her attention to her guests and puts Jamie down to the floor. "Brunch will be served in a minute; we're having chicken baked in mushroom and mashed potatoes. While you wait, you can make yourselves at home in the receiving area," she says in a formal tone, but she couldn't help crack up a little bit.
"Well, that was very Martha Stewart of you," Lucas follows Brooke in the kitchen to help her with the food.
"I've always wanted to say that ever since I could learn how to cook," she says proudly, "now help me with the potatoes."
"Are you su—," Lucas jokes, but is interrupted by Brooke.
"I'm sure I didn't poison your food. Now if I hear another peep from you young man, you are out of here."
"You sound just like my mother," Lucas laughs.
"Out the kitchen you go!" Brooke demands, but both she and Lucas know that she means well.
"Good, it smells horrible in here anyway," Lucas says while heading to the living room where Nathan, Haley, and Jamie are sitting.
. . . . .
From where Peyton sits, she watches as Brooke and Lucas once again banter with each other. She had been so caught up with her life, the record label, Haley's album, reading Lucas' book, focusing on her lost relationship with Lucas that she fails to notice Brooke and Lucas' growing friendship.
She can't take it anymore; she can't stand to watch her best friend and ex-boyfriend having a comfortable conversation that she's wanted with Lucas for so long. She tells Haley and Nathan that she needs to go to the bathroom, but it's just an excuse to get out of there if only for a while.
Nathan and Haley look at each other knowing the mess and chaos that will enter their lives soon. Once Lucas tells Brooke he loves her, he will finally have to face Peyton, Peyton will deny that and so will Brooke. But they also both know that there is a light after the tunnel. They just have to wait.
Lucas enters the living room while still chuckling. He sits down close to where Jamie is, he's about to pick him up, but Nathan and Haley decide to have a conversation now. She dreads what they have to say, but he's glad Peyton isn't here to hear it.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys were married," Nathan comments.
"I have to agree with my husband on this one," Haley says.
"We were just talking," Lucas says although he knows what it may have looked like to others.
"Well, have you talked about how you love her?" Haley asks anxious to know what's going on.
"Shh! She's going to hear you!" Lucas half whispers while looking around to check if Brooke had heard them.
"Ahh, so I take it you didn't tell her yet," Nathan says.
"I can't," Lucas sighs.
"Oh Lucas! Good, you're here," Peyton says as she heads down to find Lucas in conversation with Haley and Nathan.
"Yeah, I have been for the past hour and a half…," Lucas responds.
"Will you meet me outside, I have to talk to you," Peyton says sweetly.
"I'll be there in a minute," Lucas tells her, once she's out the door he sends Nathan and Haley worried looks and they respond to her with a sorry look.
. . . . .
Finally, Peyton is going to have her moment with Lucas. This is it. She's always imagined this happening, granted in her imagination it would be in a more romantic place, but this will have to do. She sees Lucas exit the house and walk towards her; she straightens her shirt and clears her throat.
"Hey Peyton," he starts, "what did you want to talk about?"
This is it, she's finally going to say it, "Us, I want to talk about us," she notices Lucas' mouth open to speak, but she beats him to it. "I love you, I will always love you."
"Peyton, I—," Lucas doesn't know what to say, he doesn't want to break her heart, but he doesn't want to lead her on to think that he still loves her.
"It's okay, Lucas. It's just us now; no more Lindsay. We can finally be together, nothing is stopping us now."
"Peyton, I really loved Lindsay, maybe I didn't love her enough, but I did love her nonetheless," Lucas defends. "We can't—We can't be together."
"But you love me, and I love you."
"Not anymore, I'm sorry."
"But the comet," Peyton says but is interrupted by the door opening revealing Haley.
"The food is ready," Haley informs the two, and Lucas is more than grateful that she does. Lucas follows Haley to the house and Peyton follows them shortly behind.
In the back of her head, Peyton curses Haley for interrupting their conversation, she was finally going to have him admit that she's the comet in his book. She read his book, and she knows it. She just does.
Lucas enters the house and sees Brooke setting down her mashed potatoes on the rectangular table. There are 6 seats, Nathan is already seated and there's an empty seat beside him. He knows it's for Haley, but if he sits opposite to Nathan, Peyton will sit beside him, so he sits beside Nathan despite the death glares he receives from both Nathan and Haley. But when they finally realize why Lucas chose to sit beside Nathan, Haley walks around the table to sit opposite to Nathan. Peyton takes her seat parallel to Lucas, and Brooke sits at the end of the table between Lucas and Peyton and opposite to Jamie.
There is silence around the room, there's tension between Lucas and Peyton, and Peyton and Brooke. Nathan is the first to break the silence, "This looks amazing, Brooke."
"Yeah, but does it taste amazing?" Lucas adds.
Brooke was about to make another smart remark, but Peyton isn't really up for some more Lucas-Brooke banters. Against her better judgment she spoke up, "I'm the comet in your book and you know it."
What Peyton blurts out takes Lucas by surprise, and he thinks that this conversation should be in the middle of a meal, much less in front of their friends. "Peyton, not here," he says sternly.
"Why not? Why not have this conversation now? Just admit it Luke!" she says in desperation.
"I can't," he replies in the same tone.
"Why not?!" this time Peyton is yelling and Brooke, Haley and Nathan just sit uncomfortably looking back and forth between Lucas and Peyton, not knowing whether to stop the conversation or not.
"Because then I'd be lying," Lucas says softly.
"No, you don't mean that."
"But the thing is…I do."
"Then who's the comet if not me?" Peyton demands.
When Lucas wrote this book he didn't mean for it to scream 'Peyton!', but apparently to everyone it does. Lucas hesitates for a moment before speaking, but he looks around, he sees Haley, Nathan, Peyton and Brooke. And he knows he needs to make it clear to all of them that the comet is not Peyton. And so that's what he does.
The boy saw the comet and he felt as though his life had meaning. And when it went away he waited his entire life for it to come back to him.
Slowly he opens his mouth and the words just fall freely, "The comet may be Peyton's car, but to this boy it was so much more. When the boy saw this comet he felt as if his life had meaning, something to live for. It's something he would wait his entire life for.
It was more than just a comet because of what it brought to his life. Direction, beauty, and meaning.
"He would wait his entire life for it to come back to him because it would be worth it. This comet, rare and unique, brought him direction, beauty and meaning. And he knows that if the comet ever comes back, he'll never let it go again.
There were many who couldn't understand and sometimes he walked among them, but even in his darkest hours he knew some day it would return to him…
"It was unusual, yes maybe even odd, he knows. But in his heart, it was so right and he was so sure it would come back to him. In his heart he knows, that direction, beauty and meaning would come again.
…and his world would be whole again, and his belief in god, love and art would be reawakened in his heart.
"It is a comet, yes. To some it is a car. To many of other it is merely a comet, but to him it is so much more. It isn't just a comet, it isn't a car. It is a symbol of rarity and uniqueness, a symbol of hope and faith, a symbol of something that comes and goes. But in his heart, it will always remain."
Everyone was silent, after listening to Lucas utter the words he's been keeping deep inside, they don't know how to reply. Maybe it was just Brooke's wishful thinking, but she could have sworn that the whole time Lucas talked about the comet, his eyes were on her. But as real as it seems, she forces herself to believe it's just her imagination.
What was suppose to make things clear just made things more complicated for Peyton, after his speech she is still convinced she's the comet. "So who is the comet?!" she asks impatiently.
"It doesn't symbolize a person, Peyton. It symbolizes what that person gave to him." he elaborates.
"Then who is it?" she's still so sure it's her.
"I can't tell you that,"
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't told her yet."
"I have to go," Peyton says while standing up and leaving the dining room.
Brooke quickly goes after her knowing that's comfort and reassurance is what her best friend needs. She walks in the living room where she sees Peyton sitting on the couch in the fetal position. "Hey," she says to make her presence known.
"This is all your fault," Peyton hisses bitterly standing up merely a few feet away from her.
This takes Brooke by surprise, she doesn't know if Peyton's just letting her anger out on her of if that's how she truly feels. She stays silent, not knowing what to say, not knowing if she should say something. Just then, Peyton opens her mouth to continue.
"You ruined everything! Even in high school, you had everything! You had my Lucas, everyone loved you, and you had everything money could buy! Everything! But you still had to take my Lucas from me! You could have picked from any of the million guys you've slept with, but you had to pick my guy!"
Brooke doesn't care if Peyton is just hurting or now, she needs to defend herself, "Hey, I think you've got the tables turned!"
Peyton just ignores this or pretends she doesn't hear her and she continues, "I love him, I always have, you know that! And now you're with him, looking way too friendly, btw. 'Oh Prince Charming' 'Yes, Princess?'" she says in a mocking tone, "I guess I should have expected it, people always leave me, always."
Brooke takes a step forward towards Peyton and begins to speak, "No, Peyton. Don't give me that crap anymore. 'People always leave?' really, Peyton?! Your mom didn't leave you, at least not by choice. If she had the choice, she would have stayed with you. Neither one of your moms would have chosen to die. Jake didn't leave you, he left to protect you, to protect Jenny. If he too had the choice, he would be here right now! Me, on the other hand, my parents left me by choice. They are still out there living their lives and until I was 18 my only contact with them was through credit cards! After that they used me for fame! Again, they are gone. By choice, Peyton, by choice!" she finishes; she wants to add that Lucas left her too, but she knows he's just around the corner.
Lucas, Haley, Nathan and even Jamie could hear the entire conversation between the two best friends from the dining room. They see their every action and hear every single word that is spoken. Lucas wants to do nothing more than to go up to Brooke and wrap his arms around her. His heart is set on doing that, but his mind is telling him that she needs this, she need to let all of it out.
Brooke takes a deep breath and straightens her top. She clears her throat and speaks again, "So don't—don't give me the excuse, Peyton. And I'm not taking Lucas away from you; I think you just did that yourself. Yeah, so we're close. You would be too if during his darkest days you were trying to be his friend, not an ex-girlfriend!"
"We all well know that you are just friends with him so that you'd get in to bed with him again!" Peyton shouts and quickly after Brooke slaps her straight in her cheek.
She doesn't know what has gotten into her, but the next thing she knows her hand is flying, hitting Peyton's cheek. She gasps, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--," but she's stopped by the strong arms wrapped around her.
That did it for Lucas. He wasn't just going to stand there; he didn't care what his mind said anymore. He just makes his way towards Brooke and the moment she started apologizing, it broke his heart. Even though Peyton had treated her badly she was still apologizing. It's Peyton who should be apologizing though, not her. But Peyton is the last person on his mind.
He quickly wraps his arms around Brooke's small frame which stops her from her apologies. He brings his hand to the back of her head and smoothes out her hair. "Hey, hey," he says ever so softly trying to get her attention. He moves his upper body slightly apart from her so that they are face to face. When they are, her head is still looking down, he brings his index finger to her chin tilting it up to face him. "Hey," he says again with the same tone, "It's okay, don't be sorry. Shh…shh…," he whispers repeatedly.
Brooke feels tugging on her pants and when she looks down to see where it's coming from, she sees Jamie on the verge of tears. Once again, she picks up Jamie and carries her on her arm. "Don't cry Aunt Brooke, don't cry," he pleads. To this her heart just melts and she holds him close to her. Then she feels Lucas' arms around her, squishing Jamie in between Brooke and Lucas. But Jamie doesn't mind, right now there's no where he'd rather be.
Nathan and Haley stand beside the wall that separates the dining room to the living room where they watch Brooke, Jamie and Lucas still in each others embrace. Not one of them notice that Peyton had already fled.
. . . . .
She couldn't stay there, she just couldn't. She doesn't know why she said what she had. She was just so mad at Lucas that she let it all out to the first person she saw, which just happened to be Brooke. If it had been a basketball that accidentally hit her she would probably have been shouting at it too. But she knows that doesn't excuse what she did. She deserves the slap Brooke had given her, she knows that. She also knows that she should apologize, but she hasn't yet. She just left, without a word.
She's not stupid, she knew from the moment Lucas put his arms on Brooke that she's what the comet symbolizes. She's the rarity and uniqueness. She's the one that comes and goes. She's the one that he lost and the one that if he ever got back would hold on to forever.
She just needs to accept that. But doing that is just so damn hard. For the past 5 years she's believed that they were meant to be. They were destined for each other. They were perfect for each other. She was the one he wanted when his dreams came true. She thinks maybe they were just meant to be friends, destined to be friends and perfect as friends. Maybe his dream is to be with Brooke and have her beside him as a friend. She can do that. But not now, not just yet. Now she has to leave.
. . . . .
Nathan, Haley and James had already left, Lucas stays behind for Brooke. His excuse is that he'd help her with the dishes. Silence fills the room, he hates it. He doesn't hate it because it's awkward, it isn't. He hates it because it gives him time to think, time to brood.
Brooke also hates the silence this time, she hates hearing her thoughts. That's why she decides to speak up, "That was some brunch, huh?"
He laughs, "Definitely, it was more…," he pauses, trying to think of the right word, "interesting than last week's."
"Yeah, last week no one had slapped anyone," Brooke says trying to hide the fact that Peyton's words hurt her. She doesn't know his it affects her so much. That's a lie, she knows. It's because Peyton's comment just proved to Brooke that her relationship with Lucas had been based on sex.
Lucas isn't fooled though; she knows Peyton's words really hurt Brooke. To what extent, he's not sure. He just walks up to her comforting words ready to fall from his mouth. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. She didn't mean anything by it," he says once in front of her.
"Yeah, she did," she says and for a moment she hesitates before continuing, "What she—what she said, it just—she basically just said that our relationship had been nothing more than just sex," she says while trying to hold her tears.
He's slightly mad at her for doubting their relationship, but he's madder at himself for making her doubt their relationship. But he's going to make her stop doubting, "I don't care what anyone says, our relationship was not ever based on sex. I love laying away beside you. I love cuddling with you. I love reading stories to you while watching you listen intently. I love holding your hands. I love being with you, laughing with you, crying. I love every part of it."
She nods to what he says and neither of them realizes that he said "love" not "loved". He takes her hand in his and brings it to his lips, kissing the tip of her knuckles. He knows that this is a friendly gesture, and he knows that she knows that too. But he can't help but wish for more. "I love you, Brooke Davis," and as he says this he knows this, too is a friendly gesture.
"I love you too, Lucas Scott," Brooke returns, but she can't help but wish he meant it in a romantic way.
"No," this is his chance to tell her how he feels. This is his chance. He can't blow it. He clears his throat and speaks the words he's been wanting to say, "I'm in love with you, Brooke Davis."
Brooke is surprised by Lucas' revelation. No, she's beyond surprised. Sure, she wished for this to happen, but now that it had, it scared the living hell out of her. She takes a step away from Lucas and stutters out words, "What—You can't—No—Why—Peyton—I have to—I need to..uh," she points towards the door.
From the moment Brooke took a step back he knew this would not be a good conversation. But as she sees her point towards the door, he's scared she'll run away. Again.
"I have to uh…go. Work. I need to go to work. Meeting. I have a meeting…in fashion. You can't go. You're a writer. It's not for writers. It's for fashion designers. I'm a fashion designer. I have to go there. Now," she says quickly trying her best to get herself out of there. And that's just what she does, she got in her car, not dressed for work, not prepared for work. The truth is, she doesn't even have work today, not even a meeting where writers aren't allowed.
He watches as Brooke runs through the door. He can't go after her, she said so herself. It's not for writers. Though he knows she doesn't have a meeting. She's just running. From him.
He blew it. He blew his chance.
This is longer than my other chapter, I know. I just wanted to end it with Brooke running out. I hope you liked it though, if so, please review. Although I don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter. I'll be leaving on vacation and staying at someone else's house and I'd feel like a pest if I was constantly on their computer. But I already know what the next chapter will be. SO if you review I would so get inspired to write it out. Until next time.