Soon Enough

A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I know it's been longer than usual since I updated, but school has been hectic, and I haven't had a chance to write until tonight. So I hope you all like the chapter!

Chapter 4

Fortunate Fool

Right now, she doesn't want to be anywhere else.

Her foot is asleep, and she's exhausted and has bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep. They've been driving for what seems like hours, and she's been hungry for that long. Nathan's tape deck is broken and has been playing a god-awful song called "Holiday" on repeat since they got in the car. Still, right now, she doesn't want to be anywhere else.

It's just past 11 am, and the sun is spilling across the backseat. Her legs are stretched out – her boots knocking against the car door, and her head is rested against Lucas' chest. He's absentmindedly playing with a lock of her hair. He smells like her lotion.

He keeps finding ways to touch her this weekend – especially since last night. God, last night. She wasn't sure it was possible to feel that good, and yet, she had. Last night, the sex, wasn't just about sex. For either of them. And he's letting her know that right now, by the way his hand falls onto her hip, and by the way he's whispering sweet nothingness into her ear as she closes her eyes, and lets her body absorb the bumpiness of the car ride.

She realizes that with every turn of the car wheels, they're getting closer and closer to home. Not an inch of her wants to go back. Her initial disgust at having to spend a weekend with Rachel was immediately diminished by their arrival at the cabin. She doesn't want to go home to a place where Lucas is constantly reminded of what he lost. A Lucas that's so full of anger that he's forgot to remember to love.

Brooke Davis pulls the fluffy towel around her clean body and reaches across the sink to wipe the steam off the mirror. With a sigh of exasperation, she rakes her fingers through her wet hair, not bothering to drag a comb through it.

She enters the bedroom, unfazed by donning her clothes from yesterday (she'll just change when she gets back to the hotel anyway), and gathers her hair in a messy bun. Pulling her shirt over her head, and stepping into her fades jeans, she exits the room, making her way down the staircase.

As she approaches the kitchen, she hears voices, smiling as she discerns Nathan's playfully annoyed banter from Haley's fake reproachful tone. She enters the room to be met by a roar of laughter on Nathan's part. Her eyes move to Lucas, who's now freshly showered (most likely in Nathan and Haley's master bathroom), seated at the counter, stabbing pancakes with his fork and rolling his eyes.

Nathan's laugh turns into a giggle. "Nice job locking the bathroom door, Brooke."

It's Brooke's turn to roll her eyes now. She takes a seat at the counter next to Lucas and reaches for the coffee pot. "It's not my fault that your brother enjoys taking showers in your house, rather than his own."

"I wouldn't talk," says Lucas through a smile.

Brooke shrugs. "I'm homeless – at least in Tree Hill. I have an excuse."

"As much as I enjoy listening to this pointless conversation, I have to go pry Jamie away from Spongebob and harass him to get some fresh air," says Haley, moving towards the door."

"And I have to go shower," said Nathan following her. "And I'll remember to lock the door," he finishes, waggling his eyebrows at Brooke as he disappears out of the kitchen.

"I should probably go," says Lucas after a few minutes of sipping their coffee in silence. "I've got a deadline on Monday, and kind-of bailed on my plans to write last night."

Brooke nods. "I can give you a ride if you want. I should probably get back to the hotel anyway. I'm sure there have already been multiple crises at work since I last checked."

"And you're always saving the day," says Lucas without a hint of sarcasm as they stands from the counter.

"So, you've still got the tattoo." He doesn't exactly know what compelled him to bring it up, and is afraid that he may have crossed the line, but as he looks quickly to her in the drivers seat, a smile spreads across her face.

"Were you expecting me to get it removed?" she asks with a laugh as she signals for a right turn.

He hadn't, exactly. "No, it's just I thought you may have wanted a more "professional" look."

She laughs again. "It's not as if my everyday clientele are seeing it, or anyone for that matter." The words kind-of slip out of her mouth before she can stop them, and it takes her a moment to realize that she's just implied that she's not sleeping with anyone, or hasn't been for awhile.

He hasn't made the connection, she realizes, as she gives him a quick look. Because she doesn't know how shocked he will be when he finds out that she hasn't had sex in almost two years. She doesn't know whether he would find that fact admiring, or normal, or just plain weird. That, since him, she's slept with two guys. Nick, and Chase.

That's it.

"Besides," she said, quickly continuing her train of thought. "You didn't get yours removed."

He smirks. "You were looking?"

"It's not like it's exactly easy to miss," responds Brooke.

Lucas laughs. "Yeah, well, there was a period where Peyton was really set on having me take it off."

Brooke raises her eyebrows, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. She said it wasn't exactly fitting for my body."

"I think that's code for 'I would like you to remove all reminders of your ex-girlfriend from your life, please.'"

They both laugh.

Brooke knows that Peyton has never been blind to the fact that Brooke and Lucas have intentionally matching tattoos. Afterall, Peyton had accompanied Brooke to the tattoo parlor the day she decided to 'permanently scar yourself forever,' in Peyton's words. And when the same ink marking had showed up on Lucas' shoulder, you didn't have to be dumb to put two and two together.

She's been waiting for nearly twenty minutes on his front steps when he finally turns the corner and comes walking up the sidewalk. She stands from where she is, and doesn't go out to greet him – she lets him walk up to her.

"Where have you been?"

Lucas looks confused. "I was at Nathan and Haley's."

"What about breakfast?" Peyton points to her watch.

He claps a hand to his forehead. "I totally forgot! I'm sorry." He seems sincere, and she unclenches, letting herself smile slightly. "It's okay. So do you want to go now?"

He looks kind-of uncomfortable, and she sighs, before answering her own question. "But now you have to work. Right."

"It's just – I have this deadline on Monday, and…"

"Lucas, it's fine." Peyton holds up a hand. "I'll call you later, okay?"

He nods, his face overpowered with guilt. It's starting to feel like their back in a relationship. As she walks away, clearly annoyed, he shakes his head, walking slowly up his front steps. He shouldn't feel this way. He shouldn't have to feel guilty about not being around to entertain her.

He's wondering if maybe the guilt isn't coming from not spending the morning with Peyton, but instead from spending it with Brooke. Was that it? Does he really, in a way, feel like he's cheating on his ex-girlfriend?

He shakes his head. No, that would be crazy.

The hotel room phone is ringing as she throws her purse onto the bed. Muttering a curse, she looks to her iphone, realizing that her battery is dead. Someone could have been trying to reach her for hours.

"Hello?"

"Brooke?" Her mother's voice cuts through the line like steel, and Brooke lets out a little groan as she sinks onto the bed. "Where have you been? I've been calling you every five minutes since for the past two hours."

"Well you've got me now. What's wrong."

"You need to get back to the city, now."

"I thought you said you could handle things, mom." Brooke sits up a little straighter on her bed – slightly more alert.

"Of course I can handle things. It's you I'm worried about."

For a split second, Brooke wonders if her mother is actually concerned for her well being. But the outrageous thought disperses as Lydia continues talking.

"This little trip of yours is completely unproductive and is distracting you from your work."

"Mom, the point of a vacation is to relax. I can't relax if I'm dealing with work all the time. Besides…" She realizes at this point her mom isn't just letting her off that easy. She needs a better excuse. "I'm looking into real estate down here." The lie pops into her head and rolls off her tongue easily.

"To live?" Her mothers voice is incredulous

"No, for marketing. I'm interested in opening a boutique down here."

And Lydia buys it. And to Brooke's surprise, her mom actually likes the idea. But as her mother begins to drone on and on about how this will expand their target audience and also spread their recognition, Brooke tones her words out. She begins to think about the lie she's just created.

How maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Please review!

Emma