Breathe Me
A/N: Finally, an update! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEAH – this is for you.
I've been working on a new multi-chapter fic. It's a different kind of fic for me, because it isn't BL-centered. It's focused around most of the characters from the show, mainly Brooke, Lucas, Jake, Peyton, Nathan, Haley, and Rachel. It takes place 4 years after 4x21, and is set in New York City. It's going to be rather angsty, and have a lot of ships in it, so I hope you guys check it out when I post it. However, I'm going to wait until I finish the whole fic before I begin to post it, so sit tight.
And…here you go!
--
Chapter 2: Only Fooling Myself
He's going to fucking kill Haley.
The only thing worse than having to share a wall with Brooke Davis, is having to share a bathroom with Brooke Davis. Tackling the former first – she likes to play jazz music when she goes to bed, and the walls are unfortunately thin. He tells her to turn it off at some point, but then she can't fall asleep and he can hear her tossing and turning on the other side of the wall into ungodly hours of the night.
In terms of the latter, having a communal bathroom with the brunette, is torture in two ways. He had briefly lived with her junior year, and dated her twice, so he probably should be used to her daily routines. But clearly he's forgotten, and if an average girl spends an unnatural time in the bathroom, than Brooke is way above average.
"Brooke! You've been in there for over an hour!" His fist slams against the bathroom door angrily.
"Calm down Lucas." Brooke's voice floats out from under the door. "I'll be out in a minute."
"You said that half an hour ago! Open the fucking door, or I'm coming in!"
Brooke just laughs. "Have fun walking in on me naked."
"I've seen you naked a hundred times before, Brooke," he says through gritted teeth, turning the knob. "I think I can handle it." He pushes open the door and steps into the bathroom.
Well, she's not naked. Not quite. However, now Lucas remembers the second reason he hates sharing a bathroom with Brooke Davis. She's sitting on the rim of the tub, painting her toenails. Her hair is dripping wet from the shower, and she's clad only in a fluffy white towel, which is wrapped low on her chest, and extends no farther than her upper thigh.
Ever since they broke up, Lucas has tried innumerable times to try and conceal his extreme physical attraction to the dimpled brunette. Currently, Brooke is about as covered up as she was in the December 2009 issue of the Victoria's Secret catalog. They had done an article on the up and coming designer, and she had agreed to pose for them as well. Lucas realizes that knowing this makes him sound like a complete pervert, but it wasn't like he had sought out the magazine. He had spotted it at a newsstand on his way to class one day, and Brooke was an old friend – so clearly, he had to buy it. Or at least, that was how he tried to reason it at the time.
Brooke looks up from her nail painting. "Jeez, Luke, I was about to come out."
He has prepared to fume, but all prior plans fly out the window when he sees Brooke in her current state of dress. He just stands there like a dumbass, very clearly staring at her cleavage.
"Just hurry up," he mumbles, feeling his body start to react. Then, as quickly as possible, he turns on his heel, and leaves.
--
He eventually gets sick of waiting, and abandons his attempts to shave, and brush his teeth, and shower. Downstairs, Haley is making pancakes. Jamie and Jenny are in front of the television watching Spongebob, and Peyton sits at the counter, flipping through a copy of B. Davis magazine.
"Well good morning sunshine!" says Haley in a singsong voice.
"Shut up," Lucas grumbles, sitting down in the stool next to Peyton.
"Well, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed," teases Peyton. She then turns to Haley. "Or maybe he just didn't get a lot of sleep last night, if you know what I mean."
"Peyton. Even Jamie knows what you mean," says Haley through a laugh.
"Both of you shut up. Just because Brooke and I are the only two single ones here, it does not mean that we are getting it on every night."
"Aha! He said not every night." Peyton turns to Lucas with mock seriousness. "So just every other?"
Lucas groans. "I hate both of you. Can we just drop this?"
"Drop what?" Brooke has appeared on his other side, towel drying her hair. She's dressed in cut-offs and a loose t-shirt. She's only been here for three days, but already her skin is looking sun-kissed and freckled.
"Nothing," Lucas mutters as she slides into the stool on his left. "Where are Nathan and Jake?" he asks Haley.
"Out for a run."
"They were going to wake you up but I told them they might walk in on – Ouch!" Before Peyton can finish her sentence, Lucas elbows her in the side and shoots her a dirty look.
Brooke clearly hasn't noticed anything, or is at least pretending she hasn't, and is currently badgering Haley to put chocolate chips in her pancakes. Lucas mumbles something about getting some fresh air, and stands, moving to the back door.
He steps out into the warm sunshine. It's barely 10 a.m., but the sun is already high in the sky. It's low tide, and the waves aren't very large today – they simply crash along the beach with little fervor.
It's literally about 20 steps to the water's edge, and Lucas sits down on the hot sand, running a hand through his buzzed hair. He just stays there for a while, watching the waves roll in and out, mesmerized by the way the sun glimmers off of the deep blue of the ocean.
"Hey." He looks to the left of him. Brooke is sitting down next to him, tucking her legs underneath her body, Indian-style. "You okay?"
"Yeah…fine." he smiles. "I just came out here to think."
She kinks an eyebrow. "Sometimes I think you brood too much, writer boy. You have to have fun some of the time."
"I have fun," he counters defensively. "And come on – I think with my current relationship situation, I deserve to brood a little."
Brooke stares at him for a beat, before turning her attention to the water and digging her toes into the sand. "Yeah, I heard about that…I'm sorry."
Lucas shrugs. "I mean, it sucks, but I can't really blame her."
"How do you figure?"
"I guess I didn't really show her that I was looking for a committed relationship."
There's a short silence. "Well, were you?"
Lucas sighs. "Yeah, I think. But every time the idea of asking her to move in with me, or proposing, came up, I froze. It's like – I loved the idea of it…just not with her."
"What's wrong with her?"
"Nothing! That's the thing!" says Lucas in a frustrated tone. "Lindsey's great. She's smart, and beautiful, and talented, and funny. It just – didn't feel right. You know?"
Brooke nods, and then looks down. "Do you think that when you meet the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, that you know?"
Lucas doesn't respond. She looks up, and he meets her eyes with his own. He swallows, and then breaks the gaze.
"I sure hope so."
--
"I can't believe they don't sell Nutella here."
Brooke, Haley, and Peyton, are wandering through the aisles of the only grocery store in town, stocking up on food. Currently they stand in the dessert aisle, and Brooke is staring expectantly at the shelves, as if a jar of Nutella will appear on command if she complains enough.
Peyton just laughs, throwing a box of Milanos into the cart. "I though you and Lucas were always fans of whipped cream?"
Haley practically doubles over in hysterics, and Brooke punches Peyton in the arm.
"P. Sawyer, that is not funny! You don't get to tease me?"
"Brooke, you tease me all the time."
"That's different," says the brunette through a groan. "I tease you about things that are legitimately plausible – like that your anorexic, or an actual descendent of Goldilocks. I do not tease you about stupid high school relationships."
Haley and Peyton share a look.
"What?" asks Brooke, annoyed.
Haley shrugs. "I don't know – I've just never heard you refer to you and Lucas as a 'stupid high school relationship.' A bit of an understatement, don't you think?"
Brooke sighs and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "What's your point, Haley?"
"Look, I'm sorry, Brooke. But it's just very obvious to all four of us that something is going on. Now I'm not saying that you guys are having sex, or hooking up, or anything, but I don't know – there's just this weird energy between you two."
Peyton nods. "I agree. I mean, did you see the way he was looking at you during dinner last night?"
"Oh my god, yes! When she was wearing that low cut camisole? He was like, undressing her with his eyes."
"Okay!" Brooke says in a shrill tone. "First of all, this conversation needs to stop. Peyton, you're talking about your ex-boyfriend/almost fiancé. And Haley, you're talking about your best friend. Isn't this a little awkward for both of you?"
Peyton is still laughing, but Haley controls herself enough to turn to the brunette. "Brooke, I've definitely seen a lot worse regarding you and Lucas's relationship, than discussing whether or not he's still attracted to you. Remember how I used to walk in on you two having sex like, every day?"
Peyton loses it.
--
"Do you realize that Peyton has had sex with every guy at this table?"
Lucas spits out his wine. Haley tears up from laughing so hard. Nathan chuckles, sheepishly scratching his head. And Jake looks appalled.
"Brooke!" yells the blonde from across the table. "What the hell?"
Brooke looks up. Her comment hadn't really come from anywhere, and she realizes that she really needs to learn to censor what comes out of her mouth. "Sorry!" she says through a laugh. "But that's where my train of thought was coming from!"
Lucas grins. "Her sex life?"
"Must we have this conversation at the dinner table?" Peyton asks, clearly flustered.
"Well, the kids are in bed, so I don't see why not" says Brooke, taking a sip of wine. The six adults are seated around the table on the back porch. The sun has set by now, so they've lit a few candles, which sets a soft glow upon all of their faces.
From next to her, Jake places a hand on Peyton's knee and squeezes it. "It's okay…I still love you, babe."
"Oh jeez, thanks," mutters the blonde, rolling her eyes. "So on the skank scale at this table, I'm number 1?"
"For once it's not me!" squeals Brooke, and Lucas laughs from next to her. "Although, I guess, by those standards, I'd be the second sluttiest. I've proudly made my way around the Scott family," she says, winking at Nathan.
Haley glares at Brooke from her husbands lap, and then addresses the group, raising her hand proudly. "On those terms, I am the prude of the group. Besides, I think only being with one person makes it more romantic," she finishes, turning to Nathan and placing a kiss square on his lips.
The rest of the table "aww's," and Nathan blushes slightly.
"I don't really think this method of ranking is fair," says Peyton, shaking her head. "It's supposed to be about quality, not quantity. As in, who's had sex in the kinkiest place."
Haley groans. "Why are we still having this conversation?"
"Only someone who has something to hide would say that," responds Brooke through a smirk.
"Fine," says Haley, sitting up in Nathans lap. She looks over his shoulder as if to ask for approval, but he just shrugs, so she turns back to the table. "A speedboat in the middle of Lake Jordan."
"Tutormom!" yells Brooke, shocked. "I never knew you were so adventurous. You may beat Peyton and Jake's beach rendezvous."
Jake busts up laughing, but Peyton kicks her friend from under the table. "Davis! That was a secret."
"Not anymore, I guess," says Lucas through a laugh.
"Well, Mr. Giggles," says Peyton, turning to Lucas with a fierce look. "You've been exceptionally quiet tonight. Care to share your special time? Because I doubt our 'foot of the bed' experience really qualifies."
"Hey...wasn't this a game for the girls?"
But now Nathan, Jake, and Haley are all ganging up on him too.
"C'mon Luke, tell us."
"It can't be that bad."
"What's your kinkiest place?"
Lucas groans and shifts in his chair. Then he shoots a stare across the table at Brooke, who has not said anything for a few minutes. She's smirking slightly, twisting her napkin around in her hands. He sighs and looks up at the stars.
"The Blue Post."
"Gross," mutters Nathan. "In the bathroom?"
Lucas shakes his head. "The hallway."
"Hold on a second!" Haley holds up a hand. "You had sex in the public hallway of a crowded bar? Who is skanky enough to…" her eyes settle on the dimpled brunette. "BROOKE! You SLUT!"
The whole table erupts in laughter again, and Brooke turns red. "It wasn't my fault," she protests.
"What are you talking about? Was there anything about the outfit you were wearing that made it possible for me to not jump you?"
"On that note," says Peyton rising with a smile, and picking up her empty plate. "I think I'm off to bed."
--
Everyone is asleep by now. To be nice to Lucas for once, Brooke decides to leave off the jazz music for tonight. Instead, she decides to curl up on the couch downstairs with her book. She's been trying to get through the novel she's been reading, for over a month now, but work keeps getting in the way. Tonight is the perfect night to get a big chunk of reading done, so she changes into some sweats and pads her way into the living room.
It's comfortable down here, because she's thrown a blanket over herself, and the breeze from the ocean is still making its way through the open windows. She starts to lose track of time, and when she looks up after hearing someone descending the stairs, she's surprised to find that the clock on the T.V. says 1:03.
"Brooke?" Lucas has entered the living room, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He doesn't look like he's just woken up or anything, and Brooke assumes, judging by the notebook in his hands, that he's been writing.
"Hey. Getting some writing done?" she asks, gesturing to the notebook.
He nods and she pulls her legs underneath her body, allowing him to sit down on the couch.
"What're you reading?"
Brooke closes the paperback and places it on her lap. "It's called 'Michel's Rose.' It's this kind-of unknown French novel that just got translated into English about a year ago. I found it in the 1 bin at The Strand. I just started reading it, and got lost in it, you know? And it's such a shame that it went by unnoticed, because it's this really beautiful love story."
"What's it about?"
Brooke seems to hesitate, but then she presses forward. "In the beginning it seems like your average Romeo and Juliet story. You know…two people growing up on the opposite side of the tracks. This girl, Marie, grows up in this aristocratic family in the French countryside, and she meets this guy Michel one day on the road."
She can see Lucas wincing already, but she just laughs. "I know! It sounds really, really trashy. And I think the plot itself kind-of is. But the way the author writes…it's just so meaningful, you know? It's like – these two people that love each other so much, but how everything in their universe is trying to pull them apart."
She continues talking, getting more and more involved in her analysis. At some point, however, Lucas stops listening, and just stares at her in awe. Not because what she's saying isn't interesting – she's proved that this is an intriguing book already. But because the way she's talking about the novel, with such fire and emotion, makes him feel like it resonates with her on a personal level. The more she discusses it, the more he feels like she is discussing her own life.
At some point she pauses. And looks past him, as if not wanting to meet his eyes with her own.
"And finally, she just turns into this heartbroken teenager. Because this boy that she loves so much, just doesn't know her."
Her eyes lock with Lucas's again, and suddenly he's overcome with the feeling that he's heard this story before.