'So,' Peyton asked her boyfriend as she marched determinedly into their bedroom and shut the door firmly behind her, 'care to tell me what all that was about?'
Lucas looked up from the book he was pretending to read, a guilty expression on his face. 'Is she okay?' he questioned, worry evident in his voice.
Peyton nodded, lying down on the bed next to Lucas. 'I think so. I haven't seen her; we thought, given the circumstances, it was best if I didn't, but Haley says she's okay, just a bit upset. Understandably,' the blonde girl qualified, glaring at her boyfriend. 'Oh, and Haley and Rachel want to kill you,' she added, 'but I told them I might do it first.' Peyton groaned, banging her head back against the pillow. 'Are you still in love with her Luke?'
'What?' Lucas exclaimed, managing to hide the guilt in his voice. 'No, Pey, of course not!'
'Okay,' Peyton gave a small smile, the first since the evening's earlier events. 'It's just, the way you reacted, it seemed like you were jealous…'
Lucas sighed. 'No, I wasn't jealous, it's just…when she ended things, my heart broke. And hearing her talk about screwing some guy only a couple of weeks later, well, it felt like she was saying she never loved me. I dunno, I guess I'd had a bit too much to drink, and I just overreacted. I'm sorry baby.'
The girl nodded thoughtfully. 'Did Brooke ever tell you why she didn't want you talk to me? At Haley and Nathan's wedding I mean?'
Lucas frowned, trying to remember. 'No, I don't think so,' he said at last. 'I thought it was because she'd found out about what happened in the library that day, but when I told her she was surprised. I guess I never asked. Why?'
Peyton took a deep breath. 'I told her I was in love with you,' she stated simply. 'That's why she was upset, that's when she ended our friendship, and, I think, that's a large part of why she broke up with you.'
'Wow,' Lucas exhaled, trying to process this new information. 'That explains a lot. But, why did she never tell me that?'
Peyton shrugged. 'I thought she would have done, it would have given her an excuse to keep you away from me, and the two of you could have been happy. But I guess she was scared of getting her heart broken by us again.'
'Yeah, I guess,' Lucas nodded, massaging his head with his hands.
'And I don't think the Chavez thing was about her not caring about you,' Peyton continued quietly. 'Brooke's just like that. She needs someone to love her.'
'And then he hurt her, just like we did,' Lucas agreed sadly. 'Ugh,' he smacked his head against the wall in frustration. 'God, I'm such a dick,' he moaned.
Peyton smiled. 'Yeah, you are a bit,' she teased gently, 'but I still love you. And don't worry, Brooke will forgive you.'
'I hope you're right,' her boyfriend sighed.
'I am,' Peyton told him confidently, 'now, I'm tired, so move your ass over there and let me have some space.'
Lucas grinned and obliged, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend as she settled in next to him. But as Peyton's breathing filled the room, he was unable to shake off the memory of the hurt in Brooke's eyes.
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An hour later and Lucas still hadn't managed to fall asleep. Untangling himself from his sleeping girlfriend he slipped out into the hallway, intending to get a glass of water, but stopping when he heard Rachel's and Mouth's voices coming from the kitchen. Not wanting to deal with them yet, Lucas sighed and was about to turn back into his own room when he realised the door to the room opposite his was slightly ajar. Moving closer, he was able to make out a petite figure curled up on the bed farthest away from, and in a split second he made his decision.
'Brooke,' he whispered, tiptoeing gently towards the fragile looking girl. She was curled up on top of the covers in the foetal position, facing away from him. Pausing for a second, he allowed himself to take in the sight of her, unable to contain a smile as he realised the oversized sweater she wore over her tiny black shorts was his own. Listening carefully, the shallowness of her breaths told him that not only was she awake, but also that she was crying, and his heart went out to her.
Impulsively, he covered the short distance from the door to her bed and climbed up beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist. 'I'm so sorry pretty girl,' he murmured into her hair.
She turned to face him, eyes bright with tears, and for a moment Lucas tensed, expecting her to hit him, shout at him. But instead her voice, though shaky, was soft. 'Did you really think I loved you that little?' she asked, uncertainty clear in her voice.
Sighing, Lucas laced his fingers with hers. 'I don't know,' he told her honestly, repeating the explanation he had given to Peyton earlier. 'I just – I don't understand Brooke. If you loved me, how could you go and sleep with someone else so soon after we split up?'
Brooke shook her head, a hint of anger returning to her green eyes. 'Well I guess that says it all,' she noted sadly. 'If me fucking some random stranger to try and get over you means I didn't love you enough, then what does you kissing my best friend, twice, while we were dating say about your feelings for me?' Her voice trailed off, and tears began to fall rapidly.
'I'm sorry Brooke,' Lucas murmured helplessly, uncertain what to do, what to say, to comfort the weeping girl. Hesitantly, he started to raise himself up from the bed, but as he did so his eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of the brunette, and he was unable to stop the words escaping from his lips. 'I really do love you,' he whispered.
For a second, her eyes held his, and once again Lucas tensed himself for the explosion. But again, it never came. Instead, a loud sob escaped Brooke's throat and she flung herself into his arms, crying harder than ever.
His heart breaking, Lucas held her tight, letting her cry, kissing her forehead repeatedly, and murmuring apologies, until, finally, she relaxed in his arms and he knew she had cried herself to sleep. He knew he should leave, go back to Peyton, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to do so. Just a few more minutes, he told himself, and closed his eyes.
'Oh my God, Mouth, you have to see this!' Rachel squealed excitedly as she ran back into the kitchen, brandishing her cell phone at him.
Laughing at her enthusiasm, Mouth took the phone from her and squinted at the screen. 'Uh, Rach, I'm sure this is all very exciting, but what is it?' he asked finally, unable to make out the dark images in front of him.
Rachel sighed exasperatedly and grabbed the phone back, examining the image for herself. 'Damn cell phones with no flash,' she muttered furiously, before stuffing the offending item back in her jeans pocket. 'Okay,' she continued, turning back to her friend, 'so, on my way back from the bathroom I thought I'd stop to check on Brooke, so I poked my head into our room. And what do I see?'
'I dunno,' Mouth shrugged in confusion, wishing Rachel would get to the point.
'Ugh, you're no fun Mouth,' the redhead complained. 'Oh well, I guess I'll tell you anyway. Brooke, asleep, in the arms of none another than Lucas Scott!' Mouth looked stunned, as Rachel continued to babble. 'Actually, they looked really cute, all tangled up together, her head on his chest, his arms around her…damn, how annoying that photo didn't come out, I would have paid to see the look on Peyton's face if she saw that!'
Mouth rolled his eyes at his friend. 'Rach, you can't tell Peyton,' he pointed out, 'things between those three are screwed up enough as it is.'
Rachel smirked. 'And?' she questioned. 'It would be fun! But no, you're right, I wouldn't do that to Brooke, I'm not that much of a heartless bitch.'
Mouth laughed. 'Don't let Haley hear you say that,' he joked, 'you'd ruin her expectations of you!' He paused for a moment, and then decided to ask his friend the question he had been pondering for a while now, ever since Brooke and Chase broke up. 'Do you think she's still in love with him?'
'Yep,' Rachel stated simply, her expression finally serious. 'But I can't tell about him, which one he loves. Can you?'
Mouth shook his head. 'Nope,' he admitted sadly, 'but I really hope he doesn't break her heart again, I'm not sure she could take it. Ugh, why are relationships so complicated?'
Rachel grinned. 'That, Mouth, is why you should do what I do, just move from one guy, well in your case girl, to the next. No broken hearts that way. But seriously though Mouth,' she continued, 'someone needs to find out what's going on in Lucas's head. I don't like to admit to having feelings, but if he hurts that girl again I'll kill him.'
And with that she turned and bounded off towards the spare bed in Mouth's room, leaving him to trail after her, worry evident in his eyes as he contemplated the situation.
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Brooke yawned, and snuggled back down into her pillow, feeling safe and protected, until it slowly dawned on her that her pillow was actually rising and falling in a rhythmic motion. Lifting her head up slightly, she looked down and almost drowned in the beautiful blue eyes that were staring up at her.
'Hey pretty girl,' he murmured gently, letting one of his hands trace the contours of her face, and for a split second she wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss his soft lips.
But then reality kicked in, and Brooke jumped out of bed as though she'd been electrocuted. 'Luke, what are you still doing here,' she hissed furiously, 'what if someone sees you?' Her eyes flew to Rachel's bed. 'Goddammit, Rachel's bed hasn't been slept in, she must have come in and seen us, crap, I've got to find her, she can't tell Peyton…what, you think this is funny?' she demanded, spinning round to face Lucas who was chuckling in amusement at her desperate pacing.
'Uh, well, yeah,' he admitted. 'We haven't done anything wrong pretty girl, why so worried? Rachel won't tell Peyton, and if she does, I'll tell her that I came in here last night to apologise to you and fell asleep. Cheery, that's what happened,' he explained patiently, climbing out of the bed and placing his hands reassuringly on her arms.
She nodded uncertainly. 'Right, nothing wrong,' she echoed, nodding slightly, trying to force out the voice in her head that was repeating Lucas's words of the previous night. I really do love you. Shaking her head again in an attempt to clear it, she continued: 'Okay, you'd better go, its still early, maybe Peyton won't be awake yet and then we won't have to tell her anything. And I'll go find Rachel, tell her to keep her mouth shut. Yeah,' she nodded again and tried to step back from Lucas's arms, freezing in horror when he stopped her. 'Luke-' she gasped desperately.
'Brooke,' he mocked, and leant towards her. Unable to resist, she arched towards him, craving his touch, but his lips only brushed her forehead. 'I really am sorry pretty girl,' he whispered. And then he was gone.