"I can't believe you're actually back!" Karen said as she pulled Brooke into another hug. The younger girl laughed as she hugged the woman back, squeezing her lovingly before pulling away.

"New York is nice for a while, but I'm a small town girl at heart," Brooke replied. She picked up her hot chocolate, despite the fact that it was plenty warm outside, and took another sip. She'd almost forgotten how good it tasted. No one in New York could make the drink the same way Karen did.

Lucas was standing in the back, listening to the women's conversation, his heart aching each time he heard Brooke's laugh. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the want to go back out there. He was half tempted to just leave Brooke here for a while, especially after how weird things had gotten on the ride over.

"This song always made me think of you," she confessed softly. This got his attention and he looked over at her, seeing a few tears slipping down her cheeks. He took one hand off the wheel, brushing them away with his thumb.

"Me too, Pretty Girl," Lucas said. He kept his right hand cupped around Brooke's cheek for a moment, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin. Then, realizing what he was doing, he quickly put his hand back onto the steering wheel and focused his attention on the road.

The brunette shifted beside him, unable to ignore the tension that just came into the car. She could practically feel the space between them become smaller, as if the vehicle was shrinking around them, pushing them closer to one another.

"So, um, are you still writing?" Brooke asked, trying to find the comfort zone they had moments before.

"I try to," Lucas replied, his voice distant. "Sometimes it's hard, though, because I have no inspiration." As least, nothing like what I had when I was with you, he didn't add. He gripped the steering wheel a bit as the deafening silence filled the car again.

He could feel that pull towards Brooke, like there was some kind of gravitational force trying to pull them together, but he was doing everything in his power to pull back. He knew that if he gave in, he'd be doing the same thing to Peyton that he had done to Brooke so many years ago. What was the saying? Oh right, he thought to himself, 'Once a cheater, always a cheater.' The thought made him sick to his stomach.

Brooke's eyes were watching the road, trying to figure out why she had said what she did. How could she confess that kind of thing to Lucas, especially when they were both with different people?

The silence continued all the way to the café, only breaking when Karen caught sight of Brooke. Then, the brunette acted as though nothing had happened. But Lucas could see that look in her eyes when she looked at him, one he had seen so many times; regret, sorrow, love and lust.

"Lucas?" Karen called from the front of the restaurant, bringing the blonde back to reality. He poked his head through the door, glancing over at the table of his two favourite women.

"Yeah, Ma?" he asked as he stepped out, trying his hardest to not look at Brooke. His heart was already shattered again, just like it had been when she left, and he wasn't sure if he could handle looking at her.

"Nathan just called. I didn't know where you ran off to, so I told him you'd call him back," she said with a smile. He gave her a small nod then walked back into the room he'd been in, pulling out his cell phone.

He scrolled through the contact list in his phone, trying to ignore the sound of Brooke's laugh coming from the other room again. He closed his eyes tightly; wishing ache he felt in his heart once again would disappear. Opening his eyes again, he flipped his phone closed and slipped it back into his pocket.

A male voice came from the other room, and Lucas knew immediately that it was Mouth. He walked out of the room, plastering on a smile at the sight of Peyton. Ignoring a hugging Brooke and Mouth, he pulled his girlfriend into a hug.

After pulling back and giving Mouth a nod, he turned to his mom. "I'm heading over to Nathan's," he explained as he glanced over to Peyton. "He needs some help with something. You guys enjoy the afternoon; I'll meet up with you at the apartment tonight." He kissed Peyton's cheek, and then offered a small wave to the rest of the group.

Brooke sat still in her seat, watching Lucas pull on his jacket and walk out the door. Her heart fluttered a bit as he glanced back. Why had he lied about Nathan's? And why was she the only one who noticed?

"So the hotel turned out to be a complete waste of time," Peyton said from beside Brooke, pulling the brunette back to reality. She turned to her old friend and smiled. "So I decided that you and Mouth can stay over at the apartment. We've got a spare room that we never get to use. It'll be perfect!"

Mouth slid his arm around Brooke's waist, smiling at Peyton. "Perfect," he echoed before turning to Karen. "Mind if I go make some hot chocolate?" he asked, watching her nod.

"Help yourself, sweetie," she said with a smile. She glanced over at the door, seeing a few customers walk in. "Excuse me," Karen said to the two girls and then got up to seat the couple standing at the door.

"I'm so excited about this, Brooke!" Peyton squealed in excitement. "It'll be just like old times! We can stay up late and have a really cheesy slumber party, complete with old movies and everything!"

As she was pulled into a hug, Brooke couldn't help but feel the sudden worry that washed over her. Spending the night in Lucas's apartment? Something told her that it wasn't a good idea in the least, but she pretended to be as excited as Peyton.

The only problem now was what Lucas would think when he heard the news.

----

She came into my life again, five years too late, as if nothing happened between us. The sound of her voice that night… It was enough to drive me crazy. I was forced to acknowledge the ache I'd been ignoring for so long. And now, knowing that she is in the same town as me is slowly killing me.

Brooke. Cheery. Pretty Girl. The one who broke my heart.

She is so much to me, and she doesn't even know it. Does she know that for the first year she was gone, I couldn't think about anything else but her? Does she know that it was a challenge to make sure I never called Peyton by the wrong name? Does she know that I'd lay awake at night, with my girlfriend beside me, searching the photographs of us together to try and make some sense of the situation?

I wanted to follow her, to take her into my arms again and tell her how much I loved her. But I couldn't. I was too afraid. But what am I to do now? Pretend that I don't care about her?

Lucas eyes reread the words on his computer screen. With an audible, annoyed exhale, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Some kind of writer you are, he thought to himself. What was this, anyways?

He closed the laptop before rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sure, he'd lied to everyone about helping Nathan out, but he needed to do something with his feelings. And he knew he couldn't tell a soul. Word would get back to Peyton… God, he could see it now; the hurt look on her face, the sight of her breaking into a million pieces just because he wanted to chase something that he didn't deserve to have.

But that didn't stop him from wanting her. Not in the least. The only thing that Lucas wanted was to be with her again. But he couldn't. Not after five years with Peyton, not after five years of trying to get her out of his system.

Lucas scraped his chair away from the desk and stood up, stretching slightly before he began to pace. He could barely collect all the thoughts in his head, and the oncoming headache wasn't going to be any fun. What was he supposed to do?

The basketball buried away in the bottom of his closet seemed to tempt him, to call his name. He walked over and pulled open the closet door, searching through a few boxes that he and Peyton never got around to unpacking when they moved in.

He grabbed hold of the orange ball, and then made his way to the door. He glanced back at the desk before walking over, taking hold of his iPod. Finally satisfied, he left the apartment, locking the door behind him.

----

Nathan heard the sound of a car approaching and he glanced over his shoulder, seeing the all-too familiar vehicle that belonged to his brother. Cradling the basketball between his elbow and his hip, he jogged over to the edge of the basketball court.

"Are you stalking me?" he asked, watching Lucas retrieve the ball from his back seat. "Did Karen not give you the message, or do you just feel like being a jackass?"

The blonde pocketed his iPod then slammed his door shut, cradling his basketball the same way Nathan was. "Shut up," he said as he passed his brother, dribbling the ball to the free throw line.

"Someone's extra broody today," Nathan joked as he walked over, mimicking the shot Lucas made with his own ball.

Lucas shot Nathan a glare before jogging over to grab his ball. He grabbed hold of his brother's and tossed it to him, a little harder than he had anticipated.

"Dude, it was a joke," Nathan said, rubbing his chest as if he'd actually been hurt.

"Sorry," Lucas said as he dribbled his ball over to Nathan's side. He shot the ball again, this time missing the basket. "I've got a lot on my mind."

Lucas jogged over again to grab the ball, this time heading over to sit on the picnic table. He set the ball down on the seat between his feet and rested his elbows on his knees, letting his head hang down. Nathan watched him for a moment before he walked over, sitting down beside him.

"Troubles with the girlfriend?" he asked, setting his ball between his feet as well.

Lucas lifted his head and stared off into the distance. If only it were that simple, he thought. "Something like that," he said after a moment.

----

"God, Brooke, could you have anymore stuff?" Peyton asked as she lugged her friend's bags into the apartment.

"Actually, she could've," Mouth said, following the blonde with an armload of bags as well. "I convinced her she didn't need to bring everything, because we'd be going home next week."

"Hey," the brunette said, walking into the front room of the apartment. "For your information, I wanted to just bring everything this trip because it's pointless to go back. Well, for me, anyways."

Peyton and Mouth both rolled their eyes as they walked past the girl and into the spare room, literally dropping Brooke's things onto the floor.

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked as she walked back out, rubbing one of her arms.

"I mean, I could just stay here in the house that we're going to buy. I mean, yeah, Mouth has to go back to finish up work, but I can design clothes anywhere," Brooke explained as she plopped onto the couch, yawning dramatically.

Mouth sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms as Peyton sat down at the desk. "You guys are way too cute together," she said as she opened the laptop.

Lucas's work was still on the screen, the courser blinking behind the last word. He must've forgotten to close it, Peyton thought as she went to close it. Her hand paused on the keyboard as she read over the words.

"Peyton? What is it?" Brooke said, seeing her friend's face pale. She got up from the couch, pulling out of Mouth's arms and walked over behind the blonde's seat. She read over the first two sentences and knew, suddenly, that any progress she and Peyton had made was up in smoke.