Title: The Broken Road HomeAuthor: Yesterday's Love
Subject: BL NH. Four years can change anything and sometimes, nothing at all.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with One Tree Hill. Author's Notes: Takes off four years after season four ends. This story isn't based on what happened on the season five premiere but will include several storylines that I will tweak to my liking. This story is BL but I am going to take my time setting up the back story. NH will be included as well other couples but primarily just BL & NH.
Chapter Two
"Never explain. Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."
"Brooke, what the hell are you doing here?"
Brooke turned around slowly, taking her time to get up off of the concrete and turn towards the familiar voice. She struggled within herself not to fling her arms around him and bring him into a hug but smiled slightly. "Hey," she offered shyly.
The man standing in front of her had changed a lot over the past four years. He seemed as if he had been working out more and although his facial hair was beginning to grow out, he still looked handsome.
"Hi?" He laughed at her. "It's been four God damn years and hi is all you come up with?"
The harshness in his voice takes her by surprise and it's only then that she notices that he has crutches under his arms. "What happened to you Nate?" Brooke asked, stepping closer to the boy she had always known. She reached for his left hand and when he pulled away from her she saw that he wasn't wearing his wedding band.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied bitterly.
She nodded her head and waited until he continued. "There was this misunderstanding at a bar a few months ago, there was a guy and he said something about Haley and I was drinking...Let's just say I've been sleeping on the couch ever since. Not to mention not being able to play basketball this season."
"Nate," Brooke said as she reached out and touched his shoulder, trying her best to offer him any sort of comfort that she could. "There's always next year," she said finally. The look on his face made her question just how true that statement was.
Nathan turned towards her rental car and then back to where she was standing. "What about you? What brings the fashion diva back to Tree Hill?" There was a hint of sarcasm beneath his words but she chose to ignore it.
"Life in New York is amazing; I have everything I ever dreamed of."Brooke knew she sounded like a broken record but the words came out just as they always managed to. She felt like it was a tape recording, every time inquiring minds asked her about her personal life.
"Then again, why are you here?" He asked again, taking time to stare at her as if searching for the real answer. The two had known each other practically their whole lives, thanks to their parents but it wasn't until senior year of high school that they finally understood each other.
"A vacation," she answered simply. "I just needed a little break."
He knew that she was lying, or at least that there was more to her answer but he didn't push. There were so many things that he wanted to yell at her for, about promising to be a Godmother to Jamie and simply being there for his wife but as he stared at the brunette, he couldn't help but notice the sadness in her eyes.
That perhaps, getting everything you've ever dreamed of wasn't as great as he thought. "Well I know that everyone will be happy you're home. Jamie will finally be able to put a face with a name."
Nathan didn't mean to make her feel guilty, the anger that he once felt had disappeared after only minutes of talking to the brunette. But still, Brooke's guilt weighed heavily on her heart. Her eyes darted down to the cement and then she looked up at him sadly. "Look Nathan, about that…"
"I don't need to hear it Brooke," Nathan admitted. "I'm the last one that should judge anyone about broken promises. So you were gone for four years but you're here now."
Brooke nodded her head. "I'm only here for a few days..."
As if he was reading her mind, Nathan began to speak. "I know more than anyone that if you don't like who you've become, then it's up to you to change that."
She smiled at him and reached for his hand.
"Thank you Nathan," she said as she reached up to kiss his cheek. "You always did know what to say."
He laughed as he shrugged his shoulders. "Then tell me, why is Haley ready to leave me?"
Lucas leaned against the back of his chair, reading the last paragraph he had written. Three lines that although made perfect sense, had no relevance to the story. "Its shit," he groaned, deleting the words.
There was a knock on his bedroom door and he called for whoever it was to come inside the bedroom. "Hey Linds," he said as she leaned over to place a quick kiss on his lips.
"I brought you this plant," she said as she stuck it on his nightstand and turned towards him. "I was reading this feng shui book and it said that plants will help open up the room energy."
Feng shui.
Lucas couldn't help but laugh as he looked at his girlfriend of almost a year.
"Since when do you read about feng shui?"
Lindsay laughed as she peeked over his shoulder at the screen in front of her. "Since my boss demanded that I get on your ass and get you writing. I told him that I have been trying for the past couple of weeks but that you were going through your writer's block and he told me that I should look into feng shui."
"And that's going to help me write?"
Lucas laughed at her and Lindsay pretended to have her feelings hurt. As she pulled her hair into a ponytail she stuck out her tongue at him. "Whatever, I'm just saying that the energy in this room is off. You really shouldn't have your back facing the door, it help further insecurities."
And even though he was staring at Lindsay, in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think of Brooke. After all, several years ago it had been her to try and change his room around for the very same purpose as Lindsay.
Lucas held back a nervous laugh and turned to his girlfriend. "I was thinking about Chinese, I know this great place down on North Street," Lucas said finally.
"I'm not really feeling like Chinese. How about we get sushi instead?"
Lucas shrugged his shoulders.
It wasn't as if he hated sushi, quite honestly over the years he had grown quite fond of it. But as if on queue, every week Lindsay would ask for it. At 21, Lucas Scott's life had become predictable, right down to the very food he ate. Choosing to ignore the growing knot in his stomach that indicated something was wrong, Lucas nodded his head.
"Sushi it is," he said.
Moments later Lucas and Lindsay were heading out of the house and to his car.
"So did you get any writing done today?"
As he looked at her, he wondered which person he was talking to. Was he talking to his amazing girlfriend who would offer a neck rub as he explained to her about his writers block? Or would it be his editor breathing down his neck demanding that he get to work.
"A little," he lied.
She smiled as he started the car. "That's good Luke, when am I going to be able to read it?"
"Soon," he explained. Although soon had in fact turned into four weeks without a single page of writing being done. "I just want to make sure I get it right."
Lindsay nodded her head as she chuckled quietly. "Well you have to! After your success with the first book, everyone wants to know if the couple in your story really lived happily ever after. I guess I'm the only one that is happy that they didn't."
His mind wandered to Peyton and their relationship. It started off smoothly but had fallen apart after just a year of trying to stay in a long distance relationship. He had made several trips to her apartment in LA, the same one she shared with Brooke during the beginning of freshman year. And although Peyton had come home to visit him as well, by the time the summer had come along… their relationship had ended.
At the time, he had told Brooke it had been for the best.That perhaps what he had thought during the senior year of high school simply wasn't true. At nineteen, you couldn't possibly know who your soulmate was. If he shut his eyes, he could remember Brooke's face as he said that and the moments shortly after. She had insisted that love had nothing to do with age and to look at Nathan and Haley as an example.
Lucas had struggled with what to say next, wanting nothing more than to tell Brooke that she was wrong. After all, he had thought she had been the one during high school. But as he began to speak, she cut him off with barely a whisper. "I know Luke, its okay." The way she said it, made him feel as if she really did understand.
His mind drifted back to memories of their shared kiss, that night they had shared together as they forgot the world and just allowed their hormones to get the better of them. Weeks later, Lucas would blame it on the alcohol.
Years later, he'd blame it on his heart.
"Did you even here a word I just said?" Lindsay said as Lucas pulled his car to a sudden stop. "I was telling you that I ran into Haley and James earlier. I guess Peyton is in town," she explained.
Peyton was back in town?
"Wow," he said softly. He pulled the key out of the ignition and turned to face her.
"Wow?"
"What do you want me to say Linds? That I am happy she's back? That I want her to leave?"
Lindsay reached to open the door and shook her head. "I just don't understand you. I mean, the love of your life has returned home and all you can say is wow?" He grabbed a hold of her hand and she turned to face him.
Blue eyes met hazel as he stared deeply at his girlfriend. "What makes you so sure, that she's the great love of my life?" He asked. His tone is harsh, something he wasn't proud of. "I mean, there could be someone else right?"
"Tell that to someone who hasn't read your book."
He let go of her arm and watched as she walked out of the car, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he got out of the car trying his best to forget memories of both Peyton and Brooke.
As Lucas made his way towards the sushi restaurant that Lindsay had just entered, he noticed Nathan across the street. He was leaning against the wall, laughing at something a woman was saying. Lucas thought nothing of it until he saw Nathan slip his hand on the lower back of the woman. A woman that was clearly, not Haley.
"Nate," he called out as he rushed across the street. "Nate!"
Lucas wasn't sure what he was going to say exactly.
It was no secret to him or to anyone in Tree Hill that the Scott's marriage was on the rocks but was he really stupid enough to be seen with another woman? As he stood in front of the Italian restaurant that Nathan had just entered, he peered into the window.
Nathan pulled out the seat for the brunette and she sat down, her purse sitting on the table. He sat down across from her and Lucas could see the smile on his face, angry that his brother would be stepping out on Haley.
Going against his own judgement, Lucas entered the restaurant and pushed past the waitress. He was about to yell at Nathan when he caught sight of the brunette. "Brooke?" He questioned, the name falling off of his lips in nothing more than a whisper.
Lucas was sure that no one had noticed him, Nathan was in deep conversation and he had barely uttered her name. Perhaps he could just back out of the restaurant and pretend as if he was never there. But as he looked at the beautiful brunette, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. It wasn't as if they didn't keep in contact, there were emails shared between the two and a few postcards here and there. Still, it had been three years since he had seen her.
As if Brooke could sense someone was staring at her, she turned around hesitantly. "Lucas?" She asked, her eyes trailing towards Nathan and then back at him. It wasn't as if she was avoiding him, quite the opposite. She had every intention of going to see him; she just wanted to be settled in Tree Hill first.
Lucas reached his arms out to her and she stood up carefully. "It's been too long Brooke Davis," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. Whatever shyness that Brooke had been feeling just moments ago, was replaced by the feeling of excitement over seeing him again. "I've missed you."
Brooke was about to agree with him when Nathan cut him off. "What are you doing here Luke?" He asked, as the two abruptly pulled apart. Nathan smirked at his brother before turning his attention back to Brooke.
"Funny story actually," Lucas said with a laugh. Lindsay approached the three friends and she grabbed a hold of Lucas' hand, before waving at Nathan. She looked at Brooke and her mouth fell open in shock.
"Oh my God, you're Brooke Davis! As in clothes over bro's Brooke Davis! I love your line."
Brooke smiled as she reached out her hand to greet Lindsay. "Brooke Davis, you must be- Luke's girlfriend?"
"Lindsay," Lucas responded for his girlfriend.
The two girls laughed before Nathan cut them off. "Would you like to join us? I called Haley but she didn't answer my messages." Lucas turned towards Lindsay and she nodded her head in agreement.
"That would be great."
TBC...