3 Remembering the old times, staring the new.
Brooke walked into the small apartment in which Nathan lived alone. The reunion was over and the two of them made it a point to avoid Lucas, Peyton and Haley the entire time. Brooke sat down at the kitchen table while Nathan pulled two beers from the fridge handing her one. "Thank you," she smiled taking a sip from the beer as he sat down across from her. "Seriously though, I can call a hotel. It's no trouble."
"Don't even think about it," Nathan warned. "I don't mind you staying here one bit, and I could use the company," he smiled drinking his beer. "So what's going on with you? I already told you all about everything that happened with Haley and I."
Brooke sat silent for a second. She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell anyone the story of her life since Tree Hill. It was nice catching up with Nathan, but would he tell everyone once she left? She had made some really selfish choices when she left, and now probably wasn't the time to do any fessing up. "When I moved to New York I kept my fashion line going. It's actually doing really well." she explained. "I'm just working hard on that and living by myself."
"No boyfriend?" he couldn't figure out why he thought to ask that. It was a normal question right? But for some reason, he was really curious to see if she moved on from Lucas.
"No, I dated off and on for a while but nothing serious. Lucas really left an impact on me. I haven't been ready to really settle down."
Nathan smiled. It was good to hear. He liked independent Brooke. He remembered when she won class president and really started changing the way she was. Sure she was fun to party with, and he always got a laugh out of her drama. But he really liked to see that she was happy on her own. "So what do you want to do?" he smiled.
"I dunno," she answered coily. "Drinking game?" she suggested reaching across the table for the deck of cards laying out.
Peyton sat next to Haley on the picnic table while the two of them watched Lucas shooting baskets at the river court. "So what's been going on with you?" Haley asked wondering how everything was going with Lucas and Peyton.
Peyton shrugged. "Things have been good. Lucas is working hard on publishing his first book." she explained. "Karen signed over Tric to me when she had her baby."
"Wow, that must be hard running everything on your own."
"Not really," Peyton replied. "Only because I've been there since it opened. I pretty much know what I'm doing, I wish you would have brought Jameson, I'd really like to see him,"
"Maybe some weekend you and Lucas could fly out to LA and stay with me," Haley suggested. Right after she said it she regret it. She didn't want anyone knowing about Marc.
"That would be awesome," Peyton smiled. "I'd really like that."
Brooke set down the last of the bottle and threw the cards on the floor. "I win," she smiled. "We have a bet, and you lost!" she exclaimed. "Take your clothes off boy!"
Nathan reluctantly stood up and stripped off his clothes. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this,"
Brooke stood up as she watched him open the front door. Their bet was that he had to run through Tree Hill without his clothes on. Just as Nathan was about to step outside Brooke grabbed him and pulled him outside. "I'll settle for something else," she giggled pulling him close to her. They were now inches from each others face. She leaned in and kissed him softly across the lips.
Nathan didn't know what came over him. Suddenly he found himself kissing her back. He reached his arm around her and lifted her up carrying her into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him.
Lucas hugged Haley one last time as he shut the door behind him. He had dropped Peyton off and drove Haley across town to her hotel. "It was really good to see you Hales. Come around more often." he whispered to nobody but himself. He got in the car and drove away.
Just as he was about to pull in his driveway he stopped. Seeing his friends was really taking a toll on him. For some reason, he had the urge to talk to Brooke. He wanted to know what she was doing with her life. He wanted to know he she was, and if she was happy. The only problem was he had no idea where she was staying. Maybe if he went to Nathan's he would know where Brooke was at.
As he pulled into Nathan's driveway he noticed a black rental car parked out front. Maybe Brooke had decided to stay at Nathan's for a while. They did seem pretty chatty at the reunion. He walked to the front door and tapped loudly. "Nathan, it's Lucas." he yelled through the door. No answer. He knocked again.
Just as he was about to turn around and walk away the front door opened. "Hey Lucas," Nathan called after him motioning for him to come back. "Sorry, I was asleep." he pointed down as he was only wearing boxers.
"Oh sorry man," Lucas appologized. "I was just wondering if you knew where Brooke was staying. I thought it might be nice to catch up with her a little bit before she left town again."
Nathan was quiet for a second before motioning for Lucas to come in. Lucas entered the apartment and noticed the bottles laid out across the table. "Is Kate here?"
Nathan's eyes widened. Suddenly he became very nervous. He hadn't told Brooke about Kate. She was the new girl he had been seeing for a couple months. "Uh, no." he said quietly. "She's at home. Actually Brooke stopped over and we had a few drinks."
"A few? Looks like you polished off a liquor store." he laughed. "Mind if I use the bathroom?" before Nathan could say anything Lucas was already walking through the hallway and into the bathroom. As he passed by Nathan's bedroom he noticed the figure of a girl laying in his bed. Suddenly he realized, it was Brooke.