A/n: Hey you all! It's been a while I know and I'm sorry for it but college has been kicking my butt lately. I had so many things to turn in but not enough time so I've been working myself off like crazy
A quick thank you to all that reviewed last chapter and so without any further ado here's the next one.
Chapter Thirteen
Beautiful Disaster
Clothes were removed hastily from each other. They were down to just his boxers and her bra and panties. They were kissing all over trying to feel each other; their moves seem frantic almost as if the other person would disappear if they stopped. Lucas ran his hand down the length of her body making her back arch under him from that one move, while his other hand was toying with the clasp of her bra.
He turned his gaze to her face searching for any hesitation on her part but what he found was something else, something he didn't see before. The look in her eyes though determined and lustful; had this certain sadness to it.
She looked empty...broken.
And at the moment when she reached for his boxers and started to pull them down, it was like it clicked on him for the first time since his fogged induced state. He was lying on top of Brooke, half naked and close to having sex with her for the first time.
He knew things weren't supposed to go like this. She was still hurting from Julian's death and she was clearly not thinking straight at the moment. Lucas took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. He pulled away from Brooke who was struggling with his boxers and her face scrunched up in confusion.
"Luke what's wrong?" she breathlessly asked looking at him with concern.
Lucas closed his eyes feeling like the shittiest person ever for what he was about to say to her. This was his fault, he shouldn't have let his desire for her control him like it did but unfortunately he did. He had wanted her for such a long time that when she came earlier saying she needed him and kissed him the way she did, it felt like a dream come true.
He fell immediately for her.
"We can't do this Brooke." Lucas whispered with regret as he got up from the bed trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
Brooke raised herself with her arms but still remaining in the bed. "What do you mean we can't do this?" she asked, her stare turning a bit hard. She didn't understand why he stopped all of a sudden but with the way he was squinting with worry she knew she wasn't going to like his answer.
She was confused.
"We just can't Brooke." he replied as he ran a hand through his already messy blond hair. "I mean, you do see why we can't do this right?" he asked hopefully, not really wanting to explain it to her. His head was spinning so coming up with an explanation that she would be able to understand was going to be hard right now.
And now she was angry.
"No I don't." she hissed in response, getting off the bed instantly. She started searching around for her clothes just wanting to quickly get dress and go home. "One minute you're all willing to go all the way with me and the next thing I know you're stopping us so forgive me if I don't see why the hell we can't do this Lucas!" she shouted angrily.
"Brooke if we would have gone all the way it would have been a mistake." he tried reasoning with her but she wouldn't listen to him. She pulled up her jeans, put her shirt back on and went in search for the rest of her things as she tried her best to ignore his pleas.
Brooke quickly found the rest of her things and made a move to leave.
"You were gone Brooke." Lucas stated in a scared tone when she walked passed him. She instantly froze with her hand on the doorknob ready to open the door. "You were so far gone that we didn't know how to help you." he continued in that same tone. "You've been locked up in your room for a month." he told her when he saw she was about to turn the doorknob.
She turned back around slowly and waited for him to continue.
"Then all of a sudden you show up at my door saying that you need me…that you want me." Lucas continued on, his voice becoming more serious as he spoke each word. "What am I supposed to think about that?"
Her expression hardened. "You were supposed to think that I wanted you, you fucking asshole!" she raised her voice. "I needed you Lucas as my friend and you-"
"But that's just the problem Brooke." he interrupted her in a quiet yet powerful voice. "You didn't need me as just a friend. You're still hurting from Julian's death and wanted to feel something even if it meant using me."
"You don't know shit about how I'm feeling." she told him in a cold tone. "You don't want me? Fine then whatever I don't care." she said as she threw his bedroom door open. Lucas followed her knowing he couldn't let her leave at the state she was in. He had to make her see that what he did was the right thing.
"Brooke listen to me please." Lucas pleaded just wanting her to stop so he could better explain himself.
"Just leave me alone!" she yelled back at him as she made her way around his living room.
"Damn it Brooke! Just listen to me!" Lucas shouted after her, grabbing her arm and making her turn around to face him only for her to stumble into his chest. He held onto her closely breathing in deeply her sweet vanilla scent that drove him crazy.
"You weren't supposed to reject me." she mumbled softly into his chest.
"Pretty Girl…just hear me out please."
She pulled back sniffing a bit before stepping away from him. "Why should I? You don't want me so what's the point?" she said hurtfully and he felt like his heart just broke into a million pieces. He hated seeing her like this.
He cupped her face gently with both his hands leaning closer to her. "Brooke…the issue has never been if I want you or not because believe me I've wanted you for a long time." he confessed giving her a faint smile.
She stepped away from him, his hands instantly dropping from her face. "Then why did you reject me?" she whimpered, feeling so upset. Her pride was wounded and she honestly didn't know what she was feeling at the moment.
"Because what we were about to do was wrong Brooke and you know it."
"All I know is that I put myself out there and you didn't want me!" Brooke said, her temper flaring up again.
"Brooke…" he trailed off, not knowing what else to say to her. He didn't know what words to say to make her understand him. The look she was giving him was killing him. He knew she was going to be upset when he stopped them but this was beyond what he thought.
"Shows how much you supposedly love me." she sarcastically commented, crossing her arms in annoyance.
And now he was angry.
"Damn it Brooke just because I don't want to have sex with you doesn't mean I don't love you!" he growled angrily at her.
"Then tell me what the hell does it mean then?" she asked irritated. "Because not a few minutes ago we were in that room," she pointed towards his bedroom. "about to have sex and you stopped us. So tell me Lucas what does it mean?"
Lucas looked at her not sure how to answer this. It seem that no matter what he said she would say something back and they would start arguing all over again. She was stubborn and that was something he both loved and hated about her.
"I want you, you've always wanted me so what's the problem?" Brooke asked when she saw he had his brooding look on.
"The problem is that this isn't you Brooke!" Lucas finally shouted out.
"You don't even know me!" Brooke responded back fiercely even though she knew she was wrong. Lucas was one of the few people that knew her better than anyone else. They had only known each other for a few months but he knew things about her that even some of her closest friends didn't.
"Yes I do Brooke." he retorted back intensely. "You're hurting, I can tell with just looking at you. You're so damn broken at the moment that you're doing things you shouldn't."
Brooke stood there quietly contemplating his words. She knew she was broken and was still hurting over Julian's death but what she was asking of Lucas wasn't so out there right? He was her friend after all and she needed him but he didn't want her…at least that's how she reasoned things.
"I-I just needed to feel something Lucas. For the past month all I've felt was pain and this immense sadness…guilt." Brooke sadly said, momentarily looking at the ground before she looked at him. "I could have gone anywhere, I could have gone to anyone but I chose you Lucas because I knew I could trust you."
"Brooke…"
"It's okay Lucas." she stated a bit calmer. "Let's just forget about this. You're right and I'm still hurting. It was wrong of me to come looking for you."
"Can't we at least talk about this?"
"I think we've talked enough. I'm sorry; I won't be bothering you anymore."
"Brooke wait." he tried to hold her hand but she jerked away from his touch.
"Just don't okay?" Brooke said coldly holding her hands out. She walked out of his apartment leaving Lucas stunned in silence. Frustrated he ran both his hand through his hair wondering where their conversation went wrong.
"Shut up!" Haley playfully shoved Nathan making him grin. "You did not do that!"
"I swear I did!" Nathan excitedly said, showing a sparkle in his eyes that she had never seen before. "I was a senior and thought I was the king of the school…it was an honest mistake."
Haley rolled her eyes. "You talked back to the principal and were close to expulsion. I don't see how that was an honest mistake."
"Hey I already told you. I was a stupid seventeen year old that thought he ruled the school."
She shook her head smiling at him. Never in a million years did she ever thought that her and Nathan would be like this after everything that happened between them. After their last talk from a few days ago, they accidently bumped into each other and they started talking like really talking and soon a friendship between them was form. He was proving to be a different guy than from the one she met months ago so it wasn't exactly hard to be friends with him.
"So how did you get out of trouble?" she asked curiously.
"My dad." he simply responded.
"You and your dad are close?" she questioned slowly. She knew that Owen didn't have the best relationship with his dad so she wasn't sure if Nathan was in the same boat or not.
He smiled warmly. "Yeah, pretty close. He's always been there for me, supporting me in my dream to become a professional basketball player."
"I know you don't like talking about it but what exactly happened to your knee?"
Nathan got a look in his eyes, one that made Haley instantly regret asking him that. "If you don't want to-"
"It was my last year of college." Nathan interrupted her. "We were playing the semi-finals against this other team. Some guy came at me at full force when I was taking a shot catching me off guard. My knee hit the floor pretty hard. Next thing I knew I was being rushed into the hospital and I had to have immediate surgery on my knee. Doctors told me I might not be able to play again."
"Nathan…" Haley grabbed his hand that was lying on the bar. "I'm so sorry." she sincerely said, wishing she wouldn't have brought this up in the first place.
"It's okay Hales; I've made peace with it." Nathan sadly said, shrugging his shoulders.
"The doctor said might Nathan." she reminded him, squeezing his hand tightly. He gave her a tight smile before turning melancholic.
"I know but I'm just scared to try again. I've been going to therapy for my knee for the past couple of months and I feel fine but I'm scared Haley. What if I get my hopes up only for them to come crashing down?"
"Nathan…" She went over to him and hugged him, not knowing what to say.
"It's fine Haley." he assured her as he took comfort in her arms.
They remained quiet in that same position for a couple of seconds.
"Who would have thought that a few months ago I would have you in my arms like this." Nathan said trying to lighten the mood. She pulled away from him slightly.
"Yeah, who would have thought that underneath that that womanizing, egotistical jerk there was a decent guy." she teased as she went back around the bar.
"Ouch! Womanizing, egotistical jerk? Haley that kinda hurt my feelings." he said in mocked hurt, placing his hand over his heart for added effect.
"Oh I'm sorry. How can I ever make it up to you my good sir." she sarcastically asked with roll of her eyes.
"Oh I don't know," Nathan leaned in closer, his elbows on the bar. "how about a kiss or a little something more?" he wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
"Get your head out of the gutter." Haley admonished playfully as she pushed his face away from her making both of them laugh. Although Nathan was proving to be a decent guy, he still had his moments where the old Nathan would pop back. She didn't mind though because she knew he couldn't change his ways in a few days. Plus if she was being honest she kind of liked when he put that kind of attention to her, it made her feel special which was something she hadn't felt in a while.
"So Owen is coming back in a few days." Nathan randomly stated after their laughter died off.
"Yeah…I've missed him." Haley said with a fond smile.
"So umm what happens with us?" he asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.
"What do you mean?"
"Do we continue being friends or you know do we stop when he returns?" he asked hesitantly. He knew Owen wanted him to stay away from Haley and once upon a time so did she but now things were different. However, just because he and Haley were slowly becoming friends, it didn't mean that Owen would be on board with this new development. They shared a special friendship so he knew that one word from Owen and Haley would stop seeing him like that.
"Why? Scared of big buff Owen?" she teased with an amused expression.
"No!" Nathan immediately shouted out. "I'm not scared of Owen." he stated, puffing his chest out. "In case you haven't noticed Haley I'm a big guy too you know."
She rolled his eyes…he was such a guy!
"So you're a big guy huh?"
Nathan grinned. "Yup, I'm a very big, big guy…wanna see?" he said in a suggestive tone as he put his hands on his jean's waistband.
"Out of the gutter mister!" she playfully reminded him.
His lewd comments didn't affect her anymore either like they used to. She figured it was because he was becoming a close friend to her. She liked their playful moments together and honestly she was kind of starting to like him as more than a friend. She knew she was in trouble but not just the regular one but the big kind where your heart could get broken. Nathan alone had the power to easily break her heart and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.
He didn't know who was ignoring who but one thing for sure was that he hadn't talked to Brooke since what almost happened between them. It had been a few days, three to be exact and he was trying to give her the space she probably needed but if he was being honest, he was also trying to clear his head up a bit.
Things were probably never going to be the same between them. Things were bound to be awkward now and he wasn't sure how he was going to handle that. One thing for sure was that he needed to fix whatever broke between them. He knew she was too stubborn to come to him so he was going to have to be the one to do it. The only problem was how so that's why he was on his way to see Haley.
As he stepped inside the all too familiar bar Haley worked in, he heard unusual laughter coming from somewhere inside. He rounded the corner and saw her behind the bar talking to this guy who had his back to the door. He knew it wasn't Owen since he was still away and it wasn't Chase, so Lucas stood there briefly wondering who this guy was.
It just so happened that at that moment Haley lifted her head which was casually resting on her hand and saw him.
"Lucas!" Haley greeted happily, making Lucas smile widely. Their friendship was a bit unconventional. Though they only saw each other on some occasions, nothing was awkward between them when they talked. It felt like they had been good friends for years.
"Hey Hales." Lucas greeted back. At that moment Nathan turned around wanting to see who this guy was. He wasn't sure how he felt about Haley being quite friendly with some other guy that wasn't him.
"Hey I remember you." Lucas stated, narrowing his eyes at the sight of Nathan. He remembered seeing him months ago at that charity function he went with Peyton months ago. He also remembered their encounter and the way he was deliberately trying to start a fight with him. From the looks of it, the guy remembered him too because his eyes widened in shock and his demeanor quickly changed into a nervous one.
"Wait you know Nathan?" Haley asked curiously looking at the two guys. "How do you two know each other?"
Nathan pleaded with his eyes silently, begging Lucas not to say anything to Haley on how they knew each other. The guy at that party was the old Nathan, one he didn't care much to remember. That was the guy who didn't care about anything and did as he pleased whenever and wherever. And although Haley knew what kind of person he used to be, he didn't want to see her disappointed face when he told her about his encounter with her friend.
"Umm we uhh…"
"Met a couple months ago." Lucas interrupted Nathan's stuttering. "Nice guy." he added in a sarcastic tone which Haley much to Nathan's relief didn't pick up.
"Oh that's so cool." she perked up. "I-"
"Haley! Back room please!" Haley heard Chase shouting out to her.
"I'll be back." Haley announced, getting up from her seat. "In the meantime why don't you guys catch up?" she suggested cheerfully and then left.
"Listen man-"
Lucas eyes hardened. "No you listen you asshole. I don't know what you're doing here especially with a girl like Haley but you better not be playing with her." he warned him, his eyes turning a deeper shade of blue.
"No man it isn't like that." Nathan assured him looking a bit uncomfortable at the way Lucas was looking at him.
"Really? Because I've seen guys like you, heck I have to work with someone like you and I know what you're capable of."
Nathan shook his head in disagreement. "Haley is special to me."
"When we met you were a complete jackass." Lucas stated coldly.
"I know." he agreed sadly hanging his head down. "I was drunk that day, angry and irritated…look I'm a different guy now."
Lucas snorted. "I find that hard to believe."
"She's changed me." Nathan said, referring to Haley. "I want to be a better guy for her." Lucas looked at Nathan intently trying to see if he was lying to him. He needed to make sure for Haley's sake because she was his friend and he cared about her.
"Alright." Lucas finally relented when he saw sincerity in Nathan's eyes. "But one wrong move and I won't be responsible for my actions." he warned him once again.
"So umm we're cool?" Nathan asked, holding his hand out to him.
"We're cool." Lucas took his hand shaking it firmly.
"Aww how cute!" Haley faked gushed. "Already holding hands…so when's the wedding?" she jokingly asked, making both guys roll their eyes at her as they instantly dropped their hands.
"Ha, ha, ha…very funny Haley." Nathan sarcastically said as he lightly pinched Haley on her side.
"Nathan quit it!" she ordered, slapping his hands away.
Lucas stood there watching the scene in front of him unfold. It was hard to believe that this guy with Haley was the same asshole from months ago. Despite being here and seeing them together, he couldn't understand how a sweet girl like Haley could be friends with a guy like Nathan.
But then he saw it.
He saw the looks they were giving each other. How whenever Haley spoke Nathan would listen so carefully, not taking his eyes from her. He saw how he had to be close to her even if he wasn't touching her.
He saw all those things and more.
"So Lucas," Haley began to say, snapping him out of his thoughts. "what brings you here?"
"Umm I need to talk to you." he said, giving her a tight smile.
Sensing that this was just a thing between Lucas and Haley, Nathan excused himself and went over and sat in a table near the corner farthest away from them.
"So Lucas Scott…what is it that you want to talk to me about?" she asked curiously.
"It's about Brooke." he told her.
"Is she okay? Did something happen to her?" she worriedly asked thinking the worst happened to her best friend. Since the day of Julian's funeral, Brooke became a bit distant with her and pretty much closed herself off from her friends and family so she hadn't seen her in a while. She'd talked to her through her door like Lucas did but nothing else.
"No! She's okay Haley is just that she came to my apartment a few days ago."
Haley's worried face soon turned into a relieved one. "Oh my God that's great!" she exclaimed hugging him tightly. "What happened? Did she say anything? Is she okay?"
"She's okay…is just that we got in a fight and she…well I don't know how she is." Lucas said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Damn it Lucas! What did you do to her?" she questioned, her eyes hardening.
"I didn't do anything!" he quickly defended himself but Haley gave him a look. "Okay I did but…" he ran a hand through his hair. "…but damn she messed up too you know."
"What happened Lucas?" Haley asked in a calmer voice.
"Let's just say she's mad at me." Haley gave him another look. "I can't say much because I rather Brooke tell you herself."
Haley took a deep breath. "How am I supposed to help you then?"
"I just…I just need someone to talk too. Usually I would go to my uncle Keith but I know what he's going to say. And I-I need a friend."
"Oh Luke…" she hugged him tightly trying to bring him comfort. "You can tell me anything."
"She's mad at me and I-I'm scared Haley. I've never seen her so mad and so…hurt by me and it kills me knowing that I did something to upset her. I haven't seen her in days but that's because I really haven't tried and I'm worried things are never going to be the same between us."
"Lucas one of the things you have to know about Brooke is that half of the time when she's mad she doesn't mean the things she says." Haley carefully told him, wanting to relieve his worries.
"Not this time Haley." Lucas said, shaking his head in disagreement. "She had this look in her eyes and I just don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore."
"Luke…whatever you did to her, Brooke is going to forgive you."
"How do you know?" he asked.
"Brooke is a very special girl one that is completely unique in her own way. She has a heart of gold unlike anybody else I've ever seen. She's not a resentful person so if you really want to fix things between you guys then look for her and don't ignore her."
"She might not want to see me." he said dejected.
"Yeah she will…she'll forgive you." Haley smiled at him. "She's Brooke Davis after all…heart of gold and everything remember?"
"Thank you Haley, you're the best." Lucas gave her a hug which Haley happily returned.
Lucas felt better after his talk with Haley. He knew things weren't completely screwed up so he had a chance to make things better. He just hoped that Brooke would be willing to listen long enough for him to fix things.
He was just walking out of the bar when he bumped into someone. "Oh shit! I'm sorry!" he immediately apologized to the girl in front of him.
Said girl looked up wanting to give him a piece of her mind but when she realized who bumped into her she smiled widely. "It's okay." she assured him. "I don't mind actually especially if I got to bump into you." she said with a flirty smile. "Kelly Wilson." she introduced herself confidently.
"Umm…Lucas." he awkwardly responded.
"I know." Kelly grinned. "I've seen you around here before. You're friends with Haley and Owen aren't you?"
"Yeah…" Lucas shifted around uncomfortable with the looks Kelly was giving him. "Are you friends with them too?"
"I work with them so in a way I guess I kinda am." she replied smiling.
"Oh that's cool." he replied casually.
"So listen Lucas, I know this is kinda straightforward but that's just the kind of girl I am and when I see something that like I usually take it." Kelly told him as she got closer to him. "And I've seen you around a couple of times and well I really, really like you."
"Listen I'm sure you're a great girl and all but I'm not interested."
"Well that seems a bit unfair don't you think?" she said, pursing her lips. "You don't even know me that well to say that. How about I give you my number and then you decide whether you want to get to know me or not?"
She got out a piece of paper and pen from her shoulder bag and wrote her number. "Here." she handed him the paper. "Call me and we'll hang out or something okay?" Kelly turned to leave but not before giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Bye hottie." Kelly said sending him a flirty wink.
Without looking at the number Lucas pocketed the paper and spun around to leave but then stopped dead in his tracks. He groaned inwardly. Just his luck that Brooke was standing in front of him with a pissed off look that told him she had seen the whole exchanged with Kelly.
"You're an ass." she stated icily.
"Brooke…" he grabbed her arm when she tried passing him.
"Don't Lucas!" she yelled, trying to jerk her arm from him.
"It wasn't what it looked like." Lucas told her, holding on to her as she struggled to get free.
"Yeah right…was she the reason you didn't want to sleep with me?" Brooke asked him, hurt evident in her voice.
He pulled her closer to him, their faces mere inches away from each other. "I just met the girl today." Lucas said in a matter of fact tone.
"You sure move fast then don't you?" Brooke spat back bitterly giving him a look of pure hate.
"Damn it Brooke!" he shouted frustrated, releasing his grip on her. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you trying to pick a fight with me?" he asked in an exasperated tone. "I know I messed up but it wasn't all my fault you know."
"Are you freaking serious right now?" she asked in an incredulous tone. "When I needed you, you weren't there for me. You made me look so stupid…you embarrassed me when you pulled away from me. Do you even know how much hurt you caused me with that action alone?"
"I was just trying to do the right thing." he muttered.
She scoffed. "Well tell me how that's working out for you Lucas?" she questioned rhetorically. "Oh and FYI that girl you were talking to is like a walking STD so if you ever plan on fucking her make sure to wear a condom you ass." And with that she shoved him away and started walking towards Safe Haven.
"Damn!" Lucas angrily screamed as he watched Brooke making her way inside the building. He ran his hands over his face in frustration. He was beyond pissed at her; at this stupid fight…at everything. She alone had the power to make him want to pull his hair out and say a couple things that were sure to be censored if he was on TV.
He wished he could just walk away from everything, from her but he couldn't. He loved her. Despite everything that she did, despite the things she said to him, he loved her. It was simple, he couldn't explain it and honestly he didn't want to.
Fuming with anger, Brooke made her way inside to find Haley. She was so mad at the moment; jealous even. She hated fighting with Lucas but he just really got under her skin today. She hated to admit it but seeing him with Kelly really stirred something inside of her and she just snapped. She knew she was partially to blame for their fighting but it was easier to blame him for everything.
So she did.
But for now she was going to calm down because she actually hadn't seen her best friend in a while and she really missed her. They had so much to talk about and Brooke couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw her out and about.
She started looking around for Haley but she was nowhere to be found. The bar was practically empty except for this guy sitting in the corner. She went up to him. "Excuse me? Do you know where…" she began to say but stopped when she recognized who that man was. "You?" she questioned, looking at him with disdain. "What the hell are you doing here?' she asked coldly.
Nathan froze momentarily cursing quietly under his breath. It was just his luck, first Lucas and now her? Who would have thought that the people who he didn't treat so well in the past would come today of all days back to his life? He wouldn't have minded if I meant he could make amends but he was hanging out with Haley today. He wanted to keep her sheltered from his past life as much as possible even if she already knew what he was capable of.
Nathan stood up. "I uhh…I-"
"Tigger!" Haley screamed happily as she started running towards her and Nathan. Damn this definitely wasn't his day. First that Lucas guy knew Haley and now this girl too? Who was she? And why exactly was she here?
"Please don't tell her anything." Nathan quickly begged her and Brooke blinked in confusion. What was this guy talking about? Not tell who? Haley?
"I'm so happy you're here!" she exclaimed excitedly as she threw her arms around her best friend. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked worriedly after they separated from their embrace.
"Yeah I'm feeling a bit better Hales." she smiled faintly at her. "I'm out of my room so that's a start right?"
"Of course it is." she agreed, hugging her once more before releasing her again. "So how are things going?"
"They're going." Brooke simply responded with a small shrug. Haley saw the sadness in her eyes and shifted uncomfortable wondering if she should bring up what her and Lucas talked about earlier.
"Umm Lucas came earlier and told me what happened."
"He told you everything?" she asked, feeling outraged at Lucas' lack of discretion. She couldn't believe he would come see her best friend and spilled everything that happened between them.
Before Haley had a chance to reply, Nathan feeling a bit uneasily and left out (not that he minded) cleared his throat. "Umm Haley I need to go but-"
"Oh." Haley perked up at hearing Nathan's voice. From all her excitement at seeing Brooke after a long month without her, she completely forgot that Nathan was standing right next to her.
"Wait Haley, you know this guy?"
"Of course I do, this is Nathan. I don't know if you remember me telling you about him but this is him. And Nathan this is Brooke the best friend I've been telling you about." Haley formally introduced the two.
Best friends? Oh shit he was screwed.
"Nice to meet you." Nathan awkwardly said giving her the same pleading look from before.
She didn't know what it was but something about the way he was lying to her best friend was ticking her off. It might have been the leftover anger she was still feeling from her encounter with Lucas or how the guy was all of a sudden reminding her of him but she was feeling extremely bitchy at the moment.
"Oh please don't play dumb with me." Brooke hissed out angrily.
"Brooke? What's going on?" Haley asked her while Nathan stood there holding his breath out to see what the brunette was going to say.
"Do you know who this guy actually is Haley?"
"Please." Nathan begged, making Haley even more confused as to what was going on.
"This guy," she continued ignoring Nathan's pleas. "is that jackass that I told you about who tried hitting on me during that charity event."
Haley's eyes widened in shock. "Is this true Nathan?"
"Haley I-"
"Of course it's true Haley." Brooke interrupted him. She turned to her best friend. "I can't believe you're doubting me." she accused her in a semi-hurt tone. "I'm your best friend and I would never lie to you about something like this!"
"No Brooke is just that-" she tried to defend herself before she was cut off by the fiery brunette.
"You don't believe me." she finished for her. "But you know what? Whatever, I don't care so believe what you want!" she yelled and then left just like that without turning back. Haley watched her best friend's retreating form and wondered what was going on with her? She was acting strange and wasn't the Brooke she knew and loved.
"Haley I-"
"Don't Nathan." she said, holding her hand out. "Just leave me alone."
"I made a mistake Haley. If I would have known she was your best friend…"
"You would have done the same thing." she finished for him.
"No Haley I-"
"Yes you would have!" she snapped at him making him jerked back a bit. "Because a few months ago you were nothing but an asshole who had sex with different girls each day."
"I've changed Haley."
"You know what the worst part is?" she asked, ignoring his statement. "That the same night you tried sleeping with my best friend you came to me and fed me these bullshit lines. You kissed me for the first time and made me feel these things…"
"But you were mad at me? You even slapped me? I thought that day was the day you truly started hating me."
"I wanted to but that kiss…" she trailed off, not knowing if she should finished what she was going to say. Honestly the day he first kiss her made her feel things that she thought she was never going to feel.
"The kiss what?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Doesn't matter." she muttered as she slapped his hands away from her. Haley turned around deciding that she was done with this conversation. It was no use, she couldn't be friends with a guy who tried sleeping with her best friend.
"Haley!" he called after her when she started heading towards the back room. "Please Hales just let me explain." he begged as he caught up to her.
"Just leave Nathan."
"Hey what's going on here?" Chase wondered, looking at Haley and Nathan in confusion.
"Nothing man, just trying to talk to Haley." Nathan answered snippily, feeling a bit annoyed at his interruption.
Chase looked at Haley's distraught face and knew something was not right here. "Listen Nate, I think you should leave." Chase told him, still looking at Haley with concern.
Nathan knew that whatever he said right now wasn't going to be of any use. He decided to give her some time to let her think things through.
"Just remember Haley, we all have a past." he said, sincerity clear in his voice. "Some may be darker than others. Mine's just a little bit grayer but I'm trying to change and be a better person because of you." He gave her a sad smile before he left, leaving Haley contemplating his last words.
Brooke was in a rundown bar outside the area of New York. She just wanted to forget the past couple of weeks all together so she wouldn't have to feel anything anymore. All she felt these days was pain guilt…and more recently anger.
She felt bad for the way she told Haley about her dream guy but she was just so angry from her argument with Lucas and that Nathan guy reminded her so much of him that she just wanted to hurt him even if it meant causing her best friend some pain.
She knew she was going to have to apologize to Haley sooner or later but for now she was going to be drinking her problems away until she forgot her own name.
"Beer please." Brooke heard some guy order as he sat down next to her. She looked briefly at him and realized he wasn't like every other guy here. He was dressed up in a business suit and wasn't looking at her like she was a fresh piece of meat like the rest of the guys did when she first stepped foot in this place.
A few minutes of silence passed and she kept drinking from her beer bottle. The guy next to her sat still not even touching his own beer and looking like he just been through hell and back. She felt something just looking at the way he had his head down and was playing with his drink.
"You know wanna know what sucks about men?" Brooke asked the complete stranger sitting next to her. The young man shook his head nervously not knowing what to say. Usually women stayed away from him, not that he was ugly or anything like that but because of his shy demeanor and peculiar way he couldn't speak to women he didn't know.
"Umm n-no I uhh don't." he answered in a quiet nervous voice.
"They give you these mix signals that make you think they want you. And when you finally do something about it, they shoot you down completely unaware of the hurt they caused." she muttered as she took a sip of her beer.
"Well I'm s-sorry?" he said, unsure of what say to the brunette.
Brooke turned to look at him. "You don't have to apologize. You look like a sweet guy that wouldn't hurt a fly let alone a girl." she told him with a tight smile.
"T-Thanks, I'm Marvin by the way but my friends call me Mouth." he introduced himself, holding his hand out to her.
"Well Mouth my name is Brooke and it's a pleasure to meet you." Brooke said, showing him her dimpled smile as she took his hand in hers to shake. Her name sounded familiar to Mouth but for the life of him he couldn't figure out from where.
"So what brings you to this hell hole?" Brooke asked curiously, looking around the sleazy falling apart bar.
"C-Could ask you the same question." he retorted with a smile.
"I asked you first mister."
"Just trying to unload from a day's work." Mouth simply told her.
"Couldn't you have gone to a better place?" she asked scrunching her face in confusion.
"I try to not get notice so every time I go drinking I go to a different place." he told her as he finally took a sip from his untouched beer.
"Sounds…reasonable." she settled on saying. "So I guess you want to know why a girl like me is in a place like this huh?" Mouth shrugged his shoulders, it wasn't his business but if she wanted to tell him he wouldn't mind.
"I'm mad at this guy."
"Ahh, so that's where the 'you wanna know what sucks about men' question came from." he teased lightly, feeling more comfortable with Brooke as they talked.
She smiled slightly. "Thing is though I don't know if I have a reason to be mad at him."
Mouth straightened up. "Well if he's giving you some mix signals and then turned you down, maybe you should be mad at the douche."
"I'm going to be completely honest with you because I feel I can trust you. I've known he's liked me for a while…well at least I thought he did but I was with someone else."
"Oh."
"Yeah 'oh' but then things happened and I'm not with that person anymore." she said, a look of sadness passing through her face before she dismissed it. Now wasn't the time to get emotional. "And well I've been gone for a while." Brooke said referring to her month of isolation. Not one of her best moments she decided. "I'm back now though and I thought he might be able to help me through it but he rejected me." she finished in a sad tone.
"Well maybe he thought you weren't ready." he offered with a shrug.
She rolled her eyes. "Then explain to me why the next time I saw him he was with some other girl?" she asked pointedly.
Mouth racked his brain trying to find an excuse for the guy he didn't even know but he couldn't justify his actions.
"Total douche." Mouth finally said after a while as he brought up his beer to his lips.
"Totally." Brooke agreed, copying his move.
"There's something else isn't there?" Mouth guessed when he saw something more flicking over her features.
"Yeah…I messed up really bad with my best friend Haley and she probably doesn't want to see me for a while."
"I have a best friend too you know. I mess up, he messes up big time," he teased making her crack a smile. "but at the end of the day we are still best friends. You just gotta have enough courage to apologize when you know you have to." She managed a small smile.
They remained in a comfortable silence each drinking from their respective beers. Mouth couldn't believe that he was actually talking with a girl next to him. Usually he repelled women like her so it was a huge shock that he hadn't done something to make her stay away from him.
Brooke.
Why did her name keep popping in his head? Did he know her from somewhere or something? Or was the name just familiar to him?
"You're adorable." Brooke told him all of a sudden, snapping him out of his thoughts. Mouth blushed but didn't say anything. "But umm…thank you for making me feel better, even if you don't know me."
"You're welcome."
"You know what we should do Mouth?" Brooke asked him and he shook his head. "We should get drunk like really pissed off drunk until we can't remember who we are."
Mouth scratched the back of his head nervously. "I-I don't know Brooke…won't that be irresponsible of us?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself but I'm getting drunk tonight." she told him as she flagged the bartender to give her another drink. She just wanted to forget her problems even if it was just for a little while.
Nathan was pissed. At first he was just frustrated with the way things went with Haley but as he started thinking about what happened he got angry. Not at Haley of course but at her supposed best friend who just blurted out his past indiscretions without measuring the consequences.
He needed a drink and he needed one now.
Looking around the seedy bar he found himself in, he quickly sat down on the nearest empty table and waited for the waitress to make her way to him. He scanned the crowd and then he saw her. The reason why his day had turned sour. He couldn't help but to let out a low growl. She was drinking and laughing amiably with some guy like if she didn't have a care in the world and honestly that was pissing him off.
Why did she get to be happy while he was miserable?
A waitress soon came over and took his ordered and Nathan sat there watching her. He didn't know what he was going to do so for the time being he just watched as the brunette took drink after drink.
"Brooke I don't think you should keep drinking." a more sober Mouth told her as he saw her take yet another drink.
"Don't be a party pooper Mouthy." she slurred a bit, grinning at him.
"Come on, let me take you home." he proposed, getting up from the bar stool. He took out his wallet and paid whatever amount they owed before turning to look at Brooke.
"I don't wanna go." she whined. "I wanna stay."
"Brooke come on." he tried to persuade her but she wouldn't move. "What's your address? We'll take a cab and-"
"No Marvin!" she yelled causing some people to turn their attention to them. "I don't want to leave!"
"Brooke…"
"Hey you heard the lady." some guy who sat down next to Brooke's other side said. "She doesn't want to leave. If you want you can go right ahead and I'll take good care of her." the guy told him as he eyed Brooke up and down.
Brooke looked at Mouth. "Problem solve Mouthy…you go I stay." She giggled uncontrollably.
"Not solve Brooke. I'm not going to leave you with a total stranger."
"Listen dude it's great and all that you want to stay with your friend but she's a big girl now and she obviously wants to stay with me. Why don't you just leave and I promise I'll take really good care of her."
Mouth grabbed Brooke from her waist, holding her up. "Thanks but no thanks."
"I would rethink that if I were you." he said in menacing way as his eyes hardened.
Mouth set Brooke back down on the stool and took a protective stance in front of her. He didn't know where this courage came from all of the sudden but one thing he knew was that he wasn't going to let some sleaze ball take advantage of Brooke.
"Oh look it here, the little guy trying to be a tough guy." the guy mocked.
"Why don't you just leave us alone? We don't want any trouble."
"Too bad." the guy's eyes hardened. "You just got yourself into one." he snarled and without saying much, he hit Mouth on the face making him fall to the floor. Just as the guy was about to kick him, a figure grabbed him from behind and punched him hard knocking him to the floor.
Nathan had seen enough. No matter how mad he was at the brunette he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her. He wouldn't be able to look at Haley in the eyes if he ever let something happen to her best friend.
"Leave." Nathan ordered when he saw the guy starting to stand up. "If I ever see you again I will kick your ass."
The guy scurried along, scared of Nathan's threats.
"You okay?" Nathan asked Mouth who was slowly standing back up.
"Yeah thanks…I don't know what I would have done if that guy would have gotten his way with her."
"I wouldn't have let that happened." he assured him.
"Why wouldn't you?" he asked bluntly.
"I sorta know the girl." he replied looking at Brooke who was resting her head in the bar. Mouth looked at him skeptically. He was thankful for the help but he wasn't just going to trust this guy all of a sudden.
Nathan let out an exasperated noise. "Her name is Brooke isn't it?" Mouth slowly nodded. "'Well she happens to be the best friend of this girl I know." he said in a matter of fact tone as he rolled his eyes.
"What's her best friend's name?" Mouth asked, wanting to make sure he could trust the guy.
"Haley."
"Alright…listen I need to take her home so do you know where this Haley girl lives?"
"I want Lucas!" Brooke shouted from out of nowhere. Both men turned their attention to the brunette who slowly attempted to get up from her seat. "I messed up and I want my Broody." she slurred a bit, almost falling but Mouth managed to catch her.
"Lucas? Broody?" Mouth wondered, suddenly things beginning to piece together.
"I think I know who she's talking about." Nathan said distractively as he pulled out his phone. "But let me call Haley…"
"No! I want Lucas!" Brooke yelled, making Nathan look up from his phone.
"As is Lucas Scott?" Mouth asked her curiously. Nathan raised his eyebrows at the last name but didn't make a comment on it.
"Yes…that's my Broody's last name." Brooke mumbled, leaning into Mouth's shoulder.
"I don't know the guys last name but if you're talking about a tall guy, blond hair, blue eyes then yeah that's him."
"I know him." Mouth said, surprising Nathan. Things were finally making sense to him. The reason why her name seem so familiar to him was because she was the girl Lucas was so stupidly in love with. He now understood why his best friend was so in love with the brunette and why he couldn't just forget about her so easily.
"Great do you know where he lives?" Nathan asked, hoping he did because now that he thought about it, he didn't want Haley to see her best friend in this condition.
"Yeah but..."
"Come on dude, I can't take her to Haley she'll just freak out and besides your friend here wants Lucas."
"Fine." Mouth finally agreed.
Lucas was in his apartment reading a book. It was way past midnight but he wasn't tired. He knew he should have been asleep a long time ago but he couldn't. There was so many things running through his mind;
His recent fight with Brooke.
His talk with Haley.
Seeing Nathan.
His company.
All of these thoughts swirling around is head and the result being a sleepless night.
The doorbell rang and Lucas slowly got up to go get it. As he made his way, he wondered who it could be this late at night. He was sure it wasn't Brooke again seeing as she was pretty much pissed at him. He opened the door and well there she was…leaning against Nathan.
"Nathan? What the hell?" he questioned, scrunching his forehead in confusion. Why was Nathan holding what it looked like a drunk Brooke?
"I found her in a bar drinking like if there was no tomorrow." Nathan quickly explained. "She was pretty smashed when I saw her." He set her down on the couch, deciding to omit the part about the asshole who clearly wanted to take advantage of her. He had a feeling Lucas wouldn't be too happy about that part.
"How did you know where I lived?" Lucas asked curiously as he looked down at a sleeping Brooke with tender care.
"Apparently your friend Mouth was with her and when I told him who she was it clicked on him"
"Mouth?"
"You…scrawny guy, with these weird lips and bad kid looking hairdo...your friend Mouth right?" Slowly Lucas nodded his head. "Yeah well they were together. I didn't want to take her to Haley and she kept saying your name so I figure why not take her to you?"
"Thanks Nathan, I owe you one. But where's Mouth then?"
"Let's call it even with the favor you did for me earlier with Haley. And your friend was pretty much tired so I just dropped him off first."
"You know she's going to find out about it eventually. Besides if what you told me earlier was true, then you don't need to worry about your past."
"I do if people keep bringing it up." Nathan said, looking at Brooke briefly before turning his attention back to Lucas.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused.
Nathan took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how Lucas was going to react to this but he figure he needed to be honest with him. "Your friend here…I-I uhh I met her the same night we had our encounter. I was pretty much at the borderline of drunk at that moment and well I umm tried to make a pass at her."
"You were that guy?!"Lucas angrily asked as he recalled when Brooke told him what happened to her that day. He remember feeling so angry when she finally told him what happened to her and how much he wanted to beat that guy senseless for making her uncomfortable.
"Remember that was the old me. " Nathan quickly told him when he saw Lucas take a menacing step towards him. It wasn't like he was scared of Lucas but more because he didn't want to start something with him. "I was drunk really immature and I swear if I had known she was Haley's best friend…"
But he didn't get to finish his sentence because Lucas punched him square on the jaw, making him stumble back a step.
"What the fuck Lucas!" Nathan exclaimed angrily, rubbing his now sore jaw.
"Now we're really even." Lucas stated coldly as he looked at Nathan with deep satisfaction.
Nathan's eyes hardened but he let it go because he knew he deserved that and probably more.
"Fine we're even." Nathan simply said, still rubbing his probably already bruised jaw. For such a calm guy, Lucas could sure pack a punch, Nathan mused quietly.
"You're gonna take care of her." he wondered after a couple of seconds.
Lucas looked down at Brooke who was still sleeping peacefully. "Yeah…" he answered as he kept his gaze on her.
"You like her don't you?" Nathan asked, folding his arms as he looked at Lucas intently.
"How did you…?"
"You got that same stupid head over heels look I get whenever I look at Haley." Nathan said, never thinking he would admit that to anyone but there was something about Lucas that made him trust him. It was weird, he didn't understand it but he felt this weird connection towards him.
"More than like her." Lucas confessed.
"Does she know?"
"She knows."
"How come you guys aren't together? Does she not like you back?" Nathan asked, thinking it was absurd Brooke wouldn't like Lucas. The way she kept screaming for Lucas saying how much she needed him earlier was prove enough for him.
Lucas took a deep breath. "It's complicated."
"Tell me about it." Nathan agreed, thinking back to his own relationship with Haley and how he was going to fix it. Both men remained in comfortable silence thinking or in Lucas' case brooding when the brunette on the couch started to stir up a bit from her sleep.
"Hmm…where am I?" she dazedly asked to no one in particular.
"Hey Pretty Girl." Lucas said in a hush tone as he got down to her level. He softly caressed her cheek with his hand. "You doing okay?"
"Hmm…Broody?"
"Yeah it's me…how are you doing?" he asked quietly. Nathan watched the two with a fond smile.
"I'm drunk." Brooke remarked groggily, making Nathan laugh. Lucas shot him a glare.
"I'll just take that as my cue to leave. See you later Luke." Nathan said, spinning on his feet and heading towards the door.
"Nathan wait." Lucas stopped him as he stood up and headed towards him. "Thank you for bringing her and making sure she was okay."
"Don't mention it dude. Just take care of her. It looks like she's had a rough day."
"I will and thanks again…later man."
And with that Nathan turned and left. Lucas closed the door behind him and went back to the living room. He gently picked Brooke up who was sleeping again from the couch. As he was carrying her to his room, she started to stir again.
"I don't feel so well." she stated in a weak voice.
"I know baby girl but we're gonna get you to bed and I promise everything is going to be okay." he assured her as he opened his bedroom door.
"I-I think I might throw up Lucas." she whimpered.
Lucas hastily changed his destination and went instead to the bathroom just in time before she threw up all the contents in her stomach. Lucas rubbed her back and held her hair while she sat near the toilet throwing up.
"Never again." she muttered as Lucas flushed the toilet. "What was I thinking?" she wearily asked.
"It's been a rough couple of weeks." Lucas offered, not knowing what else to say.
"More like months…" she leaned against him. "Luke I sleepy." she grumbled sleepily.
"Wanna brush your teeth first? I got an extra tooth brush?" he suggested as he held on to her.
She nodded her head tiredly. Lucas got the extra tooth brush from under the sink and helped her through the whole procedure. After, he picked her up again and then carefully laid her on his bed. Brooke sighed deeply and buried her face on his pillow.
"Brooke?" Lucas gently stirred her. "Do you want to sleep on your clothes or something more comfortable?"
"Comfortable please." she mumbled into the pillow.
He went to his closet and pulled out some of his sweat pants that he knew were sure to be too big for her and one of his t-shirts. "Alright boozy, why don't we take these off so I can get you into these clothes."
"I'm not boozy," she pouted. "I'm semi-boozy." she said, giggling a bit.
"Whatever you say." Lucas replied as he managed to strip her off her clothes and then put on the clothes he had out for her. He sat down next to her and looked at her intently.
"These don't fit Lucas." she mumbled, motioning to the sweats she had on.
"I know but that's all have." he said, frowning.
"I'll just sleep in my underwear then." she decided and then started taking the sweat pants off. Lucas gulped at the sight of Brooke in just his t-shirt and lying on his bed. Memories of what almost happened between them a few days ago flashed through his mind before he quickly dismissed them.
He cleared his throat. "Umm…let's tuck you in then."
She shook her head. "I want the hoodie." she randomly stated in a childish way.
"What hoodie?" Lucas asked confused.
"The gray one you always wear silly." Brooke said, giving him a 'duh' look.
Lucas awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "That's uhh, that's kind of my favorite. I just don't let anyone borrow it."
"Good thing I'm just not anyone." she smiled a bit. "I'm your pretty girl remember?"
"That you are." Lucas agreed and then quickly went back to his closet to get her his hoodie. He gave it to her, putting it on and Brooke sighed in content.
"Tired?"
"Little bit." she responded with a yawn. "I don't like getting drunk." she whispered as she attempted to focus on him.
He smiled sadly at her. "No one does but you were hurting." He sat himself down back on the bed beside her and brushed a lock of her hair from her face.
"I-I'm s-sorry." Brooke apologized with a stutter.
"For what?" he wondered.
"For earlier…for being a bad friend, for what almost happened a few days ago." she listed off.
"I know and I'm sorry too."
"Is okay…I was being a bitch." she said sleepily.
He let out a dry laugh. "How about you get some sleep and tomorrow we'll talk when you're more sober." Lucas told her in a clear voice. Brooke nodded her head drowsily and buried her face in his pillow, taking in his scent. Lucas kissed the top of her head lovingly and whispered a 'good-night' to her.
She felt the bed shift as Lucas stood up and she sighed, turning to face him. "No don't leave." Brooke pleaded, grabbing his arm and pulling him to her. "Stay with me?" she innocently asked, giving him a look she knew he couldn't refuse.
Seconds later she felt his strong arms wrapping around her waist as she snuggled against him, resting her head on his chest. She smiled widely and wiggled herself closer to him feeling as his hold on her tightened.
"I love you Luke." Brooke mumbled against his chest. Lucas felt this strange feeling inside of him from hearing her say those words. It was the first time she ever said that to him and he honestly didn't know what to think.
"I love you too." Lucas finally said after a while, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. He let out a deep breath feeling completely content having her in his arms at the moment. This is how things were supposed to be, her in his arms safe from everything that surrounded them.
To Be Continued…
So we're pretty much that closer to the prologue and then the moment you all have been waiting for will come. I hope you all enjoyed his chapter.
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