Near to You
{'cause near to you, I am healing, but it's taking so long}
Chapter Eight: but everything looks perfect from so far away
Peyton walked into the kitchen of her home hesitantly, wrapping Nathan's sweater tightly around her body – it was warmer that way than if she were to actually zipper it up. She padded over to where Brooke stood by the counter, bare feet poking out of her pyjama bottoms as she walked quietly. "Hi," she finally said, glancing at her friend warily.
"Well, hello there," Brooke said, eyebrows perched high on her forehead as she turned to face her friend. "Where's Nathan?"
She rested both of her palms flat against the countertop of the island in the middle of the room, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet nervously. "Um…showering."
It was painfully evident how incredibly hard Brooke was working not to smirk. "Oh, a cold shower?" she asked innocently, tilting her head.
"Oh, God…" Peyton murmured, burying her face in her hands momentarily. She peeked out between her fingers, realizing what a mess her hair must be. "Is this totally crazy?"
"It's crazy that you didn't tell me!" Brooke cried, throwing her hands into the air. "I mean, you call me sounding all typical broody Peyton, being all cryptic about what's going on in your life, so I think…she could probably use some company, such as her wonderful, beautiful, successful best friend. But then I show up here and you are in bed with your ex-boyfriend, who, by the way, is also the ex-husband of your second-best friend, the father of said friend's child, and the brother of your other ex-boyfriend."
"When you say it like that it does sound crazy…" she muttered.
"P. Sawyer, when did this start?"
"A few weeks ago," she replied sheepishly. "I guess it's been…a little over a month now."
"I didn't even know he was here…"
"Neither did I," she said quickly. "I had no idea, before he showed up."
"And then you thought…hey, let's start having sex again, just because?!" Brooke was getting impatient for an explanation.
"No! No. We're…we're trying to do things right this time, B. We're dating. We're being reasonable and logical about this."
"You and Nate? Reasonable and logical? Peyton, your relationship was a string of one-night stands strung together by the fact that you're gorgeous and he saved you from being alone, torn apart by the fact that neither of you were ever honest with each other and neither of you could really bring yourselves to care."
Peyton bit down on her lower lip. "Like I said. This time, it's different."
"Are you sure?" Brooke asked hesitantly.
"Excuse me?"
"I…P. Sawyer, don't take this the wrong way…" She circled the island and touched her friend's elbow, "But are you sure you're not lonely again? I mean, you haven't been in a relationship since Lucas, and then this blast from the past shows up, looking all hot, and you…" She frowned worriedly, gently shaking Peyton's arm. "Please say something."
Peyton shook her head. Brooke didn't know about Ethan, about how many opportunities she'd had for a relationship. She didn't know that while she'd been lonely, she hadn't been unhappy, not with the attention of roughly one hundred kids on her everyday. "It's different," she said again, meeting Brooke's eyes, begging her to understand.
"Yeah, Brooke," Nathan agreed as he walked in, his hair dripping wet and a teasing grin in place, "it's different." He winked quickly at Peyton to assure her that he meant it, even as he mocked her gently.
Brooke's lips curved upward from her frown, blossoming into a smile. "Hey, superstar," she said warmly. "I see you're scoring," she added pointedly, nudging Peyton's hip with her own. Peyton rolled her eyes as Brooke bounded over to hug Nathan. "I missed ya, Nate!"
He returned her smile. "Back at you, B. Davis."
"We all thought you were MIA."
Shrugging, he told her: "Haley and Jamie know where I am."
Peyton grinned. "When Brooke says 'we', she just means herself."
Brooke shrugged as well, making a face to indicate that that was true.
Nathan chucked. "Hey, look, I'd love to make you girls breakfast –" At Peyton's raised eyebrow, he amended: "I mean, I'd love to watch Peyt make us breakfast, but I've got to get to practice."
"Look at you, Coach!" Brooke exclaimed, genuinely impressed. "Well, can you hang on a couple seconds? Peyton'll put on some clothes and we'll walk you over! Move it," she said firmly, turning back to her friend.
Peyton rolled her eyes once more, casting Brooke a warning look and receiving nothing but a completely fake innocent face in return. She gave Nathan's bicep a reassuring squeeze as she slipped out of the room.
"So, Nate…" she heard Brooke drawl.
{x}
"Oh my God, can I steal her shoes?" Brooke was practically salivating as the three of them walked through campus, following the carefully landscaped pathways. "Those are the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen. Damn, what do the parents of these kids do to make enough money for those shoes?" She tugged on Peyton's sleeve, demanding an answer.
The blonde just laughed, well aware that Nathan, walking on the other side of her, was chuckling as well. "Brooke, I'm sure you can afford those shoes."
"Yeah, now I can. But in high school, even I could not afford shoes like that."
She continued to laugh, wrapping an arm around her friend's waist. "You gotta let it go, B.," she told her.
"But it's not fair," Brooke pouted.
"As much as I'm loving this conversation…" Nathan interjected sarcastically as they came to a stop in front of the gymnasium, "This is where I leave you."
"See ya, hotshot."
"Later, Brooke. Bye, babe," he told Peyton more quietly.
"Bye," she replied, winking at him as she steered Brooke down another pathway. "So, um, you wanna go back to my place or…"
"Oh, no." Brooke wiggled about of her grasp, choosing instead to link her arm through Peyton's. "Walk and talk with me, P. Sawyer."
She groaned, but followed Brooke willingly.
"You and Nate," Brooke mused as they fell into step with one another. "I cannot believe that."
"You really think it's that crazy?"
"Aw, Peyton, I'm not trying to burst your little bubble of happiness. You two look all blissful and sweet and very, very different than you did in high school but…yeah, it is crazy. You're so far removed from the rest of us, here in this tiny little town with each other."
"I think that's what's made it so good, Brooke. It's just been the two of us, no distractions. I feel like I know him better now, after these few weeks, than I've ever really known him at all."
Brooke gently bumped her hip against Peyton's. "Alright, girlie. I'll try to believe you. Tell it to me. Nathan and Peyton, take two."
"Well, I was here…and then he was here…I don't know; one minute, I'm helping him unpack his stuff, the next he's rescuing me from these stupid kids who cornered me in the hallway, and then he's buying me dinner and taking me bowling and promising that he's going to be good enough for me this time, and then we're fighting and screaming and then…finally letting go and making up and…here we are."
The brunette stopped walking. "Okay, whoa. I'm going to need you to go all of that slower, starting with the stupid kids that cornered you." She frowned in concern before smirking slightly, dimples in place, "And then you're going to have to tell me about all that fighting…and making up."
Peyton sighed, glancing around hopefully for a distraction, and found one when she saw that Ethan was walking toward them. She smiled and he waved.
"Oh…" Brooke said contemplatively, brown eyes gleaming. "Now who is that?"
"Ethan Cooper," she informed her friend. "We've been friends for a while. He's trained as a doctor; he teaches biology and premed courses."
Brooke nodded, saying approvingly, "Hot Doctor Cooper. Nice."
"Stop," Peyton laughed, poking her in the ribs. "Hey, E."
"Peyton," he greeted her with that gorgeous smile of his.
"This is Brooke," she introduced her friend. "Brooke, this is Ethan."
"Hey," Brooke said sweetly, extending her hand.
"Hi," Ethan replied. "Brooke Davis. With the clothes, right?"
Her whole face lit up as she turned to Peyton: "He knows who I am!"
Peyton laughed lightly. "'Cause I talk about you all the time, B. Davis."
"Whatever." She focused her attention on Ethan, smiling her coyest smile. "I hear you're a doctor, Ethan."
"Yeah," he nodded, a little taken aback but mostly amused. "I am."
"Do doctors have plans for Friday nights?"
"Not this one, I'm afraid."
Brooke lifted her chin, triumphant. "Well, you do now." She glanced over at her friend. "Peyton'll call you with the details. We'll see you at seven."
A little shell-shocked but definitely interested, Ethan replied, "I guess you will." He threw Peyton a quick smile that she returned before he turned to go.
"Bye, Doctor Cooper," Brooke said softly, wiggling her fingers in a wave as he left, her tone unmistakably flirtatious. She watched him go, wearing a pleased smile, and then turned to give Peyton an incredulous look. "You have been all buddy-buddy with that for two years, and you pick Nathan?"
She burst out laughing, shrugging helplessly. "Yep."
"Well, your courtesy hold on the hot doctor has most definitely expired." She grabbed Peyton's hand and tugged her back toward her house. "C'mon, you've got to help me pick something to wear tonight."
Peyton had to run a couple steps to catch up with her, pulling her friend into a hug as they walked. Brooke returned it happily, their cheeks pressing together.
"I've missed you, B. Davis. I'm glad you're here."
"I'm glad, too." Brooke pulled back a bit to look her in the eye, her arms still linked around Peyton's waist. She smiled sincerely. "And not just because of Hot Doctor Cooper."
{x}
"Do you want to borrow something?" Brooke asked, leaning toward the mirror in Nathan's bedroom. Nathan was downstairs having one of his weekly chats with Jamie, and Ethan was due to arrive in under ten minutes so that they could all head out.
"Nah, I've got stuff," Peyton said easily. She was sitting on Nathan's bed, legs stretched out in front of her. The layout of his house was so similar to hers that she felt equally at home there, if not more, considering his house came with…well, him.
Brooke turned around, tucking her hair behind her ears. "P. Sawyer, we can not go out this way, with me looking hot and you looking…like that." She stuck her tongue out teasingly.
Peyton gave her a playfully insulted look, though Brooke was partially right. She was wearing one of Nathan's sweaters over a pair of black jeans, her hair thrown into a messy ponytail. "I'll make myself pretty, I promise." She appraised Brooke's appearance approvingly. "I don't know if I'm going to look that good, though. That dress is amazing. One of yours?"
"Clothes over Bro's original," Brooke said with a nod. "Why wear someone else when I do it better?" she questioned rhetorically, winking as she grabbed her mascara and turned back toward the mirror.
"There's the girl I know and love," Peyton laughed. Reluctantly, she stood from her comfortable position on the bed and walked over the closet, pulling out a dress.
"Oh my God," Brooke said, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "You have clothes here?"
Peyton skirted by her, heading into the en suite bathroom, "So?"
"So, that is so couple-y!" She shook her head as Peyton slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She wasn't shy to change in front of Brooke, but she wanted to avoid any eye contact during all this questioning. "I've never seen you and Nathan like this."
"Like I said!" Peyton called through the door. "It's different. It's good."
"You're happy, aren't you?" Brooke asked her softly, as though she was just realizing it.
"You know…I really am."
"Well, I'm happy for you, P. And I'm glad you're cheerful – it's kind of a good mood to be in when you're coaching cheerleading. Which, by the way, is crazy!"
Peyton laughed. "Yeah, I agree with that much being crazy. It's been fun, though."
"Does it feel like déjà vu? With both you and Nathan hanging out on the court so much?"
"Kind of," she admitted. "I mean…I know our history isn't exactly great, but…I like that it's there. We had our good moments, our good memories…and I like that those act as build-up to what we have now." She pulled the elastic out of her hair and shook out her curls, examining her reflection in the mirror. "He told me once, back in high school, that he guessed he'd always have feelings for me. And I can really sense those things now, everything between us that never totally went away." Satisfied with her appearance, she gathered up her discarded clothes and stepped out of the bathroom.
Brooke was standing in front of Nathan's dresser, looking at the picture of the couple from way back when. "Things like this, huh?" She smiled to herself. "I cannot believe he kept that." She turned around to speak directly to Peyton, but whatever she had to say died on her lips as her jaw dropped. "Damn, Peyton," she said emphatically, her eyes raking down her friends body; she was clearly impressed.
The blonde blushed. "You think?" Her dress was a deep green, simple and short with a scoop neck. What was making Brooke speechless, however, was the way it clung to her body, and the fact that it scooped down in the back as well – way, way down.
"Oh, yeah," Brooke gushed, grabbing her arm so that they could stand side-by-side in front of the mirror. "You are most definitely hot enough to be seen with me now! You actually look like you have boobs."
"Brooke!"
"And you can totally tell that you have an ass –"
"Brooke!"
"Okay, okay," the brunette laughed, cheeky grin in place. "Let's move, P. Sawyer." She stepped back to admire her friend one more time. "Maybe Nathan Scott really has been good for you," she remarked, wiggling her eyebrows. Peyton rolled her eyes as she let Brooke grab her hand and drag her out of the room and down the stairs.
Nathan and Ethan were standing near the door, laughing about something, which she was happy to see. She really wanted them to get along.
Brooke pulled her along, announcing, "Look at my best friend, is she not completely gorgeous?!"
Ethan's eyebrows rose and whistled. Peyton shot him a warning look and he grinned. "You look pretty gorgeous yourself, Brooke," he told her, politely and sincerely.
She looked satisfied as she walked over to him, "Thanks," she said with a playful smile, touching his arm.
Nathan took a couple steps forward, resting his hands on her hips, his fingers moving to touch her lower back just above where her dress began. He bent his head, and spoke into her hair, just by her ear, "You look so, so hot."
She smiled to herself, unable to contain it. She pulled back from him, placing her hands lightly on his forearms as his arms remained wrapped around her. "You look pretty hot, too," she told him gently, leaning up to kiss him. She laughed when he didn't release her. "You wanna let me go so the four of us can get out of here?"
"Not really," he admitted, arching an eyebrow. Reluctantly, he pulled his hands back and turned to talk to Ethan about whether or not they should take cars, and if so, who's car. Brooke sidled up to Peyton as the guys talked logistics.
"You know, I think I actually do believe you. About this being 'different'," she clarified, complete with air quotes, her voice low.
"And why's that?"
Brooke smirked, kinking her eyebrows. "The old Nathan Scott would've taken you right back upstairs." She nudged Peyton's hip with her own and bounced back over to Ethan.
"Let's go," Nathan said patiently, opening the door and ushering them all out. "So hot," he breathed against her ear when she brushed by him, making her giggle. She was happy, she knew; happier than she'd been in a long time. She smiled contentedly as he wrapped an arm around her waist as they followed Ethan and Brooke down the street. She wanted to make this night count.
-x-
Brooke smiled as she took a seat on one of the tall at a small table, resting her hand on Ethan's knee. "You've got moves, Hot Doctor Cooper," she said approvingly, still a little breathless from nearly an hour of non-stop dancing.
He grinned, "You can call me Ethan, you know."
"Sure. But what fun is that?" She quirked her eyebrows mischievously and turned to look at Peyton. "How're you doing, P.? Tired?"
Peyton shrugged. She was still standing, leaning back into Nathan as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Not yet."
Nathan bent his head, pressing a kiss to his neck. "Ethan and I'll get you guys something to drink."
She smiled at him, kissing him quickly on the lips. "Anything's fine. I trust your judgment," she grinned.
"Surprise me," Brooke told Ethan, winking.
Peyton sat down on the chair next to Brooke's, resting her feet on one of the rungs. "You two seem to be hitting him off."
"He's pretty great," Brooke sighed. "What a sweetheart. I'd love to break him out of his shell a little more."
She placed both of her hands over Brooke's, making a sad face. "When do I lose you?"
"Tomorrow," Brooke said regretfully. "I've got a flight to catch. Thanksgiving preparations and stuff. You know."
"You have work?"
"Well…not exactly," the brunette admitted.
"Oh God, what do you have planned?"
"Hear me out, okay? When you called me, you sounded all sad…so I thought I'd come here and…convince you to come on a trip with me."
Peyton scowled suspiciously. "A trip where?"
"Okay, well, see, the thing is…"
"Brooke."
She sighed heavily. "I'm lonely, Peyton. I have…so much. Success and money and clothes and guys but I'm…I'm lonely."
"I'm sorry, B."
"It's okay. I'll be okay. I just…I figured you were lonely, too. So I thought we should…go home."
"Home?" Her eyes widened. "Home, like Tree Hill, that home?"
"Did you grow up in some other town I don't know about?"
"Oh, Brooke…no! I'm fine," she said brightly. "I'm happy. I don't need to go."
"Yeah, but…" Brooke looked down at the table before finally meeting her eyes. "I do."
Peyton held her gaze for a moment before sighing. Brooke had flown out here, in the middle of her crazily busy schedule, because she thought Peyton needed her help. And, as her best friend, Peyton knew it was her responsibility to help Brooke when she needed it. "Tree Hill, huh?"
"Home," Brooke said gently, nodding.
"But…but Haley, and…"
"And Luke," Brooke supplied patiently.
Peyton blew out her breath and ran a hand through her curls. "That's gonna suck."
"Look, P. Sawyer, I know…I know you're happy here. With Nathan, and with your job. But you're also hiding. Here you can be happy because there's nothing threatening your happiness."
"Is that so wrong? Is it that bad to just…not worry, for once?"
"No. But you can't hide forever. Honey, you are dating Haley's ex-husband and Lucas' brother. They have to find out sometime." She smiled brightly. "And what better time than Thanksgiving!"
"Brooke…"
"I need you, Peyton."
She nodded slowly, locking eyes with Brooke and giving her friend's hand a squeeze. "And I'm with you. You know that."
Brooke's smile was soft and grateful as she looked off into the distance, to where Ethan and Nathan were approaching them, drinks in their hands. "Can you convince Hot Doctor to come?" she pouted.
"Sorry, honey," Peyton said lightly, making an apologetic face.
"It's okay. I figured."
"Here, babe," Nathan said, placing a drink in front of her and resting his hand on her bare back.
"Thanks," she said softly, smiling at him. "So…guess what?"
"What?" he asked, his eyes sparkling in the dim light. She loved the way he looked at her.
She sighed before forcing herself to smile again, glancing briefly at Brooke. If she was doing this, he was going to do it with her.
"We're going home. For Thanksgiving."
A/N: It's my birthday; so I treat you! Last chapter's lyric – Metro Station's Shake It. Guesses for this one, anyone?