Brooke lay in her bed, starring at the ceiling blankly, feeling absolutely helpless. She was falling for a boy she hardly even knew, and she couldn't stop it. Not only did she hardly know him, he had a girlfriend. Brooke, being Brooke Davis, had slept with a taken… or married… guy or two, but something about Lucas scared her. He was intimidating, and smart, and in love with someone who, frankly, seemed like a… bitch.

What was he doing with her?

The ceiling did no tricks, provided no answers and remained white as she stared at it intently.

He said he would call, but she knew he wouldn't.

She had made a fool of herself in front of him last night. No boy wanted the cheap, easy, drunk girl when they could have the nice girl that you've known for years. He had the girl he'd known for years.

She continued staring at the ceiling. Answerless.

Her cell phone began ringing on her vanity. She shot out of bed, her heart aching in hopes of it being Lucas.

"Hey," she answered breathlessly, her prayers being answered.

"Hey. How you feeling?" Lucas asked, with genuine concern.

"I'm okay. Headache. The usual Sunday-morning-Brooke-Davis-wake-up," she giggled. Even in the most nerve-wracking situations, she kept her cool. It was part of the whole "walls around my heart" game she played.

Lucas chuckled on the end of the line. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay…" he started. There was silence for a few seconds.

"And… I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a drink this week," he added hurriedly.

"I'd like that," Brooke said. She smiled to herself, her dimples full fledged.

"Tuesday good for you?"

"I'll consult my secretary and see if I can pencil you in," she teased.

"Tuesday it is," he asserted. "I'll pick you up at 7."

"Lucas?"

"Mhm?" he answered.

"What about Blair?"

The words flowed off uneasily from her sandpaper tongue.

"We're going out as friends," he said. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince: her or himself.

Brooke gulped. Oh. So, they were just friends who shared an almost-kiss.

"Sounds good," she lied. "I'll see you on Tuesday." And with that, she clicked her phone shut.

Lucas couldn't understand why she had ended the call so abruptly. His thoughts turned to Tuesday. He felt a warm sensation in his chest at the idea of spending alone time with Brooke by his own initiation. This wasn't through his roommate. This wasn't through a drunken car ride and almost-kiss. This was because he wanted to see her.

"Who was that, babe?"

Blair edged out of the bedroom into the kitchen of Lucas and Chris's apartment adorned in merely a sheet that was draped loosely around her body. She walked toward Lucas and ran a slender finger down his naked chest. He smiled at her warmly in return for her touch and grabbed her hand. He planted a long kiss on it, guilt beginning to creep up his spine.

He had just had sex with his girlfriend of almost three years, and he was calling another girl who he had almost-kissed the previous night and was arranging to meet her for "drinks."

Aw, poor Lucas. Life's tough when you have women swooning for you left and right!

"Nate. The boys are going out on Tuesday night. You don't mind right?"

He didn't know why he lied. He didn't know why the words easily rolled off his tongue. He didn't know why his brain instinctively came up with an excuse. All he knew was he was meeting a gorgeous girl for drinks Tuesday night, and he was lying to his girlfriend about it.

Naughty, naughty boy.

"Oh, that sounds fun," she said smiling. She pressed into his chest, resting her head over his heart. "Maybe I'll plan a girls' night." She let her eyes drift closed, finding comfort and contentedness just being near Lucas.

Does she hear how fast my heart is beating?

As if reading his mind, Blair pulled away and looked up at him.

"Why's your heart racing?" Her face was in a grimace, becoming more suspicious by the moment. This was how Blair was. She always suspected the worst in him.

Because she had no reason to, right?

"I'm still a little riled up from your performance a few minutes ago." He smirked at her seductively and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Second lie.

"Well," she said, tracing his body with her finger once again. "We could go for round two. I mean, if you really want to." She looked at him and smiled.

"I could go for round two, three and four if it's with you, babe," he smiled down at her.

Exaggeration or lie?

With that, Blair stepped back from the blonde boy. She eyed Lucas, making sure he was watching her carefully. Once she knew she had his complete attention, she let the sheet fall slowly from her body, revealing her curves.

But, seeing his girlfriend naked in front of him didn't entice him. It made him wonder what Brooke looked like naked.

"So, you're going out with another girl's boyfriend… who you nearly made out with the other night?"

"I prefer to call it an almost-kiss."

Peyton was sprawled across Brooke's bed while Brooke sat in front of her vanity. She was rearranging bottles of perfume and nail polish nervously as she tried to convince Peyton (or maybe herself?) that going out with Lucas was harmless.

"Oh god, I am so sorry. Let me restate. You are going out with another girl's boyfriend who you shared an 'almost kiss' with? The real question here is… who are you trying to fool?"

"I am not fooling anyone P Sawyer! I am going for drinks with someone I just met! He's very nice!"

"Very nice looking!" Peyton retorted, holding back laughter.

Brooke threw a pillow at her.

"Shutup. I promise nothing will happen."

Oh Brooke, don't you know… you shouldn't make promises you can't keep!

Brooke gulped, keeping a smile plastered on her face. She knew this wasn't just about being "friends" with Lucas. It was so much more.

But she hardly even knew him!