Chapter 3: The Beauty in Walking Away
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~ C & B ~
Brooke leaned forward on the counter, elbows pressed against the smooth purple surface. "Yeah," she nodded, the phone pressed to her ear as she let out a quiet breath. "Remember to make it to lunch by noon, okay? It's gonna be an early one today since Bitchtoria's up my ass."
In one of those rare moments, she actually heard Lucas laugh in amusement on the other end. "Not funny!"
"Sorry, sorry. That nickname is just a classic. You've been using it since I met you," Lucas said on the other end. "Noon it is."
She heard the click and didn't bother with the I love you's and sweet goodbye, just about to put her phone in her purse when Victoria passed by and did a quick snatch of the phone, "What is this? Gossiping on the job, Brooke? Get back to work."
"Remind me again why I invited you here?" Brooke asked with an eyeroll, silver heels clanking rhythmically across polished wooden floors as she walked over to one of the clothing racks and began reorganizing them by size. "Oh right, I didn't invite you here. So you can leave."
The older woman ignored the rude statement and walked over to the cash register, opening it up and examining the bills of green. She let out a disapproving grumble and looked up at her only daughter. "Why isn't there more money in here?"
"Because," Brooke said slowly, looking up at Victoria for a split second before refocusing on the organizing, "unlike you, some people's lives consist of more than just style, Mother."
Victoria looked up at Brooke, two pairs of hazel eyes staring each other down with challenge. "Call me Victoria. You know Mother makes me sound way older than what I am. Ugh, sickening."
"Whatever you say, Bitchtoria," Brooke muttered under her breath as she walked over to the counter and checked off a few things on the clipboard. "I'm gonna head out to lunch."
"Oh sure, why worry about your multi-million dollar company when you can go give yourself totally unneeded food?" Victoria asked with the roll of her eyes. "Where's that bore of an assistant at? Millicent!" In a quick second, the nerdy assistant was by Victoria's side, "Fetch me the number to the Mall on Kendricks Street."
Brooke shared an apologetic look with Millicent while sliding the purse over her shoulder. "I owe you," she mouthed, leaving the store in a hurry to get out of her mom's dark and sinister presence. Once she was a block away from the store, she had her back pressed up against a brick wall and her hand sliding down her face. A day when Victoria completely ignored her was a good day. At least she didn't have to hear her bitch about everything.
~ C & B ~
One in the afternoon. Lucas was an hour late. Brooke called him and called him and then finally gave up. Just as she was about to get up from her chair on the outside of the coffee shop, she heard someone yelling her name in the distance.
"..ooke! Brooke!"
She turned around, the sun catching her eyes as she squinted. There he was. Those gorgeous blue eyes staring at her from up ahead apologetically. Those gorgeous blue eyes that had stopped making her feel like a fluttery princess a long time ago. "Luke, you're late."
He jogged over lightly and placed a light kiss over the top of her forehead before sitting down on the chair across from her. "Sorry, I got caught up in the story and lost track of time. This mine?" he asked, raising the Styrofoam cup in the air and taking a sip when she nodded her head. "Mmm, my favorite."
"What's my favorite?" Brooke asked with a small smile, wondering if he still remembered like he did in high school when he'd bring her some every single day on their senior year.
She watched on as his eyes went a little dark in concentration, the blonde seeming to struggle. "Light on the foam?"
Although it was something small, Brooke still felt a little pierce of hurt inside. That was their thing. They were supposed to know everything about each other from front to back and he couldn't even remember her favorite type of coffee.
Stop it, Brooke. You're just trying to find a new way to feel sorry for yourself. Dismal. He actually took time out of his own working schedule to see your pathetic ass.
"Extra foam."
"Right!" Lucas said, holding up a hand and pointing a finger at her cup as he lay back against the chair. "New it had something to do with foam." He sent her a wink and the two of them sipped on their coffee for a few minutes in silence, their eyes wandering around their surroundings.
"So..." Lucas said slowly, toying with the top of his coffee lid. "What's new?"
Brooke shrugged her shoulders, her fingers slowly trickling up and down her left arm as she looked him over. Had he always been this calm and chill with life? How come he seemed so content with where everything was and she felt like everything could fall apart any minute now? And when did he get that haircut? What about that shirt? He told Brooke before that plaid was stupid and now here he was, sporting a blue plaid shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and a white shirt underneath.
You're standing still, Brookie. In the same spot while everyone moves on.
"Well, I'm working on a few new designs," Brooke said, smiling a little to herself as she reached down into her purse and took out a file of sketches. She slid it over the table and watched his face for his reaction of her latest designs. "They're a little rough but I think I can work with them, you know?"
Lucas nodded his head mindlessly, letting the coffee cup fall back onto the table as he opened the file and slowly flipped through each design. He raised his brow, disapprovingly lifting up one of the papers, "Um, why is half her shirt even missing?"
"It's the style of the shirt," Brooke said softly, leaning over further to peak at the shirt he was talking about. This one was designed by Brooke with the help of Millicent. They were a good team together. Did Lucas ever even meet Millie?
"I wouldn't want you wearing that," Lucas said with a laugh, not realizing how that sounded as he slid the paper back into its file. He skimmed the rest in a quick uninterested fashion, sliding the file back over to her. Tapping his fingers on the table, he gave her a light smile, "They're cool."
Cool?
"Thanks." Tucking the file away, Brooke was about to ask him how his life was doing until his phone buzzed, the name Peyton lighting up across the screen.
There was her answer.
"Hello?" Lucas asked, once he picked up. His face went from chill to total excitement and happiness and he nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes I'm not too far from Tric…okay, later, Peyt." Brooke watched as he tucked his phone away, his smile wide as he stood up, "Brooke, that was Peyton. She said she wanted me to co-write a song for her latest artist. Isn't that insane?" Without waiting for her opinion, he leaned over and gave her a nothing kiss on the lips, "Call me, later okay? I wanna tell you all about it."
"Okay," Brooke said softly as she watched him quickly walk off the opposite direction with the coffee cup gripped in his hand. Instead of getting up and heading back to work to face a headache along with Victoria, the brunette decided to have a little lunch alone. Alone was usually how it was anyways. At least she was outdoors and not stuck in her small apartment.
~ C & B ~
Even the twang of auto tuned country music couldn't bring Chris down tonight. The man laughed and dropped his head back as his colleagues went back and forth with stories about their girlfriends and wives. He'd met most of them so he could picture their stories perfectly, but to some he merely smiled and nodded his head.
Right after the divorce, they'd all kind of shut him out, feeling weird about knowing all the intimate details from the tabloids rather than him. But things had worked themselves out in the weeks following his divorce, the musician finally getting his own head together and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life after Peyton.
He spotted Clay across the bar and excused himself, smacking the other guy on the back as he sank into the seat next to him, "Hey, asshole."
"Hey, fucker," Clay smirked, waving to the bartender to bring him another beer, sliding it to Chris with a tilt of his head. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight. What happened to your big meeting?"
Chris lifted one shoulder in the direction of his friends from work and took a deep swig of the bottle, "The guys decided they'd rather discuss their wives than the future of the label. I told them Chris Keller doesn't work for shitty people."
The blonde raised his brow, "And they said..?"
"Suck it up, Keller, and come get a drink. You're a producer now, no more being a pussy," he imitated his boss's voice, taking another swig as blue eyes rolled to the side. He sighed dramatically, "I miss being a rockstar sometimes."
His friend laughed, looking confused, "I thought you said they were willing to pick up your contract. What changed?"
"I turned it down."
That was it. No explanations. No details. Just I turned it down.
"Keller, get your ass back over here. Next round is on you!"
"I have got to get out of here," he sighed, tipping his beer toward Clay before shooting the rest of it back, "Thanks for the beer. I owe you, dude."
He headed back to the table and threw down a fifty as he snatched his jacket up, "I've got to get home, but go wild!"
The cool air felt amazing against his skin, the boy exhaling slowly as he started the long walk back to his apartment. It was nights like this that he craved most, the silence rushing over him like rain. He'd had many nights like in the last year, preferring the calmness of the night to the chaos of his marriage and life on the road. And it fit the new life he wanted to live.
The things in his life he now wanted.
His eyes shifted up and he was surprised to find Brooke, the girl staring at him with the same surprised expression from across the street. They met somewhere in the middle and without a word between them fell into step.
As if it was some sort of routine, the only sounds that were heard in between the two best friends in the night were the clanking of Brooke's selected pair of heels and the humming of one of Chris's songs.
He would be humming his OWN song. Oh Christopher.
"So where were you coming from, Mr. Keller? Let me guess, let me guess." Brooke stopped in her steps and held her hands up. "You and Clay were at Tric hooking up with two hot to die for blondes that won't even remember you by sunrise?"
"You're half right," he snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets and bowing his head, "Clay was on his way home with two blondes. But blonde isn't really my thing these days. I'm more into gingers."
He laughed loudly at her disgusted face and side stepped her smack, nudging her with his elbow, "I actually had a work meeting turned party. I bailed before I had to watch my boss nail a girl I'm 97.12 percent sure was a hooker."
Brooke wrinkled up her nose in disgust at the thought of that before smiling widely and shrugging. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm my own boss. I wouldn't mind watching myself nail an insanely hot model guy. Not a hooker. That's just gross."
She shook her head upon the thought and gave him a smartass smile, "So, I know you're wondering where I was headed, so I figure I'll tell you before you beg asking me." She stepped in front of him and unbuttoned her jacket, revealing her dark red strapless dress that rested on her mid-thigh, "I was shopping. Shocker. Isn't it fab?"
Chris slowly let out a breath, blue eyes darkening as they slid down her tiny frame. His voice cracked a little, though he tried to keep it in check, "Fab is one word for it."
Brooke snorted at his words and raised her brow slowly, taking note of how his eyes kept trailing around her curves and goods. "Christopher, try not to drool and close your mouth." She buttoned her jacket back up and started walking again, smiling widely at his reaction.
He trailed after her like a lost puppy, tripping over himself a few times as he tried to keep up. They passed by the street where the girl had grown up, Chris absentmindedly slinging his arm around her shoulders as they passed the red door that had once been the symbol of this girl's uniqueness. He came to a stop in front of a smaller, though equally nice house, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, "This is where I want to move when I adopt."
He looked at the house in awe, baby blues wide and excited as if he hadn't just sprung something entirely new and foreign on her, "The apartment's nice but it's not big enough for what I want."
Brooke's eyes widened in surprise, his words replaying in her mind over and over again. Adopt? Chris Keller? Who would've thought? But now that she thought about it, it kind of made sense. A child was something he always wanted. Something Peyton was never able to give him. They both wanted different things.
The brunette looked him over, his smile and the look in his baby blues causing her to sport her own smile. "Wow, adoption? Really? That's… that's amazing, Chris!"
"You think?"
He looked at her with hope, smile widening, "I always wanted kids, but you know Peyton didn't, so I thought I'd never be able to. But now, now it feels right. I think I can do this."
"I know you can," Brooke said with a warmth and confidence in her voice that she only ever used specifically for her best friends. She gave his hand a light squeeze with her own, "You deserve to love and be loved. This is a great idea… who knew you had a brain?"
"A few people suspected, but there was never any confirmation," he quipped, tugging her hand to pull her into his grip. He hugged her to him and closed his eyes, a quiet but strong breath escaping his lips, "My kid's gonna love you. Kid's always love smartasses."
"If it's a girl, Aunt Brooke is gonna spoil her and play dress up with her… same with a boy," Brooke muttered, giving him a hug back. The night breeze picked up and whirled around them, the brunette hugging him tighter and absorbing his body heat. "You're like a comfy teddy bear with a built in heater."
"Can't say I've ever been told that before," he laughed quietly and nodded to the old house, fingers sliding up and down her back slowly for heat, "You wanna see the inside? It's up for sale and I know where they stashed the key."
"Um hell yeah," Brooke said with a laugh, pulling back and walking ahead of him eagerly. "Bet you charmed the realtor into telling you the secret spot for the key. There's no way your brain cells were capable of actually finding it."
"Oh cuz you're such a brain," he mocked, pulling the key from the top of the door frame and letting them in. He flipped on the lights and led her to the furnished living room, "I bet cheerleading really made you feel like a genius. Taught you to spell and everything."
"Sweetie, don't act like you didn't come to those football and basketball games to see Peyton shake it in the mini skirt. You know it was for me," Brooke teased mindlessly, her eyes widening in fascination at the furnished room. She walked around slowly, taking everything in. Somehow, she felt a sense of home rush over her, the brunette feeling safe and comforted. "Wow."
Chris glanced at her, smile soft and calm, "It's perfect, right? I was looking at it before we ever signed the papers. I came here and I felt like I was finally home. Follow me."
He took the stairs two at a time, leading her up to the master bedroom. There was a door within the room leading to a smaller bedroom and he opened it, this room empty except for the yellow dresser that matched the paint on the walls, "I was thinking, the baby's room. Assuming the adoption goes through."
"So it's gonna be a girl?" Brooke asked as she looked through the room with awe. "Because yellow is so not for boys. Unless you're into 70's retro."
He shrugged his shoulders, "Oh I don't have a clue yet. This place is still set up from the open house. I would repaint either way; I'm not a fan of yellow."
He glanced over, "So, what do you think overall?"
"This place is incredible," Brooke said with a wide smile, crossing her arms over her chest and looking over at him. "You did good, Keller. I'm impressed. This baby's gonna have a kickass father and a kickass home to be raised in."
"And a kickass aunt to babysit when Daddy gets all worn out and stressed," he tacked on, shooting her a wink.
"I finally feel like my life is coming together. I'm off tour. I'm single. And I'm ready to start my life."
His life is coming together, mine is falling apart.
Brooke smiled widely and shot him a wink back, "You deserve it, Keller. Being off tour but still able to deal with music, single but ready to mingle. You're set." She backed up a little and nodded towards the door, "Wanna jet?"
He followed her out, a comfortable silence between them. She shivered a little and he stepped over, arm slipping back around her shoulders so that she settled into his side. Blue met hazel and both smiled. "Thanks for always having my back, Davis. I could use more people like you in my life."
"Well," the brunette did a hair flip, her brown locks floating around the swirls of wind that continued to brush past them, her scent filling the air around them. "I've been told that once or twice. Continue."
His head fell back as he laughed and he gave her a squeeze, "If I was Lucas, I'd hold onto you tight. You're definitely a keeper."
"Right," Brooke said, keeping her mind off of Lucas. She stepped in front of him and smiled widely, "I just got the best tub of strawberry ice cream. It's back at my place. Come and bask in the strawberry with me!"
"Um I never turn down ice cream," he said seriously, hands landing on her waist and turning her back around, "Walk faster and feed me, woman."
Brooke giggled and tried to walk as fast as she could, the brunette expert in power walking with heels from all the Black Friday sales she's brought herself into over the years. She didn't necessarily care for the sales, at least not anymore. She had all the money she needed. It was all for the thrill. Shopping was her drug.
Once they were back in her apartment, both of them sat on her kitchen counter with the tub in between them and two giant spoons. Brooke stole his spoon and licked up the ice cream, hazel eyes meeting amused blue. "Sharing is caring."
And so they went on for the rest of the night, two best friends enjoying each other's presence, the brunette forgetting about her tumbling down world. Her phone vibrated twice and she stopped basking in the strawberry to check to see who was calling.
Lucas's name lit up on the screen and she frowned for a second, thinking over their meeting earlier that day. He had told her to call him so he could tell her all about his participation in co-writing a song with one of Peyton's artists. But Brooke didn't and for once in her life she didn't stop everything she was doing in the opportunity to talk to him.
Ignore.