Author's note: So here's the next chapter and now that I have some time off of school I'm going to update more frequently. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Nathan sighed plastering on a fake smile as he sat in the midst of a couple hundred overzealous Duke Students, he was supposed to be happy that he was finally in college and attending his dream school yet the thought was bittersweet. Here he was living out his dream of playing for Duke but he was here without Brooke, the one person that, in the short time they have been together, had become the most important person in his life.
"Dude seriously I know you miss Brooke but we're at Duke and you really need to be happy. Do not make me call Brooke and tell her that you're being broody." Luke jokes lightly shaking Nathan to get him to actually smile.
"I'm not being broody, that's your job bro." Nathan joked finally cracking an actual smile. As he finally gave into the overzealous crowd he still couldn't help but think about how he was going to do this by himself without his support system there to cheer him on like he had while living in Boston.
Brooke looked up at the clock and wanted to scream, she had been trying for hours to work on some new designs but now looking down at the blank pages she pushed them away feeling like they were silently taunting her about how much she relied on Nathan. Nathan over the short time they had been together had become her driving force; she loved making Nathan proud of her. Now that Nathan was at Duke she didn't know how she was going to fair by herself, sure back in Tree Hill she had lived by herself but this is different; she had gone from living with someone that loved her to know living by herself. She, of course, was proud of Nathan about getting into Duke and living out his dream but it was bittersweet. "Brooke Davis, you have to shake this feeling, he's not going to dump you and you have a huge meeting tomorrow so get your butt in gear and start sketching." She told herself pulling the blank pages back towards her determined to at least do one good sketch. "Why did the first night always have to be the hardest?" She asked the quiet apartment subconsciously expecting it to answer. Sighing when the room falls silent again she turns the stereo up and puts her head down working determinedly.
Nathan walked into the dorm room he luckily shared with Luke after the long day of activities that he was forced to take part in and fell back on his bed. He looked over and left a wave of jealously wash over him as he heard Luke and Peyton making plans to hang out during the up-coming weekend, he would love to see Brooke on the weekend but they were a little bit farther apart then Luke and Peyton. Finally giving in Nathan picks up his phone and sits up in his bed leaning his back against the wall. He waits a whole 2 seconds after pressing her speed dial number to hear her voice and it instantly brings a smile to his face.
"Hey hot shot." She joked smiling as she heard him chuckle on the other end of the phone. "So to what due I owe the pleasure of you taking time out of your busy college life to call little ole me?" She asked looking down at her sketches and shading another line. She suddenly felt inspired to keep working, so slipping her headset on her ear she set her phone done and continued sketching as she waited for Nathan to answer.
"Can't a guy call his girlfriend just to talk?" Nathan replied smiling as he pictured what Brooke was doing as they were on the phone.
"Yes he can but there has to be a reason since I thought Luke would keep you so busy that you wouldn't have time to call me." She replied looking up from her sketch and looking for her pink colored pencil.
"I would find time to call you." He replied starring up at the ceiling. "I miss you." He whispered after a few moments of silence passed between the two.
"I miss you too but everything's going to be fine."
"How can you be so sure?" Nathan asked mentally telling himself that he sounded like a girl.
"I just think that we're going to be fine and even stronger after all of this is said and done. Now tell me all about your first day at Duke." Brooke lightly demanded as she went back to work on her sketches. Nathan just chuckled and began telling her all about his first day at Duke. Brooke intently multi-tasked listening to Nathan and working on the sketches for her meeting in the morning with some of her investors and as she glanced at the clock Brooke suddenly didn't care what time she went to bed laughing at something Nathan said.
"So what are you doing?" Nathan asked finally finished telling Brooke all about his day and finally glancing at the clock shocked that it was already 2:30 in the morning.
"I'm working on my sketches for my meeting tomorrow morning."
"Brooke! Why didn't you tell me you had a meeting in the morning? You should go to bed its like 2:30." Nathan ranted sitting up in a panic.
"I don't care what time it is, I've gotten more done while being on the phone with you then I have all day, I'll just drink a ton of coffee and come home and sleep right after the meeting, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Nathan, don't make me sit here by myself I'll go out of my mind." Nathan sighed running a hand over his face; he thankfully didn't have any classes the next day so turning onto his side he decided to just stay on the phone with her.
"Alright so what's the idea for the line?" He asked bringing a smile to her face at how much about fashion Nathan had soaked up over the summer.
"I'm not sure yet I don't know if it should be geared towards high school students, college students, or to the working girl."
"Brooke, you should do what you know. This line is supposed to represent you, so don't worry about who it's geared towards and focus on designing it and wowing them in your meeting. Everything will work itself out."
"See this is why I need you."
"Well I hope that there are other reasons why you need me." Nathan replied laughing softly at the double meaning of his statement.
"Wow Nathan that was overly sexual, what are you really thinking about?" Brooke asked smiling down at her sketches; she was beginning to feel confident in her designs.
"Oh you know this girl I met today." He replied laughing at what her face must look like.
"That's cool you can have that girl; I'm already planning on seducing Mike." She replied smiling in victory at the silence coming from Nathan's end.
"Mike? You seriously have lost your mind; that guy has nothing on me."
"I wouldn't say that. He is tall and has fantastic hands." Brooke laughed laughing the game they were playing.
"Fantastic hands? I think I should fly out there to make sure you're alright, I mean Mike and fantastic hands do not belong in the same sentence together."
"Well what am I supposed to do when my hot boyfriend is in another state surrounded by hot girls?"
"Your hot boyfriend would be stupid to think that there was a girl half as beautiful as you." Brooke was glad that Nathan couldn't see the blush that was spreading over her face. "Now I'm going to let you go so you can hopefully catch some sleep before your meeting."
"Thank you."
"It's no problem Brooke that's what I'm here for, now off to bed; I love you and I'll talk to you later."
"Love you too Nathan, good night." Brooke replied switching her headset off and plugging her phone in before going to bed and glancing at the clock she was content with getting just 3 hours of sleep.
The next morning Brooke woke up an hour before her alarm and although she was still tired she got up and showered before heading into the kitchen to make some coffee and check her phone. She smiled at her phone seeing a text message from Nathan sent moments before and rereading the message again Brooke felt a new sense of confidence wash over, if Nathan thought she could do it then surely she could do it.
Nathan sat in the café with Luke anxiously waiting on pins and needles to hear from Brooke. Luke along with some of the guys from the team that Nathan had met the day before laughed at him enjoying the opportunity to make fun of Nathan and Nathan actually let them mock him.
"Geez Nate you're so whipped man." Jon Scheyer, one of the guards joked dodging Nathan's hand.
"You're just jealous that you don't have a hot girlfriend like I do." Nathan shot back smiling triumphantly feeling like he won the battle.
"How do I know that you have a hot girlfriend?" Jon asked completely serious yet his question held a joking tone. Nathan smirked and reached into his wallet and pulled out the picture that if Brooke knew he had she would for sure kill him and scatter his body part throughout the country but he pulled it out and held it in front of Jon's face. "Dang Nate, you weren't lying. She is gorgeous!" Jon exclaimed pulling the picture out of Nathan's hand to closely examine it
Brooke walked out of her meeting a huge smile on her face and almost wanted to jump up and down she was so excited and the 3 red bulls she had drank before the meeting might have something to do with her high energy level and as she walked to her car she remembered that she had promised to call Nathan and pulled her phone out leaning against her car.
Nathan pulled the picture out of Jon's hands when his phone began to ring. Jumping at the sudden sound Nathan jumped up and walked away from the group. "Hello?"
"Nathan! They loved my designs! They want to back me and can't wait for the samples to be done! They even want to open a store in Boston!"
"Wow Brooke that's great."
"Oh Nathan it's so awesome! I can't believe that it's actually happening; I mean I've been dreaming about this for so long and now it's finally happening. It's surreal."
"I'm so proud of you Brooke." Nathan replied beaming as he watched Luke joke around with Jon and some other guys from the team. "You should go home and get some sleep and I'll talk to you later, alright?"
"I'll talk to you later Nathan."
"Brooke?" Nathan asked before she hung up on him.
"Yeah?"
"We're gonna get through this." Brooke smiled and felt a slight weight being lifted from her shoulders when he said the simple statement.
"Yeah we are. I love you and I'll talk to you later." Both hung up the phone and felt that everything was going to be okay.
A/N: So there's the next chapter and I wanted to make it a little happy since the next chapter will be a little bit sad so stay tuned the next chapter should be up by the middle of the next week!
THANKS FOR READING!
~fightingillini
