_ BROOKE : I don't care, actually... Sorry, but I was going to...
Brooke tried to dodge him to advance towards the reception room. But Lucas grabbed her arm to stop her. The contact of his fingers on her skin electrified her instantly, it was good and painful at the same time.
_ LUCAS : Wait Brooke ! Don't run away from me ! I just want to talk to you...
_ BROOKE : What would you like to talk about, Lucas !?
_ LUCAS : That little guy behind the door... How old is he ?
_ BROOKE : What !? Why !?
_ LUCAS : Don't pretend you don't understand, Brooke.
Of course she pretended not to understand... But she had no choice. Lucas had caught her so off guard.
_ Brooke : Ok. I see exactly where you're going with this and I'm sorry for you but the answer to your question is no !
_ LUCAS : Are you sorry ? But who says I am... Even if he's really great, this little guy!
_ BROOKE : Good ! Is everyone happy then !? Can I go now !?
_ LUCAS : Are you in a hurry ? In a hurry to join Julian ?
_ BROOKE : My sister too !
_ LUCAS : Your sister, I can understand... At least you're not trying to lie to me now...
_ BROOKE : Lie to you !? About what !?
What if he was still talking about Cameron...? What if he already figured out she was lying to him about it ?
_ LUCAS : You just want to find an excuse to run away from me, Brooke... Don't you ?
Brooke was reassured that he wasn't talking about her son, but unfortunately, he had also seen through her game.
_ BROOKE : Absolutely not, Lucas. But we have nothing to say to each other...
_ LUCAS : I don't agree with you, Brooke. I have things to tell you and I would like you to listen to me.
Seeing her hesitate, he insisted a little more...
_ LUCAS : I think that after five long years, you can give me a few minutes.
_ BROOKE : Okay, Lucas. Two minutes...
_ LUCAS : Let's say five... One for every year we haven't seen each other, that's the minimum...
Brooke nodded, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, but she gave in.
_ LUCAS : Thank you. Come with me, there's a little lounge over there...
Brooke didn't have time to flinch as Lucas held out his hand to take her with him. But she refused to take his hand.
_ BROOKE : I'll follow you instead...
After arriving in the small living room, Lucas invited Brooke to sit first, which she did. He then took a seat next to her, a little too close... Brooke swallowed when his thigh and knee brushed hers. She avoided his gaze on her at all costs.
_ LUCAS : So, Brooke. Tell me...
_ BROOKE : What !? But you wanted...!? And for me to tell you, what !?
_ LUCAS : Everything! Your life after I left, your operation and especially your pregnancy and the birth of your son...
He definitely had no intention of changing the subject of conversation.
_ LUCAS : So, according to you, he's not mine ?
Stunned by the frankness of his question asked without any detour, Brooke turned to him in shock.
_ BROOKE : How many times do I have to tell you this before you understand !?
_ LUCAS : I'm going to need more explanation. You can't just ask me to take your word for it on this one.
He wasn't exactly wrong, but Brooke really wasn't comfortable with the idea of having to lie to him. It was all the harder since he was really the father of her son, and his need to discuss it with her touched her.
_ BROOKE : Why do you care so much ? Imagine if I told you he was your son, what would you do !? You would end your European career !? You would settle down to start a nice little united family !? Come on Lucas... To others, eh !
Lucas listened to her and calmly scrutinized her, his worried eyes probing Brooke's.
_ LUCAS : I suppose the question doesn't even arise since he's not mine, right ?
_ BROOKE : Exactly!
_ LUCAS : Who's his father, then ?
Brooke really didn't want to answer him, but she finally thought about it for a few seconds. If she wanted him to believe it and agree to leave her alone with it, she was going to have to convince him... So she knew what to say. The same spiel she had repeated over and over again. Everything was already prepared and she was going to serve it to him on a platter.
_ BROOKE : His name is Felix... Long live dating sites !
_ LUCAS : Felix... A one-night stand or a boyfriend ?
_ BROOKE : Uh... Let's just say one night was enough to know we wouldn't see each other again.
_ LUCAS : A bit like you and me ? Oh no, you and I didn't know yet that we'd say goodbye after that... Well, me, at least... So, Felix got you pregnant ? Was it an accident ?
_ BROOKE : Accident...? If you want... But the most beautiful accident of my life... Like what...
_ LUCAS : Excuse me, maybe that wasn't the right word after what you've experienced... Let's say, an unexpected event ?
_ BROOKE : Yes, if you want! I was definitely really surprised when I heard the news !
_ LUCAS : I imagine! How did you find out, anyway ?
It was confusing how talking about it with Lucas felt so natural and soothing to Brooke. Only she knew why.
_ BROOKE : Nausea that never ended so I did a test just to be sure...
_ LUCAS : It must have been... Violent, right!? And you didn't consider... You know, making him leave ?
As heartbreaking as the idea was now, Brooke couldn't deny that she hadn't thought about it at the time.
_ BROOKE : Let's just say it wasn't an option anymore... I was almost four months pregnant.
Lucas rolled his eyes in astonishment and empathy.
_ LUCAS : You never warned Fédéric?
_ BROOKE : Felix !
_ LUCAS : Oh yeah ! In the end, it doesn't matter, right!? He didn't matter to you...
His sentence was heavy with meaning and innuendo... Claiming in a roundabout way that for them, it had mattered.
_ BROOKE : In the end, he changed my life positively even if he didn't stay there... That's what I tell myself.
And that was exactly what she felt... But for Lucas.
_ LUCAS : And Cameron, what do you say to him ?
Brooke blushed. It wasn't an easy subject between her and her son... But she had done what she could.
_ BROOKE : We really have to talk about it... The five minutes are way over, right?
Lucas smiled at her slightly, still staring at her with his captivated and captivating gaze. He placed his hand on Brooke's thigh.
_ LUCAS : We're good here, right? Talking about you... I think I still enjoy listening to you, I admit.
_ BROOKE : It's just that something tells me that you're also going to want to talk to me about what happened between us back then...
_ LUCAS : And what do you think I'd say about that ?
_ BROOKE : Nice way to achieve your ends!
_ LUCAS : And...?
_ BROOKE : I... I'd say that's ancient history and that I've turned that page.
Brooke tried to believe it with all her might as she said it. Lucas stared at her expression as if to find a flaw.
_ LUCAS : Did it take you a long time to turn this page, Brooke ?
He could have provoked her and pretended otherwise. But he seemed to want a deeper and more sincere discussion.
_ BROOKE : Are we really going to talk about this, Lucas ? For what purpose ?
_ LUCAS : Listen, I'm going to be honest with you, Brooke... After all, I don't have much to lose, I've already lost you.
The small lump that had gotten stuck in Brooke's throat was blocking her breathing more and more and her heart began to race.
_ LUCAS : Are we going to talk about this... I don't know. But do I want to ? Certainly. I need it, even.
_ BROOKE : Need what, Lucas !?
_ LUCAS : To see you. To make sure you're okay, that you're happy... That you're still as beautiful and bright as ever. You know, I didn't fly all those miles and hours just to see Jake...
Fame and success hadn't made him any less tender, any less charming, and any less sincere.
_ BROOKE : Even though I think it's not going anywhere, what you're saying really touches me, Lucas... And I'd be lying if I told you that a tiny part of me isn't upset and disturbed to see you again. But if you came, among other things, to see if I was happy like you claim... The answer is yes. I am happy, Lucas... You and I were doomed from the start and you know it.
_ LUCAS : You used the past tense, Brooke... It was... But what about today, huh !?
_ BROOKE : Stop it! It's completely ridiculous and you're hurting yourself for nothing, there...
_ LUCAS : Ridiculous !? Dare to tell me that you're indifferent to my presence, Brooke.
Lucas took the opportunity to get a little closer while caressing Brooke's thigh with the back of his hand.
_ LUCAS : My presence near you... Very close to you.
Shivers had radiated throughout Brooke's body and goosebumps had spread just as quickly. She took a deep breath as she stared at Lucas' hand as it gently brushed against her. She remained motionless and helpless.
_ LUCAS : When you left me that day, I thought I would never recover... I threw myself body and soul into music to try to forget my sorrow. It was the only thing I could do since the second was now forbidden to me... Loving you had become forbidden to me, Brooke.
_ BROOKE : It worked out pretty well for you...
_ LUCAS : That's right... I used that anger to make something beautiful and appealing... I could say today that your decision positively changed my life as a singer and artist... But the man I am would tell you that it was the worst decision to make.
Brooke was still staring at his hand moving back and forth along her thigh. She felt more and more feverish.
_ LUCAS : You had to do it... For your sister. But Peyton is about to marry the man she loves...
Brooke let herself be lulled by his words.
_ LUCAS : You and me it was impossible... But today the situation is different, it changes everything for us, Brooke.
Brooke swallowed hard in front of this man she still wanted so much... That her whole body was crying out for.
_ BROOKE : I betrayed her, Lucas. Whether it was five years ago or not, I can't tell her...
_ LUCAS : Don't tell her, then...
Brooke finally dared to look at him to probe what hewas trying to insinuate.
_ LUCAS : I could win you back today... Only you and I know we have a past. I want it, Brooke, and if you accept, know that I'll take it all... You and Cameron. Seeing you again tonight brought back everything I'd tried to repress and bury deep inside me... But it was just a bandage on an open wound that never healed. I'm still crazy about you, Brooke, and I've never managed to erase you from my memory. I'm asking you to give me a chance... A second chance.
Those words went straight to Brooke's heart and body. If only he hadn't come... If only she hadn't betrayed her sister... Because everything started from there and she was stuck, trapped... If only there hadn't been Cameron who proved her betrayal five years ago. Suddenly, feeling herself weaken, Brooke stood up quickly and decisively.
_ BROOKE : Enough, Lucas! This is nonsense! You have no right to do this !
And she ran away... Lucas let her do it. In the hall, tears filled her eyes and cheeks... He didn't have the right to do that but she, did she have the right to do that!? Did she have the right to hide her paternity from him and did she still have the right to do it now that he was here!? Did she have the right to do that to her son under the pretext of protecting his sister!? This little angel who hadn't asked anything from anyone and who was growing up... And the questions would only be more numerous.
Brooke was totally lost and it was in her room that she had returned, unable to go and confront anyone. She closed the door to her room as if to flee Lucas ... But also her emotions and her feelings Those same emotions and those same feelings that hit her full force as if they had never left her. As if the simple fact of his somewhat prolonged presence and especially of his contact had revived them ... His hand that had caressed her thigh and she who had let him do it ... His words that had caressed her soul and her heart. She thought back to Lucas' frankness and his straightforward questions as if he did not want to waste any more time.
A burning desire burned in Brooke's veins. Her pulse had not yet calmed down and the fear of loving and giving in was there. This fear coupled with this feeling of intense dizziness ... And this need to protect herself from the power he had over her ... Because no, she could not seriously consider the option he proposed to her. Unless she did? Unless she wanted to but refused herself the right to even consider it? And then, there was Julian. So the question should not even arise or be considered ... And yet. And yet she had the impression of still feeling Lucas' fingers on her skin, as if they had left a burning trace there. She still had the impression that his delicious woody and virile scent definitely did not want to leave her nostrils ... And that his suave, sensual and cajoling voice still resonated in her charmed, almost bewitched ears.
Brooke had finally put on her pajamas just before going to bed. Before going to bed, she first sat down next to Cameron who was already fast asleep. For long seconds, she observed her son serene and asleep ... His features were perfect like those of his father. She saw them again near the piano sharing their very first moment of complicity ... Without knowing, neither of them that they were related by blood. Without knowing what secret weighed on them. But at the moment of getting up to go to bed, Brooke thought of Julian who would join her soon. And she remained stuck on her son's bed ... As if she had already cheated on him ... By thought. As if the idea of him touching her was almost abnormal and that it would not be natural ... Because she had felt so much desire and pleasure being touched by Lucas just now. And here she was already feeling guilty... And here she was already betraying someone else now... And it was clear that Lucas was the cause again.
Brooke lay down next to her child, her son, her angel. And she put it in her head that she would have to avoid Lucas at all costs, that she would no longer find herself alone with him. Two days to hold on... Two days... It was so short but yet so long. And she fell asleep, her mind full of good resolutions.
When she woke up the next morning, Brooke had joined her sister and her best friend in her room. Peyton had slept without Jake.
_ PEYTON : Girls, I'm getting married today !? Can you believe it, you !?
_ BROOKE : I'll believe it when I see it !
_ HALEY : And I can't wait to see you in your dress !
_ PEYTON : What time is it anyway !? We're going to have to get ready, right ?
_ BROOKE : Relax, Peyton... It's only ten o'clock! We're going to have lunch first and then we'll get pretty !
Peyton put her hand on her heart to express her relief then was surprised again.
_ PEYTON : Didn't you run into Jake's cousin on the way here ? It would be nice if she were with us...
_ BROOKE : I'll go get her, do you know which room she's in ?
_ PEYTON : Um... 13 or 11, I think... Down the hall on the right... That's nice, honey ! She'll be happy.
_ BROOKE : 13 or 11 ... A fifty-fifty chance ! You're confirming that the cottage is only occupied by your guests, right !?
_ PEYTON : Yes, I'm sure. And then, all the boys are in Jake's room if my information is correct ... At worst, you knock on both doors and you'll see ... She'll come and open one of them. Do you want to go together ?
_ BROOKE : It should be fine, at worst I'll embarrass myself by meeting someone in the hallway in this outfit ! she said looking at her bathrobe
Someone knocked on the bedroom door.
_ PEYTON : Oh well you won't embarrass yourself after all, too bad, it would have made me laugh !
_ BROOKE : Sadist !
Brooke went to open the door, thinking it was Jake's cousin on the other side. But it was none other than Room Service bringing breakfast.
_ WAITER : A continental lunch for four people, ladies.
_ BROOKE : Oh... What a service! Thank you so much !
By the scent, Peyton and Haley ran to the door.
_ HALEY : Ugh Peyton, reassure me, it's really breakfast that makes your mouth water like that !?
_ PEYTON : What !? Of course yes, why!? Ah, I understood...
Brooke glanced over at Peyton and Haley who were apparently very excited today !
_ BROOKE : Sorry sir, my sister and her friend are a little unmanageable... Even more than usual, it seems !
_ PEYTON : Oh come on, Brooke, we're joking! Sir, know that we are not unmanageable but in a very good mood.
_ WAITER : It's nice to see, ladies. I'm even flattered and I wish you a good appetite !
And as he was leaving, Brooke directed her gaze towards Peyton and Haley, shaking her head no as they were giggling like two little girls.
_ BROOKE : And to think I'm the little sister !
_ HALEY : And to think we didn't even think about a stripper at your bachelorette party, Peyton !?
_ PEYTON : And to think it's too late and I'll never get one again in my entire life! Unless one of you gets married !
_ BROOKE : You're completely crazy ! Come on, I'm going to get Jake's cousin... Start eating without us, you uncivilized bunch !
_ PEYTON : I promise I won't eat anything but bacon !
Brooke then left the room laughing. She walked to the indicated room ... Or rather the two between which Peyton hesitated. The 13 and the 11. Brooke first put her ear to each of them ... But no noise or clue. So she knocked ...
At number 13, no answer and the door was closed ... So she tried 11, and there, the door opened. Brooke stuck her head through the doorway without moving any further and she called Jake's cousin softly.
_ BROOKE : Lindsay? Lindsay?
No one answered... Yet, Brooke saw the bottom of the bed and guessed someone moving under the covers.
_ BROOKE : Lindsay ! We wake up in there... Peyton, Haley and I we would like to have breakfast with you, are you coming?
The covers finally lifted and just when Brooke expected to see Lindsay, it was Lucas' face that appeared in front of her.