Brooke was tossing and turning in bed, whimpering in her sleep. She curled into a ball, burying her face in Lucas's chest.
"Pretty girl," Lucas whispered, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Hey, it's okay, you're safe," he reassured her, helping her calm down.
Lucas embraced Brooke tightly, knowing she had been having nightmares ever since she was kidnapped by Dan two weeks ago. He kissed her head as she settled down, hoping that therapy would eventually help her cope with the trauma.
As Brooke looked up at Lucas, she whispered, "Lucas?" He responded with a smile, "Yeah, pretty girl?" When she asked what time it was and sat up from his arms rubbing her eyes, Lucas replied, "It's only 7 am."
"Luje, do you remember when my therapy is at?' she asked Lucas. "It's at 11 am, so you can relax and sleep a bit longer," he replied.
"Actually, I don't think I'll be able to sleep," Brooke murmured as she left Lucas's room to go to the bathroom. "What do you want to do then?" Lucas asked as he followed her out. "How about a walk on the beach?" Brooke proposed as she returned dressed in a blue and gray hoodie and sweats.
Summer break had just begun, giving them three months to do whatever they wanted. Lucas was pleased that summer break had arrived as he worried about how Brooke would handle people staring at her. He knew she didn't want anyone's sympathy, especially not from him, Nathan, or the others.
"Are you sure? It's kinda early still," Lucas asked, looking worried even though he knew she always went to the beach around 6 or 7 in the morning as a routine for the past two weeks.
Brooke nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. If you don't wanna go, I get it. I can go by myself." She said quietly, looking down at her feet. Lucas sighed, hating to see Brooke so broken and hoping everything would go back to normal.
"No, it's alright, I can go with you. I don't think you should be alone," Lucas said, earning himself a glare.
"And why not? I'm perfectly capable of going on my own," Brooke snapped, walking past Lucas. Lucas frowned, knowing Brooke didn't mean to snap and thinking she might be tired of people hovering around her.
"I didn't mean it that way," He said, "I'm just worried-" Brooke cut him off, "I think I need to go alone," her tone leaving no room for arguments.
"Hey Brooke, you sure about this?" Lucas asked as he watched the brunette grab her keys and purse. "Yeah, I'm sure, Luke," Brooke replied softly. Lucas sighed and nodded. "Alright, pretty girl, just be careful," he said.
Brooke nodded and left the house through the side door connected to Lucas's room. The blond watched her close the door, let out a sigh, and then went back to his bed to lay down.
( with Brooke)
Brooke got to the beach around 7.30 and started walking along the water's edge. She sighed, realizing she shouldn't have snapped at Lucas, even though he was just trying to help.
She needed some time alone. The brunette just wanted to be able to think without anyone bothering her. Stopping by the water and feeling the splash on her bare feet made her grateful she could be there to reflect.
Taking a step further into the water until only her head was visible, she shivered at the cold but needed to feel something. She dunked under the water and stayed there for a few minutes.
After 2 hours at the beach, Brooke was now just sitting in the sand, gazing into the distance. She sighed, thinking she should head back to Karen's before Lucas and Karen got worried and came looking for her.
Brooke stood up from the sand, brushed off the sand, and headed back to her car. But she stopped in her tracks when she spotted a figure walking towards her.
Frowning, she watched as the person approached. 'Brooke, what are you doing out here?' Nathan asked, surprised to see her out this early while he was on a morning run.
'I just needed some alone time,' Brooke replied with a shrug. Nathan scanned the area for Lucas, furrowing his brows when he didn't see his brother with Brooke. 'Where's Luke? Isn't he usually with you?' he asked.
Brooke scoffed and dismissed, 'I don't need Luke up my butt 24/7.' As the wind blew, Brooke crossed her arms to keep warm. 'I didn't say that, I'm just curious where he's at,' Nathan said, watching his friend with a concerned expression.
"Did you go for a swim at this hour?" Nathan asked, puzzled by Brooke's wet hair. Brooke casually replied, "Yeah, I just needed to clear my head, and swimming felt right."
As she continued walking, she mentioned, "I should head back to Lucas and get ready for my therapy." Nathan watched her leave with a concerned expression on his face.
( With Lucas )
Lucas woke up around 9 and checked if Brooke had come back yet. He thought she was on her way back, so he got up, took a quick shower, and made breakfast for both of them since Karen had already left for the cafe.
When he heard the door open and close, he saw Brooke walking in and heading to his room. He wanted to follow her, but he couldn't leave the stove. Soon enough, the brunette came back out and approached him.
"Whatcha cooking?" Brooke asked, eyeing the bowl of flour. Lucas grinned. "Pancakes," he said as he watched her inspect the bowl. "Just plain pancakes?" Brooke questioned with a frown, looking at him.
Lucas chuckled at her comment. "Sure, unless you want me to add something to it," he said with a smile, making Brooke smile too. "What about chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream?" She suggested.
Lucas grabbed the chocolate chips from the cupboard and poured some inside the bowl, while Brooke leaned in to watch him stir. She couldn't resist taking a few handfuls of chocolate chips and eating some, which made Lucas laugh.
'What?' Brooke asked, blushing as she nearly ate the whole bag. 'My mom is gonna wonder where most of the chocolate chips had gone,' Lucas joked as he cooked the pancakes. 'Oh, well, not my fault, have chocolate in front of a girl, she'll just eat it,' Brooke said with a shrug.
Lucas laughed at her, 'Maybe,' and fixed her a plate with a few pancakes, topped with whip cream and a few strawberries, then decided to make her a milkshake as well. Brooke smiled as she took a bite of her pancakes.
'You know, maybe you can become a chef instead of playing basketball,' she joked as Lucas sat down and laughed. 'Maybe, but I'm not sure I'll be that good of a chef, everyone can make pancakes,' he said.
"Hey Luke, I'm really sorry for snapping at you earlier. It was totally not cool of me." Brooke said, looking up from her plate.
"No need to apologize, Brooke," Lucas replied gently, noticing Brooke playing with her food. "I mean, you're just trying to help and make sure I'm okay," Brooke said with a sigh.
Lucas reached for her hands. "Brooke Penelope Davis, I said you don't have to apologize," he said, kissing her hand. "It's okay, I understand. You're still healing from what happened the last two weeks," he reassured her.
Brooke nodded and said, "Okay. Anyway, I gotta get ready so we can go to my therapy." She got up after eating half of her pancakes and headed to the bathroom.
Lucas watched her walk out of the kitchen and sighed as he started cleaning up the plates. He wished he could get back at Dan for what he did, but he knew Brooke needed his help more.