Today is a bit of a special day for Brooke. As a wedding planner, she is in charge of the wedding of her brother, Nathan, and his fiancée, Haley... It is due to take place in less than three hours and she is therefore very busy. Fortunately, her best friend Peyton is there to help her and make sure everything goes smoothly. They are both partners in this small business that they created two years ago. It was a dream come true for Brooke, because she is a very romantic person. Her parents having been very much in love for years, she believes deeply in love and marriage. Unfortunately, their beautiful story came to an abrupt end when her mother died seven years ago. Her father has remained inconsolable since then, even if he doesn't let it show.
Brooke and Peyton are in their office right now, finalizing the wedding details.
BROOKE : Peyton, did the florist deliver the bouquets this morning?
PEYTON : Yes, he did. However, the caterer called earlier to say there was a problem with the cake.
BROOKE : Oh? What problem?
PEYTON : He didn't go into too much detail, but apparently it was a problem with the chocolate.
BROOKE : Chocolate? Why?
PEYTON : According to your brother, Haley's mother finally decided that a chocolate cake wouldn't do, so he and Haley asked the caterer to replace it with a cream cake.
BROOKE : What? But the wedding is in less than three hours! Will the caterer have time to change it?
PEYTON : He told me he was going to do his best.
BROOKE : Why didn't Nathan tell me? We agreed that we should see this together!
PEYTON : I don't know, Brooke. I'm just telling you what he told me.
BROOKE : I know, Peyton. I'm sorry. It's just that Haley's mom is driving me crazy, always wanting to change everything.
Crazy is an understatement, since the mother of the bride has been constantly questioning their decisions.
PEYTON : Speaking of changes, there's another issue I need to talk to you about.
BROOKE : Again? Which one?
PEYTON : Your brother added someone to the guest list.
BROOKE : Oh? Who?
PEYTON : He didn't tell me who it was, but it seemed really important to him.
Mentally recalling the guest list, Brooke can't think of anyone else Nathan could have invited.
BROOKE : It's weird that he didn't tell me about that either!
Brooke then frowns, surprised that her brother, usually so close to her, would hide things from her like that.
BROOKE : I'm starting to get tired of his hiding things! I'm going to go talk to him right away to sort this out!
Quickly gathering her things, Brooke leaves Peyton and the office with a determined step to go see her brother.
She arrives about fifteen minutes later at her father's, because this is where Nathan must prepare for the ceremony. Climbing the steps of the porch two by two, she then enters without knocking to go find Nathan. She enters a few seconds later in what was once her brother's room. Surprised, Nathan suddenly turns around while he is putting on his suit pants.
NATHAN : Hey! You could hit!
BROOKE : Okay Nathan! Spare me! This is really not the time!
NATHAN : Oh really? Why?
BROOKE : Because I can't plan your wedding properly if you're keeping secrets from me!
NATHAN : I'm not keeping secrets from you, Brooke!
BROOKE : Are you sure? What about the cake and the guest list?
NATHAN : About the cake, you know Haley's mom. She didn't like chocolate anymore, so we didn't want to upset her, you understand?
BROOKE : I understand very well, yes. What about the guest list?
NATHAN : I just invited one more person, that's all.
BROOKE : And who is that?
NATHAN : A childhood friend.
BROOKE : A childhood friend? Are you kidding me? I know all your friends and they're all already invited to the wedding!
NATHAN : I know, yeah. But he's a friend I'd kind of lost touch with.
BROOKE : That's great. And I know him?
NATHAN : Yes, you know him. It's Lucas Scott.
At the mention of her brother's best friend, Brooke's heart immediately skips a beat.
BROOKE : You invited Lucas Scott to your wedding? I thought you didn't talk to each other anymore?
NATHAN : That's what you thought, but we weren't. He and I still talked from time to time.
BROOKE : Why didn't you tell me?
NATHAN : Because I knew it would be too painful for you.
BROOKE : I don't see why it would be painful!?
NATHAN : Because you were in love with him and he left overnight without saying goodbye.
BROOKE : I wasn't in love with him!
NATHAN : Yes, you were! And I think you still are. You cried for weeks after he left and have barely hung out with anyone since.
BROOKE : I wasn't and I'll never be in love with him, you hear me?! And if I prefer to stay alone, it's because I'm waiting for the right person, that's all! Now, I'm going to leave you, because this discussion is pointless!
Without giving Nathan time to say more, Brooke leaves her room, slamming the door behind her.
After leaving for her father's, Brooke returned to her apartment as quickly as possible to get ready. The wedding was indeed fast approaching and she had lost enough time as it was. So she went to the bathroom to take a shower, then rummaged through her closet looking for her bridesmaid dress... A beautiful and long sky blue chiffon dress. Once the dress was on, she returned to the bathroom to put on her makeup and do her hair. Then, she looked at herself one last time in the mirror to check that everything was perfect. Satisfied with the result, she returned to the living room to take her small handbag, which was placed on the dresser. But while she had her hand on the dresser, she couldn't help but look at one of the drawers. Hesitating for a moment, she finally opened it with a slightly trembling hand. Inside, there were a few photos. She took them gently and began to look at them with nostalgia.
A small smile forms on her lips as she contemplates the photos one by one. They are photos of her childhood with Nathan. Photos of happy days, when their mother was still there. However, Brooke's smile slowly disappears when she sees the last photo. She raises her hand and caresses the face on it with her fingertips. A smiling face, but on which she can still read a certain seriousness. Lucas Scott's face. The photo was taken shortly before he left. Before her heart was broken forever.
Her eyes filling with tears, Brooke then quickly puts the photos back in the drawer. She then breathes deeply for a few moments to calm down.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : Today is an important day, and I can't break down. Even if I dread seeing Lucas again, I have to pull myself together and be strong at all costs.
Determined to face Lucas Scott and this day no matter what, Brooke finally takes her bag and leaves her apartment.
After a twenty-minute drive, Brooke arrives at the ceremony venue and finds Peyton there. She has also changed and is checking that the flowers are properly hung in front of the altar. The guests haven't arrived yet, so they have time to check one last time that everything is in place.
PEYTON : So, have you seen your brother?
BROOKE : Yes, and the news is not good.
PEYTON : Why? What's going on?
BROOKE : I know the identity of the mystery guest.
PEYTON : Really? And who is it?
BROOKE : Lucas Scott.
PEYTON : Lucas Scott? Your brother's best friend? I thought he disappeared without a trace?!
BROOKE : That's what I thought too. But apparently he and my brother have been in touch all these years without me knowing.
PEYTON : Really? But why didn't Nathan tell you about it?
BROOKE : Because he figured out I was in love with Lucas and he thought it would hurt too much for me to know.
PEYTON : So what? Would you have preferred if he had told you?
BROOKE : I don't know, Peyton. Maybe it's worse knowing that he was talking to Nathan, but not me. He didn't even say goodbye to me. It's like I'm nothing to him.
PEYTON : I know, Brooke. Do you still love him?
BROOKE : Yes, I do. And I think I always will. It's crazy, right?
PEYTON : No, it's not crazy at all. Lucas is just the love of your life.
BROOKE : Yes, but it was never reciprocated. He cut me out of his life like it was nothing. So I need to do the same once and for all!
PEYTON : Really? And how are you going to do that?
BROOKE : It's simple, I'm going to show him that I'm fine and that I don't need him!
With this resolution, Brooke leaves Peyton to go see the rest of the preparations.
Wanting to check that Haley has no problem with her dress, she then goes up to her room quickly... It is on the floor of the inn where the ceremony is to take place. Arriving in front of the door, Brooke knocks and the voice of her future sister-in-law is immediately heard.
HALEY : Come in!
Brooke then enters the room and smiles when she sees Haley in her magnificent wedding dress.
BROOKE : You look beautiful, Haley!
HALEY : You too, Brooke. I really should be able to introduce you to a man or two during the wedding!
BROOKE : Don't start, please! I can do it all by myself!
HALEY : Are you sure? Your list of suitors is not very long, it seems to me!
BROOKE : It's not the quantity, it's the quality that counts, Haley!
HALEY : Yes, but right now, you have neither!
BROOKE : I know! But I prefer to wait for the right one.
HALEY : In that case, you could wait a very long time!
BROOKE : Maybe not! You found my brother, you!
HALEY : That's true, but we work together. I didn't have to look very far.
BROOKE : Okay, but you were meant to be. So destiny has something to do with it.
HALEY : Maybe. Who knows? Besides, speaking of destiny, Nathan told me you knew about Lucas.
BROOKE : What does that have to do with destiny?
HALEY : I don't know. Maybe because you've been waiting for Lucas Scott for years.
BROOKE : Certainly not! I'd rather never get married than be with him! And by the way, did you know that Nathan and him were still talking?
HALEY : Yeah, I knew that.
BROOKE : And you didn't tell me anything?
HALEY : Nathan made me promise, Brooke. I'm sorry.
BROOKE : I see. I'm the idiot in this story, actually. But it's okay. We're not going to ruin your day for this. That would give Lucas Scott too much importance.
Brooke then decides to change the conversation to discuss the last details of the wedding with Haley.
When Brooke returns to the altar, half an hour later, the guests have almost all arrived. Her brother and father are there too, mixed in with the rest of the family. So she takes the opportunity to go and see one last time the tables set up on the terrace of the inn. But as she arranges some flowers on one of the tables, a familiar voice is heard behind her. A voice she thought she would never hear again.
LUCAS : Hello, Brooke.
Brooke then turns around slowly, taking care to display a perfectly neutral expression on her face. Her heart immediately accelerates when she sees in front of her, no longer a teenager, but a man.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : At seventeen, Lucas was already very handsome, but now he exudes an almost dangerous virility.
BROOKE : Hello, Lucas. It's been a long time.
LUCAS : Twelve long years, yes. You haven't changed, by the way, still as pretty.
BROOKE : And you, you have more beard. And more muscles too.
LUCAS : What do you want, is that life in Los Angeles!
BROOKE : You live in Los Angeles?
LUCAS : Yes, your brother didn't tell you?
BROOKE : No, I didn't even know you two still talking.
LUCAS : Really? Why?
BROOKE : Maybe because you left without saying goodbye and that might upset me?
LUCAS : That's right, I'm sorry, Brooke.
BROOKE : It's okay, Lucas. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. Besides, it's not like we're friends, you and I. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to keep checking to make sure everything's okay.
Without waiting for a response from Lucas, Brooke turns around and quickly heads toward the guests. She feels like she can feel Lucas' gaze on her back as she walks across the soft, cool lawn of the inn.
Nathan and Haley's wedding ceremony goes off without a hitch. Everyone is moved when they finally exchange their vows in front of the priest. Brooke herself couldn't help but cry at the sight of them so happy. Pulling a tissue out of her purse, she can see Lucas watching her intently from across the aisle. She then immediately looks away so he doesn't notice the sudden blush on her cheeks. She can still feel his gaze on her as she keeps her head stubbornly turned towards the bride and groom.
The religious ceremony over, everyone gathers around the tables for the meal. Brooke is of course sitting at the wedding table with her father and also, unfortunately, with Lucas. He is also sitting across from her and keeps looking at her. Brooke pecks at her plate while trying to ignore him and calm her heartbeat.
DAN : Are you okay, sweetie? You look weird.
Lucas now watching her curiously, Brooke can't help but blush again.
BROOKE : Don't worry, Dad. I'm just a little tired.
DAN : I understand, sweetie. There was a lot to do. But I'm very proud of you. You did an extraordinary job and everything was perfect.
BROOKE : Thank you, Dad. That's nice.
The blush on Brooke's cheeks grows even more when she sees that Lucas hasn't missed a single bit of her conversation with his father. Fortunately, the opening of the ball finally gives her the opportunity to focus her attention on something else... Haley and Nathan indeed stand up hand in hand to begin the first dance. Brooke watches them with emotion as their bodies gently undulate to the rhythm of the music. While she is captivated by the bride and groom dancing, Brooke jumps slightly when a hand suddenly appears in her field of vision. She then raises her head, surprised...
LUCAS : Would you grant me this dance, Brooke?
Hesitating for a moment, but not wanting to cause a scandal at her brother's wedding, Brooke timidly grabbed his hand. Lucas then tangles his fingers with Brooke's as she stands up, before gently leading her to the middle of the dance floor. He then delicately places his hand on the small of her back and Brooke is immediately troubled by this physical contact. A shiver runs down her spine when she breathes in his manly scent and the scent of his perfume. Lucas holds her a little tighter against him, and they then start dancing among the other guests.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : I hope he doesn't notice the disordered beating of my heart.
Lucas leans in slightly to whisper in Brooke's ear.
LUCAS : This is the second time we dance together.
Brooke is immediately surprised that he remembers this. They had indeed danced together once at Nathan's birthday party. Brooke was only fourteen at the time and thought she was the only one who remembered it.
BROOKE : Do you remember?
LUCAS : Of course I do. How could I forget your little red dress?
Brooke blushes as she thinks back to how beautiful she had made herself for him that night. She thought he didn't even notice her when other much prettier girls were there.
BROOKE : I can't believe you remember this.
Lucas moves a little closer to Brooke, she shivers again as she now feels his breath on her neck.
LUCAS : I remember everything about you, Brooke.
Confused by his words, Brooke suddenly wonders what she's doing and takes a few steps back. Lucas stares at her blankly as she inwardly curses herself for her weakness towards him.
BROOKE : You remember everything? Yet you forgot that I existed for twelve years! It's not nothing!
Lucas tries to get closer to Brooke to touch her, but she backs away a little more. The guests around them start to wonder what's going on, but Brooke doesn't care anymore.
LUCAS : I'm sorry, Brooke. I know I did wrong, and that I am unforgivable.
BROOKE : For once we agree, Lucas. You are unforgivable. So I'm going to stop this charade and go home.
On the verge of tears, Brooke turns around to cross the garden as quickly as possible and reach her car. She then lets her grief run free, once inside...