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Brooke had gotten married to Julian in Spring, and it had been lovely. It had been what she thought was the best for her, back then. Her only option, even, but a good one. A nice one. Her life had bloomed the way every young adult plans it to: babies, husband, nice house, nice business. The kind of thing she thought would be what she would want forever. She had, since she was little, attached her value as a person to being the girl who gets the guy and the baby.
So she had been happy with Julian.
It had also made her realize that following that path, the expected one, didn’t make a difference on having some sort of intrinsic value or not.
The divorce was sad, but friendly.
Julian hadn’t liked to know it was because of Peyton. But, at the end of the day (and after a handful of beers out with Nate), he realized he could never fight it.
Brooke and Peyton have this relationship that is everything. Platonic, romantic, angsty, sexual, silly… They’re full of history because they are each other’s person.
They could have chosen to never do anything about that tension that had always been there, yes.
Except they had already done stuff. Obvious stuff. Random stuff. Paradoxically wrong stuff that made them almost lose each other so many times before.
“They can’t avoid it,” Nathan had said after gulping on his beer, as Julian told Brooke later. “They can’t help it. It’s always been that way.”
So Julian accepted it, and, with a small amount of time and adjustments, he became their friend. Brooke had smiled when she showed Peyton he’d RSVPed their wedding invitation with a “yes” and a “plus one” checked. The twins say his new girlfriend is very nice after having spent Summer in L.A. with their dad.
***
The twins had a bit of a hard time adjusting to it, at first. Especially Davis.
But they eventually came around (a lot to do with Peyton’s guitar abilities and music taste and general levels of coolness) and all five of them - Brooke, Peyton, Jude, Davis, and Sawyer - quickly became a family, lots of inside jokes and bickering over who would unload the dishwasher and Pizza Thursdays and Sunday night movies.
So, when Brooke and Peyton asked, some years later, they agreed right away on walking Brooke to the aisle.
“If Sawyer does it too!”, Davis had added jokingly, pinching his now sister on the ribs.
“Duh.” She had barely bothered to reply, pushing him away with an eye roll.
The kids were home when they told Haley and Nathan and Jamie and Lydia. Haley had teared up, embracing them in a tight hug, and Nathan immediately offered to celebrate it, saying he knew them the longest. As they agreed, he looked up how to become an officiator. When Haley asked them how Victoria had taken it, Peyton squeezed Brooke’s knee.
“She doesn’t know about it yet. But it doesn’t matter, does it?” Brooke had replied. “My family is right here.” She had said with a tight, bittersweet smile.
***
Peyton had proposed out of nowhere. With no ring, really. With no plan of proposing.
As they got ready to sleep, she looked over at Brooke, who was finishing her skincare routine in front of their bathroom mirror.
“Hey. Remember Mouth’s wedding?” Peyton asked, voice measuredly nonchalant. With her brows furrowed, Brooke had looked at her, walking over and laying down beside her. Hands touching. Ankles entwining.
“Mm? Yeah,” she’d replied with a yawn.
“I think we should get married during Fall, too.” Peyton whispered hesitantly, her big green eyes looking into Brooke’s expectantly.
Brooke had seemed startled.
“What?” She’d asked, voice hoarse. “We’ve never– I thought you didn’t wanna–”
“I wanna marry you, Brooke Davis.” Peyton said, her voice steady, her grin toothy and goofy and playful as ever. It took Brooke a second to understand that she was not playing her. The grin is goofy because Peyton is goofy, she thought as Peyton looked for her sketchbook. “I don’t have your ring yet. It's not ready- But I have decided on it. Wanted to check with you first–” Peyton blurted out nervously, but Brooke’s lips interrupted her midsentence.
Peyton wanted a Fall wedding.
Because we’re starting over, she had said.
Brooke knows it’s that, but also Peyton’s love for spookiness and emo culture and autumnal colors.
So Brooke agrees to it.
Because now it’s not about being chosen to have value. To know she’s good enough because she followed those steps, the supposedly right steps to follow.
No.
Now it’s about everything she’d buried inside of her. Everything she pretended not to notice happening throughout the years.
Now she thinks of when she started to date Julian for real, right after Peyton had left Tree Hill - left her - and she does not deny that she was heartbroken anymore.
She thought about her all the time, back then. Sketching. Sewing. Making pancakes. Laying on bed after extremely heterosexual sex. She had never stopped.
And Peyton had never stopped either.
So now was about celebrating that they had found their way back to each other. As they always did.
As they always would.
***
The proposal happens during Winter time, on a Sunday afternoon right after the Christmas and New Year's week, their favorite Iron and Wine album playing across the room.
Peyton's fingers, long and slim and cold, run up and down Brooke's shoulder and arm as they lay on the couch, limbs all tangled up. Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon, and she chose a yard to burn. But the ground remembers her, wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms... There are things that drift away like our endless numbered days. Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made...
Brooke sighs and nuzzles her nose onto Peyton's neck, hoarsely humming the song against Peyton's skin.
"This is perfect." She says. Peyton chuckles, nodding slowly. Brooke feels her wiggling, her other hand reaching inside her pocket.
Peyton clears her throat, nudging on Brooke's shoulder. "Hey. Marry me."
When Brooke opens her eyes again, a small black velvety box is sitting on Peyton's left hand. She bites her lower lip, grinning at Brooke like a child who was caught.
"Marry me next Fall." Peyton repeats. Brooke can feel her eyes welling up, so she blinks rapidly, her hands quickly holding Peyton's face and bringing her closer, their lips meeting sloppily. Peyton gives her a slow peck, rubbing her nose on Brooke's, resting her forehead against hers. "I wanna be your wife next Fall. Don't want this year to end without making you my wife."
When Brooke looks down, she sees the velvety box being open, a glint of something familiar inside. "Wait! Is it-?"
"It's my mom's ring. I had sent it for adjustments." Peyton replies quickly, her voice cracking a little. Brooke's right hand runs through her curls as Peyton puts the ring on Brooke.
There are thousands of words in Brooke's face - thank you and I'm honored and this means the world to me, but no I shouldn't take it or this is not right or you should wear it. Brooke nods at her once, and looks at her hand with the ring on, and blinks a tear down her cheek.
"I love you so, so much. I hope you're not expecting me to give you my mom's ring."
"Oh, God, no." Peyton is quick to answer, making both of them giggle again.