Never Let Me Go

Chapter Twenty-Six: State of Grace

These are the hands of fate

You're my Achilles heel

This is the golden age of something good, and right, and real

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It was a Saturday afternoon, and Brooke and Lucas were sat on the couch at Brooke's apartment. Brooke was laying on her back, her head resting on Lucas's lap, with her laptop resting on her stomach. "What ya looking at, pretty girl?" Lucas asked his girlfriend.

"Well, I know we haven't talked that much about college, but we're gonna have to make a decision soon, if we're gonna try and get into the same school," Brooke admitted, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Luckily for you, Brooke Davis, I have been doing a little research of my own," he replied.

Immediately, Brooke sat up on the couch and turned to face her boyfriend. "Do tell."

Lucas took the laptop from Brooke, placed it onto his lap, and began typing. "The University of North Carolina," he stated, before turning the laptop screen to face Brooke. "It's home to one of the greatest college basketball teams in the country and..."

"And they have an amazing fashion program?!" Brooke interrupted.

"You took the words right outta my mouth," Lucas said, smiling at his girlfriend. "Plus, we wouldn't be too far from home."

Brooke scrolled through the university's website for a few minutes, attempting to do some research. "I'm sold," she stated, excitement fuelling her tone.

Lucas's eyes lit up and his smile grew. "Really?"

"Really," she responded. "Luke, we could be going to college in freakin' Antarctica, and I would still be happy if I was there with you."

Lucas didn't say anything, he just placed a warm hand on Brooke's cheek, leaning in to kiss her. Both of them couldn't help but smile while they were kissing, ecstatic about the steps they were taking in their relationship, excited to live out their future together. Briefly, Lucas pulled away from the kiss. "How long do we have before Mom and Keith get here?"

Brooke quickly looked at the clock on the wall. "About an hour and a half," she stated. Brooke had invited the pair over for dinner, to celebrate Lucas's adoption papers being approved. Plus, she felt bad that Karen was always the one cooking.

Lucas raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I'd say that gives us plenty of time," he whispered seductively into Brooke's ear, before kissing her neck gently.

Brooke giggled, running her hands through Lucas's hair, as she felt his fingers gently sliding up her shirt, tickling her slightly. "You're a bad influence, Lucas Scott," she moaned before leaping up and pulling him towards the bedroom.

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Lucas and Brooke stepped out of the shower and dried themselves off, before pulling on some clean clothes. "I'm so excited for this evening," Brooke admitted.

"I think it's lovely that you offered to do this," Lucas stated, tucking Brooke's hair behind her ear, admiring her.

"They deserve it," Brooke admitted with a small smile. "I hope I don't totally mess up the dinner. You'll help out, right?" Brooke asked her boyfriend, with a pout.

"Of course," Lucas replied, taking hold of Brooke's hand and leading her into the kitchen. "What are we making?"

"Well I bought all of the ingredients so that we could make a lasagna from scratch," Brooke informed him, rooting through the cupboards for the required ingredients. After they had prepared the dish and put it into the oven for an hour, they heard a soft knock at the door. Brooke ran over to the front door and opened it to see Keith and Karen stood on the other side. "Hey guys, come on in," Brooke greeted them happily, giving them both quick hugs as they entered her apartment for the first time.