Back To The Start (One Tree Hill)

Chapter 14

Julian's POV

On the film set

The first day of shooting had arrived; everything was ready, everyone knew what to do. The director, my dad and I were ready to shoot the first scene. The actors, who would make their first appearance, had gathered. Except for one: Chelsea. I looked impatiently at the clock. "Did she forget we're shooting today?" I asked, looking at my dad.

"I doubt that. Only two days ago I called her and told her about it. I'm sure she will be here in a minute."

"Yes, I hope so," I mumbled. "Time is money."

We waited another 20 minutes when she finally showed up. And she wasn't alone. She carried a little boy in her arms, who she let drop at our feet when she had reached us.

"I'm so sorry!" She apologized. "But his babysitter is sick and there was no one else I could have asked."

I stared down at the little boy at my feet and my breath caught as he looked up at me, gazing at me with big, dark brown eyes.

"It's okay that he stays here, right?"

I looked into Chelsea's face as if I had just awakened from a dream. "How... how old is he?" I stuttered.

"He'll be four in a couple of weeks." She frowned. "He's absolutely potty trained, if you worry about that."

I just stared at her for a moment. That he couldn't be out of diapers was my least concern at the moment. I was much more occupied with another thought. But here was neither the right place nor the right time to discuss such things.

"Listen, Justin, Mommy is going to work a little bit now and you can stay here and play." She leaned down and got some bricks out of her backpack, which she handed to the child.

My mouth became dry. "Where... where is his father?" I managed to say.

"There is no father."

The answer came in a nutshell, and the way she clenched her teeth made it clear that she didn't want to say more about it. I noticed my father standing next to me.

"Sweet boy," he said, smiling. "Don't you think, Julian?"

I nodded mechanically because my throat was suddenly tight. Apparently, my father shared my suspicion, otherwise he wouldn't have made that remark. I just hoped that the filming day would pass quickly because I really needed to talk to Chelsea. Alone, in private.

"Be a good boy, Justin, you hear me?" She bent down to her son and fondled his chestnut-coloured curls. "Can we start now?"

I looked at her and nodded. With a last look at the playing boy, I followed my father and Chelsea to the set.

Brooke's POV

I knew that today was the first day of shooting and I wanted to surprise Julian. But Haley's visit and our debate had delayed the visit, so that the day was almost over when I showed up in the hall where the shooting took place. As I didn't want to disturb, I stayed in the background when I suddenly heard a soft, pitiful sob that came from a corner. I followed the sound, shoved some boxes aside and then froze. Behind a box sat a small boy, who now looked at me with wide, scared eyes. I crouched in front of him. "Hey, you don't have to be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you." I looked around to see if his Mom was somewhere. "What's your name?" I asked him. He was apparently so scared that he wasn't even able to tell me his name and continued to stare at me with his dark eyes. I tried to smile. "Well, then I'll start. I'm Brooke."

"Brooke," he repeated.

"Yes, that's right. And you are...?" I waited patiently for his reply.

"Justin," he said softly.

"That's a beautiful name. How old are you, Justin?"

He raised his hand and showed three fingers. "Oh, you are three. Well, I'm a bit older. I'm 22. Can you count to 22 already?" A stupid question, because of course I knew that a 3-year-old couldn't count so far. But I just wanted to win his trust. And it didn't really matter what we talked about. I looked around. "Where's your mom?"

"Mom is working," he said, pointing to the set.

"Oh, your mom is one of the actresses," I said, straightening up. "Who is your mom?" When he pointed to a young woman with long, brown hair who happened to be wearing my outfit from high school, I had to smile involuntarily. "Your mom plays the 'Brooke Davis'," I said, smiling as he nodded eagerly. "I think your mom is done with the scene now. Shall we go and say hi to her?" I held out my hand to him, and when he gripped it, I felt a painful sting in my stomach. I envied Chelsea Cherney for her role as a mother. Something, that I would never experience and neither Julian.

"Let's go?"

I blinked a few times to get back to reality. "Yes, let's go to the others."

Julian's POV

As Brooke approached with Justin at her side, my breath hitched. I could barely concentrate on work because I had been wondering all the time about whether the little boy might be my son. And now Brooke was here with him and I didn't know how to react. Even worse, Chelsea had noticed them and went up to them.

"Justin! I told you never to go with strangers!" Chelsea reprimanded her son.

"Brooke is not a stranger," he said, shaking his head defiantly.

I looked back and forth between the three of them and held my breath. Chelsea now seemed to get who was standing in front of her.

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed excitedly. "You are Brooke Davis?!"

"Actually Brooke Baker." Brooke reached out to Chelsea with a smile to show her her wedding ring. "Julian and I got married on the weekend."

My eyes went to Chelsea. Was she jealous of the news that I was married? If so, she didn't show it at least.

"Oh, congratulations! Also for you, Julian, all the best!"

I forced myself to smile, but I felt more like crying. Brooke's unexpected appearance made it impossible for me to talk with Chelsea in private. I saw her approaching Brooke and then take the boy's hand.

"Come on, Justin. We're going home now." She smiled at Brooke. "And thank you for taking care of him."

I glanced at Brooke and saw in her eyes a mixture of sadness and longing. I frowned lost in thought. Was she just thinking of the baby, that she had lost and that probably would have been at a similar age as Justin? I closed my eyes and stifled a sigh. Was it really possible that I had impregnated two women at almost the same time without knowing it? What a mess!

"Julian?"

I opened my eyes again. "What?"

"Let's go home, too."

I nodded and then put my arm around Brooke's waist. "Yes," I muttered softly. "Let's go home."