Jules and Julia

I'll be there for you, 'cause you're there for me, too.

JULES AND JULIA

 

JULES:

"Why have you called me up this late at night?"

Julia is angry; I see it, right away. I don't want her to be angry, not at me, not tonight. So I lie: "I did not call you."

Julia scoffs. "Ha, ha. Good joke." She comes and sits beside me, where I sit stock-still, my legs crossed underneath, arms fisted and quivering slightly. "You see," Julia continues, "there's this thing called a display on everyone's phone that kind of shows you if someone has called you up, like, say, sixteen times." She holds up her phone, and waves it in front of my face like a mini-lightsaber. The alert: 16 Missed Calls, as well as the time: 1:30, blinks back scornfully.

I sigh, as though tired of quarreling with her. "It must've been my stupid jeans," I say, shrugging. "They're so tight, my cell sometimes sends texts or calls without my knowledge." I arch my back, and draw out my cheap black phone from my a*s-pocket. "It's like a freakin' terminator, now." I flip it over and over in my hands.

As I focus my dark eyes on the cell in my hands, Julia eyes me; I can feel her gaze like a blazing rod of iron rolling over my skin. "You're a pathetic liar, Jules," she says finally, sighing. "What am I gonna do with you? Even after being my best friend for over twelve years, you haven't learned the first thing about lying. It's almost disappointing, you know."

A tiny smile breaks over my face; I hide it quick enough, though. "I'm not lying," I mumble, sounding unconvincing even to my own ears.

"And that, too, is a lie." Julia smiles, playfully smacking my arm. She's wearing a plain blue top with "LOADING..." printed in white over it, paired with old and faded-blue jeans. Her auburn hair - which she hates so much, because it's neither brown nor red, just hovering somewhere in-between - is tied in a loose tail with an elastic-band. Her face is flushed, and even with the summer breeze, she's sweating like a horse.

Julia has run over to my place, because she couldn't get a cab. She has done it before, nothing new or special about it. It's not something you read into, I've already learned that. Not when the girl concerned is your "best friend of twelve years". Not when the said girl has a much cooler boyfriend who's hopelessly in love with her.

I've spent countless sleepless nights, imagining horrifying ways in which I could end that a**hole's life. Hanging him by the neck from the top of Eiffel Tower is my most creative one, yet.

Julia clicks her fingers right in front of my eyes. "Hey, dreamer!" I look toward her, slightly dazed, trying to bury the image of blond-god Ethan, with a rope round his neck, his limbs flailing about, charming blue eyes popping wide, screaming, me standing over him laughing manically ... I seem to be wearing the dark knight's costume ... Cool ...

"Okay, Jules. No more suspense." Julia leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Why am I out here on the terrace of your apartment on this lovely summer night with you as my sole company?"

I let out a ragged breath. Finally. No turning back. No, actually there is. I can just pretend that I wanted to stargaze, or, I called her up just to annoy her and it was all a silly joke, or, I wanted to make her run down the streets, or ... you know, I can just keep quiet.

But I do none of those. Twelve years is a long enough wait - it's like eighty-four in dog-years.

So I turn to look at her. Julia. So perfect in these casuals, her luminous grey eyes so pale and light against the night, her skin so flawless, her smile so carefree ... Even as she stares at me, I catch a fetus-smile lingering in the corner of her lips.

But then, the smile vanishes, and before I can get a word out, Julia blurts out: "Ethan and I broke up."

 

JULIA:

I watch Jules blink, then pop his mouth open, only to close it back again, because there's simply nothing you can say to this. And I ... I've no idea why I just blurted that out like a complete idiot. No, you know what? I do know why I just did what I did. I knew exactly what Jules was going to say, the exact words that would tumble out of those doll-like lips, the exact moment he would break down, the exact look that would cloud his eyes. I know all of these, because I know Jules like the back of my hand. I've known him for so long, that he feels more like an alternate-me than my best friend. I could recognize that look in his eyes anywhere, because I see it everyday. Tonight, though, it would only have been notched-up manifold. I don't think I could've continued pretending had it come to that. I can never deny Jules when he's vulnerable. And, tonight, I'm the one making him feel this way. I'm both ecstatic and terrified to be myself, right now.

So I do what I do best: I blabber.

I jerk my head round sharply, to avoid staring at his dumbfounded face any longer, and look out over the city, instead. The lights are a beautiful tapestry of golden, yellow, red, orange, and white, below us. Above us, the stars twinkle like tiny gold crystals - ever-changing, inconstant friends.

"Look at the stars!" I say, much too loudly for the quiet surrounding us. "Aren't they gorgeous, tonight? I feel like I could stare at them all night, but my room's only got a plastered ceiling with fake phosphorus stars glued to it, and when you turn the lights off, they glow like these eerie green lamps that always remind me of poorly-planned high-school Halloween parties ... But you already knew that, didn't you? You've been to my room, of course!" I give a sudden, resounding clap, that makes us both jump. "And, not to mention, the lovely city! From up here, it almost looks decent, huh? It's only when you're in it, that you start realizing how completely whacked it is, how annoyingly interfering and ... whatever. You already knew that, didn't you? You know a lot of stuff, Jules." I nod, thoughtfully. "You're a wise man."

Jules stares at me for another heartbeat, before recovering. "W-wait, what?" he stammers.

Okay. So not exactly recovered, yet.

I flash a brilliant smile toward him, that makes him blink again. Stop blinking, dude! "I was just saying how awesome it feels to be stargazing out, at - " I check my wrist-watch, "um, 1:42 in the, uh, morning, but ... " I beam at him, apparently unable to stop grinning like a Cheshire cat. "It's totally worth it." My mouth decides then to flash a line of my teeth, but I regain control of them at the last moment, just barely keeping Jules from running away, terrified: My heartfelt smile can be a scary thing.

But, then again, Jules has already seen it. And he's never run away, screaming.

Jules shakes his head fiercely, as if shaking off mischievous pixies. "I-I don't ... what ... how the ... why did you ev-... " He swallows. "You two broke up?" he asks finally, his voice very low and controlled.

I decide not to speak, since I'm not exactly turning out to be a very sane conversationalist at the moment. So, instead, I go with the good ol' nod.

Jules nods back, his eyes fixed on some invisible spot on the dark, dry terrace-floor, his expression carefully guarded. "Why?" he asks quietly, before hastily adding: "That is, if you don't mind my asking..."

Oh, Jules. Why are you like this? Always so polite, always looking out for me, always ... always ... You never knew, and you'll never know.

I take in a deep breath, deciding to answer Jules as honestly as possible. I decide not to lie, for a change. Because I know exactly what will happen if I do lie: An expression of naked, undisguised hurt will flood his face for hardly a second, before he smiles and smacks my arm playfully and makes a silly remark or just shakes his head, grinning. I know these, because I see them everyday. I'll recognize that smile anywhere, because Jules gifts me with it every morning. And I ... Well, I'm a remarkable liar, after all - an expert for twelve years, now. And twelve years is a long time, you see - it's like eighty-four in dog-years.

So I turn to look at Jules, at his jet-black hair sticking out in different directions, at his pale freckled face, at those dark brown eyes that appear almost black in this starry night...

And I say -

 

JULES:

For a wild second, I think she'll say: For you. (Don't sneer at me just 'cause I'm a hopeless romantic). But then, reality crashes in, and Julia says: "Things just weren't working out, Jules. We've been quite ... distant for a while, now. I ... " Julia bites the insides of her jaws, deciding whether or not to tell me the next part; then - "I don't know how I ever thought things were working out."

Wait, what?

I remember the time when we were kids, about nine to ten years ago. I and Julia were sitting on a park-bench with all these old people walking around, chatting away animatedly with whoever cared to listen, feeding ducks, and other similar trending activities. There was a small pond facing our bench, with some really scholarly-looking ducks wading around, their heads held high. To my eight-year-old self, the ducks looked scary (I still find them scary); Julia, however, found them endlessly fascinating.

"I hate ducks," I said at one point.

"Umm," replied Julia, licking the ice-cream from the cone.

"They can bite you," I continued.

"Hmm."

"They can peck you."

"Uh-huh."

"Sometimes, they even chase you, just for fun."

Julia nodded, thoughtfully. Wiping the cream from her lips with a careless swipe, she smiled. "I like them," she decided, smugly.

Four years of drooling all over each other, clinging onto each other like parasites, not being able to take their eyes - or, hands - off of each other, and now ... that's it? "I don't know how I ever thought things were working out"? Well, I'd say prancing around happily with an adorable blue-eyed puppy who looks up to you and thinks no end of himself, is "things working out". I'd say that standing in the corner like a wallflower, watching your crush strut off into the sunset, holding hands with a guy ten times hotter than you, is "things working out". And crying yourself to sleep, even though you're eighteen and a man, thinking about where she is right now, and what she's doing ... Yeah, those are all "things working out", people. Each and every one of them.

"I can't believe you," I whisper.

"Sorry?" Jules cranes her neck to hear.

"I SAID THAT YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!" My shout is like one into the void, but I don't care for once. I don't care about anything, anymore. Some friends are just meant to be friends, some friends are just too close to be anything else. I should've known, I should've got the hint. If Julia felt even a whisper of what I felt for her, she wouldn't have dragged on with her "Perfect Paradise Play" for as long as she has. She wouldn't have waited around until now to break up, the reason being "things weren't working out".

I so hate myself, right now.

"You know what?" I scramble up to my feet, unable to sit this close to her any longer. She's just too overpowering, just too volatile. Some friends are just meant to be friends ... "I'm sorry I called you, here. I shouldn't have. And it's quite late now, so if you wanna crash in, you can use the spare guestroom. You know where it is, right?" I narrow my eyes, then smile. "Of course, you do. You know a lot of stuff, Julia. You are a wise woman."

As I walk away, I know with a sinking feeling that I'll never forget the look on her face when I leave her there on the rooftop, the way her hands shake, the tears reflecting a million stars in her unclear eyes. But I also know this: Four years is a long time - it's like twenty-eight in dog-years.

I shut the door behind me, and climb down the stairs, taking two at a time.

 

JULIA:

Have you heard the song "Let Her Go" by Passenger? It's beautiful.

You only need the light when it's burning low.

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow.

You only know you love her when you let her go.

So let her go.

 

The tears start so quietly, that I don't feel them trickling down my face until I'm positively bawling. An eighteen-year-old girl, with auburn hair - seriously, has there ever been a more distasteful color? - wrinkled casuals, and a disposition of a six-year-old ... Not sexy. I know why Jules is upset ... and I'm kind of confused about that, as well. If he likes me, and I like him, then where is the problem? I'm not a genius, but even I know he over-reacted. I dumped my boyfriend for him, after all. Jules should've been happy ...

I frown. Unless he didn't get my hint...

Can I just bang my head against a pillar or a wall or something, until I'm unconscious, and dreaming of sunflowers and candy-bars? I'm so mad, right now! So viciously mad. Seriously, Jules? You couldn't even take the most obvious hint? It's like, you're wading through life, blindfolded. Why Jules? I run over to you whenever you call, listen to you when you feel down, hold your hand when there's nothing but air to grasp onto ... Nobody does that if they don't love you, Jules. Nobody would ever do that unless they cared for you. And isn't that all you can ask for in life?

For a moment, I feel like going over to his room, and breaking down the damn door, then kissing him, and telling him: "You bloody idiot. How much more do you want?"

But I do none of those. Instead, I sit on the edge of the world, and watch the glittering lights as they slowly wink their way into darkness, one by one.

 

JULES:

Have you heard the song "Down" by Jason Walker? It's beautiful.

I shot for the sky; I'm stuck on the ground.

So why do I try? I know I'm gonna fall down.

I thought I could fly; so why did I drown?

You never know why it's coming down, down, down.

 

The tears don't fall, tonight. My eyes are as dry as sandpaper. And just as sleepless as a corpse's.

I know where she is, and what she's doing .... And yet, I can't sleep.

You never know why it's coming down.

 

JULIA:

I have a plan. Not the best one, or even a good one. It's quite lame, actually.

But it's two in the morning, and my body's functioning like a zombie's, so please consider.

I run back to my house, change my shirt, and walk back to Jules's apartment slowly, for I have all the time in the world. The lights are switched off in his room.

You're not sleeping, Jules. What are you thinking?

I enter the guestroom, and shut the door behind.

I have a plan.

 

JULES:

When I wake up at five the next morning, I have sixteen missed calls on my cell.

Followed by a text: Get o'er here as soon as u're up. Urgnt.

Huh. If she thinks this is how she's gonna win me over, she's wrong. But I put on my shirt and jeans from last night, anyway, and go up to the terrace to see what's so "Urgnt". On my way, I meet Mom in the kitchen, who greets me with a very slurred "Morning", then tells me my Dad's gonna be out all day (as if that's news to me), and goes back to poking around the cabinets for some coffee and sugar. I head for my destination.

When I push open the door, a blast of summer air hits me like a punch on the face. I blink, before stepping onto the roof.

Julia's back is to me, her auburn hair whipping the world around. I look away; I shouldn't be gaping at her - You're supposed to be angry at her, I remind myself determinedly.

It's only when I'm a few feet away, that I realize Julia's changed her shirt.

I frown, coming to a halt.

"You called?"

She turns around to face me, a wide grin on her face. As if she's got her Christmas presents early.

But that's not what holds my attention - the shirt does.

Printed in big white letters on a pale pink top is the word "LOADED".

I try to hide the smile tugging furiously at my lips. "Seriously? Do you have one with "STILL LOADING ... ALMOST DONE", or something like that, too?" I ask, an eyebrow raised.

Julia shrugs. "Is this the sort of hint you can detect?" she counters, the silly little grin still plastered on her dawn-kissed face, her pale gaze touching my face as though it were a thing to behold.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I exist.

My eyes crinkle in the corners; I hate them for betraying all those emotions I'm trying to hide. "I'm still angry with you," I tell her curtly, my voice breaking on the last word.

If possible, Julia's grin widens. She, very simply, says: "And I'm still in love with you."

I blink.

Wait, what?!

It takes me a full minute to recover (Or, maybe longer; time runs differently for a lovestruck boy). A hundred babies have been born around the world; a hundred men have died, by now; and I'm still standing here, trying to wrap my slow head round the fact that this girl, this beautiful girl, loves me.

I shake my head, the smile finally breaking free.

Who cares about blond-God Ethan? Who cares whether I get to wear the dark knight's costume and hang him by the neck from the peak of Eiffel Tower? (Though, the idea still sounds pretty cool). Nobody cares about anything, anymore, and if they do, I don't care to know about it.

I smile, and close the distance.

Twelve years is a long enough wait - it's like an eternity in love.

*  *  *

 

Author's Note

Just something I came up with, when I looked at the picture attached with this story. Suggestions would be most welcome.

Reviews

[BlaqkShadow]

So beautifully written, the juxtaposition between the adult and well written words and the teenage language is so well thought out. The story is a well known tale told in such a unique and artistic way that I still wasn't sure they would be together until the very end, you clearly put a lot of effort into writing this and making it perfect. I especially love the way it gives both character's perspectives so we get a more indepth and intense view of what's going on.
I understood everything that was going on and thoroughly enjoyed it thank you so much for the RR. Excellent :)

[Sally Hope]

I'm so glad you loved it :) Thank you so, so much for taking the time to read this (there're some members who look the other way when they find a story in their RR, or they simply give a review after reading the comments *BlessTheirSouls*). And as you've pointed out, I did love writing from different perspectives, and in the long run, it also helped in characterization (that's the spelling, right? Or, maybe it's an 's'...).

[BlaqkShadow]

Haha, Characterization is USA Characterisation is UK :D Two nations divided by a comon language haha. I always get my RR's done even if it take me a while :)

[Tomoe Tellez]

Ahhhhhhh! That was so great I shouted and scared the dog! I know that the "Best friends end up together" thing is a cliche, but what made this amazing was your style of telling stories. I smiled through the whole story. There are so many lines I loved, especially the ones where they think alike. Very fun to read as well. Great job!

[Sally Hope]

Thank you so, so much, Alondra! I'm so glad you loved it, and even though "best friends end up together" IS a cliché, it's just so TRUE! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this.
Sally.
PS: Hope your dog's okay :)

[Tomoe Tellez]

He is fine, I think he is used to living with a crazy writer by now. And you're welcome.

[Valentine]

Sometimes I got lost between who was talking to who. Other than that the idea of the story was fine. Valentine

[Sally Hope]

Thank you for stopping by. I'll keep your review in mind the next time I attempt a multi-narrative story.

[Autumn Lyric]

beautiful love story and enjoyed it immensely!..thank you for sharing...

[Sally Hope]

Thank you so much for those lovely words, LaShaye! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Chris]

A softly woven, wistful story of ...daydreams... in the night.

[Sally Hope]

Ha! Glad that you liked it. I was sort of nervous what you'd say. When you said you were reading this, I felt like I'd been called to the Principal's Office. Just sayin'.

[Chris]

Chuckling here...back then I was never the class clown - just the class victim... set the world stage for learning HOW to listen. Advice is keep it real, let US feel - SOMETHING ...and be you.

[Sally Hope]

Excellent advice. "Be you; there's no-one better".

[Insight "MH"]

No one knows you better than your bestie who might be one day your beloved as in this story. Lovely write! Thank you for sharing.

Insight.

[Sally Hope]

Thanks for taking the time to read this, Insight. And thanks for the lovely review. I'm so glad you liked it.

[Insight "MH"]

You are welcome.

[alifeacoustic]

Ah, the fickleness of friendship that is more to both but unspoken for so many, many dog years. :)
I liked that part about the dog years thing. just think how many goldfish generations that would be :)
I had a friend like that once. I think we both must have wondered why it didn't happen, but it never fell into place. She would be dating someone, or I would and that path just never came to be. Sometimes I think me and Jules are quite alike. We never quite get round to saying what's on our mind, then torture ourselves for doing so. I'm sure Julia was worth waiting all those dog years for though.
I really enjoyed this Sally, it was well written and very relatable. Who hasn't felt this or been in this position before and thought it instead of saying it.

[Sally Hope]

I'm glad you found it relatable. It's nice to know that there are people out there, who have given mixed signals and received them in turn, just like me. And as for the dog-years ... goldfish generations would definitely have been cooler, now that I think about it *NoteToSelf*. Thanks for taking the time to read this. It means a lot.
Sally.
*CueDrumroll*

[alifeacoustic]

You're welcome :)

[Strawberry Evil]

Love everything about it! The structure, how the one telling the story changes, the pieces of lyrics, the sincerity and love between these two... And the ending... I'm a total fan-girl of these two now! *random screaming* It made me smile, it made me feel warm, and it's really well written, I like your style. And I can relate to Jules, tho my first love wasn't that long, but I too loved someone for many many years! .. I just didn't end up with them lol :D Thank you for asking me to read this!! Keep it up~!

[Sally Hope]

Ah, first love. We always remember them, even though we 1)don't want to, 2)would rather forget it ever happened, 3)did something embarrassing and scared our "significant other" away, or,4) did all of the above. So lots and lots of thanks for such a wonderful review. I can empathize with you, you know. But I, uh, kinda did all of the above and scared him away, so I guess ... yeah, that's that :D. I'm glad you liked this story.

[Strawberry Evil]

Oh no poor you xD Well, I made up my mind to tell him one summer, after liking him for yeeeears.. But the b*****d went and died in an accident before I could say it. That sure make me learn to always tell my feelings quicker :D But yeah, I acted like a little foolish girl around him so I'm 100% sure he knew I liked him xD

[Sally Hope]

Yeah, he knew it sure as hell, I tell you. You know, I sometimes think boys ignore these feelings so the girls can keep on acting foolishly around them. I've never come across a more arrogant, self-aggrandizing species in my life. *CursingTheMaleSpecies*...

[Strawberry Evil]

I think so too :D Deep down they like how girls are totally in love, try to hide it and act silly :D That is very true XD

[Johnny]

nice short story you composed here! Two good friends that eventually come to love eachother after the thick of it all!

[Sally Hope]

Thanks for taking the time to read this :) It's good to know you liked it.