Page 109 of The Time It Takes
Never.
Never.
Never.
I could never let him go even if it shattered every bone inside my body. I’d bear any sort of pain that existed just to stay this close to him forever.
Chapter Twenty-One
Present
JulianandIstayedup late and talked almost until sunrise. I told him all of it. He cried for me. He got angry for me. He knows everything about me now. There’s no more hiding those parts of myself, especially from the people who want to do nothing but be there for me. After learning of the secret I asked Abigail to keep from him, I could tell he felt a little betrayed. He didn't quite realize the extent of what their little girl meant to me.
It’s well into the morning now and we’re both exhausted. We ended up falling asleep on the couch and I’m pretty sure I fell asleep mid-sentence at some point. I was glad when Julian didn’t look at me any differently this morning. We went on as we always did—minus the groping. He shared more stories about himself and Abigail growing up. How she was adopted, and he never was. My heart broke for him. He told me about the criminal record I never knew he had. The system made him out to be some sort of trouble child. It made him unwanted. That was when it was my turn to get angry.
Julian is supposed to meet with the models and dancers that are flying in at noon today. I, on the other hand, am going to pay a visit to my mother. Though I’ve been taking my time to talk to her, I’m taking it as a good sign that she hasn’t left yet.
I woke up to Julian poking me in my arm, complaining that he was starving and apparently, I was snoring. This led to me grumbling curse words at him as I got ready. I wonder how Oliver’s talk with Beth went. I get nauseous at the thought and push it away. After I shower, I grimace at my bruised and torn skin. I still look like a hot mess. I told Julian about how I got my bruises, and he fumed over it for forty minutes.
I put a bathing suit on under my clothes since I plan on going to the beach later. I went with denim high-waisted shorts and a white tank top with a baby blue blouse that I decided to leave unbuttoned.
“Thank you,” Julian mumbles as we wait for the elevator to reach our floor.
I yawn, staring at my blurred reflection in the stainless steel. “For what?”
“Everything,” he says. “Just everything.”
Smiling, I look up at him. “Don’t go getting all mushy on me,” I say, poking him in his side. “It’s too early for that.”
He stares down at me blankly. “It’s almost ten in the morning.”
I yawn. “Yeah, but we didn’t go to bed until almost six. I don’t even think that counts as sleep.”
“And whose fault is that?” he asks accusingly.
I bark a laugh. “Oh, ok. I see, let’s blame the bags under our eyes on me.”
His head tilts to the side as he studies me.
I give him a curious look. “What?”
“Is it lame of me to root for the two of you?”
I laugh, but it’s cut short when the elevator dings and the door slides open. My face falls when I see Oliver and Beth standing there. My stomach tightens instinctively, but I relax when I see the coffee tray in her hand and two cups still sitting in it. She must have tried to bring him some this morning.
Oliver’s eyes lock with Julian’s before they trail down to me. Julian clears his throat and nudges my elbow, telling me to stop standing here like an idiot.
I step inside the elevator, and he follows behind. I spare a glance at Beth, and she perks up immediately.
This is the most awkward I have ever felt in my life.
I feel a hand brush against the back of mine and savor the touch, knowing it’s Oliver. When the elevator doors open, everyone moves at once. As soon as I exit, Beth steps in front of me, blocking my path.
“Why did you have to come back?”
I open my mouth and then close it, a bit stunned at her instant anger.
“He told me what happened between you,” she hisses. “Fucking slut.”
