Chapter 25: Julian's Place

After she puts the groceries away, she drives to Julian’s house. She knocks on the door to hear loud music from one of the rooms. She rings the doorbell to no avail, so she tries the door, and it opens.

As she walks in, she notices the beautiful house that surrounds her. There are expensive paintings on the wall everywhere she goes. While she looks at one of them Julian sneaks up behind her. He kisses her neck softly and scares her. She turns around. “Your house is so beautiful.”

“It will never compare to you.” He wraps his arms around her and kisses her passionately. His eyes attract her with a more than usual deep shade of blue.

As he kisses her again her heart starts to race. She stops him, “Now, I thought we were going to try to be friends. Friends don’t sleep with each other.”

“Oh, believe me. I wasn’t planning on sleeping.” He flirts with her. “Come on, let me show you the rest of the house.” He grabs her hand and leads her to each room.

“Just how rich are you?” She asks after she has had the grand tour.

“I think currently I’m worth one hundred and twenty million, give or take.”

“Why don’t you just quit touring and live off the money you’ve already made?” She asks as she sits down in the living room.

“Because I love the music and I do it for the fans.” She admires him looking amazing in his sleeveless shirt and cargo pants.

“Plus, before now I have never had anyone to share my time with that I truly care about.” He sits down on the love seat so close he is touching her.

“So, what are your girls doing today? Are they home with Samantha?” He puts his arm on the back of the couch.

“Samantha took Lilly on a road trip to the zoo with her friend. Jaime is going to stay the night at her friend’s house tonight, and for once I don’t have anything going on.”

“Well, then I don’t feel guilty for taking you away from your family today.”

“Can I assume you talked with your neighbor about our little fling?” He winks at her.

“Yes, I did, but now I am more confused than ever.” She looks at one of the paintings on the wall.

“Why?” He asks concerned.

“Because to be honest, I have feelings for both of you.” She looks at him with sadness in her eyes and all he wants to do is hold her and make it better.

“Well, tell me how you feel. Maybe I can help you sort them out. Of course, I’m kind of prejudice. I want you to be with me.” He calmly wraps his arms around her.

He listens intensely as she tells him. “I can see myself spending the rest of my life with him. He loves me deeply and we are so compatible in every way possible.” She stares at him to see what his response will be.

“So why are you here with me?” He asks curiously.

“Because you are attractive to me in a whole different way. Your exciting, extremely handsome, and even though you are famous, you don’t have a swelled head. I don’t know a lot about you, and I want to know more.” She moves to put her hand on his leg.

“Gee, I don’t know. I could get a swelled head quick if you move your hand up a little farther.” He laughs. “I’m just joking.” He laughs again. “You know, I started a band in college because I had to get away from myself. I was quiet and withdrawn from everyone and everything. I had so many emotions that I couldn’t handle, so I started writing songs. It gave me a creative outlet to explore. It turned out people liked my songs. One thing led to another, and we started playing parties, then word got around, and we started playing bigger venues. Soon, we were in the places that catered to hundreds of thousands.”

“Now I’m a multimillionaire and I want to share everything with you.” He stares into her enchanting eyes. Feeling drawn in, he leans closer to her so he can feel her breath on him.

“Do you think you could ever see yourself spending the rest of your life with me? Or am I just a passing fling to quench your curiosity till you settle down with that other guy?” Julian puts his heart out on his sleeve, hoping she will tell him what he wants to hear so desperately.

“I want to know more.” She peers into his eyes and kisses him.

He stops her, “Are you just using me for cheap thrills?” Julian laughs and goes on. “I think I could give you so much more then another guy. It’s just that I have a great capacity for love, and I want to share it with you.”

“This seems like a dream to me. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up any time now and realize it was all in my head. Your too good to be true.” She looks away at the wall as a tear comes to her eye.

He cups her face in his hand and kisses her tear away one at a time. She starts melting against him while he whispers something in her ear. “What?” She says softly as he kisses her from one ear to the other.

“I’m in love with you. From the minute I saw you waiting in that line, I felt that you were different. I had to get to know you. That’s why I was so happy you showed up to meet me.” He explains as he looks her deeply in the eyes. “I don’t know if in the end we will be together, but I do know that the time we do have together I want to spend being with you and truly knowing you.” He looks at her seriously.

“I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve and I have never chanced that before for anyone.” He gets up off the love seat and then sits back down. Unsure of himself he asks, “What are you thinking right now?”

“I don’t know. I’m completely at a loss for words.” She looks away and then back to him. His blue eyes are darker than they have ever been. She has put herself in a predicament that she does not know how to get out of, even if she wanted to.

“Julian, when I look into your eyes, I feel like I’m falling into a rabbit hole. They are so beautiful and intriguing, and I don’t know what is on the other side. You are so exciting, and you make me feel like I am on fire when you touch me. When I’m in your arms it makes me feel wonderful.”

“With Grayson, it’s different. I feel warm and comforted. I can see being married and growing old together. I have been with him for several months and he has even started working his way into my family. He used to make breakfast for the kids in the mornings and they loved it. The kids even asked us if we were going to get married.” She confessed.

“Then why did you agree to meet me at the concert? You had to know what might happen? I mean rock stars are notorious for screwing anything they can get their hands on. If you were in such a loving relationship, why would you blow it?” He asks.

“Because I was mad at him, and we never said we were in an exclusive relationship. I got the impression that we were more like friends with benefits. I mean, he never said I was his girlfriend or anything.” She hesitates.

“But it was all a giant misunderstanding on my end apparently. Matter of fact, he is still treating our relationship like nothing happened. He cares that I am seeing you, but he isn’t stopping me.” She looks down at her hands.

“Has he asked you why you did it?” He looks concerned.

“Now that I think of it, no. That is a bit odd. He did not seem to care why. The only thing he said was he noticed that when you kissed me it was not just a friendly kiss. He figured that you didn’t want to be just friends either.” She smiled sweetly.

“Look, I care about you so much that if the only way I could be with you is to be just friends, then I will. I have never been one to throw around the L word. While growing up, I did not even tell my girlfriends I loved them just to get sex. Too many people let that word fly carelessly. So much so, that now it doesn’t mean as much as it should. I believe that when you say I love you, you should mean it with your heart and soul. That is why when I say I’m in love with you I am willing to be just friends, because I couldn't possibly live without you now.” Julian takes her hand and gently plants a kiss on it.

“Would you like to watch a movie on my nice new big screen T.V.? I can make some popcorn and we can relax. That way you don’t have to worry your pretty little head for the moment. O.k.?”

“Yes, that sounds great!" She looks excited.

He turns the T.V. on and looks for a movie. When he starts it, he runs into the kitchen and makes some popcorn. He peeks out every couple of seconds at the T.V. to see if the movie is starting yet. Finally, when the microwave beeps, he hurries back out. Julian sits next to her on the love seat and offers her some popcorn.