A Lily Among Thorns

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙴

✞ J U L I A N W E S T B R O O K ✞

"Hey, Julian. You hungry?" Sabrina asks, hanging out her apartment door.

Julian, who's only five steps away from his own door, shakes his head. "Nah, I need to get ready for Bible study."

"I got some pig feet Marquis and I won't eat."

He sighs and swipes a hand down his face. "Why you tempting me right now, Brina? I just got back from the gym."

She shrugs. "You'll work it back out." She goes back inside her apartment knowing Julian will follow her. He's never been able to resist a plate of food that tastes like home.

"Where you been at?" Sabrina's husband, Marquis, asks Julian as he walks in.

He sits beside him at the bar while Sabrina goes to the kitchen to fix Julian his plate. "Busy."

"Busy with that girl?" he questions, revealing his mischievous smirk that Julian had gotten accustomed to when they were both kids.

Julian chuckles. "It's not like that. She's just a cool person to be around."

"Lies. I said the same thing about Brina and we got engaged three weeks later," he says grinning at his wife. He turns back to Julian. "Have you made a move yet?"

"You just heard me say it's not like that."

"And I said you're lying. I saw that look you were giving her, that wasn't someone who just wanted to be friends."

Julian furrows his eyebrows. "When did you see her?"

"She's the pastor's daughter!" he informs him before laughing.

"No she's..." Julian trails off and goes quiet, suddenly remembering Demi after not thinking about her ever since Celai's been around.

"Uh oh," Sabrina chuckles.

"What?" Marquis says, cutting off his laughter.

"I don't think y'all are talking about the same girl."

Marquis looks at Julian with a confused look, being clueless to Julian's situation. "Did I miss something? What happened to you and ol girl?"

Before Julian can say anything, Sabrina jumps in. "Frankly, I never liked Demi. She rubs me the wrong way," she shrugs.

Marquis scoffs. "You and her were just talking and laughing last Sunday, you fake."

Sabrina rolls her eyes. "Shut up, Marq. You know I've been looking for some girlfriends since we moved up here and I was trying to give her a chance. Whoever this new girl is, I hope she's cool."

"Doesn't matter. You still fake."

"What happened to you and Demi?" Sabrina asks, ignoring Marquis' remark.

Julian shrugs, not wanting to put Demi's business out there. "We just weren't right for each other."

"Who's this new girl though?" Marquis questions.

"Don't worry about it," Julian answers.

"Does she go to Disciples of Truth?" Sabrina asks.

"Don't worry about it," he repeats. The last thing he needs is two people worried about a girl he isn't worried about. He thinks Celai is cool, but whenever his mind begins to think of her as more, he remembers what God wants him to be: single.

"I'll take your answer as a yes," Sabrina says.

"Where's my pig feet? That's the whole reason I came over here," Julian says to change the subject.