“Ha! I knew you’d love it!” Rome was trying to hide his smile as we finished the sixth Star Wars movie. By now, it was 2:00 in the morning. Despite the time, however, nor Rome or I was tired.
“No, Julie. I didn’t love it. It was… okay.” Rome’s voice, unlike normal, had a tone that was easy to tell he was lying. Rome Madden had loved the Star Wars movies.
“Rome, it’s okay that you like them. What’s wrong with loving Star Wars? Hello? Look at me! I’m obsessed with them!”
“Exactly…“ I shoved Rome, causing him to lean farther into the arm rest on his couch. The brownies were gone, along with the cake. Rome smiled at me, and from my mood after Star Wars, I had to smile back. We had a few moments of silence, before Rome looked away guiltily. “Look… Julie. Thanks for doing this.”
“Doing what?” I asked innocently, popping a piece of popcorn into my mouth, the only food we had left.
“For coming over here, and bringing all of that stuff. You’ve really relaxed me.” His eyes finally met mine, and I gave him a big smile.
“You’re welcome.” More silence. Except now it was getting weird. Why couldn’t things just be casual all of the time? “So…," I paused, looking around the room briefly. “I call Scarlet in Clue!”
Rome groaned.
*
After playing board games and making more popcorn and getting more soda, I’d forced Rome to put in Titanic. As much as I hated the movie—Rose so could have moved her fat ass over so Jack wouldn’t freeze his off—it was a tear dropper. Any kind of emotion was good for Rome to experience.
“This movie is so… imprudent. No one would do all these things. Especially fall in love that fast. Love takes time.” Rome said as we watched.
Longer than seventeen years?
I had wanted to say it out loud, but knew things would just get weird, so I kept the thought to myself. Instead, I brought up something that a lot of my life is centered around.
“Have you read Romeo and Juliet?”
“Of course.” Rome said, looking down at me. Apparently anything to get his eyes off the screen was a relief to him.
“Well, that’s how I feel about that. It is so unreal. No one would actually fall in love that fast, then kill themselves over each other. It’s illusory shadows any romantic aspects of the play. I hate it.” Rome chuckled, and I looked up at him.
“I guess that’s why you got mad when I told you I wanted the company to be named Romeo and Juliet. I was joking, by the way.” I rolled my eyes and looked at the screen, Leonardo DiCaprio’s face overwhelming me for a few moments. A thought—however girly it may be—popped into my head.
YOU ARE READING
Rome & Julie
Teen FictionDespite their uncanny names, Rome and Julie think of their relationship as anything but the one of Romeo and Juliet. They were set up at birth, and are both indifferent about it. But, when they find something in each other that they didn't see befo...
