TWO FACED

17 - THE PERSISTENT GIRL

      the next morning, xaver was still sprawled out in bed, the events of the previous day weighing heavily on his mind. he was half-asleep when he heard a knock on his door, followed by his younger brother alex's voice.

      "xav, someone's here to see you," alex said, sounding both curious and slightly amused.

      xaver groaned, rolling over and rubbing his eyes. "who is it?" he mumbled, not expecting an answer that would make sense. he didn't have many friends who would look for him, especially not at their headquarters.

      alex shrugged. "i don't know, but they came early. you should probably come out and see for yourself."

      still groggy and with his hair a mess, xaver dragged himself out of bed and threw on a t-shirt. he didn't bother fixing his hair or even properly waking up, figuring it was probably a mistake or some minor issue. he walked out of his room, rubbing his neck and yawning.

      as he entered the main room, he was greeted by both rhemi and gray, who were looking at him with expressions that ranged from curiosity to amusement. but it was the extra voice that caught his attention and made him look up fully.

      "morning, xaver."

      he froze, blinking in disbelief. standing there, looking somewhat out of place but determined, was julliette. for a moment, xaver thought he might still be dreaming. "how is this girl everywhere?" he thought to himself, frustration mingling with a strange sense of inevitability.

      "julliette?" he said, his voice tinged with surprise and annoyance. "what are you doing here?"

      julliette took a step forward, her eyes locking onto his. "i needed to talk to you," she said, her tone serious. "i couldn't wait any longer. we need to clear the air."

      xaver rubbed his eyes again, trying to wake up fully. "and you decided to come here, to our headquarters, early in the morning?" he asked, still trying to process the situation.

      julliette nodded, her expression unyielding. "yes. i needed to see you, and i didn't want to waste any more time."

      rhemi and gray exchanged looks, sensing the tension but wisely keeping quiet. alex, on the other hand, was clearly intrigued, his eyes darting between xaver and julliette.

      "alright," xaver sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "let's talk."

      he led julliette to a quieter corner of the room, away from the curious eyes of his brothers. once they were alone, he turned to face her, his expression guarded.

      "what's so urgent that you had to come here at the crack of dawn?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

      julliette took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "i wanted to apologize properly, face to face. And i wanted to understand, xaver. i realized that i've been unfair to you, judging you without knowing the full story."

      xaver studied her for a moment, the remnants of his irritation giving way to a cautious curiosity. "and you thought coming here would help you understand?"

      julliette nodded. "i know it might seem intrusive, but i couldn't stop thinking about what you said last night. about how i've been seeing things. i needed to show you that i'm willing to listen and learn."

      xaver sighed, the last traces of his sleepiness fading away. "fine," he said, his voice softer. "let's talk. but this isn't going to be easy, and you might not like everything you hear."