f*ck around and find out / Julien Baker

Chap. 17: The Sun

a/n: This is probably my favourite chapter I've written so far. I hope you like it. 

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It is Sunday morning and I am waiting for Julien to show up at my apartment for a writing session. I just got back from the coffee shop with a caramel latte for me and a French roast for Julien. 

My phone buzzes. 

Julien: hey allyyy

Julien: come downstairs, surprise writer's trip!

I smile and grab my purse and the coffees. When I get downstairs, I look around, not seeing Julien. I hear a honk. 

I look to the road and see Julien in a small, beat up, red car. She waves me over and I hop in the passenger's side. 

"Hey!" I say as I bounce into my seat. 

"Hi!," Julien smiles at me and starts to drive away. 

I put the coffees in the cup holders. 

"Well this is a surprise," I say, "I didn't know you had a car."

"Yeah, well it doesn't get much use in Toronto but occasionally comes in handy," she says.

"So where are we going?" I ask. 

"Well I woke up today with the urge to get out of the city, I just wanted to feel alive. Do you ever just feel like you are tired of the concrete and cigarette smoke and just want to get into nature?" she asks.  

"Yeah, I totally get that," I say. 

"Well we are getting away today! I thought it may help our writing to get some space away from everything as well," Julien says. 

We are in the car for a good hour. The whole time Julien and I go back and forth showing each other songs that we love, never running short of recommendations. I am having such a good time, I don't want the ride to end. Julien makes everything so exciting.

Eventually, we pull into the gravel parking lot outside of a trail head. As I step out of the car, I take a deep breath of fresh air. The large evergreen trees cast shadows over the parking lot and the air is full of the sounds of birds calling to one another. 

Julien steps out, her mouth in a big smile as the sun hits her face. 

"Ahh, I feel better already," she says.

We proceed to the trail. I'm not used to being in nature, but Julien is right, it is a good change of pace. I feel my stress melt away as we walk and chat. 

We are ten minutes into the hike when I see a squirrel close to us up ahead. 

"Wait, watch this," I say. 

I approach the squirrel, swaying my arm up and down in a vertical fashion. 

"What are you doing?" Julien laughs at me. 

I keep going, the squirrel stops, looks at me, and starts to come towards me. 

"What the fuck?!" Julien laughs, the sound is so sweet. 

"I'm just a squirrel whisperer, I guess," I say, shrugging my arms up and dancing back to her. 

"Oh yeah, well look at this," Julien takes a brown paper bag out of her pocket full of sunflower seeds. She sits down on the ground and seven squirrels run up to her. They don't seem scared of her at all.