To Hell and Back

7

Smiling I turned back to see a sleepy open-eyed Julian watching me wearily.

"Hey," I said softly.

He smiled, "Hey"

At one week it was "Hey"

At two months it was "Will you be my girlfriend?"

At eight months it was "I love you Anastasia."

One year later.

"Hey babe," I said, walking into Brickhouse.

"How's my favourite person in the world?" Julian asked, smiling down at me fondly.

"Why don't you ask your mirror?" I teased.

"Haha," He laughed sarcastically.

"What are we doing today?" I questioned as we waited in line for our cappuccino and Chai respectively.

"Well I was thinking since its quite warm out today we could go explore the city?" He suggested, giving me a hopeful look, "I know you wanted to study today but I figured if we went for a late brunch and then just walked around for a while it would be okay. Then I could take you right back to campus and you can study while I entertain myself."

"And how are you going to go about entertaining yourself?" I asked a cheeky glint in my eye.

"You are crazy nasty." He grumbled as he realised what I was implying.

"I guess I hang out with you too often." I replied, giving him a smirk.

He ignored me as he grabbed our cups and then insisted on paying. Even after a year, every time we come to Brickhouse at the same time he insists on paying. I must really have made him feel bad that first time around.

"Let's go," I bounced, eager to tour the city with my boyfriend.

He laughed at my enthusiasm but as we were driving he become more and more excited, matching my enthusiasm with his own.

It was a couple of hours later, just after our brunch and Julian and I were walking, hand in hand, down a busy street looking in the shop windows. Occasionally I would get excited at what I saw and drag him inside but it was only fair because at every gadget store we saw he pulled us in; so technically the score was even.

We had just come out of a pretty boutique that housed some very intricate looking clothes. I had sighed adoringly at them but decided against buying any.

"Hey babe," Julian started, dragging my attention away from a little puppy in the pet shop window,

"Yea," I said, acknowledging that I'd heard him.

"So there's this big party tomorrow at 'the Den' and I was wondering if we could go?" He asked looking down at me softly.

"Sure, but why are you asking? I would have come if you pitched up tomorrow at my dorm room and said lets go." I pointed out, giving him a dubious look.

"Yea, it's just that tomorrow's our one year and I figured you'd want to do something special?" He said uncertainly, wincing slightly when my eyes grew wide.

"It's already been a year!" I exclaimed, absolutely shocked at the revelation, "I didn't even remember babe," I admitted laughing.

"Of course we can go to the party tomorrow, we'll just celebrate our one year the next day." I concluded, giving him a hug around the waist.

He beamed down at me before lifting me up and planting a kiss first on my forehead and then on my cold nose,

"Thank you."

I laughed as he put me down and I squeezed his hand in response.

We walked down a few more streets and visited a few more shops, a playful banter between us all the while. Our last stop of the outing was to a Gelato shop at the end of a quiet street. I was more than content with my one hand intertwined with Julian's and my other wrapped around an ice-cream cone; so much so that I didn't want to leave our little bubble of beautiful euphoria. However, that bubble was broken when a guy lurking in the alley wolf-whistled at me. Julian gave him a death glare and when I laughed at his reaction, Julian growled protectively and wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing me tightly to the side of his body. I smacked his shoulder lightly for being so overly dramatic but he just responded by burying his face into my neck.

"Yes, yes, I love you too." I chuckled, patting his back mockingly.

Finally though it was time to head back and so we got into the car and made our way back to campus, conversation light as we talked about the party and plans for the postponed anniversary.

Once I made it back to the dorm room, a Chai latte in tow, I immediately set up my study stuff. Julian had gone out to do some secretive business, as he so delicately put it, but said he'd be back later to "entertain himself." I had waved him off with a quick kiss before shutting the door behind his retreating figure.

I was two hours into my studying and just finishing up a chapter when Julian walked in. He waved a cup of some steaming hot beverage in my face and I took it gratefully. It was a double espresso. I nearly cried in happiness but instead opted to giving my boyfriend a bear hug. He fell back on the bed laughing as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

We stayed like that for a while, making out and relaxing on the small bed that we had already figured out was too tiny for more intimate sexual activities.

Julian, however, didn't seem to care and still flipped me over with a kind of hungry love in his eyes. I gave a short nod and just like that he was kissing my neck, already tugging at the hems of my shirt.

It was many hours later that he and I fell asleep, curled up against each other, our bodies exhausted. I figured I would sleep like a baby and that I did.