Under His Roof

chapter twenty-nine

As she was about to exit Julian's house, Kimberly was stopped by a worried Wendy who noticed that she was on the verge of tears.

Kimberly kept her eyes down as Wendy asked her what was wrong. She didn't want to cry in front of Wendy, especially not over Julian. Not after what he'd just done.

She tried to convince Wendy that she was okay so that Wendy would allow her to leave before Julian caught up to her, but Wendy was the kind of person you couldn't lie to. She didn't look convinced when Kimberly said that she was just sick and needed some fresh air in her lungs.

"You looked fine a few hours ago," was Wendy's reply.

Kimberly was taking deep breaths now. She couldn't do this. She felt suffocated and she just needed to get out of Julian's house...Daphne's old house.

"Oh, Wendy, thank God."

Kimberly tensed up when she heard Julian's frantic voice behind them, and she immediately grabbed onto Wendy, looking her in the eyes and not caring if this would give away what she had been trying to hide. "Don't leave me alone with him," Kimberly begged.

Wendy looked between Kimberly and Julian, confusion and anger clear in her eyes. "What's going on, Jules?" she asked.

"I just – I need to talk to Kimberly," he pleaded.

By now people were looking at the scene that was being made, but Julian didn't seem to care anymore. He just wanted to talk to Kimberly and get her to listen to him. People would talk no matter what, and he was over it. There were more important things to worry about.

"Jules..." Wendy's brows quivered as they flashed back and forth between Kimberly and Julian. It was clear that she wasn't sure what to think, and that was probably the best of the reactions they would receive. "Are you...are the two of you..."

Julian nodded quickly, not letting Wendy finish her sentence as he put a hand on Kimberly's shoulder. "Kimberly," he begged, "Please, talk to me."

She turned around, staring him in the face with a burning anger. It was a front, and she was sure the both of them knew it, but she wasn't about to let herself look weak. She felt miserable and unwanted, but she couldn't let herself wallow in those feelings. She couldn't let herself cry. "How can you possibly have anything to say to me?" she demanded. "I know what I saw."

"Kimberly, can we please talk in private?" he asked, his eyes looking around to the room full of silent people that were now staring at the two of them.

Kimberly saw her father looking at them out of the corner of her eye and she swallowed nervously, nodding at Julian. By now it was too late. She was sure he knew that there was something more going on between the two of them. She wouldn't be able to lie to him about it anymore. And even though her father now knew, instead of being scared, she felt ashamed. She had lied point blank to her parents. She told them that she barely knew Julian and they had believed her. They had trusted her.

She allowed Julian to lead her out of the living room and to the deserted back corridor of the house.

Conversation slowly began to pick up once they were gone, and Kimberly felt like crying all over again. Not because of Julian this time though, because of everyone but Julian. Because of what they would all think about her.

When they were safely away from everyone else, Kimberly felt an all new kind of nervous. Julian took her hand in his but she recoiled from his touch, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked up at him blankly. He was wincing from his leg and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. His eyes begged and pleaded for Kimberly to forgive him, but he had done the unforgivable.