Call it Fate, Call it Karma

Stubbornness

"You look much better!" I smiled as I helped Julian put on his denim jacket. He seemed to be in a lot of pain from the cut on his arm, so I tried to help him in any way possible. "Right, let's go!"

"I've never seen someone excited to go to a hospital before." said Julian with a slight smirk, shaking his head as he sat down on the sofa.

"Glad to see that your wittiness is back." I laughed, throwing a wet towel to the side. "I'm just excited that I get to go somewhere with you!"

"Why?" Julian asked, looking genuinely confused. "I've fucked myself up." his face lost all emotion as he spoke. "I'm broken..."

"So was I, up until a few days ago." I told him. "I stopped enjoying life when you were gone, Julian. I'd replay all the bad things I did to you and Fab in my mind over and over again, which made me hate myself so much. I'd binge drink and do drugs. Hell! I even slept with a few people I barely knew. Both you and I know that's a big move for me."

"I guess we both hit rockbottom, huh?" he chuckled, obviously forcing a smile.

"We sure did." I sighed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "I missed you so much I didn't know what else to do with myself."

"You...you really did love me?" Julian stared at the tiled floor with a furrowed brow. It hurts to think he ever doubted I did.

"I loved you more than you'll ever know." I mumbled and shook my head. "Anyways! Let's get you to the hospital."

"Wait! Can't we talk ab--"

"Hospital!" I cut him off. "Let's go!"

After we got Julian's arm fixed up, we quickly stopped at a cafe to grab some food. Julian felt really bad that I'd paid his hospital fees and bought food for him, and he kept apologising and insisting I didn't. After telling him it was fine fifty times and that I wanted to, he finally lay off and mumbled something about paying me back later.

"So, uhh..." Julian stuffed his hands in his pockets as we walked. We'd been hanging out in the city catching up with each other all day. "It's getting late." he said.

"You're not going anywhere -- I won't let you." I said sternly, gripping onto his shoulder. "You're living with Albert and I, and I will not take no for an answer, so don't even fucking try." I frowned, my extreme stubbornness setting in.

"But--"

"No!" I stopped him. "No 'buts'! You're going to show me where you've been living and I'm gonna call Albert to come and help us move your stuff when he's back from work. I'm not letting you go again." I must've sounded like a real bitch, but I was just so scared that if I let him out of my sight, even for a second, he'd disappear for another two or more years.

"Okay." he murmured and took my hand in his. I had to ignore the goosebumps that had risen on my skin when his hand touched mine. His hand felt different -- it was cold and his skin wasn't as soft as it once was. 'I'm going to change this.' I thought to myself as Julian lead me through some sketchy back alleys. 'I'm going to fix him, and I'm going to fix myself...but this time, I'll try not to fall in love again and ruin it all.'

We soon stopped in front of a small, derelict looking apartment complex. Julian cleared his throat and jogged up the stairs, me following close behind him. We walked through a door that was almost coming off it's hinges, and started down a dark hallway. All the paint was peeling off the beige walls, and the navy carpet was stained and ripped. The smell of mould was overwhelming. I considered pulling my shirt over my nose at one point to mask the smell, but I didn't want to seem rude or disrespectful, for Julian had lived there once.

He knocked on a door at the end of the hallway. There was obvious tension between us as we waited for someone to answer the door. I quite was reluctant to see who would.

Julian knocked again, louder this time. "Yo, Bobby!" His voice startled me a little, as I was in deep thought. "Open up!"

"Jules?!" A scratchy male voice called from inside, followed by a fit of coughing.

"Yeah!" Julian called back.

'Bobby' opened the door and leaned against the frame, scrutinising me with his dark, beady eyes. He looked rather freaky -- piercings all over, missing teeth and tattered clothes.

"What's up, man?" said Julian.

"You tell me." Bobby kept looking me up and down with a smirk. In his mind he was probably undressing me, the dirty prick.

"C'mon man, don't look at her like that." Julian shook his head, reaching his hand back to hold mine. "I've gotta get my stuff. I won't be back anytime soon."

Bobby started to laugh as he continued to stare at me as he scratched his tattoo-covered neck. "You movin' in with your girlfriend here?"

I cringed at the word girlfriend and stepped back a little.

"Err, something like that, sure." Julian was getting impatient. He just wanted to get his stuff and leave. I was glad he didn't wanna stick around for a chat, and I could tell he hated living there. "Can you let us in now?"

Bobby nodded and disappeared back inside. The interior of the apartment was disgusting. I could see a pile of used syringes and miscellaneous drugs on a coffee table, and it just reeked of discarded bong water, which seemed to be spilled all over the carpet along with a few blood stains. There was no way I was setting foot in there. Who knows how many people could've died in there?! I was still so shocked that Julian allowed himself to stay there.

"Actually, Jules," I spoke up, my voice almost sounding like a pathetic squeak. "I should probably call Albert over to help. You bring your stuff out here while I talk to him, okay?"

"You don't have to be scared." he whispered. "I won't let him touch you."

"I'm...I'm not." I said, pulling out my phone and dialling up Albert's number. "In you go!"

Julian stepped in as he rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself."