The Reality of Now

Thirteen

"Ow. Okay. That hurt," Jules muttered, holding his left elbow.

I laughed and released him from my hug. "Sorry, sorry. Are you okay?"

Jules nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What was that for, anyway?"

I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I had just gotten to Amberley's with Sapphire, Ruby, and Rose after talking to Akio. We had come in through the back and the girls were waiting in the hallway. And right now the only thing that was on my mind was that I loved Jules. I had to tell him. So when I got here I ran into the kitchen and tackled him in a hug, causing him to stumble in surprise and hit his elbow rather roughly against the counter.

The two cooks in there who I had seen but never talked to before looked up, startled. They glanced at each other and shrugged, then said something about going to the storage locker for more ingredients. They shuffled off, muttering about 'kids these days'.

"Jules," I remarked now, looking into his grey-blue eyes, "I am completely in love with you. I just had to tell you." I had a hold on his upper arms, gripping him tightly as if he was my anchor to reality. I knew regular people didn't fall in love this fast, but I was starting to accept that I wasn't a regular person. Being with Jules made me understand what my high school teachers meant when they quoted Aristotle; "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." Together, Jules and I were so much more than anything I'd ever been able to imagine.

The corners of his lips twitched and he brought his forehead to mine. Somehow, his skin was always warm. It was as if he was made for summer. "And I'm in love with you," he whispered. I instantly adored the way his mouth formed the words, lips curling.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest and without waiting another second, I stood on my toes and kissed Jules. I had the fabric his dark blue t-shirt clenched in my fists and he brought one hand around my waist and the other to my neck, as if he was trying to bring us as close together as he could. There wasn't any space between us and it felt as though we were one person. I couldn't tell whose heart beat was whose or where my body stopped and his began.

I bit his lip gently, and heard a low moan come from the back of his throat. Jules moved me so I was against the counter and I gasped in surprise. He laughed, voice sounding deeper that usual, as if he had just woken up on an early Saturday morning. He kissed my nose and my forehead and blew a raspberry on my cheek. I giggled and squirmed in his grasp.

Jules' hands had moved down to my hips as we shared a few more small kisses. I could stay like that forever.

"I am ashamed of you two. This is an open kitchen window!" cried a voice, the tone utterly exasperated. "How unprofessional."

Jules and I looked around to see Dan leaning through the open window at the counter, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. Behind him, I could see Cash and Isir talking at the register. They seemed to have had put a cautious distance between themselves and their friend.

"We have been waiting, for like, four whole minutes. This is a disgrace," Dan continued.

Jules shook his head, shoulders bouncing with laughter. "No one has ever suffered like you, Daniel."

Dan held out his hand in a gesture of thanks. "Exactly. I appreciate you pointing that out." Then, under his breath he murmured, "People these days, I swear."

Undoing the apron at his waist, Jules took me by the hand and led me through to the front part of the restaurant. The two chefs had returned, hurrying to get things done.

"You guys ready for pizza?" Isir asked when he saw us. The other girls were just coming out of the hall, and Isir slid his arm around Rose's shoulders when she came near. It was cute how well she fit there.