I'm Just Me

Chapter Three

When I wake up the next morning, I smell coffee, and I smile. Getting up and going into the bathroom, I brush my hair and change into a loose blue sweater and leggings.

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?" I blink at Julien, forgetting that I let him stay over.

"Morning, I slept okay, what about you?"

He nods at me, signaling that he slept good before giving me a once over. He quirked an eyebrow the turned to the oven. I look down at my outfit, wondering what's wrong with it.

I turn to ask him, but I'm caught off guard when I see him. He looks good when he cooks, let me just say that now.

"Like what you see?" He asks, and I jump, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. He laughs, "relax, I'm just messing with you."

I nod, still nervous about  it. "Here, eat. I have to run to the store if you'd like to come, and Jana already left for her yoga class?" He finished his statement off in a question, and I nod. "Yeah, Jana goes early every morning. She likes the male instructor." I laugh and shake my head. 

"Thank you for breakfast, I normally don't have enough time to eat anything because I run to get coffee for the both of us." I gratefully take the plate and fork he hands to me, sitting down at the table. 

"It's no problem, I'm glad I could be here to properly feed you," Julien laughs. We eat in silence, and after a few moments he finishes, stands up and puts his plate in the sink, me right behind him in finishing my food. 

"Oh just leave that there, I'll get them done later." He waves me off before I could even finish my statement, grabbing a wash cloth. "I made the mess, I will clean my mess." He starts to wash them, so I grab a dry cloth, drying them when he sets them down.

"What do you think about going out with me? Maybe we can see a movie, grab some coffee?" I look at him, "are you asking me out on a date?" 

He looks kind of nervous, rubbing at his neck. "Maybe, maybe we're just two friends hanging out together, that I may or may not have feelings for," he trails off, "okay yes, it's a date." 

I smile, "okay, I will go out with you." 

His eyes light up, and he looks at me with a shy smile. "Pick you up at 7?" I nod, walking him to the door. 

"How should I dress?" I ask him, nervously twisting my fingers in my shirt. He grabs them,  effectively getting me to stop. "Dress how you normally do, if you want to wear something nice, go ahead. I will like it either way." He kisses my cheek gently, telling me he'll see me at 7 sharp. 

A couple hours later, I'm sitting on the couch reading my one of my favorite books, "Just One Year", by Gayle Forman, when I hear the front door slam open. "I hate her!" I sigh, setting my book down and heading to the kitchen, because I know that Jana is going there.

"Who do you hate?" I sit down on the bar stool, waiting for her to catch her breath. "Lizzy Warthen. She is such a stuck up bitch." I raise my eyebrows, never being able to raise one at a time. "She asked a few of us if we wanted to go out to lunch, and so we did right? Well apparently I wasn't supposed to go, because she just wanted to talk about me." 

I rest my head on my hand, waiting for her to continue. I've learned to just let her rant and that she doesn't like to be interrupted. "And I sit there munching happily on my meal, all the while as she glares daggers at me.

Silly me for thinking that she liked me and wanted me to come along." I look at her, and she starts rummaging in the fridge for a drink. "Why doesn't she like you?"