Juliette

five

ᴛᴡᴇʟғᴛʜ ᴏғ ᴀᴘʀɪʟ | ᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ᴘᴍ

William took his cup from Clayton gratefully, downing at least half of its contents before the man even disappeared back into the kitchen.

Juliette raised an eyebrow. "Caffeine addict?" she asked, and William hesitantly nodded. "Same."

She drank heartily from her cup as William ordered for another, and then watched as he did it again, and again, and again, and again, a dozen cups littering their table within the span of the next thirty minutes.

Juliette leaned back and regarded William in shock. While she prided herself for her high caffeine tolerance, that much coffee was almost life threatening. She couldn't grasp how one person—let alone, this person—could still be alive.

"Caffeine addict?" she asked again, propping her elbows on the cup-littered table and placing her chin on top of her knuckles. "Caffeine addict?"

William had the grace to blush. "This is actually a cup more than what I would usually consume, everyday. They have amazing coffee, did you notice?"

Juliette couldn't seem to process anything but his first statement. "A cup?"

William nodded, sincerely. "I would order for more but I think I'm getting woozy from this much caffeine."

"You think?"

William laughed. "You're funny."

Juliette watched as the boy clutched his stomach and continued laughing; about God knows what, she couldn't be sure. Crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes and his laugh lines became prominent, showing curved dimples on his cheeks. His head was tilted back, Adam's apple bobbing, and his jaw was on display, razor sharp and perfectly chiseled.

For a moment, Juliette felt enraptured.

And then she remembered that perfection did not exist and that this kind of beauty came only with secrets that could destroy it; and the moment was gone.

Juliette willed her face to become passive, and then said, "You're broken."