Free (Sequel to Through The Dark) Complete

Chapter 5

Julie groaned when her alarm went off.  She had to go to work, but she felt like she had just fallen asleep.  She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling.  The night before, or she supposed it was that morning, coming back and hitting her hard.  What had she done?  She felt like she could fight everything but her physical attraction to Harry.  The first time he'd taken her home to her apartment was the same damn way.  She'd questioned herself then.  This was different, yet the same.  She rubbed her hands over her face.  Her brain told her she should regret it.  That it wasn't smart.  She shouldn't have done it.  She hated she was so needy when it came to him and that feeling he always gave her.  She had never craved physical intimacy before him.  Now she craved it too much.  And only with him.  Which was a problem since they weren't together.  Julie sat up and slammed her fists down onto the bed on either side of her body.  She got up and grabbed her scrubs.  She was going to be late if she didn't get ready. She threw on her scrubs pulled her hair back into a pony tail, washed her face, and skipped the make-up.  Who cared anyway?  She walked out to the kitchen to make a coffee.  Amanda wasn't working tonight so Julie was taking the bus.  She wouldn't be able to stop for coffee on the way.  She hoped and prayed the house was empty.  Niall and Amanda were supposed to go out that afternoon, if Niall wasn't too hung over.  She mentally crossed her fingers that Harry was gone.  He had to be by now, right?

Julie went to the coffee maker and made herself two cups and put it into a large travel mug.  She put in creamer and some sugar and took a drink.  She froze and stood straight when she heard a voice behind her.

"White and sweet, just like you?"  Harry asked.  He walked to the counter and sat down.  He hadn't figured he would see her.  By her reaction, she hadn't expected him to still be there either.  He hadn't planned on still being at Niall's, but it had been a very rough night.  He felt rough.  He vaguely remembered what he'd drank the night before.  It was almost 5 pm, and he was still having a hard time moving.

Julie stood there frozen.  She had to shake her stupor off.  How ridiculous to just stand there like an idiot.  Like if she didn't move he couldn't see her.  She started making another cup of coffee and turned around and slid it to him across the counter.  She figured he needed it.  "Yeah, I'm going to be late for the bus.  Think you could lock up when you leave?"

"Thanks.  The bus?"  He took a drink of his coffee.  "Why are you taking the bus?"

Why was she having this conversation with him?  Julie knew eventually she would have to run into him again, but she had hoped for more time to prepare.  Almost three months didn't seem like enough.  "I haven't gotten a car since the accident.  I haven't really had an inclination to drive."  She turned back to the counter and put the coffee stuff away and grabbed her mug.  "So, do you think you could lock up?  Maybe clean up the spare room?"  She didn't want Amanda and Niall to know what had happened in that room.  She was hoping he wouldn't remember either.  Maybe he would just go with it and not bring it up.

"Yeah, already changed the bed and put the sheets in the washer."  He looked at her.  She obviously didn't want to talk about it.  "Maybe I can give you a ride to work?  So you're not late, and you don't have to take the bus?"  Harry didn't know why he asked.  He was pretty sure she would just turn him down anyway.

"You don't have your car.  You got dropped off."  She said.  She grabbed a container of yogurt from the fridge to eat on the way.

"It got brought here earlier.  Come on.  It's just a ride."  He said.  He didn't know why he was pushing it.  Why it seemed to matter.

"No, really.  It's ok."  She said.  She grabbed a spoon and threw that and the yogurt in her bag and walked around the counter.

Harry spun in his stool and watched her walk towards the door.  "Maybe we should talk about what happened this morning."