Free (Sequel to Through The Dark) Complete

Chapter 20

Niall waited at the kitchen counter for Julie to come out for work the next evening. He'd waited long enough to apologize. She basically stayed in her room from the time Harry brought her home. He needed to talk to her. He'd heard she'd done a lot of talking so he wasn't hopeful he was going to get much out of her, but she didn't need to share as much with him as she did Amanda, or Harry for that matter. They were just as close but they had a different kind of relationship. At least up until now. He really should have thought harder about calling Harry when she had asked him for help. Amanda was right, she had finally come to someone and what did he do? He went against what he knew her wishes would be. He kept glancing at the clock. She was really cutting it close. Finally, he heard someone coming towards the kitchen and turned around. "JJ? Can we talk for a minute?"

Julie stopped in her tracks. She didn't even notice Niall sitting there. She was searching in her bag for her keys. Which she had just found. "For fucks sake, Niall. You scared the crap out of me. And no, I don't really want to talk."

"I know you don't really want too, but can we?" He asked shaking his head. "Come on, you know damn well I want to apologize."

"Yeah, well, I may not be ready to accept it yet." She said going to the fridge for a bottle of water. Amanda was working with her tonight so she could stop for Starbucks on the way to work. She was looking forward to it. It was the little things.

"Yeah, gee, go figure." Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Look, I know I was a jerk for doing it. But come on, you even talked to Harry, you can't give me a break?"

"Honestly? I never expected that from you. I would have been annoyed, but I would have expected it from Amanda, but you, Niall, you always stayed out of it. You always supported me, you always told me I was strong, and I could do it. But I never expected you to go behind my back and do something like that." She said.

"You know, I hate it when you say you don't want to talk, and then say things like that, that make me feel even lower." He stood up and walked over to her. "JJ, I thought it would make you angry, I'm not gonna lie, but I didn't figure that it was going to hurt you so much. I didn't think, apparently."

"It's going around these days." She said looking at him.

"I honestly thought that Harry would be the best to help with that song, because he was living it out with you. He was the reason you wrote those lyrics." He explained.

"Doesn't matter, Niall. Maybe he was best suited to write the lyrics, but I didn't want that. He isn't who I asked for help. I didn't want his help. I wanted yours. I trusted you." She said putting the bottle into her bag.

"I know. I'm a jerk. I will never be sorry enough." He said sadly.

"Look, I love you, and I always will. And I will forgive you. I think. But right now, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so confused. I've got so much to think about. Things are a disaster. And I'm pretty sure I'm losing it. I don't know what to do." She put her bag over her shoulder as Amanda came out to the kitchen. "Listen you two, could we just please stop trying to 'fix' things for me? What I decide to do about Harry and I has nothing to do with the three of us. I NEED someone to trust. And I REALLY want it to be the two of you, but it's been hard, now. I don't know what I will tell you, or if I will come to you for help, just, respect that, please. Let me deal with it."

"Whoa, what did I do?" Amanda asked giving Niall a kiss. "I'll stay out of it. But don't expect me not to talk to you and ask. It's what best friends do."

Julie groaned. "Well I'm different, not sure why you can't remember that."

"Of course, you are." Amanda laughed patting JJ on the shoulder. "But we don't hold that against you."