Free (Sequel to Through The Dark) Complete

Chapter 21

Harry walked into the small coffee shop and looked around.  He spotted Julie sitting in a booth toward the back staring out the window.  Picking her lip with one hand and running the bottom of her hair through her fingers with the other.  Well, she was deep in thought; she had both her tells going on.  He walked up to her and smiled.  "Hey, I'm glad you texted."  He slid into the booth across from her.

"Hey."  Julie said looking up.  She hadn't even heard him walk up.  "Glad you could come."

"Of course."  He watched her pick up her coffee and take a drink.  "You seemed pretty deep in thought.  Everything ok?"

"Yes, no, maybe.  Yeah, I don't know."  The words tumbled over each other.  She took a deep breath and looked at him.  "I'm supposed to be at work.  But it was rough, so basically Amanda sent me home before my shift started."

"Rough?  Before your shift started?  How's that possible?"  He queried.  What did that mean?

"I had a run in with Daniel.  Wasn't the quick 'hey, how are you', and move on thing I was hoping for."  Julie said taking a deep breath and playing with the napkin on the table.

Harry leaned back against the booth.  He immediately felt his muscles tighten as he did.  "Julie, what did he do?"

"He just wasn't happy about the other night.  He thinks I've been leading him on.  That I've been a tease."  She shrugged.  "Maybe he's right."

"No, he's not."  Harry leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table.  "I don't care what you did.  You're far from a tease."  He wrung his hands together.  He wanted to have a word or two, or more with this guy.  Who the hell did he think he was?  "Julie, no is no.  I doubt you lead him on."

"I let him take me out. I let him kiss me."  She said looking at the table as she said it.

Harry took in a breath before he spoke.  He couldn't say anything about that; they weren't together.  And lord knows he had no place to talk, but he hated hearing it.  "So?  So, what?  A kiss doesn't mean he should expect anything else."  He sat back again.  He was trying to relax and appear calm, but he seriously wanted to go after this guy and give him a piece of his mind.  "I can't say I don't want to say something to this jerk."

Julie looked up at him again.  "Thanks, but it's ok.  It will be fine."  She watched him and could tell he was uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going.  He was definitely tense.  "I'm sorry. I'm honestly not exactly sure why I asked you to come here.  I've just been thinking about so many things since we talked the other morning.  I'm so confused."

He leaned forward again.  "It's ok, I'm just glad you did."  He ordered a tea when the waitress came by.  "I'm afraid you're taking things and letting them get the best of you right now.  I'm afraid you're internalizing too much.  I'm afraid you are letting this jerk get to you when he shouldn't."

"I'm fine.  Really.  I've dealt with worse."  She said looking at his hands on the table, still not able to meet his eyes.

"Doesn't make it any better."  He said.  "I know I'm a part of you pulling back, Julie.  But I don't want to be."

Julie took a chance and put her hand on top of his on the table.  "It's not your fault.  Look, you made me think.  Think about how I wasn't really opening up to anyone like I thought.  I was just finding new ways to keep people at a distance.  I was so used to just being on my own.  I was comfortable with that.  I thought I was learning. I thought I was getting stronger, but I was just finding a different way to protect myself, even from you."

Harry looked at her hand on his.  Holy shit.  He did not expect that.  He didn't expect her to reach out to him at all, and now she was holding onto his hands.  He reached up with his thumb and rubbed her hand.  "I don't know if it's quite that much.  I didn't feel like you were completely shut down like before."  He thought about it for a second.  "I guess you weren't completely open.  But I noticed a difference."