Bad Desire: New Beginnings - Fast Forward

Part 2 - content, happy and a very full heart.

"I still can't get used to this." Juliet muttered as she looked down at the magazine clutched in her hands.

In her usual morning routine, she had a cup of tea in one hand and some gossip magazine in another. She didn't know why she ever bothered reading them as she hated what they usually contained. It was just pointless gossip on people in the spotlight, that likely wasn't even close to being true. Nevertheless, she still found herself soaked up into the same pattern each time she woke to a new day.

"What?" Matt asked as he made his way over to her and slouched himself down on the sofa.

"Seeing Sophie in a magazine."

Taking it from Juliet's hand so he could take a closer look, Matt took note of the image and story that followed. Sophie had managed to nag herself a whole page full of pictures from an event last night, alongside a few images from her new collection. Seeing her in here just secured the distance that had occurred between them all. She seemed even more of a stranger now than ever.

"So she's officially a real life designer now." Matt placed emphasis on the words 'real life' causing Juliet to laugh.

"Yes, she is really living the high life out there!"

"Do you reckon this pisses Aaron off?"

"What?" Juliet asked as she glimpsed to where Matt was pointing.

"This guy; he's holding Amiya in this photo and if you didn't know them you'd think they were his kids." Matt explained as he looked to the image.

They were all dressed up to the nines, attending Sophie's event for her new collection. The two boys were dressed in suits alongside Jace, who was holding Amiya in her beautiful white dress, while Sophie and Phoebe were alongside them.

"I don't know... it can't really though can it? That's their situation." Juliet shrugged her shoulders, having not really thought anything of it. "Why? Would it piss you off?"

"Fuck yeah. If I picked up this and saw you and some other guy with my kids, looking like the Beckhams, I'd be pissed."

Juliet couldn't help but laugh at Matt's comment, as she wasn't exactly surprised. He wasn't one to hold back on how he felt and she didn't doubt he'd be on the phone to her right away if that was happening to them.

"I think she's been with him for 2 years. I guess he knows the kids well enough now... Amiya was practically a baby when he first came into the picture."

"Married too by the looks of it, did you know?" Matt asked as he pointed to the rings on Sophie's finger, that had been emphasised by the magazine.

"Jess told me and she only knew because Sophie's dad told Jack's parents."

"Shit. Seriously? She didn't tell you herself?"

"No, of course not." Juliet shook her head as she suddenly felt that hurt come flooding back.

Over the past few years they had drifted from Sophie in a way they never imagined. While friendships had been held onto when she first moved, events occurred which had damaged it completely. Sophie had shut Brighton out for good and not returned in the past 2 years. They were in different countries, feeling like they were worlds apart and Juliet wasn't even sure what they would talk about now.

"Jess and Jack obviously didn't go then."

"No, they don't really talk. I understand none of us getting an invite because I think it was a small thing, but I thought she'd at least tell us herself, you know? It's a huge deal getting married."

Nodding his head, Matt could see the sadness that he had managed to elicit in Juliet by bringing up this conversation. Therefore, he knew it was his responsibility to bring her out of it.