Call it Fate, Call it Karma

I Miss You

"That was awesome! Thanks for having me, guys." I said after I hugged Kimya and Adam.

"You were great!" exclaimed Kimya.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, you're way better than you said you are!"

"Aw, thanks guys." I replied with a bashful smile.

"So, yeah. We'll see you 'round?"

"Of course! Jam again soon?"

"Definitely!" I said enthusiastically as I headed for the door.

On my short walk to the subway, I found myself thinking about Julian...as I often did. My brow furrowed at the thought of him not being home when I got there. I really wanted to see him for some reason. I even thought about going to bar he worked at, but I wouldn't want to distract him, and besides, I wasn't 21 just yet so I doubt I could get in.

I sighed heavily as I walked up the stairs to my apartment, then stopping at the door, where I pulled out my keys and let myself in. Everyone else was gone. It was really quiet. I wasn't really used to silence anymore so it made me feel a little odd.

"Albert?!" I called out as I hung up my jacket on the coat hooks and kicked off my shoes. "You here?!"

"Showering!" I heard him call from the other room. A soft smile appeared on my face and I walked into the kitchen to make us both a cup of tea.

Albert walked out 5 minutes later, his hair flattened and damp which was aways kinda funny to see. He spotted me curled up on the couch, sipping from my cup.

"Watcha watchin'?" he asked, joining me.

"The news." I said. "It's so full of shit, man. I'm starting to get why Nick hates television."

Albert laughed at my statement, shaking his head slightly. "How was your jam sesh, by the way?" he asked as he picked up the tea I'd left for him on the coffee table.

"It was great! We all really clicked, I think." I explained with a smile. "I really like their sound, and I really think it's all gonna work out this time."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah..." I breathed out, turning my head back to the screen. "When's Jules home?"

He shrugged. "Couple hours maybe."

I tightly gripped my cup and nodded. "Good, good."

Albert's eyes narrow on me and he raised a brow. "Everything okay..?"

"I-I don't know why, but like...I just really...miss him today for some reason." I said through sharp breaths.

"You saw him this morning?"

"I know. I just," I stopped myself, letting out a frustrated sigh. "...nevermind, it's stupid."

"No, no, it's okay." he replied reassuringly, while looking slightly worried. "Keep going."

"Okay. I just feel like we haven't seen too much of him recently...the real him, y'know? Because he gets home from work and he's always super tired and just wants to go to bed, and when you guys play gigs he doesn't wanna party as much anymore 'cos hes tired, or when he does, he gets totally smashed and thats just not him either..." I explained with a furrowed brow. "I just wanna hang out with him like we used to, sober or at least just stoned. Does that make sense?"

"I see, yeah." Albert nodded, his eyebrows knitting together. "I get what you're saying...but what can we do?"

"Convince him to quit his job, maybe. He doesn't need it anymore."

"Good luck with that. You know how stubborn he is." Albert sighed. "I agree, we're kinda well-off at the moment so a couple of us could afford to quit, but you know how Jules is! He's always wanted to work hard to prove he isn't just some kid who gets handouts from his rich dad."

"No one thinks that of him though!" I protested, feeling a little angry now.

Albert rolled his eyes. "You try telling him that."

"I will!" I huffed. "Well...eventually. I'm sure he'll wanna go to bed when he gets home." I quickly fell back into my slightly forlorn mood and groaned at the thought of Julian going straight to bed.

"He's got a day off tomorrow."

"Yeah, but you guys will most likely wanna rehearse all day for the gig like you always do."

"I'm sure you can find time to talk to him."

"I'll try, but I'm not getting my hopes up."

"Alright, well I have work really early tomorrow, so I'm off to bed." he said, standing up with a yawn. "I told Colin you're not sure of your place there anymore so he's given you a day off to think about it."

"Fuck, he's too nice. I really don't even deserve to work there." I said, burying my face in my hands. "Goodnight."

He leant down to kiss my head. "Don't wait up all night for Jules."

I looked away to hide a frown. "I'm not planning to."

He laughed. "Sure you aren't."

A few hours later, the sound of the front door open and someone stumbling inside woke me from a light slumber. I quickly looked around, and as my eyesight adjusted to the darkness, I realised I'd fell asleep on the couch.

While rubbing my eyes and yawning, I sat myself up and stretched a crook out of my neck. "Julian? Is that you?"

Julian gasped once he saw me, almost tripping as he tried to take his shoes off. "Shit, Jade! You scared me!"

I giggled as I watched him scramble to kick his other shoe off.

He flicked the light on, revealing his all-too-familiar tired eyes. "What are you doing up?"

"I...I was waiting for you." I replied, anxiously chewing on my bottom lip. "I miss you."

Confusion replaced the tiredness in his eyes. "You miss me? I'm right here. I haven't gone anywhere?"

"I know. It's a long story, but I just do..."

Julian walked over to me and offered his hand with a soft smile. "Come to bed and tell me about it, then."

I nodded and followed him to the bedroom. Once we were all settled in, I rolled over to face him, ready to talk, but as soon as I opened my mouth to speak, he was already fast asleep. I chose to ignore the subtle ache I felt in my chest as I rolled back over and squeezed my eyes shut.