Julia's Man

1. A Confession for Julie

A.N: Patois will be italicized but if there's confusion, I'm more than happy to clarify in the comments. Comments and votes are welcome. Thanks for reading!

1. A Confession for Julie

Nothing felt right.

The bedroom was larger than any I'd ever slept in. Fancier too. With its over-the-top, floor-to-ceiling draperies and abalone shell chandelier, I felt like I'd walked right onto the set of the Princess Diaries. And why shouldn't it feel that way? It had been tailored to suit my tastes, after all. I may not look it but I'm a sucker for fairy tales and regalia.

The soft hues and delicate fabrics, the ornate headboard and silhouette bed pillows... they were so me.

But still, something felt off and it wasn't the suitcases by the door that remained unpacked.

They say one remembers the smell of home wherever one went, but that he or she only recognized it when far away and maybe that was the problem. For all my room's sleek furniture and chic accessories, I couldn't smell... Jamaica?

The mere thought sounded like it should never leave my head.

Well, whatever it was, there was nothing I could do to change it. There was no way to make it feel right, so I chose to lose myself in 1980's Ssangmun-dong, Seoul.

I swear, a good dose of Korean drama could flip even the most dismal situation over on top of its head. It worked like therapy and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been a frequent patient of Drama Fever since I landed in this hell hole.

What was this? My twenty-fifth series session?

Noise out in the hallway prompted me to check the time. I goggled at the computer screen.

It was almost three on Sunday morning and the soft, padding sound of careful footsteps meant she was back and sneaking into her room before anyone was made aware.

There'd been a party-the "last hurrah" before the semester began on Monday-and she'd been allowed to go on the condition she returned by midnight. Well, Cinderella skipped curfew but who was I to get involved? I had my own problems and she was Everton's.

The click that followed the closing of her bedroom door was what snapped me out of my musings and I refocused my attention on the drama. The familiarity that came from watching a series multiple times was what I needed. If I kept at it for a few more hours then I'd be too exhausted to keep my eyes open. Even after a whole month to adjust, that was the only way I could sleep in the spare room I was occupying.

I got swept up in the show again, the soundtrack and relatable characters pulling me out of my reality. That was however, until I heard the very distinct sound of tapping against the glass window. At least, I think that's what I heard. I sure hoped it wasn't.

I paused the show and held my breath. My heart thundered in my ear, making it so that I had to strain to listen and discern whether or not my life was about to head down a horror movie path. Sure enough, the silence was broken again by tapping-no, knocking... with knuckles... from a hand... of a person.

"Lord-a-Jesus!" My heart felt like it would soon follow the exclamation that flew from my lips.

There was someone out there. On the other side of the window! In real life! In real time!

I thought these things only happened in the movies. Hell, I wasn't about to follow the script and check to see what's out there. I'd seen enough seasons of Criminal Minds to know that America was full of crazies that could be more terrifying than any supernatural shit. Whatever it was, it was staying out there.