Rome & Julie

Chapter 13

“Julie…?  Honey?”  I had never in my life been so utterly and completely relieved to hear Molly’s voice.  “Rome told me to find you.”  I inhaled a shaky breath and wrapped my arms around myself again, as though it would pull me together.  I wasn’t reassured.

“I’m here,” I croaked out, voice hoarse and scratchy from crying.

“What’s wrong?”  Molly’s quiet, worried voice was now a desperate, worried voice.  “Are you all right?  Let me in, Jules.”  I wasn’t sure I could move, let alone stand up to open the door and let Molly see me in all my miserable, pathetic glory.  I was very weak, in the mind and physically.

“I… need to be alone for a while,” I said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.  There was a painful silence that followed, and I wondered briefly if she’d left.

“Mrs. Madden ended the party a few minutes ago.  Rome told me you needed to meet him at the front doors of the house.  You know, to say goodbye to everyone.  I don’t know what’s going on right now, but Julie, Rome seemed very upset.  More upset, even, then how you sound.  It was his expression that nearly ripped my heart out, too.  What were you guys discussing that looked so heated — not in a bad way — to the point that you could make Rome, who’s usually so pulled together—”

By this time, I’d heard enough, so I had grabbed some unknown energy from the heavens, lifted myself, and opened to door to make her stop in her words.  She took in my face, rolled her lips into a very, very thin line, and looked towards the floor.

“What happened?”  Her voice was so soft that I nearly missed her two words, but they were said with such worry that I opened the door further, a silent invitation for her to come in.  I needed to tell someone all the crazy thoughts on my mind.  Otherwise, I was sure I’d go insane.  After she’d walked in, I once again shut and locked the door.

“Rome and I were talking.”  I paused to clear my throat, ashamed of how weak I sounded.  “He was telling me how… how much better I was than him.”  An expression of disgust found its way onto my face.  “I wasn’t quite sure he was serious, but his face was a serious as a heart attack.  I didn’t know what to say, because he complimented me so many times.  He didn’t have an ounce of shyness, either!  It was all so crazy.  I told him he was insane, because he was completely acting it!”  I took another steadying breath, although they seemed to help none at all.  “Then he….  Rome touched me.  I can’t — I mean, it was… his hand —”

“Jules, I saw… not to sound totally creepy.  I saw how he touched your face, and that awed expression on it.  I saw it all.  Then you pulled away.  And the new look on your face… I mean, it hurt me to look at all that agony.”

“What did Rome do?”  I asked hesitantly, not really sure if I wanted to know the answer.

“Before you ran into a chair, his expression mirrored yours.  Except he seemed kind of confused.  Like he figured something out, but didn’t know what to do with that piece of information.  Then, you falling over a chair seemed to knock him out of it, and he tried to call you back.  I don’t know if you heard that.  And he ran after you,” Molly finished, a soft, sad smile on her face.  We had moved to sit on the counter while we were talking, and I didn’t even worry if my dress got wet; there were other things on my mind.  “Do you think you love him?”