Anywhere With You • {J.C.}

||Ten|Easy||

"I like it right here, but I cannot stay."
-Hard To Explain

Harlow dressed in silence, watching as Julian pulled his jeans up over his hips—the sound of his zipper cutting the tension in the room like a knife.

They had done it... again. Alcohol no longer acted as a buffer for Harlow's embarrassment. She hadn't been drunk last night, but she'd had enough to fool Julian—to lie and say she had if he mentioned regret.

Having sex with Julian again wasn't her plan. She had come over to talk—that was it. But when Julian had started to talk, Harlow couldn't comply. Talking was too hard, sex was easy. It hadn't always been easy, perhaps that's why she took the opportunity when it presented itself.

She started to leave, Julian had eased her mind and that was really all she wanted. But before she could stand from the bed, Julian took her down—ravaging her neck with kisses, causing her to laugh. He got behind her, draping his arm across the small of her waist, pulling her back into his front.

Harlow lied still, a little confused. She needed to leave—she needed to leave before this too became a problem. Harlow couldn't afford Julian to be a problem, she already had too many.

"I, uh... I need to go."

"Why?" Julian spoke into the back of her hair, causing his voice to muffle.

"I jus- I just need to leave."

"You said you were gonna help me pick this place up... liar."

Harlow turned over, looking to Julian with narrowed eyes. "Look me in the face and tell me you're gonna clean up your house today. I dare you."

Looking into Harlow's eyes, Julian was trying with all this might to hold back a laugh. "I'm gonna clean up my house today."

"Now who's the liar?" Harlow spat, watching Julian roll over on his back, laughing.

"I really gotta clean this place up today. My buddy Nikolai's comin' over tomorrow. Don't want him knowing I threw a party without him."

Harlow started to question what Casablancas was doing throwing a party on a school night, but then she remembered—Julian didn't go to school anymore. She was saddened by the epiphany, the fact that Julian's presence in the halls would no longer be there. Sure, there was Fab and Nick, but Julian was the person she looked forward to seeing the most everyday.

"Are you gonna clean right now?" Harlow asked, placing her hand on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat under her palm, the steady rise and fall of each inhale and exhale.

"Nah, I'm gonna go back to sleep." Julian chuckled warmly, causing her hand to move with him. "I'll do it when I wake up."

Harlow sat up—her hand still over his heart for some reason. She didn't want to leave, but knew it was best. "Get the guys to help pick up-"

"They're gonna skip out on my ass as soon as they wake up. C'mon... you know this." Julian sniffled, pinching his nose closed to itch it with a sniffle.

"Want me to come back?" Harlow asked in a whisper. Julian's partially closed eyes narrowed in slits.

"No... I figured you could just sleep here, then you could help me." He continued to stare at Harlow with questioning eyes—searching her face for the reasons she kept showing up and then disappearing. "Why'd you come over? Was it to have sex, or... was it somethin' else?"

She sank within herself, not wanting to talk about it. She didn't want to face it—not yet. Harlow was using Julian to forget, not just about Alex, but about everything. "I really don't wanna talk about it. I just wanted to do something, you know."

"It really seems like you're just using me for sex, but... I know I ain't that good. So, what is it? We're friends first, freaks in the sheets second."

Harlow couldn't help but to laugh. The truth was, Julian was that good. It was unusual that a guy she had befriended first later took an interest in her sexually. With Alex, he had approached her with only one thing on his mind—to get her number and make her his girl. For Julian, his initial goal was a free ride (literally) that over time simply turned into friendship. "It's nothing. Just wanted to hang out." She lied, finding herself nuzzled into the bend of his arm—her hand still on his chest.

"Mhm." Julian placed his hand over Harlow's. "I want you to meet Nik. You guys have a lot in common. You're both smart and keep to yourselves. I know it's gonna be a school night, but... you should really go out with us tomorrow. Fab and Nick's gonna be there... you won't feel left out."

There was silence. In the moments of soundlessness, Julian had nearly fallen asleep.

"I'm gonna have to move... we're gonna have to move in with my mom's boyfriend. The last place my dad lived... is gonna be gone. There's nothing I can do about it... I just wanted you to take my mind off of it for awhile." Harlow admitted.

But by the looks of it, Julian had already fallen asleep.