Anywhere With You • {J.C.}

||Forty-One|Eight Year Demise||

"I don't wanna change your mind, I don't wanna waste your time."
-Under Control

She had left him—his girlfriend had left him. The tour for Is This It had lasted for seemingly two years, he was constantly on the road. No sooner than the tour ended, the band was rushed into the studio to work on their sophomore album. There was no time to be a perfectionist—there was no time for Julian to critique every little sound the way he had for the first record. To top everything off, his girlfriend had left him.

He was moved by hostility to say the things he probably should've taken to the grave. He told Colleen everything; upset that he had wasted nearly eight years of his life on someone that was off to seek bigger and better things. He was bitter, that had been the reason he told her about Harlow Mavericks.

He noticed little things, but had honestly been too drunk or drugged to pay much attention. It started with her clothes—the left side of his closet seemed barer as the days passed. Then it was small things, like toiletries and perfumes, those things seeming to vanish within a week's time. Although she was living with him, most her belongings were no longer in his apartment. It should've been a red flag—it should have dawned on him of what was coming, but it didn't.

Not until she showed up at his apartment around noon. She had caught him at a time he was disoriented, and hungover. It made her reasons for leaving all the more valid—it just proved her point, she was justified in doing it right then and there.

She nearly scoffed at the sight of him when he answered the door; that red eyed haze she'd grown familiar with in the last year of their relationship. Although she had a key, she felt in her heart this was no longer her apartment—that it would be wrong to go on inside without an invitation.

"We need to talk." She had said. He knew it wasn't good—she had used those same words when she suggested they take a break all those years ago, when they were just kids.

Julian trailed to the kitchen, cracking open a beer to rid the relentless hangover putting pressure behind his eyes. He needed relief—he needed to prepare himself for whatever bullshit she was about to spring on him.

It was always something, either he stayed out too late, or she simply didn't trust him. Which was ridiculous—Julian was faithful, he had always been loyal.

Well... except for that one time he thought was only a dream. Despite the women that practically threw themselves at him during his time on the road, he'd kept his dick in his pants effortlessly. He was sure most men would've caved—most all men would've fallen into that insatiable lust of a stranger. But, not Julian.

He went into the bedroom to see Colleen sitting on the bed. She had a look about her—a disappointed expression he'd seen more times than he cared to admit.

"It's noon." Colleen spoke flatly, watching her boyfriend of eight years (off and on) shut the door to have privacy. She hated seeing him like this; Julian seemed lost—the things she once found endearing about him she now found annoying. It saddened her to see him like this.

"And?"

"It's noon, and you're drinking."

"And?" He chuckled; Colleen rolling her eyes at his stupidly smug response.

"Jules, I don't know how to say this. We've had some really good times together, you and I."

"Have we?" Julian smirked, biting his bottom lip as he approached Colleen in slow, staggering strides.

"What are you going to do when you get back in the studio, huh? Are you going to continue drinking like this-"

"You know I don't drink when I work." Julian cut her off. He was going to kiss her, but that condescending tone she seethed made him bypass her altogether; instead, taking a seat next to her in the bed.