He Who Moves A Mountain Begins By Carrying Away The Smallest Of Stones

Good Men

PENNY'S POV

I thought that our time with all the drama had come to an end when we got back on track after Nick's wedding, but I guess fate had other ideas. I was sick and tired of feeling battered and bruised and I was honestly questioning what I had done in a previous life to deserve such heart ache. But I bet you're saying he didn't do anything right? well, I guess he didn't. But the intention was there, wasn't it? I mean, sure he says he was drunk, he thought that it was me with him, but seriously? I'm kind of insulted that he mistook her for me. I didn't want to hear his excuses, and I certainly couldn't look at him right now. He fucking sat with another woman- his ex- all night in a bar, and then almost left with her. How was he expecting me to react to this? I mean, when we had split up, I dated Jake and he didn't take too kindly to that, and I hadn't even done anything physical with him, but he was going to sleep with her. ugh. Just the thought of her being around him, or him around any other woman had me wanting to vomit. 

"Babe..." Julian knocked softly on the guest room door. I'd been in here since my melt down earlier this morning, and I had no intention of leaving it right now. "I-I guess I'll get out of the way for a little while....um, give you some space?" he asked. When I didn't answer he sighed and tapped his fingers on the door. 

JULIAN'S POV

I knew she wasn't going to speak to me any time soon, and it frustrated the hell out of me, "baby" I whispered, resting my head against the door, dragging my fingers down the wood, "Okay, I'll go....I love you short stack." I told her with tears filling up my eyes. I was starting to think that I had a problem. Like, why couldn't I hold down a normal steady relationship without me fucking it up? The silence from the other side of the door reminded me that I was a fuck up. So with a heavy heart, and my head hung low, I walked away from the door and grabbed my keys. There was only one place I figured I could go for help. And I had to pick someone up on the way.

......

PENNY'S POV

On hearing the front door close, I opened the bedroom door and peeped round it. The house was empty. I sighed with relief, I really didn't want to look at him right now. I needed to calm down a little. I needed to talk to someone. So I called Jamie. 

"Hey Pen, what's up?" She asked, answering on almost the first ring. I sighed, wondering where the hell I was going to start. "Do you need to come round?" She asked me, before I'd even spoken. "y-yeah, I think I do" I whispered through my tears. "I'll see you when you get here then" she told me, "okay, thank you Jamie" I replied and hung up. I wiped my face and then made my way up to our bedroom to shower and changed before leaving for Jamie's. 

......

When I got there, she was already by her front door, waiting for me. I gave her a sad smile and she ushered me inside. "what's the matter?" She asked, closing the door behind me. "Julian....I...He...." then the tears began. "come sit" she said, pulling me over to the couch. I sat down and she passed me a tissue, I dried the tears on my cheeks and swallowed the fresh ones that were brewing and I took a breath, "he...he...when he was in LA he bumped into his ex..." I began, Jamie was listening to me with concern filling her eyes. "he spent time in a bar with her, a-and he almost left with her...t-to go home with her a-and-"

"what?!" Jamie gasped in shock. I couldn't do anything but nod as I began to sob again. "he s-said he was drunk. That he thought she was me...til she called him Jules when they got outside" I cried. Jamie leaned forward and held my hands. "he said he flipped out on her and ran." I finished, and wiped my eyes again. My hands were shaking as I told her, but she squeezed them tight and I looked up at her. "I can't believe this..." she sighed, "you guys looked fine when you left last night" she frowned in confusion. I nodded at her and shrugged. "we were, until we got to his car. I tried to kiss him, but he pulled away. I thought it was odd, but I was tipsy myself. We got home and things began to get a little heated, well with me they did..." I sighed, feeling embarrassed and broken. I took another deep breath and looked to my lap, "he-he couldn't get it up..." I whispered. "what?" Jamie frowned, I looked up at her and nodded, "he told me he just wanted to cuddle" I shrugged, "but- it's Julian" she said, even she knew that he never had a problem in that department. I guess we talked more privately than I'd realised. I nodded at her, "I know...I mean, what does that tell me? If he almost spends the night with her, then he can't even get it up with me? what the fuck am I meant to think?!" I squeaked out, as the tears flowed down my face. 

Jamie huffed as she pulled away and sat back into the couch. "do you not think that it's maybe guilt?" I looked across at her and frowned. "like, it's Julian. He has no boundaries when he's as drunk as a skunk does he" she said, but I shrugged, "I've never actually seen him that drunk before" I told her, and her eyes widened. "oh, wow" 

I gave her an unimpressed face, not exactly knowing what she meant by that reaction. "I mean, most people know he's uncontrollable when he's had a few too many" she told me, which made me feel like I wanted to vomit all over again. "he's like a frat boy" she added. "how the fuck do I not know any of this?!" I cried, dropping my head into my hands in despair. I felt Jamie shuffle to the end of the couch and she placed her hand gently on my back. "You've known him like what? 2 years?" 
"just over one...." I huffed, raising my head to look up at her. Her eyes went wide, "well...."
"exactly, I'd known him 9 months and I said I was going to fucking marry him? like am I crazy?" I sighed, "I hardly know anything about him! You probably know more about him than I do!" I said, raising my hands up in frustration. Jamie rolled her eyes at me and shook her head. "c'mon, Pen, you're being stupid...I mean, yeah, it's madness that y'all have known each other such a short space of time and you're gonna marry him...but look at you guys...despite all this going on, y'all are goals" she said, making me snort at her. she smirked at me a little, "you seriously are." she said, "I know you've been through some stuff with him, and it's not been easy, but when you think about it, none of it was actually what it seemed, am I right?" she asked me. I frowned. 

"look..." Jamie carried on, crossing her legs Indian style as she perched on the couch still. "from what you told me, all the shit with that Adriana was all the media. Not Julian. Not to mention him flying over to England to see you and win you back!" she exclaimed, "when you were seeing Jake he was like a broken man, and all that stuff when he thought you didn't want to marry him too, like seriously that man has had it tough with you too" she told me, "and the dumb ass is still coming back for more" she grinned cheekily. I huffed out a breath and rolled my eyes, "seriously Pen. I'd kill for a man like him...he's not the smoothest guy on the planet, I mean he's a total goofball. But fuck. He adores you girl." she sighed, "Do you honestly think he would do you like that when he's been through all of that with you?" 

She had a point. 

"and as for the um...lack of action last night..." she blushed, "well, I think he's just feeling guilty for what happened, especially as he hadn't told you at that point. I mean, what would have been worse? You got laid and then he told you the next morning? You'd have ripped his balls off" she exclaimed. I laughed a little and nodded at her. "I guess so" I shrugged. "I mean, he's in a lose-lose situation right there" she added. "Don't get me wrong, he's a total dick for getting himself in the scenario in the first place, but, as soon as he realised what was going on, he told her- right?" 

"that's kind of what he said" I nodded a little, "but it's the thought of it all, I mean, what if he had gone there, he was so fucking drunk. Like he'd have gone home with her and slept with her and then what?! My god, what if he had gotten her pregnant?!" I whined "But he didn't, did he" Jamie sighed, "he didn't go home with her, he didn't sleep with her and he didn't get her pregnant." I could tell she was getting frustrated with my silly ideas. "but what he did do, was come home as soon as it happened and he told you. he didn't have to tell you right? But he did. No secrets." she shrugged. "You know he's a good man. that's why you want to marry him. That's why you fell in love with him right?"

I nodded. "I do love him" I whispered. "I love him with everything I have" I rubbed my eyes and blinked through the tears. "well, then. You got two options." she said, "you either walk away from him and end it for good, knowing he's sorry and that he didn't sleep with her, or, you suck it up, and work passed it. Marry the idiot and have babies of your own" 

I sat and pondered for a moment. "there is a third option" I said, intriguing her. "I stay here with you tonight, and make him suffer a little while longer, then take your second option" I suggested. Jamie listened to me and smirked. "I like option three" I giggled at her, "now, speaking of good men, how was jealous little Dola when we left last night?" I asked, and Jamie's smirked dropped, being replaced by a sheepish smile.