You Again (Completed) ✔️

65.

I walk into the house and see my best friend Veronica and my roommate sitting on the couch with Cole.

Veronica looks over at me and smiles. "I'm glad you're home." She stands up and heads over to me. She throws her arms around me and says, "I'm glad you're home." Looking at Cole, she adds. "I was surprised to see him here, though. Is everything okay?"

Putting my bag on the hook, I say, "Hey, Veronica. What time did you get in?"

"I got here at lunchtime. Cole told me that he's here for your protection."

Walking over to the couch, I take a seat close to her. "Yeah, Cole is. While you've been gone, things haven't been that great. One of my brothers tried to kidnap me while I was at Cole's place. He failed because Cole walked through the door at the right time."

Cole moves over to me and places his arm around my shoulder. He whispers. "I won't let anything happen to you, Julia. That's a promise."

I know he won't let anything happen. He's proved that to me over and over again.

Veronica stands up. "I have to make a phone call. I'll be right back. I want to hear about how you two got together."

A smile spreads across Cole's face. "There's nothing to tell, Veronica. It just happened."

I kiss his cheek. "It happened because we spent a lot of time together, and our feelings developed, and we couldn't deny how we felt about each other. That's all." I grab Cole's hand and lead him to my bedroom.

I shut the door and looked at Cole when we got to my room. "There's something different about her, Cole. I can't pinpoint what it is, but I think it will cause some trouble later."

He takes a step toward me. "Why do you think that?"

I shrug.

I can tell something is up because she said she needed to make a phone call and wanted privacy while she did so.

Cole pulls his shirt over his head. "I'm going to shower, and then we're going to dinner with your friend. I want to get to know her better. I didn't get to when she was here the first time. Now that she's moved here, it's a good time to get to know her."

"Okay," I watch him walk to the en-suite bathroom.

When the door closes, I leave my room and down the hall. I hear Veronica on the phone.

"We can't do that. Veronica's going to know something is up. Give me some time to come up with a better plan. We need him out of the way before I can proceed. The question is, "How will you get Cole out of the way?"

Wtf is going on?

The room is silent for a bit before she says, "Great, now that we've got that sorted, I can start next week. Have the room ready for me. I'm going to need a whole heap of instruments to torture with." She hangs up the phone. The door opens, and Veronica looks at me. "It's rude to eavesdrop, Julia. You should know that by now."

"I didn't hear anything. I was going to the kitchen to grab a glass of water."

"Mmm hmmm," She walks down the hall leading the way to the kitchen. She takes a seat on the island chair. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing, why?"

"I was hoping my best friend was up for a night of drinking at Lusive. It's one of the hottest nightclubs in Los Angeles. I heard about it from a friend who went there. He suggested that we check it out."

"Sounds good."

I will ensure that Jai gets a letter if I don't return home after going out with Veronica.

I don't want to believe that my friend will do something to hurt me, but my brothers have proven to me that blood doesn't matter to them and that I deserve to be hurt.

I've never done anything to them. I was always there for them, but I never had anyone. At least Antwon and Liam have each other. They were very close when we were growing up, and they didn't let anyone get too close to them.

Now, they have the same boss, and they're willing to do anything they ask, even if it's to hurt their own sister.

Cole walks out of the room with his shirt unbuttoned. He looks at me. "The shower is all yours, Julia." Looking at Veronica, he says, "Are you going to wear that to the restaurant?"

She shakes her head. "I'm about to have a quick shower. I should have done that when I arrived, but having you here distracted me." Veronica walks into her room and closes the door behind her.

I grab Cole's hand and say, "She's up to something, Cole. I heard her on the phone, and she mentioned that she needed to get you out of the way."

"We'll deal with it when the time comes. You shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations. It's not good to listen to what's going on. You could misinterpret things."

I'm not misinterpreting anything. I hope Cole feels guilty for not listening to me if anything happens.

Since he doesn't want to listen to my concerns, I think it's best to contact someone who I know will help me devise a backup plan and another plan.

Grabbing clothes from the closet, I walk into the bathroom and place them on the rack. Stripping out my clothes, I head to the shower and turn it on. While the water heats up, I step into the shower and lather my hands with shampoo. Ducking under the shower head, I tip my head back and let the water wash over my body.

Once I've finished in the shower, I step out and dry myself off. I put on my clothes and walk out the door.

My phone goes off, alerting me to a text. Walking over to the nightstand, I picked it up and read the message.

Amara: Hey, Julia. I got home safely. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me.

Me: That's great you made it home. Can you help me with something?

Amara: Sure, tell me, what's going on?

Me: My best friend just got back from New York, and I overheard a conversation about her having to take Cole out.

Amara: What did he say about it?

Me: He told me not to worry.

Amara: Do you have plans with her?

Me: She wants to take me to Lusive.

Amara: That's great. I know the bar owner. I'll send him your picture so he can watch over you. I'll also send Knox there for extra precaution.

Me: That sounds good. I have to go out right now. Can you form a plan and then let me in on it later tonight?

Amara: Sure. Talk to you later.