White Lie | Danny Amendola

Chapter 25

** Julian's POV **

I pulled the box out of my dresser and sat down at the edge of my bed, waiting for Vicki to come out of the bathroom and finish getting ready for work-- Ready for her first day with the Celtics. As I fumbled with it, the bathroom door swung open, and Vicki came out while putting an earring on. I looked up and watched her move over to my dresser where she put on her perfume and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Uh... Hey baby," I said nervously as I looked up at her, still looking at her appearance in the mirror.

She looked over at me, eyebrows raised, eyes wide. "Do I look okay? I don't want to look bad for my first day, Jules," she said as she stood in place. I could hear the nerves in her voice.

I stood up and slowly made my way over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, and pulling her to me. "Of course you do. You look beautiful," I told her, looking down into her blue eyes before smashing my lips into hers. "You're going to do so great today," I whispered in her ear.

I pulled away so she could look at me and let out a sigh. "Are you sure? I-I'm just so nervous right now," she whispered, her blue eyes looking up at me with a look I couldn't identify.

I smiled down at her and dropped my arm from her waist. "You'll be fine... I-I uh... I got this for you," I told her as I brought the black velvet box into view.

She took a step back as I placed the box in her hands. With shaky hands she flipped it open, revealing the four leaf clover necklace that I'd gotten when Dola and I went shopping for his mom. "Julian," she gasped. "You did not! This is beautiful!"

A smile made its way to my face as I looked back up to her eyes. "Do you like it," I asked, my heart racing. I'd been nervous about this moment since the second I walked out of the jewelers with Dola. She looked up at me with a large smile on her face.

"Of course, I do! It's beautiful! Y-You didn't have to get it for me, though," she said, her blue eyes looking into mine. "And it's a clover! That is perfect for Celtics!"

I nodded as I pulled the box from her hand and got the necklace loose. "One... I thought it'd be beautiful against your complexion," I said as I held it up next to her face. "And I was right... Two... I thought it was perfect because you'd want some good luck on your first day..." I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. "And three... you're working for the Celtics... It's perfect. Just like you."

"C-Can you please put it on," she asked as she turned around and moved her short hair out of the way, so it wouldn't get stuck in the clasp. After I put it on, she turned around, cupped my cheeks in her hands and leaned up for a kiss. When she pulled back, she smirked up at me. "It's been two weeks since you finished the season... Do you think you can shave?"

I playfully rolled my eyes, but nodded. "I suppose," I joked. "But that means that you will have to celebrate with me." I winked.

She rolled her eyes and looked down at her watch. "I must be going... I don't want to be late for my first day," she said as she turned around and made her way out of the bedroom. I smacked her ass as she moved out, causing her to squeal. "Oh! And I look forward to no beard burn for once!" She called over her shoulder.

I laughed at her as I followed her out.

** Danny's POV **

"So when are you leaving for Texas," Julian asked as he slowly chewed on one of his french fries. "I'm surprised you haven't left yet."

I took a sip of my water and shook my head. "I'm leaving tomorrow... Then the second week in March I'll be back here for some charity stuff... In April you and I have that thing together, too," I told him with a sigh.

Julian nodded. "Are you ever going to talk to Kristene? I mean... You haven't been yourself... It's not only bugging me... Vicki can see it... Tommy can see it... Come on man... You've been miserable," Julian pointed out. His blue eyes were looking back at me, full of concern-- just like they'd been the past month that Kristene and I were apart.

I sighed. "Man... I-I..." I shook my head. "I've thought about texting her... I have... But... I just, I'm worried that she still hates me... That Ryan would come back to haunt us... That she's already found someone else."

"Dude... You know you broke her heart," Julian said, flatly. "I mean... Come on... You're not ready to move on, are you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head. "No... Of course I'm not. I love her. I miss her. I regret what I did every single moment of every single day," I told him. "And you know that, man."

Julian nodded his head. "Yes. I know that, and it's clear that you know that, so why don't you get off your ass and go find her? If you can't get over it, she clearly hasn't either! Go talk to her," he said with a sigh. "Man... We are all so sick of seeing you like this!"

"Yeah," I said. "But I'm leaving for Texas tomorrow," I mumbled as I looked down at my half eaten chicken sandwich. "I-I... There is no way I can go today. I have way too much to pack, still."

"Do you have to go to Texas tomorrow? Like do you really have something planned that's urgent? Cuz bro... If all you have planned is sitting by the pool and soaking up the sun, you've got a problem," Julian shot at me, his blue eyes icy.

I let out a sigh. Maybe Julian was right...