The Kiss

Chapter 3

When Julian had closed the door to his room it was dark. He took a deep breath and found the switch to his left on the wall. The view from his window was of the brightly lit sky with it's moon halfway complete. The beach he knew was on the other side of the buildings closest to the Institute. 

He had just been on the beach with Emma. A lot of things had happened. A lot  of things he had wanted to happen but never imagined what he would do after they happened. He should have thought about them more than just in the way one fantasizes and dreams.

He had been about to kiss Emma. He had wanted to kiss her and stay there on the beach with her. He wasn't meant to want those things. He did anyway. And in even in his hardest of hearts he still would have wanted to. But he had gone and messed things up. Typical.

He had nearly been killed by a dragon in his evident distraction. Emma had noticed the creature before he had barely pulled himself out of his reverie long enough to kill the thing. 

They hadn't spoken on the way back. He wouldn't have known what to say anyways. So he was left to think about what had just happened. In a way it was worse, the imagination can wander. It can fabricate things that didn't really happen. It leaves you alone inside yourself. The harshest trick it plays is that you are still aware that you could end the confusion if you just spoke it aloud. Though it gives warnings about that as well. 

He couldn't stop thinking about her. He was always thinking about her. It wasn't even the first time he thought of her like he was now, not even close to the first time. With regret and wanting and love. It was however, the first time the things he saw in his head had happened in real life. He tried to go to sleep. To just lay down and close his eyes. Maybe wake up tomorrow and be able to leave this alone. Tuck it away for the last waking hours of his days. He couldn't do that. He didn't want to, he just didn't know how to lay here and do nothing. Why wasn't he on his way to her room right now? To kiss her or apologize or to stand there and never knock.

He was a coward and so he did the cowardly thing: he resulted to slip into sleep. 

. . .

When Julian headed down to breakfast Arthur was the only one at the table. He hadn't expected them all to be there, but he was disappointed that Arthur was the first person he set his eyes on. Today especially. 

"Where's everyone?" Julian asked hoping Emma wasn't far.

"They've gone out to get food from the grocery store. Some big dinner Livvy wanted to have. Emma's gone with them to supervise. 

"Livvy and Ty are very capable of handling themselves." Had Emma wanted to go to avoid him? Was she upset?

"That's what I thought, but it is probably best if Emma went along. Just so we know that all the food they buy is in fact edible."

"Right. Any idea of when they'll be back?" 

"Shouldn't be too long my boy. I would have asked them to wait had I known you would be so keen on going along with them. Though quite honestly Julian, nothing note worthy happens at a grocery store."

"No. I'm not worried, just curious that's all." Great Emma was avoiding him. She never woke up this early even on a day when she hadn't been prowling the streets the night before. He must have messed up somehow. He knew he had. He just wanted to make it right, though he had absolutely no idea how. Maybe you should have kissed her you idiot! He thought to himself. 

"If you don't mind my asking, why did you sleep in so late?"

"Huh? Oh I don't know. Just tired."