Left and Right in the Dark - A Julian Casablancas fanfic

Chapter 14: The Adults Are Talking

Sophie's POV: The next day

After thinking about the conversation that Jules and I had yesterday, I take some time to myself, and soon build up the courage to tell my parents the truth.

Jules and I text each other in the morning. I tell him I am ready to have this conversation with my family; we set up a time for him to come over. I tell my parents this morning that Julian will be coming to the hotel in the afternoon to discuss something with us. They seem a little skeptical but agree.

Jules arrives at around 6:00 PM. I give him our room info. My parents welcome him in.

"Hi, Julian. Had a good day so far?" Dad asks with a smile.

"Yes I did, Mr. Martin. Thanks for asking."

"So, what's this about?" Mom asks with curiousness.

"There's just something to announce, and we need both of you to hear this," I reply, being a little vague in my description so I don't give too much away.

"Oh, you're involved in this?"

"Yes, I am."

I can feel the anxiety build up in my body; my stomach is getting tied in knots. I walk with Julian to the center of the room. My parents sit on the edge of one of the beds and Alex stays close to one of the walls.

"So... Mom and Dad... I wanted to- no, we wanted to clarify something," I hesitate with nervousness.

Mom and Dad both wait for me to keep talking. I can see them getting slightly confused from my nervousness.

I look at Julian; he gives me a nod of reassurance.

I take a deep breath and say:

"Julian and I are dating. We're a couple."

My parents' eyes go wide in surprise. I see Alex slowly sitting down on the bed with my parents.

"Sophie..." Mom asks.

"I'm in love with him."

I take Julian's hand as I intertwine it with mine.

"This can't be true," Dad says.

"It is," Julian chimes in. He takes our hands and brings them forward. "And I'm in love with her too. When we met each other at the coffee shop, we immediately clicked. We became friends that night, and then... I don't know... it quickly progressed into a relationship."

I see my parents in a slight shock. Mom slowly clutches Dad's arm.

"Before you two say anything, I just want you both to know that our relationship just started, and it's very innocent. There is nothing inappropriate going on between us."

"Yes, she's right. Plus, I would never force your daughter into doing anything she wouldn't want to do. I care about her too much. The last thing I want to see is her getting hurt."

I look at Julian and give him a smile. I turn back to my parents: My mom has a somewhat worried expression on her face and my dad is pursing his lips, looking a little bit angry.

"Can you two please step outside for a moment? Thomas and I need to have a chat," Mom says with a straight tone.

"What? No, we don't-"

"Yes, we do," she interrupts Dad, her eyes wide at him. She signals the two of us to step out. I sigh in slight dismay as I close the room door behind me.

"Well, they're taking this better than I thought," I say sarcastically.

"Hey, don't be upset. It's gonna take some time for them to process this," he replies softly, his hand touching my shoulder.

And that's when I get one of the most simple (yet most magnificent) pieces of advice I have ever received.

"Anger is weakness, patience is strength."

Geneviève's POV:

I see Sophie and Julian exit the room before I talk to Tom in a low voice.

"Alright, Thomas. We need to think about this situation."

"I don't understand what we need to think about when it seems as if the answer is simply right in front of us. This isn't right. Why don't we just break everything off?"

"I know very well that Julian keeps her happy, and his music has gotten her out of her depression. He indirectly saved her, and we should thank him for that."

"Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate that from him. But we are talking about the two of them deciding to be in a relationship with one another. They are eight years apart from each other."

"Listen, I'm just as shocked as you are. I didn't expect this from her. I don't approve of their relationship, but at the same time, I care about our daughter. I want her to be open-minded, independent, and free-spirited, like we raised her to be. I can't stand seeing her go through another dark episode. Do you really want to relive what happened two years ago?"

"No, I don't.. but... I'm just confused as to how this happened in the first place. Not to mention that this is Sophie's very first relationship," he says, scratching his head. "If anyone I blame Julian for this. He knew what he was getting himself into. He should have known better. If anything, it was his responsibility to stop it."

"Can I say something?" Alex chimes in.

"Of course you can," Thomas replies.

"Think about this for a second. From the moment we met him, he has been very kind and generous to us. We had a good first impression of him. And Sophie did say that their relationship is very innocent. Why don't we just trust them? It's not fair to just immediately split them up."

"Well, all of that is true. Julian does have his politeness and manners..." Tom reconsiders.

"I want to compromise in this. I agree that their relationship isn't right. But I understand how close they are," I speak up.

Tom and I soon come to a decision. We tell Alex to let Sophie and Julian back inside.

Sophie's POV:

I twiddle my fingers as Julian and I re-enter the room. I look at Mom, who signals Dad to speak.

"We are being very generous here, only because we care about our daughter and her happiness. Sophie, we will let you keep your phone for you two to contact each other. We understand how close you both are, but we will not allow a relationship between the pair of you. At most, only great friends."

I figure this offer itself is a big deal. If I try to argue back, they might take this away. I simply turn to Julian and nod.

"Ok. But will we still be able to see each other?" I ask.

"We trust you both. We will allow you to see Julian. But if anything else happens, anything inappropriate... I'll just say nothing good will come after that," Dad warns us.

"We understand. Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Martin," Julian says, relieved. He goes to shake my parents' hands.

The two of us hug each other. I give a bright smile and I look at my family smiling back at me.

Wow. I didn't expect anything close to what just happened. This was such an interesting turn-around.

Title Credit: The Adults Are Talking - The Strokes (Album: The New Abnormal)