Chapter 25 - Julie

The next morning, I make my way to Lena"s shop with a coffee and tea in hand. It's still early, and the town is just waking up. I step inside the shop and breathe in the familiar scent of herbs and essential oils. Lena is behind the counter, organizing some jars on the shelf.

"Julie! Good morning," she greets me with a smile.

"Morning," I reply, handing her the caffeine-free herbal tea. "I figured you could use this."

"You're a lifesaver," she says, taking a sip. "I didn't sleep much last night."

"Everything okay?" I ask, concerned.

"Yeah, just busy," she says with a tired smile.

Cyrus is at the back, flipping through a stack of orders. He gives me a nod of greeting, his usual serious demeanor in place.

"Morning, Julie. Kaius talked to you this morning?"

"Morning. No, I haven't heard from him yet. Everything okay?" I reply, taking a seat at the counter.

"I'm going to let you two have that conversation before I get in between," Cyrus says with a shake of his head.

"Ominous," I say with a frown as he just backs away. Lena leans up against the counter next to me and sighs.

"You okay? How's everything going around here?"

"It's been super busy lately," Lena says, rubbing her eyes. "We've had a lot of online orders after someone posted about our stuff on social media, which is a good problem to have, I suppose. I'm just exhausted, and someone likes to sleep with their feet stretched up into my lungs."

We chat for a while; the conversation is light and easy. It's comforting to talk to them, to be surrounded by people who care about me. But the mood shifts when the door swings open and Kaius walks in. His face is tense, and he heads straight for me. Lena and Cyrus exchange glances, and then both make for the back of the shop, leaving us alone.

Definitely not good…

"Julie," he says, his voice low and serious. "We need to talk."

"What's going on?" I ask, my stomach tightening, and I step further from the back of the store.

"You can't stay at the apartment alone, not after what happened last night."

"What do you mean?" I ask with a frown, confused by the absolute shift in his stance from last night to this morning.

"There was a member of Eclipse watching your apartment," he says, his voice softening slightly. "I had to chase him off."

"What?"

"They're not just fixated on your uncle. They're watching you, too," he continues, the worry clear in his eyes. "It's not safe for you to be there alone."

"Look, I get that this is a whole thing for you, but I can take care of myself," I say, feeling frustration well up inside me.

"This is different," he says, rolling his eyes. He clenches his hands and releases them as he takes a deep breath. "I'm not saying you aren't a capable, strong woman. I'm saying this is more dangerous. I won't let you put yourself in danger."

"Let me? You don't get to let me do anything. I'm not putting myself in danger; I'm just living my life," I say, my voice rising. "I need to do this, Kaius. I need to prove to myself that I can."

"I get that," he replies, his eyes softening. "But you have to understand where I'm coming from. I can't let anything happen to you."

"What the hell has gotten into you? You think I can't handle this?" I ask, feeling anger bubble up inside me.

"No, that's not what I'm saying," he says, frustration seeping into his voice. "I just need to keep you safe."

"I don't need you to protect me," I say, my voice firm. "I need to stand on my own two feet."

"Julie," he begins, but I cut him off.

"No, Kaius," I say, my voice trembling. "You don't get to decide what's best for me. I am so tired of dragon bullshit."

"You're not hearing me…"

"No, I am hearing you. I'm just not listening anymore. I'm not interested in having anyone dictate to me what I do and don't need to do right now. I'm done with it. And a couple nights of whatever this is doesn't give you any right to do that."

The tension between us is palpable, the air thick with unspoken words. I can see the worry etched on his face, but I can't back down. I need to do this for myself. He reaches for my arm, and I step away, shaking my head.

Before we can continue, the door opens again, and my mother walks in.

Fucking perfect.

"Julie!" she exclaims, making a beeline toward me. "I've been looking for you."

"Mother…" I say, forcing a smile.

She glances at Kaius before focusing on me.

"You need to be nicer to this young man," she says, wagging a finger. "He's a good one, and he's so handsome."

I feel the heat creeping up my cheeks as anger wells in my chest, but I force a smile. Somehow, even out of her house and away from the market, she's still meddling in my life. It's actually impressive at this point.

"What do you want, Mother?"

"What's this I'm hearing about you opening the museum? Why didn't you tell us about it? You can't work at the market anymore, but you can find time to sit around looking at dusty old books?"

I'm not doing this.

I won't, not in the middle of Lena's shop and in front of Kaius, who is still glaring at me. I sigh and grab my mother's wrist gently, pulling her behind me out of the shop, leaving Kaius staring at me in irritation.

"Julie, what are you doing?" My mother sputters as I'm hauling her down the block as fast as is reasonable for a woman her age.

"Taking you back to the shop, where you can happily meddle in everyone else's lives and leave me alone."

She scoffs and tries to pull herself out of my steering, so I come to a stop. We're a few feet from the doors of the market.

I take a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. Why is it so impossible for all of them to understand that I can make my own choices and my own path? I spent far too long blending into the shadows, so now that's all they think I can do.

"I need you to stop interfering in my life," I tell her firmly. "I'm not discussing my romantic life with you, period. I'm not working at the market. I'm pursuing something that means something to me, and you can either get on board, or there's really not much else to say. Now, if you can accept that I'm not open to any more ‘advice', I will see you on Saturday morning for brunch. If you can't quit meddling, though, I'm going to just be done."

Her eyes widen in surprise, but she quickly recovers. There's genuine concern there, and I feel a fraction of guilt at having to be this firm with her nagging at my conscience, but I know I'm not wrong.

"I'm just trying to help, Julie."

"I know," I say, my voice firm. "Stop, though. I need to figure things out on my own. Please, just give me some space to do that. I promise, if you can just have a little faith in me, I'm going to figure everything out."

She hesitates, her brow furrowed.

"I'm just worried about you, honey. I want to make sure you're okay."

"I appreciate that," I say, feeling a pang of guilt. "But I have to do this for myself. I need to find my way."

"I'll try, but I don't like it."

I pull her into a hug, brushing a kiss on her cheek.

"I'll see you Saturday morning, Mom."

***

I spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking some additional boxes, and the first few exhibits slowly begin to come together. The depth of the towns history that I'll be able to showcase gives me so much excitement.

As the sun sets, I head upstairs to the small apartment, and I sit on the couch, staring out the window as darkness falls. The apartment feels empty, but I know this is what I wanted. I need to be independent, to stand on my own two feet.

I can't help but think about Kaius, about the way he looked at me this morning. I know he's just trying to protect me, but I'm not going to let him dictate my life either. I check my phone, and there are no messages from him. I frown, sending him a message to say goodnight and a joke about one exhibit I finished today.

I let out a long breath, pulling the blanket up around my shoulders. I can't let fear control me or let it stop me from living my life. I just have to keep moving forward, one step at a time.