26. Julian

JULIAN

Julian only had 48 hours before he had to fly back home again. There were many things that he could have dwelt on. What he was going to tell his boss on Monday. How his friends were going to react. What the hell he was going to do for money. Not to mention the absolute nightmare logistics of moving his entire life from one state to another just for a chance to be with Juno.

But instead he was trying to decide between a peony-focused floral arrangement or a wild spray of indigenous blooms.

The unerringly patient florist added eucalyptus to the native flowers and that clinched it for him. “That one, please,” he said. Julian wavered slightly manoeuvring it out the door but it would be worth it.

All his carefully laid plans disintegrated before his eyes when Juno spotted him entering the house. Such rotten luck that she wasn’t in any of the other fifty rooms and managed to catch him making a beeline for the guest bedroom.

“Don’t look!” Julian yelled over his shoulder as he shuffled his way past her, wondering why he chose such a huge bouquet that was impossible to hide.

“What?” Juno looked anyway because she was confused and he was being ridiculous.

About twenty minutes later, he was at the front door again. He smoothed his hair down, adjusted his grip on the flowers, and rang the doorbell.

The door swung open and Juno stared at him.

“Hi.” Julian presented the bouquet to her with a flourish. “For you.”

Instead of taking it from him, she stuck her head out the door and looked around as if she suspected she was being pranked. “Did you just…come home, get changed and then knock on the door holding the same flowers I just saw you come in with?”

Julian drooped, feeling wounded. “I’m picking you up for our date.”

Juno’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh! My bad, let me start again.”

Then she shut the door in his face.

It opened again immediately and Juno had a huge smile this time. “Julian! You’re here. Wow, these are beautiful.” She reached out and took the flowers from him and held it tightly as she admired them. “This is definitely my first time seeing them,” she added, her lips pursed as she held back a laugh.

Juno invited him into the house, pointing out rooms with the enthusiasm of a museum tour guide.

“And this is the kitchen, right over here!” She laid the flowers on the counter and fished out a vase so she could put them in water.

Julian rest his elbows on the bench and watched her work. “What a great kitchen. Never have I been in a kitchen this nice. I bet you make the best pancakes here.”

Juno’s delighted grin was infectious. “I do!”

Isaac walked in and both their heads swung towards him. He came to an abrupt stop, eying them like he was expecting them to do something outrageous like toss confetti all over him.

It wasn’t far off. Juno wandered over and gave Isaac’s shoulder a familiar pat. “Julian, I’d like you to meet Isaac, my prime.” She turned to Isaac and spoke with the cadence of a preschool teacher. “Isaac, I’d like you to meet Julian. My date.”

Isaac looked disturbed. “What on earth,” he said, shaking off Juno’s hand suspiciously.

Julian made it worse. “Hello Isaac. It’s nice to meet you. You have a lovely home.”

The pause that followed was excruciating. Finally Isaac spoke. “Thank you. It currently houses a kooky omega and a beta who encourages her.”

“Wow, that sounds annoying,” Julian said blandly.

Isaac’s lips pressed together in a tight line. “It’s…alright.”

They were all saved by the notification ping from Julian’s phone. “Car’s here!” Julian announced, holding a hand out for Juno to take. She giggled as she let him lead her back to the front door.

“Bye Isaac!” She waved before making her way down the steps.

“I’ll have her home before midnight, sir,” Julian added, tipping an invisible hat.

Isaac leaned against the doorframe, watching Julian open Juno’s car door for her. “When did I become the dad in this scenario?” he asked crossly.

* * *

The omega car service dropped them off right outside the restaurant. Julian was taking no chances after being entrusted with Juno’s safety tonight. The Golden Palace had fairly average reviews. But Julian knew from the laminated menus, abrupt door greeting and handwritten ‘CASH ONLY’ sign that they were going to eat well tonight. The child seated at a single table doing homework between manning the till gave Julian unwelcome flashbacks though.

They ate quickly as Julian assured her the main event was coming up after this.

“I don’t know, Julian.” Juno lifted her bowl of Zha Jiang Mian and used her chopsticks to push the last few noodles into her mouth. She did a happy little wiggle in her seat as she set her utensils down. “I kinda feel like this is the main event.”

If Julian wasn’t already completely in love with her already, that would have well and truly tipped him over the edge.

His heart was thumping when he led her a short walk down the street, stopping abruptly in front of their destination. Juno glanced up, then spun towards him, hands clasped under her chin.

“A retro gaming bar?”

Julian scratched his hair bashfully. “Is it ok?”

A mischievous smirk crossed her face. “I hope you like losing,” Juno taunted, disappearing through the door before he could blink.

It was the first time the bullshit of their circumstances faded away and they could just be. They floated between arcade systems; shooting zombies, blowing up alien spaceships and beating each other up to a bloody pulp. Julian made the mistake of letting her win one game and she was not having it.

“Fight me like you mean it!” she yelled with the seriousness of a war cry as she mashed the punch button.

The only thing more surprising than seeing this side of her come out was how arousing he found it.

Tucked in the far corner was a black and white photo booth and Juno immediately pulled him in. She drew the curtain shut and there was no escaping that sweet, summer scent. He had loved it back then all those years ago but it was exhilarating now. Bare feet running through a peach orchard and sugar kissed off sweat-soaked skin. Wild. Free.

“Follow my lead.” She grinned, pressing the button to start.

Always, Julian thought to himself.

The countdown flashed on the screen and panic immediately took over.

“A nice smiling one!” Juno called out.

Julian only just managed to bare his teeth in a half-smile, half-grimace.

“Be a fish!”

Julian used his hands to give himself fins only to realise that Juno had gone the much easier route of making a fish lips face.

“Mugshot for indecent exposure!”

He filled the entire frame with his lifted shirt and bared nipple. Juno lost it, bent over in a hacking laugh in the corner. She said nothing for the last photo. Instead, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, nuzzling him with her nose before she pulled away. The photos the machine spat out revealed his completely pole-axed expression. She handed him a copy and he stared at it the whole car ride home.

“Thank you, Julian, this has been perfect.”

They both knew how perfect dates were meant to end. The stage was set — the front door step, the soft glow of moonlight and two entwined souls.

Julian’s gaze travelled across her upturned face, down to her lips. A split lip, blood oozing from jagged teeth marks and bruises shaped like fingertips.

He recoiled at the vivid, malevolent memory.

You cannot be the reason they find her.

Julian exhaled loudly and made a big show of checking his watch. “Oh, it’s almost midnight. I better get you in — don’t want Isaac to have my head,” he babbled nervously. He turned away before her confusion and disappointment ruined him.

Yeah. He was a coward.