Ketchum, ID

ch 26 - jo

 The car ride home was silent. Alex turned on the radio, but turned it off when Fast Car by Tracy Chapman started playing. We pulled into our driveway and got out of the car. As we were walking up to unlock our door, Lucy, Julien, and Phoebe pulled up. They got out of their car and followed us inside. Once everyone was inside, Alex announced that they were going to shower, and the rest of us sat down in the living room.

"Should we watch a movie?" Lucy said, obviously feeling the tension in the room.

"As long as it's a happy movie, I'm in," I said honestly.

"How about 10 Things I Hate About You?" Phoebe said.

"Has Alex told you that's their favorite movie? They'd die if they came out and we had started it without them," I said with a small laugh.

"Okay, so 10 Things I Hate About You, but after Alex gets out of the shower," Lucy said.

We all gathered blankets, and I went into the kitchen to start popping popcorn. I heard footsteps behind me, but I couldn't make myself turn around and face who I knew had followed me into the kitchen.

"Hey, buddy," I heard her voice say.

"Hey," I said, my voice sounding as defeated as I felt.

"I'm really going to miss you," Julien said as she wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm gonna miss you too, angel," I said.

"I feel like we need to talk before we leave," she said, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

I immediately got a sinking feeling in my stomach at her words, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and put on my brave face as I smiled and nodded at her. She stayed in the kitchen with me as we waited for the popcorn to finish popping, and when it was done I poured it all into one big bowl. We brought the popcorn and a few other snacks into the living room, and I made eye contact with a wet-haired Alex. They could tell something was off by the expression on my face, and asked me what was wrong with a single look. I made a face that told them I'd tell them about it later, and they brushed it off.

"Uh, you guys can start the movie, I'm gonna go talk to Jo for a minute," Julien said.

Alex made eye contact with me again, and the look on their face let me know that they understood what was wrong with me now. I flashed everyone the most convincing smile I could muster, and Julien grabbed my hand to lead me back to my room. When we got in, I shut the door behind us and we sat down on my bed.

"I'm sorry that I worded what I said like that," she started. "I hate it when people just tell me they want to talk to me, it always peaks my anxiety."

"Yeah, I can agree with that," I said, sort of laughing.

"I didn't want to make you nervous, that was not my intention. I'm the one that should be nervous, not you," she said, looking down at her lap.

"Why are you nervous? It's just me, angel. You can talk to me."

"I'm nervous because it's you. And you're never just you. I realized the other night that I never confirmed with words that I feel the same way as you in the office back at the bar. I just kissed you, and I wanted to confirm with words."

"Oh," I said, a wave of relief crashing over me.

"Yeah," Julien said. "I know that now is not an ideal time, since I have to leave and whatnot, but I really like you, Jo. We have only known each other for like two weeks, but I feel like I've known you forever. In such a short time you've become such an integral part of my life. I have never felt the way I feel about you about someone, and I think that scares me. You've made me excited about things I normally wouldn't do, you've made mundane tasks fun, and you've made me a much better person in the short time we've known each other."

As she was talking, I could feel myself tearing up again. I had told myself I wasn't going to cry again tonight, but she was making it damn near impossible.

"I really like you, Jo," she said in a serious tone. "And I don't want to be scared of it anymore."

"I really like you too," I said with a small smile. "So what happens now?"

"I will completely understand if you say no, because long distance is not the ideal situation," she said in a nervous voice, making my heart flutter. "But would you possibly be my girlfriend?"

"I would love to, Julien," I said, my entire face lighting up.

"I know it's really early, but I don't want anyone else, and I can't think about anything other than you. I want you to know it's just you for me, no matter the distance," she said as a blush started to creep onto her cheeks.

"And you're it for me," I said, reaching out to grab her hand.

She looked down at our hands and smiled, then looked up to make eye contact with me. I saw that she had tears in her eyes, so I reached up to wipe them away.

"I'm getting deja vu right about now," she said with a short laugh.

"Me too," I replied in a whisper. "Can I kiss you?"

"Now the deja vu is amplified," she laughed. "I thought you'd never ask."

The kiss was desperate. Neither of us wanted to let the other go, and neither of us wanted to be the first to break apart. We laid back on the bed without breaking the kiss, and the tension was tangible.

"Remember when I said I can't think about anything other than you?" Julien asked and I nodded. "This is 50 percent of those thoughts. This right here."

We continued kissing until there was a knock at my door.

"Everyone alive in there?" I heard Alex's voice.

"Be out in a sec," I yelled back, and then I turned back to Julien and groaned.

"I heard that!" Alex shouted through the door. "The popcorn is cold now!"

"I'm surprised there's any left," I whispered to Julien, causing her to giggle.

"Come on, let's get out there. I'm sure they're dying to hear the news," she said, intertwining her fingers in mine.

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finally!!!! (i say as if im not the one writing this and deciding the pace it moves at) 

p.s. thank you for the votes & comments ily