Chapter 2
Zoe noticed my pants and frowned. "Mia, why are you just standing in the mess? Are you crazy?"
She walked over, bending down to pick up the plastic container.
She was wearing my slippers. The pink bunny ones.
The left bunny ear was a little squashed where I always stepped on it.
Julian had bought them for me at the mall.
He said I walked too quietly around the apartment and always spooked him, so if I wore something bright, he would spot me instantly.
Zoe looked down and noticed them too.
Her fingertips froze on the edge of the takeout container.
"Where are your shoes?" I asked.
She quickly looked away, busying herself with wiping up the spill. "The heel broke."
Her tone shifted back to her usual irritable self. "I told you I should have tossed those trashy heels, but you told me to get them fixed. What a joke."
Julian pulled paper towels from the coffee table and handed them to her without making eye contact.
Zoe took them, aggressively wiped the floor a couple of times, then looked up and barked an order. "First aid kit."
Julian walked over to the left side of the TV stand and pulled open the second drawer.
It was where I kept my burn ointment, stomach medicine, and band-aids.
As he reached for the kit, Zoe suddenly spoke up. "Don't grab the ointment in the back. She said it made her break out last time.
Julian's fingers paused.
I lifted my gaze.
Zoe seemed to realize she wasn't the one who was supposed to know that.
She immediately tossed the soiled paper towels into the trash and doubled down on her defensive attitude. "You don't even remember what your own girlfriend is allergic to? Wow, Julian. Just wow."
Julian set the first aid kit down in front of me. "I remember," he said.
He crouched down and gently rolled up my pant leg.
Zoe stood next to him, looking down at me.
Her voice softened a fraction. "Does it hurt?"
I looked at the slippers on her feet. Then at the silver glitter behind her ear.
"No," I replied.
Julian dabbed some ointment onto a cotton swab and carefully applied it to the red skin.
His hands were incredibly steady.
In the past, whenever my stomach acted up, he would be exactly like this. He would kneel by the bed, rubbing my stomach while scolding and sweet-talking me all at once.
"Mia, do you just neglect yourself because you know I'm completely obsessed with you?" he would ask.
When I curled into a tight ball of pain, he would wrap my hands securely in his. "I'm right here. Don't be scared."
Zoe had walked in on us once and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Give it a rest, Julian. If you keep babying her like this, she'll forget how to drink her own water."
Julian had just smiled. "I want to."
Zoe shot back, "Keep spoiling her, then. See how ruined she gets."
Back then, I had hidden under the covers, smiling so hard my eyes crinkled.
I felt so lucky, spoiled by my man and fiercely protected by my best friend.
Julian finished applying the ointment and looked up. "Still hurt?"
I shook my head.
Zoe bagged up the ruined takeout container and walked over to wash her hands.
She knew this apartment far too well.
She didn't need to fumble for the bathroom light switch, nor did she have to check which side the hand soap was on.
The water stopped running. She stood in the bathroom doorway, shaking the water from her hands.
Julian pulled two paper towels from the coffee table and held them out.
Zoe took them. Her fingertips grazed the back of his hand.
They both froze.
It was a fleeting moment. So brief it was almost like it never happened.
I stared toward the bathroom.
The light was on.
A warm, yellow glow spilled through the frosted glass.
Ever since Julian found out I was afraid of the dark, that light had never been turned off.
He used to say, "This way, if you wake up in the middle of the night, there will always be a light on for you."
I had been so touched I couldn't sleep for hours.
When Zoe found out later, she called me pathetic. "You got bought off by a single lightbulb?
"Mia, you seriously need to wear a sign that says 'Gullible'."
I was clutching a throw pillow at the time, defending him. "But he actually remembers."
Zoe rolled her eyes. "That's exactly why it's dangerous. The more he knows about what scares you, the easier it is to manipulate you."
Now, she was standing right next to that very light, clutching the paper towels Julian had just handed her.
Julian put the first aid kit back into the drawer.
He crouched in front of me, tilting his head back to look at me. His eyes were intensely soft.
"Why didn't you tell me your trip ended early?" he asked.
"I wanted to surprise you," I murmured.
His Adam's apple bobbed. "I'm definitely surprised."
Zoe tossed the paper towels into the trash and chimed in from behind. "Surprised? Look at her. She just got back and immediately got burned by your food.
"Julian, you better keep your mouth shut when you meet her folks tomorrow, or you're gonna expose how dumb you actually are."
Julian let out a short laugh. "Alright. I'll let you vet me, Ms. Miller."
Zoe picked up a couple of gift boxes from the coffee table and displayed them for me. "I only came over today to help you double-check these gifts."
She pointed to a sleek tin. "This artisanal tea is for your dad.
"The one Julian originally bought came in a box so tacky it looked like a freebie from a cheap spa."
She pointed to another box. "And these pastries are for your mom. I swapped them out so they aren't too sweet."
Her fast talking slowed down, as if she were meticulously planning everything out for me. "Mia, don't stress out tomorrow.
"If your parents ask about his job, don't jump in to answer for him. A man needs to speak for himself when he meets the parents."
I stared at her. "You came over to help me check the gifts?"