Chapter 3
Zoe gave a short laugh. "What else? With that brain of yours, you get dizzy the second he sweet-talks you.
"If I didn't keep an eye on things, you'd probably think it was cute even if he showed up wearing his shirt inside out."
Julian, his hand still resting near my knee, chuckled along. "Am I really that useless in your eyes?"
Zoe scoffed. "Have you ever been useful?"
If I hadn't heard those words through the bedroom door, this whole exchange would have felt completely normal.
One getting scolded, the other taking the heat.
And me, sitting right there between them, feeling like I didn't have a single thing in the world to worry about.
My phone buzzed again.
Zoe's name popped up on the screen.
She was standing right in front of me, yet she was texting me.
Zoe: [Did you hear my voice note calling you an idiot earlier?]
Another text popped up immediately after. [I have a trash mouth. Don't take it to heart.]
I looked up at her.
She was holding the gift box, keeping her eyes downcast to actively avoid my gaze.
I locked my phone screen. "I want to take a shower."
Julian stood up instantly. "I'll go run the water for you."
Zoe grabbed her purse. "I'll take off, then."
She walked over to the entryway and slipped into those glittery stilettos.
The heel wasn't broken at all.
There was just a tiny scuff of white paint on the edge, like it had banged into a baseboard in a blind panic a few minutes ago.
As she bent down, Julian shot her a glance.
It was very brief.
Right before she pushed the door open,
Zoe looked back. "Mimi."
I raised my eyes.
The smile on her face was starting to crack. "I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. Don't sleep in."
I nodded. "Okay."
The door clicked shut. Julian walked out of the bathroom. "Water's ready."
I stood up.
As I walked past him, he grabbed my wrist.
"Mia," he said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
He looked at me, a hint of cautious probing in his eyes. "Why are you being so quiet today?"
I kept my eyes lowered. "Just tired."
He gave a soft smile and leaned in to kiss me.
I turned my face away.
His lips brushed against my ear instead.
Julian paused, caught off guard.
"I'm going to shower first," I said softly.
He slowly let go of my wrist.
The bathroom was thick with steam.
Standing in front of the mirror, I slowly rolled up my pant leg.
The red burn mark on my skin wasn't too big.
I turned on the shower, letting the sound of the water drown out whatever was happening outside.
The mirror quickly fogged over.
I raised the back of my hand to wipe it away, catching sight of my bloodshot eyes in the glass.
My phone vibrated on the vanity.
Zoe sent another message. [Mia, are you really okay?]
I stared at the words for a long time.
Finally, I replied: [I'm fine.]
That night, I moved into the guest room.
Julian stood in the doorway clutching his pillow, his brows knit tight. "Are we fighting?"
I kept making the bed.
The guest room comforter was rarely touched, throwing off a faint scent of cedar as I shook it out.
"No," I said.
"Than why are you sleeping in here?" Julian asked.
"I'm just exhausted from the trip."
Julian walked inside and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
"I'll behave," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Just go to sleep. I only want to hold you."
In the past, I would have melted and buried my face in his chest.
This time, my fingers just tightened on the edge of the blanket. I didn't move.
Julian tightened his grip. "Mia?"
I pulled his hands away. "I want to sleep alone."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
"Is this about whatever Zoe said to you?" Julian asked quietly.
My hand froze right over the pillow.
He watched me, his expression darkening for a fraction of a second before that familiar, easy smile slipped back onto his face.
"With that mouth of hers, she was definitely calling me a flake again, wasn't she?" He sounded like he had finally found a convenient loophole to smooth things over.
"You know how she is. She talks a lot of trash, but she's always looking out for you," he added.
I looked down at his hand.
The matching promise ring sat squarely on his ring finger.
Two months ago, I had dragged Zoe to the mall to help me pick them out.
When the sales associate asked for his size, I stumbled over my words, completely clueless.
Zoe stood right beside me, rolling her eyes. "You guys hold hands twenty-four-seven and you don't even know his ring size?"
Despite the teasing, she was the one who remembered the exact size Julian wore.
The day Julian received it, he laughed and scooped me off my feet, spinning me around. "Are you finally locking me down?"
Zoe took a picture and posted it to her Instagram story. [The little idiot finally figured out how to tie a guy down.
[Julian Sinclair, if you ever take that off, you're dead.]
Julian had commented right below it: [Never.]
Back then, I lay in bed repeatedly opening that story, genuinely believing we had everyone's blessing.
I smoothed out the corner of the comforter. "Yeah. She looks out for me."
Julian's posture relaxed.
He stepped closer and gently ran a hand through my hair. "So stop overthinking. I'm going to need you to save my ass when we see your parents tomorrow."
I looked up. "Are you actually nervous?"
Julian laughed. "Terrified."
He crouched beside the bed, taking my hand in his. "Your dad doesn't look like the type you can just sweet-talk.
"What if I bomb the first impression and he refuses to give me his blessing?"
He said it so effortlessly. So naturally that it made it feel like we were actually about to get married.
Julian lowered his head to kiss my knuckles, his eyes flicking up to meet mine. "But I'm going to bring my A-game.
"I want to prove to them that they can trust me with you."