| |
JULIUS
––––––––
Julius stood in the doorway of Zoe’s bedroom, concealed by shadows, watching her sleep. He knew that if she woke up and saw him she would be mad with him but it was a risk he was willing to take. When she hadn’t returned home last night, was it only last night, Julius no longer knew, he had been frantic.
He had searched everywhere he knew that she liked to hike, before finally raising the alarm, discovering that she wasn’t the only hiker not to return home. When he had heard that there was another hiker lost he had hoped that they were somehow together, the idea of her alone terrified him.
He hated that she spent so much time alone, although he knew she would argue that she was fine, that she was used to it, he knew that was a lie. He saw the way she watched life from the sidelines, and it broke his heart. She was always so quick to help others, so quick to make sure that everyone else was okay, that she neglected herself in the process.
She kept herself on the fringe of everything and always had a ready excuse as to why she couldn’t join in any after-work activities. Eventually, everyone had stopped asking her to join them, which Julius knew had hurt her deeply, not that she had shown it.
They had been okay, though, the two of them, both misfits in their own way. Now though, Julius wasn’t sure how to fix things, how to get through to her. It killed him inside that she genuinely seemed to think that he hated her, that he didn’t want her around.
When she had told him that she was having a miscarriage he had felt as if someone had punched him. Just the thought of her going through that, alone, stole his breath away. She hadn’t called him, hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him. He had felt like the biggest fool in the world right then, everything he had ever wanted, Zoe, a family, was gone in an instant.
Now that he knew she hadn’t lost the baby, he was determined to make things right between them, to show her that he did love her, had always loved her and that he wanted her, that he wanted them both. He knew it would take time, but he was willing to do whatever it took to get Zoe back, to go back to how everything was before that fateful shower together, before he ruined everything and threw away the only thing in his life that he had ever wanted.
When Zoe woke the following day, Julius was waiting at the kitchen table, breakfast already made. She eyed him suspiciously as she sat down at the table, pouring herself a glass of juice from the jug. He helped himself to a plate of pancakes and syrup, watching her watching him as he ate, her brow furrowed.
He nudged the dish of bacon closer to her, her nose wrinkling as she fled from the table, slamming the bathroom door behind her. He was waiting for her when she had finished, a glass of icy water and a slice of dry toast in his hands, held out to her as a peace offering. He grinned as she begrudgingly took both and padded back to the table, nibbling on a corner of the toast.
“Why are you here?”
“I made breakfast, and I told you yesterday, I’m going to look after you, both of you.”
“I see.” Zoe placed her half-eaten toast down on her plate.
“I want you to meet my parents, would you do that for me please?” Julius asked, suddenly desperate to have Zoe see his home planet, to see where he came from.
“Do they know about your little mistake?” She smiled waspishly.
“Yes.” He wished he had never said those words, although he had meant them, he just hadn’t meant them in the manner that she thought he had.
“So, this is what? A chance for you and your family to gang up on me, is it? To show me how wealthy you are? How important? What’s the plan, Julius? Are you expecting me to give your little mistake over to your parents to raise or are you planning on trying to buy me off so that I keep quiet?”
“Zoe, I just thought you might enjoy seeing the planet that I came from, that’s all, there is no ulterior motive.” Actually, there was, but Julius wasn’t going to tell her that. He had hoped that if he could get her away, they might rekindle their friendship, although he wanted far more with her, he knew anything more was unlikely.
“I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at him.
“Fine, I’ll tell you what, come, meet my family, see my planet, and then if you don’t like it, I’ll bring you right back home again, you have my word.”
“Too bad I can’t trust that.” Julius flinched at the insult, knowing that to her, it was true.
“Zoe, please, will you let me do this for you?”
“Fine,” she huffed, “I’ll go see your planet on one condition.”
“Name it.” He smiled, wondering what new book or trinket she would ask for.
“When you return me to Earth, you leave me the hell alone. I mean it Julius, no phone calls, no text messages, no visits, nothing. You disappear from my life for good, no matter what happens. Is that clear? I do not want you or anyone from your family to ever contact me again.”
Julius’s blood ran cold at Zoe’s impersonal tone. How could he ever let her go, and yet, how could he not?
“When we return to Earth, if you still want me to, I will leave you alone.”
“Then you have a deal. How do we get to...Wherever we are going,” Zoe finished lamely.
“My planet is called Kizmet, and we simply go, now if you are ready?”
“Go? As in fly away on a spaceship?”
“Really Zoe,” amusement danced in his eyes, “you have been watching too many late-night movies”.
“Oh, ok then, sorry I’m not caught up on all things alien,” she rolled her eyes, “tell me, how do you get to your planet then?”
“Like this,” he stood and pulled her flush against his body, not missing the way her eyes dilated. He lowered his mouth, slowly, deliberately, to capture hers, a dizzy, heady feeling invading his senses. It was the first time Julius had touched Zoe since their one-night stand, and his body ached with need for her, the memory of her lingering in his every fibre.
“Open your eyes,” he commanded. Her eyes fluttered open, widening at the sight of a formal lounge room, a group of people watching them curiously. She jumped away from him with a small squeak, a delicate flush creeping up her cheeks.
“How did that just...Oh my!” A delighted gasp left her lips and she dashed to the large picture window, looking upon the scene as a child might view a Christmas tree. “The sky! It’s all swirly! Like the Borealis only more. It’s dancing! Will my phone work here, can I take a picture? Oh, I left it at home.”
“Your phone will work here perfectly fine; you can get some photos the next time you come to visit us.” Julius turned and embraced his mother, introducing his parents and his brother to Zoe, before offering her a tour of the planet.
They walked along in silence, Zoe marvelling at everything she saw, and Julius trying not to think about how wonderful it would be to have here with him here, forever.
“Your parents are nice.” Zoe eventually said, stealing a look in his direction.
“They are very well respected among their people here, they like you, you know.”
“What do you mean their people?”
“My parents are the King and Queen of Kizmet, I’m the crown prince.”
“What?!” Zoe all but shrieked, causing several undercover guards to look in their direction. Julius waved them away discreetly. “You’re a prince?!”
“Yes.”
“I see. So, one day you will live here? Rule?” She gaped at him.
“Yes, I except to.”
“I need to go home, now.” She turned and started striding back the way they had come. “You were a fool to bring me here, Julius, if word got out about your mistake, it could cost you all of this.”
“Zoe, wait, please, at least speak with my mother before you leave, I know she has something she wishes to talk to you about.”
