Chapter 13 #2
When I reached for my phone, I remembered I’d stupidly given it to her to hold in her purse during the wake since it barely fit in the small pockets of my dress pants.
Fuck!
How could I have been so irresponsible?
I went down to the funeral home basement again, where the bathrooms were. The sound of knocking coming from the back corner caught my attention. Actually, it was more like banging.
“Help!” I heard someone say.
Juliette?
Oh my God.
What the fuck?
I ran over to the door and frantically tried to open it. “Are you okay?” I yelled.
“Yes. But I’m stuck in here because the door won’t budge!” she said. “It locked behind me, and I can’t get out.”
I pushed and pulled on the door again with no luck.
“Hang on. The door is fucking jammed. I’m getting help.”
I went in search of someone who worked for the funeral home. When I finally found a guy, I explained that my friend was locked inside one of the rooms.
“There is a door that gets stuck from time to time,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get someone to fix it.”
The man brought out some tools and finally got the door open.
Juliette’s face was red as she stepped out, and what I saw inside shocked the shit out of me, although it probably shouldn’t have: a body covered with a sheet atop what looked like an operating table. For fuck’s sake. She locked herself in the damn embalming room?
“I’m very sorry,” Juliette told the man. “I was curious about what was in here, and well, you know the rest.”
“No worries.” He chuckled as he locked the door. “I’m sure you learned your lesson with that one. I don’t expect you’ll do that again.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” I asked as we walked away.
Her voice shook. “I’ve always been kind of fascinated by funeral homes.
That sort of ties into my interest in horror.
I only meant to use the bathroom when I came down here, but then I saw this door and decided to peek inside.
I quickly realized what it was and tried to leave.
Though for some reason, the door locked behind me, and I couldn’t get out. ”
“You had me scared shitless.”
“You were scared?” She laughed angrily. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get over that trauma.”
I rubbed her back. “Damn, I’m sorry.”
She blew a breath into her hair. “It’s my own damn fault.”
We went back upstairs to let my mother know what happened. She managed a laugh, despite the somber mood of the evening.
Juliette and I left soon thereafter, stopping to pick up a couple of pizzas on the way home.
I turned to her in the passenger seat while we waited. “So, did that guy under the sheet have anything interesting to say while you were locked in there with him?”
“I flashed him, and he had more of a reaction than you,” Juliette cracked.
I chuckled. “Good one.”
She winked. “At least someone wants me.”
Tense silence settled between us.
“You think I don’t want you?” I asked after a moment, gritting my teeth. “Far from it, Juliette.”
She leaned her head against the seat and looked out the window. The ride remained quiet the rest of the way home.
After we returned to Mom’s, Juliette and I demolished most of a large pizza.
When my mother came home, she joined us at the table and ate a couple of slices from the second box.
It had been a long night, so Mom retreated to her room early.
Back in our shared bedroom, Juliette brought up the subject of my ex-girlfriends. I was surprised it had taken her this long.
“So, there were parts of tonight that reminded me of The Bachelor,” she said. “Women were lining up to kiss you on the cheek. I’m assuming you dated some of them?”
I raised a brow. “Why would you assume that?”
She glared at me. “They were attractive and clearly still into you.”
“A few of them were people I dated years back, yeah,” I confessed. “I hadn’t seen any of them in forever.”
“None were significant relationships?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Well, it’s a testament to the way you treat women that they would want to come and pay their respects to your grandmother all these years later.” After a moment, she added, “I can’t help being a little jealous of them.”
“Why?”
“Because they got to experience a side of you that I never will.” She sat at the edge of the bed.
“I guess I just don’t know how to separate my feelings from reality.
On a rational level, I know nothing can happen between us.
But too often you make me forget that, Wes.
And being here with you during this emotional time in your life, seeing how you comfort your mom…
” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m saying. ”
I knew what she was saying. Wanting someone you couldn’t have was torture.
I couldn’t really fathom how the future with Juliette would play out.
Eventually she’d find someone, and I’d have to sit back and watch.
Or maybe I could somehow get out of this particular gig and ask to be reassigned.
Although, I couldn’t imagine leaving her, either.
I wasn’t sure I trusted anyone else to protect her. And that was telling.
As she sat there rubbing her temples, I felt what could only be described as a magnetic pull that urged me to go to her, to hold her. Still, I tightened every muscle in my body and resisted. “I’m sorry things aren’t different,” I finally said.
Juliette looked up at me and murmured, “Me, too.”
Then my phone rang. “It’s your father,” I said before picking up. “Vince. How’s it going?”
“How are things down the shore?”
I hesitated. “My grandmother passed away. But I had the chance to see her before she died. So thank you again for clearing us to come.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
I noticed Juliette turn around and begin changing into her sleep clothes. I moved to the farthest corner of the room to give her some privacy.
“I wanted to let you know that things have calmed down,” Vince said. “You and Juliette are free to return to California. But you should still be on high alert—just no need to go back to Italy.”
I ran my hand through my hair. “Okay. I’ll let her know.”
“Very good, then. Take care of my baby girl.”
“Of course. Thanks, Vince.”
I was still looking down at the phone when Juliette asked, “What’s going on?”
After I filled her in, Juliette looked like someone had pissed in her Cheerios. “I was actually hoping to go back to Italy, believe it or not,” she said. “Although this is probably best for me workwise.”
“I hear you. A part of me was kind of hoping for that, too.”
My feelings on the matter were starting to mess with my head. So were Juliette’s nipples, which I could see clear as day through the thin shirt I was pretty sure she’d put on to torture me tonight.