Chapter 34 #2
Her insistence was moot, as Darcy darted away from her again.
If they were in a cartoon, Darcy’s cartoon-self would have been wearing a hat when she ran away.
The hat would have stayed in place as she ran, then – with how fast she returned – she’d have made it back for the hat to land back on her head before falling.
Juliet laughed, before she felt another bolt of pain, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
Focus on the bare minimum, she ordered herself. Don’t get caught up in Darcy being all… cute and concerned.
With that, she plucked her toothbrush from Darcy’s hand. “Thank you.”
After she brushed her teeth, then used Darcy’s mouthwash, she blinked at herself in the mirror. The bathroom lights were off, thankfully, so she couldn’t see her reflection in HD. But she was willing to bet her skin was sallow.
She turned the cold water back on, running her hands under the faucet then splashing it over her face. She then peeked her eyes open enough to reach for Darcy’s face wash, scrubbing intently over her skin.
Once she was done, she looked up to find Darcy holding out a hand towel for her to use.
She couldn’t help but smile as she accepted it, patting her face dry. Then keeping the soft towel pressed against her for several seconds, just to gather her composure.
Finally, she lowered it, handing it back to Darcy, who tossed it back over the wall hanger without taking her eyes off of Juliet.
It was absurd, really, how closely Darcy was watching her right now. Juliet counted out her breathing, keeping it slow and measured and steady, as she walked back into the hotel room.
Darcy was on her heels, walking over to grab the remote that had all of the room controls on it.
She furrowed her brow as she searched over the buttons, then hit one that had the blackout curtains moving smoothly over the windows.
Inch by inch, the afternoon sun disappeared from the room, leaving them in darkness.
“You don’t need to do that,” Juliet assured her, her voice hoarse. She reached up, rubbing at her throat, before she turned to grab one of the bottles of water on the bedside table near her. Throwing up before any performance was not ideal, but it was fine.
She screwed the top open, taking a few large gulps of water. Her stomach seemed to tolerate it.
Her vision was getting back to normal, too, which was the biggest relief. If her aura symptoms dissipated, then she could definitely push through the pain to go onstage.
“Just a minute,” she breathed out, closing her eyes. “Then we can go over the schedule. I know we have to leave soon.” She frowned, annoyed at herself. More accurately, her head. They probably had to leave very soon; she had no idea how long she’d been sitting on that bathroom floor.
“Uh, get real.”
Juliet’s eyes snapped open, narrowing her eyes at Darcy in the dark room. It wasn’t pitch black; she could still see Darcy, but she was uncomprehending. “What?”
“I said: get real,” Darcy repeated, as she crossed her arms and walked toward Juliet, closing the distance between them. “You aren’t coming to the show tonight. That’s… insane.”
She shook her head, refusing to accept that. Then cut off the movement with a groan. “But–”
Darcy gently pressed her fingertips over Juliet’s lips. “No buts. No ifs or ands, either, for that matter. Juliet, you’re sick. Come on.”
“I’m not sick,” Juliet disagreed, because that was simply factually incorrect. She waved her hand, dismissing Darcy’s assertion. “I have a migraine. I’ve done entire shows with them before; I just have to get through it.”
Darcy’s finger fell from her lips as she leaned back, looking affronted.
Like Juliet was somehow insulting her?! “Okay, well, this isn’t your show, this is my show, and I forbid you from performing through pain that’s so intense you threw up.
You still can’t even properly snap at me because you’re out of it. So, no. Sorry, but you’re not coming.”
Juliet wanted to fight – and she would… in a minute, when she gathered some more strength. As it was, she felt her cheeks sting with heat, her stomach twisting. This time, thankfully, not from needing to be sick. Just from good old-fashioned humiliation.
She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had seen her in that position. That… vulnerable. Actually, she didn’t think anyone ever had, other than her mother when she’d been younger. She’d started getting them when she’d been thirteen, and she’d at first believed she was dying.
Even Laura hadn’t experienced that with her. It was, quite literally, sickening.
“I’m sorry. About the…” She pressed her lips tightly together, angling her chin up. “Bathroom. That was disgusting.”
Darcy continued to look at Juliet like she was out of her mind, as she took a few steps closer, reaching out to gently rub her fingertips over Juliet’s temples. Even if it wasn’t where her pain was, her cool, soft touch felt heavenly.
“I’ve worked in bars for nearly the last decade. A little puke is nothing to me.”
It took Juliet a moment to reconcile Darcy’s words with her gentle tone.
She fluttered her eyes open, pulling a face. But she didn’t step back from the little head massage Darcy was providing.
“That’s absolutely disgusting,” she informed Darcy.
Darcy seemed to be entirely unbothered. “I’m just saying. Nothing about you is disgusting to me, and you better not apologize for being sick.”
She didn’t have it in her to argue. And… how could she, when Darcy was so straightforward and so honest, that Juliet had no doubt she meant those words. She believed without a doubt that Darcy actually didn’t see her any differently, now.
Even so, she found the resolve to pull back from Darcy’s touch, looking her in the eye as she firmly stated, “I made a commitment to perform tonight. We hinted at it on social media. People are buzzing.”
In fact, people were screaming about it. Darcy and Juliet planned for her to come in on three different We, The Romantics songs, and for them to not only do “Porchlight” but, for the first time, she and Darcy were going to sing “Hate You More” together.
Darcy’s eyebrows were drawn down so low they nearly formed a single line. “I don’t care what people are expecting. I care about you.”
Juliet’s breath caught in her throat at Darcy’s bluntness, the passion fused to her words.
Darcy reached out again, landing her hands on Juliet’s shoulders. She gently walked her back, until Juliet felt the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed.
It was very humbling – and very, irritatingly, telling – that she went right down, her butt landing firmly on the mattress without being able to fight against it.
And still, Darcy urged her back, until Juliet was laying down.
God, the cool, soft pillow felt incredible against her neck and cheek. Juliet’s eyes closed before she could help herself, her eyelids feeling so heavy now that she was horizontal.
“I’ll make you a deal.” Darcy’s voice was so low, it soothingly skated over Juliet, smoothing over her frayed nerve endings.
She managed to crack her eyes when she felt the bed dip slightly. Darcy sat at the very edge of the bed next to her, reaching her hand back up to Juliet’s head. She closed her eyes again as Darcy softly worked her fingers through Juliet’s hair, smoothing it down behind her onto the pillow.
“’ts the deal?” She asked, her tongue feeling as heavy as her eyelids.
“I’m going to take a quick shower. You stay right here.
Do not move. Eyes closed. Lights off. No phone.
Rest up a bit, give your meds a chance to really kick in.
And if you’re up and at ’em when it’s time to leave, we’ll discuss it.
” She pressed her fingers into the back of Juliet’s neck, modulating the pressure.
Juliet attempted to pfft, but it was too pathetic for her to bring herself to own. “You’re on.”
She knew she lost the deal immediately upon opening her eyes.
The room was still dark, but even darker than it had been when she’d accidentally fallen asleep. So, the sun had set.
There was a note on Darcy’s notebook paper folded on the bedside table next to her:
I know you didn’t want to do this, but I think you resting and waking up feeling back to normal actually means we BOTH win in the deal.
I’ll be back as soon as I can.
REST.
X
Thief
Right next to it was a glass of water, and a small pack of M I made a commitment. Following through on that – having a reliable word – is… everything. I know you didn’t want me to go, but I should have pushed through, and…
I’m sorry. I don’t want this to reflect on you three. ”
We, The Romantics had all-but told their audience to expect Juliet tonight; that meant something. Whether Darcy liked it or not, Juliet was the experienced performer. She should have just done it.
Darcy’s hand pressed a little firmer on her stomach. Not uncomfortably – actually, the opposite. “Yeah, being reliable is important,” she agreed, mildly. “But you can’t control not feeling well. You can’t control getting a migraine. Your health is more important than any commitment to perform.”
Her breath caught and held in her throat, and she decided it was how badly she’d felt today that made her feel so emotional.
“Darcy…”
Darcy leaned in, pressing the softest kiss against the nape of her neck.
“Don’t you dare call me na?ve. I’m not saying that we won’t get any blow-back, or that people won’t be upset.
” She pressed another longer, lingering kiss, one that made Juliet shiver.
“I’m saying that you’re worth more than that.
You are very talented, Juliet. And you honor your commitments, and you show up.
But you’re more than a singer or a performer or a reputation. You’re a whole person.”
She blinked, looking out into the dark room, as she felt a tear drip out of the corner of her eyes. She turned her face into the pillow, drying it against the cotton. It took her a few seconds to speak, before she whispered, “Thank you.”
Juliet tightened her hand over Darcy’s, pressing Darcy even harder against her.
“But… I also really wanted to perform with you.”
“I want that, too,” Darcy promised, her lips etching the words into the sensitive skin of Juliet’s neck. “Let’s reschedule for next week, then. Why don’t you do both of the New York shows with us?”
She could both hear and feel the excitement that worked through Darcy at her own suggestion.
Juliet felt that same spark. Two shows? Yeah, she could certainly work with that.
“Oh. Wait. Don’t you have that… thing? The dinner? With Robbie, then?” Darcy asked, deflating slightly, disappointment pushing in.
Juliet let out a sigh. “Yes, I do.” Still, she hesitated. “But it’s not the end of the world if I miss it. This… is a big deal.”
She wasn’t going to miss performing with Darcy in New York; Robbie would understand that.
Darcy’s mouth curved into a wide smile against her.
Juliet locked her fingers in with Darcy’s, contentment finally settling through her as she fell asleep again.