Chapter 28
Kurt
I’ve been talking with my neighbor for a couple of minutes and the band I hired is playing an inappropriate song about a girl that I can only assume he used to date. I feel so bad for his ex because this song is horrible. I look around the room and notice Juli is missing. I excuse myself and go over to my assistant, Cathleen, whom Juliana was last talking to, and ask where she went.
“I think I saw her heading toward your apartment. She just started crying and got up, excused herself, and ran off. I don’t know why she started crying. We weren’t talking about anything that would be upsetting...” Cathleen prattles on but I stop listening. I look up to see the lead singer smirking at me and he looks very familiar.
“Callum,” I instantly curse myself. Why hadn’t I been paying attention? She told me he was in a band. A friend of mine had recommended this band so I hadn’t realized her ex was in it. I would have noticed he was here if I wasn’t so busy talking to the neighbors and my coworkers. I hadn’t really been listening to the song but it was something offensive and hurtful enough that it caused Juliana to run off crying. I excuse myself from Cathleen and she smiles telling me how much she likes Juliana and how happy she is for us. I smile back at her to be polite and say a quick thank you before hurrying off to my apartment.
I knock on the closed bedroom door and hear a muffled sobbing. “Juliana? Are you in there?” I know she is but if she chooses not to answer, I will know to leave her alone. Almost instantly, I hear a sad voice frantically apologizing.
“I’m so sorry,” the sad little voice says between sobs and hiccups, “it was so rude of me to run off. I didn’t mean to be so dramatic. I hope I didn’t ruin the party...” She trails off and I open the door stepping inside and closing it behind me. My room isn’t very large so I reach her in three strides and kneel beside her. I put one hand under her chin and tilt her head to look up at me. When she looks at me I see the sadness and pain filling her body. The pain I feel in my heart startles me and I debate letting go of her but seeing her this way makes me want to protect her.
“You didn’t ruin anything,” I say softly and I cradle her head in my hands. I brush her tears away before speaking again. “What’s wrong?” I ask cautiously. I’ve pieced together some of the story but I need to hear it from her. I need to know why she is hurting so badly.
She sniffles a little and I let go of her face to grab her a tissue box then I sit down next to her. I sit quietly, letting her clean up and breathe a bit before I press further.
“That’s Callum’s band…” I nod encouraging her to continue, feeling like a complete idiot for not remembering it was his band. “That song… that song is about me. I have never had sex. I’m a virgin. I never felt comfortable doing a lot with him. The one sexual act that he talks about in the song, he guilted me into doing it. I didn’t want to. So of course, I wasn’t good at it. And then… and then he dumped me when I wouldn’t do more with him.” She seems to say this all in one breath and is breathing heavily as she stares at the wall across from us.
“Juli…” I say then stop, unsure of what needs to be said. It shocks me, her confession to me about being a virgin. I don’t know why but I had just assumed she wasn’t. I stay silent for a little while, still looking at her.
She turns to face me and quietly whispers, “Say something…” I can see the pain and worry in her eyes. The worry confuses me. What is she worried about? There are so many things running through my mind and I can still hear the band playing songs and our guests talking. I need to get rid of them. I stand up and see her eyes widen, scared. I squat down in front of her and rub my thumb over her cheek.
“Stay here,” I say and my voice comes out sounding rough and strange. I wait for her to respond and when she nods, I stand up and exit the room.