Chapter 29 Juliette
JULIETTE
I wake up before Romeo for once, which almost never happens. He’s always up first, either because of practice or because he’s physically incapable of sleeping past seven.
But this morning he’s dead to the world with one arm flung over his eyes and the other across my waist. His chest rises and falls evenly and he looks peaceful in a way he never does when he’s awake.
I slide my hand down his stomach, watching his face for any sign that he’s waking up. My hand wraps around him and he’s already starting to harden under my touch.
His breath hitches but his eyes stay closed.
“I know you’re awake,” I say softly.
“I’m sleeping.”
“You’re hard.”
“Involuntary response.” But his lips quirk up at the corners.
I stroke him slowly and his hips shift. “Still sleeping?”
“Deeply asleep. Having very nice dreams.”
I lean down and press a kiss to his hipbone. “What are you dreaming about?”
“You.” His voice is rough with sleep. “Always you.”
I take him in my mouth and his hand immediately goes to my hair.
“Fuck, JuJu.”
I hum around him and he groans. I’m just starting to find a rhythm when he gently pulls me until I’m kneeling next to him.
“Juju. Wait.”
I pull off, worried. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He shifts, rolling to his side in one fluid motion so we’re face-to-face on the mattress.
He hooks a hand under my top knee and guides my leg up and over his shoulder, opening me completely. The stretch is deep, intimate, a little vulnerable. I suddenly understand.
“This feels so awkward.”
“Sideways sixty-nine. You’ll love it.” Then his mouth is on me and I can’t think of anything else to complain about.
I reach for him blindly, guiding him back into my mouth, and the groan he lets out against me is pure filth. The angle is perfect for both of us and within seconds we’re both lost in it.
“God, you’re so wet,” he murmurs against me. “Is this from thinking about waking me up?”
I can’t answer with my mouth full of him, but he doesn’t seem to need an answer. His tongue circles my clit and I moan around him.
“That’s it. Make those pretty sounds for me.”
He slides two fingers inside me and I have to pull off him to gasp.
“Too much?”
“Don’t stop.”
“Never stopping.” He pumps his fingers in and out, curling and twisting that has me climbing so fast. “You’re so fucking perfect, JuJu. Love watching you fall apart.”
He groans against me, the vibration sends sparks through my entire body.
“Fuck, your mouth. I dream about your mouth.”
I hollow my cheeks and suck harder and his hips jerk involuntarily.
“Careful or I’m going to come before you do.”
I do it again and he retaliates by sucking hard on me.
“That’s it,” he encourages. “I can feel you getting close. You gonna come for me?”
I’m so close, right on the edge, and when he curls then twists his fingers I shatter. The orgasm hits me so hard I have to pull off him completely, crying out his name.
He works me through it, gentle now, until I’m boneless and shaking.
“I love making you come,” he says, pressing a kiss to my inner thigh. “Finish what you started, Juliette.”
I’m still recovering but I take him back in my mouth, determined. He’s close, I can tell from the way his breathing has changed, the way his hand has tightened on my hip.
“JuJu, I’m, fuck, I’m close.”
I don’t pull back. Just take him deeper and let him fall apart.
Afterward we both lie there catching our breath, tangled together in a way that should be uncomfortable but isn’t.
“Best alarm clock ever,” he says eventually, pulling me up so we’re face to face, and kisses me slowly. “We should wake up like this every morning.”
“You’d never make it to practice on time.”
“Worth it.” He glances at his phone on the nightstand. “Speaking of which, I have forty-five minutes before I need to leave. Come with me. Watch from the stands again.”
“I can’t. Marnie scheduled me to help this morning. If I’m late, she’ll kill me.”
He sighs but doesn’t argue. Just kisses me once more before rolling out of bed and heading to the shower.
I should get up too and start getting ready. But I lie there for another minute, staring at the ceiling, feeling the pleasant ache between my legs.
This is my life now. Waking up with him. Having morning sex before he goes to practice. Being so comfortable with each other that I can take what I want without hesitation.
I look around Romeo’s bedroom, at my clothes in his closet, my textbooks on his desk, my toothbrush in his bathroom. When did I stop going to my apartment? When did his place become “ours”?
I have grad school paperwork to finalize. Marnie wants me to shadow more complex procedures before August. I should be focused on that, on building my own career, on making sure I don’t lose myself in this relationship.
Instead I’m lying in his bed at 7 AM on a Tuesday, already planning what I’ll wear to practice later so he’ll look at me the way he did last week.
His phone buzzes on the nightstand and I glance at it without thinking.
The screen lights up with a notification.
Instagram DM from sienna_luvs_hockey: Had such a good time at coffee yesterday! Let me know when you’re free again
My stomach drops.
I stare at the message, reading it over and over, trying to make sense of it.
Had such a good time at coffee yesterday.
Yesterday. When he said he was running late for dinner. When he texted me that he got caught up with something.
Let me know when you’re free again.
Again. Implying this won’t be the last time.
The heart emoji.
I hear the shower turn off and I quickly look away from the phone with my heart pounding. Romeo comes out a minute later with a towel around his waist and dripping hair.
“You still in bed?” he asks, grinning.
“Just enjoying the view.”
“Liar. You were thinking.”
“Maybe.”
He leans down and kisses me. “What were you thinking about?”
You. And whoever Sienna is. And why she’s DMing you about having a good time at coffee yesterday.
But I don’t say that. Instead I say, “Nothing important. Go get ready. You’re going to be late.”
He kisses me once more and then disappears into his closet to get dressed.
After he leaves, I lie in his bed for another few minutes with my hands shaking as I pick up my phone and search for her profile.
sienna_luvs_hockey
She’s beautiful and blonde with lots of influencer-style photos, coffee shots, sunsets, outfit posts. Everything I’m not.
Then I scroll back a few months and find them. Photos of her and Romeo. His arm around her shoulders. Both smiling at the camera.
The caption on one from August: “gonna miss this one ”
My stomach twists.
I keep scrolling and find more. Them at dinner. At a game. At what looks like someone’s birthday party.
All from last fall. Before Toronto. Before us.
So she’s an ex. That’s fine. Everyone has exes.
But why is she messaging him about coffee yesterday? Why didn’t he mention it?
I close Instagram and just sit there, trying to breathe through the panic rising in my chest.
There’s a logical explanation. There has to be.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe they ran into each other and grabbed a quick coffee and it didn’t seem worth mentioning.
Maybe she’s making it sound like more than it was.
Maybe I’m overreacting.
But Garrett lied to me, cheated on me. And everything felt fine right up until the moment he admitted he’d been seeing someone else for months.
I get up and get ready for work, trying to push the message out of my mind. Trying not to let it ruin what was a perfect morning.
But the knot in my stomach won’t go away.
Marnie takes one look at me and says, “What happened?”
I should tell her. Should ask her advice. But the words stick in my throat.
“Just tired,” I say instead. “Late night.”
She gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me but doesn’t push. “Okay. Well, we’ve got inventory this morning and then we need to check on Anderson. He took a hit yesterday and I want to make sure his shoulder is okay.”
We spend the morning organizing medical supplies and restocking the training room. It’s mindless work that should be soothing but instead gives me too much time to think.
About the message. About Sienna. About why Romeo didn’t mention seeing someone yesterday.
“Want to swing by practice?” Marnie asks around eleven. “Roman said they’re running drills until noon.”
“Sure.”
We head down to the rink. Practice is in full swing, guys skating hard, Barrett yelling instructions, the familiar sounds and smells that have become comforting over the past few weeks.
I spot Romeo immediately. He’s running a drill with Dex and Brody, weaving through cones with fluid and precise movements.
Then he sees me. His whole face lights up and he skates over to the boards.
“Hi,” he says through the glass. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
“Marnie needed to check on Anderson.”
“But you came.” He’s grinning like an idiot and it makes my chest ache. “That’s all that matters.”
“RODRIGUEZ!” Barrett yells. “STOP FLIRTING AND GET BACK TO DRILLS!”
“One second, Coach!” He looks back at me. “Want to order dinner tonight and watch that movie you’ve been talking about?”
He’s so happy. So normal. So completely unbothered.
Maybe it really is nothing.
“After bookclub?”
“Perfect. It’s a date.” He taps his stick on the glass and skates away.
Marnie appears beside me. “You two are disgusting.”
“We’re not disgusting.”
“You’re absolutely disgusting. In the best way.” She nudges me. “He’s crazy about you, you know.”
“I know.”
“So what’s the problem?”
I open my mouth to deny there’s a problem, but what comes out instead is, “Do you know anyone named Sienna?”
Marnie’s expression shifts. “Sienna? Blonde? Tall? Used to date Romeo?”
“Yeah. I don’t know her last name.”
“It was way before you guys got together. And it was brief. Like six weeks. Even before I knew him really. But Elliot did.” Marnie’s watching me carefully. “Why? Did she reach out to you?”
“She DMed him. On Instagram.”
“When?”
“This morning. Something about seeing him yesterday and wanting to hang out again.”
“Shit.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just—” Marnie looks uncomfortable. “She’s not a good person, Juliette. When Romeo ended things, she didn’t take it well. Kept showing up at games. Calling him. Roman said he had to block her number.”
“So she’s his ex who went psycho when he dumped her.”
“Basically, yeah.” Marnie touches my arm. “But that was months ago. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Then why is she DMing him?”
“I don’t know. But you should ask him.”
“What if it’s nothing and I look insecure?”
“What if it’s something and you ignored it?”
She has a point.
“There’s book club tonight at Chloe’s,” Marnie says. “Talk to the girls. They’ll have opinions.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Good opinions. Helpful opinions.” She squeezes my arm. “Seven PM. Chloe’s place. I’ll text you the address.”
Book club is exactly what I expected, a dozen women crammed into Chloe’s living room with wine flowing freely and everyone talking over each other about the book.
“The MMC is an idiot,” Elliot is saying. “He had one job. ONE JOB. Don’t kiss your ex. And what does he do?”
“He kisses his ex,” Goldie finishes. “In his defense, she showed up at his apartment uninvited.”
“That’s not a defense! You don’t kiss your ex when you’re dating someone else!”
“He didn’t know she was going to kiss him.”
“He should have pushed her away faster.”
They argue good-naturedly while I sip my wine and try to work up the courage to ask.
Finally, during a lull in the conversation, I say, “Can I ask you guys something?”
Everyone turns to look at me.
“Of course,” Chloe says warmly. “What’s up?”
“Do you know Sienna?”
The temperature in the room drops about twenty degrees.
“Yes,” Elliot says, her voice flat. “We know her.”
“She used to date Romeo,” Goldie adds. “Briefly.”
“Very briefly,” Elliot emphasizes. “She was awful. Clingy. Possessive. When he broke up with her, she lost it.”
“Lost it how?”
“Showed up at games. Texted him constantly. Cornered him in the parking lot once.” Elliot’s expression is disgusted. “Brody said security almost had to escort her out.”
My stomach churns. “When was this?”
“Last year. August, maybe.” Chloe’s watching me carefully. “Why? Did she show up again?”
“She DMed him. Said they had coffee yesterday and she wants to see him again.”
“Absolutely not,” Elliot says immediately. “He did not have coffee with her.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Rodriguez isn’t stupid. He knows she’s crazy. He wouldn’t—” She pauses. “Did you ask him about it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to seem insecure or paranoid or—”
“You’re not being paranoid,” Goldie interrupts. “If Sienna’s reaching out, that’s a problem. She’s not just going to go away.”
“What do I do?”
“Talk to him,” Chloe says gently. “Just ask. Maybe there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”
“Or maybe he’s hiding something,” Elliot says.
“Elliot,” Marnie warns.
“What? I’m just saying. Men are idiots. Even good men. They think they can handle things themselves and they end up making everything worse.”
“He wouldn’t cheat on me,” I say, but my voice sounds uncertain even to my own ears.
“I don’t think he would either,” Goldie says quickly. “But you should still talk to him. Clear the air.”
We move on to discussing the book, but I can barely focus. My mind is spinning with everything they said.
And now she’s DMing Romeo saying they had coffee yesterday.
By the time book club ends at nine, I’ve made a decision.
I’m not going to his apartment tonight.
I need space. Need time to think without him distracting me with his smile and his hands and the way he makes me forget everything else.
I text him from my car.
Hey, I’m exhausted from book club. Going to sleep at my place tonight.
Romeo
Everything okay?
Yeah, just tired. See you tomorrow?
Romeo
Okay. Sleep well. Miss you.
I stare at that message. Miss you.
Does he miss me? Or does he miss Sienna?
I drive to my apartment for the first time in weeks. The place smells stale when I walk in, like it’s been closed up too long. It feels wrong, empty, not like home anymore.
I get ready for bed on autopilot, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my comfortable pajamas because it’s not like I’m trying to impress anyone right now.
Then I lie in my bed and stare at the ceiling.
My phone buzzes.
Romeo
You sure you’re okay?
I’m fine. Just need some sleep.
Romeo
Okay. Text me when you wake up tomorrow?
I stare at the message. He’s being so normal. So sweet. Like he has nothing to hide.
Maybe he doesn’t.
Maybe I’m the one making this into something it’s not.
I don’t respond. Just silence my phone and close my eyes and try to sleep.
But all I can see is that message from Sienna.
Had such a good time at coffee yesterday.
Let me know when you’re free again.
And the heart emoji that feels like a knife between my ribs.