Clear Across the Skies (JulienXDoris)
"I can't believe Selena made me do this..." Doris mumbled under her breath as she closed her compact again. She'd been waiting in her hotel room for hours. Her hair was already done up and she had on the dress Julien had sent her hours ago. She wasn't one to wear heels so the pair she had on were killing her. She took them off, thinking that she'll put them back on once Julien will pick her up. "Which would be when?" She asked her reflection in the mirror, frowning. "He was supposed to be here hours ago. Agh." She got up and walked over to her closet on stocking-ed feet. She pulled open the door and shook her head. "I knew he was unreliable. Why did I even think..." She sighed instead of completing her sentence and pulled out a pair of jeans, along with her favorite shirt, which happened to be her brother's old football (soccer) shirt. She was about to head to the bathroom to change when her cellphone rang. She paused and looked over at the little device vibrating on the dresser. She walked over to it, placed her clothes on her bed, looked at the caller ID then answered the phone. "Selena?"
"Okay, Dee," she didn't sound happy, but there was a note of relief in her voice, "where are you?"
"In my room?"
"And what the hell are you doing there?"
"What do you mean? You told me to wait here."
"Agh." Selena groaned through the receiver, adding static to the call when her breaths were registered too. "Ohmygawd. Seriously."
"What?"
"I told you to wait there, at the fountain, by the park! Were you NOT listening to me? Did your head go to la la land again?" Doris gulped and licked her lips as she bowed her head. She was feeling guilty now. She didn't know she was that disoriented earlier on. What was she dreaming about again?
But this was terrible. This was what her brother always scolded her about. And she kept ignoring him. This must be the price she has to pay for being inattentive.
"No wonder he's not here..."
"Well," Doris could just imagine her friend rolling her eyes right about now, "yeah and now he looks like someone killed his mother in front of him. Do you know how hard it is to separate him from alcohol right now? Sheesh, you're barely friends and this is your first date and he's acting like you're THE ONE. I said put that down!" Selena shouted in the background, obviously to the sour man in her room. "Or I'll call Chelsea. Put the freaking bottle down, man. I swear, I'll make sure she haunts you for the rest of your life if you even drink one drop."
"Oh dear." Doris sighed and looked up at the pitiful figure in the mirror. Sensing Selena back on the phone, she sighed again and spoke. "I am so sorry, Sel. I didn't-"
"Do I sound like Julien Jacobs the Thirteen to you? Get your butt over here and explain, Delphi."
Doris's eyes widened at that and she took hold of the phone with both hands. "He's at your room?"
"It's better than the bar and letting some stupid female file him away. Now get you butt over here, Delphi. Before I come and drag you by your hair." Doris grabbed her bag and heels and hopped into the shoes with the phone stuck between her shoulder and ear. She closed the door behind you, headed for the elevator and waited impatiently until she realized that Selena was still on.
"Wait, Sel, does Kowalski know?" A snort came from the other side.
"I don't give a damn if he gets jealous again. The guy needs to grow up. I've had boys in my room before. I am not a little girl he can control. For heaven's sake, Doris, I'm older than him. I should be the alpha in the relationship. No wait, I am." Doris giggled as she stepped into the elevator, glad that there was nobody else but her in there.
"You sound like Skipper."
"Thanks. I was aiming for that. Mind telling that to Mickey for me? I'm sure he'll be furious." The blonde grinned and stepped out of the elevator once it reached the floor and started walking to Selena's room. "Also, ditch the heels." Doris blinked, paused and looked around.
"Huh? How did you-"
"Dress equals heels. First date rule, remember? Now get rid of it. I have a cute pair of doll shoes waiting for you."
Doris sighed in relief to the ceiling and kissed the phone. "Thank you, Sel!"
"Yeah yeah, now get here before he bursts into tears." Doris, now in happier spirits, practically skipped to Selena's room after dumping her heels down the garbage chute.
"So..." Doris drawled slowly as she looked over at the man walking beside her. He was looking very solemn, with his hands stuck into his pants' pockets, and his interest seemed to be more on the grass beneath his shoes than his 'date'. It had been quiet between them for the last few minutes, and the lady was dying to kill the cloud hanging around them, but she couldn't find a way to say sorry. "Um..." He sighed and looked ahead.
"Doris." She blinked in surprise. Well, she did want him to talk to her, but even when she reached the room, it was Selena who ushered the two back out of the room. After throwing the doll shoes to Doris. They didn't get a chance to talk to each other and he hadn't said a word, until now.
"Y-yes?"
"What did you see in Kowalski?"
"Uh..." He looked up at her, his yellowish brown eyes seemingly captivating in the light of the lamp nearby. She was already caught in daydreams of them, and now another one was coming. No, wait. It was their date. A real date.
"You dated, didn't you?"
"Well," she looked away shyly, not sure where this was going, "yes..."
"Do you love him?" She blinked again and turned to him. Why would he ask that?
"As a friend. We've known each other for a long time."
"So that's what it feels like..."
"What?" He just shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets again. "Julien?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. It was her turn to ask a personal question now. She'd been waiting to ask him for ages, and now that she had the chance, she wasn't going to let it go. The man slowly looked up at him and she was struck by the sadness in them. She however ignored them and braced herself for her question. "About Sonya..." The second she said the name, his eyes became turbulent and the sadness was gone, replaced by anger now.
"What?" He snapped at her and she took a step back from him, clearly shocked.
"Wh-why didn't you date after her?"
"Selena doesn't count?" He continued in the same tone, and she felt like a jerk for bringing up such a sensitive topic.
"N-no. I don't, think so."
"You should then." He then walked, no, stalked away from her. She stared after him in shock before running to him. Thank God Selena thought of the shoes. Or she would tripping over and falling flat on her face by now.
"Julien!" She reached for his arm and he whirled around to face her.
"What?!" He snarled at her and she blinked, before frowning and slapping him. The man stared at her in surprise, and slowly brought his hand up to his cheek. "Wh-what was that for?!"
"You jerk! I just wanted to know why you didn't want to date after Sonya's huge rise to fame. You could've just given me a a simple 'no'. Was that so hard?"
He dropped his hand and narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes."
"Well, what's the big problem then?"
"We can't talk about our past love lives on a date. It's supposed to be about us."
Doris rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in a huff. "Then why did you ask me about Kowalski?" He raised a brow at her and crossed his arms.
"Do you love him?"
"No! I told you that already!"
"So it doesn't count. Sonya's...different."
"I'm," she looked down at her fidgeting fingers, "sorry then. I just wanted to know why you didn't want to...get back in the game?"
"You want to know why I've never dated anyone after her?"
"Well, yeah, but if you don't want to, I don't," she blinked in surprise when she found his hands cupping her face lightly, "what are you-mpuinkjhed?" She mumbles through his lips with wide eyes. Her protesting hands drop to her sides and she closes her eyes, letting him in. The kiss was nothing like how she knew of him. It was just a simple kiss that had her wanting more when he moved away with a small smile.
"Okay." He murmured before turning on his heel and walking away.
"Okay?" That was it? He gives me the best kiss of my life and just, walks away? "Okay?!" He turns his head back with a hint of a cheeky grin on his mouth and nodded.
"Yeah." The, the, the nerve of this guy! Doris's hands curled by her sides as she glared at his back. I knew he was going to be like this. Why didn't I just listen to my brain for once? She could already feel the tears in her eyes due to the humiliation. Rejection. By three guys she actually liked. Was it never going to stop? Was she doomed to be alone forever and be one of the 'guys'? The tears hadn't fallen by now, but she was trying hard not to as she blinked rapidly. "Do you mind, Cinderella?" Doris looked up at the man, who was only standing a few feet away.
"What now?" She asked tiredly, her eyes trailing to the object he was now holding in his hand. It was a small camera.
"Could you look up? And maybe smile? I like the smile better."
"Huh?" She blinked for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She'd never been so confused in her life. What was this guy trying to do?
"I'm going to take a picture."
"Why?"
"To remember? For our first date? We can put it in those picture thingies."
"Albums?"
"I think so. Wait," he stared at her with a sad face, "are you crying?"
"Huh?" She shook her head and blinked her tears away. "Uh, no, no. I'm not crying. I just got something in my eye." She wiped a stray tear and smiled at him. "It's gone now."
"Oh. Okay."
"Are you serious though?" She was incredulous. Even more so that they were talking with a distance between the other. "You want to go through with this date thing?" He grinned at her.
"I called for it. Of course I would. Why?"
"Uh, I just thought, you were going to..."
"Did you think I would leave you?" She bit her lip and his grin fell away. "I would never do that to you."
"Oh, uh, no. I wasn't thinking that. I'm sorry. Maybe you'd like to take that picture now?" She rubbed her arm nervously and looked away, feeling sheepish. Selena is not going to let me live this down...And knowing her best friend, she was sure she would be watching this whole thing with a super powered telescope or binoculars that Kowalski invented.
"Um..." The guy stared at the camera like it was an object from Mars.
"What's wrong?" Doris teased with a grin and a hand on her hip. "Don't know how to work a camera?"
"Well," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "uh, I usually have my work done for me, you see..."
"Of course." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Just press the big button that doesn't say on or off or power."
"Hmm..." His fingers pressed on the button and a flash went off. Doris blinked at the intensity of light coming from the tiny camera. "Cute." He grinned at her.
"Let me see that." She had barely walked a few steps when the flash went off again. "Hey!"
"Ooh..." He looked at the screen with a bigger grin before taking a quick one at her.
"Julien!"
"You're so cute when you're angry. It's cliche."
"Not funny, Julien. Let me see that. No," she held up her hands when the camera went her way again but the flash had already went off, "wait!" He chuckled as he looked at the shot.
"Now I know why the paparazzi like to do this all the time."
She frowned and attempted to grab the camera, but it went out of her reach. "Give me that." He backed away from her, holding the camera up. "Julien!" She went closer and jumped up, for unfortunately for her, she was not as tall as her brother who was probably Julien's height. "Julien, come on!" She didn't notice it, but his free arm had snaked behind her and when she jumped again for the camera, he twirled her around, squished her against his body and held the camera before them.
"Madagascar!" He cried out before pressing the button. Doris stared at the device in shock as the flash came and she didn't even move when he stepped away and checked the picture. "Aw, you're so cute." She still had no words and was still recovering, so Julien tucked the camera back wherever he got it from and looked at her with the same grin. "Well?"
"Well?" She repeated and slowly looked up at him. "Well, uh, well what?"
"Do you want to go now?"
"Huh? Go where?"
"To start our date. It's not here, you know."
"But I thought, and, I, uh..."
The guy chuckled.
"You think too much." Doris sighed with her hands on her head before dropping them to her sides.
"That would be the effects of having a genius brother and a big mouthed best friend."
He wagged a finger before her and grinned widely. "You're being bad."
"Yeah, check before statement for proof. I need better company."
"You have me." He slipped an arm around her and lowered his mouth to her ear. "And that is why I chose Selena to be my friend. You, on the other hand." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek and went back to her ear. "Come," he took her hand, increasing the red already appearing on her face and neck, "let's watch the stars. Then we'll have a special dinner by that seaside restaurant you love."
"Oh-ohkay." She bowed her head and bit down on her lips, cursing Selena internally. She was sure her best friend was laughing at her right now. She was going to get back at her someday. But right now, as Doris leaned against Julien who placed an arm around her and pulled her closer, she was just going to enjoy this date. Hopefully, if he was as sweet and as fun as he was now, there would be a second. And a third. And a fourth.
Hey, I was checking out the traffic stats (I got bored) and I found a reader from...ICELAND! You don't know how happy I am, dude. I've always, ALWAYS wanted to go to Iceland ever since I was kid. I know, why not Paris, or America or London or something, but eh. I'm different. And Iceland sounded pretty cool to me (pun intended and at the same time not), so yeah, why not? I know that during the summer it's very beautiful. I just heard about it, never really saw it (even with the Internet at my disposal...) Also Greenland. I know it's not all GREEN though...knew that since I was a little kid...yeah, I had a pretty WEIRD childhood. You can't blame me. I was still a kid...actually, I still am. XD I'LL NEVER GROW UP. But I just did. Confusing? Yeah, I'm confused too. Don't worry. Or maybe you should...
Anyways, review, send in your one shot ideas, and like yeah, have a happy day/night/afternoon/midnight.
Layla :D