"I thought I might find you here," came a voice from behind her. Juliet whipped around to find nobody other than Jack Shephard standing behind her, his eyebrow raised, and a glitter in his eye. "You've been avoiding me," he added coyly.
It was sad, but true. Juliet had come out to this beautiful patch of shoreline to escape from Jack, and from everyone else who had returned from off the island. She didn't want to hear their stories from back home, she didn't want to hear that it wasn't worth going back. But even more so, she didn't want to have to explain everything. Everything that had happened over the last 3 years. And she most certainly did not want to have to explain everything to Jack. It had been stupid though, coming to this place. He was the one person who would know to find her here. And that was part of what scared Juliet: he knew her... Knew her better than anyone else ever had, besides her sister of course. Hiding anything from Jack was a chore she wasn't ready to undertake at the present time.
"I haven't been avoiding you," Juliet said facing the water as Jack's footsteps drew closer. She could feel him standing beside her, staring down at her.
"Well, then I thought we were better friends. Because friends usually greet each other when they just saw each other for the first time in 3 years, after multiple near-death experiences."
Juliet turned to Jack at last. "Hi Jack. Nice to see you. I'm glad that you evaded all said near death experiences." It came out snappier than she had liked.
There was a long silence between them in which neither Jack nor Juliet knew what to say or do. They had left each other under odd circumstances. As friends, but friends whose taste at romance had gone sour when a score of miscommunications had led to tragedy. Jack used to lie in bed thinking about why he had said what he did to Juliet when she was prepping him for his appendectomy. And the truth was, he didn't know.
Jack became fed up with the silence. They had never been awkward before, why did they need to be now? "Look, if you want to check on my stitches or something, I'd be glad to show you," he said, and he started to roll up his shirt.
Juliet scoffed and turned to Jack. "What do you want from me Jack?" She asked, and although she had meant for it to come out harsh, it came out vulnerably, almost with a hint of sadness Jack though.
"I missed you," Jack said very softly, staring right into Juliet's eyes.
Juliet smiled, and it made Jack smile to see her smiling. "I missed you too," she replied.
Jack hesitated for a moment, getting lost in Juliet's deep blue eyes. Feeling that Juliet had calmed down though, he put his hands around Juliet's waist and pulled her into a tight hug. Juliet's wrapped her hands around Jack's neck, all thoughts of trying to be distant forgotten. Jack let out a large breath of air, which didn't go unnoticed by Juliet.
"Were you worried about something?" She asked into his neck.
"That I wouldn't have your forgiveness," Jack replied into Juliet's hair, a lump growing in Juliet's throat as she heard his voice crack.
"I don't blame you," Juliet said pulling back from their hug so she could look into his eyes, but not removing her hands from Jack's shoulders.
"I shouldn't have left you, I should have come back."
"There was nothing you could have done Jack," Juliet said softly, rubbing his back in reassurance. "Please don't worry about it."
Jack smiled widely, making Juliet giggle a little, and forcing her gaze to the ground. "What?"
Jack's hands were slowly moving up Juliet's back, as he took a step forward, his body almost touching Juliet's. "I don't know what I did without you Juliet." His hand took her cheek, and he softly pulled her face towards his, kissing her softly on the lips.
"Jack," Juliet said, as he pulled her in again. "Jack, I can't," she said, pushing his shoulders lightly until he took a step back. Juliet looked down at her feet, twiddling her fingers, and feeling Jack's gaze trying to catch her eye. His hands were on her shoulders, desperate never to let go.
"Why?" Jack said, and Juliet's heart broke in pieces hearing him so vulnerable.
"I'm... I'm with someone else." Juliet said softly, almost hoping that he wouldn't hear. Jack's hands left her shoulders in a heartbeat.
"Oh," he said simply, his hand running through his hair like it always did when he was nervous. "Who?" He asked, not angrily, but out of pure curiosity.
Juliet didn't believe that she was going to have to confess to Jack Shephard that he had lost a second woman to the charms of James Ford. "Sawyer," she whispered.
But instead of being angry, Jack just nodded. "Does he make you happy?" He asked kindly.
Juliet didn't know what to say. Did he make her happy? Was the idyllic lifestyle she had been living for the past 3 years what she wanted? "Yeah, I mean, sure... Most of the time."
She looked up at Jack who's inquisitory glance indicated that he wanted more information.
"He treats me well, and he's very supportive but... It just doesn't feel right. There's no surprise, no life to any day, it's just the same, computerized routine. Sometimes I feel like God woke up one day and told us to live together, so we decided to become Ma and Pa Ingalls."
Jack had to chuckle at the thought of Juliet in an apron and bonnet.
"I lived with Kate," Jack said, Juliet's gaze darting upwards immediately. "For a few months. We got engaged actually."
"Oh... Congratulations," Juliet said as honestly as possible, the jealousy monster brewing in her stomach even though she kept on trying to tell herself she was taken.
"It didn't work out either," Jack said with very little regret in his voice.
"How come?"
"Same reason," Jack said, and Juliet caught his gaze, understanding hitting them both at the same time. After a long silence between them, Jack stepped forward slowly, knowing that this was one of his last chances. "So, if we're both with someone we don't want to be with... Why aren't we together?" He asked, his hands moving back to Juliet's cheeks.
"I don't know," Juliet managed to fit in, before Jack's lips crashed into hers, their hands tangled in each other's hair, their tongue engaging in a dance they hadn't danced for over 3 years.
As they withdrew from the kiss and entwined their fingers to look out at the sunset, Juliet was reminded of words Jack had spoken some 3 years ago. That they would get through their problems... Together. And for the first time in a long time, she knew that they would.