ELEVATOR LOVE LETTER
I am really sorry, y'all, but I lost my muse on "Phones are Ringing ..." Maybe one day I will go back and finish it. But for the time being, here is a short one shot taking place immediately following "Tomorrow Never Comes." My Juliette/Avery obsession has grown, so I couldn't leave that scene where it was. Obviously, the show will not do anything like this because, it's a soap. If it happened like this, there wouldn't be much going on.
Also, I own nothing, of course...
"Juliette..."
She couldn't stop. Not with tears streaming down her face. Not with his angelic, little pixie of a girlfriend standing there in practically nothing. Not with the way he looked at her. She wouldn't stop. The safety of the elevator was just steps away. If she could only make it just a little bit further, she was home free. Broken hearted and still alone, but home free.
The sound of "I'm so sorry" spoken in the opposite direction didn't even register. The only sound she could hear was the roaring waves of rejection in her ears and the sound of her boots on the concrete floors.
Crossing the threshold of the elevator she quickly moved inside her momentary respite, a safe haven, where no explanations were needed. Sighing and crying she punched the buttons, not really caring which one she pushed, as long as the door closed and she got away from them. Realizing too late that she had pushed the "6" in her haste, she wiped her eyes and leaned against the wall as she traveled two floors higher. The wall was the only thing keeping her upright at that moment.
To her relief, the sixth floor was deserted and she allowed herself to breathe and sob and finally let out what she had been hiding since she turned away from him. As she pushed the first floor button and began her descend, she wondered how many times a person could deal with the pain of not being the one worth choosing. The record would be her's, without any competition.
The rickety old room that contained her in that moment slowed far too early, and she only had a split second to realized that she was back on the fourth floor.
Not long enough to turn around to hide the pain on her face.
Not long enough to wipe her eyes or quiet her sobs.
Not long enough to do anything but stand there at her most vulnerable, as he stepped on the elevator.
Their trip was silent and full of tension until he turned and pushed the button to stop the car from moving any further. In the stillness, he turned back toward her and reached out his hands, gently cradled her face, and without hesitating, crashed his lips against hers. It took her far too long to realize what was going on. It wasn't until he pulled back that she began to comprehend the moment. Her back still flush against the wall, she looked up into his eyes unsure of the meaning of it all.
He paused, and then spoke softly, only inches from her face. "I've been foolin' myself. I've known it for a while. Scarlett is the safe choice. But when I'm with her I can't help but think about you. She doesn't deserve to be lied to. Not any more. And neither do you."
Still coming up for air, she couldn't speak. For once in her life, Juliette Barnes couldn't think of a damn thing to say.
And as she looked into Avery's eyes, she knew that he could read on her face every word she was going to tell him two minutes ago at his front door.
And not another word was spoken.