Juleka looked at her phone to see who was calling at this time on a Friday night. Rose? That could only mean one thing. She jumped up from the couch already putting on her boots.

"Hey Rosie," she said grabbing her jacket.

She was expecting the wail but the volume was even louder than she had anticipated.

"Juuuuuuuules!"

Jacket? Check. Helmet? On the table by the door. Keys? In her hand. Remember to grab the backpack!

"He dumped me, Jules!" the sob that followed wrenched at Juleka's heart.

"I'm sorry, Rose. That really sucks."

She switched the phone to the other side so that she could use her shoulder to hold it while she locked the door, even if all she could hear were the cries of her friend.

"I thought this guy was different," Rose said once she'd blown her nose.

"That's because you always see the best in people, sweetheart. It's why everyone likes to be around you." Carefully get down the stairs to the street, now.

"But I thought that this one would be the one. You know, that one that you can't wait to see first thing in the morning and the last thing at night? The one you can sit in a room with and just be glad they are there with you even if you aren't talking?" She hiccuped a little. "He was the one! At least I thought so. The one that would want to make a life together with me. I could almost see our children reflected in the depths of his eyes. See us as a little old couple going for slow walks in the park and spoiling the grand kids. Just being together until the end. You know?"

"I know, Rosie," Juleka said quietly as she straddled the motorcycle. "I'm gonna put you on speaker now. If I lose you I'll call you right back. Okay?"

There was another small hiccup and then... "Okay."

Juleka switched on the bluetooth speaker in her helmet. "Are you still there?" she asked as she put her phone in her jacket pocket.

"I'm still here," Rose said miserably. "I can't believe that he dumped me just like that."

"What happened?" Juleka looked for oncoming traffic and pulled out onto the street.

"Well, we were going to a movie and then to dinner," Rose said.

"Did you even make it to the movie?" Juleka asked, remembering the one one guy that had brought his new girl to the theater for Rose to meet before he dropped her. He had still expected Rose to join them for the date and possibly for other things afterward, and had been completely baffled when she had run out of the cinema.

"Yes," Rose said. "It wasn't like with Alexandre, if that's what you're thinking."

Juleka snickered. "That was precisely who I was thinking of," she turned down the street looking for a parking place. "You thought he was the one as well," she pointed out, "but afterward …"

"Afterward we all realized what an actual creep he was, and that I was lucky to have made it out of his grasp," Rose said with a sigh.

"Yes," Juleka said with a firm nod. "He was most assuredly NOT the one for our Rose." She put down the kickstand and, leaving her helmet on, went into the shop. "And before the creep was the crybaby."

"Pierre wasn't a crybaby," Rose huffed. "He was a sensitive soul."

"He was always close to tears and would turn them on anytime you didn't agree with him, Rose," Juleka said flatly. "He was sensitive only to the needs of Pierre and was willing to make you unhappy if it made his world as he liked it." She grabbed one of the items she had been looking for and a similar item next to it. "You only liked him because he had that long hair and wore those frilly blouses."

Rose let out a small giggle. "They weren't frilly blouses," she objected but not strenuously.

"They had lace, Rose!" This was an argument they'd had before. "Lace on the collar and the cuff makes it a frilly blouse." She continued along the shelf till she came to the smaller bottles she'd need. "He dressed like a poet from the 1700's and went around needing someone to cheer him up because all he saw was what is wrong in the world. He was like your exact opposite," she chose the three that she knew were Rose's favorites then had one more aisle to go. "And before the crybaby was the tank," Juleka said moving the conversation along.

"Jérémy was a very nice, but misunderstood, young man," Rose objected.

"Rose," Juleka's voice managed to sound as if she were peering over her reading glasses while wearing a bun and a severe look of disapproval, "Don't give me that. Everyone but you could see that he liked to be the biggest and strongest guy in the room because that meant he could hit everyone else harder." A warm tone came into her voice. "I still love the memory of tiny, little Marinette dropping him to the floor in one hit for what he said to you."

"Well, we both know that would have been you if Adrien hadn't been holding you back," Rose said.

"Trrrrue," she said distractedly as she reached for her last item. "Remind me to punch Adrien's arm next time we see him."

"You've asked me to do that everytime we're supposed to meet up with them," Rose said with a small laugh. "The poor boy's arm would have fallen off by now if I actually did it."

Juleka sighed. "Yeah, I somehow find myself giving him a hug instead of a hit for it. Next week it'll be both," she said firmly.

This time Rose had no difficulties laughing at Juleka's statement. Juleka made it through the store without having to talk to a cashier. She was so glad that self-check out was an option here.

"What about the short, blond hobbit?" Juleka asked. "Why wasn't he good enough for you?"

Rose sighed. "That one really was a mistake for both of us. Paul had just broken up with Axel, and I'd just broken up with Corentin, and we both had that literature class together."

"Ah yes," Juleka said as she got back on her motorcycle. "Rebounded right off each other."

She got the bike back out into traffic.

Rose sighed. "It's just that, well so many of our friends have gotten married or engaged, and I'd like to find someone that wants to share their life with me, too. You know?"

"I know," she said slowly. "But maybe you don't need to try so hard?" There was silence between them for a moment. "I'm sure there's someone out there Rosie that wants to be happy with you, too. Maybe they're trying just as hard to find you, but you just keep missing each other, or you're not in the right place to really see each other right now. Or maybe your person doesn't live here yet. Perhaps they are only going to meet you when you're on one of your family trips." Rose chuckled. Her mom was notorious for setting her daughter up on impromptu dates in whatever country they were visiting, it made for some very interesting family outings. "I have no doubt that you will find your person. And when you're with them then all of this heartache will go away and you'll see that the wait was worth it."

"But I'm so tired of waiting," Rose whispered.

The tears were back and Juleka let her cry. Sometimes you just need to let the salty rivers flow. She'd taken to murmuring quiet words of encouragement as Rose apologized for her tears. Rose didn't often cry, but when she did it was because of deep pain, and Juleka always thought it was best to get the pain out. At one point the small cries turned to deep sobs, and Juleka was annoyed at not being able to be there to hug and rock her friend as she cried.

Finally! The entrance to the parking garage was in view and Juleka could pull into a parking spot reserved for motorcycles. She hurried over to the elevator and pressed the button.

"I've got to go now, sweets," she said gently into her helmet. "See you soon?"

"What? Oh, okay," Rose sniffled into a tissue before hanging up.

It felt like forever for the doors to open but the car eventually arrived. Juleka stepped inside and had to wait for people to get in and out on nearly every floor. She tapped her booted foot in irritation until the doors opened on the 47th floor.

She had to make nearly a full circuit of the floor to get to #89, but her keys were in her hand and it was but a moment before she was in the apartment and hurrying over to the couch.

There was Rose curled up with the giant black dragon plushie that Juleka had won for her in lycée, dried tear tracks on her cheeks, and red rimmed eyes. The pink and purple throw that Marinette had made Rose for her last birthday was wrapped around her shoulders and it was still slightly shaking. Next to the couch was an overflowing garbage can filled with at least two tissue boxes' worth of kleenex. Juleka heard Rose noisily blow her nose and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped.

Rose immediately turned at the sound. Her face almost managed a sincere smile before tears sprang up into her eyes.

"Never fear, your Juleka's here!" she said as she tackled the little blonde with a huge hug after dropping her helmet on the floor.

"You came!"

"Of course I came," Juleka said as she drew back far enough to see Rose's face. "And I've brought reinforcements!"

"You don't mean..." Rose asked

Juleka nodded.

"And did you also get?"

"Yes. Though I still have no idea how you can like it."

"What about the sprinkles?"

"You think I forgot the sprinkles?" Juleka put a hand to her chest. "I'm shocked. Shocked, dismayed, and hurt that you'd think I'd forget them."

"Well you do have a track history of-"

"They were out of sprinkles!" She stood up as she headed to the kitchen. "As much as I love you, I cannot make the store just magically have them because you have a need," she huffed.

Rose laughed and followed her, pulling out bowls and spoons as Juleka unpacked her bag.

"Vanilla ice cream, magic hardening chocolate topping, and sprinkles," Juleka announced as she pulled each item from the pack.

Rose squealed and gave Juleka another hug. "Thanks Jules!"

"Anything for you," she said with a smile. "Well, anything except that waxy chocolate topping," she said as she pulled out another container, this one full of caramel. "Now how about we make our sundae's and throw on your favorite break up movie?"

"Ice cream and monster movies?" Rose said with a grin. "How did I ever get lucky enough to have you as my friend?"

Juleka shrugged her shoulders. "What are best friends for?"