Unexpected Familiarity

Ch. 2

I do not own Higher Ground, characters, or anything associated with the show.

I apologize for any technical mistakes.

Scott woke up feeling a sense of hope and a relief from a steady sadness. It worried him because was it all tied to uncertainty. A series of thoughts and feelings too jumbled to sort out at the moment. The initial hope was awoken by Juliette with her smile, lively warmth, and the lingering memory of her kisses the night before.

He felt guilty for not remembering what kissing her was like at Horizon. Their romantic relationship had been brief. When Shelby came unexpectedly into his life full force, everything before her seemingly disappeared. His secret didn't disappear, but it had become intertwined with his relationship with Shelby. She had known it and had been a relief from it. Juliette then became a distant memory, even while living in the same place with her.

As a result, the kisses with Juliette were new. Based on last night, he had a vague sense he had enjoyed them as a teenager though. Boy, could she kiss. He didn't know what to do from here. When he wasn't working or with her, he spent his time thinking. Today, he needed to think even more. When they had dated, he felt no attachment to her. She was more into him than he was into her. It made him feel awful thinking about it now. Had she harbored feelings for him all these years?

Juliette blamed herself for kissing Scott. She was mad at herself for hanging out with him this week. It was weak and foolish of her. She had let loneliness and a strong dose of familiarity get the best her. Maybe she did always have a weakness for him, especially physical attraction. However, she hadn't given him much thought over the past few years. Her love for Auggie and the pain associated with their breakup had shadowed her time at Horizon.

For years now, she was suspicious of her time with Auggie. Did he actually love her? Did he only pity her? Why couldn't he accept every aspect of her? Now, last night had tainted her memories of Scott, who had become a big brother figure to her. Was he using her like he did the first time? She was not going to get in the way of the inevitable reunion between him and his soul mate. She had learned her lesson the hard way. She was not going to make the same mistake again. She was going to make sure Scott knew where they stood. They were friends and nothing more.

To: Scott Barringer

From: Juliette Waybourne

Subject: Good-Bye

Dear Scott,

It was so nice to see you and catch up on your life. I hope your future business ventures go well. I assume you feel the way I do and let your loneliness get the best of you. I know I got caught up in the moment. It was nice having someone I knew around and knew a little about me. I hope I didn't confuse you. I know you and Jeremy will be leaving in three days. I will not be able to see you tomorrow, but maybe the three of us can have lunch the next day?

Sincerely,

Juliette

Some may view it as melodramatic, but she viewed it as an efficient defense.

Scott felt both relief and rejection reading her e-mail. He decided Juliette was probably right about him being lonely and getting caught up in the comfort she offered. He associated her with Horizon and a familiar, if pained, past. He at least wanted to tell her goodbye.

The day of their luncheon, Juliette showed up in faded jeans and a navy, v-neck t-shirt. Her hair in a high ponytail. "A little causal for a nice restaurant?" Scott asked confused, although he thought she looked great.

"I've changed my mind. We're going to an amusement park!"

Scott laughed, "Well, I need to change then."

"Let Jeremy know too."

"Oh, he had to leave earlier. There was a work emergency."

"Is everything ok?" She was disappointed by the change but tried to hide it.

"Yeah, it'll be fine, especially when Jeremy gets there."

They put away any awkwardness and enjoyed the afternoon riding rides. Unbeknownst to Scott, Juliette had changed the activity just in case Jeremy couldn't go to lunch with them. Conversation often accompanied eating. Juliette also solved the awkward car ride by renting bikes. She'd rather bike for miles than be in a quiet car with Scott. It wasn't until late afternoon that Scott began to unintentionally close in on her. He insisted on using his rental car to bring the bikes back to the rental place. She had barely crammed them in her trunk and backseat. Afterwards, he was hungry again and saw a small tamale shack along a stretch of coastal highway he had taken.

They sat on the hood of the car and watched the last remaining daylight disappear. Juliette looked at Scott in the twilight and noticed it brought out the color of his eyes and hair. His hair had turned wheat gold as he gotten older and in certain lights a strong reddish gold could be seen in it. His light blue eyes paired well with evening's colors. His face was thinner and there was a ruggedness which wasn't there at Horizon, but he still looked boyish. He was slender but no longer gangly. This setting was too romantic. Had he planned it?

"This is my favorite time of day. It makes everything seem calmer and more relaxed, particularly with the ocean." The way he said it showed her he didn't plan it. He simply wanted to get away. They drove home, this time in comfortable silence.

"It was nice to see you again, Scott."

"Yeah, you too."

She reached for the door handle to get out when Scott said, "Wait."

"I wanted to tell you that besides being beautiful, you've become a confident, smart, funny, and caring woman. I'm glad to see you become what you were always capable of being. I'm proud of you," he told her.

Upon hearing these words, Juliette put a hand over her eyes and burst into tears. Scott was taken aback by her outburst. He quickly tried soothing her. She eventually gathered herself and took a deep breath to explain what happened.

"Scott, do you know what happened to me and Auggie?"

"I only know you two broke up due to culture differences."

"It's not in the way you think though. There were some major things that got in the way, so we decided to take a break and sort things out on our own. Auggie went back to Oakland to do some social work. He wanted to help kids from his neighborhood better themselves. He ran into his old girlfriend, who he dated before he was sent to Horizon. She heard he was in town and asked him to lunch as a thank you for being role model. After following his progress, she wanted to better her own life. She eventually went to a community college and became a medical technician. Long story short, they reconnected and married," Juliette explained with tears steadily rolling down her cheeks.

Scott sat in silence not knowing what to say. He just looked at her. He had been drowning in pain from his own break-up that he had no idea another Cliffhanger was drowning in her own sorrows.

"She gave him more than I could. I tried to be everything and more to make up for certain things, but I failed. Beauty, brains, accomplishments, caring, everything was useless. After being shattered yet again, I decided I wanted to live on my own, by myself. I would rather be alone than hurting. I am hopeful there is someone out there. Someone special. I'll know when I find him, but it won't be you. Shelby and you belong together, and I won't be in the cross fires again. I won't be the person who is always dismissed because I'm not one of the main characters," Juliette said robotically, seemingly devoid of emotion.

She got out of the car and made her way inside. Scott followed her. He didn't know if she still cut, and he had accidentally reopened a wound. She stopped inside the door, turned on the lights, and removed her shoes. As she moved through the living room to her bedroom, she removed her jeans, then her shirt, and finally her bra. Without exposing herself, she slid underneath the comforter. Scott walked to her bed and sat down on the edge. With her eyes closed and her dark hair splayed across her lilac colored sheets, she looked to be peacefully sleeping among purple flowers. Scott soothed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead before going to sleep on the couch.

Scott thought a lot about Juliette over the next two months. He had kept up a light communication with her. She had made it clear it was to stay light. He also thought about Auggie and grew to resent him. Auggie didn't do anything wrong, he supposed, but he hurt Juliette. He betrayed her. Had he been outright unfaithful? Scott valued loyalty and honesty. Also, what obstacles had gotten in the way of their relationship?

Scott was called into his boss's office towards the end of the second month. The company decided to open the California branch in Pasadena. Since Scott was single and childless, they asked if he would move out there. He would be promoted. He mulled over it. His dad was in Washington, his mom in Arizona, and most of the Cliffhangers were on the West Coast. The thought he tried to suppress the most was the knowledge that Juliette was there. He agreed to it. He would move in a month.

"Hey, Scott," Jeremy greeted him at a pizza place for his last dinner in Chicago. "The publishing firm Juliette works at also has a PR section which is leased out by other companies. I talked to several people in PR and learned she was moving to it before she even knew. She and her group are assigned to our company, and you'll be working with them on it. I basically pulled some strings," Jeremy told him.

"How long has this been planned?"

"Oh, since I was called back from Pasadena," Jeremy smirked.

Scott eyed him suspiciously.