Author's Note: OK, wow so totally overwhelming response to this, thanks so much! OK, so there's stuff that people have questions about so I'm going to try to clear things up.
Yes, Guy is gay in this...it's just something I put in there to give Connie something to obsess over. I don't know that he'll even actually show up in the story, but it will be referenced a lot.
Will Connie be paired up? It's possible, I won't say anything else.
Why is Portman toxic? It will be revealed slowly, but if you've ever watched Sex and the City, you can probably guess...toxic men abound on that show.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, save Carla and Gary. Who I adore, they may be my new favorite OCs that I've come up with...sadly for poor Heather and Lexi who used to hold that title...
Chapter 3: Unexpected Bliss
"It's late," Julie said, dinner had ended and they were now taking a walk. Dinner had been wonderful, he had been wonderful. "I should really be getting home."
"You aren't having a good time?" He asked.
"Oh, I am having a good time," She smiled shyly, "but I also have three very nosy room mates a few blocks away." He laughed and kissed her lightly, the kiss took her by surprise.
"I live alone," He said quietly. She looked at him, so much of her wanted to go with him, so badly, but a tiny part of her knew she couldn't, at least not yet. She shook her head. "Not tonight?"
"No," she said, "not tonight." She kissed him again. They kept walking until they reached Julie's building. "Thank you Gunnar, I had a nice time." They kissed softly one last time. "Good night."
"Good night Julie." He said smiling and hailing a cab. She watched him get in and it drive away, before she turned around and walked in the door. She climbed into the stairs to the loft and unlocked the door, as she turned the knob she heard the giggling and shuffling on the other side. When she got in she saw the three of them sitting casually on the couch.
"Oh, hi Julie," Carla grinned innocently, "Did you have a nice time?" Julie shook her head at them.
"Yes, I did," she headed towards her room.
"Do you want to tell us about it?" Connie said looking over at her.
"Nope," Julie laughed and shut the door behind her.
"You know she called Portman today," Connie sighed, "before Gunnar."
"No!" Gary gasped, "Why?"
"Something about the Duck perspective," Connie said, "or so she's saying."
"Of course she called him," Carla said, "he's her Big."
"What?" Connie said. "What does that mean?"
"Her Big, Mr. Big," Gary explained, "From Sex and the City. But I don't think that's it. She just still loves him," he sighed, "God only knows why."
"He was good to her," Carla said, "until the end."
"The end was almost two years ago," Connie pointed out. "It's time to move on."
Julie smiled as she got undressed, and went to her closet to grab her bathrobe and go take a shower. It had been a good night, she had enjoyed herself more than she expected too. It was the first time in two years that she had let her guard down like that. As she went through her closet she looked up and saw a framed picture on the top shelf. She hadn't been able to bring herself to get rid of it, or even remove it from the frame. It was three years ago, Carla had taken it. Dean had his chin resting on the top of her head and her arms were bent around his head. They were both smiling, put it wasn't a cheesy posed picture smile, she remembered that moment, they were laughing, because Julie had been tickling his neck, Carla had meant for them to be straight faced, but they couldn't do it. That was a long time ago, before he moved, before he broke her heart. She took her robe and headed across the living room to the bathroom. As she was walking the phone rang.
"Got it," Gary said, reaching over Connie and Carla to get it. "Hey," He looked over at Julie, "no, nope she's not here. Yeah, I'll tell her you called. Sure, uh huh, buh bye." She looked at him.
"Who was that?" Julie tapped her foot.
"Not Gunnar," he said, "go shower."
"Fine," she said, she knew who it was, she stomped towards the bathroom. "You know, when people call for me, I like to be told, whether or not you guys like that I talk to them."
"Honestly Gary," Connie said hitting him, once Julie had left. "We can't do the telling Dean she's not here thing, when she's in the room."
"You would have done the same thing," he said. "Just because you're good at cutting people out of your life, doesn't mean that she couldn't use a little push."
"He's her Big," Carla repeated, "she's not going to cut him out of her life."
"Stop saying that," Connie said, hitting her.
Julie sat at her desk a few days later. She had been working for a sports agency for the past few years, she was trying to become an actual agent but had yet to rise above assistant. It was thankless work, but at least she was around athletics. Currently she was gathering numbers on college basketball players her boss was trying to sign. It was horribly dull. Her cubicle phone rang.
"Julie Gaffney," she answered.
"He called," Carla said, "I gave him your work number, just giving you a heads up."
"Thanks Carla," she laughed, "heard from the gallery today?"
"No," she sighed, "it seems the only person interested in my photos so far are you, and your new flame. Look, sorry about the other night. I would have given you the phone."
"It's fine," she said, "they're just trying to protect me. And they're probably right anyway. I'll see you at home." She hung up and went back to her spread sheets with a smile. She opened her e-mail, to pass the time. She opened one that caught her eye, dated a few days back.
Hey Kid,
Just checking up on you. Called you last night, guess you never made it home and they didn't tell you. Hope you had fun, even if he is the enemy.
DP
She laughed, and hit the reply button. She knew she couldn't tell him the truth.
Hey you,
Got in late, but I made it home fine. Everyone was asleep when I got in, then I left for work early. I did have fun. Also, he's not the enemy, that would be you.
JG
She hit send. She knew that her friends were right, he shouldn't be in her life anymore, she shouldn't be talking to him. But she couldn't bring herself to end it completely. As she was thinking her phone rang. Please let it be him, she thought to herself.
"Julie Gaffney," she said, trying to keep her voice cool.
"Are you busy tonight?" Gunnar's voice brought a smile to her face.
"Not yet," she giggled, she felt like a teenager. "But there are some prospects."
"Well," he said, "I have these opera tickets," he explained, "do you know Carmen?"
"No," Julie laughed, "I don't know very much about opera at all, actually."
"Good," he said, "neither do I. I won't feel inadequate."
"Taking me to the opera puts you ahead of most men," Julie smiled, trying to picture Dean at the Met. "What time?"
"What are you going to wear?" Connie said, "do you even own anything for the opera?"
"Wear the red dress!" Gary said, "you know the one without a back. You'll definitely end up in bed with him if you wear that one."
"Gary," Carla said, "She doesn't just want to sleep with him, right honey?"
"I didn't say she should just sleep with him," Gary said, "But seriously Julie, when was the last time you got any?"
"Six months," she said, finally getting a word in, "when Dean was in. And I might sleep with him tonight, I haven't decided yet. He wanted to last time." Julie shrugged. "But I definitely think I will wear the red dress." She smiled. "I can't believe he's taking me to the opera, it's so, classy."
"And the exact opposite of Portman," Connie pointed out. "You couldn't have paid him to go anywhere near Lincoln Center."
"Yeah," Julie said quietly. "Well, I'm going to get dressed, he's going to be here soon."
"We get to meet him?" Carla said, "On the second date? Seriously Jules, you really like him don't you?"
"I do really like him," she said, "but you all have to stay in bedrooms. I don't need you all scaring him off."
"Hey, I don't need to hide," Connie said, "he already knows me, so I can stay outside."
"If Connie stays out so do I," Gary said.
"Fine, you can all stay out, but you cannot speak!" Julie warned them sternly. "I'm going to go put on my sexy red dress." She popped her foot as she walked through the door.
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