Chapter 4
Juliet stood in front of the mirror and held two different pairs of earrings up to her ears. Today was the night of her and Shawn's first date. She stared at the flowers and chocolate behind her. She looked back at her earrings and sighed. They both looked awful. She wanted the night to be perfect. No talk of her cancer. No talk about their job. Just a lovely evening with Shawn. She wore a maroon dress with a darker tie in front. She had just enough make-up on to bring out her facial features without looking fake. Her shoes were three inch black heels. Shawn would be here soon, and she wasn't ready. She hadn't even started on her hair. She walked to the bathroom, where her curling iron, which had been heating up and was now hot, waited for her. She lifted it into one of her nervous hands and brought it to her hair. She curled the first piece and smiled. She just knew this night would be great.
Soon, her hair was done and she got out some hairspray. She sprayed a hefty amount of it in her hair and sighed. Finally, her hair looked perfect. The doorbell rang and her heart jumped.
"One minute!" She called out, applying one last layer of lipstick to her lips. She looked in the mirror and curled her lip. She had forgotten a portion of her hair. She hid it behind some other pieces and walked to the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Shawn, with flowers in his hand and a big smile on his face. She looked at his clothing and saw he wore an incredibly handsome tuxedo, black dress shoes, and his hair was perfect. Suddenly, she felt like a penguin in the desert. She felt terribly underdressed.
Open the door! She thought and took a deep breath. Her shaky hand reached for the door, and she felt weak in the knees. She opened it slowly and Shawn's smiled tuned into an expression of awe. He couldn't think of anything to say. His eyes moved up and down, taking in the sight of her. He tried to say something but couldn't.
He stood there for a moment before he let the word, "Wow," slip out of his mouth. Juliet smiled and accepted the flowers.
"You look great." She complimented him. Shawn laughed.
"I look great? Have you looked in the mirror today?" He led her out to Gus's car, which he was 'borrowing' for the night. Juliet thanked him as he opened the passenger seat for her. He got in the driver's seat and started up the car.
"Jules," He began. "You look so incredibly, completely, gorgeous tonight." He placed his hand on hers and rubbed it gently. She giggled and flipped her hand over. She intertwined their fingers and sighed.
"So, where are we going?" She asked, hoping for an answer this time.
"I already told you, it's a surprise." He emphasized the word 'surprise.' Juliet moaned. The car ride was silent; except for the few times that Shawn looked over and complimented her. They arrived at a fancy restaurant that Juliet was pretty sure cost Shawn a fortune. They walked in with their arms linked together, laughing about how everyone was acting so supreme. Shawn handed the man in the front of the restaurant a ticket with their reservations. "Booth 18." He told them and they walked to the luxurious booth. Juliet gasped at the scene. It was perfect.
"Shawn, this is beautiful. I can't imagine how much you spent." She sat down and smoothed her dress.
"Don't worry about it. It was worth every penny." He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She smiled. The night was already perfect. Juliet rested her chin on her hands and stared at Shawn, happily.
"Hey, Jules, I know we promised no talk about your cancer, but I have just one question." He pushed. She closed her eyes and nodded, as to say, "Go ahead."
"I wanted to know if you thought about the surgery and the, uh, chemo." He hoped that he wouldn't make her cry. He hated seeing her cry. She sighed.
"I've been thinking a little about it. I'm still not sure though." She explained trying to keep her answer simple. Shawn smiled and changed the subject.
"So, how old do you think that woman is?" Shawn pointed at an ancient woman across the room. Juliet snorted.
"That is rude!" She slapped his arm jokingly. Juliet loved how he could completely take her mind off of something.
"Thank you for all this, Shawn. You really are kind." Juliet leaned in and kissed his cheek. He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She felt a sensation run up her spine.
"What would you like to eat tonight, Miss?" A waiter asked. Juliet thought for a moment.
"There are so many choices. I guess I'll have the premium steak meal. Can you make sure my steak is medium-rare?" Juliet decided. Shawn had ordered a platter of appetizers. The waiter left to go prepare their meals. Shawn and Juliet chatted until the food came. "This smells delicious!" She gasped. The waiter smiled and left them to eat.
About an hour later, they had both eaten enough and were full.
"That was the best food ever." Juliet yawned.
"You tired?" He asked her. She smirked.
"A little bit. Sorry. I really want to stay longer!" She widened her eyes. Shawn laughed.
"It's okay. We can go home. Can we go to your house?" He asked grabbing her hand. She smiled and nodded. They stood up and paid up front. Shawn walked with his arm around her, out to the car.
"This was a lot of fun. Thank you, Shawn. I really needed this." She said, again.
"No problem." He stared into her blue eyes and brought his hands to her face. He caressed her face and leaned in slowly. His lips met hers and she put her hands behind his neck. The kiss was passionate, like emotions just came flowing out of each of them. They pulled away and then reconnected with another kiss.
"We better get headed to your house. We can't stay here all night." Juliet whispered, rubbing his neck. He nodded and helped her in the car. Shawn drove to Juliet's house and parked. They walked inside and sat on the couch.
He kissed her, again and whispered, "You look perfect." He rubbed her back.
"I need to change. I'll be right back." She asked. Shawn nodded. She stood up and trudged into her room. Shawn walked out to Gus's car and got out the clothes he had left in there. He walked back inside and changed into the clothes. It was just a shirt and a pair of boxers.
"Jules, where are your movies?" Shawn called out.
"In here. I'll pick out one." She answered. She slipped a tank top on and picked out Titanic. She exited her room and put the disc in the DVD player. She sat next to Shawn and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Soon, Juliet's eyes became heavy and she closed them, letting sleep overtake her body. Shawn felt more weight on his shoulder and heard her breathing slow down. He let her head fall against his lap. He leaned back onto the arm of the couch and continued watching the movie.
When the credits rolled, Shawn stood up and woke Juliet up.
"I don't want to move right now." Juliet moaned. Shawn smiled and bent down. He pushed the hair out of her face and rubbed her thumb across her cheek. She opened her eyes and squinted one shut.
"I'll sleep here. You go sleep in the guest room." She told him groggily. Shawn placed one arm under her and helped her sit up. She placed her hands on the couch to keep herself up and changed positions to where her legs hung off the couch. She stretched and yawned.
"My legs are too weak right now." She explained and leaned back.
"C'mon, Jules, you can't sleep there all night. Get up." He grabbed her hands and pulled her up. She moaned. Shawn got her to stand up and wrapped his arm around her. He helped her walk to her room.
"See, now that wasn't so hard." He spun her around and kissed her.
"Goodnight, Jules." He whispered to her and left to the guest room. He got under the blankets, which smelt just like Juliet. He fell asleep thinking of how perfect she looked tonight.
The next morning, Shawn woke up to Juliet knocking quietly on the door. He rubbed the sleep out if his eyes and sat up.
"Come in." He called to her. She came in wearing her work clothes.
"I have to go, which means you do, too." She leaned against the wall and slipped on a pair of heels. Shawn looked at his phone and saw it was nearly eight-thirty. Shawn got out of bed slowly and slipped on some pants, he had left there for the morning.
"Do we have time to eat?" He asked, feeling his stomach growl. She shook her head.
"I have to go, now." She stated and left the room. Shawn followed and went outside to the car. They got in and Shawn started the car.
"Shawn I know the answer to the question you asked me. But please don't push me if I can't keep talking. I can't let everyone see me crying." She announced. Shawn glanced over at her.
"Jules, you don't have to do this." Shawn assured her. She shook her head.
"I need to tell you." She let out a shaky breath. "I've decided to get the surgery. It will happen this Saturday at nine o'clock. If it has spread anywhere else, I'm not getting chemo." She said, keeping herself composed. Shawn's eyes widened.
"Do you need me to come with you?" Shawn asked, feeling his heartbeat quicken.
"Yes."
Okay, well that was unexpected. The next chapter will be VERY long and possibly sad. It will have the night before surgery, morning of, during, and after the surgery. So, bring some tissues. I hope to be done Wednesday, but no promises! Please read and review, and thank you for everyone who has!
Until Wednesday!
