Title: I Almost Do
Summary: Every time I don't, I almost do.
Genre: Angst/Romance
Pairing: Juliet/Shawn
Word Count: 539
Disclaimer: Not mine!
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And I just want to tell you
It takes everything in me not to call you
And I wish I could run to you
And I hope you know every time I don't
I almost do
I almost do
-I Almost Do
Sitting in her bed, her husband sleeping beside her, Juliet O'Hara felt terribly alone.
It was late, well after midnight, and she was wide awake. Absently her fingers twisted her wedding band. It felt strange and awkward, much like her marriage did. They had only been married for three months, but she had spent almost all of that time wondering if she had made a huge mistake.
Extending a hand in the darkness, she grabbed her cell phone and turned it on. It wasn't all that long ago when she would wake up in the middle of the night and text her partner. He always responded and was never harsh about it, even when she suspected her messages had disturbed his sleep.
Her fingers hesitated, hovering just above his number. Ever since her wedding day, Carlton had placed a large amount of distance between them, and she couldn't blame him. She knew he didn't like Shawn, but she had naively assumed he would eventually get over it.
How wrong she had been.
Sliding out of the bed, Juliet padded over to the window and looked up at the nighttime sky. The moon hung in the velvet sky, surrounded by countless stars. Once again her fingers itched to dial his number, to talk to him and hear his comforting voice. She saw him every day at work, but it just wasn't the same. Where there had once been a carefully cultivated friendship and mutual respect for one another, there was no distance and a painful kind of cold attitude on his part. Again, she couldn't blame him. She had disappointed him and broken his trust, and it would take a long time to rebuild it, if she ever could.
She looked over her shoulder, at her sleeping husband. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him. Obviously she did, or she would never have said yes to his proposal, and then gone through with it by marrying him. No one had held a gun to her head and forced her to say I do. She had done it willingly and with a smile. But that smile had been hollow. Why?
Because Carlton hadn't been there to help her celebrate the biggest day of her life. He was her best friend, probably the most important person in her life. Of course she wanted him there with her, but a part of her had understood why he didn't attend the ceremony. It didn't lessen any of the pain and resentment, though.
Three months later, and he was still barely speaking to her except when it was absolutely essential. And it hurt her. It hurt her more than she would ever openly admit.
"Jules?"
Shawn's sleepy voice pulled her away from her thoughts. "What is it, Shawn?"
"Come back to bed."
She sighed and looked at her phone one more time before shutting it off. She missed Carlton, but she had made her choice and now there was nothing to do but follow through with it. So she crawled back into bed and allowed Shawn to pull her into his arms. He made a contented noise and slid back into sleep.
She wished sleep would come so easily for her.
The End.
A/N: Next up, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together! Thanks for reading, and please review!
