A/N: What's this? I actually updated twice in the same month? Holy moly! Aren't you proud of me. Haha, I'm just kidding. But yes, I actually do have another chapter ready…thanks to CarelessMan'sCarefulDaughter. I'm sorry you couldn't proof read this…I think your PM is disabled because I cannot send you a message. But I tried the best I could to incorporate most of what you suggested. I'm going to save some of the other stuff for later!
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the newest chapter! Happy Holidays!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 8: Secrets and Lies and Tears, oh my!
Juliet's POV
"You ok?" I heard him ask, his voice laced with concern. I turned my attention away from the bowl of ice cream I had been absentmindedly playing with, and focused on my boyfriend's worried face.
"I was just thinking," I replied evasively, hoping he'd drop the matter. But James didn't take the hint.
"About?" he prompted, his eyebrows knitted together in curiosity.
I sighed, "Are you happy, James?"
His hazel eyes widened slightly, but he recovered quickly. "I'm not sure what you mean," he responded carefully. But I saw right through him.
"With us," I answered, "Are you happy with us…as a couple?"
"What? Of course I am, Juliet…why would you say something like that?" Though the hurt was evident in the tone of his voice, I could tell he wasn't telling the complete truth.
"It's just…I've always felt like you've been hiding something from me."
James opened his mouth, but I never gave him the chance to talk as I continued to plow through. "At first, I ignored it. I figured we all had our own secrets, our skeletons in the closet. Who was I to demand you to divulge everything? For a while, ignoring my speculations seemed to work. But, I feel like our dynamics have completely changed in the past few weeks…especially when you first saw Leigh."
I noticed James clench his teeth at the sound of her name. "Was there…was there more to your relationship with her, James?"
"No there wasn't anything between us, Juliet," he shot back at me, his voice sounding more and more tense with every word he uttered. I knew that I was pushing him, and that was exactly what I wanted.
"James, it's okay if there was. I—"
What little remained of his calm visage rapidly dissipated. "Why are you pushing the matter?" he snapped, "You're making it sound like I'm the bad guy with all the secrets. But what about you? What about you, Juliet? Why don't you tell me something about you for once? You never talk about yourself…all I know is that you used to live in France and you did ballet!And you dare sit there accusing me of keeping secrets? You're such a hypocrite!"
My eyes shift back to the table we were sitting at, the feeling of disgrace overwhelming me at the mentioning of my past. "I just want you to be happy James," I whispered.
"And you think that can only happen if I leave you?" James exclaimed in disbelief. "You know what? If you don't believe in this relationship, then why the hell should I?" My head snapped back up, and dismayed, I watched as he shot out of his chair and stormed out of my apartment, slamming the door to my apartment closed.
Once vibrations the slammed door caused ceased, I picked up my bowl of ice cream, and put it back into the freezer. Somberly, I sat back down at my kitchen table and looked out the window, idly watching the Palm Woods residents go about their day. As I sat there, I thought long and hard about what happened between James and me. His words, though hurtful, rang true. I've never really told him about myself. I wish I could, but I just can't. The past is too shameful and dishonorable for me to relive. Though he never admitted it, his anger and defensiveness was all the validation I needed.
There was something going on between he and Leigh, and he wasn't over it. The million-dollar question, though, was how do I handle it?
Logan's POV
"Hey Camille," I said to my girlfriend as she entered my apartment. "You ready for the movie?" She didn't answer me, her face darkened by a torrent of emotions.
"Umm…Camille? Are you ok?" I asked, distraught by her current state. But she remained quiet, still.
I was starting to really freak out…I had never seen Camille like this, and I had no idea what could be possessing her to act this way.
"I think I'm going to go call a doctor," I stated as I moved toward my cell phone. As soon as I my fingers touched the phone, I heard her speak.
"What is it about her?" she asked sadly. I looked at her, surprised by the intensity of her eyes. I saw a myriad of emotions, ranging from sorrow to anger.
"Who?"
"Leigh."
"Camille, there is nothing going on wi—"
"Yes there is, don't lie!" she proclaimed, "Ever since you guys ran into her last night, you all have been moping around here."
"How did you know we saw her last night?" I inquired, remembering she wasn't with us for the encounter.
"Only an idiot wouldn't catch onto your mood change. So, I asked Brianna. You know that girl can't keep her mouth shut."
I nodded. "Look Camille, she was our frien—"
"But you have plenty of friends, here," she countered, "Why is she so important?" At this point, Camille was on the verge of sobbing.
Gently, I grabbed her by the shoulders. "Camille, she saved my life. She saved all our-" I paused, knowing very well I couldn't tell Camille about the four of us being kidnapped. "Our careers," I finished. "She let us use one of her songs. She was a good friend to us."
"But she left you guys, without any warning. What kind of friend is that? And if she was such a good friend, why didn't she tell you she was back in town?"
I bit my lip, knowing I couldn't tell her truth. But, her last question did trigger something within me. Why couldn't she have slipped by? Granted, we were all certain she was here on mob-related business, but surely she could've snuck out just to let us know she was alive. Maybe Camille was on to something.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "It doesn't matter, Camille…we'll probably never see her again. Just calm down, okay? She doesn't matter to me anymore."
Even though what I said earned me a huge smile and a fierce hug from my girlfriend, I felt my stomach drop to my feet. I know Leigh's departure hurt me…hurt everybody tremendously. And, yeah, though it wasn't her fault necessarily, there's still some resentment there, especially since she's back here now. But she still mattered to me…she was still someone I cared about.
Camille brushed away the tears that had started to creep down her face. "Ok, I'm ready for the movie, Logan."
I forced a smile on my face. "Awesome, let's go."
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you guys thought of it. I hope I did Juliet some justice, CarelessMan'sCarefulDaughter. Hopefully, I'll continue on this roll and update next week sometime, and NOT wait a whole month again. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, you guys are awesome!
