So, you´re still reading here, sweeeeeeeeeeeet ;-)
Thanks to all my last reviewers, readers and lovers all over the world!
You brighten up my day like nothing else, believe me.
"You´re not dating onlookers, you´re dating me. What´s important is how you see me? So tell me..."
"Tell you what exactly?"
"How do you see me? What is it you... you like about me? Why are you in this?"
- It´s your turn, readers all over the world! * wink *
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~ 10 ~
Face-off
The next day Julian went to his office for some important papers to catch instead of having lunch at the refectory for not being found anywhere. His ex-wife actually made him thinking of quitting his job as a teacher. He was confused like never before in his entire life.
Marti had been glad Julian didn´t want to meet Heather at the campus for lunch. She decided to bring some flowers to Ally in the afternoon for being thankful and Morgan joined her for some good reason. They had to talk about the running case. Julian had been very surprised and angry, too, about what they had done. The break-in to the bureau was the last thing he needed right now as Heather was causing that much trouble in his life. But what they found just helped a lot to exonerate his client. It was about five o´clock when Marti and Morgan took kind of a romantic walk through the cemetery, just like Julian and her did once before. Except the kissing and the intertwined fingers.
"It´s beautiful here..." Morgan remarked, looking at all the wonderful graves around. "Not spooky at all."
"Yes, it is. We´re just at Ally´s..." Suddenly her voice broke up, when she recognized the strange women in front of Ally´s grave, she tried to hold back Morgan and hide behind the next best bush right along the way. "Who is she?" Marti whispered to him, feeling her heart beat like a drum. "I´ve never seen anybody else here..." Maybe it´s Heather, she thought frightened by herself.
Morgan looked at her in disbelief. "Well, I don´t know!" He said kind of amused.
Marti was holding her breath. She forced Morgan to stay calm and not to move. Then the woman turned around for leaving and the young girl nearly thought of having to faint immediately. Morgan tried to help her by putting his arms around her shoulders.
"What´s going on here?" He asked quietly, trying to keep her vertical. She was really staggering.
"On my goodness..." Marti whispered, still gasping for breath. "It´s her!"
"Her?"
"Heather. It must be Heather... I met her before. She already knows my face, shit!"
"Heather who?"
"Julian´s ex-wife. She came to his house that day the craftsmen were expected to come. I told her I am the house sitter and that I slept over with my boyfriend – means you. Fact is, she knows my face!"
"I really don´t get it."
"Let me think it over... She told me her name was Mrs. Rathbone... So she must have lied to me. Oh my God, I believe Julian´s right to be afraid of her... This woman maybe is dangerous, she probably wants us dead."
"I still don´t get it." Morgan answered totally confused. "Aren´t you reacting a bit tragically?"
"Kiss me!" Marti suddenly forced him because of Heather walking by right away.
Morgan did. He always took his chances. The blond curls hid Marti´s face perfectly and so Heather passed by without looking at the two of them in particular. Morgan enjoyed being so near to her and didn´t want to let her out of his embrace again. Whenever their lips met, he tried to use his tongue but she didn´t let him.
"She´s gone... Take your hands of my butt, dude!" Marti hissed towards her friend. "Why do you always have to try this?"
"Because you´re sweet, good looking and I like you a lot."
"Try another jingle!"
"Erm... Cause when you´re with him I am thinking of you..." He sang Katy Perry´s lines a little bit different, making Marti smile once more.
"You´re so nuts, Harry Potter! Come on, let´s bring Ally the flowers. I have to talk to Julian immediately."
"Julian, again and again this name out of your mouth. You know that I´m not willing to hear that anymore?"
Marti pushed him away in a friendly way and smiled. "He was impressed of you breaking in, remember?"
"How could I forget that? The second thing he said to me was: Why the heck didn´t you stop her from doing that?"
"He cares about me – and you. He doesn´t know about you being a bit sweet on me."
"Nice declaration." Morgan pouted. "Let´s get away from here..."
When he left her at Julian´s house, Morgan wasn´t offended anymore. He told himself to be patient and to wait for his turn to come. Hope springs eternal.
Marti opened the door and found herself in Julian´s arms immediately. He kissed her all over and then looked deep into her eyes.
"I was worrying about your health. How was it going with the crutches? Did Morgan help you at the campus?"
"I´m fine. But you´ll have to worry soon. Heather had been at the cemetery. She didn´t see us, but she already knows me."
Julian lifted his eyebrow. "She already knows you?"
Marti told him about her visit at his home and that she had named herself Mrs. Rathbone, telling her that she´d been one of his clients. He wasn´t surprised at all.
"It´s her maiden name. What did you say to her?"
"That I´m the house sitter because of the craftsmen and that I slept over with my boyfriend. I was only wearing your pajama´s shirt. Must have been looking quite sexy in her eyes..."
"Christ! Be careful, okay? I don´t know what she´s planning on doing." Julian remarked with real worry in his eyes. "But I appreciate your answer about your sleepover with your boyfriend, very clever! Why have you visited Ally today? Did you expect to meet Heather there because of the phone call on the machine?"
"Not at all. I had to talk to Morgan privately and I often pay her a visit, you just don´t know."
"One has to love you, you know?" He smiled.
Both of them couldn´t sleep that night because of thinking about Heather and her further actions. They held each other tight, hoping for some solution on their problem soon. At half past five in the morning Julian said into the darkness, that he finally has to talk to his ex some day. Otherwise there wouldn´t be peace around his environment. Heather had been persistent her whole life through. She wouldn´t stop being it right now. Marti agreed with him. So it had been decided. He would meet his ex-wife though. When the first birds began to sing, they both had been fallen asleep in a tight embrace.
o o o o o o o o o o o o
The practice went fantastic, but Vanessa suddenly left the gym before they had finished. She had done that a few times before and Savannah wanted to know why. It seemed kind of familiar to her. When she followed her right away to the bathroom, she felt validated. A few minutes later, Vanessa left one of the cabins, pale all over. She noticed the cheer leading captain and tried to smile.
"You look kind of ill."
"Thank you for worrying. I´m just fine."
"I can see that. You´re pregnant, aren´t you?" Savannah asked quietly.
Vanessa felt her heartbeat rising. "Is it that obvious?" She washed her hands and rinsed her mouth.
"To me, of course. My sister, remember?"
"Charlotte. I forgot. Please don´t tell anybody."
"Okay. My lips are sealed. Are you okay with it? I mean..." Savannah was at a loss for words.
"Not really. But I´m adult, so don´t worry about me."
"If you need someone to talk to... Feel free to ask for me. Or... Wanda." Savannah smiled.
Vanessa laughed about her joke to talk to Wanda. "Thanks for making me laugh. I needed it badly."
"I wasn´t kidding. She might be kind of weird, but she knows a lot about life and she helped my family to get together again."
"Oh..." The coach was about to leave the bathroom, looking much better than before. "Thanks a lot, though. I won´t discuss my life with someone kind of curious like Wanda Perkins."
Savannah followed her back to the gym and they went on trying the right moves for nationals. Even though she had promised not to tell anybody, Savannah had to talk to Marti about it. Maybe she knows a bit more about their coach since they´ve been working together on that football scandal at Lancer University. Back at their dorm, the Hellcats´ captain tried to get some more information.
"Marti? May I ask you a question?" Savannah started the discussion, already lying in bed.
"Sure."
"Did you notice anything unusual on Vanessa?"
Marti turned around, leaning her head on the left arm. "She seems to be pregnant. Am I right?"
"Obviously yes. Did she tell you anything about it? Who the father is? "
"No, I even didn´t know about it. But I think she maybe could be in trouble because of not knowing who the father is. I mean Red or Derek?"
"I thought so, too. How can we help her?"
"We can´t do anything. It´s her life."
"She doesn't want to talk to Wanda."
"For heaven´s sake, not Wanda! My mum isn´t the right person to lean on if it comes to pregnancy." Marti answered self-confidently.
"Sure she is. She called my mum because of my sister Charlotte. I really have to thank her for that intervention."
Marti shook her head in disbelief. "One of her unexpected successes. Really weird..."
"How is it going with your professor? Still rose-colored glasses?"
"In some way, yeah. We have to deal with his former life. His ex-wife is teaching at Lancer now. Mrs. Rathbone – ever heard of her?"
"She´s my new history teacher! Professor Gibbs had to quit because of cancer, you know?"
"Shit! She seems to be everywhere. Julian is afraid of her, so don´t you show her the way to him or even the two of us. She´ll find us somehow or other. Dammit!" Marti got goose bumps all over. She never had thought to get into some fatal affair.
Savannah sighed. "This turns out to become a lot more complicated than considered. I really don´t want to walk in your shoes. Is he still worth all the trouble and the complications?"
"That´s not the point." Marti closed her eyes, thinking of Julian´s adorable face.
"Then what is the point?"
"The point is, that there is NO point. It´s not a decision whether we´re together or not. It´s... destiny? I don´t know how to describe it better than this. My heart wants me to be together with him and as we all know, you can´t escape your feelings."
"You just have to use your brain, Marti. It could be a lot of easier for you."
Marti looked at Savannah in total surprise. "Is it really you, who is telling me to decide on my intellect instead of my feelings?"
"Yes, it´s me, who´s telling you that. I´m sure that you know what I wanted to say. Just take care of yourself and think twice before getting deeper in it."
"I´m already too deep into it, didn´t you tell me that before?" Marti smiled.
"Have you ever thought about your future? I mean, when he´s fifty you´ll be only thirty-six?"
"Sounds interesting to me. I love gray temples, you know?"
Savannah had to grin once more. "Liar!"
"Not at all! How about George Clooney? Or Richard Gere? Or even Sean Connery? They look way better with gray hair."
"You´re kidding, right?"
Marti smirked. "Maybe? Look, I don´t care about his temples or anything else. He´s handsome right now and he´ll stay handsome in the future. That´s all. Seems like you´ve never been in love, have you?"
"Okay, I´ll get another try. He´ll probably get sick some day, not able to satisfy your needs anymore?"
"Are you serious? What kind of needs are we talking about?"
"I don´t know. Same interests, sport, whatever!"
"I´m growing older, too. I don´t worry about changing interests or anything else. And no, I´m not wearing rose-colored glasses. You haven´t seen him naked. He still looks like our friends, without any wrinkles or anything else. Simply perfect. So, why should I worry? Maybe I´ll look older than him in ten years?"
"Good night, Marti! You definitely chose the right profession!" Savannah smirked, shaking her head.
"Objection, Your Honor! I chose the right lover, that´s it!" Marti pleaded glibly, turning the blanket over her laughing face.
The two girls giggled for about ten minutes about their ridiculous conversation before they finally fell asleep.
o o o o o o o o o o o
"It´s me. We need to talk. Law faculty room at lunchtime. I´m not going to wait for you." Julian spoke on Heather´s mailbox with frosty voice.
He was glad not to have her on the phone right now. There wouldn´t have been time to talk to her or even make clear his anger about her persistence. He just walked on to his law class and sent Marti a short text message for not having to worry about their meeting. She sent back only two little words: Love you. Julian still smiled when he entered the classroom.
"Had a busy night?" Morgan asked smirking before the professor was able to say hello to his students.
"Of course, yeah!" He answered, licking seductively over his lips. Morgan wouldn´t win the race, he swore to himself.
The students looked surprised, whispering amusedly to each other and Julian had to quiet them immediately. So he threw his keys on the desk and tried to look more serious.
"Anything else to answer before starting the lesson?" He asked with a lifted eyebrow. No replies at all. "Okay... Then we can start with the test right now. Everything off the table except your pens!"
Morgan sighed, when Julian gave him his paper to do. "She forces you to torture us, right?" The student whispered bawdily.
Julian was at a loss for words for some seconds. Then he leaned into the curly young man and tried to answer back, whispering bawdily, too. "You have NO idea!" His eyes were telling some dirty story of the night.
Blushing all over, Morgan cleared his throat and began to read the challenging exercises. Another battle lost. His deep sigh could be heard all over the classroom, he didn´t care.
The moment Julian sat down behind his desk, his cell phone began to vibrate. He took it out of the trousers, looked at the display and opened Heather´s text with shaking knees.
I´ll be there.
Don´t you try to disappoint me again.
H.
His heartbeat rose by reading those disturbing words. She tried to boss him like a nobody. While his students were answering the questions, Julian thought about his marriage with Heather. They truly had some good years, but today he realized for the first time that she had always tried to manipulate him her own way. It hadn´t been that obvious, but he should have recognized it. So he was more than just afraid of that meeting, because of standing up to her and telling her not to lie to his house sitter. She probably might freak out, he hardly didn´t want to imagine.
The whole morning he felt like a ghost himself. Just reacting and teaching some kids without knowing what he really did. At lunchtime he finally walked to the faculty room with trembling hands and so much anger in his heart he couldn´t hardly get along with it. When he entered the room, his colleagues smiled friendly. He felt a bit weird and nodded only.
"Julian! Let´s talk about a project we could start together! Will you please take a seat over here?" His younger colleague asked enthusiastically across about three tables.
Julian had a certain respect for Rose, who seemed to have been a bit sweet on him for months. But she never had a chance to win him over. "I can´t, Rose. I´m having a meeting right now."
"It´s a pity. Rain check?" Rose came over and looked him deep into his eyes. "Maybe we should meet at the campus pub in the evening? I got some interesting research for you."
Julian had no nerves for such offensive coming onto him. "We can meet tomorrow here at lunchtime. I know what you´re trying, but I´m not interested, okay? I´m not single, you know?"
Rose blushed all over. "Sorry... I thought... Lunchtime would be okay." She went away with shaking legs herself and Julian thought of maybe having been too rude to her.
When he turned around Heather was just standing right behind him. He nearly panicked of the suddenly warm breath in his neck. "You don´t have to scare me, you know?" he whispered.
Heather just smiled, walking to the next free table and Julian sat down vis-à-vis. To look into her eyes was really difficult for him. She seemed so normal to him, as if nothing bad could ever happen to her.
"So, you wanted to talk to me?" She started the conversation, tearing out her papers and a pen.
"Yeah. You met my house sitter, right?"
"That curly blond-haired women – or should I say college kid? Yes, a few days ago."
Julian got more and more nervous. "Why did you tell her you were a client?"
"I didn´t want you to know that I´m really here before I could talk to you in person."
"For not scaring the hell out of me?" Julian answered a little bit too loud, clenching the teeth.
The whole room was looking at the two of them now. Nobody knew Julian talking like that in front of everybody. Heather wanted to calm down her ex and tried to answer as normal as possible.
"You´re pathetic! Can´t we have a relationship like everybody else around? We´ve got history, remember?"
"As if we didn´t know!" he remarked, being glad that everybody in the room had gotten back to their own affairs in the meantime.
"I´ve been to Ally´s on my own. Did you bring her roses recently?"
Julian knew Marti must have brought them to her grave and had to lie again. "Who else should do? Listen! I don´t want you to get on my nerves any longer, you understand? Keep away from me and my friends. We´re strangers to each other and I´m not willing to allow you to get into my life again. Got it?"
"I know you´re still upset about my accusations. That´s okay. But I really think I should get a second chance, don´t you think so? I was totally broken, out of my mind, when I said all those awful things to you and you know that..." Heather lowered her voice, looking right into Julian´s eyes.
The professor hesitated one moment but got back to his mind immediately. "You called me a loser, a total flop!" He whispered with an evil voice. "I`m the lousiest father you´ve ever met and that I´m not worth being into your life for one second longer. That Ally has never loved me as much as she has loved you. Even if you´re right in some way, you had no right to talk to me like that ´cause I was suffering agonies myself!" Julian had to hold back his tears once more, clearing his throat.
"We had many good years together, Jules. Doesn´t count that anymore? My therapist suggested to coming to terms with Ally´s death, with the so-called accident, with your moment of inattention. I tried to and I´m ready for a new beginning now. Let us be friends again. Time will show..."
Julian got goose bumps all over by hearing her call him Jules. Even her voice made him angry and there was definitely no way to start a new beginning of anything. "Your therapist is right. But he didn´t mention that I´m not willing to forgive you. You knocked me down in my darkest hour, that´s unforgivable. We´re through. Ultimately." He stood up and left the faculty room without turning around again.
Heather wanted to answer him but she was at a loss for words after his accusation. While she was still thinking about her next move, Rose came along at her table.
"I´ve never seen you here before – are you new at the law student representative body? My name´s Professor Rose McKenzie and you are?"
"Non of your business, greenhorn!" Heather said biting, leaving the younger professor mouth wide open.
Tbc...
©Mrs. NiG, 28.05.2011
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Already onto the next series? *lol *
I can always pull it off.