Disclaimer: Romeo & Juliet belongs to Shakespeare. In my stories, some of Romeo's thought belong to Tyler Greg Knott and the base story is highly influenced by Gerard Presgurvic 's musical "Romeo & Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour"

CHAPTER 10: WHERE DO LOVERS' DREAMS GO?

Three fucking weeks. It has been three fucking weeks since Romeo had last seen Juliet. And even longer since he had kissed her (almost two months, but who counted, right?)

This meeting in Paris had taken an annoying and he couldn't help but despise the city when it reminded him of the counterpart in Verona, trying to steal his love from him. He couldn't believe that it took him so long to close his deal of. But now everything was settled and he couldn't wait. He needed to see her.

Juliet was down . She had lost the small weight she had managed to put on thanks to Romeo's care. The daily delivery were still coming but she couldn't bring herself to eat.

Because it came from him. Because she felt tainted and she didn't want to deter anything that bore his marks. He was pure and now he would never want her anymore. She had tried to avoid it. She had ran away, kicked away, screamed away. But she had been drafted to Paris' vineyard and, in there, had witnessed things she desperatly wished she could forget.

Bacchanales, drugs, hurtul games… Paris had tried to rape her. She had bitten him so hard that he almost lost a finger. She had been punished. Harshly. By Paris, Rein, her mother, her father… Only Tybalt seemed to hate Paris as much as her, unexplaincably. Her cousin usually enjoyed to torment her but he was strangely aggressive toward the soon-to-be Count.

She missed Romeo like a missing limb; at the same time, she was always wondering if all of it had been just a dream. Maybe she imagined it all, tried to make her existence a bit better… But everytime she almost convinced herself that she had invented it all, she would reach for her locket; clutching the cold metal, reading the love declaration inside…

She had tried to find release with Friar Laurence but he merely ticked his mouth, trying to convince her that separation was actually a good thing for them. That their feelings were abnormal of intensity. "Is it a crime to tremble when he does?" she had asked him, turning her back to him.

No one understood. No one.

Juliet had never felt more lonely than now.

He took the car his father had sent him to get back into Verona, directly from the airport. The sight of the city, illuminated in the moonlight had a gostly feeling, not excatcly welcoming but clearly reassuring.

When the driver asked him if he was taking him home, Romeo hesitated. Then made up his mind. "Take my suitcase by to my place, please. I'll walk for a few hours…" The driver knew better than to question his boss' son. Silently the car smoothed away and Romeo drew up his coat's collar; the night air was really cold. His feet took him directly to Piazza delle Erbe, the Lavatory, the FOXTROT. He had kept in touch with his friends, but loosely. He saw Benvolio chasing after a dark-haired Montagu girl with short hair cut in a bob. He looked like he was having fun . Mercutio was nowhere to be seen.

Not willing to mingle with his usually favorite partners, Romeo stayed in the dark. He ached for Juliet but he also wanted to scream his love to his friends. He wanted Benvolio and Mercutio to know all about the way her smile lit his way, about how incredibly alive he felt holding her to him, how undescriptably turned on he was just seeing her… He desperatly wanted to believe that his two best friends could find it in themselve sto be happy for him, support them and help.

His eyebrows furrowed when he remembered how non-supportive Laurence was being. He knew thinking about marriage this soon was a crazy idea but he felt so certain… He didn't want to imagine his life wihtout Juliet ever again and he felt it was the only way to keep her safe.

As if sensing his cousin's presence, Ben suddenly pivoted toward the shadows where Romeo was hiding. Taking his cue, Romeo walked backward, saying a mental goodbye. He had one more stop before he could be where his body and soul was pushing him…

"You are nothing but a dissapointment…" those were Rein parting words to Juliet tonight, her accusating finger pointed at her . The pale blonde had barely nodded before collapsing on her bed , crumbling up in a heap of tears and gasps.

Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone? She had came to truly look forward to her alone time… Even Angelica couldn't make peace in her heart anymore: it was only when she was by herslef, surrounded by the silence that she could picture Romeo in her mind.

Forcing herself up , she brushed away her tears with her hands and wrapped herself in her cream shawl. It was time for her favourite activity of the day, the only moment she usually lived for and awaited around… She quietly opened her window and stepped on her balcony, facing the amazing view of Verona by night . A sight escaped her body and she all but collapsed against the railling, her cheek leaning heavily on her hand … And her mind saved her from her reality, taking her far away, in Romeo's arms.

The soft purr of his motorbike was one of the most comforting sound Romeo had heard in a long time.

He had made the stop to the Montagu's garage and had taken the bike without even talking to anyone there. He was on a mission but he couldn't help but savor the way the wind was blowing his long hair, the cool feeling on his face, the incredible sensation of almost flying when he was sliding on the street at his fastest. He drove to the Piazza dei Signori , another neutral territory but where he knew most illegal traffics were happening. He needed a disposable phone.

He found what he was looking for with a smart-ass man who made too many assumptions about why the Montagu heir might need such an unsual item. Romeo made it very clear, by holding his face against the road, that he was to talk to no one about it. "Otherwise, I will wait with you like that until a car pass by" he growled. The man frantically nodded and Romeo was satisfied enough.

With a whistle, he drew back on his motorbike and drove away. He parked quietly under the all too famous bridge and –feeling his heart almst bursting with anxiousness- he cautiously climbed the stairs that led him directly into Capulet's territory. The brige was purposely kept in the dark , without any outside lights and he could barely see anything. He jumped when a shutter violently closed and he had to wait for two whole minutes to feel his heartbeat calm down.

When he eventually saw the impressive Capulet's castle he couldn't refrain a terrible shiver. He was ready to do the most dangerous things to see Juliet but that didn't mean he wasn't accutely aware of it.

Too much easily climbing the walls ("They really should improve security!" he thought, almost letting out a laugh), Romeo navigated carefully around the security guards and sheathily slipped in the garden where he knew Juliet's balcony to be. He was getting ready to climb where he was stopped in his tracks with the most glorious vision he had seen in a long time. Juliet was on her balcony, leaning against the railing. Her long blond hair were cascading down her back and she had on her face the same expression he was beginning to be familiar with, of both dream and wonder . His awestruck eyes quickly made an inventaire of her whole being: in one sweeping gaze he saw she had clearly lost weight, dark circles were lining her under eyes and her usually pale but glowing skin looked tarnished, like she hadn't slept in days.

It did nothing to stop the natural physical reaction Romeo had toward his love and he was as always both struck and elated. Unaware of his presence, she suddenly bent forward with a sigh , and he heard his name whispered between her lips. He smiled and walked out of the shadows, letting his voice ring toward her "No need for whispering my love…". Juliet jumped and frowned , searching for the sound she heard, ready to call herself crazy. Seeing him stepping into the light, her heart skipped several beats and she felt her knees giving way under her and she collapsed . Instinctively she opened her arms to him and, as if obeying a silent call, Romeo jumped ahead, climbing all the way up to her embrace.

She kept curled around the railing, reaching down to him. He reached up and the second his fingertips brushed hers, electricity shot up . Romeo hurried the last few meters and soo they were face to face.

Tentatively, without saying a word, he closed her left hand around her jaw, his thumb caressing her cheek . Juliet's eyes closed at the contact and she clutched his wrist, unable to let him go . He brought his hands up and slided them through her hair, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks. She tied her arms around his neck, almost squeezing him to death …

Romeo inhaled a shaky breath while looking down at Juliet's mouth. "You make it so hard to breathe". His voice was hoarse, raw and Juliet almost fainted right there. He punctuated his sentence with his kiss, the first in almost 2 months, bringing his lips over hers. His tongue slided across Juliet's lips, then dipped inside, tasting her, filling her, claiming her… He moved his hands to her face and angled her head up so that he could stare at her with his forest-colored eyes .

Juliet felt her heart rate quicken, and her thoughts spun into incoherency. She couldn't breath, couldn't think when he looked at her like that. She was dazzled…completely and utterly intoxicated by him. "You're absolutely breathtaking, you know."

She blushed a deeper shade of crimson with the compliment and buried her face in his shoulder . He stroked her hair, running his fingers from the crown of her head down to the small of her back. He then grasped her chin between his strong hands, tilting her head up so that he could press his lips to her neck, before bringing her face back down to his. He kissed her again, intensely, molding his mouth around hers. She inhaled, breathing in his delicious scent. Thanks to his warm hands, her cold body suddenly felt very warm…

Romeo swore he could feel her heartbeat through his shirt, they were so tightly bound together. His left hand trailed under the hem of her blouse to inch toward the bare skin of her lower back. He moaned again as his fingers spread across that valley, claiming it. He didn't need to see it to know that it was beautiful and precious.

Until…Juliet began to gasp, her breathing labored and uneven. Romeo did not want to stop. He wanted to continue,he wanted to explore every inch of her and gaze deeply into her grey eyes as her body gave up its secrets. But prudence took hold, and he slowed his movements even as his body ached at the mere thought of separation and her own hands kept hold of his face .He held her tightly, still protecting her head, and pressed three chaste kisses against her open mouth. He brushed his lips, angel-soft, all the way down her neck to where it met her shoulder. One more kiss under the ear, with a flick of his tongue, more of a promise than a farewell, and Romeo stopped. He slid his hands down her arms and brought them to hold her hands. He smiled at her, kissing them before resting his own on her hips. He traced intricate patterns with his thumbs, willing her to open her eyes. He swore he could hear their heartbeats, echoing a frantic but almost synchronous rhythm in the silence of the night. She did this to him. She bewitched him, blood and flesh. He gazed down at her in wonder and brushed his lips once more against her parted mouth . She did not respond.

Romeo peered at her closely, slightly panicked . "Juliet? Baby? Are you all right?"His heart halted as she collapsed in his arms. She hadn't fainted. Not really. She'd just been overcome by sensation and sense and lack of proper food . But she knew that he was holding her tightly in his arms. And she knew that he was whispering kindly in her ear.

Romeo stroked her face with his fingertips. When this elicited no response, he pressed his lips to her forehead and hoisted her in his arms, trying to shake her. Her eyes opened but were completely unfazed. Really worried now, he blew some air on her face. She blinked and as if realizing where she was, suddenly stepped back and turned her back to him . Confused, Romeo walked to her and turned her around. The look she gave him broke his heart .

"What the hell happened to you?" he whispered, his voice laced with steel. Juliet looked down and tried to shrug . "I'm just… so happy to see you again". Her voice, that he hadn't heard in such a long time almost brought him to his knees. But he heard her. He always heard her, especially when she was not talking. "Do you want me gone?" he asked her and he saw her go white with panic. She opened her mouth to answer when The Mute came into her room, after a short knock. Juliet pushed Romeo back against the railling with a "hush!" gesture and quickly stepped back into her room, arranging the curtains so her lover stayed hidden. She turned to The Mute and asked by getsures what was the matter . The terrifyed red-haired frantically signed that Isabella was coming in and Juliet blanched.

Isabella came barging in and, without a glance, send Mute away. "Juliet" she began, her voice steel like. Seeing her daughter's eyes unfazed and her obvious lack of concentration, her mother called her name again, with more venom "Juliet!" Satisfied that she had her attention, Isabella began a round of verbal abuse that Juliet didn't even hear anymore but that Romeo, hidden on the balcony, was perfectly understanding and it left him seething with hate and violence. "Your inacceptable behaviour with Paris last week has done us more harm than your tiny brain could ever grasp. You only had one thing to do and you failed it! Must you be of no use for everything? Your father had to pay the Count a personnal visit!" Juliet kept silent, her eyes downward. Her face was red with shame because she knew Romeo was hearing everything. "Now he won't want anything to do with me…" she thought and an involuntary sob escaped her.

"Oh please, not those crocodile's tears again! When are you going to learn that tears are only useful to the weaks?" Isabella rolled her eyes before opening her arms as if she was gonna provide a great news. "Now your father –who has this family's matter at heart- got you the Royal Pardon from Paris. We are all invited to the Count Coronation tomorrow and you will be present. Juliet? Do you hear me? You will do and act the way he wants!" Juliet barely nodded so Isabella took her by her shoulders and violently shook her. "You will obey!" Feeling her head swimming, the blonde Capulet vigourously nodded "Yes, Mother! I'll do just as you say!". Isabella let go of her and left without a glance backward, leaving Juliet alone in the room, her vision lost and her head spinning . She didn't turn around when she heard the curtain move. She kept her back to her love, unable to see the disgust and the dissapointment she knew she would see in his eyes.

Romeo was clutching the rail, his knuckles turning white, just to stop him from barging in and squeeze Isabella Capulet's neck until she turned blue. Before knowing Juliet, he thought he hated the Capulets; because of traditions, because of the way he'd been raised… Now he knew that what he had felt before was far from Hate; because he really felt it now.

Making sure the Capulet Head of House had left, he walked inside the bedroom he had already been in once. Juliet was still standing in the middle, her tense back to him, her laboured breath barely escaping her body. He touched her waist and she suddenly turned around her face destroyed by a ravage of tears . He didn't say anything, just took her in his arm and brought her to her tall white canopy bed . His heart broke: she weighted nothing. Settling on her bed, he kept her against his body, spooning her . It was then that she broke down in terrifying sobs, uncontrolable cries. As heart-wrenching as it was, Romeo was still relieved because it was more reaction that she had in last 10 minutes. He let her cry as much as she needed. She was clutching him, burying her face in his neck . After a while, she calmed down and she simply laid there, enjoying the way his body molded hers, the way his hand was calmy caressing her neck and the other arm holding her frail waist. She looked up to him , almost not believing he was there, with her. She raised a hopeful and yet frightful face to him and whispered "I thought you would never come back…" her voice was hoarse and she had a coughing fit. Romeo frowned and, remembering the bottle of orange juice he had in his bag, he carefully got up, kissing her forehead. She questionnaly followed him with her tears-filled eyes… He went to her door and locked up with the ancient keys inside the lock. Then he went to his backpack he had dropped on the floor and reached inside for the orange juice bottle in.

With a gentle smile, he got on his knees behind her head and softly kissed her upturned forehead, her lips before giving her the juice. Gratefully she almost chocked on it in her haste to get something in her stomach… Romeo spooned behind her, holding onto her , softly kissing her neck and whispering soft reassurance in her ears. Himself, he couldn't believe he was holding her. After two whole months wishing for her voice, her soft skin, her grey eyes… Her whole being.

After finishing her bottle and putting it on the floor she settled back against him, keeping her back to him but linked their hands together. She was watching their hands, together, in the moonlight softly enjoying the contact. Romeo once kissed her neck and whispered "What was your mother talking about?" She hesitated."You can tell me, Juliet." He squeezed her tightly and waited, softly stroking her hair. "It's all right."

The words hung in the air between them. The truth is a heavy thing, and you can't fight the undertow forever…

She swallowed. Hard. "I'm so sorry.. . I swear to you, I didn't want to. I fought."

"Why?"

"Um… Paris had invited me to his vineyard. I didn't want to and I kept finding excuses not to go… I even pretended to be sick. Rein had been driving me hard and I haven't been eating much… At the end, my parents forced me to go." She stopped and shivered violently. Sensing that the following was gonna be awful, he took her in her arms, basculating her on the bed, hovering over her . "Tell me… Pretty baby, you can tell me anything. Please. I promise I won't be mad at you. I trust you, please trust me the same.". Juliet took a deep breath and she said the following in one breath: "There were some of his friends there, and they were all so drunk… They were all naked, forcing others people to do things. I don't know what really happened, only that at one point there was some blood everywhere… And the screams…. Paris, he tried to make me drink but I mostly pretended. He didn't. Oh my god, he tried to… He wanted to…" she explosed again into sobs. Romeo took her face in his hand and harshly asked

"Did he touch you? Did he lay a hand on you?"
Juliet cried but shook her head "He tried. I was so weak, I hated feeling that helpless… He passed out before he could do what he wanted but when he collapsed on me, I fell down and hurt the back of my head on the kitchen counter…." . Romeo's heart broke one more time… She laid down her face on his chest, hiding her shame. His hand closed around her neck and he forced himself to not explose right now. Not when Juliet needed him. "Do you have a scar?"

She took his hand and brought it up to the back of her head, pressing his fingers against a raised line of flesh where hair will no longer grow.

"I'm sorry for this." He traced it a few times and pressed his lips against it. "I'm sorry that those things happened to you. If I could, I'd beat them all senseless…starting with the bastard who is your father."

"I was pretty lucky, actually. Paris didn't hit me once."

"Nothing you have told me sounds even remotely lucky."

"I'm lucky right now, with you. No one hits me. And I have a friend who feeds me with orange juice…" Romeo kissed her softly first… then lost control again, wanting to prove her that whatever she had told him didn't change anything for him. He kissed her neck, savouring the heat of his own breath bouncing back and warming his lips… Goosebumps appeared everywhere on her neck and he wanted to read it like Braille, wanted to spend all eternity learning her own language. The shawl on her arms slipped up and he discovered the constellation of freckles on her skin, pointing his fingers on it, one per fingertip… "I love you…" he whispered. "I'll love you always and not even Death itself could stop that.". He took her again in his arms and let himself slide down the bed . "Juliet… I need you to promise me something. Something incredibly important. Don't ever touch me or let me touch you unless you truly want me. That's a promise I'd like to exact from you right now…" Juliet looked at him. "You are not… disgusted by me?" "How could I when you are the purest person I have ever known?" He shot out his hand and grasped her wrist, grazing the pad of his thumb across the veins that were pulsating underneath her pale skin "I'd rather choose the sin of loving you than the happiness of never loving you…". Juliet nodded, bringing her slightly opened lips to his. She was in awe at this man… He should never be hers, never even think about her and here he was… Holding her in his arms, blessing her with a love so incredible, so unwordly that she was dizzy. "I promise…" .

His fingers left hers and moved to the sides of her head and he held Juliet still "I hope you still taste like orange juice";

Romeo was in her mouth . "He's invading me again. I must taste like orange juice because he's certainly acting as though he's enjoying the taste…" she couldn't help but think, her skin aflame. Juliet's favourite part about kissing Romeo was the sound: the sound of his lips when they closed over hers. The sound of their breaths being swallowed by each other, the way he groaned when their bodies joined together…

Juliet's body tingled, and her breath came out in jagged bursts, as he fanned out his fingers, spreading them over her soft skin. She shivered under his touch, but it had nothing to do with her usual cold. He gripped her hips firmly, pulling her body securely against his, and she could feel him pressing against her stomach, his erection tight in his jeans. "God Jules..." Romeo groaned under his breath, using a nickname for the first time and moved his hands to her butt. He grabbed her ass and rocked her body against his. She gasped as she felt his hot fingers slip just inside the lacy elastic of her underwear. She twisted her body, struggling to move herself onto his fingers. But his strong hands held her firmly in place. He chuckled softly and brought his face back to hers. Romeo kissed her deliberately, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She sucked in a breath and twirled her own tongue around his.

"Romeo…" she moaned into his lips. Her skin was flushed, and her eyes darkened with want. Without breaking the kiss, he sat up against the headboard, pulling her with him so she was straddling his lap .

She could feel him throbbing, hard underneath her, and her stomach tightened with excitement. Romeo held her ass tightly against him, rocking her back and forth; she closed her eyes, relishing in the sensation. Juliet could feel his huge erection pushing against her entrance. Her body tingled with anticipation, as she realized how close he was to her. Only the thin, wet fabric of her underwear and his blue jeans separated his body from hers.

He could feel the warmth spilling out from between her legs, her wetness soaking through the delicate fabric of her panties, and dampening the dark denim of his pants.

"God Juliet…" She didn't know what she did to him; the pressure of her body rubbing against him was groaned in pleasure at the feeling, and Juliet felt him shudder underneath her. She wanted to feel him more, she wanted simply more. Her body wanted so mch but she was too shy, too embarassed, too inexperienced to voice her wants aloud.

Romeo felt it and with utmost precautions, giving her time for her to understand, he raised his tshirt, showing his battered and tatooed chest to Juliet's eyes level. His flesh was all but scars, rippling hard muscles and strange tattoos . Her sharp breath and tentative touch sent him in a red haze, furiously kissing every point of her he could touch.

Romeo had no intentions of going further but he only wanted to make a point, make her forget any doubt she could have about his feelings… But he had to say that her unexpected willingness was not making matter easier and he struggled to catch his breath. He kept thinking "Everything about her is captivating, like the aftermath of a storm. People aren't supposed to get pleasure out of the destruction Mother Nature is capable of, but we want to stare anyway. Juliet is the devastation left in the wake of a tornado."

Taking a steadying breath, he pressed two short kisses on her mouth and smiled into her dazzled grey eyes. "I love you…" Juliet trembles. She would never get tired f hearing those words, would never grow accustomed to the flights of burning butterflies in her stomach… "I love you…"

Keeping her in his arms, Romeo tried to calm his body down but he wanted Juliet to feel how much he wanted her. Juliet bundled up on his laps and sighed. Her voice was hoarse from all the kissing and her skin was aflame with a blush covering her whole face. "I hope… Thanks god it's darck enough in here" she muttered, sending Romeo in a laughing spit. "Shhh!" she playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Baby, please don't ever be ashamed of anything you may want… Especially from me… Speaking from wanting something…" Reaching out to his bag, he took the disposable phone from it.

"What's that?" Juliet asked, sitting crossed legs, facing him . "I got you a phone. Don't get excited, it's a disposable one… You can only text from it and only one per day but… I can call you on it"Juliet looked at him like he was fucking Santa Claus. Her face was one of amazement and she was cradling the phone like it was a damn royal jewel.

"What?" he chuckled. She almost jumped on him and they fell backward, their mouths connecting in a playful kiss . Laughing, he kept her against his naked flesh, shivering when her trembling fingers traced his star tatoo . "Why a Bratva?" she whispered. He shoot her a surprised glance, her luminous grey eyes looking up at him curiously . "How do you know?" "We studied it in school…. It's russian, right? The Bratva is the highest star in the Russian line of sky?" Romeo nodded and held her tighter. "It's russian… but also the symbol of my family. Every heir has to bear this mark. It's like… It's a way of having the fight, the evidence in your flesh. If I was to die…" he felt her shiver and he held her even tighter, kissing her forehead "Well, if it happened.. It will be Ben's turn to take the mark. I'm an only son too…" "When was it done to you?" "When I was five… They wait to be sure that the child will live healthy". "Five? That's barbaric!" He chuckled. "Not really… I remember I was so proud I didn't even pay attention to the ache. Not everything needs to be bad, baby…" She nodded and Romeo slowly felt his eyes closing, keeping her against his chest, feeling her gently exploring his chest. "And this one?" she traced the line of chinese symbol. "It means "Have both Strengh and Fear". I got it when I quitted drugs. As a reminder…" Juliet didn't need him to elaborate. She traced a line of arabic signs that looked recent… "This one is new?" Romeo smiled and nodded: "Yeah, I got it in Paris 2 weeks ago. It's… Well, I wanted something to remind me of you that wasn't obvious. It simply says "Someday"". Juliet blushed, deeply touched by his acts. She almost religiously bend down and kissed the tatto delicately.

She spent the next half hour tracing his scars, learning every story behind every single one, every pound of flesh he had paid for a war he had never understood, a war so meaningless that they could laugh. "I went to see Laurence when you were gone… I don't think he's on our side" she whispered. "I know." Romeo sighed. "What did he say?" "That we were too hasty, unhealthy… That we needed time and patience." "Me too. He doesn't want to believe because he doesn't see. Which is the point of faith…" "Do you think we are? Unhealthy?"

Romeo turned his face toward hers . Romeo's eyes darkened. "I have no wish to consume you, but I won't lie and say that I'm not attracted to your luminosity. If I am the darkness, then you are the stars. In fact, I'm quite taken by la luce della tua umilitate." Juliet blushed from head to toe but she looked deep inside his green orbs . "Why did you leave so long?" she whispered, tears playing inside her eyes. "I felt I was going crazy, that everything was in my mind…" Romeo, appaled, held her to him again and now she was openly sobbing. "I thought I had imagined the whole thing…" she cried . "Shhh…. It's alright now. I'm here. I'm not leaving… And I love you". She sniffed but concentrated on his breath, on the way his rough hand was softly massaging her neck and eventually calmed down.

"I'm sorry… I should not have made demands. It's just that… I miss you so much when we're not together. I miss you everywhere…" she softly confessed, ashamed of her needs.

"I know, baby, I know…"

"I'm so sorry…"

"Shhhh…. None of that. You have every right to be demanding. I am your boyfriend. I should have told you first."

"Are you my boyfriend?" she whispered.

"I'm more than that. I am your lover." Romeo's words and his voice, low and sensual, sent a shiver up her spine. "Even though we aren't… having sex?" He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. "Lovers are intimate with one another in many different ways. But you need to know that I desire all intimacy with you and only you. So the term boyfriend is inadequate. And I'm very sorry I hurt your feelings. My trip to France came up when Richard, the french producer I was signing with, suddenly decided to overview my opinons. I tried to get out of it but it took so much longer than I expected… I'm usually gone 10 days out of months, never this long, I promise…"

Juliet kissed his neck. "I understand and I'm sorry…" "Hey none of that. Let's make up some rules right here, right now…" Juliet looked up at him and he held her hand . "What rules?" "Well, for one, I'm not allowed to break your heart," he says. "Second, I'm also not allowed to break your damn heart. And last, I'm not allowed to fucking break your damn heart!" she laughed and he kissed her nose and then her hand "And also… Never apologize for needing me. Never. And I won't apologize or be ashamed in needing you too" Juliet nodded at him, their hands still linked, a joyful smile stretching her lips .

"Now it's pretty late, baby girl… I kept you awake long enough. Time to sleep…" He helped her into the cover and she made sure he was too. "Please… Stay the night. No one ever comes in here before 5 am anyway…" Romeo wanted to stay more than anything. He decided to throw caution to the wind and he settled behind her, spooning her, holding her arms with his against her chest. The peaceful expression on her face as she slowly allowed sleep to take over her brought tears to his eyes. He brought his mouth to her ear and mouthed the word of a poem he loved, one he knew by heart

"Let those eyes close, heavy as they have been, let them sink and in the stillness behind them, find peace. Let those eyes close, flooded as they have found themselves and feel me lying next to you, tracing you to sleep…"

Juliet sighed and totally relaxed againt him. Like that, her wrapped against him, Romeo never imagined he could squeeze quite so tight. For a moment, he felt he could pull her right through him. Looking at her, knowing all the hardship she had went through, all she was living, he couldn't even begin to describe how immense his love for her was.

He had never been religious, had never wondered about destiny but, right now, with this fragile and strong woman in his arm, he had to admit Destiny had playing a funny trick on him. Kissing her neck, he resolved to stay until he would have kissed all the spots she had been taught to hate… He would place his hands on them and leave them still, long enough for his heat to join hers, for both of them to forget that there ever was some air between their skins .

Jumping awake, Juliet suddenly felt her heart racing. She usually jumped start awake like that several times per night, an ache in her chest weighting on her chest, forbidding her to breathe.

She tried to roll over and found her face in a long mess of black hair. She took conscience of the hot body next to her, of the hand clutching her hip with authority . Her body relaxed before her brain understood and she found herself gazing at the sleeping face of Romeo, his high model-worthy cheekbones standing out in the moonlight, his full lips an open tentation… He was back. He had stayed. He wanted her. Turning inside his arms, she allowed her hand to briefly caress his face and she settled back on his chest, more relaxed that she had ever been in her life.