CHAPTER 12 : SHE'S THE KIND OF BEAUTY YOU DIE FOR
The world was blue. A deep kind of blue and without turning her head, Juliet already knew that ther whole environment was suddenly blue. A nice blue but still… It was disorientating. Juliet's half-conscious mind struggled to make sense to this mysterious addition to her world.
Finally a screaming voice cleared it all up.
"Oh My God, Juliet! What is this?" Angelica was horrified. Juliet didn't understand what the fuss was about and she tried to get up and ask Angelica what was eating her up.
Tried, being the key word.
As soon as she moved, an unbelievable sort of pain collapsed on her head. On her shoulders…. Actually, everything hurted. And why was the world so blue?
"Angelica?" she tried to call but the hoarse sound of her own voice scared her. She couldn't see anything else but the blue. She realized she was under ther blue covers but that her eyes were also swollen shut, reducing her vision to this blue cover only.
She heard Angelica fussing and calling discreetly for help. Everything came back at once:
She only remembered the disaster at Paris' nomination, seeing Romeo, the attacks and the unexplained fainting…
She only came back to her senses after a bucket of iced water was dropped on her. She had woken up screaming, only to see her dad and Tybalt above her, their faces diformed by fury.
They had come at her with fists and feet, only stopping when she was broken and once again inconscious… She could only imagine the sight she was making.
Angelica and The Mute came back, silently helping her to rise. Juliet let out a whimper, she was in a world of pain. She shut down everything and let her helpers handle her.
Something was awfully wrong. Romeo knew it in the bottom of his heart, deep inside his body. He woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, terrified.
"Juliet…" he murmured.
His body leaped up and before he knew it, he was getting in his clothes, not realizing the world was stil dark outside, that it was the middle of the night. He was blinded to anything that wasn't Juliet.
He was leaving his bedroom when he was suddenly faced with the stern face of his father… "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Ascanio seemed furious.
Romeo's temper went up: his dad had provoked all that happened earlier, the atrtacks on the Capulets, he had pushed Mercutio to do it and had left just before everything began. And now he was angry? Not because of what they had done but because they had gotten caught.
Romeo had almost been sentenced to banishment by Escalus earlier. "One more intercade, one more problem and you'll be banished!" Romeo shivered just thinking about it but Ascanio was furious.
The Montagu's patriarch was openinghis mouth to a diatrib but he was cut short by his wife. Magda Montagu was a sight, with her hair done and her robe closed. She simply looked at them and both men fell silent. "Go to bed. Both of you" she coldly said and Romeo wanted to challenge her. He wanted to challenge the world. But he saw his father's gaze.
Ascanio still had the power to make his life miserable. He needed to be still. For now.
Angelica was trembling, her hands shaking. She was watching Juliet getting dressed, her body broken and her face in tears…
Juliet was broken. Her father and cousin had really done a number on her this time. She was such a sad sight...
Isabella Capulet came in, unannounced. She spared one look at her daughter and turned to Angelica. "My daughter will be staying in her bedroom today. No need for school. Get her to eat but do not let her leave this bedroom…"
Before Juliet could even wonder why her mother was suddenly so worried about her, Isabella continued "There's a reception organized downstairs and all of Verona's important society is here! I don't need Laday Gjelina Escalus to see her looking like… this" she disgustingly pointed to her daughter.
The Mute stayed where she was, freezed by the insensitivity of Isabella but Aangelica quickly nodded and the Capulet's mistress turned on her heels without another glance to her daughter.
Juliet sighed. "At least, I'll be able to skip school…" she tried to smile while collapsing on her bed again.
"Romeo…." She murmured, right before fainting….
The Mute's head wiped back to Angelica. The Nurse's face told her everything she needed to know.
Romeo was at work, trying to focus on what his team was saying, trying to get his head back in the game… To no avail.
His brain was focused on Juliet, he could feel something very bad was happening. He needed to know. He needed to see her.
Angrily, he ajourned the meeting and called Mercutio. He needed to get his ideas sorted and only his best friend could help him.
"My friend!" Mercutio was as mercurial as ever, standing up on one of the table outside a restaurant in Piazza Principale, calling on to Roméo with a big smile on his face… Benvolio was with him and he was having fun harrasing a girl who, strangely, looked like a Capulet.
Blonde, dressed in tell-tale Capulet red, she looked scared but excited at the same time. She was looking frantically around her but it seemed her friends found the situation hilarious. "Hey, Ben!" called out Romeo. His cousin turned to him with a big smile "Don't spend too much energy right now or what will happen in the bedroom?!" the blond girl looked terrorized but when Ben turned to kiss her she let him to it. "Cheers!" shouted Mercutio, from the table. He had his masculine favor in his arms, Ayden, who was shaving his head to look like his lover. One hand on his lover's ass, Mercutio gave him a kiss to be remembered.
Romeo laughed out loud when the blonde Capulet flew away, running from the piazza like the devil itself was chasing her, her friends following her laughing.
"Romeo!" Mercutio jumped from the table and the three friends did a manly hug. "Bonjour, Très cher Romeo!" said Mercutio "This is a french salutation for the french exit you put of us yesterday night!"
"What?" laughed Romeo "Not this again!" Benvolio punched his shoulder. "Come on! What happened with Escalus yesterday night?" Romeo lost his smile "Well he shook my father from his bed, screamed and threatened to banish me at the next problem… Well, me and you guys by the way. So, yeah, thank you by the way!"
Benvolio paled but Mercutio send his head back in a crazy laugh. "Like my uncle would send me away! I'm a count! Paris is just a baby next to me, he needs help to find his dick!" At the mention of Paris, Romeo scoled.
"I really hate this guy…" "Stand in line, my friend. He's a scoundrel." Mercutio loved or hated, no in-between. You were safer in the first category because being hated by Mercutio could be a death sentence.
Romeo shook himself: he had came to his friends to force his mind away from all this. He turned to Ben "So, dear cousin, what kind of salute should we give you? Since when do you mingle with the other side?"
Benvolio faced his cousin and started a little dance. "You know… Tasting foreign cooking and all this. She's not really a Capulet, by the way, just a groupie! I have my honor!"
Mercutio began to answer "Well, we don't want any Capulet's cooties…" but his gaze caught something else. A big, planturous woman. Dressed in red. And this one, he knew her.
Angelica knew she was being crazy but she felt it was her responsibility. Romeo needed to know what happened to Juliet, needed to help in a way. She was lost.
She had been searching the town in the authorized parts for Romeo, her heart squeezing in fear.
Desperate, she end up in the Principale's and suddenly saw him, having fun with his friends. Resolutely, she walked toward them.
"Oh but what do I see coming? A giant ship! A vessel!" Mercutio screamed in Angelica's direction. All the Montagu boys quickly played the game, their hands on their foreheads, pretending to see afar.
All of them, except from Romeo who blanched. Angelica coming toward them could only confirm the terrible feeling resting in his heart. Hher eyes were shiny and she looked revolved but sad.
Mercutio ran to her and jumped aorund her like a monkey "No, No! It's a culotte and a skew!" Angelica tried to slap him. "Leave me alone, you fool!"
"Hey!" Angelica managed a slap on Mercutio's bald skull and he was outraged. He pretended to be hurt and let himself drop backward, just in time for Ben to catch him. "Antic Lady, you are killing me!"
"Well good ridance! You are just as annoying as mosquitos!" Benvolio laughed out loud "Wow, such a terrible threat!"
Mercutio jumped back up and caugh Angelica from behind, raising her body from the ground "Let me go! Let me go!" The Capulet's nurse was going crazy, she was screaming while Mercutio was throwing her around like a puppet. "What is your business, here?" asked Mercutio when he was tired of his game. Angelica turned back and push him "None of yours, that I'm sure!"
"Oh, oh!" laughed Ben. "She getting nasty!" Angelica was furious and didn't give a thought to her next sentence "I'm here for Romeo!"
Everybody fell silent and looked at Romeo who had kept quiet during the whole ordeal. He was sitting down and cringing from afar: knowing Angelica, this couldn't end right.
"Romeo? Why is everybody always looking for this guy?" wondered Ben out loud.
"And what do you want with Romeo?" wondered Mercutio, suddenly angry. "Nothing that concerns you!" screamed Angelica.
"The youngest of this name is me, despite not being the most perfect…" murmured Romeo, getting up from his spot.
"It's ok, guys. Let her go…" quietly ordered Romeo, coming near. Everybody stepped away: Romeo was the Montagu's heir, their chief and leader. No one could discuss his orders.
No one other than Mercutio, who wasn't a Montagu. The bald man looked at his friend like he was crazy and stayed where he was. "What?"
Romeo's gaze turned cold and he stared down to his best friend. Benvolio, sensing the mood shifting, pushed in between the best friend. "Ok, ok… Let's all back down"
Romeo's gaze gratefully turned to his cousin and the blond peroxyded guy simply winked at him and pushed away their royal friend.
Romeo stayed alone with Angelica.
Angelica was enraged. Romeo couldn't help a smile.
"Really? So funny! I can't believe this is happening! I'm coming here out of free will to warn you and this is how I'm getting thanked!"
Romeo's face turned frantic "What? Warn me ? Is it Juliet?" but Angelica wasn't listening to him, simply focused on the humiliation she had just felt.
"If he talks bad about me, I know enough guys who will crush him between their forefingers! I'll destroy him!" she continued to rant. Romeo rolled his eyes and shook Angelica.
"Hey! Stop it! Tell me what happened with Juliet!"
Angelica suddenly became serious "Sir… It's very bad. She's been beaten up so badly, I've never seen something like this. This time, they went for the face."
Romeo collapsed on the ground. "No…" "Get up, sir! Get up! Everybody is looking!"
Romeo reacted and jumped back "I'm sorry… " "Sir, I just wanted to let you know. Because she was seen with you yesterday, she has been beaten up. She cannot move…"
"I'm coming! Tell her I'm coming and I'll get her away from all of this!"
"Sir, are you crazy? You are not thinking? You really think everybody is gonna let you go? If they know, they will kill her!" Angelica shook him.
Conscious of his clan's gaze on him, Romeo took Angelica's arms and pushed her toward a small street next to them. "Ok, Ok… I got it. What can we do?"
"Right now, nothing. She needs to rest and she's been sentenced to her bedroom…" "Maybe… Maybe I can come tonight, the same way I did two days ago?"
"Oh, you mean when you two fall alseep and almost risked getting skinned alive?" "Come on, it wasn't that bad!"
"It was. You two were careless. I will not let this happen again."
"Then what do I Do?" "Right now, nothing." "Nothing? What kind of cruel woman are you? You think I'm gonna stand here and do nothing?"
Angelica slapped him the same way she did to Mercutio "Excactly! Stupid man! Listen, Isabella is having a week of celebration right now… She will not want Juliet to be seen so Im' gonna convince her to let me take Juliet to my place for the time to heal. Funicio and Tybalt are outside of the city with Paris, a hunting trip of some sort. You can come then and see her at my place…."
Romeo's face broke in half with a smile. "Angelica, you are a true blessing!" he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Angelica smiled and shooed him away…
2 DAYS LATER
Juliet was floating in and out of consciousness. Her breath was like a whistle and while her eyes weren't swollen anymore she was still a bit shaky with her seeing.
Angelica feared that maybe her vision cord had been damaged but Juliet's rather blame the two days without food that she recently had to endure. Her throat had been so sore that she couldn't stomach anything else but liquid: her nurse had litteraly spoon fed her hot chocolate, just to make sure she had something in her and didn't collapse.
Her conscience was a bit fleeting and she had several allucinations (mainly seeing Romeo in her bedroom, but that was everybit of a fantasy…).
She had dragged herself down the stairs and was currently trying to stand in the middle of the main living room, where her dad and Tybalt were getting ready to leave for a hunting trip.
She was ready to collapse on the sofa but her dad was boasting on and on about something and she couldn't even get her musy brain to understand what it was about… When suddenly she heard a name: "Romeo" being spat with so much hate that she had goosebumps.
She forced her brain to concentrate but she only gathered "tonight" "fire" "none the wiser". Her father brushed past her and Tybalt pushed her out of the way; she let herself collapse on the sofa but the wheel inside her head were running like crazy. Angelica rushed to her and tried to help her up but Juliet grabbed her hand "Angelica! Listen! Did you hear that? Something is gonna happen tonight and it will blame Romeo… I have to go find him!"
-Are you crazy?It's too dangerous and your father is already furious at you!
-Let me go, I have to go and warn him!
- Don't be ridicculous, you can barely walk!
Juliet quickly moved away from her nurse's grasp and, not caring at all about her parent's angry stares or Tybalt's cruel one, she ran back upstairs.
She ignored Angelica's pleading and immediately took her phone from under her mattress. She rushed to the bathroom and locked the door up. She was frantically calling Romeo when the annoying ring reminded her that the stupid phone couldn't call or receive any.
One text. This was the only thing she had. One text in, one text out.
Thinking hard, doing it several times…. She eventually settled on typing "smthg hppn. Meet me park 0900". She waited long minutes, minutes that seemed hours and days, the phone clenched in her hand. When it eventually beeped back she almost jumped "K. Be safe. ILY"
Her head rolled back and she began shaking all over.
Romeo's eyes opened and closed immediately again. He was sprawled on a sofa (it took him 10 minutes to remember it was Mercutio's sofa). He moved a bit and a whimper sounded down his feet.
Frowning, Romeo moved his foot again and the sound of a dying animal was heard again followed by Benvolio's angry voice "Move that foot again in my face and I promise you I'll bite it…"
Mercutio's own growl was heard near his head "And if you don't shut your gob, Ben, I'm gonna personnaly cut your balls and feed them to my dog".
The three friends had partyed. A tad bit too hard, just like old time. Romeo vaguely remembered feeling bad about ditching his friends on a daily basis and he had agreed to a heavy, terrible party.
At least 20 Montagus were sprawled on the carpet, Mercutio's head was buried in Aiden's ass while Lyla's hair covered them three. Romeo discreetly checked if his modesty was still covered.
While he seemed to have lost his shirt sometimes during the night, his pants were still faithfully on. And his pants were vibrating. Wait, what?
Benvolio, whose head was currently resting on Romeo's thigh (don't ask) mumbled "get that fucking phone out of your pants I'm comfy".
The terrible headache killing him reminded him painfully of all the fire whiskey he had… He managed to move a tiny bit and reached for the beat up phone in his pocket, the one he fondly referred to as "Juliet's phone". This though send a rush in his body, "Oh my god, Juliet's phone!"
He sat suddenly, sending his cousin violently on the floor, at the same time squishing another Montagu guy, Balthazar. "Hey!" screamed Ben, or more precisely tried to scream because he wasn't in a better shape than Romeo.
And the fact that his face and mouth were pressed in Romeo's shoes didn't help.
Romeo didn't care and opened the sole message of Juliet and swore down. ""smthg hppn. Meet me park 0900". Something happaned? What did it mean? And a park? Which park?
Romeo's heart was hammering and he struggled to remember yesterday's events. He blamed Mercutio's booze and his own unusual weakness: he was usually immune to hangovers.
As bits and bounds begin to arrive back to him, he felt nausea come. His brain still fuzzy, he knew the risks Juliet was taking texting him so he wanted to answer her quickly to not keep her in misery. Quickly texting "K. Be Safe. ILY" he felt a silly smile arrive on his face: just saying he loved her by text as enough to make him giddy.
"Since when do you use this kind of old thing ?"
The question was laced with sarcasm and came from Mercutio. The bald man had gotten up and started the coffee machine. "Only a Prince's nephew would have a coffee machine in his own suite" though Romeo amusedly. Romeo hadn't heard his best friend get up and he was now looking at him with a cautious face.
"It's called preservation of old thing, Cutio. You should try it sometimes" "Oh but I am, my friend" said Mercutio with a salacious smile and pointing to Lyla and Ayden who were still dead to the world on the bed.
Romeo laughed out loud before clutching his head. "Hum… Bad idea" Mercutio laughed at him and handed him some fuming coffee that Romeo accepted gratefully before spitting it out "Did you put some whiskey in here?"
"You know, what they say brother: fight the hangover the way it beat you before".
The long dark haired man just laughed and agreed by simply tossing his head back and drinking the mixture. Juliet's presence was still foremost on his mind but he decided he had until 9 tonight to find her.
It was officially 7.30 PM and Romeo wasn't any closer to finding Juliet and which park she meant.
He had spend the afternoon browsing the internet and google maps for any location ressembling a park near the Capulets' territory but to no avail. His nerves were rising as the night began to fall on Verona. Juliet would be out there, waiting for him and he wouldn't be there because he had drunk his ass off the night before and couldn't even move properly. His whole afternoon had been spend on Mercutio's couch nursing his hangover and consumming an important level of alcohol to keep his mind to dissolve in pain.
Around noon, Lola had called him about the french producer's answer and he had agreed to have an emergency meeting with his team early tomorrow to announce them that the deal was closed: he had only been back in Itlay for 4 days but between Juliet and his family's obligations he didn't have the time to pass throught the informations.
Shaking his head, his eyes landed on a red rose standing lonely in a vase by the window. Smiling, he reached out to it and was busy thinking about how Juliet's skin would look on a red roses's bed that he didn't hear his cousin coming to him. Ben snatched the rose from him "Oh my god, Romeo is in love with a silly rose! Hey, dude, you have drool on your face!" Romeo's gaze landed on him and he pushed Ben back.
His mood was angry immediately and he jumped on his feet "What is your problem, mate? Something you wanna tell me?" Surprised, Benvolio backed down but kept his voice mockery "You mean except you cannot take a joke anymore?"
Romeo's eyes shone with his anger but Mercutio, usually the trouble maker, stepped in between them "Calm down, kids. I don't want to call the maids and have them clean blood from my carpets. Its too difficult to unstain". Romeo took a deep breath. "Sorry… I just have a lot on my mind."
Benvolio's face was strange and Mercutio was looking at his best friend from underneath his eyes lashes, the way a tiger looked at his prey.
"Does it have anything to do with the Capulet's daughter?" he asked, a mean smile on his face. Romeo's head shot up and his face blanched. "What? What did you say?" Even Benvolio was looking at him with interest. Mercutio nonchalantly drop on his couch and looked at Romeo intently.
"Face it, dude. Since yesterday you've been either moping or getting angry… Since you handed back the Capulet's chit to her good-to-nothing dad. So I'm wondering…."
Romeo ran his hands through his hair, panicked. "I don't know what you're talking about…". This enraged Mercutio who jumped back from his sit and caught Romeo by the shoulders and shook him: "Stop lying! Stop it! You've been avoiding us for weeks and I have eyes you know! I can see that everytime we mention Capulets you shrink back now!"
Romeo's temper flared up and he pushed his best friend back "And what if I am? Does that make me suspicious because I'm tired of a war I understand nothing about? What did you expect me to do? This girl was lying here, beaten up and unconscious and I should have ignored it just because she's a Capulet? What kind of person do you take me for?" "I take you for the Montague's heir, fucking hell! You didn't use to care a scratch for them You're supposed to take the family back, you're supposed to lead us!"
"Us! Exactly! Remind me again, which family are you from? I don't remember you having any say in this, by the way!" This was a hurtful thing to say and Romeo knew it: Mercutio, despite his belonging to the Royal family, has always acted like a true Montague and he considered them his family. The hurt on his best friend's face send Romeo in a repentful haze.
"Sorry…. Sorry my friend. You know I didn't mean this" he tried to explain. He turned to Benvolio and saw his cousin with tears in his eyes. "Listen to yourself, Ro…" he pointed out. "You are out of your mind!" the youngest of their group was also angry. Romeo tried to appease them. He walked to them, hands out in peace. "Forgive me, my friends. I'm going throught a hard time lately and I've been taking it out on you." Mercutio kept his face closed. "Swear to me you have nothing going on for the Capulets. Any of them!".
Romeo felt sick. His heart was beating as fast as if it wanted out of his chest, the nausea was over powering him. He swalloded and chanced a look at his cousin. Ben's face was hopeful. He was trapped. He closed his eyes and adressed a mental prayer to Juliet, a prayer of forgiveness.
His forced a smile on his face and, clutching his friends' necks, answered: "I promise you I couldn't care less about the Capulets. I just tried to be a decent human being".
Mercutio smiled and clapped him on the shoulder "Ok, Ro. I trust you". Romeo smiled and dropped back on the couch, relieved his secret was safe but feeling disgusted with himself "I repudiated the most sacred thing in this world… It would have been better to die".
"By the way, Cutio, where did you got this stupid rose?" asked Benvolio propping his feet on his friend's coffee table.
"There's a flowers market right now in center town…" Mercutio shrugged and slapped Ben's feet away. Romeo perked up "A flower market?" "Yeah, in the National park… My uncle forced me to go there for the inauguration earlier yesterday"
Romeo's smile was real this time. "I've found you, baby…."
Juliet couldn't believe her mom had actually agreed to letting her go to Angelica's for the night but she wasn't about to complain.
She had spend the afternoon at her Nurse's place and now she was getting ready to leave. She had tried to hide the bluish wounds all over her body but to no avail. She hoped the night would cover her and that Romeo wouldn't understand at first sight.
She looked at Angelica who was wrinkling her hands in agony. "Everything is gonna be alright, Angelica. I have to warn him. Tybalt already left…."
"Why? Why must you be in the middle of it?"
Sadly Juliet motionned to her body "Look at me. I've been in the middle of it since I was born." Angelica glanced down, ashamed. "Be careful… Who knows what might happens if they see you together".
Juliet smiled and draw her hood over her hair. "I love you, Angelica…"
The Nurse watched her protégée leave quietly in the darkened streets of Verona, her heart racing. "Oh God… Please put your best angels on watch for her tonight" she prayed.
Juliet's heart was racing and she tried to keep her head down as much as possible. When she reached the infamous bridge marking the separation in between the two worlds on the city she stopped. She was shaking and her body was hurting all over "Come on, don't be stupid. You've done this before…" she encouraged herself.
Angling her hood to hide her face better she rushed on the stairs before loosing her nerves. At this time of night, the bridge was deserted and the atmosphere was dark and scary. She felt the weight of danger and fear on her shoulders…. And it suddenly lifted as soon as she reached neutral ground. The second she was mingled with "normal" people she began to breathe again.
People were out, having fun out on the different piazze and she felt happy and relaxed. She even smiled when she heard a street singer "I understand now why so many people wanna be outside at night…" she couldn't help but be ashamed at her inexperience: this was her city and she's never seen it or explored it for real.
She reached the flower market held at the Grimaldi Royal Park and climbed on the forest hills surrounding it. She checked her watch: 9:15. She was late and maybe Romeo was already waiting for her!
The dark was almost complete and she risked calling outloud "Romeo? Romeo!" But nothing answered her.
Fear started to hammer in her body. Where was he? Didn't he find her? What if something already happened and she was too late?
She walked a bit more into the forest, still calling for him. She was getting ready to reach for her phone when a snide voice made itself heard "Hey, little one, what are you doing here all alone?"
Juliet turned around and saw a homeless guy right behind her. She walked back but the guy, smelling disgusting and reaking of alcohol, grabbed her arm and squeezed "No, no, don't touch me!" Juliet tried to escape but the disgusting man suddenly showed her his knife and she stilled "Be quiet! And do as I say-"
He was interruped by a phenomenal punch in the face and a roar. Juliet fell down but her heart was at peace.
"Come on, come on…" Romeo was riding his motor bike and slaloming in between the crowd but couldn't get through. He had been late, Mercutio had insisted on having some other drinks and he couldn't decenly refuse after he barely avoided the crisis earlier…
He had pleaded tiredness and jumped on his motor bike and he was now insulting every living beings who was forbiding him to reach his love. His Harley wasn't the most discreet way to circulate around town but it was faster than any of his cars.
He reached the gate of the Grimaldi Royal Park and without a look for the flowers market he went for the forested hills. His motorcycle driving at the lowest point he was looking for his love when his eyes suddenly caught a movement. He pulled the crutch and pulled his gun from his belt. He was proceeding with caution but when he heard Juliet's voice "No, no, don't touch me!" he saw red. Running he came just in time to see a bulgar homeless pulling a knife to his love's face.
He roared, a bestial sound coming from his chest and he pummeled the guy's face with his fist. His vision was in a tunnel and he drew his gun and cocked it back "Come on! Come on! Try me!" he growled and the guy crawled back and ran away.
Immediately turning to Juliet who was on the ground, he reached for her and help her up. His hand clutching her face, he was palming her, his eyes dark with fury "Are you hurt? Did that scumbag hurt you? Did he touch you?".
Juliet was trembling and she buried her face in his chest, breathing his scent, the cleanliness of his skin and the leather of his motor vest. "No, nothing… You're here now, that's the most important. Don't leave me again".
Romeo's heart contricted, thinking of the last time he had seen her, at Paris's nomination. He had left her to run to his friends and Paris had taken the opportunity to attack her. He squeezed her to him, barely leaving any space for her to breathe "I wanted to come back for you. I swear… I couldn't…. I was too late. I'm so sorry, baby… I'll never leave you again, you're the only thing worth living for." Juliet cried but nodded. Romeo's hands cupped her face and kissed her. This was a feverish kiss, his tongue was invading her mouth and his hands were clutching her hips, modling them to his. Juliet moaned and her own hands were clutching his waist, reaching under his vest and trying to commit as much of him to memory.
Nothing else mattered, not even breathing, not even the tingling feelings in her legs telling her she would faint soon… But when Romeo's hands squeezed the flesh on the small of her back she whimpered but out of pain. She had acutely forgotten about her wounds but reality crashed back on her.
Romeo pushed her back with a frown and now that his vision wasn't clouded by fear anymore he could suddenly see how messed up she was. "Baby?" he asked, his voice breaking. Juliet blushed and looked down. "Please don't mention it… I don't want to see any of this in your eyes".
Romeo looked at her for what felt like eternity. She could see he was fighting with himself, his jaw was set and his eyes was almost dark without any of the playful hint he usually had. Eventually he drew her against him and gently kissed her forehead. Juliet relaxed and brought her face against his neck, just smelling him.
They stayed this way, gently swaying together until Juliet suddenly remembered why she had asked him to come. "Romeo! I needed to warn you!"
Romeo looked down at her, his eyebrow lifting: "Warn me?" "Yes! I heard my father and Tybalt this morning… They are gonna extract vengeance. I don't know what or when, but Tybalt left this afternoon and I heard something about a fire. They know they put you in difficulty with it last time" she was talking on a roll, not breathing.
Romeo tried to proceed what she was saying. He bent his knees a little and cupped her face again. "Juliet, baby… Breathe. Everything is fine." Juliet took a deep breath and kept her eyes on his "You are saying that you heard fire représailles between your father and your cousin?" She nodded.
Romeo swore under his breath and closed his eyes. "Baby girl… You didn't have to do this. This has nothing to do between us" "I know you would never ask me… But I can't stand like this, knowing other people might die once again. This will never end. Never. They love war too much…"
Romeo desperatly kissed her again, one more time, just to convey as much love to her as he could.
"Let's get out of here…" "You are not gonna do anything?" "I will. But first, I wanna go somewhere else. Do you trust me?" Juliet answered without any hesitation "With my life". Romeo smiled a crooked smile and led her to his motobike.
Juliet stopped dead in her tracks. "What is this?" Romeo laughed "This, baby, is the first love of my life. Sorry to say but this baby rocked me before I even knew you" Juliet's face was blushing and she shook her head "No way…" "What happened to trusting me with your life? C'mon, angel… Live a little".
Romeo climbed on the motor bike and challenged her with his amused gaze. He handed her a helmet and smirked when she rolled her eyes and went behind him. The seat was curved so that even though Juliet tried to sit a few inches back, her body was pressed right up against his.
His hand settled on her knee, his fingers curving until they tickled at the sensitive area at the back.
"Hold on to me." His voice was musked by his own helmet and Juliet's heart was beating so fast it made her sick.
She did as she was told, and nearly had an aneurism when she could feel the ridges of his abs through his shirt. Juliet's mind was going crazy and she kept thinking that she was so unworthy of this God. She could feel his body rippling and expected him to also feel hers and couldn't help but feel very self conscious. Hell, he probably was already regretting this. Her self doubts were clouding her mind and she started to panic.
Then the hand around her knee gave a quick tug, and even though Juliet didn't think they could get any closer, they did.
She wasn't just pressed against him. She was plastered.
Romeo chuckled. He could almost hear the wire turning in her mind but he couldn't even describe the effect it had on him, to know that Juliet was on HIS bike.
Her pelvis was so tight against him that a dizzy spell tore through him. Deciding he needed to get a move on before he might turn around and take her righ here, on the bike and outside, not caring about anyone who might see them... they took off.
Scared out of her mind, Juliet dugged her hands into his middle, and he jumped, the whole motorcycle swerving to the side.
She screamed. Well, more like shrieked. Right in his ear.
He straightened them out, and then slowed to a stop at the stop sign outside the park.
"All right?" he was laughing, she could hear it.
Her face buried against his shoulder, Juliet managed to squeak out, "Yeah."
"Sorry, love, I'm just a wee bit ticklish is all."
"Oh." Juliet loosened the fingers that were practically gouging into his sides. "Thank God he couldn't see my face right now. Red is not a good look on me." She thought, ashamed.
He took her hands, and pulled so that her forearms were across his middle, and her arms were wrapped completely around him.
"That's better. Let's give it another go"
Juliet nodded and closed her eyes, refusing to see what was happening.
Smiling at the feeling of her body against his, Romeo tried to focus on what Juliet had told him. He was amazed that she had taken as much a risk as she did just to warn him. He never expected her to give him inside infos and he never wanted her to. It was too dangerous and he didn't want to use her.
But the idea that she did warmed his heart.
From his bike, using the blutooth app from his helmet, he called Balthazar and Benvolio and warned them. "What do you mean, a leak?"
"I can't tell you more, Ben. You have to trust me, that's all." "Well, I can't really seriously work on what you gave me! There might be a fire somewhere, not even sure when or where!" "I don't know more than you! Listen, I'm just asking you to be ready, keep an eye open and don't let the merchandizing go unsuperviszed". He cut the conversation and hang up.
Juliet was still clutching to him with a death grip and he laughed out loud; they had been stopped for 5 minutes now and she didn't give any sign of getting down.
He fondly called her name : "Juliet, baby?"
She jerked back, horrified and wondering if she accidentally spoke aloud again.
"Yes?"
"We can get off the bike anytime."
"Oh."
She took of her helmet and Romeo could see she was blushing all over. His jaw came clenched again, seeing under the street light the extend of her wounds on her face. He wanted to kill Funicio and Tybalt and Paris but before his dark thought took him under Juliet pulled her arms back so quickly that she lost my balance and fell off the bike.
Chuckling with affection, he rescued her with grace and, with only a minor squeak, she managed to stabilize herself, and slowly slide off the bike.
Then her calf grazed a pipe on the side of the bike, and suddenly she was screaming again.
It was hot. So FREAKING hot. And now her skin was stinging.
"Baby?"
He laughed but quickly saw her limping several feet away from the bike. He got off himself and reached her, worried: her fists were clenched, she was biting down her lips and her eyes were tearing up.
His hands cupped her face first, and then he glanced down at her leg where an angry red welt was shining about an inch below the bottom of her pants.
"Oh fucking hell."
Juliet kept my lips clamped shut, uncertain if she could open my mouth without crying. Romeo slipped an arm around her and she threw one over his shoulder, shrieking, when he unexpetedly raised her in his arms. "What are you doing?"
"Saving you!" he flashed her an blinding smile and kissed her forehead "I'm not gonna leave you on your knees, not in front of me." He stated passionately and if Juliet hadn't been as embarassed or hurting she would have been a puddle of love at his feet. Anyway, she couldn't blush more.
Gently, Romeo set her on the ground and inspected her ankle. He brushed his thumbs across the many scars she had there and his eyes clouded thinking about the damage that her clothes must be hiding. His thought once again turned murderous and he fell in a black hole of hate… Until he felt Juliet's hand on his hair. Looking up, she had a sad smile on her face, her wavy hair covering a part of her face "You promised… Not tonight" Romeo sighed, shook his head but said nothing. He inspected the red hot burned flesh and brushed it again. Juliet gasped but she didn't know if it was more from the pain then the pleasure of his flesh on hers. Ever since their last time together in her bedroom, she felt like air between them was charged with electricity… Knowingly he winked at her "You'll live" "Really?" "Yeah. Don't move, angel…"
Romeo opened the trunk of his motorbike and took an emergency white box from it. "I've learned the hard way to always have this around… And knowing your tendency to fall down…" he teased at her curious glance.
Patiently he tended to her burn; he was being extra careful but Juliet wasn't even wincing. Remembering about the cigarette burns on her back, he thought she was way too calm and willing to take the pain. "Not tonight, Ro. Tonight is about her and me, not them…" He swallowed his pain and worry and planted a quick but deep kiss on her lips. He refused to let hate stand between them.
"You're all done, baby." Juliet blushed but stand his gaze "Thank you…" Romeo went back to his trunk and asked Juliet behind him "do you think you can walk? The place I want to show you is a bit further away" Juliet shrugged and got up. She tested her ankle by walking a bit and looked up at him; she opened her mouth to give him the all clear but her voice stopped when she saw the way he was looking at her: like she was the most beautiful girl on earth. Her breathe caught in her throat and she shivered in her light sweater. "What?" "I love you" he whispered and she rushed –or limped- to him and he held her. He kissed her with everything he had in him, everything he felt and would feel… Juliet was breathing his breath, hot and moist inside her mouth. He was her oxygen. She couldn't stop kissing long enough to truly inhale, and her head began to float. It made the feel of his lips more intense, so she didn't fight it. She just gave in, licking and sucking and moving…
Romeo retreated minutely, breaking the kiss.
He let his thumbs trace the curve of her jean covered waist. She inhaled quickly, and he hugged her close, wrapping his arms around her and feeling her breasts pressed up against him.
"You need to become accustomed to my lips, Juliet, because I intend to kiss you a lot." He kissed her hair and smiled down at her, looking truly happy. Juliet looked dazed but happy, her lips red and swollen from his kiss. "Now come on… And don't make a sound" he said brushing his thumb across her swollen mouth.
Romeo climbed first on a dangerous slope and guided her, holding her hand behind him. He was walking fast and Juliet realized that their presence mustn't have been exactly legal. He seemed to be knowing exactly where he was going, despite the dark, where Juliet could only see trees, soil and this never ending slope.
"We're almost there" he whispered, turning back to her and helping her climb on a rock. His callous hands caught her tiny waist and raised her like she was weighting nothing and Juliet clung to him, breathing in his hair. One corner of his lips turned up, in an amused smile, letting Juliet know that he was perfectly aware of what she did.
Two minutes later, no more trees in sight. A gigantic stone platform offered a magnificient view on the lighted city. Green everywhere… It was an incredible sight.
-This is what I wanted to show you… Here, I find calm and peace. I wanted to share it with you.
Juliet blushed but got on tiptoe to brush her lips on his, grateful. Not saying anything but smiling, Romeo helped her on the ground and sat next to her. He wrapped his arms aroud her to keep her warm and brush a kiss on her temple when she leaned her head on his shoulder. "When my mom died, I was just a kid. I was eleven and I didn't really understand what she was suffering from. This day, the day she took the pills and stopped breathing, I ran. I ran as fast as I could, away from everything… And I ended up here. Since then, I always come up here for peace."
He glanced down only to find her face angled toward him, her expression serious and comiserating. Keeping his eyes fixed on hers he whispered "I've never taken anyone here with me. Even my friends don't know about it."
Juliet softly smiled and got closer to him "Thank you for sharing this with me… I promise to never take it for granted". Romeo closed his eyes and leaned his face on the top of her hair "I want you to know everything about me. And I want to know everything about you..." Juliet blushed and looked down, her face hided by her hair. "Juliet… Look at me." She forced herself to look up. "I don't want you to hide anything from me. You have a problem, any problem, I want you to come to me. You need to know this. I'll never hurt you, I'll never let anyone hurt you either. I told you before, I won't settle for less than your everything…" Juliet looked down and started to cry.
No one before had cared for her in this way. Even Angelica had never tried to stop her father and cousin to hit her or her mom to starve her. And it was a man she had been taught to hate, someone who was supposed to don't give a shit about her, this man was saving her. She took a deep breath and told him everything. Romeo held her, let her cry, even cried with her at one point. He had never let anyone see him this vulnerable but the thought of Juliet being in any kind of pain litterally killed him.
Juliet was in the middle of explaing to him the first time she had felt so humiliated in her own house. She had been 11 years old and had spent the afternoon at Angelica's. It was mother's day and she had revolved to make a breakfast of some sort for Isabella.
Sadly, when she arrived in the eating room, proud and holding high her pancakes and sauce, she caught her foot under one of the many flush carpet and collapsed in front of everyone "They laughed. I must have looked pathetic on my hands and knees, crying, covered in sauce. The pancakes skidded across the tiles and under one of the chairs." She paused thoughtfully. "I was on my knees for a would have had a stroke if you'd seen me."
Romeo stifled the urge to ram his fist through the tree behind his head. "I wouldn't have had a stroke. I would have beaten them and been sorely pressed not to horsewhip your cooking. I can't think of anything better than you feeding me…"
Juliet blushed again and Romeo reached behind them and brought back a bottle of vodka. He had took it with him from the trunk of the motorcycle and had been casually sipping from it: he usually hated the taste of vodka but he needed the numbling with everything his love was confessing.
Said love was looking at him curiously while he was drinking. "What does it taste like?" she wondered, her lips caught in between her teeth. Romeo tenderly pulled it back and bite it with his own teeth. "Disgusting. But also warm and numbling… Did you ever had alcohol?" Juliet blushed again and shook her head. "God, he must think I'm so naïve!"
Romeo inclined the bottle to her with a salacious grin "Wanna taste?" Juliet shruged and forced herself to take the bottle. She didn't want him to think she was a chicken.
30 minutes later, Romeo was having the time of his life looking at Juliet being completely high.
The young blonde had what qualified as a sip of alcohol in his world and she was delirious. She was a laughing mess but she was also so affectionate and warm that he didn't want her to ever move. They had moved around a bit and Juliet was now sitting comfortably in between his legs. Even if she was currently poking fingers at his face and pretenting that his cheekbones were "razors and cutting and funny!".
Romeo laughed with her, for the sole reason that she was. She would pay a high price tomorrow and Angelica will probably kill him for bringing back her protégée with a hangover but right now, she was the cutest thing ever.
Who was pressing sloppy kisses on his face while muttering about "cheekbones, too good, never been swimming". He took another slip of the bottle and had a devious thought…. He would never take advantage of Juliet while she was obviously out of her mind but he couldn't help but appreciated the liberated way she was acting and how freely she was showing him her affection. "Wanna learn something new?" he whispered to her, catching her bottom lip between his teeth just like before. She blushed but laughed "Yes! I love new! But, I have experience now…" she almost pouted at the same time. "You're adorable, baby. But, trust me, it's not the experience that makes you sexy. Come here."
Juliet turned over in between his legs and reached for him. Her hands were shaky and, laughing, she held his thights innocently. Something his body didn't know and reacted to immediately. He had a direct view inside her sweater to her breasts and his dick became hard as steel and was beating with his heart. He was losing control. He took some alcohol in his mouth and didn't swallow, pulling her chin to him instead and forcing her mouth open with his… The alcohol ran from his mouth to hers. She swallowed but was distracted by his tongue invading her, rubbing and forbiding any respite.
She was suddenly on her back, soil getting inside her hair despite Romeo's hand under her head. He was in between her legs, grinding their two sex together while mapping the skin of her neck with hungry kisses. Juliet's breath were coming heratic and her feeble fingers were clutching his shoulders.
"Romeo…" she whispered and he felt his control slipping even further away. He was grinding against her, his cock pressing against her clit despite the layer of clothes. He was eating her mouth like a starving man and when he felt her spasming he swore that he was gonna cream his pants like a teenager.
And then suddenly he heard the voice inside his mind, the screaming one "Too soon, stop, what are your doing?". Horrified he almost retracted violently from her, his hand coming in his hair "What am I doing?" He had almost taken her, her pure and golden innocence, down here, in the ground and drunk. He was wallowing in self disgust when Juliet simply coiled hersef around him like a happy kitten. She was completely out of it and probably wouldn't remember any of this. She had cum, he had felt it but it was totally unexpected.
"Sorry, baby. Sorry… I lost control but that's the effect you have on me" She mewoled and soundly kissed him on the nose. "I love you, Romeo." He smiled and helped her up "Come on baby girl. Time to go back to real world".
Ok, maybe he was feeling way too much guilty… That or the vodka had an effect on him after all because he was now standing behind Juliet, on his motorcycle: she had insisted on driving. And despite the fact that this Harley was the most precious item to him in this world, despite the fact that he had never ever let anyone but him drive it, he had agreed.
Juliet was completely drunk and laughing and had obviously no idea what she was doing but she was so cute, so loving that Romeo couldn't help but be proud. She was trying to manoeuver them in the empty gloomy streets and if you forget the fact that she kept hitting brake instead of accelerator she was doing pretty well.
But when she suddenly piled to a stop repeatly, he feared the worst. With good reason: the bike was encastred within a lamp street. Juliet was horrified and panicking. "Oh no, oh no… What did I do? Why am I such a disaster?" she was crying and Romeo didn't have the heart to accable her. "Don't worry baby, it's ok. I swear to you!"
She turned her face to him, all red and tears… He had ordered her inside his motor jacket when she was shivering and it was falling around her too big. She looked so miserable that he smiled and planted a kiss on her moist lips. "Are you insured?" she asked, her voice wobly. Romeo smiled at her with all his teeth "Heavily insured, baby. Don't worry." No way in Hell was he telling her she had damaged it beyond repair of the insurance. "But…" "No buts…" he pressed another kiss on her and tenderly slided himself in front of her and manoeuvered the bike once again. He let her hold onto his waist and quickly found his way back to Angelica's house.
Juliet was barely walking and he scooped her up in his arms. He tried the door and thanked all the Gods in Heaven when it opened without a sound. Everything was dark inside and Angelica seemed to be gone. A closer inspection found her, asleep, in her couch. Smiling, he remembered the room he had spent the night in last time and quietly got Juliet inside.
The poor girl was sound asleep now and he struggled to at least get her out of her sweatshirt. He didn't dare touching her top underneath or her jeans for fear of losing control again and settled for taking her shoes away.
He layed her under the covers and tenderly kissed her forehead. She was a peaceful sleeper and he felt he could stay there all his life watching her sleeping.
His own head was fuzzy and he knew he had to leave now otherwise he would lay next to her and never move. He didn't want to leave her without any note or anything so he shrugged out his jacket and layed it next to her.
"Goodnight angel… Thank you"
He began to back away from her, all ready to leave her to her peaceful slumber when she suddenly meowled and he heard his name being called. "Romeo… Stay. Please". And before he even thought about it, he was back next to her. Curling around her, he felt a stupid smile on his lips and he pulled back her face, pushing a tender kiss on her mouth...
Sleep took him and he peacefully slept, Juliet's scent all over him.