CHAPTER 19:

William woke up with a start. It had been easy to tell Julia that they would both get over what had happened to them. But it was much more difficult to get out of it. It was his second night in the hospital and William was forty-eight hours without sleep… He kept having the same dream as soon as he closed his eyes for more than five minutes. He kept seeing Alfredo standing in front of him and falling to the ground, lifeless.

He had the feeling that he could never recover from the latter's death. One of the doctors at this hospital had offered to discuss with a professional what had happened. But he had refused. He thought it would not help. It would surely be found strange to be stuck on the death of a stranger... And he did not need to be judged right now.

He wanted to see Julia. But he did not want to be pushy. He had come to bother her before, so maybe it might seem incongruous if he appeared outside her door again. He took a deep breath.

"William?"

He looked up at the door, thinking he was hallucinating. He had thought of Julia and now she was here. Unbelievable…

"Julia!"

The young man got straight out of bed, his bare feet brushing the cold floor, and rushed over to Julia. They hugged each other tightly, directly feeling each other's distress.

"I can't be alone without you…I can't sleep…" Julia sighed, her head resting on William's shoulder.

"Neither do I…"

"Does…" Julia did not finish her sentence, hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Would you find it inappropriate if I stayed with you tonight?"

The young woman looked at her lover's face. He would find her strange to ask such a question.

"Of course not. That's what I've been wishing for since yesterday on top of that..."

Julia blushes, happy. The young man hesitated, then finally returned to his previous place in the small bed. Then he finally lifted the latter's blanket. The doctor smiled, climbed onto the bed, and slipped under it. They glued themselves completely to each other and Julia put her head on William's chest. She sighed.

It seemed so strange. In a way, they barely knew each other, but they did not care. They felt like they had met years ago and suddenly found each other.

William stroked the young woman's hair in the silence of the dark hospital room.

"Do you have any family, William?" whispered the young doctor.

"I have a sister. But I don't know where she is. We lost contact years ago…"

"What is her name?"

"Susannah." smiled William suddenly remembering his little sister running around the family home. "My parents are dead. Finally… My father is not dead, but it is as if he were for me. We haven't seen each other for years. He was a drunk…"

Julia nodded silently, sensing that this was a sensitive topic.

"And you? Do you have family?" William asked subtly although he already knew the answer. Alfredo Villari had spoken to him briefly about Julia during this evening which had turned into a nightmare.

"My parents died… My mother died when I was very young and my father… Only a few years ago." she paused, slowly catching her breath.

William hugged her tighter, sensing the distress in her voice.

"I also have a sister and I don't know where she is either." Julia burst out laughing followed closely by William.

This commonality was so absurd. But mostly they thought they needed to laugh about what had happened to them. As if they had not laughed for days - which was partially true...

They calmed down and Julia looked up at the young man. He looked at her, his eyes shining. She did not think she had ever been looked at that way by anyone. She lifted her head slightly and kissed him softly. A kiss that William returned immediately. They pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, thinking the same thing. When they kissed, it was amazing. As if they could overcome anything.

Julia rested her head on the young man's chest and caressed him gently with her left hand. She felt he was muscular. He literally had a dream body. Of course, she wanted him. More than she had ever felt. But now, both had no mind for it. It was as if they had gone out… But they would manage to relight each other.

The young man was also completely immersed in his thoughts. Julia was so beautiful and seductive. But he did not feel in such a mood either. They were both stuck here, but that was not what they were looking for. They were on the same wavelength.

Finally, after a few minutes, they fell asleep one after another, without realizing it.

Note: They are both so cute!