Juliet woke up early before Peter did the next morning. Peter had left Natalie's book on the dresser and Juliet decided enough was enough. She'd had her fun with Natalie and now it was time to let everything go and focus on fixing her marriage with Peter. 'And the first thing to do is,' Juliet told herself, 'to return the book to Natalie.' She didn't admit to herself that the reason she wanted to go return the book was to see Natalie. It was 6 in the morning now, too early to go to Natalie's.
"Good morning Peter," Juliet said when Peter entered the kitchen three hours later.
"You're up rather early Jules," he replied as he fixed himself breakfast.
"I got a lot of sleep yesterday," she replied.
"Yes," Peter agreed.
"I'm going to Natalie's in about an hour," Juliet told him.
"You are?" Peter said, trying to sound as supportive as possible.
"Yes, to return the book...and to tell her that it has been great being her friend, but if she can't be just friends, then our friendship is over..." Juliet said, her words surprising both Peter and herself.
"Oh really?" Peter frowned.
"Yes, I really do think it was immature of her to slip that book in with my things,"
"Mmhm..." Peter said as he chewed his cereal, not necessarily agreeing with her.
It was fifteen after ten when Juliet arrived in front of Natalie's flat. She took a deep breath before getting out of her car and knocking on Natalie's door. There was no answer when she did. She knocked again. When no one answered the second time, she looked into the window. Everything in Natalie's flat was gone with the exception of her furniture. A truck moving truck pulled up and two men got out and went up to the door.
"Excuse me," one said as he took a key out of his pocket and opened the door. He and the other man went into the flat. "What is this? What's going on?" Juliet asked, very much confused. "Where's Natalie?" "We know as much as you do ma'am. We're just doing our job," one of the men said. She moved out of the way as they carried a table out of Natalie's flat and to their truck.
Juliet left and cried as she drove back to her flat. 'Natalie's gone now. Isn't that a good thing? Now you can be with Peter with no interruptions and no distractions, that's a great thing,' Juliet thought to herself. She tried to convince herself she was happy that Natalie was gone but couldn't stop her tears from falling. When she got into her flat she went straight to the bedroom. Peter, who had been in the front room, followed her.
"Jules?" he called after her, "What is it? What happened?"
"Nothing, Peter don't worry about it," Juliet said when Peter entered the room.
"But you've been crying. I worry about you when you cry," he told her.
She forced a smile."Thank you, but I'm fine, you don't need to worry,"
"What happened with Natalie?" He asked. There was silence. "I'm...okay...with it, if you leave me for her," he said finally.
Juliet stared at him, frowning. "What? Leave you for her?!"
"Fucking hell, Juliet would stop lying? What kind of fool do you take me for?" Peter exclaimed. "A man knows when his wife is in love with someone else, and believe me I know that you love Natalie and if you're trying not to hurt me you're doing a very bad job of it. It hurts me the more you lie to me about this. If you're going to leave me, I wish that you would just go ahead and do it because the longer you stay the harder it is for me." Juliet hated when Peter got mad and yelled at her and she started to cry again. "Is this how you really feel?" she asked.
"It is," he said, more calmly now. "Will you go on and be with her now?"
Juliet hesitated before answering. "No...I can't. She left. And I don't know where she's gone,"
"What?"
"She's gone, Peter. She moved."
"Gone? She can't be..."
"But she is," Juliet said. She buried her head in her hands now and Peter came and sat beside her. He rubbed her back and hugged her.
Natalie stood before a flat in Teddington, took a deep breath to compose herself, and then knocked on the door. Her eyes were red and glassy because she'd been up half the night crying and her nose was red. She rubbed her eyes once more so she wouldn't look so disheveled and then the door opened. A tall man, with messy brown hair and warm brown eyes had opened it and gave Natalie a long hug when he saw her. She was crying when they released and he wiped her tears with his rough but gentle fingers and let her into his flat.
"I will find her," Peter told Juliet.
"What?" Juliet asked looking up.
"I will find her, she can't have gone far, Mark spoke with her yesterday," Juliet, who had been taking silent refuge in Peter's arms, put her head back onto his chest.
"You won't find her," she told him.
"Thinking like that I won't," he told her.
"She doesn't want to be found. She doesn't want to see me again,"
"Come on now Jules, she'd have to be crazy not to want to see you. So she isn't at her flat?" Juliet shook her head. "Movers were coming, taking all of her things away," she said.
"And did you ask them if they knew anything?"
"Yes. They didn't,"
Later that night after Peter had gotten Natalie's address from Juliet, he went to her flat. Juliet was right, Natalie was gone but Peter was convinced that he would find her. He went to the flat next-door to Natalie's and rang the bell. A blonde woman Peter assumed to be in her late twenties answered the door.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Yes, your next-door neighbor, Natalie...she moved. Did she tell you where she went?"
"Who are you?" the woman asked.
"I'm a friend," Peter told the woman.
"Natalie hasn't had a male friend in years, tell me who you really are," the woman said suspiciously.
"So you're a close friend of hers?" Peter gathered.
"I am," the woman said eyeing him, still very much suspicious.
"Did she mention someone named Juliet to you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Juliet sent me to find out where Natalie went, I assure you ma'am, my intentions are good," Peter said sincerely. The woman paused before she finally told him,
"I'll get you an address," she went left Peter at the door and returned after a couple of minutes.
"Here," she said handing him a small piece of paper. "She's staying with her brother in Teddington," she said. Peter asked for directions and the woman wrote them down along with the address that was on the paper, and then Peter drove for half an hour to Teddington. He knocked on the door and the man with the messy brown hair and brown eyes answered.
"Yes?" he said.
"I am here to talk to Natalie," Peter said.
"Is this about a girl named Juliet?"
"Yes, it is,"
"Are you that bastard from the gallery who harassed Nat?" The man said
getting worked up. "Because if you are—"
"I'm not. I'm Peter, Juliet's husband,"
"Her husband? So are you here to harass my sister even more?"
"No, no I'm here to talk to her. Juliet and I are getting a divorce and it's because Juliet is in love with Natalie...I'm here to talk to Natalie about that," Peter told him.
Natalie's brother looked Peter over once more, sizing him up and deciding whether or not to trust him.
"I've been looking out for my little sister all my life and I've been making sure bastards like Mr. Art Gallery and yourself don't hurt her,"
"I understand," Peter said. Natalie's brother sized him up once more before finally deciding that Peter was trustworthy.
"What's your name?" her brother said.
"Peter," Peter replied. "Jake." Natalie's brother said, putting out his hand. They shook.
"Why don't you come in, Peter, I'll get Natalie," Peter followed Jake into his flat and sat on the couch while Jake called for Natalie. She emerged from a bedroom with a sheet around her. Her hair was uncombed and there were dark shadows around her eyes, but despite all of that, she was still beautiful.
"This is Peter," Jake told her, "Juliet's husband."
"If you're here to tell me to stay away from Juliet, can't you see it's already been done?" Natalie asked.
"I'm not here to tell you to stay away from her, I want you to be with her," Peter said.
"You what?" Natalie asked as if he were crazy, "What kind of a husband are you?"
"One that apparently, loves his wife more than anything," Jake said.
"Have coffee with me tonight, coffee shop on Third around eight maybe?" Peter asked.
"I'll be there," Natalie said, still taken aback and mystified.
When Natalie arrived at the coffee shop Peter was already there, coincidentally sitting at the table Natalie and Juliet always met at, and he was sitting in the same seat Juliet always sat in. She had cleaned herself up and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. She has a stunning appearance, of that Peter was sure but that was not all that mattered to him. When Natalie reached the table they greeted each other. Although she seemed nervous and uncomfortable around Peter, she was still polite.
"I would first like to apologize for any discomfort my friend Mark may have caused you," Peter began once Natalie had taken her seat, "I assume he's who your brother is referring to when he says you were harassed yesterday," Natalie, who had been avoiding Peter's eyes, finally made eye contact with him.
"It's alright," she told him. She looked away again and there was an awkward silence.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you here," Peter started, "I am aware of the situation with you and my wife and I am here to let you know that I'm okay with it, and I'm willing to let her go," "What? Why? You're her husband and you love her." she said. "Exactly," Peter replied, "When you love someone as dearly as I love Juliet, you'll do anything to make them happy," Peter had Natalie's full attention now and she looked at him intently.
"You, Natalie, make Juliet happy. And I cannot stand between Juliet and her happiness. But before I give my wife to you, I need to know something," Though she didn't respond, Natalie's eyes told Peter she was listening.
"Do you love her?" Peter asked. Natalie was shaken by the boldness of his question and her mouth fell slightly open. She closed it and looked down before looking at Peter again and finally answering; "Yes,"
Peter smiled but Natalie could see he was deeply hurt by all of what was going on.
"It's late, Jake expects me home soon and I've got a ways to go," she said. Peter nodded and they both got up.
"Let me walk you to your car," he said. As they left the coffee shop Peter had an idea. "Natalie," he said.
"Yes?"
"Mark mentioned a Christmas Ball you intended to invite Juliet to, does that invitation still stand?"
"I—Yes, yes it does, it's on Christmas Eve which is...tomorrow!"
"Well then, will you meet Juliet and me there?"
"Yes, tomorrow evening around seven is when it starts. Goes until midnight,"
"Perfect, so we'll see you there at seven," They had gotten to Natalie's car but she didn't get in immediately. She smiled at Peter.
"Thank you," she said, hugging him. "Thank you so much,"
"So I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked once she'd let go.
"Yes,"
"Good morning Peter," Juliet said when Peter entered the kitchen three hours later.
"You're up rather early Jules," he replied as he fixed himself breakfast.
"I got a lot of sleep yesterday," she replied.
"Yes," Peter agreed.
"I'm going to Natalie's in about an hour," Juliet told him.
"You are?" Peter said, trying to sound as supportive as possible.
"Yes, to return the book...and to tell her that it has been great being her friend, but if she can't be just friends, then our friendship is over..." Juliet said, her words surprising both Peter and herself.
"Oh really?" Peter frowned.
"Yes, I really do think it was immature of her to slip that book in with my things,"
"Mmhm..." Peter said as he chewed his cereal, not necessarily agreeing with her.
It was fifteen after ten when Juliet arrived in front of Natalie's flat. She took a deep breath before getting out of her car and knocking on Natalie's door. There was no answer when she did. She knocked again. When no one answered the second time, she looked into the window. Everything in Natalie's flat was gone with the exception of her furniture. A truck moving truck pulled up and two men got out and went up to the door.
"Excuse me," one said as he took a key out of his pocket and opened the door. He and the other man went into the flat. "What is this? What's going on?" Juliet asked, very much confused. "Where's Natalie?" "We know as much as you do ma'am. We're just doing our job," one of the men said. She moved out of the way as they carried a table out of Natalie's flat and to their truck.
Juliet left and cried as she drove back to her flat. 'Natalie's gone now. Isn't that a good thing? Now you can be with Peter with no interruptions and no distractions, that's a great thing,' Juliet thought to herself. She tried to convince herself she was happy that Natalie was gone but couldn't stop her tears from falling. When she got into her flat she went straight to the bedroom. Peter, who had been in the front room, followed her.
"Jules?" he called after her, "What is it? What happened?"
"Nothing, Peter don't worry about it," Juliet said when Peter entered the room.
"But you've been crying. I worry about you when you cry," he told her.
She forced a smile."Thank you, but I'm fine, you don't need to worry,"
"What happened with Natalie?" He asked. There was silence. "I'm...okay...with it, if you leave me for her," he said finally.
Juliet stared at him, frowning. "What? Leave you for her?!"
"Fucking hell, Juliet would stop lying? What kind of fool do you take me for?" Peter exclaimed. "A man knows when his wife is in love with someone else, and believe me I know that you love Natalie and if you're trying not to hurt me you're doing a very bad job of it. It hurts me the more you lie to me about this. If you're going to leave me, I wish that you would just go ahead and do it because the longer you stay the harder it is for me." Juliet hated when Peter got mad and yelled at her and she started to cry again. "Is this how you really feel?" she asked.
"It is," he said, more calmly now. "Will you go on and be with her now?"
Juliet hesitated before answering. "No...I can't. She left. And I don't know where she's gone,"
"What?"
"She's gone, Peter. She moved."
"Gone? She can't be..."
"But she is," Juliet said. She buried her head in her hands now and Peter came and sat beside her. He rubbed her back and hugged her.
Natalie stood before a flat in Teddington, took a deep breath to compose herself, and then knocked on the door. Her eyes were red and glassy because she'd been up half the night crying and her nose was red. She rubbed her eyes once more so she wouldn't look so disheveled and then the door opened. A tall man, with messy brown hair and warm brown eyes had opened it and gave Natalie a long hug when he saw her. She was crying when they released and he wiped her tears with his rough but gentle fingers and let her into his flat.
"I will find her," Peter told Juliet.
"What?" Juliet asked looking up.
"I will find her, she can't have gone far, Mark spoke with her yesterday," Juliet, who had been taking silent refuge in Peter's arms, put her head back onto his chest.
"You won't find her," she told him.
"Thinking like that I won't," he told her.
"She doesn't want to be found. She doesn't want to see me again,"
"Come on now Jules, she'd have to be crazy not to want to see you. So she isn't at her flat?" Juliet shook her head. "Movers were coming, taking all of her things away," she said.
"And did you ask them if they knew anything?"
"Yes. They didn't,"
Later that night after Peter had gotten Natalie's address from Juliet, he went to her flat. Juliet was right, Natalie was gone but Peter was convinced that he would find her. He went to the flat next-door to Natalie's and rang the bell. A blonde woman Peter assumed to be in her late twenties answered the door.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Yes, your next-door neighbor, Natalie...she moved. Did she tell you where she went?"
"Who are you?" the woman asked.
"I'm a friend," Peter told the woman.
"Natalie hasn't had a male friend in years, tell me who you really are," the woman said suspiciously.
"So you're a close friend of hers?" Peter gathered.
"I am," the woman said eyeing him, still very much suspicious.
"Did she mention someone named Juliet to you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Juliet sent me to find out where Natalie went, I assure you ma'am, my intentions are good," Peter said sincerely. The woman paused before she finally told him,
"I'll get you an address," she went left Peter at the door and returned after a couple of minutes.
"Here," she said handing him a small piece of paper. "She's staying with her brother in Teddington," she said. Peter asked for directions and the woman wrote them down along with the address that was on the paper, and then Peter drove for half an hour to Teddington. He knocked on the door and the man with the messy brown hair and brown eyes answered.
"Yes?" he said.
"I am here to talk to Natalie," Peter said.
"Is this about a girl named Juliet?"
"Yes, it is,"
"Are you that bastard from the gallery who harassed Nat?" The man said
getting worked up. "Because if you are—"
"I'm not. I'm Peter, Juliet's husband,"
"Her husband? So are you here to harass my sister even more?"
"No, no I'm here to talk to her. Juliet and I are getting a divorce and it's because Juliet is in love with Natalie...I'm here to talk to Natalie about that," Peter told him.
Natalie's brother looked Peter over once more, sizing him up and deciding whether or not to trust him.
"I've been looking out for my little sister all my life and I've been making sure bastards like Mr. Art Gallery and yourself don't hurt her,"
"I understand," Peter said. Natalie's brother sized him up once more before finally deciding that Peter was trustworthy.
"What's your name?" her brother said.
"Peter," Peter replied. "Jake." Natalie's brother said, putting out his hand. They shook.
"Why don't you come in, Peter, I'll get Natalie," Peter followed Jake into his flat and sat on the couch while Jake called for Natalie. She emerged from a bedroom with a sheet around her. Her hair was uncombed and there were dark shadows around her eyes, but despite all of that, she was still beautiful.
"This is Peter," Jake told her, "Juliet's husband."
"If you're here to tell me to stay away from Juliet, can't you see it's already been done?" Natalie asked.
"I'm not here to tell you to stay away from her, I want you to be with her," Peter said.
"You what?" Natalie asked as if he were crazy, "What kind of a husband are you?"
"One that apparently, loves his wife more than anything," Jake said.
"Have coffee with me tonight, coffee shop on Third around eight maybe?" Peter asked.
"I'll be there," Natalie said, still taken aback and mystified.
When Natalie arrived at the coffee shop Peter was already there, coincidentally sitting at the table Natalie and Juliet always met at, and he was sitting in the same seat Juliet always sat in. She had cleaned herself up and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. She has a stunning appearance, of that Peter was sure but that was not all that mattered to him. When Natalie reached the table they greeted each other. Although she seemed nervous and uncomfortable around Peter, she was still polite.
"I would first like to apologize for any discomfort my friend Mark may have caused you," Peter began once Natalie had taken her seat, "I assume he's who your brother is referring to when he says you were harassed yesterday," Natalie, who had been avoiding Peter's eyes, finally made eye contact with him.
"It's alright," she told him. She looked away again and there was an awkward silence.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you here," Peter started, "I am aware of the situation with you and my wife and I am here to let you know that I'm okay with it, and I'm willing to let her go," "What? Why? You're her husband and you love her." she said. "Exactly," Peter replied, "When you love someone as dearly as I love Juliet, you'll do anything to make them happy," Peter had Natalie's full attention now and she looked at him intently.
"You, Natalie, make Juliet happy. And I cannot stand between Juliet and her happiness. But before I give my wife to you, I need to know something," Though she didn't respond, Natalie's eyes told Peter she was listening.
"Do you love her?" Peter asked. Natalie was shaken by the boldness of his question and her mouth fell slightly open. She closed it and looked down before looking at Peter again and finally answering; "Yes,"
Peter smiled but Natalie could see he was deeply hurt by all of what was going on.
"It's late, Jake expects me home soon and I've got a ways to go," she said. Peter nodded and they both got up.
"Let me walk you to your car," he said. As they left the coffee shop Peter had an idea. "Natalie," he said.
"Yes?"
"Mark mentioned a Christmas Ball you intended to invite Juliet to, does that invitation still stand?"
"I—Yes, yes it does, it's on Christmas Eve which is...tomorrow!"
"Well then, will you meet Juliet and me there?"
"Yes, tomorrow evening around seven is when it starts. Goes until midnight,"
"Perfect, so we'll see you there at seven," They had gotten to Natalie's car but she didn't get in immediately. She smiled at Peter.
"Thank you," she said, hugging him. "Thank you so much,"
"So I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked once she'd let go.
"Yes,"