Okay, see, I'm not really Julian Crane's luv child or anything cause, ew, that would be weird. What I am is utterly, crazy in love with him, the best man in Harmony, and he's just so hot I can't even begin to say how much.

I know he's kinda old, but really, I'm an old-fashioned girl and that's okay by me. You know what they say about older men, right::giggle: Anyway, he's not that much older than me; it's not like he's my grandfather or anything. It's more like, I'm Emma and he's Mr. Knightley, you know, like in that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow? Only I have dark hair, and I'm not that tall, and I eat food and stuff.

Anyway.

The first time I saw Julian I did not find myself very attracted to him. It was on July 8, 1999. I had a cold that day and stayed home from work. You know how summer colds are the worst, and anyway, they could certainly sell their dumb old insurance whether I was there to answer the phone or not. Julian was with his wife, Ivy, and they had just found out Julian's sister Sheridan had been in a car accident in the very same tunnel where Princess Di died! And Sheridan had been friends with Princess Di! That must have been so great. Only now Sheridan was in the hospital and Julian was worried that the press would run a story making his family look bad. Well, can you blame him? You know how the papparazzi are, right? But anyway, sure he was handsome and all, but I didn't think much about him otherwise until after I got to know him better.

It turned out that Julian didn't really love his wife Ivy? But that's pretty okay, because she didn't love him either. They were forced to marry as a business deal for their parents! Isn't that sad? And so even though they had some children together, it was a truly loveless marriage from the beginning. So who can blame him for wanting a little warm company when he didn't get it from his wife?

So anyway, that first day, I'd left my apartment to get some coffee, and saw these people standing next to a limo, near the park where they were setting up for the carnival? And I mean, you couldn't help overhearing what they were saying. Julian told his wife that he'd done his obligation by his mother, and he'd allowed himself to be controlled by his father, but he wasn't going to be under her thumb, too. He kept referring to himself as Julian, as if he was talking about someone else. I thought it was kind of strange, at first, but somehow captivating, too. He had a wonderful voice, all low and resonant and it sent this wild vibration through me that I didn't even realize at the time, because I thought I was just buzzed from the Dayquil and caffeine.

The next time I saw him was actually at the carnival, well, sort of. It was a couple of weeks later. I was wearing my new cropped jeans that had indian print embroidered cuffs, and my cream-colored sweater-knit halter with the criss-cross string ties in the back? And flat sandals, of course. Anyway, I saw the very same limo, moving slowly through the park. Very slowly. The windows were dark so you couldn't see inside. My friends Angela and Melissa wanted to go see the fortune-teller and were bugging me about wasting time, but I told them to just go ahead and I'd see them later for funnel cakes. I watched the limo circle the park, and then I saw Julian's wife walk right up to it, yank open one of the doors, and Julian jumped out, smoothing his hair and trying to talk to her, calming her down, I guess, cause she looked like she was about to start yelling. I walked by the car really quickly and peeked inside before the door shut. There was a girl inside! She was sort of laughing while looking in her compact, kind of neating the corner of her mouth with her little finger. Julian slid back into the car and it took off.

I knew that girl. She used to work at the bar down by the wharf. And she'd been at school with Melissa's little sister. I couldn't imagine what Julian must have seen in her, well, besides the obvious. But I figured it was none of my business and went to find my friends at the fortuneteller's tent. They were still in line, and said these bitchy-looking teenagers had been in there for like, ever. Pretty soon they came out; one looked like she was going to cry, but the other one was happy and excited, and then Melissa and Angela dragged me into the tent with them!

So anyway, there we were, inside the gypsy or whatever's tent. Her voice sort of reminded me of that old actor, Cary Grant, except she was, you know, not a man. And she told Melissa that she'd be getting a new job soon, and then she said that Angela was going to get a really big present at Christmas time, and then it was my turn, and when she took my hand, she looked up quickly, straight into my eyes and started to laugh! She asked me if I'd grown up in Harmony, and I told her I had, and she said I would be connected to someone very important in town, and that I had to be careful with any secrets I might learn. I asked her who the important person was, and then of course Angela and Melissa started asking stuff like "Is it a man?" and "Is he handsome?"

That old woman laughed again and said I'd know him when I saw him, and that I should take all I could get from him, because once it was over, it would be over forever. That just sounded silly. Still, pretty exciting, huh?

I went home and took a bath, giving myself a good relaxing massage, if you get my drift, and fell right to sleep, even though it seemed like the day had only lasted a few moments. And that night, I dreamed of him. Of Julian Crane. In my dream, he appeared suddenly in my bathroom doorway. I was shocked, but did nothing to hide whatever the bubbles weren't covering. Dreams are like that, you know. He said, "Let me handle that, my love," and took the "massager" out of my hands, pressing it into his palm, letting it vibrate against his skin, and grinning.

Then we were in a little swirling pool together, and we were both naked, but still surrounded by bubbles. He told me they were champagne bubbles, and to prove it, ducked his head in the water and drank! God, somehow that was so exciting, so I drank, too, and then his mouth was on mine, and we were kissing and our tongues just automatically began exploring each other's lips and teeth and I felt like I could swallow him if he didn't swallow me first. I remember pulling at his lower lip and it was so amazing, sweetened with the champagne, and soft, yet firm at the same time. I wanted to eat it up.

We were clinging so tightly to each other it was like we were sharing the same breaths, and I hardly realized what was happening as he pulled me against his hips and began pressing himself into me. It's not that I wasn't ready; it's that I was so ready there was no thought, only the knowledge that comes without thinking; it's just automatic and right and there you are, together, melting into each other.

When I came it was like something rose up inside of me and threatened to explode its way out of the top of my head. I could hear him laughing, but it was good laughter, pleased and proud.

And then I woke up. That was soooo hot, I felt just like someone in a Judith Krantz story. I had to find him. Julian Crane was the man the gypsy told me about. Already I wanted to know if he was anything like how he appeared in my dream, where suddenly I was amazing and smart and literate and all that other stuff, and he wanted me, and became the best lover I ever had. Well, there have only really been two others that count, I mean, in real life, not in my dreams. But anyway, it felt so real I figure it was really meant to happen.