Goodbyes were never easy. Jeffrey "Jeff" Johansen also had to experience this right now.

He was just packing his second suitcase to leave Ormond, his Canadian hometown, where he had lived all his life. Maybe leaving forever. His parents had divorced and he had promised his ailing mother that he would move to Winkler, Manitoba with her. Miles away.

"It's not like I've built myself up here a lot…" he mumbled ironically. His shy, almost fearful nature hadn't brought him many friends in life. Still, he was in no hurry to leave. Something didn't let him go yet. Or someone…

Knock, knock.

Jeff startled and stared at the door. It was only morning, the sun was shining in through the kitchen window, illuminating the still untidy chaos inside.
'Who can that be? I paid the last rent, damn it…'

Grumbling morosely to himself, he went to the entrance and looked through the peephole.
The familiar figure on the other side made him gasp in surprise and shortly afterwards he opened the door.

"Julie?!"

The pretty blonde girl smiled at him. "Hello Jeff. Lucky that I caught you. You wouldn't have just moved without saying goodbye to me, right?"
She crossed her slender arms over her chest and her black leather jacket crumpled accusingly.

Jeff looked down at the ground and rubbed his long dark beard. "Um… no, I would have contacted you again. It is just…"

Raising his head again, he fell silent at the sight of Julie's intense emerald green eyes.
'They're just beautiful,' he thought, although he had known Julie for a long time now.
The younger of the two Campbell daughters was valued throughout Ormond, although she was always overshadowed by her older sister Genevieve.
Jeff couldn't share this opinion.

To escape his parents' outbursts of anger, which was becoming more common at the time, Jeff had taken a job at the local video store. Since usually only a few customers went there, he had a lot of free time to devote himself to his drawings. Around noon, some students from the nearby Ormond High stopped by during the week.
So did the Campbell sisters. While Genevieve was always friendly and cheerful, she still looked like a pretty, but cold doll to Jeff, trying to please everyone she met. To be Everybody's darling.
Julie was very different.
There was a natural self-confidence and honesty about her that Jeff had been impressed with from the start. After breaking the first ice, Julie soon became a regular customer and often paid him a late night visit to chat with him about all kinds of topics. Among other things, their two dysfunctional families and the resulting problems.
But these nocturnal meetings would now be a thing of the past…

Jeff sighed. "Come on in, Julie. I haven't packed everything together yet anyway. Would you like some tea?"
For a moment she continued to punish him with silence before she nodded and entered his little realm.

His heavy metal record collection was still in the corner; the meaningful symbolism of the record covers had motivated him in high school to become artistic himself. On the wall next to it were unfinished sketches and pictures that he still had to pack. One of them being the blueprint of a very familiar logo.

Julie smiled at the sight. "We love the artwork that you created for us, Jeff. It's just perfect." She turned around and grinned at him. "I hope you haven't wasted the 50 dollars and twelve-pack of beer yet."
Jeff rolled his eyes good-naturedly, the corner of his mouth going up as he poured them both a cup of boiling hot tea. "Nice that you like it so much. Such a large mural was a real challenge. By the way, that was my first paid job and I'm really damn proud of this milestone."

He thought back to the evening when Julie had first told him about her new gang: The Legion. Consisting of her best friends Susie Williams and Joey Tremblay as well as the mysterious newcomer in town named Frank Morrison.
Jeff found Frank very difficult to judge.
He was two years older than Julie, impressively self-confident and obviously had a dark past, which initially worried Jeff, but one look in Julie's shining eyes kept him from asking too many sharp questions. For the first time in a long while she looked really happy again and Jeff just liked her too much to ruin her happiness by sowing doubts.
Nonetheless, he had also noticed other changes in her: She seemed tougher, more ruthless, like the calm before the storm and he knew that something must have happened between her and her parents, but he didn't dare to ask. Especially not now, when it was time to say goodbye and he couldn't be there for her anymore anyway…

Julie took a small sip of the steaming cup of tea before putting it down. "Frank loves your drawing style, Jeff. Whenever we hang out at the lodge and look at your master piece, he can't stop gushing about it. And that one evening, he had this idea. This wish..."
Julie bit her lip tentatively, taking a step towards him. Jeff carefully set aside his cup of tea. 'What kind of wish...?' he thought, curious and nervous at the same time.
"It would be your parting gift to me. And my present to Frank at the same time." Taking another step forward, she leaned up to him and whispered softly in his ear: "Would you paint a nude portrait of me, Jeff?"

The 27 year old caught his breath. 'I surely misheard… I must have misheard! Never in her life would Juliette Campbell, the Juliette Campbell, ask me to draw her naked… would she?'

He swallowed hard and Julie leaned back to look at him expectantly. Her emerald green eyes sparkled and Jeff had to push himself inwardly to finally get a word out. "Ummm…"
He cleared his throat, starting again. "Julie, are you sure you want that, too? I mean, yes, I would do that for you, but…"

"Yes, I'm sure." There was no uncertainty in her gaze and her tone brooked no contradiction. Jeff couldn't help smiling. He would definitely miss her.

And so it came about that Jeff did his first nude painting.
For the youngest daughter of the famous Campbell lawyers with the most beautiful eyes Jeff had ever seen.
During the lengthy drawing process Jeff had to remind himself several times of his professionalism as an artist. Forcing himself to not let his eyes and thoughts wander. Because he knew that if he ever looked too closely at Julie's long legs, round breasts or firm buttocks, he would never see her as before ever again. Ever...

'Damn it, pull yourself together, man,' he admonished himself. 'She's ten years younger than you, pervert.'
That statement didn't really help his cause, so he shook himself inwardly, focusing his attention on the correct angle and right coloring rather than on Julie's toned bare body.

It was getting dark as Jeff made the final brushstrokes and leaned back contentedly.

"It's finished, Julie."

The girl smiled and straightened up from her half-lying, half-sitting position. "Well. Another minute longer and I would have frozen my butt off." She stretched her stiff limbs with a yawn, laughing knowingly as Jeff politely turned around while she gathered her discarded clothes.

"You can turn around again, Jeff," she whispered softly in his ear and Jeff was startled when he realized that she was right next to him. For a moment his mind played a mean trick on him, making him believe that she was still standing in front of him fully naked.
He swallowed. 'Damn it...'
With obvious difficulty he managed to avert his gaze from her pretty face, clearing his throat. "You do that on purpose, don't you?"

She fluttered her eyelashes while she grinned at him excruciatingly innocent. "I don't know what you mean, Jeffrey."

After Julie had examined and proudly approved the nude portrait of herself, Jeff wrapped it up for her and escorted Julie to the door. "So… Umm. That's it, huh?" He could have hit himself for his social awkwardness, but Julie just smiled. "Yeah, that's it. For now."

Putting a hand on his slightly chubby cheek, she sincerely looked into his warm eyes. "I wish you all the best, Jeffrey Johansen. I hope you are doing better out there in the big wide world. Definitely better than here, that's for sure. And who knows?" She took a step back and winked at him. "I have the feeling that we'll meet again. Somewhere. Sometime. Somehow. And my feelings rarely deceive me." Jeff returned her smile and nodded. He had the same feeling, only he didn't know if he would like the how. Some ominous dark voice in his head told him that it would not be on harmonious terms…

When Julie finally turned around and after a few steps disappeared down the dark, misty street, his smile faded. 'I hate goodbyes. I really hate goodbyes…'

He let the front door fall shut and his thoughts began to circle.

Even though it was fun creating a giant mural for Julie's gang in the abandoned lodge on Mount Ormond, Jeff couldn't shake the feeling that the place was more than just a nice clubhouse or a retreat from home for the kids. Nonetheless, he still hoped for the best.

As he trotted back into the living room, he noticed that Julie hadn't finished her tea. He also noticed that his beloved sketchbook, which had also been lying on the table, was missing. Even without the note left in its place, Jeff knew who was responsible and he didn't feel the slightest hint of anger. He just couldn't. Not with her.

Dear Jeff,

I'll borrow your sketchbook while you're gone. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it, but this way I'll have a memento of you and make sure you have to come back to Ormond at some point if I can't get the Legion out of here and give it back to you personally.

Remember: You have a heart of gold that stands firm against the greatest odds. Stay the way you are and take care of yourself!

Julie

PS: You left Ormond at exactly the right time. It's gonna be pure frenzy.