Ryan put on a black t-shirt and his favorite pair of jeans. True, it was almost eleven o'clock at night and he found himself getting dressed. But he couldn't allow himself to be clothed in just a pair of boxers when he was expecting Julie to show up at any moment. A knock came from the door and he found himself muttering, "Speak of the devil…"
He did not dislike Julie Cooper, not in the least. He simply had to put that sort of image up so people did not know that he had feelings for Newport's biggest bitch. As he yanked the door open, Ryan saw a side of Julie that he had grown very accustomed to in the past few months.
Julie was standing there in a long black knitted coat, the ties hanging loosely at her sides. Her hair was pulled back into a slack ponytail with stray hairs framing her pale face. Ryan ushered her inside, her state devastating him. He thought she was okay; that she had moved on with Marissa's death. He had obviously been mistaken.
"Julie? What's wrong?" Ryan gestured for her to sit down on the edge of his bed. She did so without a word, and Ryan remained standing.
The brunette sighed, her shoulders trembling horribly. "It's been a rough day."
Ryan sat down next to her with a sigh of his own. "I know the feeling," He shared grimly.
"Is it always going to be like this?" Julie inquired, moving her gaze to look at Ryan. Christ, Ryan thought, even her eyes look bad.
He shook his head, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was. "No. Things will get better."
Julie found his voice to be comforting. Neither knew what to say next and didn't want to start a conversation that could potentially sadden either of them. So they sat there in silence, just listening to the distant sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks on the beach.
After a very long while of sitting there, Julie decided to talk. "Ryan? Why did you ask me to come here?"
The sandy blonde male looked over at the woman seated next to him. He contemplated his answer very thoroughly, making sure nothing he said would cause her anymore pain.
"Julie, I called you…"
She turned to face him, her eyes welling up with tears. She was closer to the edge than Ryan had previously assumed. And he seriously doubted that she could possibly handle anything else.
"…To ask you if you need help with anything. Need any furniture moved, anything like that?" Ryan lied and it must have been convincing because Julie instantly bought it.
"No, Ryan. That's what the gardeners and movers are for. Is that all?" Ryan nodded in reply. "Well, I appreciate the offer. If I need anything, I'll call."
Julie stood up and exited the pool house with an audible but attempted-muffled sob. Ryan felt like running after her and pulling her into his arms; he wanted to let her know that he cared. But he couldn't, not after seeing what a horrible day she had experienced. Instead, Ryan stood in the doorway of the pool house and watched her go. She stopped briefly in the kitchen to say goodbye to Kirsten, Ryan's adoptive mother. He knew the blond woman wouldn't let Julie leave the house in such a state and was proven right as he saw Kirsten wrap her arms around Julie in a comforting hug.
"That should be me comforting her," Ryan thought with a frown. He watched for just a moment longer and saw Kirsten helping Julie sit down at the table. Having lived four years with Kirsten, he knew exactly what would happen next; she would fix them both some tea and try to calm Julie down. Not that a situation like this happened very often, but it had occurred a bit more since Marissa's death.
Ryan closed the door and slowly made his way over to his bed. Lying down on top of the blankets, Ryan silently cursed himself for not revealing his true feelings to Julie. The woman had lost her daughter and now the man that had been with Marissa when she died wasn't even being true to her. With a sigh, Ryan closed his eyes and made another vow to himself.
If Julie was still there in the morning, he'd tell her then. No excuses.