Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story, baby just say "Yes"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

One Day Earlier:

My world was crashing down around me, and it was no ones fault but my own. I got swept up in the glamour of Chicago and forgot to pay attention to the one person who meant the most to me in the world. I made a mistake. I was human. But I swear to God, it was just the one time. It wasn't worth everything I was losing because of it, it wasn't worth losing her.

I thought I had gotten away with it. The day after I had the affair, I ended things with Camille, telling her that I loved my wife and that what had happened was a big mistake. I couldn't even bring myself to look at Julie the days after, the guilt I had felt too much to bare. But I didn't think she knew. I didn't know.

I was laying on the couch, feeling sorry for myself as was my way these days. I closed the gallery the day she left, not wanting to deal with anything without her by my side. I didn't expect the call, but I was glad that I had gotten it.

"Matt, what in the hell are you doin' son?," Coach Taylors voice all but screamed in my ear.

"Coach, I'm sorry. I messed up…I…"

"Damn right you're sorry," he said cutting me off. "Messed up don't even cover the words I'm thinking of in regards to you, son."

"I don't know what you want me to do, Sir. Sh…Sh…She want's a divorce," I said stuttering like I did in high school. It'd been a long time since I lost that nervous stutter but damn if Coach didn't bring it out in me every time.

"So you just gonna roll over and play dead then, is that it? People make mistakes, Matt, it's how you make up for them that proves what kind of person you are."

"Sir, I don't think…"

"Listen to me," he said growling into the phone. "You need to get your ass on the next plane and get your wife to talk to you. Because let me tell you something…If you aren't talking to her, someone's gonna. Namely Tim Riggins. You need to get to Dillon and make it right before it's too late."

"Yes, Sir," I said, before his words really hit me. Riggins? And Julie? "Wait. D..D..Did you say Tim Riggins?," I asked.

"They've been spending a whole lot of time together, Mattie. God only knows what they're doing together."

"I'm on my way," I said, before hanging up, the idea of Julie with Tim too much for me to take.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Present time:

I took in the sight of him, trying not to let his disheveled appearance effect me as much as it did. Matt and I had been together for a long time. A very, very long time. If seeing him upset didn't effect me at all, it wouldn't say much for my character. Yes, he cheated on me. But there was also a time when he loved me. And there was a time not too long ago that I loved him.

"Julie…I…uh…I….I needed to see you," he stuttered in the endearing way that only Matt Saracen can. Before the incident, his stutter had become almost non-existent, appearing usually only when he talked to my Dad. "I uh…tried calling but you wouldn't answer, so I just uh…came down here. You have to let me explain, Jules," he said, my nickname sounding foul coming from his mouth. It definitely didn't hold the same ring as it did when Tim said it.

"I thought I made it pretty clear with the divorce papers I left on the table that I didn't want to see you." The front door opened and my mom came jumping down the stairs.

"Sorry ya'll. I just have to run out for a few. Why don't you two go in the house. You're drawing looks from the neighbors." I rolled my eyes at Matt and walked inside as my mom got in her car. I could feel him behind me as he followed me in, and the thought that he was that close to me made my hair stand on end. He closed the door and I turned to face him.

"You need to go, Matt. I have things to do today."

"What kind of things, Julie? Things with Tim Riggins?" he asked angrily. I rolled my eyes. This had my father written all over it, and I swear to God I had never been angrier with him in all my life.

"You don't have any right to question anything I'm doing or not doing with Tim Riggins. No right at all. You cheated on me, remember? Not the other way around."

"Oh yeah? And what do you call what you're doing now?" I threw my hands up.

"What am I doing now, Matt? I'm being free. For the first time since I was 17 years old, I'm doing whatever the hell I want to do because you're not here to stop me." He lowered his head, running his hand over the back of his neck the way he does when he's trying to control his emotions.

"Listen, Julie. It was just the one time. I swear it." My eyes narrowed at him.

"Just the one time, Matt? Maybe you only slept with her one time, but you were running around with her a whole lot longer then that. You don't have to be sleeping with someone to have an affair. It'd been a long time since you've been invested fully in this relationship. A long damn time, and you know it."

"Julie. That's not fair. With the gallery and the…"

"Ha! The gallery! Fuck your gallery, Matt. If I never hear the word 'gallery' again it's going to be too soon. I gave up everything for you. I gave up the practice. I gave up my writing. I gave up Texas. And what did you give me, huh? Didn't give me attention or appreciation. Didn't give me your fidelity. Hell, you couldn't even give me children. So what the hell good are you?"

I saw him falter with the children comment, as if I'd physically hit him. I immediately felt bad about it, knowing it was a low blow. But he made me feel bad all the time for a majority of different reasons. It was only fair that he felt even a smidge of the hurt that he'd made me feel. Right? He let the comment roll away, not even bothering to touch on it.

"Julie. This can't be it," he said walking up to me, reaching out as I recoiled from his touch. "I…I love you," he said sadly, as the first sign of tears greeted his eyes. I loved him, too. I guessed I always would. He shared so much of my youth with me, such a large part of my life. I would always love him. Just not in the way a wife should love her husband. That love had been given away to someone else, someone who appreciated it. I sighed deeply.

"Sign the papers, Matt. It's over." He lowered his eyes.

"Do you love him, Julie?," he asked, almost so quiet that I couldn't hear him. But I did.

"Maybe," I answered honestly. "I know I have to give it a chance. I deserve to be happy. And you can't make me happy anymore."

"I'll sign the papers," he said sadly.

"Thank you," I whispered in response, over whelmed with the sad feeling that accompanied the death of a 15 year relationship.

"But can I maybe take a shower before I leave? It was a long flight," he asked softly. I nodded.

"Uh..Sure…I'm going to just take a walk," I said turning around, not wanting him to see me cry. I left him standing in the living room as I walked out the front door and down the block, silently saying goodbye to Matt Saracen, and hello to my new life in Dillon.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I drove past her parents house, surprised to see only her car parked out front. What would it hurt to stop in and see how the lunch went? Especially since it didn't appear as if her parents were there anyway. I pulled up behind her car and put the truck in park. Nothing like an afternoon kiss from Julie Taylor to keep my day on the right track. I walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for it to open. It took a few minutes, but eventually the door swung back, revealing a face that I wasn't expecting even a little.

Seven stood in front of me, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping onto his shoulders.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Son of a bitch. Julie just told me that she was maybe in love with this guy, and if that wasn't enough of a punch in the gut, now he was standing in front of me, probably looking forward to a little afternoon delight with my wife. I was pissed. Wait. Maybe pissed isn't a strong enough word. I was down right furious. But instead of punching him, which is really what I wanted to do, I smiled at him obliviously.

"Hey Riggins," I said evenly. "Been a long damn time. How you been?"

"I've been good, Seven. Real good. Is Julie around?," he asked, daring to peek behind me into the Taylors house.

"Yeah. She's uh…In the shower. I just got in town, and you know how it is, man. We had a little bit of catching up to do," I said with a wink. I noticed the way his hands drew into fists, his body stiffened. Ha. Good. He clearly believed me. "So uh…I think I'm gonna get back at it," I continued when he didn't verbally respond.

Tim nodded and turned around, stalking toward his truck like he was on a mission. I couldn't help but smile to myself as he sped off in his truck, that smug grin wiped off his face completely. I felt a sense of pride, knowing that I'd ruined his day, just like he had ruined my life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I dropped Matt off at the airport. He had tried to talk me into coming home with him, he told me that we could work it out. He told me that I couldn't possibly feel the way I thought I did about Tim. He also mentioned the fact that obviously my Dad agreed since he was the one who had told him about us in the first place. Which, I had already figured out, but the confirmation angered me even more.

He apologized over and over again, but when all was said and done, he still agreed to sign the papers and fax them to my lawyer. I was running late for my dinner with Tim by then, and the thought of escaping this hell with Matt and entering back into the blissful routine I had developed with Tim was all too appealing. I needed his assurance, his comfort. I just needed to be near him, and then I knew all my doubts and trepidations would fade away.

I pulled up to his house, fifteen minutes late, but not thinking that he would really care. Especially after I told him what I had to deal with that day. The front door was locked, which was unusual in itself. I looked around for the spare key and came up empty, but I did notice the small suitcase nestled next to the steps. My suitcase.

Tims truck was parked on the side of the house, so I figured he was in there. But my knocking went unanswered. I sat on the steps for a few minutes, waiting for him to let me in but he never came. I called his phone five times and never got an answer. What the hell was going on? And what was I supposed to do now?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Authors Note: Don't hate me too much. There has to be some kind of conflict to make it a decent story. Don't forget to review ladies! I appreciate them more then you could ever know. Thanks for reading ya'll.. The more reviews I get, the faster I will update. ;)