Last night I just saw that scene in my mind and I just had to write it down. I hope you will like it !

As Julia turned the keys in the lock of what could maybe be her new door, she looked right at Leo. She didn't want to miss any bit of his reaction to her new apartment. She could only buy it if he liked it. But Leo wasn't really showing any feelings and, when the door finally opened, it just looked like he didn't care. Julia wasn't really one to give up though, so she kept her enthusiastic smile on and proceeded in showing him every rooms, talking about all the furniture she could put in it, although she knew it would probably take her a considerable amount of time before doing so. Making a home of an empty flat wasn't going to be an easy task, but she was confident about the fact that she had people ready to help her.

Lately her entourage had been quite supportive, even Derek had offered to help her, which had actually been quite a surprise. Frank had finally conceded that she needed to buy a place of her own and after many negotiations with their lawyers she had been allowed to. She still couldn't believe it had been so hard. After all she was the one who had always earned the money, Frank was just a teacher and he had stopped working for a very long time. But one could argue that she was the one responsible for the end of their marriage so she had tried not to get mad at the procedures, which had been quite difficult because procedures were really one thing she couldn't stand.

Now was all about getting Leo's approval on the apartment. However Leo was still looking blank, without any kind of interest on his face.

"What do you think of it ? Do you like it ?"
"It's just an empty apartment, mom. Why do you care so much about what I think ?"
"I want you to be happy, I want you to feel at home in the place I'm going to buy."
"You know what would make me happy."

Oh yes, she knew. Somehow Leo was still thinking that his parents were going to get back together, that they were just going through a rough patch. She couldn't blame him for that but she didn't want him to keep hoping for something that would never happen.

"I don't even understand why you would leave him. You had been working so hard to make him come back and stay, and then you just flushed everything down the toilet !"

That was the real problem, wasn't it ? Nobody understood why she was leaving Frank. To be truthful, she wasn't even sure she understood it herself. It just felt like the only thing she could do, like there was no alternative. She couldn't picture herself married to Frank anymore, no matter how hard she had tried, for the sake of Leo. Boston had just been the catalyst.

"It had became too awkward between the two of us. You know that. You were there. I couldn't just undo what I did."
"But you were working through it. He knows what you did was just a stupid mistake. Your marriage is stronger than that."
"Honey... you don't know that."

He looked at her with a strange look, remembering the kiss he had witnessed between his mother and Michael, the kiss that had started everything.

"Are you leaving dad for Michael ?"

She was a bit taken aback by the question. She knew everyone was asking themselves the same question, they were just not brave enough to ask it to her face. And she was glad they didn't dare to do so, because she was afraid of the answer. Sometimes it was coming to her mind that this might be the case, but she always pushed that thought away, hoping with all her heart that it wasn't. What kind of woman would that make of her ?

"No."
"Are you going to... see Michael ?"
"What do you mean 'see' ?"
"You know what I mean."

Once again she knew. And once again she was surprised by him being so direct. She was feeling more and more uncomfortable. With Tom she knew she could have avoided the question, he didn't want to push her too hard, afraid she might close up. But with Leo she was feeling like she owed to tell him the truth, or at least a portion of it.

"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean you're not sure ? You're considering it ?" He was obviously mad. Now feelings were showing all over his face. He was no longer the inexpressive young man who had walked into the apartment a few minutes earlier. Now he was just the kid beginning to realize that his parents may never get back together. Tears were starting to blur his vision. "You said he wasn't right... you said he wasn't right... you said it when you fired him, you did !"

She took him in her arms. Even though he resisted at first, he eventually let go. Her heart was breaking at the pain she had caused.

"I never said I would."
"But you never said you wouldn't either."

And she couldn't say it. She couldn't lie anymore. So she just tightened her grip around him and they stayed like that for a while. Eventually he stopped crying and took one step back.

"If you really want a new place, this is the one."
"I think so too."

They both looked around them, trying to imagine what their future life would be like but both reaching a wall of incertitude. They would have to take it step by step. Finally she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed the realtor's number.

"I'll take it."
She was smiling.