Title: Someone Like You
AN: Greetings from the beach! I had a minute to spare (before applying a second coat of aloe vera to my sunburned skin and heading to bed!) and thought I would go ahead and post the next chapter. Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter - it is much appreciated! Please read and review this chapter too. Enjoy!!!
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The week had passed quickly for Tim. He had fallen into a steady routine of classes, football practice, then hanging out with his teammates.
He had also started having lunch with Julie, Tyra, and Landry a couple of times a week, something he was finding himself looking more and more forward to.
He enjoyed his time with Julie, and being with Tyra and Landry was usually like having tickets to a two-man circus.
It had been Wednesday at lunch when Julie had announced that Nick from her Speech class had asked her to a fraternity party on Thursday night.
Julie had finally conceded defeat to Tyra when Nick asked her out, proving that yes, he had been flirting with her for the past few weeks, not just being nice as Julie said.
Tyra had been excited for her, Landry had been indifferent.
Tim had tried to put on a damn happy face, but he definitely wasn't happy or excited for her.
And as he stood in the Delta Chi fraternity house on Thursday night, he tried to tell himself that he was just there to hang out with a few of his teammates in the fraternity.
But he knew it was a lie. He wanted to scope out this Nick fellow – see what made him worthy of taking Julie out.
Tim also wanted to keep an eye on her. He knew first hand what could happen if she had too much to drink. And damn it, if she was going to be drunkenly kissing anybody it was going to be him.
He had spotted her not long after he had arrived. She was looking especially hot in a short, gypsy-looking dress with her hair pulled up in a ponytail. But Nick didn't look all that impressive, at least not to him.
He was about Tim's height, not as muscular. Short brown hair. Polo shirt and khakis – he looked like a damn pretty boy.
Julie seemed to be enjoying herself from the way she kept looking up at him, smiling and laughing.
Tim shook his head as he took a sip of his drink. Time to introduce himself to the douche bag, Tim thinks as he makes his way toward them.
He watches as she laughs again at something pretty boy says, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Her neck tilts back, exposing a tantalizing view of creamy, white skin.
Shit. He obviously had it bad if he was admiring the girl's damn neck.
He watches her face as Julie spots him, her laughter coming to a stop as he moves to stand beside her.
"Tim?" She asks, obviously surprised to see him there.
"Hey Taylor." He says with a grin.
"What are you doin' here?"
Tim shrugs. "A couple of teammates invited me. You know me – can't pass up free beer."
Julie smiles. "This is Nick. Nick, this is my friend Tim."
"Hey man." Nick says, reaching out to shake Tim's hand.
Tim nods in greeting, reaching out to the take the offered hand.
Pretty boy had a surprisingly firm grip. Not as firm as me, Tim thinks to himself, as he squeezes hard on the guy's hand.
Tim knew it was immature to get into a pissing contest with the guy, but he couldn't help but hold onto the guy's hand for a hard, long time.
"Uh, I think that's enough of a hello." Julie says quietly, giving Tim a threatening look.
Tim begrudgingly lets go, slipping his hand into the pocket of his jeans.
"So, you're on the football team, huh?" Nick asks, giving Tim a small smile.
"Yeah." Tim says slowly, drawing the word out. "You play sports?"
"I play intramural sports with my fraternity brothers – ultimate Frisbee and flag football."
Tim grins. Flag football? Ultimate Frisbee? This dude was a damn pansy.
"Nice." Tim says, turning to smirk at Julie who was giving him an exasperated look.
Nick clears his throat, obviously feeling uncomfortable by Tim's appearance. "So, how do you two know each other."
Julie begins to speak, but stops as Tim throws his arm across her shoulders, pulling her close into his side.
"Me and Taylor go way back." Tim says with a grin.
"That so?" Nick asks, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah. We were pretty much inseparable back in high school." Tim says, purposely making it sound like he and Julie were more than just friends, if you could even call them that. "Ain't that right Grapefruit?"
"That's stretching it a little, Tim." Julie says, looking up at him and with her hand on her hip, giving him a look that told him she was quickly losing her patience with his antics.
Tim just gives her a shit-eating grin, squeezing her shoulder.
Julie takes a step toward Nick, out of Tim's grasp. "How 'bout we get some more drinks?" She says, directing her question to Nick.
"Sure." Nick says, giving her a smile. "It was nice to meet you Tim."
Yeah right. "Like wise." Tim says giving him a brief nod.
"See you later Tim." Julie says shortly, giving him a small wave, obviously still aggravated with him.
"Yeah, later." Tim says quietly, watching them go.
Tim wasn't standing alone for long. A group of girls soon surrounded him, chattering on and on about random shit that he didn't really care about.
He smiled frequently and nodded occasionally to make it look like he cared, but his attention was still fixed on Julie across the room.
He watches as pretty boy leans down close to say something in her ear. Julie nods and he takes her hand, leading her toward the stairs.
Fuck no, Tim thinks as he watches the two of them head up the stairs, undoubtedly to a bedroom.
His first instinct was run after her, punch pretty boy in the face for even thinking of taking her upstairs, then drag her sweet ass home.
But he doubted she'd appreciate that, even if it's what she needed. So, he stayed where he was – pretending to listen to the conversation going on around him.
That lasted for maybe five minutes before he excused himself and started to make his way upstairs.
Julie might kill him for interfering, but he wasn't about to let some damn, sleazy pretty boy put his hands on Julie Taylor.
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As Julie sat on the edge of the bed in Nick's room, she was starting to second guess her choice to come upstairs and look at his photos from his backpacking trip through Europe.
Mainly because when he had shut the bedroom door behind them, Julie had realized that they were alone, and far away from the party going on downstairs.
"Here they are." Nick says, sitting down very close to Julie on the bed with a photo book in his hands.
Julie glances up at him, giving him a quick smile before turning her attention to the photos.
Nick flips through the book, telling stories about each picture, pointing out different things.
As he points at each photo, Julie notices his hands and can't help but think how different they are from Tim's.
Get a grip Julie, she thinks to herself. She sure didn't need to be thinking of Tim, especially after that macho act he just pulled a little while ago with Nick.
"So what do you think?" Nick asks, bringing Julie out of her thoughts.
"I think they're great." Julie says giving him another smile. She honestly couldn't remember what half the photos were.
Nick sets the photo book on the bedside table and turns back to Julie.
"I think you're pretty great." Nick says with a grin.
Seriously? Talk about corny, she thinks as she tries not to laugh.
"Thanks." She squeaks out.
"You're welcome."
Without warning, Nick's lips are crashing down on hers pressing her back against the bedspread.
"Whoa…" Julie says as she pushes him back. "Slow down Romeo."
"Don't act like you don't want it." Nick says quickly, pressing his lips roughly against hers again, rolling his body where he is half covering hers.
Oh shit. How did this happen? How did she end up in a bedroom, all alone with some guy she barely knew, his tongue trying it's best to get in her mouth, and his hand groping her breasts.
"Hey!" Julie says trying to shove him away again, only to have him grasp her wrists and hold them tight against her chest. "Get off of me you asshole!"
Julie hears the door open, but can't see who it is from her position. At this point she really doesn't care – as long as it's not a drunk fraternity brother coming to join Nick's little upstairs party.
"Help!" She says loudly, trying to wrestle away from the Nick and his weight pressing down on her, his one hand still holding her wrists while the other seemed to be roaming her whole body.
In the blink of an eye, that weight was lifted off of her, by a very frightening-looking Tim Riggins.
Tim pulls the guy off with ease, practically throwing him hard up against a desk on the other side of the room.
Julie sits up slowly, trying to adjust her dress, watching the action in front of her with wide eyes.
"You okay?" Tim asks quietly, stepping toward her and looking her over for any injuries.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." She says, shaken by his menacing tone.
Nick laughs, a short hateful sound. "I don't know what your deal is buddy. She wanted it. Hell, she came to my room."
Julie watches as Tim takes a deep breath, turning to take a few steps toward Nick.
"Your little friend over there's just a tease." Nick says with a snarl of his lips.
Tim had obviously heard enough, as Julie watched him go from standing perfectly still to clocking Nick right across the mouth with a swift right hook.
"What the hell man?" Nick mumbles, bringing his hand up to touch his mouth, a trail of blood already forming from the busted lip.
Tim takes a step closer, grabbing Nick by the collar of his polo shirt.
Julie was starting to get a little worried. She had heard stories of Tim's anger and his fighting abilities, but she wasn't sure she wanted to witness it, especially not because of her.
"You ever touch her again and I will end you." He says in deadly, quiet voice. "You so much as look at her, that's it. I don't even want her name to cross your lips. You got that pretty boy?"
Nick nods, his adam's apple bobbing up and down as Tim lets go of his collar and shoves him backwards against the desk.
Julie watches as Tim slowly turns to her, taking a few steps closer and reaching out his hand.
"C'mon Taylor." He says quietly.
Julie doesn't hesitate as she places her hand in his and allows him to lead her quickly out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out of the frat house to his truck.
He gives her a boost into his truck, climbs in quickly behind her and peals out of the parking area and out onto the street.
The two ride in silence. A very uncomfortable silence.
Julie glances at Tim, noticing the scowl on his face.
This was the brooding Tim that she had seen occasionally in high school, but hadn't seen at all since being in Austin.
As the two arrive at her dorm, Tim brings the truck to a stop and cuts the truck off, bringing an even more uncomfortable silence within the truck.
"What the hell were you thinkin'?" He says quietly after several seconds.
"I wasn't expecting that to happen." Julie says defensively.
"Well, what did you think was gonna happen?" Tim says loudly, turning to look at her.
Julie scowls. "Don't you dare yell at me."
"Yell? Somebody needs to yell at you! Somebody needs to knock some damn sense into that pretty head of yours!" Tim says loudly, banging his fist against the wheel.
"Are you saying that I'm stupid? That's something – you calling me stupid." She says with a humorless laugh.
"I wasn't the one who went upstairs with some frat boy like some kind of naïve little girl expecting nothing to happen." Tim says quickly.
"I went up there to look at some photos from his trip to Europe." Julie says, trying to explain herself.
Tim laughs shortly. "Are you shittin' me? Seriously Taylor." He says, shaking his head. "You shouldn't be allowed out on your own."
Julie gasps. Okay, that's enough, she thinks to herself as she swings her door open and hops out of the truck, slamming it as hard as she can.
"Taylor!" She hears Tim say from behind her as she quickly makes her way toward her building.
How dare he talk to her like that? Yeah, so she had been pretty naïve. But didn't Tim realize that she felt beyond dumb for not realizing what Nick was up to, not to mention totally embarrassed at having Tim see her naivety.
"Taylor! Don't walk away from me." Tim says as he grabs Julie by the arm, stopping her and turning her toward him.
Julie glances down, wiping the tear that had escaped with the back of her hand, not wanting to add to her embarrassment by crying in front of him.
"Are you cryin'?" He says, bending down to get a look at her face.
"Yes Tim – I'm crying. I guess that makes me a little girl too huh? Well tough shit! I tend to cry when someone yells at me and all but tells me I'm stupid." Julie says heatedly. "Did you stop to think that maybe I realize I screwed up and that besides my pride being hurt, it's damn embarrassing to have you there witnessing the moment!"
Julie pokes him in the chest to emphasize her last statement, watching his eyes widen slightly.
She takes a deep breath, both of them silent for several moments.
"I'm going inside. It's been a long night." Julie says quietly, turning away.
"Wait." Tim says quietly, once again reaching out to grab her arm, this time gently pulling her back around toward him.
Julie glances at her shoes before finally looking up and meeting his gaze, surprised to see him looking down at her intently.
"I'm an ass." Tim says quietly. "I just…if something happened to you Taylor…" He says, shaking his head as he again notices the wetness in her eyes.
"Ah Jules." He says softly, pulling her into his arms tightly.
Jules? Julie had never heard him call her that. It was always 'Taylor'. But she liked Jules – it sounded special.
And as she wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his solid chest, she feels special.
They stand that way for several seconds, just holding one another.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You've just gotta be careful. I don't want anything happenin' to you." Tim says quietly, rubbing his hand slowly up and down her back.
Julie snorts quietly. "Well, apparently nothings ever gonna happen to me. You always manage to show up right in time." She says, smiling against his chest.
Tim smirks. "You did call me your white knight at the doctor's office."
Julie rolls her eyes, leaning back to meet his gaze, finding him smirking down at her. "I was being sarcastic when I said that…but I guess it fits."
"I don't mind." He says. "And besides, it just means you owe me more favors." He says with a mischievous grin.
Julie laughs as she pulls back out of his arms. "More homework help?"
He grins as he throws his arm across her shoulders, pulling her closer as the two of them walk slowly toward her dorm. "Maybe. Or I might think of some other way for you to repay me." He says giving her a sexy smirk.
Julie rolls her eyes playfully, trying not to blush as she thinks of all the ways she would love to repay Tim. And she wasn't thinking of tutoring either.
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AN: Remember ladies...patience is a virtue :D One of them will make a move (a sober move that both will remember) very soon - I promise!