A/N: Thanks Tori, and Miss P, for your reviews! I know I can always depend on you! And I find I subconsciously wait for both your review then update lol! But I got some subscriptions this week, so hopefully I will hear from someone else too!

Chapter 31 Reality Check.

"Mother? Father? I wasn't expecting you," Paul said.

"Me neither," I said addressing my own parents who were sitting on the settee next to Paul's parents. Apart from a business like phone call to check our arrival, I hadn't spoken to my parents since I had left. They had probably come to check our 'progress.'

"Well we weren't planning to come, we actually need to talk to the two of you," Paul's Mom said. "Please sit down."

Me and Paul both sat down on the sofa stools opposite them, confused.

"The four of us had dinner last night, and we realise we had been going about this the wrong way," Pauls Dad said. "We never should have pushed you to be together for the sake of our companies if you weren't happy. Especially by threatening to cut the two of you off."

My mouth opened in shock at what he had just said and when I looked over at Paul, his expression mirrored mine perfectly.

"I don't understand," Paul said.

"The four of us still think this is the right thing to do, and one day you'll understand, but right now you're both in high school. You don't understand any of this, or the security you will want later in life. We're willing to reconsider putting this off until after college," My Dad said, and all three of the other parents nodded along in agreement.

"So what if after college, we still don't want to go through with being together? Are you just going to threaten to cut us off then?" Paul asked bitterly.

"We have your best interests at heart, and we know now that we were going about it all wrong. Paul, we don't want to be the type of parents to blackmail our children into doing what we want," she said looking ashamed. "We're sorry! There is no way we could ever cut you off, and remove you from out house! We love you," Pauls Mom said, and his Dad nodded. His mother began crying, obviously feeling bad and Paul got up to hug her.

After hearing what she said, I looked over to my own father who had threatened me with the same, but he had a cold, blank look on his face, not offering up his own apology, and I tried not to care.

"So what now?" I managed to squeak out, trying to figure out what our parents came here for. I doubted they would come just for Pauls parents to apologise to him. " We don't have to go to Yale?" I asked, making sure I fully understood.

Paul's Dad hesitated for a second, but after his Mom nudged him, he said, "Not if you don't want to."

"But what about the companies?" I asked. All this year my parents had been going on about the importance of our companies joining together, and now they were so quick to say it didn't matter. It just seemed too good to be true, like they had something else planned.

"Our companies can still do business," Pauls Dad said, "But it would be difficult to merge them with the problem of who would be in charge after our retirement. We both agree that we want to keep our companies in the family."

"So you will all be fully content if me and Juliet decide not to be together? Even after college?" Paul asked double checking, like me he obviously thought this was all like a dream.

"Well, the best thing for the future of Capulet Enterprises and Prince Arbitrations would be to combine into one company, with the two of you in charge."

"But then why can't that still happen even if we're not a couple?" Paul asked.

"It's just a more secure partnership, and will protect both families in going into this business together, so we all come out a winner, and neither family gets the short end of the stick."

"So what're you saying? Do you want to join the businesses and want us to be together or not?"

"If we go ahead with all of this we want it to be because you both want it too." My Dad said.

"The only way this business merger will work is if you're both just as positive about it as we are. After all you will soon be learning the ropes and one day it will all be up to you." Paul's Dad said.

"Now, we're going to go back home. We're going to leave one car here, and when you both decide, we'll see you at home." They said standing up.

"Actually, before we go, Juliet if we could have a word?" My mom said and I nodded. Both my parents and I walked out of the room into the hallway leaving Pauls family inside. I was wondering when this was coming, both of my parents being strangely quiet inside, and it wasn't like them to leave without the last word.

"Juliet, the whole reason I started Capulet Enterprises in the first place was so you, Timmy and your Mother could all have the best, and I'm not going to take it all away from you over something like this." My Dad said. I knew this was his version of an apology. This was as good as it was going to get.

"However—" My Mom butted in. "We still feel like it's the right thing to do, whether it happens now or after college."

There it was. I knew they couldn't change their minds about something so quickly. They obviously wanted to look like they fully agreed that it was ultimately our choice in front of Paul's parents but they still wanted this as much as they did before I had left.

Evidently, from seeing Pauls parents, as well as Romeo's not all parents in our social circle were as cut off from feelings toward their children as mine were. I guess I just got lucky.

It was hard to believe these were the same two people that had raised me from a young age. Before they had started up the company and Dad started spending more time at work than with us, pushing a wedge between the family, we were all so close. My Mom had started becoming more and more distant and lonely until staying at home with us kids all day wasn't enough for us. The new amount of money being deposited into our bank accounts was all new and exciting, and both my parents got caught up in that, until my mother spent more of her time at the country club and with her new friends, and me and Timmy being left at home with Ada became a regular occurrence.

"Now go inside and talk to Paul about your future," My Dad said. I nodded and walked back into the room, closing the door behind me. A few seconds later I heard the front door close.

Me and Paul both remained sitting down, both lost in our own thoughts.

We both sat in the room for about five minutes before Paul spoke.

"Jules, I am going to be honest with you. I like you. I have since we first met. I'm not in love with you yet, but it wouldn't be impossible for me to be in the future. I'm not ready for this all right now but I could be after college. When I look forward I see myself in my Dad's company anyway and if I'm beside you doing it, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. And if this is what we end up doing, we could build up our relationship and really make a life for ourselves," he said.

I didn't know what to say.

"But I also think you should do what your heart is telling you, and if you think he can give you a better life, then with him is where you should be," We both knew the 'he' Paul was referring to.

Even though our parents had agreed to lay off with pushing me and Paul together for now (which was a huge step forward), even though they expected us to start things up after college. I knew that didn't mean they would suddenly accept me and Romeo being together. They still hated Romeo's parents and their company. And Timmy was still no closer, as far as I knew to accepting us, but I knew even though I might turn out to have a good life with Paul in the future, and I could see us being good friends. I knew when it came to visualising my future, I didn't know what I wanted yet, but whatever it was I wanted it to be for me, and because of that my parents were the last thing on my mind. Since the last conversation I had had with them, I could care less what they thought right this second. Technically they said I didn't have to be with Paul now, just as long as we got together after college. They just didn't need to know that would never happen.

"Paul…" I started.

"It's ok," he said smiling and I nodded and smiled, grateful for everything Paul had done for me the last few weeks.

"On the bright side, you can go to that music school now," he said, then taking in my blank look, "That is what you want isn't it?"

"I guess," I said.

"Well, while you think that over, what do you say we go ask Bernard for some snacks for the road?"

X x x x x x x x x

Ben POV

I let myself into Romeo's house using the key that Aunt Toni had given my Mom. Downstairs was pin drop silence, and there was no sign of anybody living here apart from the random beer bottles, and take out containers scattered along the living room.

I had barely seen Romeo for the last couple of weeks. On the rare occasion he was at school he was either walking out of class or being sent out. I had no idea what had gotten into him, but I was worried about my cousin and best friend. Something must have triggered the change in Romeo because from what I knew, he had returned to his normal self, if not an even better behaved version than before.

I let myself into his room without knocking and if I thought downstairs was a mess, this was worse. There was beer bottles scattered around everywhere and random dishes with cigarette butts.

Romeo walked in through the open balcony doors in his underwear, looking emotionless. I was about to lay into him when Rose walked in behind him, dressed in a white sheet wrapped around herself. Standing in front of the balcony daylight, the sheet kept little to the imagination. I forced myself not to look at her, or even think about her and focus on Romeo. She should be happy, she finally got what she wanted: Romeo.

"Hey," she said in a high pitched voice. I knew her well enough to know it was her nervous voice. I hadn't spoken to her since the night at the party when I had blown her off, and didn't intend to now. I nearly approached her at school a couple of times, since I didn't only miss the girl I liked but also my best friend, but now that I saw she was finally with the guy she wanted, making nice with her after she used me for all these years was far from my mind. I knew Romeo didn't actually have romantic feelings for her, and was probably sleeping with her to make himself feel better about whatever he was going through, and on instinct I felt protective of her and mad that she was being used like that, but then I remembered that was practically what she was doing to me and I didn't care so much anymore.

"Rose," I said curtly, then turned my attention back to Romeo.

"I should probably go—" she said picking up her jeans from the floor and other discarded pieces of clothing as she walked through the room. She attempted to put on the jeans with only the use of one hand since the other was busy holding up the sheet, but it was either the tense silence of the room containing the guy she used to sleep with and the guy she was currently sleeping with , or the fact that it was proving to be a difficult task, but she soon gave up and held the clothes in one hand and left the room mumbling about going to the bathroom, instead of trying to hop around any longer. In any other situation it would have been amusing to watch her attempt but nobody in the room was in the mood for laughing.

"So what the hell do you think you're doing?" I said.

"What am I doing?"

"Being a complete idiot!"

"Whatever," he said pulling on his jeans.

"Do you really think drinking and smoking and sleeping around is going to help you in any way with what is wrong?"

"Don't you have anything better to do than to come check on me because your Mommy told you to?" he said turning his TV on.

I walked over to the TV and turned it off at the screen.

"Fine, be like that, I couldn't give a crap if you want to act like an ass, but think about everyone else that you're hurting too! Your parents have no idea what to do with you! Your Mom came to my Mom yesterday crying before she left! Izzie is completely withdrawn at my house!—" I said referring to the fact that Romeo's parents had to go to New york for the weekend for work, and usually they would leave Izzie with Romeo without question but this time it wasn't even an option and they had left her with her Aunt Lucia, my Mom at my house. Normally she was a loud, happy little girl but Romeo's behaviour had obviously had an effect on her because she had been extremely quiet and kept to herself all weekend.

"Iz is at your house?" Romeo said, looking more alert than he had since I walked in.

"Where else would she be? She had to stay, she has school." I said, proving my point that he had been completely cut off, and not even been paying attention to the whereabouts of his sister.

"And you said she's upset?" he said. He was giving me his full attention now, and I felt relief that I was getting through to him.

"She's just confused Ro, she missed you," I told him, and he sighed.

"She shouldn't feel like that, it's not her fault," he said.

"Then whose fault is it? Don't push us away Ro, we're just trying to help you. You've been acting off ever since Rose told Jul—" I started but stopped, realising the significance of what I had just said.

"Juliet?" I asked him, trying to process it. He just nodded.

"Juliet Capulet?" I said, double checking.

"Yes! How many Juliet's do you know?" he said, irritably.

"So what, you like her? Is that it? And now she won't talk to you?"

"Yes, I like her, I fricking love her, do you have a problem with that?" he said defensively.

After what I had been through with Rose the last couple of months, it didn't seem so important anymore to disapprove of a relationship between Romeo and Juliet, just of the fact that I didn't get along with her friends. Sure I was surprised, but I would be lying if I said I cared enough to break them up.

"No, I don't have a problem."

"You don't?" he asked confused.

"So what, you started liking her after spending time with her," I said, sitting down on a swivel chair.

"I guess I liked her from the start," he said shrugging.

"Well then, go for it man."

He looked at me shocked. "You're not going to get mad or anything?"

"Well regardless how it happened, we still got to throw Timmy's face in your relationship and that was pretty amusing," I said smiling thinking back, "but one thing I do know, don't let any worry over if anybody gets mad, stop you from being with her."

"Thanks man," he said but his face fell, "But even though I want to be with her, she doesn't want to be with me right now."

"Because she didn't know about the bet," I said to myself.

"That and some other stuff," he said.

"Well, stop moping about and get off your ass and go straighten out the 'stuff'" I told him. At least it would work out for one of us.

"I can't. She's out of town with her fiancé."

"Shit, man. I'm sorry," I said, feeling bad for him.

"If I hadn't come up with the plan to get to Ti—" I started. I felt bad at the thought that I might have been the one to screw this up for him.

"No, it's not your fault, I should have told her. And other than that, she's just thinks it's too hard to be together," he said looking crestfallen.

"Look, I'm only going to say this once, then we're going to go back to acting like two guys," I said, " but if you love her and she loves you, then don't let anything get in your way because for both of you to be in this together it's a rare thing. She thinks it's too hard to be together? Then make her see nothing in life's easy and you can fight for it together," I said quickly in one breath.

"Wow," he said.

"Yeah, that was me being deep," I said smiling.

"You're right," he said and I could see he had a million thoughts running through his head.

"Of course I'm right. But you can't do that sitting around here, skipping school and sleeping with Rose. You need to get your shit together man."

"Thanks Ben," he said with a weak smile. I visibly see his attitude had changed. "What you said before about it being a rare thing to both be in it together?"

"Yeah," I said getting up and picking up my keys from the table I had put them down on.

"You weren't just saying that were you," he said.

I looked up at him meeting his eyes.

"Rose?" he asked.

"Who else would it be that would make our lives more complicated?" I said trying to make a joke out of the situation.

"I'm sorry man, I didn't realise," he said, feeling bad about sleeping with her and then parading it around in front of me.

"No, it's ok, technically she was yours first—"

"Yeah but we both know she was never 'mine'" he said raising his eyebrows in a suggesting way.

"But she's not 'mine' either," I told him.

"I'm sorry man," he said.

"Don't be, I'm glad you slept with her, she got what she wanted, and I got the reality check I needed. Anyway, I need to go pick up your sister from Ballet," I said, not wanting to dwell on Rose for much longer.

"Can I go?" he asked cautiously.

"You gonna be ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to make things right with Iz," he said.

"Ok. You go get Iz, then come over to ours for dinner," I told him and he nodded.

"Ben?" Romeo called as I stepped out the door.

"Yeah."

"Thanks," he said nodding. "You're a good friend. So you're sure you're ok with me and Juliet?"

"Well I'm not saying I'm ever going to be BFF's with Timmy, but when it comes down to the two of you, it's all good."

X x x x x x x x

A/N: so I had a really suckish night, and it would really make me feel better if I got some reviews, especially since I updated instead of getting into bed ^^