What was taking Hugo and the "Fat Fish" a long time to appear?

Julia was thoroughly absorbed in her thoughts that she never noticed Hugo and Caraway entered the V.I.P. Lounge.

"Ahem," Hugo coughed. "Julia."

Instantly, she turned her head to their direction and stood up. Fury took the opportunity to covertly observe her even further.

From a distance, she was lovely. Up close, she was breathtaking. Her shoulder length dark brown hair contrasted against her creamy ivory skin, and she unconsciously tucked a strand behind her right ear. A warm shade of russet brown eyes curiously peered at him, observing him too.

"Good evening" she greeted him, to which he responded by bowing his head. Her voice was rich and sweet, like aged wine.

Hugo approached her, placing one hand behind her back. "Julia, may I present to you General Fury Caraway of Galbadia? He is now a member of your legion of fans."

She arched a brow. "Legion of fans? Really now, Hugo." Unable to contain herself, a giggle escaped her and looked at Caraway. "I'm glad my skill with the piano pleases you." She murmured.

"The pleasure is mine." Caraway replied. Without warning, he took her right hand and pressed it to his palm, his gave never quite leaving her. Julia flushed a bright red. How delectable.

Sensing her discomfort, Hugo coughed again, breaking Caraway's hold on Julia. He pulled her close and whispered to Julia ears. "He actually wants to talk with you." He whispered. "Alone."

"But what if he thinks that-"

"Stay classy." He replied. "Like you always do."

Hugo winked at her before turning to the General."Shall I leave Julia in your caring hands, General? I have several matters to attend to. Good night."

Caraway simply nodded. When he left, silence pervaded the room. The silence was damning, and Julia was eager to remove it.

"Shall I play for you, General?" she asked.

"You may."

"Do you have any song in mind?"

"Anything that pleases you, Julia."

It was a good thing that the VIP lounge had a piano. Something to distract my mind. She was nervous. And who wouldn't be, especially when a powerful man like Caraway was beside you?

Julia chose to play a piece she herself composed- entitled "Tell Me". It was an unfinished piece though.

As Julia played, he opened a bottle of champagne and poured it over 2 wine glasses. He drank the first one and continued observed her. Tense. Nervous.

Caraway was blessed with the gift to analyze people. This was something that greatly benefitted him in the military.

A warm hand clasped over her shoulders. "There's no need to be tense."

"I can't help it." She uttered, her fingers not quite leaving the piano keys as she played. "You intimidate me."

Shocked, Julia covered her mouth and stared at him. Looking apologetic, she tried to diffuse the impact of her message. "General Caraway, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Caraway simply smiled and offered her the other champagne. "Call me Fury. That's the only apology I'll accept."

Julia took the glass he offered. "Thank you… Fury."

"Stop playing." He motioned her to sit on the table across him. Julia followed suit, but was still quiet. "There's nothing to be scared of." He added

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." She honestly told him. "You are like… a big bad wolf in military clothes."

"A big bad wolf in military clothes?" he chuckled. "Eating lounge pianists with a bright future isn't my cup of tea. If I were to eat you, it would be in a different manner." If you know what I mean.

"I beg your pardon?"

He waved his hand. So innocent. "No, never mind. It's nothing."

He proceeded to ask her a different question. "How long have you been playing here?"

"Just recently." She told him, remembering the first time she met Hugo. "It's been 2 weeks, I suppose. I met Hugo while in a Music Shop. He heard me playing and we had a little chitchat. He offered me something good to be true. And I bit the bait."

"Do you regret it?"

"No, I don't. I mean… it's a wonderful opportunity, you know. How can you even regret a wonderful opportunity?"

Fury's eyes bore deep into Julia. "But you don't want this wonderful opportunity, do you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I've dealt with several young soldiers, reading what's in their minds with my hands. You can say I've become an expert with it. I can see what makes them tick, what makes them happy."

"You're just like Hugo." She laughed. She started to relax with him, as her body faced his and she uncrossed her legs. "He was able to… well, say a couple of things which I would never admit."

"Things like what?"

"That I never liked piano playing."

"So what do you want?" he asked her softly.

"Hm…The answer is dangerous." She told him, smiling and unwilling to tell him the truth.

So, she was not yet ready to open herself. "I like you, Julia." He suddenly told her out of the blue.

Shocked, Julia gasped. "Why are you telling me this, Fury?"

"Because I want to be friends with you, no I want to win you."

Oh. He was just like a little boy. "Fury, friendship isn't rushed. Love isn't rushed. It develops and is cultivated over time."

"I know that."

Julia laughed. "The wolf wants to befriend the sheep?"

No, the Wolf wants to devour the Sheep. "I promise I won't bite. You have nothing to worry."

Julia laughed, a rich sound that was as musical and soothing to Caraway's ears.

His could hear his heart pounding. No matter what her perspective about love and friendship was. He was going to be a gentleman and win her heart.

He was a patient man and he would bid his time.

…Except fate would try his patience in the form of long haired man struck with a bad luck with women.

*Author's Note:

To the readers who may or may not have noticed, I constantly revise some parts in each chapter per week.

If I find that the sentence doesn't convey what I want to convey, I edit/omit/add some parts to achieve it.

I know it sounds weird, but this method works for me. I have battled with perfectionism in writing my stories, and a lot of them remain unwritten because of the urge to revise them prior to posting online.

To solve this dilemma, I chose to write my initial draft, edit it and finally post it online. After a few days, I return to the piece to reread it. If I find a part which I don't quite like, I revise it.

Chapter 3 is up! And this one is longer than the first 2 chapters.

This story is planned to be 6-8 chapters long. The ending is fixed. The middle part of the story is already fleshed out, yet susceptible to changes to make the ending more realistic.

If you enjoyed this story, please do leave a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Ciao!