Juliet turned the key in the front door slowly so she wouldn't startle her sleeping roommate. Once inside, Juliet kicked off her heels and padded silently down the hallway. It wasn't that late, but Rachel seemed to need a lot of rest these days. Juliet wasn't happy about Rachel's deteriorating health, but she was glad they lived together again. Leaving her husband had been a big, scary step for Juliet, and Rachel was glad to have the company.

"Rachel? Are you awake?" Juliet whispered as she opened the door to Rachel's bedroom. Rachel stirred, lifting her head and squinting into the shaft of light that shone in from the hallway.

"I am now." she said groggily.

"Sorry." Juliet said sheepishly, tip-toeing over to the bed. She laid down next to her sister, barefoot but still in her dress.

"It's okay." said Rachel, turning onto her side so she could face Juliet. She smiled sleepily, not at all upset. She'd told Juliet to wake her the minute she got home. Her eyes adjusted to the new light, and she could see the telltale look on Juliet's face. "Wow, you look happy." Rachel said suggestively.

Juliet grinned, still high on the kiss. "I made out with him." she confessed, covering her face with her hands after she said it.

Rachel gasped slowly, feigning shock. "You little slut." she teased.

"No!" Juliet protested weakly, though she was giggling. "I couldn't help it, Rach."

"Mmhm." Rachel murmured, still teasing. "I told you that dress would put you both in the mood." Her eyelids drooped, still so heavy, but she wanted to hear the story. "Tell me exactly how it happened. From the beginning."

* * *

"OWNED!" Miles shouted just as James opened the door to their apartment. He was in his pajamas, standing in front of the couch, arms raised in victory with a game controller in his right hand. He froze, having just noticed James there at the door. He lowered his arms, raising his eyebrows instead. "Back so soon?" he said with mild surprise, only calling attention to his embarrassment by being so nice. "How'd it go?"

"It was..." James said, trying to think of something other than Juliet's mouth for the two seconds necessary to find an appropriate adjective. "...nice." he finished simply, still distracted. Miles could tell immediately that something was up, and not just from the uncharacteristic upturn in James' voice when he said the word 'nice'. Usually James had no trouble talking about his dates. Whether they went well or horribly wrong, he'd always start by describing in intimate detail what the girl was wearing, how she acted, how long it took them to get on the subject of sex...

"Great, huh?" Miles asked, skeptical. "The way you said that makes it sound like she stood you up."

"It was a good date, alright?" James said defensively, going to the fridge solely out of habit. He realized after he opened it that he didn't really want a beer, so he closed the door and walked back toward the living room, standing there like he didn't know whether to sit, stand or go straight to bed.

"So tell me about it!" Miles demanded. "You know I live vicariously through you. Throw me a bone, will ya?"

James looked at Miles, and then chuckled at the expectant look Miles was giving back to him. "Miles..." he said, almost reproachful. Miles widened his eyes, still waiting. James sighed, looking around the apartment like Miles was just killing him with his questions. Then he looked back at his desperate roommate, and smirked.

"...You haven't seen legs like these."

"I knew it." said Miles, sitting on the couch and motioning for James to sit across from him. "I knew she was hiding something under that lab coat. Hair up or down?"

"Down," James reported, taking a seat in the recliner. "And really straight, straighter than natural. How do they do that?"

"One of life's great mysteries, man. But back to the legs - short skirt?"

"Came up to here," said James, holding his hand up to his neck. "Strapless, too, with a pair of heels that could make a man's neck snap..."

* * *

Rachel's eyes were closed, but she was still awake and listening, smiling because Juliet was so damn happy. It had been a long time since she'd seen her this way, since either of them had something to be so giddy about.

"When are you going to see him again?" asked Rachel. There was a pause before the confession.

"...We're having dinner at his place tomorrow night."

"Jules!" Rachel scolded her playfully, struggling to open one eye. "At his place? You are a slut."

Juliet grinned and bit her bottom lip. "Is it too fast?"

"I was just teasing, silly." said Rachel, reaching out and shaking Juliet's arm. "You're free now, you can sleep with as many hot guys as you want. Just be safe about it, okay?"

"Of course. Although, technically, I'm not free yet." Juliet said, losing some of her high as she thought of the man that refused to get out of her life. Rachel sighed, too tired to argue with as much passion as she felt on the topic but still obligated to go through the motions.

"You've been separated for a year." Rachel reminded her needlessly. They both knew how long it had been, and how long Edmund had been contesting the divorce.

"I know." Juliet said softly, falling deeper into thought on the subject. She was dimly aware of the big yawn that overtook Rachel. A minute later she became aware of the quiet, and of her sister's even breath. She looked over at Rachel, and found her fast asleep. "Sweet dreams." Juliet whispered, kissing Rachel's forehead before she left the bed. They both needed rest; they had appointments at the hospital in the morning.

Juliet went to her bedroom, slipped out of her dress and threw a t-shirt over her head to sleep in. In the bathroom, after taking off her makeup, she took a look at herself in the mirror while she brushed her teeth. She wondered if James would still like her this way, if he'd still want her without makeup, without the support of a bra and a dress that complimented her figure. She didn't feel young anymore. Not since Edmund started cheating on her with girls at least ten years her junior. His infidelities had given her a very strong sense of not being good enough, which is why she usually didn't bother with her appearance anymore. And yet, James, the hunk of the office, had expressed an interest. She worked with stinky, dead bodies all day, and he'd asked her on the date before he'd seen her in the dress.

He's so cute. thought Juliet, sighing mentally at the memories. And funny. And hot. And sweet. And a good kisser. And I. am such. a dork.

Quit worrying! Juliet could hear Rachel's voice in her head.

You have another date tomorrow night! her own voice shouted. Juliet grinned around her toothbrush. She couldn't wait.

* * *

"It's not just her body that does me in, though. It's that smile. And her eyes. There's actually something behind them. You can tell she's thinkin' something."

"Unlike all those other chicks you dated." Miles said, his tone dry. "...Right?"

James barely noticed , if he heard him at all. He was staring at a point in space somewhere beyond the room, too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"You really like her, don't you?" asked Miles.

James returned to the moment, growing self-conscious. "Yeah." he said, as if it should be obvious.

"It's cool," Miles reassured him. "Juliet's a keeper. It's just...she's obviously too good for you."

"Miles?"

"What?"

"You're an idiot. And I'm goin' to bed."

"Already? But Grandpa, it's only midnight."

"I need my rest." James said, suddenly all kinds of smug. "She's comin' over tomorrow night."

"Oh, fuck you." Miles said with exaggerated contempt.

"It's a good thing you have plans to go out drinking with the boys, huh?"

"I don't have any plans." said Miles, puzzled.

"Ya do now." James told him, smiling as he waltzed out of the living room.

* * *

In her bed, in the dark, Juliet laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She thought about James, about their dinner, about how easy it was to talk to him and flirt with him. But mostly she thought about their kiss, and how intensely attracted to him she was. She could still feel his tongue in her mouth and his hands on her body. Maybe she was moving too fast, but what if things didn't work out? She should at least enjoy it while she had the chance, before things got too complicated.

Alone in her bed, in the dark, Juliet could imagine his hands and his tongue going all sorts of places they hadn't been yet. Her fingertips touched the skin just below her belly button, toying with the elastic band of her underwear. She briefly considered a short fantasy, something hot to send her off to dreamland. She smirked at the shadows in her bedroom; it wouldn't have been the first time she'd used James this way. Ultimately, she decided against it, curling up on her side and hugging her pillow instead. If tomorrow night went as well as she hoped it would, she'd be living out her fantasies soon enough.

* * *

James laid awake too, staring up at the ceiling with his hands clasped behind his head, thinking about Juliet. She'd stirred something deep in him, something that went beyond physical attraction. With any other girl, he'd only be thinking about how to get into her pants. After one date with Juliet, sure, he was thinking about sex - a lot - but he was also trying to think of ways to impress her. He wanted to make sure she liked the real James, not just the James that everyone else got to see.

He needed someone to know him. Miles knew him pretty damn well, but when it came to the bedroom Miles just wasn't his type. For the first time in his life, James was realizing he wanted some real love in his life. He wanted someone he could let into his heart, and he was realizing that he could see himself doing that with Juliet.

A/N: The next chapter is their second date. The next chapter is also rated M. I wonder what will happen...? :)