Is this what it is now? The sound of Henry's
voice startles us. Juliana and I jumped to our
feet. I didn't forget how we were though. My
arms were wrapped around her body as she cuddled
into me on the couch. We fell asleep. What should
have been 10 minutes turned into an hour, according
to the wall clock. And now, I'm fucked. This
is exactly what I wanted to avoid. She and I
both know how much of an asshole he can be. Given
his current state, he's drunk. He reeks of cigars
and cheap women's perfume. And if I can smell
it, I know Jules can too. But Henry isn't watching
Juliana. His eyes are locked on me. Is this what
you do? Take advantage of my woman? There's no
point arguing with him. He'll believe whatever
he wants. I step away from Juliana and the couch.
Juliana moves toward Henry and he swats her arm
away. I know this is what you wanted all along.
You've always been jealous of me and the things
I can have, even after my parents gave you every
fucking thing. I still don't say a thing. I reach
for the remote and switch off the TV. Henry,
that's enough. You're drunk. Let's go to bed.
Have a good night, everyone, I finally say. It's
like those few words were the ammunition he needed
to set things off. You motherfucker. I told you
to stay away from her and you - Henry darts across
the room toward me, but Juliana uses her body
as a shield. It's not enough. He tosses her aside
onto the couch. She yelps, and my attention immediately
turns to her. She's holding her hand in agony,
but before I can reach her, Henry shoves me in
the chest. I'm not going to fight you brother.
Look, you've hurt Jules. Don't make this about
her. This is about you and what you've been planning.
Juliana moans, and I can clearly see her finger
might be broken. I attempt to reach her again,
but Henry blocks my path, making me even more
enraged. He just broke his fiance's finger, and
all he cares about is getting to me. I shove
him aside and get to Juliana, checking her hand.
Are you okay? Where does it - A blow to my back,
and suddenly I'm dragged down to the floor. Stop,
Henry, stop it! I let him get a few hits in before
I land a blow to his jaw. Stop! Juliana screams.
What is this madness? Dad's voice slices through
the air, rendering us motionless. Henry is on
top of me, out of breath, still clutching the
neck of my t -shirt. Let him go! Dad yells at
Henry. For a few good seconds, he still holds
on like the rage in his heart won't let him stop.
Good God, mom says. I push Henry off and Stan
fixing my shirt. I want to check on Juliana,
but I know it'll only escalate things. So I bite
back my hero complex and stand still as dad lectures
us about being adults and family. Henry keeps
ranting about how I've been trying to steal Juliana
from him for years, but I tune him out. My focus
is on Juliana, who is fisting her wrist. Everyone
is oblivious to her pain. And as usual, Henry
takes the spotlight like a fucking 10 -year -old
kid. And you? What do you have to say? Is this
true? I bypass the question. Juliana's hand is
broken. Mom and Dad's heads whip around to Juliana.
Henry glares at me. You did this, I say. You're
doing it again. Turning the focus away so you
don't have to deal with what you did Call a doctor
I say even after all this Henry still hasn't
gone to his fiance to see what he's done to her
It's like he's fixated on me or something. I
fetched my phone from the floor and stuff it
into my back pocket Where do you think you're
going? We are not done here You need to go check
on Juliana. You do not tell me what to do with
my fiance. I am NOT your fiance Juliana seethes
from across the room. What? Henry rushes over
to her, and that's my cue to get the hell out
of there. Anything said beyond this point will
totally be my fault. I head upstairs and pack
a bag. By the time I get downstairs, Juliana
is clutching her arm and Dad is putting on clothes
to take her to the hospital. Where are you going?
Mom asks, seeing my duffel bag. Home. I think
I've overstayed my welcome. What nonsense. This
is your home, Elliot. No, not anymore. My home
is in the city and that's where I'm going tonight
Juliana stands You shouldn't let Henry make you
leave I'm not leaving because of Henry. I have
work deadlines to meet Mom and dad's anniversary
is over and it's best I stay out of this thing
Some of my words are true, but really I'm leaving
because of Henry Him finding out about us cuddling
and sleeping is only the beginning of his wrath
The last thing I need is to be the reason Juliana
breaks off the engagement You need to talk with
Henry and don't be so quick to put things off.
I Don't Juliana starts to say something just
as dad appears with the keys in his hand. Goodbye
Juliana I Walk outside to find Henry smoking
a cigar and leaning against the wall He shouldn't
be smoking. He's already pissed drunk Sadly,
my car is parked where he's standing, so I have
to face him. This isn't over, he says. Maybe
it's a good fucking thing that you're leaving.
At least I'll have Juliana for myself, and I
won't have to worry about you trying to take
her from me. I click my tongue and open my car,
slipping in without saying a word. A few days
pass, and while I check in with Mom and Juliana,
it seems like she never had a broken finger,
more likely a sprain. Henry keeps messaging me,
saying we need to talk. But there's nothing to
talk about. I may be fond of Juliana, but she's
already spoken for. Juliana is Henry's girl,
and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that.
It's Saturday and I'm grabbing my car keys to
head out for a quick lunch when a knock sounds
at my door. I check the door camera on my phone
to see Juliana standing there. My heart races
because she's the last person I expect to see.
And how did she even find my place? I doubt Henry
would give it to her. Did I possibly tell her?
I shake my head and open the door. Juliana is
wearing a pink summer dress that looks absolutely
amazing on her. She clears her throat. Uh, Julie?
What are you doing here? I peek outside to make
sure Henry's not with her. Aren't you going to
invite me in? Actually, I'm on my way out. For
lunch. You can join me if you have the time.
She nods I do Juliana leaves her car behind and
rides with me and Instead of going to my usual
cafe. I opt for something a little fancier more
aesthetic to suit her style We make our orders
and don't even get to ease into casual conversation
She gets straight to the point I'm not marrying
Henry. We're no longer engaged. We're not together
anymore I'm sorry what she sighs It's been a
long time coming Then why did you say yes to
the engagement? She shrugs To save face, you
know how much Henry likes a show and hates embarrassment
Well, she does have a point Leave it to Julie
to think about others before herself and knowing
Henry. He would not have taken it. Well Probably
would have blamed me just like everything else
Our drinks come and Julie takes a sip of her
wine At this point, I would think she'd head
back to her city and start over. But here she
is. I don't want to feel too good just yet because
all of this might be a false alarm. Juliana and
Henry have been together for years. There were
times they claimed they'd broken up, and months
later I'd find out they were back together. She
sets her glass down and shakes her head. She
laughs. She rolls her eyes. The only reason he
calmed down was because Eric said he would strip
the business from him. Jesus, it was that serious,
huh? She nods, taking another sip. Mom had never
mentioned any of this when I called, probably
not wanting to worry me. Still, had I known I
would have returned, but I'm guessing I would
have made things worse. He's doing drugs. He's
been cheating on me. She blurts out. I blink
at her. Then her voice breaks. He's been doing
all of this for years, and I thought I could
just let it be because I was in school and needed
to focus. But really, I didn't want to sever
ties because I loved your family. You know? I
reach for her hand. You're part of the family
whether you were with Henry or not. That shouldn't
have been the deal breaker for you. She shakes
her head. Henry gave me an STD. What? The fuck?
But he pulled the marriage thing. That fucker
knew. He probably knew she was going to call
it quits. No wonder he was in such a rush to
schedule the engagement on our parents' anniversary.
What should have been our parents' day, he made
about himself. He made sure to do it in a crowd
so she wouldn't refuse. But jokes on him. I love
my brother, but his attitude fucking sucks. And
to give Juliana an STD and put her life at risk,
that was a low blow. I'm sorry you had to go
through that. I'm glad it wasn't more serious.
As for Henry, there's nothing I can say that
excuses his behavior. But I'm relieved you saw
it fit to do the right thing. She sighs again.
Our food arrives, but I don't have the stomach
to eat. I change the topic because dwelling on
Henry will only piss me off more. How's your
hand? Heard it was a sprain? She smiles. Yeah,
it's much better now. I'm sorry about that. It's
fine. It's not like it was your fault. We continue
talking off -topic, and she explains how she
has two interviews next week in my city for a
job. I'm surprised she chose my town since her
family's two plane rides away. But I guess it
was probably because of Henry. So, where are
you staying? At a hotel until the interviews.
Oh. I want to offer for her to stay with me,
but that may not be appropriate. Hope the breakfast
is at least good. I joke. It's okay, but I'm
grateful for lunch. You're welcome. We finish
eating, and I tell her I'm always available if
she needs anything. I take her back to my apartment,
and she gives me a friendly hug before leaving.
This might be fucked up, but it felt good being
around Juliana without Henry breathing down our
necks. She was herself. and I didn't have to
filter much over lunch. Days pass and Giuliana
and I stay in touch through texts and calls.
When I offered dinner after her final interview,
she gladly accepted. I felt like a high schooler
again. Nervous and excited to be going on a date
with a girl I really liked. As fucked up as our
situation was, I didn't want to waste what might
be the last chance to spend time with her before
she headed back home. She said her interviews
went well, and more than anything, I hope she
gets the job. Not just because she deserves to
work somewhere she loves, but because it means
I'll get to see more of her. But as we move through
dinner, something feels off. She seems distant.
Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem like
yourself today. I'm fine. I don't think you're
fine. Tell me. Is it the job interview? I thought
you said it went well. It did. It's not that.
Then what? Henry. My stomach drops. What about
him? I stifle my frustration, bracing for the
worst, thinking she might want to get back with
him. But then she says... I... I think I'm being
followed. I'm not sure. Maybe it's just my mind
or something. Forget about it. No, don't dismiss
your feelings. Even though Henry rarely comes
out to the city, the possibility is still there,
especially now that she's here. Does he know
you're here? No. Well, I told him, and your parents,
that I was going back home. I only got the calls
for the interview the day before the anniversary
party, and the other came after we separated.
I don't think he knows. Well, good. But I don't
know. I just feel... If you feel like this, you
can always come stay with me. She shakes her
head. No, I'm leaving tomorrow anyway. It doesn't
make sense to go through all that. I'm probably
just overthinking. Well, if it makes you feel
better, I can take you to the airport tomorrow.
How about that? She smiles. Yes, that would be
great. Thanks. The next day comes and I send
Juliana a message saying I'm about to leave home.
I don't get a response, but I head to the hotel
anyway. It's been 30 minutes and now I'm sitting
in the hotel lobby. She's still not down. She's
not answering my calls either. It's a good thing
my colleague's sister's at the front desk. I
tell her I'm waiting for Juliana and ask her
to phone her. But when she doesn't get an answer,
I'm worried. Annie hesitates then slips me a
key card. Her voice barely above a whisper. I
could get fired for this. I just need to check
on her. I say, trying to keep the panic out of
my voice, but it's already there. I take the
elevator up, heart pounding. At her door, I hear
voices. One of them hers. I don't wait. I push
the door open. Henry's got her cornered by the
bathroom. Bloodshot eyes. Bruised knuckles. Fuck.
Juliana looks terrified. Trapped. Henry!