CHAPTER 33

Julie

When Michael and I woke up the next morning, neither of us wanted to get out of bed. The sun was streaming through the curtains, and the chilly air made us snuggle closer under the covers. I rested my head on his chest while he ran his fingers slowly through my hair. There was still so much to talk about, but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the moment.

“I was thinking,” Michael said. “Maybe we should go visit Joshua today.”

I nodded. “Sure. That’s a good idea.”

“Would it be too weird for you?” Michael asked.

I laughed. “No. We ended our conversation on a good note yesterday. I think he really does feel bad for everything that happened.”

“I think so, too,” Michael said. “He’s been apologizing to me nonstop since his accident. Maybe they operated on his brain and didn’t tell us.”

I laughed again, and Michael joined in. It felt amazing to just lie there in his arms. I never wanted to move, but he was right. Seeing Joshua was the right thing to do.

“Sheila might be there,” Michael said. His voice was low as if he were speaking more to himself.

“I thought you said things are okay with you guys,” I said. I traced my fingers over his chest.

“They are,” he said. “But I don’t know. It might be weird. I mean, you know her, right? You met her while you and Josh were together?”

“A couple of times.” I nodded. “Sheila’s nice.”

“She is,” Michael said.

“Are you worried she’ll have a problem with us?” I asked.

“No,” Michael said. “She already knows about you.”

“She does?” I sat up, surprised to hear that.

“Yeah,” Michael said. “She said that since Josh broke up with you, you’re fair game as far as she’s concerned.”

I laughed and nodded. “Yup. That sounds like Sheila.”

“She said she really likes you,” Michael said.

“We got along well,” I said with a shrug. “Joshua didn’t bring me around her very often. Then again, Joshua didn’t bring me around very many people.”

“He’s a dipshit,” Michael said firmly. “We all know that. But it seems like this accident has put things in perspective for him.”

I smiled and laid my head back down on his chest. We spent the rest of the morning just lounging around. We lay in bed, kissing and touching until we couldn’t take the tension anymore. We ate breakfast, took a shower, and then decided it was time to head up to the hospital.

Michael held my hand on the drive to Dallas. He’d been touching me lightly all morning. Brushing my hair off my face, wrapping his arm around my waist, tracing his fingers over my lower back. It felt like he didn’t want me to stray too far away, like he was afraid I might suddenly disappear.

We made it to the hospital just after lunch. Joshua was sitting up in bed, with Sheila perched on the edge of his mattress.

“Hey!” Sheila said when we walked in. “I didn’t expect you to be here today.”

“We thought it would be nice to stop by,” Michael said, looking at me pointedly.

“Julie.” Shelia smiled and held out her arms for a hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

I hugged her and then looked at Joshua. He was watching us closely, looking from my face to Michael’s and then back again.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Great,” he said. “It’s good to see you, Jules.”

He smiled, and I knew we would all be okay. Michael hurried over to hug his brother while I stood back. Sheila and I caught up a little bit. I told her about my move to Ennis and my new job. She talked about her new boyfriend and how great he was. We all made plans to get together as soon as Joshua was released from the hospital.

It was strange in a way, to be with both Joshua and Michael, but it also felt right. Like this was the way it was always meant to be.

“I told you it would work out,” Joshua said quietly when I sat down beside him. “He loves you, you know.”

“I know.” I looked at Michael and grinned. He was standing to the side, talking with Sheila. They both looked nervous, but I could tell they were getting closer.

“Are you happy?” Joshua asked.

I looked at him. He was staring at me with a slight frown on his face. I’d never seen him look at me that way before. Not once during our entire relationship had he ever looked so concerned about my well-being.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” I said, unable to hide my smile. “I really am.”

Joshua nodded and smiled. He looked at Michael and then back at me as if he couldn’t imagine anything better.

“What happened to you during that accident?” I laughed. “You’re like a totally new person.”

“I feel like it,” Joshua said. He shrugged. “I guess I’m just done being an ass, you know? Near-death gives you a little perspective. There are more important things. Life’s too short.”

We talked for a while longer until Michael decided it was time to go. We all hugged goodbye and promised to see each other soon. Sheila hugged me twice before Michael and I slipped out into the hallway. We held hands as we made our way to the parking lot. Even now, Michael still didn’t want to let me get too far away.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him as we drove back to Ennis. “I know you’re afraid of that.”

“What makes you say that?” Michael asked innocently.

I shrugged. “I can tell.”

“I just don’t want to lose you again,” Michael said.

He was staring intently through the windshield, his forehead furrowed, and his eyes narrowed against the bright sun.

“You won’t lose me.”

***

Michael and I spent the next few days holed up in his house. We exchanged Christmas presents, not caring that it was no longer Christmas. As we waited for New Year’s Eve, we pretended like the world had stopped. We ordered food and stayed in our pajamas, sipping hot chocolate and making love whenever the mood hit us.

When I opened the crystal Christmas tree Michael bought me, my eyes filled with tears of happiness. I remembered that night in the town square. It wasn’t long ago and, yet, it felt like a different life. Things were so simple back then, so easy. Now, we’d been through hell and back together and, somehow, we were stronger than ever.

“It’s perfect,” I whispered. “Where did you find this?”

“Annabelle’s,” Michael said. “It reminded me of the tree lighting in town.”

“Me too.” I smiled. “That’s what I was just thinking.”

Michael grinned as I set the crystal tree on the coffee table to admire it. It was gorgeous. When it caught the sunlight, it shone brighter than anything in the room. Light reflected off its surface and filled the living room in a shimmering glow. I’d never seen anything more beautiful.

“Thank you,” I said. I leaned over to kiss him and, soon, he was carrying me to bed.

We spent the rest of the day buried beneath the covers, exploring each other’s bodies and laughing until we couldn’t breathe.

That night, we stayed up late talking. We made plans for our future and talked about our pasts. We shared secrets that neither of us had ever told a soul. It was like we existed in our own little bubble that nothing and no one could penetrate.

“Where do you want to go?” Michael asked me.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“If you could go anywhere, see anything, what would it be?” he asked.

“The Eiffel Tower,” I said without thinking. “That’s easy. I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris.”

“You’ve never been?” Michael sounded surprised.

“I’ve never been outside the States,” I said with a shrug. “Paris has always been on my bucket list.”

“I can see us there,” Michael said. He smiled softly and closed his eyes. “Making out in front of the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, I can definitely see that.”

I slapped his arm playfully. He laughed his deep, belly laugh and then hugged me to him.

“I’m serious, though,” Michael said. “I have so many things I want to do with you. So many experiences I want us to share.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Everything,” Michael said. “We’ll start with Paris. We’ll kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower. Then, we’ll go to Venice and ride in a gondola. Maybe swim off the coast of Australia. Go on a safari in Africa.”

“Wow,” I said. “You really mean everything.”

“Everything,” Michael said with a determined nod. “If you want to.”

I kissed him and grinned.

“There’s one thing I want to do first, though,” I said.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“New Year’s Eve is tomorrow,” I said. “A good midnight kiss is something I’ve never experienced. Not once.”

“Me neither,” Michael said.

“Really?”

“Really.”

We smiled and sank back into each other. We only left Michael’s bed to get food and use the bathroom. He and I both drifted in and out of sleep that night, holding each other tightly and kissing whenever we felt like it.

The next day, we went into town to get things for a celebration. New Year’s Eve was our way of making up for Christmas. We didn’t see each other then, so we wanted this holiday to be perfect, especially our midnight kiss.

We bought decorations and food, champagne and fancy glasses. It was a party just for us, but we didn’t care. We spent the entire day making preparations and getting everything ready.

“This is insane,” I said when everything was done. “I feel like we should invite the whole town over or something.”

I looked around the living room. It was covered in New Year’s decorations. The champagne bottle was chilling in a bucket of ice on the coffee table, two glasses placed on either side. Platters of food accompanied it, and we had a bowl of candy on every flat surface. It looked like the makings of a great night, but definitely not a quiet evening for two.

“We aren’t inviting anyone else,” Michael said firmly. “This is just for us. Just for you.”

He kissed me lightly and then twirled me around the living room. We danced for hours, laughing and letting the rest of the world slip away.

When it was almost midnight, we turned on the T.V. to watch the ball drop in New York City. It was also something neither of us had ever done.

“We’ll go one year,” Michael said. “We can watch it in person.”

“I heard New York is insane on New Year’s,” I said. “So many people.”

“Who cares?” Michael said. “We’ll still have fun.”

“Okay,” I said. “We’ll go one year.”

Michael smiled and wrapped his arms around me. We watched as the countdown began. Michael whispered in my ear the entire time.

“Ten,” he said. “Nine… eight…”

I giggled as his warm breath tickled me. He kissed my earlobe with seven seconds left to go. At six, he kissed my cheek. At five, he kissed my nose.

“Four,” he said. “Three… two…”

His lips were inches from mine, and when the crowd in Time’s Square yelled “Happy New Year!” we were already kissing. It felt like the cheers on the T.V. were just for us. We stayed frozen in time, kissing in Michael’s living room, while the rest of the world celebrated the turning of the year.

Finally, Michael lifted me off my feet and carried me to the couch. We didn’t even try to make it to his bedroom before we tore at each other’s clothes.