Julian

 

 

"I don't bathe, Maya. I shower."

"Has anyone ever told you that sometimes you sound like a stuck up snob?" She pours pink bubble bath under the running water.

I slide a finger down her bare back until I reach her ass. I give that a sharp smack.

"Um, ow." She rubs the now red skin with her palm as she casts a glance over her shoulder at me. "That hurt."

"It made you wet."

A blush creeps across her cheeks. "Maybe a little."

"In answer to your question, yes.  My friend, Sebastian, tells me I'm a stuck up prick sometimes," I admit.

"I like him." She places the bottle of bubble bath back in a cabinet that's hanging on the wall. "Can I meet him?"

"He'd love to meet you." I don't add that he'd like to meet her sister as well because I need Sebastian in my life and if he fucked things up with Maya's sister, I might have to choose sides, and I'd choose her without question.

"Does he work for Bishop too?" Her blue eyes sparkle as she asks me.

We're both nude, standing in the middle of her washroom and I've never felt more comfortable with anyone in my life.

"Sebastian works for the NYPD. Homicide division," I say it with pride.

I'm very proud of how far both Sebastian and Griffin have come. They set out on their chosen paths after high school and charted the course they wanted. My sister's fiancé, Smith Booth, has done the same. We've been friends for years as well, and soon we'll be brothers-in-law.

"He sounds like a big deal." She grabs my forearm as she steps into the bathtub. "I want you to meet people who are important to me too. Falon is my best friend and Tilly, my sister, she lives in Manhattan. You should meet her."

I follow her in, settling into the warm water behind her so she can rest her back against my chest.  I smooth the hair from her neck. "I want to know everything about you, Maya. I want to meet all the people you love."

Her hands float over my legs. "This feels so right. Doesn't this feel right, Julian?"

"It feels like home."

 

***

 

"Who is she?" Isadora steps out of the shadows as I approach my building.

I left Maya so she could finally sleep. I can see the exhaustion on her face, and after our bath, I rubbed lotion into her skin and helped her get under the covers. She was fading away before I kissed her goodnight and left.

"Why are you here?" I stop in place. "You need to leave."

She stands her ground, not moving at all. "You left me for someone else, didn't you?"

"I left you because I don't love you and you deserve more, Isadora."

I mean that. It likely sounds like a load of bullshit to her, but I mean that. After realizing what it's like to actually fall in love with someone, how can I not hope that she finds that too? Just because we weren't right for each other, doesn't mean she won't find happiness and fulfillment with another man.

"Were you sleeping with her when you were with me?"

I hate this. I fucking hate drama.

"I never cheated on you." I blow out a puff of air into the cool evening sky. "I was faithful."

She swallows hard as she looks down at her hands. "I want to believe that, Julian. I need to because right now I feel like shit inside knowing that you're dating another woman."

I have no idea how she's figured that out, but it's out there. Thankfully, she doesn't realize it's Maya.

"Is there a chance that things will change?" I hear the desperate note of hopelessness in her voice. "Maybe you're just sowing your oats and when you're done, you'll come back to me."

Like any wound, it's best to rip the bandage off, so the pain is fleeting. "There's no chance."

"Is that it? We're done forever?"

"We're done," I say firmly. "Live your life, Isadora. Chase your own happiness."

She wraps her arms around her waist. "I don't know how, Julian. I don't know how."

I wave down an approaching taxi. "Take it one day at a time. You'll find your way. I can't be there to help you anymore."

I see the resignation in her face as she turns toward the taxi. "I don't think I can do this, Julian. I need you. You're all I have left."

There's more. She can't see it yet, but she will.

She has to. I pray that she does.