I laughed, because it was one of the few quotes that I had read myself. That, and she was adorable when she pretended to be Mr. Straker. It sounded better coming from her than it had him.
“I told you, I've read a lot of books,” she replied with a grin.
“Slowly, I'm beginning to grasp the concept of a lot of books. You're like a word addict,” I told her.
“A word addict?” she said, then nodded slowly. “Yeah, that sounds about right. I do like a heartfelt monologue every so often. Declarations of eternal love, or vows of revenge, that's my literary fix,” she replied, grinning at me.
And I'm addicted to you. It was honest, but silent. She would never hear that from me.
We saw the waiter come this time, and he rested our plates in front of us. It looked like rich food to me. No grease on the plate, everything cornered into it's own designed place, and nice silverware laid out in front of us. And, it smelled amazing.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” he asked us.
“No, thank you,” Julie said, looking to me.
“We're good,” I told him, working up a cocky grin to give the waiter. He nodded, looking away from me and leaving.
Julie smiled at me, and then looked to her plate and started cutting her steak. After smiling in return, I did too, and we both started eating our dinner.
The steak was juicy, and great, and better than the TV dinner steak that I ate on a regular basis. I wouldn't tell Ava that, but I would leave the hint for Dr. Marstens to bring her to the restaurant. Maybe then Ava would quit buying them.
“So, graduate,” Julie began, swallowing down her food. “Did my parents get you about jobs?” she asked.
I nodded. “Kind of. They weren't bad about it,” I told her.
“Do you have any future plans?” she then asked.
“Not really. I have no clue what I want to do next,” I said. I feared that she might jump on me again, the way she had at the hospital when I had said I wasn't motivated.
Instead, she laughed. “That sounds about like you. You never have a clue about anything,” she teased.
I laughed. “True. The only thing I want to do is out of reach. I guess I'll end up as a bag boy or something in the end,” I told her.
“What do you want to do?” she asked, suddenly very interested.
Telling her seemed dumb, because of the absurdity of what I wanted, but in her green eyes, I found possibilities beyond my wildest imagination. Everything seemed possible around Julie.
I leaned forward, feeling my words envelope me. “I just want an old truck with a full tank of gas, and I'll take that truck, and hit the open road, and when I run out of gas, I'll find a way to get more. I just want to drive, and see what the rest of the world has to offer. I want to be blissfully unaware of where I'm going, and what I'll do next. Ride by the seat of my pants,” I told her with a laugh.
Julie looked thoughtful, and a smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. “No safety nets, just living,” she stated, and I nodded.
“Which is why it will never happen.”
She raised her brows, staring at me as if I had committed treason. “Why? It could happen. People do it all the time,” she replied.
“People with money to blow and no responsibilities. I could never leave Ava like that, and I'd probably end up starving on the side of the road being eaten by vultures,” I said, making sure she saw clearly what I meant.
Julie wasn't deterred. “That was the point of the entire adventure. Not knowing where you would end up, what would happen, I thought that was the whole point!” she said.
“But it's also the downfall. Could you do it?” I asked, knowing she wouldn't be able to do that to her family either. As she had said, we were pieces of the same puzzle.
She leaned back and sighed. “Probably not. But my dream is the same as yours. I don't want to be a nurse. I wish I could just take my sketchbook and pencils and sit along the sides of bridges and parks and draw whatever catches my eye. I wish I could get paid to draw people, and live without knowing where I'll be when the sun comes up,” she replied.
I smiled, because I could see her doing it. I could see her drawing, and having no money and being perfectly happy.
“Whether you believe so or not, we're both dreamers, Falon. We're a rare breed nowadays,” she told me with her soft smile.
Maybe that was true. I had never thought of myself as such, but I always had been. Julie had only brought it out and showed me the truth so I couldn't deny it.
The waiter brought our check, and laid it against the table. Julie and I both reached for it, but I was quicker than she was. I opened it despite her protests.
The amount was definitely higher than any Burger King would have been, but I pulled out the cash and paid it.
“This is my treat to you. You can't pay for your own meal,” she told me, snatching it away from me.
“I was given strict orders to pay. Think of it as Ava paying for our meal,” I told, her.
Julie frowned. “Your sister took you out. This was my celebration,” she told me.
“You
