“No, we're good,” she said, and then took a pair of jeans from the rack. She looked to me with a smile, and was about to ask me a question when the one asked again.
“Are you sure? I'm not sure if there's much here for you. There's a wonderful store just down the road-”
Julie spun so fast I thought she might fall. I saw the way her eyes cut into the woman, as Hilary held to her arm.
“What is she talking about?” she asked.
“She's being ignorant, is what she's doing,” Julie replied.
I saw the problem, and I almost couldn't blame the woman. A burned boy, a sickly girl, and a blind girl walked into a fancy boutique. The only one that looked as if he belonged was Liam, and he was the wrong gender.
“I'm just off-”
“We don't want any of this knock off crap anyway,” Julie said defiantly, and came with Hilary toward me. “Let's go. Maybe we can find a Walmart,” she said, giving me a crooked smile as she passed.
I grinned and tapped Liam on the shoulder. “We're leaving,” I told him when he turned around.
He raised a brow, noticing the girls, then the woman, who only looked mildly annoyed. “What happened?” he asked, and I laughed as we left.
♥
We walked along the sidewalks for a while, both of us holding to our girls, and probably standing out as tourists. We came up to the Grand Ole Opry, but weren't allowed in. We could hear the music from where we were standing though. Liam placed his hand against the wall, and he then turned around and took Hilary's hand.
“You can hear the music, right?” he asked.
Hilary nodded, a smile on her face. “It's a slow song. A couple in love kind of song,” she replied.
He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder, and I watched him smile a smile she would never see. “Lead, and I'll follow along with you,” he told her.
And then they began to dance, and I turned to Julie and offered my hand. She returned my smile and took my hand, and we all swayed to the music.
I can tell you, dancing with Julie is another one of those treats I would never deny myself again. There is nothing more serene than holding the love of your life in your arms and swaying to a song that give you chill bumps.
Nothing.
♥
“I think I want to head back,” Julie finally said. The city was alive and well, and there was still so much we hadn't seen, but Julie suddenly wanted to leave.
“Really?” Liam asked, pouting slightly.
She smiled, and held to my arm. “I didn't say all of us. Falon can walk me home and then come back with the truck. I'm just not feeling that well,” she replied.
“Then I'm staying,” I replied. I looked to Liam. “We'll see you tomorrow at checkout.”
Liam nodded and gave one final look to Julie. “If you get worse, you better tell Falon. I'm sure Nashville has a great hospital,” he told her. His brotherly instincts had kicked in.
Julie smiled, and I suddenly knew her plan. She held to me sweetly. “I'm sure I’ll be okay. Be careful,” she told them.
We all said our good-byes, and I waited until we were a safe distance away before calling her out on her little trick. “Faking sick? What's the real plan?” I asked.
She smiled, because she never expected me not to know she was faking. “The pool is calling my name. I couldn't wait any longer to see you without a shirt,” she teased me.
The idea both fascinated and frightened me. Seeing Julie in a bikini? Well, any guy that says seeing a girl in a bikini isn't great, is a liar.
Her seeing me in a pair of shorts? Scary thought indeed. The burns on my chest and back were worse than the ones on my face. They ran in scar lines, ridges and wrinkled chunks. It wasn't sexy as I knew Julie would be. It was horrific.
Julie, knowing me as well as I did her, hugged herself closer in my arms. “You'll be fine. It's just you and me,” she replied.
It was strange how the statement could always make me feel better. Just Julie and Falon. Just Sketch and Freddy Krueger.
Just my Julie, and her lovely monster.
♥
I hadn't packed swimming shorts, but Julie had already stolen some from Liam's room when he had been packing back home. She tossed them to me, and I went in the bathroom and changed.
I didn't take off my shirt, and came out to Julie watching TV. She looked at me, frowned and stood up. “Cheater,” she stated as she started toward the bathroom. “I'll meet you at the pool,” she called from the other side.
“Are you sure?” I asked her, and she told me yes, so I grabbed my towel and left. I didn't worry much. The pool itself was just around the corner from our room.
I opened the gate and went inside. It was at least midnight or later, so no one was there, just as Julie said. The lights around the pool were on, and I suddenly felt like the braless chick in a scary movie.
I can't help it. I literally looked in the pool to make sure no one was hiding in the water. It's a defect in my generation, but I refuse to be the guy that runs up the stairs and investigates the strange noise.
I placed my towel on the chair and watched the water that seemed to sparkle. I could smell the chlorine without getting in the water, but that was okay. Any body of water was fine with me.
No shoes
