Day 89

I spent the day nervously cleaning the whole apartment. I did the laundry from the trip, put fresh sheets on our bed, and dusted every surface in the place. I had the stereo turned up loud and danced around as I did it, probably looking like a complete ass if anyone had been around to see me.

I took Jules' car to go shopping in the afternoon. I stocked up on our regular weekly items, as well as a some plump chicken breasts and fresh vegetables for dinner. I kept my phone near me and checked it compulsively to see if I'd missed a call or text.

I eventually got a text from Jules that said the flight was leaving on time. I finished the preparations for dinner and left the chicken in the fridge marinating in sesame oil and Thai peppers. I planned to drop everything in the wok for a quick stir fry when we all returned from the airport.

I put on my bright yellow sun dress and wore cute little white sandals that matched my purse, then drove out to the airport with plenty of time to spare. On impulse, I bought two red roses from the flower stand as I waited near the gates for them to arrive. I saw them holding hands as they walked briskly towards me. My heart was pounding when I saw them beaming at each other. They brightened even more when they saw me waiting, which made me feel warm all over.

We came together in the middle of the hallway, our heads together and eyes shut. It brought to mind that elevator ride the first night we were together. I squeezed them hard, then when we stepped back I presented each with their rose and a kiss.

"Welcome home, or almost anyway," I said, unable to stop grinning. "Was the flight OK?"

"A little bumpy, but not too bad. Thanks for picking us up." Jules took my hand as we started walking towards the baggage claim. I took John's hand and we swung our arms playfully as we walked. I was dying to know how the evening went, but didn't want to seem pushy about it.

"What's for dinner?" John said with a smile.

"You're staying! Good. I've got a hot chicken stir fry with rice and veggies."

"I wasn't planning on staying the night tonight, but someone made it very hard to say no."

"She has that effect on me, too. Don't feel bad." I grinned at Jules.

"Don't blame me. I just asked nicely and he said yes."

"You stopped right in the middle of certain things and refused to move again until I agreed. It was blackmail, plain and simple."

"You say blackmail, I say po-tah-to. One more day away from school won't kill you."

"Yes, but I need to get some work done on my project or I'll fail the lab."

I loved hearing them banter back and forth. It felt so natural, so right. We had to find a way to make this work. There had to be a way to help Jules get more comfortable with everything.

While we stood around the luggage carousel waiting, I spied Mom standing by herself. She was avoiding even glancing in my direction, so I knew she had seen us. I excused myself and walked over to her.

"Hi Mom. Welcome home." She nodded in my direction without looking at me, then clenched her jaw. "If you don't mind, I'll swing by tomorrow and pick up the rest of my things."

"That'll be fine. I'm just going to be doing laundry and resting."

"I won't be taking the furniture, so you can do what you want with that. It may take a while to box up all my books and the rest. I've decided that most of my old toys and stuffed animals will go to Goodwill. If you want anything for some reason, feel free to grab it."

"I don't want anything." She spat the words out like they were hot.

"If you need help moving the furniture out, or setting up a craft room or whatever, just call me. OK?"

"I will."

"I love you, Mom." She wouldn't look at me, not even a glance. "I'm sorry for everything."

"Me too, Kate. Please go back with your friends and leave me alone now."

"Yes, ma'am." I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears as I left.

"Is she going to be OK?" Jules nodded at my mom.

"I hope so. Will you help me pack up the rest of my old room tomorrow?" I felt like a coward, but I couldn't face going over there alone.

"Sure. What are you going to bring over?" Jules seemed a little flustered.

"Books mostly, the last of my clothes. The rest is going to Goodwill."

John was taking it all in quietly. "That's a big step. No going back."

"I know. It's a little scary, like stepping out on a tightrope without a safety net."

I noticed Jules was breathing a little fast. "Are you OK?"

"Just fine!" she said a little too brightly.

John gave me a penetrating look, as if I needed the reminder. With Mom shutting me out, I was dependant on Jules to have a place to live. I couldn't afford one by myself working part time and going to school. As long as I was just staying over for a while, she seemed to be fine. Now I'd have to update my drivers license, my school contact information, the address I'd given my bank and work. This was what I had spent the last few days considering. It seemed to be hitting home now with her.

"Let's find your bags so we can go eat dinner."

After helping them carry the luggage into the apartment, I left them to freshen up while I heated up the wok. The chicken and peppers went in first to sizzle in the hot oil, then the bean sprouts, carrots, celery and water chestnuts.

As I cooked, I couldn't avoid thinking about our situation. John might be right, this could just be who Jules is. She was never especially dependable over the years. Her late night calls after she ended up stranded somewhere, or the casual way she picked up and abandoned her sexual partners was a kind of hallmark of hers.

When we were just friends, she tended to blow in and out of my life like an afternoon thunderstorm; her visits were a little windy, came with some boom and flash, but never lasted too long. I had loved that about my friend, but I was beginning to see it as more as a pathological drive than a personality quirk. Her flighty nature kept her from getting too close to anyone, even me if I was honest about it.

They came down the stairs with wet hair and flushed faces just as I finished setting the table. Jules was wearing a very brief lace nightie and John was wearing cotton pajama bottoms and a white undershirt. "I think I know what I want for dessert."

John laughed at my leering smile. "It smells wonderful. Let's eat!"

We dug into the meal and ate quickly. I had opened a bottle of white wine for the meal and we each drank heavily because I accidentally used too many dried Thai pepper flakes. "Sorry for the heat, I think I used tablespoons instead of teaspoons."

"I love it, don't apologize on my account." John had sweat beading on his face. Jules had to stop occasionally and fan herself, but she didn't stop eating either.

"We are going to have to wash carefully after the meal. I'd hate to transfer any of this heat to delicate skin." I had already made the mistake of rubbing near my eyes when I was mixing the chicken in the marinade earlier. It had taken an hour for the tingling heat to fade away.

"We also need to brush our teeth wash out our mouths as well." Jules reached over and squeezed John's thigh, which made me smile.

My curiosity about their night out was killing me. "So ... about last night."

Jules actually blushed and cleared her throat. "It was..." She tilted her head and smiled. "We..." I could have sworn she was overcome with emotion, but that was so out of character for her. "John took me to a very nice restaurant that overlooked a lake. The dining room was dimly lit, the food was delicious, and the company was amazing. Then we sat in the bar and listened to the piano player for a bit."

John was staring at her with such an expression of love it made my heart thump heavily in my chest. "And?"

"When the piano player went on break, he nodded to John who proceeded to play and sing love songs for me until I melted into my shoes," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"That was so sweet." I had tears in my eyes as well. Jules took his hand and squeezed it so hard her knuckles turned white.

"When we got back to the hotel, we discovered his father was able to get another room for the last night."

John turned red. "Dad kept complaining to the manager about the room situation. We were supposed to have three rooms all week according to the travel agency. So the manager offered him the honeymoon suite on the last night as a way of making up for it."

My jaw dropped. "Oh my God, what was it like?!"

"We wouldn't know." Jules said with a chuckle. "He took his wife there and left your mother to babysit the boys. We had our alone time with your nephews banging on the door between our rooms all night, making adolescent versions of sex noises."

I laughed so hard I almost fell out of the chair. John and Jules just sat there chuckling at my reaction. "Oh crap, that must have sucked."

"We had to be very quiet, but there was one part that certainly sucked, then a part that swallowed, and then a part that rubbed my back, legs and feet. It was all very nice, despite the little monsters' best efforts." Jules beamed at John as she said it.

That kept me giggling as we finished our meal. They held hands off and on, giving me butterflies as I watched. I was relieved the evening went as well as I'd hoped.

They washed and dried the dishes while I went to freshen up. Jules left me a surprise sitting on the counter next to the sink. There sat the last enema bottle from our trip with a bright red ribbon around it tied into a bow. I laughed as I picked it up and untied the bow.

By the time I got out of the shower they were already in bed, kissing softly and whispering. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom with my cotton nightie tickling my knees. Watching them love each other had become one of my favorite pastimes.