Page 18 of Sugarplum

Julie burst out laughing. “You know how good those donuts are from Old Philly’s?”

“No freaking way,” Melissa feigned shock. “Those donuts are the very definition of the phrase ‘better than sex’ so you better have something to backup such a bold claim.”

Julie sat beside Melissa and stared at the laptop. “That’s the couple? Wow, the groom looks like he belongs in a zombie movie.”

“I know right? He could easily win best zombie of the year award with those freaking eyebrows.”

“Zombie? I was hoping he’d play the rotting corpse of a guy with his brains already munched on. Imagine it: you can start with an establishing shot showing a bunch of plague-ridden rats munching on his open skull before the focus shifts to the background where a band of survivors are busy shooting at a bunch of fast-moving undead.”

Melissa laughed and set aside her laptop for a moment. She then looked at Julie one more time and commented. “Honestly though, you really are glowing, you know that? Whatever it is you’re doing there with Chace it’s working. You look like a million bucks.”

“It’s the sex.”

“Of course it is,” Melissa echoed. “See, now you want that lingerie I showed you a while back, huh? Told you you’ll need it the day you remember what a man is.”

Julie snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah, you did explain what guys were. I just wasn’t sure about it because it sounded like a dream. I thought those things were fantasies or at the very least some kind of evil abomination. Why do big cocks and big muscles have to go with little brains and giant egos?”

Melissa shrugged and leaned back on the couch. “Because if it were otherwise then they’d be a girl and we can’t have that happening. We need to fuck and while I can swing the other way I still need a big, thick, juicy dick.”

“Serious needs for desperate times,” Julie lamented with a serious tone. “Well, anyway, let’s get down to business. I want to finish this job so I can go back to paradise for a bit and spend more time with Chace.”

Melissa agreed and took her laptop again so she could continue on researching for the event they were organizing. She then feigned to sob and shed a tear. “This is it. You’re finally ready to leave the cuckoo nest. How quickly you’ve grown.”

“You have trained me well,” Julie patted her on the shoulder. “I will do you proud.”

“Go then, padawan, you’re now truly ready. Just remember the usual tip: when all else fails, moan loudly.”

They both laughed but Julie understood the underlying truth in their conversation. It was time to let go of her attachment with Melissa for a bit and try committing herself once again to Chace. It was risky, especially since she and Chace did get hurt before, but it was a risk that she knew was well worth trying. Knowing this, she got to work.

***

A good three days has passed and Julie found herself lying on the bed staring at her phone at 4 AM. Two days ago she was awake at this hour, busy chatting with Chace. Yesterday she was awake at this hour but their conversation was not as active as it was the previous night. This time, however, there wasn’t a single message at all. Chace last messaged her at around midnight but she knew he was still awake because his icon indicated he was still online, just not active.

“Hold on, I’m just going to finish up this last bit of work for my client,” read the last message he sent her. “It’s just a short code for the homepage. I love you.”

That was four hours ago. He was still online but he hadn’t messaged her yet. Julie pondered about it and for a good long hour she debated on whether or not she should message him first. Maybe he was asleep but his messenger app could still be on. Maybe he fell asleep with his phone in his hand.

She wouldn’t know for sure until she sent him a message. The only problem with that idea was that there was the off-shoot chance that Chace might be awake and he’d get annoyed with her constant bugging. Chace was the kind of guy who didn’t particularly like being bugged whenever he was working and she learned that the hard way throughout their years being together. Now that they were working things out and getting back, she didn’t want to ruin everything by turning into the nagging bitch yet again.

And so she waited until at long last, by 6 AM, it was too much to bear and she decided to let it slide. Julie fell asleep and didn’t wake up until much later in the day. When she did open her eyes, she was surprised to see Chace did message her but it was around noon.

“Better late than never,” she whispered to herself when she read his greeting. It was so casual too, like he didn’t even guess how she had been waiting for him. She let it go since there was no way he could have known she’d stay up at night waiting for him.

When she and Chace met up the following day she didn’t bring it up. They spent the day out watching a movie and dining in one of the fancier parts of town. It was one of those moments when Julie felt grateful they had a lot of clients recently because it gave her the cash she needed to pay for something like this. The last thing she needed was to feel even more reliant on Chace.

Yet even during their date she noticed Chace was constantly on his phone, checking work and talking to clients. She knew he was always busy and that he wasn’t just ignoring her. However, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being pushed away. This was exactly what drove her over the edge last time.

Today, however, she hoped she could finally spend real quality time with him. She dropped by his place to continue practicing their dance and this time around she decided to dress up in a way that would really keep his eyes on her. Julie arrived at his place wearing a jet black top with a dangerously low neckline that showcased the full breath of her cleavage and then paired it with a skirt that was just begging for a strong gust of wind to blow and expose her.

Chace definitely noticed how sexy she was in her outfit and made it very clear the moment she stepped into his home. “Jules, you continue to impress to this day. I don’t know if we should be busting our moves on the dance floor or in the bedroom.”

“If I do a little dance on my own, right here, would you be able to make up your mind?” Julie asked as a follow-up. “Hint: the right answer is to pick me up and bang me in the bedroom.”

Chace laughed and he took her by the hand. Contrary to their little joke, however, he did pursue teaching her more regarding their dance. In no more than fifteen minutes he had Julie tapping away and doing the Cha-cha.

“There you go,” he commented during the middle of their practice. They were doing the basic moves while occasionally letting her twirl during the back steps. “See? You’re getting the hang of it. We’ll perfect this tonight and then tomorrow we’ve got to practice the two big highlights. Once we get those two set and done we’re ready for the reunion party.”

Julie broke off from his hold and then rushed over to her small handbag. “Oh, speaking of the party. I know we’re not supposed to exchange Christmas gifts yet but I figured this one we can do early.”

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