Page 22 of Forever Not Yours

“Has he said anything?” she asked as I handed over her coffee, steaming hot, black, the way she liked it. In a cup, not a mug. I’d bought it especially, years ago when we’d first met. To impress her. I didn’t want to think about what that meant or who it made me.

“About what?” I wasn’t following her opener. Juliet wasn’t always easy to read, and right now, she was anything but. Sharp suit. High heels. Back straight. Normal. Other than her lipstick was smudged, and her hair was a mess. But she was trying.

“You know what he’s like,” she said. “He does stupid shit and then he clams up. Doesn’t speak for weeks.”

“He’s always been like that.”

“Yes, but you can’t let him get away with it. He just sinks deeper and deeper into it all, unless you pull him out of it.”

She sounded like she knew what she was talking about. I didn’t doubt her. She’d been with Bastien long enough to know what I knew. That he wasn’t an easy man to live with.

“Jules,” I started, and she gave me a stare. “Juliet,” I corrected. “I don’t have any right to say anything, I know that. I was in the wrong here as much as Bastien, and I am truly sorry. I have no excuses.”

“You love him. I’ve always known you do, so don’t try to pull that one on me. I know you do, because I love him too. That’s why I’m here, and I hope you know that. However angry I am with you right now—disappointed, fuming, betrayed, all of that—I still need you. I need you to help me, because I’m going mad. Totally mad. I just had a meeting with the manager of the Victoria ballroom and paid them a ludicrous amount of money, which I won’t get back because I didn’t sign a cancellation clause. I didn’t think we’d need insurance. I don’t care about themoney, but I feel broken. Absolutely fucking trashed. Crushed to the bones, Jake. Do you get me?”

I did, and I nodded.

“This is no surprise, though. I hope you know that. You probably laughed behind my back for months, thinking I was nuts. That I thought he’d go through with it. I was just happy, you know? I was so bloody happy, Jake, and now it’s… I don’t know how to feel.

“Maybe you should take some time off?” I suggested. Not helpful, and Juliet glared at me.

“Says the guy who hasn’t taken a day off work since forever.” She wasn’t wrong.

“I took a day off last week. Tried to intercept him and get him to sit down and relax. Talk.”

“Bad move. Makes him even worse.”

“I realise that now.”

She took another sip of coffee.

“Do you have any idea what he needs?” It sounded like a question when it really wasn’t. It was anger. Hurt. And I got it. I truly did. “As I said, I should have seen this coming, months ago. He wasn’t doing well with everything, and we had…a few issues.”

“Issues?” A question I didn’t expect an answer to.

“And I always knew you wouldn’t let him go without a fight.”

“Juliet, I would never have interfered—”

She held up her hand. I stopped talking. I had no rights here.

“You would have. Because when you love someone, you fight. And you were sinking deeper into despair with every day that passed. This bloody stag night and trying to plan it nearly broke you. I could see it, the way you struggled, just like Bastien did. He kept saying he didn’t want one, didn’t want to spend the money, didn’t want anyone there. That he wanted to call it off and just spend the weekend with you. Catch a movie. Go for a Nando’s. Something easy and normal.”

“He said that to me too. I wouldn’t let him. Thought he deserved more.”

“So did I. But here we are.”

God, I got her. The hurt was visible with every breath she took. Juliet was magnificent, beautiful and extremely smart. Strong. Invincible. She rarely let anyone see her crumble. She was fighting here too, fightingwith everything she had to stop herself falling apart.

“What can I do?” I asked calmly. “Tell me how I can help you.”

“Stop fucking my fiancé? That would be a start, but then…” She sniffled. “Ex fiancé. Can’t change anything there. I get it. I do.”

“I know I sound like a dick here, but if I can do anything…anythingat all to soften this for you, I will. You have to believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t want to…fuck. This was not the way I thought the weekend would go, and this was never the outcome I wanted.”

“Then what the hell did you expect, Jake?”

I couldn’t answer that, so I just stared at the table.

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