Page 27 of Julia.

She wrinkles her nose at me. “You better! I’m not a one date kind of girl.”

“I thought we were just friends, though.”

She snorts delicately, chewing another bite of fruit before responding. “I think we’re both done kidding ourselves about that, Seb.”

“Well…you’re not wrong…”

As we enjoy the champagne, peace settles over me. For once, I am not thinking about work or the stress that comes with it. All I can focus on is Julia, and how lucky I am to have her in my life. Friends…or more…I’ll take whatever I can get from her, but if I’m being honest with myself, I know I’ll never be satisfied to sit back and let her walk out of my life. She’s got me all tangled up inside, for better or for worse.

It’s funny–we’ve had just a few meetups. The almost-kiss in the library, the chemistry-charged dance where we again almost kissed, and then the park outing, but I connect with Julia in a more genuine way than I ever have with anyone else. This is a woman with deep thoughts, desires, and an appreciation for love and marriage despite the ugliness of her parents’ divorce. She’s truly a diamond in the rough.

Julia looks at me with a soft expression, loose strands of hair dancing around her lovely face, and says, “I can’t get over all of this. Wait until I tell Gabi what we did tonight, she’s never going to shut up about it.” She makes an amused sound, squeezing my hand again. “I didn’t know you were such a romantic, Mr. Van den Bosch…”

I feel my body heat up at her words, and cough to try and cover up my flush, feeling once again like a teenager so far out of his league. I’m thirty-three for fucks sake, how can I be blushing like this in front of this girl!

The night progresses, and we talk about everything and nothing at the same time. The food is rich, sweet, and salty, and we empty one bottle of champagne and have the waiter bring out another rather quickly. We share stories, laugh, and enjoy the simple pleasure that comes with each other's company. For a brief moment in time, it feels like we are the only two people in the world, watching the sun disappear below the horizon and the sky go soft shades of purple and pink in the twilight.

We finish the meal and move to the cushioned bench seat at the back of the boat. I snag a throw blanket from one of the other seats and spread it across our laps to fend off any nighttime chill that might make Julia want to end the date early, and she gifts me with another cheek kiss when I do so, making my heart feel like it’s stuttering in my chest.

“Like I said,” she murmurs, snuggling into the seat next to me. “Such a romantic.”

Feeling the warmth of her body and smelling the scent of her skin should make this one of the best moments of my adult life, but something about the things she’s saying are making other, less comforting thoughts take flight in my mind. I can’t shake the knowledge that she is only nineteen, but that pales in comparison to the largest problem that I can’t seem to brush away–Julia thinks I’m such a romantic, but my mother used to say the same things about my father. Am I just following in his footsteps, making this incredible woman fall in love with me knowing that my life will be consumed with the family business as I age? That is not the future I want, at all, but I’m also not sure how to avoid it, either. It almost feels like a family curse of sorts.

Julia looks up at me with a curious expression when I’ve been silent for a stretch of time. “Seb? You seem lost in thought. What’s on your mind?”

I take a deep breath and decide to open up to her. It’s not fair for us to continue this…well, whatever is happening between us, without her having full knowledge of what she’s getting herself into. “It’s just…well, you keep telling me how romantic this all is…and, um, my dad used to be a big romantic with my mom, too. They were so affectionate when I was a kid, even up until a few years ago, and it was beautiful to see. But now…I’m not sure. It seems like he’s only in love with his work, and my mom has completely disconnected from him too.”

Julia reaches for my hand once more and gives it a gentle stroke. “It must be tough to see your parents like that, growing apart. I can relate, trust me.”

I nod my head, feeling a lump form in my throat. “It’s just...they used to be so happy together. I don't know what went wrong.”

Julia looks out at the water, contemplating her response. “Sometimes life can get in the way. Work can be consuming, and people change. It’s important to make time for the people you love and nurture those relationships.”

I take in her words, feeling grateful for her understanding. “You’re right. Maybe I should talk to my dad and see if we can do something to bring them back together.”

Julia smiles at me, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “I think that's a great idea. You have such a big heart.”

I swallow past a suspicious tightness in my throat. “It really isn’t fair for me to be saying all this to you when your parents went through such a nasty divorce. How can you be so open and wise about everything with all of that hanging over you?”

She shrugs one delicate shoulder. “I guess it gives me a different sort of perspective. I’m not sheltered from the truth by any sort of faked affection between my parents anymore…like I’ve had the blindfold pulled off fully. It’s shown me exactly what I don’t want from my marriage in the future.”

“Maybe that’s where you’re better than I am, then, Julia,” I tell her sincerely. “Because seeing my parents’ marriage start to crumble has just made me feel jaded. So fucking jaded.”

Julia leans in closer. “Is this why you’ve never been in a serious relationship before?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

“How do you even know that?” I ask immediately, unable to hide my astonishment.

Julia gives me nothing but a side smile. “Just a hunch…”

I hesitate for a moment, unsure if I should share my deepest thoughts with her. But then, looking into her eyes, I know that I can trust her. “Yes,” I fess out, heaving a sigh. “I’ve never believed in ‘forever love’ given what I’ve seen at home and around me, which might explain my lack of interest in pursing a serious relationship with someone.”

“So you just normally bring women to romantic dates to sleep with them?”

Her blunt question makes me chuckle, and I can’t help but smile in amusement as she stares intently at me. “I don’t need to do any of this,” I point out, glancing around the boat. “For anyone, really. If I want to have sex with someone, I just take them to my bed and that’s it.”

Her lips twist into a smile I’ve never seen before and I know at this point she understands the meaning and depth of my confession. She reaches up to stroke my cheek, her touch soft and affectionate, leaving me yearning for more. “When you find love, you have to nourish it, like a garden. Your parents might have had that forever love, but if they both let it die, then that’s their fault. It’s not a sign that you would do the same. The opposite, really, since you know better.”

I smile at her, feeling grateful for her understanding. “God, are you sure you want to be a judge? I think you might have missed your calling as a relationship counselor.” She huffs a small laugh. “But honestly, I hope you’re right, because life seems pretty shallow if I have to go through the entire thing alone. Shallow, and boring.”

---