Fiery Blue

Julianna

“Julianna…” I heard my co-worker, Mike, calling me from behind, I turned back and raised my eyebrow at him. I get irritated when someone calls me by my full name, I prefer calling Julia or Julie. Mike knows that and yet loves to irritate me all the time. 

He gestured for me to look in the opposite direction, I turned to the direction he pointed at and my eyes widened when I saw my best friend, Stella, getting out of someone’s car dressed in clothes she doesn’t usually wear. I glanced at Mike in surprise and was kind of shocked. I moved my eyes back to Stella and saw her kissing a tall guy. 

Jesus, this girl is unbelievable.  

Stella is my roommate and also my best friend. After college, I made a decision to move out of my parent's house because of their constant reminding me that I was a mistake and useless compared to my younger sister, Cara. 

When your own parents don't have faith in you or consider you a mistake, there’s no point in living with them or even thinking about them. I may not be as beautiful as my sister but I know my worth.

I was a medium-height woman with hazel eyes and brown hair. My body has good curves even though I don’t have those great model looks that my sister has but I feel I’m good as normal.

I and Stella both took an apartment near our workplace and moved in together. We have been together since 5th grade and were quite inseparable from then. We both began working in small dinners as waitresses while I also find pleasure in teaching ballet dance and dreamed to have my own dance studio. 

Stella loves painting and wants to earn money and have a studio full of her paintings. We had dreams of our own and have been supporting each other since our teenage years. We are both 22, but quite different from each other. 

She’s wild and hopelessly romantic whereas I believe in saving my flower for the right person. She doesn’t care about the aftermath and does things carelessly which I admire a lot in her. I wish I was like that too but I think a lot before doing anything. She’s quite beautiful and confident about herself and I’m not. 

Since getting treated badly by my parents my whole life, I was never that self-confident and often felt low about myself and mainly my appearance. My dating life wasn’t good as well because of my lack of self-confidence. I never dated anyone to say anything in the first place. Stella did try to boost my confidence and pushed me to date any one of those guys who approached me and asked me out but it never really worked out. 

I always fantasized about getting that Epic love we see in movies, that kind of love where you are madly into each other, that rush and instant connection. I dreamed of those silly things even though I knew things like that happen only in movies, not in real life.

“Stella,” I called while walking towards her, she was waving at her new boyfriend while he was driving away. Hearing me, she turned around and glanced at me. 

“Julia,” She smiled, looking at her face and goofy smile, I immediately understood that she was drunk. She tried to walk towards me but stumbled,

“Stella!” I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist and held her, I glanced around making sure no one was watching us, checking if my boss was out or not. If she sees her in this way she would fire her and I’m sure Stella will never want that.

“Stella…” I glanced at Mike and signalled him to come over, he nodded his head and rushed towards me.

“Juuls… My bestie… You won’t leave me?… Like everyone else, right?” she asked while looking at me,

“No, I will not leave you,” I replied,

She had a horrible breakup last week and it took a toll on her, her ex-boyfriend Max left her for someone else and she couldn’t handle it.

“Mike, can you please take care of the boss… I will drop her off and will be back in a few minutes,” I said for which he immediately nodded his head.

“Stella, Let’s go home…” I held her while leading the way, I was a few inches taller than Stella which helped me to hold her still. We walked in the direction of my apartment which was just twenty minutes away from the workplace.

“How could he do that to me, Juuls,” she kept mumbling while I took her to the apartment, I stepped out of the elevator and my eyes landed on Liam, who was stepping out of his apartment.

God! Why now?

He had been asking me out for months now, I always gave him some excuses and left him hints that I’m really not interested to date right now but he never gets that and keeps trying. Sometimes it gets on my nerves. Stella always urged me to date him but I wasn’t ready to since I don’t feel this connection or any kind of feelings for him. 

Before I could hide he saw me and a smile appeared on his lips instantly, “Julia,” He smiled and his eyes moved to Stella.

“Is she alright?… Let me help you,” He rushed over to me and held Stella,

“Thanks, Liam,” I said and opened the main door.

We took her to her room and placed her down on her bed. I quickly took her shoes off and pulled the blanket over her.

“Looks like… she’s quite hurt by the breakup,” Liam said while looking at her with sympathy.

“Yeah,” I replied,

Liam has been a good friend and a neighbour, I only had issues with him always asking me out but if I put that aside, He’s a good guy.

***

We headed out of the apartment, leaving her inside sleeping soundly. I locked the door from outside and turned back, Liam was still standing behind me and that made me feel anxious and nervous. I know he would ask me out again, God! Help me.

“Let’s have a walk, shall we?” he said,

“Sure,” I replied and we walked towards the elevator,

As the door closed, the air inside became thick and I could feel the awkward silence between us. I glanced at him and smiled awkwardly, he smiled back. We kept smiling at each other awkwardly until the doors opened.

I quickly stepped outside, “Julia.” He called,

Jesus, here we go again,

I glanced at him, “I want to..” as he was about to ask me out, someone from behind called him. We both turned back and saw Mrs. Madison walking towards us.

“Liam…” She walked over to him and hugged him, “It’s been so long…” as she continued and I took the opportunity and rushed from there. I literally ran from there, I know I shouldn’t do this, he’s a good guy but I couldn’t say no to his face.

“Julia,” I could hear him calling from behind but I refused to look back and kept running,

I quickly took a turn and ran, while looking back, I saw Liam jogging behind me and looking around for me. Since it was a crowded area he couldn’t spot me but he was coming in the direction I was in.

Jesus!

As I was looking back while running I ran into a hard wall. I hit my forehead so hard that I stumbled back and lost my balance. My hands were in the air and my leg was in the air, my half body was going down, “Ahh” My eyes moved to the wall and realised It wasn’t a wall rather it was a chest.

A huge chest, I was still in the air while my eyes moved to his face but before I could see it this person grabbed my arm and pulled me to them. He pulled so hard that, my hair flew back before my body crushed to his hard body and my head hit his hard chest.

My breathing hitched as I felt the muscles behind his clothes.

“Julia,” Liam’s voice reached my ears and without thinking, I looked around and noticed that there was a narrow dark way between two tall buildings and luckily, we happened to be just beside them. I grabbed this guy’s strong biceps and turned him around in a way that his tall figure blocked me as I hid behind him.

I peeped and saw Liam looking around while walking in our direction, I gasped and moved back.

“God! Why can’t he just give up already,” I mumbled while glancing at him,

As I saw him just inches away from where we were, I clutched this guy’s coat tightly and pressed my head to his chest, hiding. I felt him moving his body and hiding me in the darkness, I peeped and saw Liam walking past us.

I gasped and moved him closer, “God, go away, Liam,” I mumbled while shutting my eyes tightly. I just can’t face him, he’s a good and handsome guy. He deserves to be with someone as beautiful as Stella, he doesn’t deserve someone as normal as me.

I peeped again and saw him walking away and going back, I released the breath I was holding and thanked God for making him go away. My eyes moved to my hands clutching a perfectly tailored black coat and a gasp left my lips.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologised while moving back.

“I really didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry… I..” My words are stuck in my throat as my eyes meet with those blue orbs. I hadn’t ever realised that blue could be such a hot fire until I saw those blue orbs.

It took my breath away.