by Wynn, Ann
CHAPTER 2
Juliana retouched her makeup at the ladies' room. This was going to be the first time that she would be seeing Michael again after such a long time. She wanted to look perfect for him. As soon as she finished fixing her hair and retouching her makeup, she rushed to her office's lobby to wait for Michael. Joana saw Michael's car pass by as she ran outside their office building. She immediately hailed a cab and rode on it. She asked the driver to follow Michael's car and so he did. After fifteen minutes, she saw where he was going. She felt disgusted to see Juliana smiling as Michael parked his car in front of her. She walked towards his car and boarded it. By now, she was seething. Her jealousy was interrupted by the sound of the taxi driver's voice.
“Are we going to continue following that car, Ma'am?” said the middle-aged bearded man with a cap.
“Yes, please. Make sure that the driver does not notice us,” she commanded him.
After a 15-minute drive, Michael was lucky to be able to park in one of the nearest fast food places. Although, initially, he wanted them to go somewhere else, he knew that they were already pressed for time. As soon as he turned off the engine, he looked at Juliana who was smiling next to him. She looked beautiful and he felt a sharp pang in his chest, the pain of longing. How he had missed her so! He leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss before pulling away.
“I've missed you, my love. I'm glad you've been well,” he said as he inhaled for patience while he suppressed his manly urge to soak himself even more in her sweet scent.
“I've missed you too. I am glad we're doing this. Thank you,” she said softly.
Juliana blushed as she bit her bottom lip. Michael merely nodded and ushered her out of the car in order to proceed to the entrance of the fast food chain that they were going to eat at. She knew she did not need to thank him, but somehow she felt the need to. As they entered the fast food restaurant, she looked at the empty seats, their numbers slowly dwindling.
“Let's hurry to the cashier, pick the food that you want and grab us a table, will you? I'll just order for the both of us, okay?” he commanded her.
She nodded in agreement and proceeded to the cashier. There was already a line forming and they were lucky that they were the fourth in line. Juliana looked at the menu and decided that she would order a Bacon Cheeseburger, some French fries and a diet coke. She leaned closer and told Michael her order before leaving him to stay in line. She made a beeline for the table at the corner that was not part of the busy side of the restaurant. She sat in one of the plush seats and looked on as Michael patiently waited for his turn. She sighed at the sight, knowing that she should cherish every moment with him, especially because this was a rare occasion after all. Joana spied Michael in line and Juliana waiting for him in her seat. She was glad that she was able to find a reliable taxi driver to take her there fast. She did not know what she would be doing but she knew she had to do something. She decided that in order to spy on them better, she had to eat there and stay hidden until she could decide what plan of action she should take.
Michael was relieved that he did not need to stand in line for a long time. Time was ticking and he did not want to waste every single minute in line waiting to eat and to be with Juliana. As soon as their orders were complete and placed neatly in his tray, he secured every single item before proceeding to their table. As soon as he sat down, he started to place her orders in front of her and his orders in front of him. The cheeseburger's scent wafted in the air as soon as she opened its wrapper. Her grin widened when she saw the edges of the bacon sticking out from the side of the bun. She had always had a good appetite and somehow, he liked that.
“I'm sorry. I just haven't eaten a cheeseburger in a while and I've been craving for bacon since this morning,” she said apologetically.
“No need to say sorry. I haven't eaten these in a while too,” he said as he pointed to his plate of baby back ribs, macaroni and cheese and steamed vegetables on the side.
“Go ahead. Dig in!” he coaxed her.
She held the burger to her mouth and took her first bite. She let the juice of the bacon and the melted cheese ooze out of the bun before taking another bite. Michael saw how happy she was with the food that she ordered and found himself eating more and more. The feeling of being with her was exhilarating. He did not expect to eat this much but with Juliana, anything was possible. Soon, they were not just eating but laughing as well as they both shared stories about what they had missed out on.
He felt like they hadn't really been away from each other very long. He loved this feeling. It was a feeling that only he and she could share. All the years that they had been together had made them know each other all too well. It came naturally, effortlessly. Juliana smiled as she realized that it did not take very long to finish their meals. She frowned upon realizing that because they were done eating, it was time for them to leave. They did need to get back to work after all.
“I really enjoyed this, Michael. I hope that we can do this more often,” she suggested.
“I did too. Let's try to make this a habit then,” he agreed.
In the far corner of the restaurant, Joana found herself a seat. She was brooding and was angry because of too much jealousy. She no longer cared if she ate something fatty today. All that mattered was that she knew what was happening to Michael and Juliana. She ate fast, not knowing if they would leave immediately or not; she had to wait and see. Michael stood first and then Juliana stood up next. They were smiling at each other and he held on to her arm to guide her to the front door. They looked sweet, like a real couple. She wanted him to be like that to her. She wanted that kind of chemistry, which she knew was hard to get and to fake. She sighed as she finished her food and let them leave ahead of her.
As soon as she was done eating, she walked out of the fast food restaurant and saw them still outside Michael's car. They were talking to a man whose back was in front of her. Suddenly, she felt nervous, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, a look of panic forming in her eyes. This could not be happening! It was Carl, and he had probably already discovered that all of the things that she and Michael said to him were a ruse. She bit her bottom lip and hid herself in another car nearby. She was glad nobody noticed her. She did not need to be discovered now. At least, not yet. She needed to know what was happening to assess the situation carefully. She peered from the back of one of the parked cars to watch and listen. She only hoped this encounter won't end up being a bloody one.
Michael tensed as Carl blocked their way. They were already in his car and had even boarded it when suddenly, a man jumped in front of it before he even got to start it. If he had been reckless or he couldn't care less, he would have started the vehicle and just ran him over, but he knew he did not need to go to jail because of something and someone like this. He figured he should just talk to him, but he cursed inwardly at the realization that he was not alone or with Joana. He was with his real girlfriend, Juliana, who looked scared and confused in the passenger seat.
“What is going on?” she asked him.
“Just stay here. I'll settle this,” he ordered her.
But Juliana squirmed in her seat. She was obviously uncomfortable with the current situation taking place outside. She worried that he would get hurt and decided to go against his order. She stepped out of the vehicle but stood only behind the door of the passenger seat. She knew she would have to be alert, and in case things turned awry, she would have to call the authorities. She did not want Michael to be in serious danger. She knew she could help him one way or another. She looked at the man who had a dangerous glint in his eyes. Although he looked handsome, there was something bad about him. He looked disheveled. His stubble signified he needed to shave, his creased dirty clothing showed he needed to bathe and get dressed with new clothing. He might be too far away for her to smell him but she knew by the look of his bloodshot eyes that he was not just deprived of sleep but had been drinking his troubles away with alcohol as well.
He stood there looking at Michael and then his gaze landed on her. He looked hungry. He licked his bottom lip as he flashed her a wicked grin. She cringed. She did not know this man or what he wanted, but if he continued to look at her like that, she knew she'd feel violated. Michael clenched his fists as he got out of his car. He gritted his teeth as he looked at Carl, who looked more crazed than the last time they saw each other. He did not want this to happen. He wished he had not brought this upon himself, upon Juliana. He looked at Carl who looked at Juliana lewdly. He gritted his teeth as he imagined the dirty thoughts running in Carl's head. He would not tolerate such behavior, especially not with his girlfriend. He stopped forward. He was now in front of the car but still was not close enough to Carl. He knew he shouldn't step any closer. He did not want to cause a scene.
“What do you want, Carl?” His voice seethed with hate. Carl's attention reverted to him.
“What do I want?” he answered him in a question. He walked closer, but Michael stood his ground.
“You know what I want, Michael. Give her back to me,” he demanded.
Michael scowled and looked worried when Carl mentioned her. Although he did not mention Joana's name, he knew better, but Juliana did not. She still looked confused as she continued to watch their exchange of words. He needed to be wise with what he was going to say and how he would react at this point. He did not want Juliana to think he was cheating on her after all.
“Please let us pass. We need to get back to work,” he coaxed him, which made Carl smile wickedly.
“Is this your new girlfriend?” he inquired as he continued to peruse her with his stare. Juliana looked away. She did not want to be looked at this way by a stranger. She felt defiled.
“She looks sweet, innocent, very different from Joana but definitely do-able,” he continued.
“I think I've changed my mind, Michael. How about you keep that slut of a woman and you give me this one instead? I promise to have my way with her and then take care of her.” Michael had heard enough.
“You will not have her. She's mine,” he growled, making Carl click his tongue as he shook his head.
“Selfish much? This won't do, Michael. After all, you can't hoard all the women out there. Just give me this one and I'll leave you and Joana be. What do you say?” Carl was pushing it.
Juliana could not believe what she was hearing. Joana? Did he mean Joana Stewart, her dear friend? Although she was not able to confirm it right now, at this point, she was not happy. The happiness she felt earlier was slowly dissipating and her thoughts wandering. Did something happen between Michael and Joana? Had he been cheating on her during those busy days at work? Had he been lying to her all this time? She did not know what to think anymore. Joana looked on as things unfolded. She realized that the way Michael and Juliana reacted only meant he still had not told her about his deal with her and that she might already be speculating of her involvement with him. She grinned.
If she showed up here and shamelessly stopped Carl to save Michael, that would give Juliana something concrete to worry about. She slowly looked back on what was going on and waited for her time to reveal herself. Before Juliana could open her mouth to question Michael, he had already moved forward and punched Carl square in the jaw, which made him step backward, his face contorted in pain. She knew she would have to question him later but for now, she had to stop this fight before it turned serious. Suddenly, Carl was back on his feet and was lunging for Michael. Juliana watched in horror as both men continued to brawl. There were violent punches exchanged, blood was spilled and curse words thrown at each other. She was about to throw herself in between them when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a blonde woman jumped in between them, leaving both halting their fist fight. When she looked her way, she saw her deep blue eyes staring at her. It was Joana.
Juliana held on to the top portion of the door of the passenger seat in front of her to steady her. Things were unraveling too fast. She needed to anchor herself somehow, to support herself from falling. Her knees started to buckle but she did not want anyone to notice. Michael was in greater pain now, but upon seeing Joana stopping the fight and caring for him, she knew there was no longer a place for her in this awkward situation.
“Stop this, Carl. Don't be a fool. Stop hurting Michael!” she pleaded to him, but he did not listen.
“Do you see what this boyfriend of yours has done? He has been cheating on you with that woman!” he lashed out at her as he pointed at Juliana, making her frown grown deeper.
“He hasn't been cheating on me. She is just his close friend. Our close friend to be exact.” Joana cleared but Michael wanted to protest.
Joana's new boyfriend was Michael? She was just a close friend, their close friend? Juliana had these questions running through her head. She wanted to thrash, to throw things, to hurt someone but she couldn't. She felt imprisoned to what was happening in front of her. She could not say anything or do anything to stop it or even to confirm anything. The way Joana touched Michael without him pushing her hands away was enough to signify that they were indeed closer than they used to be. She swallowed hard and she tried to stop the tears from falling from her cheeks.
The thought of him cheating on her with a friend just made her feel so insignificant. She recalled how many years had passed since they started going steady. They were good friends back then and had reached a mutual understanding. After they started dating, their feelings for each other had grown and Joana had seen that development, yet here she was now, uncaring about all that. It was as if she had been discarded, no longer of importance. She knew she deserved better than that.
When sounds of sirens started echoing in the background, it was as if Carl's trance had been broken. He stood up quickly despite his injuries and ran, leaving Michael and Joana in the middle of the parking lot. She reached out to him to help him stand, and then she steadied him before helping him walk to where she was. Juliana sat on the passenger seat and waited. She pondered on what she was going to do next. She wanted to fight with Joana, but upon seeing the cut on Michael's lower lip and his bloodied face, she knew it would have to wait. Joana smirked as she knew Juliana was there and that she did not just see everything but heard everything as well.
Knowing how timid she was, Joana expected Juliana to do nothing. She would be too concerned about Michael and his injuries that her doubts would have to wait. She was always thinking about other people before herself, which was a pretty admirable trait. Joana just grew tired of it. She did not like that her friend was too nice. She felt disgusted by it. It seemed unreal, a facade. She hated it. She used to be like her but had been taken advantage off way too many times. Selfish – that was what she had become, and she did not regret it.
After all, the only way to get what you want is to take it, work hard for it no matter what. Now, she was focused on taking Michael away from her and was ready to work hard for him no matter what. But Joana did not want to tell her just yet. She wished to continue deceiving her. She wanted her to continue thinking that they were the best of friends and that what happened had been a misunderstanding, but she had other plans. She just hadn't thought of them fully yet.
“Jules, a little help, please.” She called out.
Juliana sighed as she opened the door on the right side of the back passenger seat. As she took a closer look at Michael's face, she knew he would need stitches. Although Michael wanted to speak, he found himself hurting and decided it would be best to be silent for now. He looked like a mess after all.
“It looks like we have to take him to the nearest hospital. I'll drive,” Joana declared, and she agreed.
CHAPTER 3
As much as she wanted to be alone with him, she did not know how to drive. She needed a designated driver and right now, that driver was Joana. As soon as Michael was comfortable in the back seat, Joana started the engine and drove to the nearest hospital. But as soon as they reached the hospital to get him admitted, her phone started to ring,
so she excused herself to take the call while the medical staff at the hospital assisted her boyfriend. She had to just continue looking on as Joana acted like his girlfriend. She turned her back at them to stop herself from hurting any further.
“Juliana Austin speaking.” She sounded professional this way. There was no room for anything else.
“Jules, This is Lisa. Did you submit your suggestions yet?” asked Lisa on the other line.
“No, I haven't yet but I intend to do so later on. How did you find out about that? Weren't you absent from the meeting earlier?” She wondered.