Bent

by HB Heinzer

  Caleb quietly walked into the kitchen as Micah was saying goodnight to Julia. He rummaged through the refrigerator, muttering about the fact that there was nothing to snack on in the house. "Goodnight, Julia," he yelled across the room. He then motioned Caleb towards the living room, saying he'd be there in a minute.

  Like most nights, Julia tossed and turned after getting off the phone with Micah. She was satisfied with her decision to move to New York and she enjoyed her work with Krista, but she missed her guys. It was unsettling how close she had gotten to Micah and Caleb in the month she'd been in Brooklyn.

  Many nights, she wound up plodding out to the living room of the small apartment she shared with Carly. If a person's living accommodations had an impact on mood and mental health, Julia figured it was a miracle no one had been tempted to jump off the fire escape of their fifth floor hovel. The walls were a dingy green that may have, at one point, been considered sage. The hardwood floors were worn and warped. The depressing decor was enough to keep Julia in her room whenever she was home unless she needed the comfort of her friend.

  Tonight was one of those rough nights. Unfortunately, Carly had left earlier in the day, leaving a note that she wouldn't be back until morning. Probably another party. Julia wished she had taken to New York the way Carly had. When they were girls, they both dreamed of moving to the city where dreams came true. Now, even her dreams felt like nightmares.

  The thought of being alone tonight was crushing. Julia cursed her luck that the breakdown she felt coming on was occurring on one of Carly's nights out. They were still close but not close enough that Julia could call her home from whatever she was doing with her friends.

  There was only one person in Julia's life that knew the regrets she felt about moving to New York. Had it not been for Adam's regular business trips to the city, she was sure she would have already run home.

  He never told her she was making a mistake by chasing her dreams. He never told her it would be a bad idea to move back to Wisconsin. When they sat down for coffee or drinks he just listened. She decided to send him a message on the off chance that he was in town.

  You here or there?

  While Julia waited, she did something she once swore she'd never do but now found herself doing frequently. She reached into the cabinet over the radiator and pulled down a bottle of Cuervo. The night before her interview taught her the importance of moderation. Now, she only drank enough to take the edge off the pain so she could sleep.

  Adam: Here. What's up?

  Julia: Can you come over for a bit?

  Knowing her brother was in the city, Julia shuffled into the bedroom and threw on jeans and her favorite Hinder t-shirt.

  Be there in 10.

  It was a good thing she could rely on Adam to be sitting alone in his hotel room. She didn't need the guilt of knowing that she'd interrupted someone's night for her own petty insecurities.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was startled by the sound of the door opening. "Hey, what are you doing home?" Julia asked surprised to see Carly.

  "Something came up," she responded trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. "What are you up to tonight?"

  The buzzer rang as Julia walked towards the kitchen, "Adam's coming over for a bit." She didn't tell Carly that she had asked him to come over so she wouldn't be alone. Even though Carly knew she had down moments, Julia didn't want her to know that she was so low at the moment that she'd asked her baby brother to keep her company.

  Carly disappeared into her bedroom and joined the siblings on the couch minutes later dressed much more comfortably in a pair of pink and black plaid lounge pants and tank top. The three curled up on the couch watching cheesy movies for the night until Julia drifted to sleep. She was grateful for friends and family who understood that wanting them there didn't necessarily mean she wanted to talk.

  The next morning, Julia felt better, especially when she opened her eyes and saw that all three of them had fallen asleep on the couch. They were an adorable sight, Adam reclining on the couch with a woman on either side of him. She lifted Adam's arm so she could slide off the couch letting the other two sleep.

  Krista wasn't happy about Julia's request to take off two extra days right before the holiday. According to her, it should be more than enough that she closed the office the day before Thanksgiving to allow her employees time to travel home and celebrate with family. She reminded Julia that the time would have to be taken without pay since she was still in her first three months and didn't have vacation time available to her.

  When Julia didn't back down from her request, Krista leaned back in her chair, arms crossed tightly in front of her body. Reluctantly, she agreed to the extra days, provided that Julia stay an hour late each night until she left to make up the time. In exchange, she would still pay Julia her full wages.

  Shortly after their conversation, four new files appeared on Julia's desk. "I need you to take a look at these and put together proposals." Krista had always treated Julia like a competent equal, but now, she was barking at her in much the same way she did the interns.

  If it hadn't been for getting the cold shoulder for an entire semester in college, Julia might have been offended. Instead, she chalked it up to punishment for putting Krista in a tight spot. Julia, the newest employee, had been granted time off that Krista had previously informed all of her employees to not even think of asking for.

  Julia stayed late every night working on the proposals Krista expected to be on her desk before she left for Wisconsin. Two were straight-forward and fit directly into Julia's niche. The first was a restaurant owned by an older couple. Their son was trying to impress the benefits of social media marketing and he had finally convinced them to listen to what K3 had to offer them.

  The second was a new bakery, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of cupcakes. They were going to have a tough time given some of the competition in surrounding neighborhoods. Julia shook her head as she realized the women who started the bakery had far too much money and not nearly enough business sense to do what they wanted to do.

  The other two proposals required some assistance from other associates, so she primarily worked on those during the day. Luckily, the time spent with her co-workers kept her mind off the fact that time seemed to halt as soon as she booked her flight.

  At four o'clock on the Friday before Thanksgiving, Julia knocked on Krista's office door. "Hey, here's the last of them," she said when she was motioned into the office.

  "Thanks." Krista smiled as she flipped through the manila folder. "You did a good job on these."

  Julia rolled her eyes when Krista turned her back. The condescension that started as soon as Julia asked for time off was getting old. If it wasn't for the fact that Julia was still trying to prove to herself that she was capable of being independent and successful, she would have told her former roommate where to shove her folders.

  "Hey, thanks for the time off," Julia said, quickly changing the subject to give her time to lose the attitude that was coming to the surface. "I really do appreciate it. It hasn't been an easy transition out here and I have some things to take care of."

  Krista leaned against the walnut desk that was completely out of place amongst the otherwise contemporary furnishings.

  "You're welcome," she said, "And hey, I know I've been hard on you. It doesn't excuse anything, but I have some things going on right now and you were kind of an easy target because you know me." Krista's eyes dropped to the floor. "Promise me you'll come back after Thanksgiving?" She looked up and laughed.

  "Yeah, you can't get rid of me that easy," Julia chuckled, "But do it again, and I'll have no problem throwing your scrawny ass into the Hudson."

  "What time do you leave?" Krista asked grabbing her black wool pea coat from behind the door.

  "Not until almost nine, but I'll probably head over there early." Julia responded.

  "Tell you what, let's get something to eat and then I'll run you to the airport. That will
give you some time to tell me what's so special about podunk that you can't wait to get there," Krista shot a mischievous smile over her shoulder.

  Julia laughed, "I have no idea what you mean." She couldn't help but smile. Julia had spent the day trying to avoid counting the minutes until she would be in the air. She needed to see her guys.

  Two glasses of wine and a slice of pizza margherita later, Julia felt better about flying home. Beyond Krista's repeated apology for her poor behavior over the past two weeks, there was no mention of anything work related. They were simply former college roommates catching up on the past.

  "Are you going to try to tell me there's not a hot guy waiting for you back in... wherever it is you're from?" Krista asked, eying Julia's reaction carefully.

  "Why do you think there's a guy?" Julia asked, wondering if she was really that transparent. She hoped not because that would mean she was failing at being independent even more than she realized.

  Krista leaned back in her chair. "One," she said, holding up a finger, "you always swore you'd never go back there. It was all you talked about freshman year."

  "Two," she continued, holding up another finger, "you told me it was a mistake to go back there when you emailed me about the job, but now you're going back almost a week before Thanksgiving and you're not coming home until the following Monday. That tells me something is up. Your brother is here all the time and you live with one of your friends from there, so I know it's not missing your family." She raised an eyebrow, begging Julia to dispute her.

  "And if that's not enough to tell me there's a guy back there, you've been lovesick and mopey since you got here." Krista put her hand back in her lap, "So, do you want to tell me I'm wrong?"

  Julia looked down before responding, "No, you're not wrong," she shrugged narrowing her eyes, "You think you're so damned smart, don't you?"

  Krista glanced at her watch. "We have to get you to the airport. You can tell me about him on the way there."

  Walking to the car, Julia had to think fast. She couldn't tell Krista that Micah, high school sweetheart and heartbreaker, was the man she was racing home to. She didn't know how much Krista would remember from their first weeks in the dorm. It hadn't been Julia's finest hour.

  When she wasn't in class, Julia spent most of her time in a fetal position, crying over Micah. If there was one thing Julia learned from their dinner conversation, it was that Krista was good at holding a grudge and didn't think there was such a thing as second chances. She'd never hear the end of it if Krista knew that she had reunited with the boy she spent a month crying over.

  "It's someone I went to high school with," Julia said, hoping she could spin the story enough to satisfy Krista's curiosity without encouraging her to pry. "We didn't talk much after high school, but he was doing some work on the place I rented there and we got to know one another."

  Stopped at a red light, Krista looked to the passenger's seat. "So, if you met someone and now you're racing home to him, why did you come here?"

  "Because I need to justify those student loans somehow," Julia shrugged, "Josh was always the career person when we were married. He didn't want me to have to work since we never knew when he'd get reassigned. And then, it was all gone."

  "The sad thing is," Julia continued, "it took me four years after I knew there was no hope before I left because I didn't know who I was anymore. I guess the divorce showed me how much I had given up and I'm not in a hurry to jump back into that life."

  Krista shook her head, "Again, why are you here? I talked to your clients in Nashville. None of them were concerned when you moved. They said you were doing a great job working remotely. You're in one of the best fields for being able to work from anywhere at any time. People would kill for that. So, it makes no sense that you would have everything you needed there and still move out here. There has to be something else."

  Julia had never been so happy to see an airport as she was at that moment. "He has a kid and I'm not mom material. Seeing as the kid's not going anywhere, I don't know that there's any chance of a future. Plus you've been emailing me every few months for two years asking me to work for you. I figured it was the only way to get you off my back."

  "Who cares if he has a kid," Krista said almost laughing. "Do you have any clue how many of the good guys out there have kids? A lot. You need to really think about what you're doing because you're draining a lot of water out of that pool by saying you won't consider a man with a kid."

  "It's not that simple," Julia mumbled as they pulled into the parking area.

  Minutes later, Julia gave Krista a quick hug and grabbed her carry-on. How was it that even Krista seemed to be on Team Micah? Of course, that wouldn't be the case if Julia had told her who he was but it didn't change the fact that she was starting to feel like she was the only person on the face of the earth who thought she was justified in trying to live her own life.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Even though she'd spent her entire childhood in Wisconsin, the cold air that hit Julia as she entered the jetway slapped Julia's groggy mind to life. She'd slept through the entire flight, only waking when the plane jostled to a safe landing.

  As she descended the escalator to baggage claim, she realized just how much she missed Micah when she found herself crouching a bit to try to see him. When he wasn't there, her heart sank. By the time she reached the carousel, her phone had come back to life and she was growing more agitated by the minute. He would have left a message if something came up. She couldn't think of any time he hadn't answered his phone when she called.

  If he wasn't there, how was she going to get home this late at night? She could call Annie or Adam but it would take them close to an hour to drive to the far side of Madison and she didn't feel like waiting that long.

  After trying Micah's cell four times, she left a message. "Micah, where are you? Please, just call me and let me know that you're on your way. I'm here. I have my stuff. I'm just waiting on you." With every call that went to voicemail, Julia grew more anxious.

  Julia wanted a cigarette. She hadn't smoked in almost a year, but the thought of not knowing why Micah wasn't there to pick her up was making her mind jump to crazy places. She would regret lighting up later, but it was the only thing that would calm her nerves since the airport lounge was closed and she didn't think to pack a mini bottle of tequila.

  Just as she accepted a cigarette from a fellow traveler, something caught her eye. Micah's full-size black truck at the other end of the terminal drop-off area. Without a word, she walked away from the group of smokers and tried to restrain herself from running across the snowy sidewalk to Micah's truck.

  "Micah," she called out once she got closer. She didn't see anyone in the cab of the truck but she didn't see him outside the truck either. Was he inside and they had missed each other? If that was the case, she planned on telling him what an idiot he was for leaving his truck in the drop-off only lanes where he was sure to get towed. She'd tell him that right after kissing him. There was nothing she wanted more than to kiss him after two months apart.

  "Micah," she yelled again. She should have been calm knowing he was there but she wouldn't relax until she saw his face.

  As she neared the front of the truck, she saw the top of his beautiful head of dark brown hair through the back window of the cab. He was sitting on the bumper, not paying attention to her. "Hey, I don't even rate you coming in to pick me up?" she criticized.

  Micah raised one finger telling her to hold on. Julia started to wonder if something was wrong with Caleb. It was the only thing she could think of that would keep him from acknowledging her.

  "Micah," she said again trying to hide her frustration.

  "Hang on a minute," he whispered covering the mouthpiece of the phone.

  Julia wished she hadn't handed the cigarette back. Her frazzled nerves were getting the best of her and she needed something to calm them. He hadn't even looked up at her yet. Two months apart and he sat on the bumper of his
truck acting like she wasn't even there.

  "Dammit, Micah. It's cold as hell out here," she complained.

  He finally looked up from the ground. "Hang on, I have some really sexy woman leaving me voicemails," he said, his voice low and filled with need.

  Still groggy, Julia couldn't comprehend what he was saying. She heard the words but they made no sense.

  Micah laughed, "Oh, I guess those were from you."

  If he wasn't so damned sexy with his tight jeans and his black leather jacket, she would have killed him. "You're an ass, you know that?" she said slapping him forcefully in the chest. She turned to get in the truck without so much as a hug when Micah pulled her back to him.

  "I've been told that," he laughed, "And yet you fell for it. Seriously? Give me a little credit here."

  Julia rolled her eyes. "Why should I?"

  "Because you love me," he whispered as he nuzzled into her neck.

  Never in Julia's life had she felt the pain of separation that she felt being away from Micah. It didn't seem possible that it would be more painful to be in a long distance relationship than to have broken up with someone, but it was. Julia couldn't remember being as happy to see anyone as she was when she wrapped her arms around Micah's neck and drew him in for a long, passionate kiss.

  After a nearly indecent amount of time, Micah withdrew his lips from hers. "So, did you miss me?" After hoisting her suitcase and carry-on into the bed of the truck, Micah lifted Julia off the ground and spun her around playfully.

  "You have no clue how much I missed you," Julia admitted. "I keep thinking it's not healthy to miss someone as much as I miss you. I felt like part of me is missing when I'm out there."

  "This is where I keep my mouth shut, right?" Micah said as he led Julia to the passenger seat.

  Before shutting the door, Julia leaned over to give him one more kiss. "And for that, I thank you." It meant the world to her that he was still respecting her decision, even when she opened the door for him to ask her to come home.