Julien's Book

by Casey McMillin

  "Hold up." Julien said. He put a hand out to stop her.

  Chapter 17

  "Can we have contact when you're gone?"

  Two-plus weeks sounded like a really long time to Julien, and he wanted to have the option to talk to her—if for no other reason than to check on her while she was halfway across the world and so close to that creep.

  "Are you trying to miss me too?" She asked, not bothering to filter that lovely French accent.

  He let out a short laugh. "Yes, I guess you could say I'm trying to miss you too."

  "I think you should probably email me then. Facebook's good too, although I don't check it as often as I do email."

  "You should probably text me your email address before you leave. He gave her one last squeeze. "You gonna be sending me pictures?"

  "Julien," she said. Her tone was sultry and heavy on the accent. "You're trying to miss me."

  He shrugged and smiled. "I'm not trying to deny it."

  Her wide mouth stretched into the brilliant smile he'd read about in the book so many times. "I like you," she said. She left one last kiss on his cheek, right before opening the car door and sitting inside. The rap music that was audible before filled the air as soon as she opened the door. Nadine turned the volume down before rolling down the window to say goodbye to Julien one last time. She reached her fist out to bump his. "Thanks for the ride," she said.

  "You're welcome, and I like you too." He smiled the smile that had her heart pounding like it could just jump right out of her chest at any moment. The smile fell from his face as he realized she had the vehicle in reverse. "No, no, no wait just a minute. Let me start my Jeep. I'm following you home."

  "I'm totally fine," she said. "Seriously, you're gonna get cold in that thing." She pointed at his old Jeep. She was already driving off and Julien wasn't about to run to his Jeep and try to follow her against her will, even though the thought did cross his mind. He just waved to her reflection in the side mirror as she blew a kiss into it. His Jeep didn't warm up until he was done pulling into his long driveway, and he couldn't wait for a hot shower.

  Twenty minutes after he got home, he was clean, comfortable, and ready to eat a snack and space out on some random television before going to bed. He was actually glad he was home instead of a hotel room in Baton Rouge. Max was at Nikki's house, but it was a given that he'd wait till the next day to pick him up since it was so late. His thoughts went to Nadine and the fact that she'd be leaving the next day.

  Two weeks. What bullshit.

  He was sitting on the couch in the small living room when he reached out and took his phone from the coffee table. It was the middle of the night, but he typed out a text anyway and sent it to Nadine. He figured she just wouldn't answer if she was already sleeping.

  Julien: "I thought you might want to come over."

  Nadine: "Who is this?"

  Julien: "I hope you don't get frequent texts in the middle of the night that say that."

  Nadine: "Sorry, I assume it's Julien. My contacts got deleted when I updated my phone the other day."

  Julien: "You never answered my question."

  It was the middle of the night and he knew they didn't really have time to beat around the bush.

  Nadine: "No sex. I like you, but I don't move that fast."

  Julien: "No problem. You're leaving for two weeks, and I'd just like to sleep next to you."

  Nadine read the text five times, grinning from ear to ear. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep next to him.

  Nadine: "Where do you live?"

  Julien: "BFE. Where do you live? I'll come pick you up and give you a ride back tomorrow."

  Nadine: "Just text me your address. I'll just drive over there, that way I have my car tomorrow."

  He'd already learned the girl was stubborn, so he just gave in and did what she asked.

  Julien: "42884 Water Oak Road."

  Nadine: "Just so we're clear, I'm coming over right now. That's what you meant, right?"

  Julien: "Stop texting me and get over here."

  Nadine sent back an emoji of a lightning bolt and one of a kissyface then she put the phone down, changed clothes, and brushed her teeth. She was in her car within five minutes.

  What in the world was she doing driving out to Julien's house in the middle of the night? The further and further out of civilization she went, the more she started to doubt her decision to drive out there. After all, what did she really know about him, anyway? She crept up the long, wooded driveway until her car's headlights hit a rustic, Acadian style house with a metal roof and a porch that spanned the entire length of the front.

  Julien was standing near the top of the stairs leaning against a post, and Nadine smiled at him even though he couldn't see her. He was wearing a plaid pair of pajama pants and a white T-shirt, and was standing with his arms crossed, looking like he was trying to stay warm. He had on hiking boots that hung open. He'd seen her lights coming up the drive, and had slipped them on without bothering to tie them.

  Nadine stopped the car, turned it off, and took off for his house as quickly as she could. "What are you doing outside in that?" she said.

  He walked down the stairs to meet her. "It's not that bad," he said. "It's Louisiana. Even when it's cold, it's not really cold."

  "It's cold to me," she said. She shivered a little as they connected, and he put his big arms around her. "Let's get in the house," she continued.

  He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders as they made their way into the house. Nadine couldn't believe her eyes. It was out in the sticks, and quite honestly, the outside of the place, including the porch, looked rustic. The inside, however, was bright and warm and immaculate. It wasn't huge, but it was really comfortable, and for goodness sake, one of the cleanest houses she'd ever been in. Nadine walked in and made herself at home without thinking to ask if it was okay with him.

  "I can't believe this is your house. It's beautiful. This place is so cool."

  It was. The kitchen had white cabinets with intricately patterned tile floors, and even though his taste was simple, he had little things people had given him or he'd picked up at flea markets lying around here and there—cool, old trinkets, all of which drew Nadine's eye as she looked around.

  "I love your house," she said. "Are you the only one who lives here?"

  Yeah," Julien said, "you should have seen it when I first moved in, though. I would have never invited you out here."

  "Is this something you do often, then? Now that you've got your place all fixed up?"

  "Never."

  She huffed a laugh. "I'll bet."

  "Seriously, I never invite girls to my house."

  "I feel honored."

  "You should."

  "I was thinking you should feel honored that I agreed to come here since I never spend the night at guy's houses."

  "I think we did good to make exceptions for each other," he said. "I'm tired, and I know you need to get some sleep if you're gonna travel tomorrow, but I'm glad you came. I was thinking two weeks sounded a little too long, and I didn't get my fill when I dropped you off at the gym."

  "What can I do to help you?" she asked.

  Julien knew the perimeters, so he didn't say the thing that would really help him. "I think having you next to me in my bed would make for a good night's sleep," he said.

  "Can I see the rest of your house first?"

  "Absolutely," he said.

  The grand tour lasted all of about four minutes and they ended up in the bedroom, just relaxing on the queen size bed. It was full of pillows, and cleaner than the rest of the house, if that was even possible. She felt entirely comfortable. They talked and laughed for almost an hour before he made a move to kiss her. He knew he had to keep it to a short, goodnight kiss if he stood any chance of being able to resist the urge to wage a full-blown attack.

  When he thought they might be going to sleep soon, he looked over at her and said, "I'm about to kiss you. I hope that
's okay."

  "It's about damn ti—" she started to say, but he cut her off by touching his mouth to hers. The gentle touch made her gut ache. It was a sensation akin to what you'd feel if you were teetering on the edge of a cliff—wonderfully painful.

  He breathed a little laugh. "You went stiff."

  "What?"

  "When I kissed you. You went stiff as a board."

  She let out a little embarrassed laugh. "That's just what you do to me."

  "That's what you do to me too," he said.

  Okay, so he was trying to be funny. She smiled at his joke, and they stared at each other, for a few long seconds, smiling. He took her by the back of the head and put a kiss firmly onto her lips. The feel of his big hand on her head sent a chill down her spine. She opened her mouth to him instinctually, and he wasted no time in opening his own. He put his tongue into her mouth in a gentle thrust, and she caught it, sucking on it before letting him have it back. She was half-crazy with desire, and took comfort in the fact that his breathing was labored as well. He knew he couldn't let it go too far since he'd promised her it wouldn't, but he couldn't resist kissing her a little bit longer.

  "When you get back, we're gonna do more of this," he said, breaking the kiss reluctantly.

  "You think so?"

  "Obviously," he said.

  She smiled. "I think I'd like that." She sided up next to him, laying her head on his chest. He had a T-shirt on, but she still felt the warmth of his body through the layers.

  They laid there in silence for a minute before Julien, out of nowhere, said, "I have a dog."

  She didn't even look at him when she responded tiredly. "I figured. I saw the bowls. Where is it?"

  "My sister's."

  "What's its name?"

  "Max."

  "Is he going to bite me or something?"

  "Max? God no. Never. He's gonna love you."

  "Good," she said, yawning, "then I'll love him back." Aside from wishing each other sweet dreams, that was all they said before they both drifted off to sleep.

  They slept until noon the next day. Nadine felt like she could have gone right on sleeping, but she knew she had to get up and get ready for her flight which left from Baton Rouge at 9PM. She was flying from Baton Rouge to Charlotte to JFK, where she'd spend the night and head for France the next day around noon. She wasn't looking forward to all the traveling, but she was excited about seeing her family. One of her sisters had a baby not long before, and she was excited to get her hands on her new, little nephew.

  "My sister had a baby since the last time I was home," Nadine said. "It's a boy. I see pictures, but it's not the same, you know?"

  Julien had nephews of his own and appreciated living close enough to watch them grow. "Are you going back to France once you graduate?" Julien asked. He regretted asking it right when she was thinking about her baby nephew, but couldn't take back the words once they were out of his mouth.

  "I don't know," she said. "I'd like to stay in the states, but I'm not sure about getting certified to teach in public schools without citizenship. I think there are ways around it, but I'm just starting to look into it."

  "There are ways around everything. Why can't you teach at a private school, or college for that matter?"

  "I know. I should really have a better plan. Right now I'm just thinking about graduating."

  "That's coming soon, right?"

  "This is my last semester."

  "Wow, I don't guess I realized you were that close."

  "Yep."

  "How are you making it here? You don't work, do you? I mean, other than the student teaching thing."

  "I work at Blue Moon one or two nights a month, but that’s just so I have a little spending money. I'm on scholarship at UL and my parents help me with housing and my cell phone and stuff."

  "What do you do at Blue Moon?"

  "I'm a bartender. Remember? I told you at that first class about the fight that broke out?"

  Julien had been too preoccupied with thinking she was an impostor to pay attention to her story, but he was glad to hear that this Nadine was a bartender since the one in the book wasn't.

  "What night do you work there?"

  "Depends. It's usually Friday or Saturday."

  "They don't care if you only work once or twice a month?"

  "No. Mostly I just fill in for the regular bartenders when someone needs a night off—sort of like a substitute."

  They talked for an hour before leaving to grab lunch and a cup of coffee. Julien felt like he was getting attached to her, and couldn't stand that he wouldn't be able to help her if she needed him while she was in France. As the time grew near for her to leave, Julien could feel the tension and nervousness building inside him. It was so bad that after they separated at the coffee shop, he actually searched flights to Paris. He didn't get a ticket, of course, but even searching was a big step for a guy like him.

  Chapter 18

  Julien got a text from Shea later that evening asking if she could come by his house for a few minutes. He was expecting a couple of friends to come over later to play video games, but he was just chillin' for the moment. He told her she was welcome, and she said she'd come by within the hour. The author was standing there wearing an ugly Christmas sweater and the nerdiest glasses on the face of the earth when Julien opened his door less than thirty minutes later. He laughed as he hugged her.

  "I'm only gonna be here a few minutes," she said. "I just wanted to come by and let you know Chris and I have hired an investigator to check out that girl named Nadine." She sighed. "I know you like her and all, but the birthday thing was just too much for me and I sort of wanted some closure on what's going on."

  Julien believed Nadine. He knew in his gut she wasn't lying, but he could see why Shea was worried, and knew she was only doing it out of concern for him. "I see why you'd want to do it, because the whole thing seems crazy. I just happen to believe her and wish you'd spend the money on investigating that guy Pierre."

  "Don't tell me there's a Pierre," she said, incredulous to the point of laughter.

  Julien had forgotten that was a fact Shea wasn't privy to yet. She knew there was an ex, but hadn't heard his name. "Yeah, her roommate says she gets letters from him."

  Shea breathed a defeated sigh. "God, Julien, I have no idea what to make of all this."

  "Neither do I."

  "But you believe her?"

  "Yeah I do. We were together all last night and I believe her now more than ever."

  "You spent the night together?" Shea's eyes were huge. For some reason, that news hit her like a bomb.

  "We slept next to each other. She left for France. She's on her way to Baton Rouge to catch her flight right now."

  "She's going to France? That's not in the book," Shea said.

  "I've already thought of that," Julien said. "I don't know if I should take comfort in that or be scared that she's traveling there and will be closer to him."

  "You don't think he'd try to hurt her do you? What did she say about him? Is he a freak in the letters he sends? The Pierre in the book didn't send letters."

  Julien shrugged, not knowing what to say really. "She said most of the time she just throws them away without reading them. And believe me, I noticed there was no trip to France in the book. There was something else that was inconsistent, and I wish I could remember what it was." Julien thought for a second. "Oh yeah, I remember. The real Nadine has a job as a bartender."

  "So did the one in the book," Shea said.

  Julien gave her a confused look. No she didn't. The only job ever talked about was being a teacher."

  "No, she was a bartender for fun. That's where she got into the altercation that made her seek out MMA."

  "I just read the book, Shea. I read it like three times recently trying to get a grip on what's going on. There is no mention of her being a bartender."

  Shea shrugged. "Maybe I didn't mention it because it didn't pertain to the storyline. Maybe I
thought it was enough information to just say she got into an altercation without explaining that it was while she was working. I don't honestly remember exactly how I worded it in the book, but in my head, which is what counts here, Nadine had a part-time job bartending."

  Julien ran his hands over the side of his head like he always did when he felt frustrated. "Shea, I'm sorry, but it feels like you're just fucking with me here. Why are you coming here telling me random facts that were in your head about the character—facts you didn't even bother mentioning in the book."

  "I'm telling you because you brought it up. You're telling me it's an inconsistency and I'm telling you that was part of the character Nadine."

  "Well next time just don't fuckin' tell me stuff that didn't even make it to the book. This whole thing is messed up enough without additional freaky information."

  "Well, if we know what's consistent, it might be easier to figure out if we have anything to worry about on her birthday. We can't just ignore the similarities and hope they go away."

  Julien sat on an ottoman and put his head in his hands. He stared at the floor for a minute before responding. "You're right, I guess. Are their any other facts you know about Nadine that weren't published?"

  "Of course. There are all sorts of things I know about her and all my other characters that never make it into my books. There's a lot of background stuff makes them who they are, but doesn't make the cut."

  "Does she have siblings?"

  "Sisters. I thought the book mentioned that."

  "I don't think so."

  Shea shrugged. "She has sisters. Both older."

  "Do either of them have kids?"

  "Yeah, I thought they had boys, but now I'm doubting myself."

  "Does she play the harmonica?"

  Shea looked at him like that was about the most off the wall thing he could have asked. She shrugged. "I guess it's possible since she likes R&B, but I never really thought abou—"

  "It doesn't really matter. Do you remember anything that would help us figure out if she's in danger?" he continued.

  "If I could sort something out, you'd be the first to know, I promise. You must know how bad I feel about all this, Julien. That's why Chris and I are hiring Ray."