Hopelessly Devoted ☆ Pierre Gasly

XIV

THE PAST

Juliette got woken up by a person who was walking over the mattress by her feet. Her eyes opened, and she saw a shadow walking into the studio flat of Sara. Her heart started to beat faster, who was this? She looked around her, everyone was still lying and sleeping in their bed - she could see that because the first light stripes escaped from under the curtains. Juliette's eyes rounded.

It was Saturday, the day after the sleepover. Juliette looked around her and saw Sara was still asleep; the two girls shared a normal mattress and the boys' air mattress. The four friends decided to lay them all on the ground, 'it looks cosier' were Sara's words.

Juliette sat up and looked in the direction of the shadow. She was way too tired to stay awake, but she didn't like the situation. Her eyes closed again, and she relaxed her shoulders.

"Julie?"

Her eyes flew open, and a shock went through her body. It was just Pierre, not some kind of creep. "What are you doing?" Juliette softly asked. She swore she saw Pierre lying in the air mattress two minutes ago.

"I had to go to the bathroom?" Pierre looked questionable at her, it seemed like Juliette was either still asleep or sleep drunk. "What are you doing?"

A yawn escaped Juliette's lips. "I don't know," she whispered.

"Okay," Pierre smirked. "That's good."

Juliette nodded. "What's the time?"

"Uh..." Pierre looked at the clock at the wall. "Eight o'clock."

"Jeez, it's bloody early," she mumbled and got up. Her eyes closed right away when the pain flowed through her legs. "Bollocks," she pressed the word over her lips and tried to walk over the mattress. It felt like her legs were made of timber, there was almost no movement possible. "Good morning," she sarcastically said when she faced Pierre.

Pierre scanned her face. "You alright?"

"No." Juliette grabbed a glass of water. "Uhm, I don't know if you like croissants and stuff, but the bakeries just opened, and it's quiet now. So I'm gonna get some croissants and baguettes and whatever they have."

"So your question to me is if I want to join you?"

"Precisely." Juliette took a huge sip of the water.

He nodded. "Sure."

"Perfect, give me ten minutes." Juliette grabbed her bag and walked towards the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her, her face straightened and stopped herself from groaning; the muscles in her legs hurt. It wasn't just the usual kind of muscle strain after a good sports session; this was pain, like her muscles were tearing apart. Juliette bit on her lip, placed her hands on the sink and leaned against it.

After a few minutes, Juliette pulled all the strength together and changed. She had packed some basics, so her outfit wasn't something spectacle. She put some makeup on her face and did something to her. If she was honest, she didn't care about how she would look like. As long, the pain in her muscles stopped.

"Ready to go?" Pierre asked softly when Juliette left the bathroom, he was changed as well. She nodded and put her bag on the ground. Pierre's eyes fell on it; Juliette's bag was still opened and...and did he see that right? He spotted a package of cigarettes in her purse. Pierre parted his lips, so it was confirmed that Juliette smoked. Or it had to be someone else's.

"Let's go," Juliette said. "Should we leave a note?"

Pierre looked up from the bag and pressed a smile on his face. "Eh..." He had to act like he didn't see it. "Nah, it doesn't matter," he said and left the studio, following Juliette. "So... Things are good in speed skating?" He finally could use his voice in a normal tone, instead of whispering.