Bluebirds Without Wings | Julie and the Phantoms

The End of the Game

Julie watched Luke press notes on the piano in the music room in the castle. She refused to take her eyes off of him like he could vanish at any moment. He had taken some time off work to go visit the Inmarcesible Kingdom and was a guest of the castle for the next few weeks. He had only been there for four days and everything she had ever felt for him was overflowing in a small cup she thought she had a good grip on. Everything was sliding everywhere inside of her.

"It's like old times," Luke told her, continuing to play notes to an unnamed song. "Just switched."

"Switched how?" Julie asked him. He had gotten a hair cut before he came over and although his hair was still long, he kept parts of it much shorter than what he did years before. She had run her fingers through in it passing, and she giggled when she realized she gave him goosebumps.

Luke smirked as he often did before saying something flirty, "You're the one that won't stop watching me now." Julie scoffed and rolled her eyes at the former knight.

"Well, you're my guest, and it'd be rude to leave you alone."

"I'm surprise you let me go into my room alone." Annoying rat.

"The guards outside your door have it covered from that point on," Julie said, clearing her throat. Luke had almost fallen asleep in her bed the night before, but she dragged him out and told him the maids were watching. She didn't need town gossip especially now that she was at the age of looking for prospects. More like past the age.

"And the maids," Luke said. He knew as well. "They're very chatty compared to before."

"War was the most interesting thing back then. Now they have to make a buzz out of anything that lands. So annoying," Julie sighed. The only one she still trusted was Nick's mom, and she seemed to be not so fond of Luke from what she caught at mealtimes. "Nick's mom," she thought out loud. "She's still fine. Just." She scanned Luke's face as he stopped playing the piano. He gestured at himself. "Yeah. Pretty upset about last year. Didn't accept a date with Nick, but she still has hope even though he has a brand new girlfriend."

"They're still trying to marry you off?" Luke sounded annoyed and even though the topic bothered Julie, hearing Luke talk like that amused her.

"They won't stop until I'm married," Julie shrugged. She laid back in her seat on the couch as Luke came over to sit next to her. She swung her feet over his lap out of habit, and he didn't flinch. If it was just them two alone, they were bound to have a least one body part on the other. It was like unfolding a corner of a page she had put away for later.

"Any real prospects?" Luke asked. Julie debated telling him or not, and he seemed to sense that as she thought.

"Hm," Julie mumbled. "There's this one prince. Three years older than me."

"Too old for you," Luke said immediately. This caused Julie to break out into a smile as he shook his head.

Julie played into the game and said, "He's not that bad. Very sweet and sort of handsome." Julie had never met him. She had only heard of him through word of the mouth and of course when you're trying to get your son who is third in line to the throne married, you're going to speak the world of him. The handsome part was true, though.

"I think you should just end your bloodline here," Luke unexpectedly told her. Julie snorted, Luke also getting a smile on his face. "This kingdom has had a good run."

"Yeah," Julie giggled. "I'm sure my family will be a fan of that."

"I just," Luke started, scratching the back of his head. "I still think you should marry when you want to. Not out of duty." He looked at her with this longing look in his eye she tended to ignore. It overwhelmed her heart. She pointed her eyes elsewhere as her cheeks heated up.