Romeo and Julian

Chapter 7

I couldn't sleep. Thoughts kept swirling in my head. Do I like boys? Do I like Julian? Is he my true love?

Eventually, Julian wakes up. He looks over at me, still lying down. His green eyes shine from the sunlight beaming down through the window. His smile is warm. I can feel my face heating up, shit!

"Um, good morning," I say with my best smile.

"Morning," He says with a yawn, sitting up. All of a sudden he's back to looking annoyed, as if he thought it was a dream before.

Ok, I can do this. "Hey, can I show you something?" This is the perfect place to take him, to figure out my true feelings.

"Sure?"

"Ok! You go get ready. Tell Piper to take you to the tree house!" I yell, rushing out of the room to prepare. It's like my batteries have fully charged, just by him agreeing I get happy!

I climb up the tree and open the old, rotten door. I don't come here much anymore but it used to be where I came to read my books and think about love. Where I used to plan how I would find that special lady (or possibly lad, now). Where I would play pretend with my sisters. Amelia being the lustful princess, Piper as the dragon, and of course myself as the prince charming.

Taped across the walls are posters of different fairytale covers or of princes and their princesses. breaking through the windows are overgrown trees and plants. In my bookshelf lies children's stories, of course the majority being romance, but from years of sitting there now covered in dust and pages are torn out from little excited hands.

"Romeo o Romeo!" Piper calls suddenly, causing me to jump.

"Coming!" I open the door and allow Julian to climb up.

"You aren't coming in?" He asks my sister, as if he might be nervous to be alone with me. I mean, it's not like we've slept in the same bed together two nights in a row.

"Nope, have fun boys!" She says, skipping back to the castle.

Eventually, Julian turns to me. I can see the pink on his cheeks, but it doesn't match his expression. He looks nonchalant, like he doesn't have a care in the world. "What is this place?" He asks me.

"This is my tree house! Congratulations your majesty, you're the first person welcomed in here that isn't blood related."

"I am?"

"Yup!"

It's silent for a few beats, nothing much to say.

"Do- You know what, nevermind."

"No, what were you going to say?" He asks.

Do I say it? Is it too soon? "Do you believe in true love?" I blurt out before my brain can say otherwise.

His eyebrows furrow, like he's thinking. Eventually, he speaks up. "I believe in fate, I suppose I believe in true love. But I also believe in getting to know someone and taking your time with them."

"So yes?"

"I suppose."

"Ok."

His eye brows raise, like he's waiting for me to continue. What do I say though?

"I- well, it's just. I- I suppose even after a lifetime of planning I'm still not good at this," I sigh.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I like you. Shit! No, I think I like-like you. No, love. I think I love you."

"You- you do?"

I nod nervously.

"Well, I think you're my true love," He mumbles, looking down.

"What, you're going to get all nervous and shit?" I laugh.

"N- no!" He glares.

I punch his shoulder, "Come on, let's go!"

"Ok," He rolls his eyes, but what he does next surprises me.

He jumps up on his tippy toes, kissing me on the cheek. Then he jumps down off my tree house, just as he did the tower a few days ago.

"Hey! I wanted to give you the first kiss!"

"Too bad!" He starts running.

"Wait up!" I climb down the tree house, laughing as I chase after him.