THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS

[37]

[37]

- EDEN -

-

WAKING UP SWEATING and on the verge of tears is how I've been waking up everyday for the past week. It's gotten worse ever since I had talked to Keldan.

My head hurt so fucking much and all I wanted was for everything to go quiet.

I was sharing a room with Julia when we had fallen asleep, but now, she wasn't here. The bed she was sleeping on was unmade and her thin frame wasn't between the sheets. Shaking away the worry that was creeping into my brain, I threw aside my covers, slipping out of my bed.

Slipping on a pair of sweats that were laying on the side of my bed, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and quietly made my way out the door. The hallway leading to the staircase was dark, but a small light coming from the kitchen piqued my curiosity. When I finally made it to the landing, I was surprised to see Julia sitting on the counter, her shoulders hunched and her face in her hands.

She didn't hear me as I made my way to her. When I was a few feet away from her, I heard the small sobs leaving her lips. Sadness tore into my chest and the hold it hand around my heart tightened and tightened with each tear I watched slip down her hands.

"Jules?" I asked, getting closer to her.

When she picked her head up, I felt the grip around my heart tighten so much that I thought my heart was close to bursting. At the sight of me, Julia started to cry harder.

Tears were ready to slip down my cheeks as I climbed up onto the counter next to her and wrapped my arms around her shaking body. I let her cry into my chest for as long as she would need.

I brushed her hair back as she held onto me. As her tears soaked the shirt I was wearing, all I wanted was to get rid of her sadness that was wetting my skin.

When her tears started to slow and her sniffles started to quiet, she slowly lifted her head off my chest, finally meeting my eyes. I entwined my hand with her.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, her voice cracking halfway through her sentence. She swallowed and wiped her tears away with her free hand.

"Don't be sorry, baby." I said, brushing her cheek softly with the back of my hand. "Why are you crying, Jules? What happened?"

She gently dropped her head on my shoulder and sniffled softly. "I— Um..."

After those two incomplete words, she decided against saying anything, softly shaking her head. "I can't do this right now."

I brushed her hair back and softly planted a kiss on her head, "It's okay, Jules. Get some sleep and we can talk when you're ready, okay?"

She picked her head up off my shoulder and offered me a weak smile. She nodded, softly placing a small kiss on my cheek, "Thank you, Ede. I love you so much."

I smiled and watched as she hopped off the counter and brushed her hair from her face and the tears right after. With one last shuddering sigh, she padded her way back to our room.

I sat there for a while and as minutes passed and the time moved from two to three to four, I wrapped my arms around my body. Seeing Julia cry was making my head and heart hurt. My body was aching like I could feel every bit of her pain in my bones. I loved her and seeing her broken like this was hurting me. I only wanted the best for her and Leah.