Where Promises Must Glide

18 - Theo/Juliette

Edit: ok so Theo is this chapter is getting a lil hate (which I'm not mad about it's more the authors fault which I take all blame for.) but to clarify; he is not afraid to move on, he is afraid to forget her—and dating Juliette would make him do that, is what he thinks. If you need anymore clarification feel free to comment!

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Ophelia was taking her afternoon nap on the couch while I finished up my last client of the day. A shin tattoo on this guy who had the coolest stories. I loved clients like that. Ones who told stories about life experiences you could only imagine.

He was a Veteran, and was now living with his niece and her fiancé to help take care of her newborn. He told me stories of what it was like to go through all the training and I was already familiar with it. But it was from a non toxic view point, it wasn't my father yelling at me to join.

It was simply a man who was telling me a story of how he used to fly fighter jets. He told me how it was nothing like Top Gun, and that caught Ophelia's attention—waking her from her nap for a minute to give her input.

"But Top Gun is planes," she frowned when the man explained how they had similarities but he wasn't racing people and doing the glorified stuff they showed in the movie.

"At least did you have a beach scene?" Ophelia asked, and my face darkened to red. "Mommy loves that scene, she talks about it all the time to Aunt Anna or Aunt Monique. She doesn't let me see it though." And with that, a small pout on her lip, she was done giving her input and returned back to her slumber.

She was curled up in my jacket since Emmanuel took my blanket for one of his clients, and I gave her a pillow for her head. The guy laughed, before returning to telling me more story's about the Air Force.

I told him a brief summery of my experience with the military. He told me he knew guys in my situation, who didn't really want to be there but their family sorta forced them into it. I just kept nodding and smiling, trying to push the feelings and memories away.

Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn't have been such a disappointment to my father if I actually listened and put down the sketch books and joined the military.

But I looked up, and saw a sleeping Ophelia, a replica of her mother, and was reminded that I wouldn't have this experience in the military. I wouldn't have had a gorgeous woman that I couldn't stop think about. And I know for sure that whatever happened to me when I was younger, many years ago, would not have happened if I hadn't left earlier.

And I also wouldn't have met the love of my life if I had joined the military. Then I was reminded of her. It happens a lot lately. Ever since this crush towards Juliette evolved more and more, I was reminded of my past. How that situation turned out.

God to be young, dumb, and happy all over again.

She was perfect. We were young and in college and in love. And life couldn't have been better. Until that day. The day she said she wasn't feeling all too good and just wanted to go to the doctors to be safe.

That day she hadn't returned the same. The bubbly woman I'd fallen for had died a little that day, and wouldn't stop dying until it was too late. My beautiful, beautiful Serenity.

It felt wrong to be falling for Juliette, it felt like I was forgetting her. Serenity would probably hate me for dwelling on her death, for never moving on. But a small part of me felt she would be more infuriated that I forgot about her, and it was like killing her all over again. Even if I knew otherwise.

In an attempt to clear my mind, to prevent the small moisture of water from dripping out of my eyes, I looked back up at Ophelia and smiled. It was her words that compelled me, Serenity. Something I'd never forget.