• Tomorrow Will Be Different • {J.C} (P.1)

•Chapter Thirty-Eight•

        The cab ride to Don Hill's was mostly silent. Erin had to remind herself that Julian had kissed her on the sidewalk following her tipsy confession. The sudden change in his demeanor made Erin think she had imagined it.

Jules didn't want to talk about it, and his attitude regarding the situation made Erin not want to talk about it either.

It was unfair that Julian could mock Erin for the way she had sounded during sex; yet she wasn't allowed to explain why those sounds had even come out of her mouth.
        ...Julian was being a hypocrite.

         In front of his friends, however, Julian flipped like a switch. He seemed indifferent toward Erin, and by the time he had gotten several drinks in his system, Julian didn't seem to care too much about anything.

        She watched Julian mingle with strangers, carelessly laughing with a drink in his hand. He moved tenuously, his long limbs like rubber—Julian was drunk.

As much as Erin didn't want to admit it, she was drunk too. Having to bare Jules overtly ignoring her had driven her to drink more than usual.

She needed to go home, she needed to leave before she saw something else—something that involved another girl.

        Erin noticed several women take interest in him; hovering around him, trying to gain his attention—trying catch his eye without seeming too desperate.

Erin saw through their pathetic determination, knowing that if Jules were to have just a few more drinks, the chances of him falling for it were exponential.

       "Where're you goin?" Albert asked, sliding into the booth as Erin slid out. The guys were cycling in and out—babysitting—taking turns at the table so that Erin wouldn't feel so left out.
       ...Instead, she felt pathetic.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, and then I'm going back to the apartment." Erin said, making her way to the restrooms without giving Al the opportunity to object.

        Julian's eyes followed Erin until she was out of sight; her absence a relief. He started toward the table, sliding into the booth next to Albert.

"Has she talked to you?" Julian asked.

"She said she's leaving after she gets out of the bathroom."

Julian groaned, "So I gotta take her back?"

"Pretty sure she wants to go solo. I think you're the one runnin' her off."

       "You gotta go with her- she can't be goin by herself." Julian insisted.

        Albert's eyes widened as he swatted Julian's shoulder with the back of his hand. His big brown orbs fluidly moved through the crowd.
"You may wanna be the one to take Erin home."

       "I'm not goin anywhere with that woman. Did she tell you I kissed her? You should've heard the shit she said to me-"

"Jules, listen to me... you gotta take Erin home—now." Albert demanded as he looked to Julian; his eyes then swiftly shifted toward the front of the bar.

         With suspiciously narrowed eyes, Julian followed Albert's fixed gaze—he was staring at someone. Although Jules couldn't be sure who that someone was, the crowd had gotten too big. 

       "What is it?" Julian asked.

"Don't be stupid, but you see that guy over there? The one that just came in with the Superman haircut... bomber jacket? The one leaning into the bar?"