Your shoelaces are undone

Chapter 4

word count: 1071 words

Monday 1st November 2006 10:27 am

Julietta's POV

I wake up and my head hurts. My head really hurts. I look around, seriously confused on how I got back to my room. All I remember was a car and Alex was driving.

Alex.

I quickly snatch my phone from out my bag, which was left neatly hanging from the door handle of my wardrobe. I text Alex.

you
I'm guessing you dropped
me home last night

Alex
yeah

you
thank you

Alex
no worries love

Its 10:30, my shift at the café starts in fifteen minutes. Fuck. I've got too much of a headache and I really can't be bothered, yet my legs drag me out my bed anyway. I hurriedly pull on clothes, not looking at what I'm putting on. Then put my shoes, on then make my way out the house as quick as possible, yelling "Bye Mum" as I leave.

I speed walk down the street, looking at my phone, thump. I have walked into someone. They're dropped something.

"oh my god I'm so sorry I really didn't mean to", I kneel down to pick up the loaf of bread in which they dropped, "I'm just in a rush and I wasn't looking where I was doing and-" I get cut off.

"Relax, it's alright darling" I know that voice. It's Alex. God I swear this man pops up when you least expect it.

"I'm so so so sorry a-" He puts his finger on my lips

"I said it's alright." He then removed his finger, probably remembering that it's weird to have done that.

"But you dropped your bread" That's not exactly something I expected to say today but oh well.

"It's fine Julietta"

I check the time.

"Shit"

"What? what's wrong?"

"Its 11 am, my shift at the café was meant to start now." I sigh. "It's fine I can still make it, if I run"

Alex laughs at me.

"What is so funny?"

"I didn't think the café opened on a Monday" He's right, it doesn't.

I crouch down, sit on the curb edge and hold my head in my hands.

"oh god. My brain is all over the place. I'm sorry. I'm being such a twat. Al I'm sorry" I'd never called him Al before.

"s'alright love."

"so why'd you have a loaf of bread with you ?"

"well I fancied a bit of toast, might have a sandwich later on, if I'm feeling adventurous." He laugh a little, causing me to giggle too.

"okay then" I say mid-chuckle. "oh thanks for taking me home last night, I didn't mean to get that drunk."

"It's no problem, I just didn't want you wanderin' about."

We fell silent again.

I sat staring at my shoes, feeling Alex's stare burn into me.

"Your shoelaces are undone, do them up before you trip over" I do up my shoelaces, tripping over is the last thing I want to happen to me today.

"C'mon sweetheart, I'll walk you home" He reaches his hand so that he can pull me up. I gently take his hand and he holds mine very firmly yet gently. We begin making the short walk back to my house.

The whole walk is silent. Dead silence

He walks me to the door and I turn around to say good bye but he's already begun walking across the street, to his house.

"Bye" I shout, he waves and I close the front door.

Why on earth did I do that? I bet half the fucking street is now looking out of their windows, wondering where the shout came from. Oh god. The thought of everyone staring at me, makes me want to cry. I hate attention. I always have and probably always will.

I sprint up the stairs and look out my bedroom window, nobody's staring out their windows at my house, thank fuck. I appreciate that I am inside so they probably wouldn't have seen me but still, the thought that they could have seen be makes me feel nauseous.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, as I walk away from the window. Look at the state of me. No makeup on, I'm wearing clothes that I wore a week ago (which haven't been washed) and my hair looks horrible. I look horrific. The jeans. Fuck. Why did I have to put low-rise jeans on. I know I was in a rush when I got dressed, but why did I put on low rise jeans? They just highlight the thing I hate most about myself. My stomach.

Alex POV

I can see into Julietta's room from my room. That sounds a bit creepy but its true. I watch her as she stares at herself in the mirror. She looks upset. She lifts her shirt up so that she can see her stomach, she then pulls her shirt back down, she seems angry. She then sits on the floor. She covers her face with her hands . Is she crying? Why was she crying?

Should I text her? But then she'll know I was watching her. I could tell Jamie but then he'll know I have been watching her, to which I know he will reply with something along the lines of "that's bloody creepy mate". I can't just watch her cry, it feels wrong to be watching her at all. I'll text her.

you
Julietta are you alright

You're crying

I didn't mean to watch you its just,
I was looking out of my bedroom
window and I saw you in your room

Are you okay?

Julietta
I'm fine

I look at her window again. She's shut the curtains. Great. She thinks I'm a complete creep now. Well done Alex, you've blown any chance you had with her.

She's always so shy, so reserved, so silent that I never really got to talk to her properly. Sure we've had little conversations, I think the most I've ever talked to her was at the party, but she was drunk and I don't know how much of it she remembers, or if it even counts. The best I could do was admire her. Oh how I love her beautiful, blonde hair which matches perfectly with her sea-blue eyes. Every time I see her, she has perfect eyeliner to compliment her stunning eyes. Her outfits, which are flawlessly put together, always look amazing. If she's crying over any of those things, I need to know why.

She's faultless in everyway a human being can be faultless. She's gorgeous. Julietta Cook is the most gorgeous girl I've ever laid my eyes upon. And I think I've that I'm in love with her.