The One That Got Away

Chapter 4 Family Dinner

It has been two weeks since the reunion. In those said weeks, Julia has neither heard from nor met with Damien. In the meantime, Julia and Vincent were growing closer day-by-day. Both mutually agreed to make their meetings away from the public eye, much to the dismay of their managers. Magnolia was on tour with her ballet so Julia was behind in the girl talk department for a good few months.

Right about now, Julia and Vincent were having dinner at her place. They were midst of having a conversation when Vincent's phone rang. It resembled the sound of a spaceship. Julia chuckled as she sliced the steak in half.

"Don't get me wrong, but this ringtone fuels the image that you might have been a Star Wars fan back in the day." His silence and the glint of red arising at the hem of his nose gave nothing but assurance.

"You were a Star Wars fan!" She squealed and laughed at his embarrassment. Vincent lowers his fork and knife gentle on the plate and turned to her.

"I admit I was, frankly, I still love the franchise." Vincent was about to resume consuming his meal however, Julia chose to press further into the topic.

"So, did you like wear Star Wars t-shirts to school and have posters up in your room and were in a club?" His silence only assured her further.

Julia broke into hysterical fit of giggles. "I wanted to see you in high school." His face fell from the grin into a sad smile.

"Actually you wouldn't have noticed me. If you did you'd seen me as the nerdy fat kid who is obsessed with two things; food and Star Wars. I was really into this kind of stuff when I was in middle school. I read a lot of comic books and liked sci-fi movies and novels. In high school, I was an easy target. I had all the attributes to attract bullies my way; I was fat, studious, Star Wars fan, and I had no friends. That's not completely true, I had friends. The librarian and the foreign exchange kid but I think he only hung around 'cause no one else would."

"But... you're so fit and successful. When did this all change?"

"Summer after high school. While everyone was spending time with their friends for one last blissful summer. Enjoying the sultry weather and the beautiful cities and beaches, I was sent to boat camp. I wanted to go. My cousin went and her results after the three months she was gone were mind-blowing. My parents told me right after I finished school to pack my bags. After summer was over, I went back home. I was a different person. I enjoyed exercise and health became my top priority. I studied in Columbia business administration and as soon as I graduated, my father handed me the family business."

"Wow... wow." Vincent chuckled softly at her speechlessness. "But what about Star Wars? Do you still love it the way you did?"

Vincent nodded, shoving the piece of vegetables in his mouth. "Absolutely. I love to watch it sometimes in my downtime. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"How was your high school career?" Julia chuckled softly.

"It might sound really cliché but I was really popular back in high school. I was on the track team of my school. In junior year, my mom had me join the cheerleader squad. I was a mix of an introvert and an extrovert. I loved to party on Fridays and go on dates with varies people. But I also appreciated some alone time. I usually just unplugged from everything. Cheerleading and dating and all that jazz gave me a lot of credit and I was pretty known. Senior year was when everything took a sharp turn. My mom signed me up for a lot of fashion companies to intern during winter break and spring break. One of those companies liked my performance in my internship and offered me a spot as a model. I   would walk their runway and by the end of the school year, I had an interview in the magazine."