𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ━ shawn hunter¹

2│THE DOUBLE LIE

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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐎 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ʟɪᴇ ꒱


❝ YOU WANT A KISS, DO YOU? ❞

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Juliet kicked off her shoes at the door and went to the freezer to pull out a tub of chocolate ice cream and a spoon from the utensil drawer before she headed to her room to do her homework. On her way there, she stopped in surprise when a light shone through the crack underneath her mom's bedroom door. After knocking to gain entrance, she pushed it open to the sight of her mother's clothes spread out over the bed and some piled on the floor.

The woman herself was pouring over a suitcase that Juliet had never seen before. As the redhead stepped into the room, she saw the glint of metal coming from it and realized it was a jewelry box. Then, she took in the outfits draped over the bed and realized they were far from anything her mom usually wore. There was even a feathered dress that seemed to be from her mom's Broadway days.

"Mom?" she asked slowly as her eyes took everything in.

"Hi, darling. There's been a few changes at work. I'm getting a promotion!" Daly exclaimed happily, holding up a hoop earing in one hand and a teardrop-shaped earing in the other. "Which one?"

"Well, if you're going for hooker, go with the left. Otherwise, go with the right," Juliet said flatly.

The older woman's expression faltered. "I thought you'd be pleased. The new job means I get to stay home more often."

"Like that's hard to do," Juliet scoffed, "even ten minutes would mean that you're here more often. Do you think I'm an idiot, mom? I know this isn't about a promotion. You were giggling on the phone the other day meaning you were taking to a boy. Or a man in this case, I suppose."

Daly placed the pieces of jewelry back in the case and moved towards her daughter. "You're right, darling, I was talking to a man. It hasn't been easy getting this promotion but it turns out I'll be working for some great people. I have a business trip I have to take tomorrow to secure it and it requires me to leave the apartment—"

"Stop," Juliet interrupted her. "You're lying. I don't know what the real answer is but if you aren't going to tell me, then at least just stop talking."

She ignored the woman's hurt look and turned on her heel to stalk out of the room to head to the safety of her own. It seemed like change was in the air and Juliet was very wary of it.

🌎🌎🌎

"Who d'you think she could've been talking to?" Juliet asked Jack as she lay stomach-down on his bed. They'd both been working on homework but the redhead had stopped in favor of getting a second opinion.

"I dunno," the boy answered absentmindedly, still focused on his calculus work.

"I mean, it's definitely not anyone from the diner," the girl mused as she stretched her arms towards the carpet and traced her fingertips against the fabric. "I wonder if I even know them. My mom's never had an interest in guys before— at least that I knew about. Granted, I hardly know anything about her but it seems like I'd be at least aware that she had some type of date planned. Maybe not," she added with a pause. "After all, she doesn't know I'm dating you."

That caused Jack to look up from his work. "She doesn't?"

The girl craned her neck to look awkwardly to look at him. "No, 'cause it's not like she spends a lot of time around me. Even when I go to the diner she's usually too busy with work to have a real conversation. I don't need to share anything with her unless she asks. Even then, I probably wouldn't." Her head dropped back down.