Forbidden But Bound

Catching Up

“It’s so lovely to see you guys all together,” said James kissing Julia on both her blushed cheeks and nodding to Vivianne and Catherine.

“So nice to see you too James. I didn’t even recognize you. If I saw you walking in the street I swear I’d walk straight past you,” said Vivianne with a fake, half-smile.

Julia just stood there so smitten that she could hardly look directly into his hazel brown eyes.

“I missed his eyes,” she said to herself.

I mean after years of secretly dreaming of him he is now there right in front of her.

“ Hey, Julia! Wow, I haven’t seen you in years. How are you keeping?” He asked Julia.

“I...I am good thanks. Yeah, it has been a minute. How have you been?” She managed to utter a few words.

Vivianne and Catherine excused themselves from the conversation having sensed the awkwardness hanging in the air. They made their way to the dance floor, where the wedding guests were dancing to the shuffle. They just jumped in and tried to pick up the moves.

Julia and James just stood there in awkward silence. They both glanced around making small talk until James suggested,

“ Would you be kind enough to join me for a walk?” The words slipped his mouth without him even realizing they did.

“That was way too formal,” he thought to himself.

“ Yeah sure let's go,” said Julia maybe a little too eagerly grabbing her clutch from the table.

As they moved away from the group of people Julia’s heart began to race and she couldn’t hide her cheek-to-cheek smile.

“Oh my goodness!” Her inner teenager was screaming. “Is this a dream? Is this really happening?”

They headed towards the pool area that was overlooking the ocean. You couldn’t see much, it was pitch dark, but you could hear the sound of crashing waves and the howling wind blowing through the tall coconut trees. The sounds from the party slowly faded in the background as they wandered further and further away from the reception hall.

For the first few steps there was silence. Both of them trying to compose themselves. The silence was awkward, but so much time had passed since they had last seen each other they almost felt like strangers.

The cool ocean breeze blew in their direction, Julia felt a slight chill go through her body. Her teeth chattered and goosebumps formed on her soft skin. James looked down at her and noticed that she was shivering.

“Are you feeling cold?” He asked her. The perfect question to break the ice.

“It’s a bit chilly out here tonight and I guess what I am wearing doesn’t help at all,” Julia said rolling her eyes as her body trembled.

“Here, this should keep you warm.” James took his tux jacket off and put it around her shoulders.

“Ah thanks,” Julia said melting into his jacket.

She was overwhelmed by his evocative aroma. It brought back a wave of memories.

“He still smells the same,” she thought to herself and smiled. Hoping he didn’t notice her sniffing his jacket.

“Did you enjoy the wedding?” asked James trying to continue the conversation.

“It was so so beautiful. I cannot believe they are finally married,” She chuckled.

“ Yeah, I know me too. Finally! Never thought this day would ever come,” he joked.

“How’s work? What do you do these days?” Julia asked him.

“ Well, I have my own business that I started a few years ago.”

“What business are you into?” She didn’t want to seem rude but it almost felt like he wanted her to ask him.

“I am part of a little business group. We are involved in hunting game meat those kinds of things. But I am looking to move up the ladder to a management position. I feel I have so much more to offer. So hopefully I will be promoted. What about you? I have seen you a couple of times on the newspapers and television commenting on cases and stuff. Is it wrong to assume you're a lawyer?” He asked her.

“Yes I am a lawyer, specifically for the District Attorney’s office,” she couldn’t help but grin at the idea that he has been keeping an eye out for her. She didn’t think he would have even cared, it had not crossed her mind at all.

“Oh, so you were following me in the media I see,” Julia said jokingly.

“Well yeah, it helped me know that you were still alive i guess.”

They strolled around the hotel catching up on each other's life.

The conversation flowed very easily almost as if they just saw each other a month ago. They laughed at his random jokes and eventually managed to do at least 4 rounds of the hotel until they decided to go down to the beach. She was a little hesitant about going to the beach at night, in the pitch dark.

“It's not a full moon tonight, thank goodness,” James thought to himself.

“What if there are crabs on the beach or a shark or something?”

“A shark? On land? I’m not asking you to get into the water,” James said to her and burst out laughing.

“You didn’t change one bit, you are still so scared of everything,” James joked.

Eventually, she got the courage to go down there. She was very nervous but after some time she relaxed a little. Every tiny little movement in the sand she almost jumped onto James like a child. James found this hilarious but secretly enjoyed feeling her body brush against his. Despite her fears, Julia looked around briefly. It was a very beautiful night. The bright, white crescent moon hung in the sky, full and hazy beneath the cap of light clouds. Its light made the ocean glitter as it hit its surface. Julia noticed the way the light reflected in James eyes, this woke a flame inside her that he put out the day he left her. When he felt her looking at him she quickly turned her head. But he felt her gaze and knew she was looking at him. The sea was spectacular that night and the sound of the light waves rolling against the shore was mesmerizing. The air had a briny smell which was accompanied by warm moisture. The setting was very unintentionally romantic.

From time to time they would lock eyes and break away and carry on the conversation.

“I never took you for someone interested in blondes. How long have you been dating her?” Julia asked curiously.

“Wow, you’re quite inquisitive.” Said, James.

“I am not trying to be nosy. Just asking,” Julia was red in embarrassment, she never meant for the questions to come out sounding like she was desperate to know what was going on in his life.

“Well we are engaged at the moment,” James sighed.

Julia had a look of confusion on her face with a hint of happiness which was clearly fake.

“Yes, yes Julia I know that ‘what-the-f**k’ face that you pull, it's still the same as it used to be when we were together.” Said James.

“But at the moment I am struggling, things are not going so well I don’t know how we can be getting married when our relationship is so messed up.” He sighed running his hands through his hair.

Yes, I saw you two arguing before she left the reception,” Julia stopped herself from carrying on she didn’t want him to think she was watching him the whole time.

“But enough about my boring marital stories, what about you?” James asked.

“Me? No, there Is nothing much to tell. As we speak I’m with no one. Well, I am with someone but we are on a break. It is very complicated.” She said.

“But not as complicated as your life. Yours is 100% more complicated,” she said to him and they laughed.

“Do you remember that time you organized that picnic in Central Park and you organized a boat ride? Julia asked James while laughing hysterically.

“You were trying to be so romantic. I don’t know what happened but the boat ended up capsizing and we both found ourselves in the Lake.” She said.

James was also laughing, “It was so funny yet so embarrassing at the same time. I was just trying so hard to impress you with the boating skills that I thought if I rowed standing as they do in Venice I would look like I knew what I was doing. Turns out I did not balance the weight and you ended up in the water, sorry again for that.”

“No worries I forgave you long ago. We had to take such a long shower to scrub all the dirt off from that Bacterial infested lake.”

“I remember that shower,” James said to her and gave a childish wink. Julia nudged his arm and their eyes met for a split second. She felt a rush of intense craving go through her body. There was huge noise coming from the distance and it snapped them out of it.

It was getting late. The wedding party was over and all wedding guests were in their rooms. The bar was closed and workers were just cleaning up before the end of their shift. They finally decided to call it a night.

“What room are you in?” Julia asked James looking across at his keycard.

“Oooo why do you want to know?” James joked.

“Don’t be childish. I just wanted to know the distance we each had to walk back to our own rooms.” She said making it obvious they were not going in the same direction.

“I am in 209. So it's all the way this way,” He gestured in that direction.

“I am in 106 in the complete opposite direction and if my memory is correct it is way further than your room.” She started looking for her keycard in her clutch bag. She began taking off his Jacket.

“No keep it on, it’s a long-distance to walk back, I will just get it from you tomorrow.” He did this simply to give him an excuse to see her tomorrow.

“I know this might sound crazy but I really missed you, Julia,” he said.

She was going to say the same thing to him but she had to pause and think about the next thing that would come out of her mouth. She didn’t want to show him how much she missed him. That she thought of him all the time, that she secretly looked at pictures of the two of them and would have tears in her eyes up until recently. She didn’t want him to know she was still wearing the grey t-shirt that she had borrowed from him when they went on a camping trip, or that she still slept on the other side of the bed out of habit because he told her that that is her side.

“Then why didn’t you call me?” She said as they both stood at the steps that lead back to the hotel.

“You could have called me all those years ago James, I would have answered.”