Nothing Feels Like You

Chapter 12: She's Back

The girls stood by the lifeless body of Julianna, all of them crying their eyes out. Riley held on to Julianna's small hand and kissed it, tears flowing out of her eyes.

"Hey Jules, it's me Rye." Riley started, "I met you when I was five, and you were four. I remember myself looking at you and telling myself 'I want to spend the rest of my life with that beautiful girl'" Riley chuckled.

"I didn't know what love feels like then, all I know is you, Jules, taught me what is love." Riley continued, "Well, actually, more than that. I fell in love. With you." She adds.

"I don't know where you are right now, but I know you're far away from me, from the girls. And the fact that I'll never get to see your beautiful eyes, hear your beautiful voice and kiss your lips again kills me. I love you Jules." She sobs, grabbing Julianna's shoulders, "Will you tell me that you love me too? Wake up Jules, wake up." She said shaking Julianna violently, causing the other girls to hold her, "Stop sleeping Jules. Please."

"She's gone Ri, there's nothing you can do." Charlie mutters, "Tahani bring her home."

"O...okay." Tahani replied and pulled Riley into her side before driving her home.

It's been seven days since the incident, seven days since they left the hospital, and seven days since Riley had a good night sleep.

The feeling without Julianna by her side is just foreign to her, it felt weird, it felt wrong. All she wants is to have Julianna back in her arms, snoring lightly as she stared at the beautiful angelic face in the dimly lighted dark.

"Ri?" Tahani whispered lightly to the green eyed sitting on the balcony.

"Yes?"

"Can we talk?"

"Okay." Riley nodded and moved aside for Tahani to sit down.

"Will you give me a change to date you? Please?" Tahani begged, "I'll treat you like a princess, I'll fix you. I promise."

"Yeah." Riley replied without hesitation.

"Really?" Tahani widened her eyes, "What about Ca-"

"She's dead. She's gone. There's nothing I can do." Riley said cutting Tahani off, "Tomorrow night?"

"Sure! Thanks Ri!" She squealed kissing the girl on the cheek. 

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"You look beautiful Ri." Tahani said, opening the door of the car for Riley.

"Thanks! You too T." Riley replied, placing a kiss on Tahani's cheek.

They walked silently on the beach, the only thing that could be heard we're the crashing of waves against the sand and the rustling of palm trees. Tahani smiled to herself as she reached out for Riley's hand, slowly interlacing them together.

"Riley..." Tahani whispers gently, looking into Riley's eyes, "I like you a lot, you know that?" She said, leaning in.

Their lips connected, moving slowly together. Riley wrapped her arms around the neck of Tahani and pulled her in.

"Riley?" A voice called out, causing the girls to stop their kiss.

"S..Skylar? What are you doing here?" Riley asked breaking away from Tahani, "Is something wrong?"

"You've got to go home right now." Skylar said panting, "Tahani you too. Someone's waiting at home for you guys."

"Who?" Riley frowned, "Is it our parents?"

"No." Skylar replied starting the car, "You'll know when we arrive home."

Riley noticed the joy in Skylar's voice and knew that it must be someone special, like one of their parents or Simon, or probably Demi.

The girls jumped off the car and headed towards the house, Skylar bouncing slightly from excitement, "Ho to your room okay? We'll be downstairs if you need us."

"My room? Why?" Riley questioned.

"No questions Ri. Just go." Skylar demanded and pulled Tahani away into the living room.

"What's in Riley's room?" Tahani asked.

"It's not a 'what' T, it's a 'who'." Skylar corrected.

"Who is it?" Tahani asked again emphasizing the 'who'.

"You won't believe it." Skylar says before explaining everything to Tahani.

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"Uh hello?" Riley said opening the door of her bedroom, "Who's there?"

A familiar silhouette laid in the darkness on the bed, the body covered with the blanket. It appears to be a girl as Riley walked closer towards the bed, and when Riley could see the hair, she immediately recognized the girl as Julianna.

"J..Jules? Is that you?" Riley stuttered in disbelief.

"Hi Rye." The silhouette greeted sitting up, "I missed you."

"W..what? This can't be happening." Riley muttered, "You're dead!"

"I'm not Lo, I promise. Come here." Julianna said, "You don't expect a patient to walk over do you?" Julianna chuckled.

"Jules..." Riley mumbled plunging into the smaller girls arms, taking in and embracing Julianna's features once again.

It has been a long time and Riley was so worried about losing her memories of Julianna. She was sure that she's losing them, and that the memories are only hanging on by the edge. Now, all she needs to do it relive them, and pull them back onto scar grounds.

"Riley, listen to me yeah?" Julianna asked, pulling the sobbing girl into her arms.

Riley nodded and snuggles further into the younger girl, listening to her heart beat, making sure that she isn't dreaming.

"All the doctors said that this is a miracle, that me coming back alive is almost like sorcery. They've never seen anything like this." Julianna explained, "They were about to pull off my cables when you girls left but my heart started beating again and my breathing went back to normal. They wanted to make sure that I'm alive first before contacting you guys. I woke up five days after from a coma but they only called today because they wanted sometime to research on my miracle."

"I thought I had lost you forever baby. I thought that I'll never feel your touch, the feeling of your lips on mine or your voice again. And it killed me so much." Riley admitted, "To the extend where I agreed to go on a date with Tahani, though I know I still love you."

"You agreed to go on a date with Tahani?"

"Y..yeah. And we k..kissed." Riley confessed, "But it meant nothing to me. I promise. I imagined that you were the one kissing me but I couldn't, cause it just wasn't you Jules. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not." Julianna replied, running her hair through Riley's thick locks, "We should both get some sleep now, it's late. I love you."

"I love you too babe." Riley replied placing a kiss on Julianna's lips, before wrapping her arms around the small waist of the younger girl.

What they didn't know, was that Tahani had been on the other side of the door listening to their conversation, tearing up when she learnt that the kiss meant nothing to Riley.

Riley's eyes flutter open sleepily, yawning softly. She snuggled closer into Julianna's embrace, taking in the long missed scent of Julianna's hair. She can't believe Julianna is back in her arms, snoring lightly as she slept.

"You're so beautiful, do you know that?" Riley smiled, caressing the younger girl's cheek softly, "You're like my own personal morphine, you bring away my pain and replace it with joy and bliss. I'm addicted to you Jules and i never want to stop. Ever. You're everything to me."

"You're everything to me too." Julianna replied in an audible whisper with her eyes still closed, "You're basically my everything Rye." Julianna grinned sleepily from her slumber, "I'm sorry the roses that I bought never got to you." She pouted.

"They did actually." Riley said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It was found at the scene of the accident and there was a card attached to the flowers addressed to me."

The girls held back Riley as she screamed and wept over Julianna's lifeless body. The doctor walked over with a bouquet of roses stained blood red, with a crumbled card attached to it, "This was found on the accident scene beside the victim. It's addressed to Riley."

Riley held out her hands and they trembled as she grabbed the roses before walking out of the room as she read the card.

To my dearest Rye,

Hey babe! I'm really missing you today. Just a fact - I love you more and more each second. ((Sorry, I'm getting a little mushy here. But I know you still love me(;)) You are the most gorgeous girl in the whole world, the most desired and hopefully the most loved one. No matter what happens and how long we will still have to be apart, you will always be in my heart. ((I know, I know, you must be thinking that it has only been a day but I missed you so much I tripped over myself during dance class three times thinking about you))

To miss someone is something you can't explain; and being a painful consequence of love, it may even be harder to describe than love itself...

To miss someone is the desire to be close, to see and touch the other person. It's a wish to repeat certain moments, to relive situations that uplifted our souls. And you know how much your presence has always calmed and, at the same time, cheered my body and soul.

I needed to tell how much I am missing you today and how good it would make me feel to have your skin close to mine, to hold hands, to feel you breath and to look into your eyes. I miss the simple things... Yet, simple as they may be, they can only come true when you are near.

I love you baby 

- Jules

Looking at Julianna's messy handwriting, Riley knew that Julianna was in a rush to go home, to see her. She blames herself for what had happened, though it wasn't really her fault. With the card in her hand and the bouquet with the other, Riley proceeded back home, driving in silence. The silence which Julianna's voice used to fill.

"Oh." Julianna replied, "Well, I guess I better buy -"

"What's more important now," Riley cuts Julianna off, "Is for you to recover, so that we can move on with our lives, and chase our dreams. And no Jules, I didn't mean that you're a burden to us, it's just that you're not in the right condition to work right now, and the answer is no again Martinez, no going back to work until you recover fully." Riley says before Julianna could voice her opinion, making the brown eyes girl pout.

"Okay." Julianna sighs. 

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"T, will you help me down the stairs?" Julianna asked Tahani who was walking past below the staircase, "I'm still a little wobbly and unstable." She chuckled.

"Why don't you ask that little girlfriend of yours to help you? Has she dumped you already?" Tahani said with sacarsm, the smile on Julianna's face faded away, "That's fast."

"Come on Tahani, don't be mad at me." Julianna muttered, "You know that kiss meant nothing to Riley. You can't force love."

"I didn't force the kiss on her!" The tall girl growled, "She kissed back, everything was so perfect! With you gone and her with me on the beach. Just us! You had to ruin it didn't you?" She seethes, grabbing Julianna by the collar, making her lose balance.

"I didn't mean it that way Tahani. I know she kissed you, but you can't force her to love you." Julianna explained.

"I'll make sure you die this time I throw you down the stairs." Tahani threatened, pushing the Cuban against the railings.

"Tahani, please just let it go." Julianna pleaded, tears brimming at her eyes, "This isn't you."

Tahani's gaze seemed to soften at those words and she loosen her grip on Julianna, bringing her back onto the safer side of the stairs, "I'm sorry."

"Tahani!" Riley's booming voice resonated around the house, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"It's nothing Riley, just a small misunderstanding." Julianna replied, not wanting to blow up the matter.

"I saw you pushing her against the railing Tahani, what were you trying to do?" Riley hissed, pulling Julianna into her arms protectively.

"I was jealous okay? Jealous that you love her, and not me alright?" Tahani answered, tears rolling down her cheeks, "That she gets to cuddle you every night, t..that she g..gets to k..kiss you and c..call you h..hers." Tahani sobbed.

"Tahani..." Riley mumbled, "I'm so sorry, but I'm not the right girls for you. I promise you Tahani, that you'll find the one for you one day." Riley said engulfing the girl in a hug.

"T..thank you." Tahani managed to say in between sobs.