“I was just curious. Goodnight.”
Liz smiled. “Goodnight, Sweetie.”
Julius was sitting on Quill’s bed with his elbows on his knees when Quill opened the door and locked it behind her. She pushed him to his back and he wrapped her in his arms. They had a lot of talking to do. They both knew it, but at that given moment, they only cared that they were together.
“How’d you get in here?” Quill asked, adjusting her body to his side while she kept her hand on his chest with his covering hers.
“Quill, I’m a Chavez,” he grinned. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. You’ve been here all along?”
“Yes, you never told me what you were doing at that junkyard so much. Are you smoking weed, Quill?”
“What? Why would you ask that?” she feigned ignorance.
“I could smell it.”
“You were there? That close?”
“Yes. I don’t want you going there anymore, Quill.”
“They’re not bad people, Julius. They don’t do anything but smoke a little. I like it. It relaxes me.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t want you doing drugs, Quill. I mean it. No more weed.”
“Do you really think weed is a drug? Come on, Julius.”
“It is a drug. It is illegal, and I don’t want you doing it. Promise me.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, Julius. I’m not going to promise you that. I am not addicted to weed. I only smoke it when I am stressed out. It helps. It doesn’t hurt anyone or anything.”
“I’m too in love with you, and missed you too much to fight about this right now, but, this conversation is not over.”
“What are we going to do, Julius?”
Julius didn’t answer. He kissed her. He didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t want to mess up the relationship she had with her family. They would never accept him. He knew that. She knew that, and nothing would change that fact.
Quill ran her hands up his strong chest and tried to unbuckle the belt to the erection she could feel on her hip. Julius stopped her.
“What are you doing? I’m not doing this in your mother’s house.”
“Yes, you are. She’s down stairs. She won’t come up here.”
Julius laughed at her. “You are a crazy girl, and no, I am not touching you here,” he demanded. “I’ve got to get out of here,” he assured her, sitting up. He did have to get out of there.
“What do you mean you have to get out of here? Where are you going to go? I want you to stay.”
“I can’t stay here, Quill. I’m not about to take that chance. Can you get away tomorrow?”
“Maybe, I don’t know. My mom thinks Sundays are family day. You know, homework, dinner together and then we usually watch television and eat popcorn or something.”
Julius smiled. “I’m glad things are good with you and your family.”
“Yeah, me too, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re not leaving me again. EVER.”
“Neither one of your parents nor your best friend are ever going to accept me, you know that, Quill.”
“Then I will keep you hidden in my closet or something,” she teased, pulling herself across his lap.
He smiled up at her and softly kissed her lips. “I’ll live in your closet.”
“Get in there,” she demanded with a smile.
“Give me your cell number. I’ll text you and see if you can get away tomorrow.”
“But, I don’t want you to leave.”
“I have to, baby.”
“Promise me you won’t disappear.”
“I promise.”
“Quill?” Liz questioned at breakfast.
“Uh?” Quill answered, looking up from the untouched bowl of oatmeal.
“I asked you if you got your paper done last night. You okay?”
Shit. She forgot about the paper.
“Oh, it’s almost done. Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You seem distracted this morning. Anything you want to talk about?”
“No. I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“You’re not sick, are you?”
“No, mom I’m fine.”
“Do you want to run after your sister for me?”
“Yeah, sure, is it okay if I don’t eat this? I’m not really hungry.”
Liz smiled. “You don’t have to eat.”
“When do you want me to get Reese?” Quill asked, standing from the table.
“I’ll call her. Knowing Reese, she’s still in bed.”
Liz cleaned up the dishes, tidied the house and planned her Sunday diner. She was sitting at the kitchen table writing out bills when she heard the flute. Aquilla still amazed her. She never did like the flute. Her sister drove her crazy with it when they were growing up, but Quill, there was just something magical about the way she played it. She could literally melt your heart with her melodramatic tunes. She sat in a daze, staring blankly at the floor in front of her until her trance was broken by the sudden silenced flute.
“Hi,” Quill answered her phone.
“Good morning. Can you get away?” Julius asked, hoping like hell she could.
“I haven’t asked yet, but I will. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?”
“Just go for a walk around seven. Walk down that dirt road to that dirt track and I will pick you up.”
“Okay, I have to run after my sister, and eat dinner with my family and then I’ll leave. I’ll text you.”
“Quill?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Quill smiled. “I love you too, Julius. I’m glad you didn’t leave.”
“Geesh, Quill. Are you starving?” Reese asked, as she shoved mashed potatoes in her mouth, scooping up corn with it.
“No. I’m just in a hurry. I’m going over to Whisper’s to work on a paper.”
“It’s your turn to clean up the dishes, and you said you would help me with my geometry,” Reese complained.
“If you trade me days and clean up the kitchen, I will help you when I get back,” Quill countered.
Reese took a deep breath, giving in. “Fine.”
Liz was disappointed, but didn’t say anything. She loved Sundays with her girls. It seemed like the only day they were all able to spend the entire day together. Oh well, she had papers to grade anyway. Maybe they could still watch the movie that she had rented later.
Quill texted Julius and told him to meet her at a nearby grocery store. It was too cold to walk anyway. Her mother wouldn’t buy it or she would at least complain about her catching a cold or something. It was better just to leave her mom’s car in the parking lot for a while.
“Brrr, take me back to the island,” Quill said, sliding into Julius’s car, and wondering where the hell he got a car.
“I would love to take you back to the island. Kiss me,” he smiled, happy to see her.
Quill smiled and kissed him, really kissed him, shoving her tongue down his throat, and pressing her body to his. Julius moaned in her mouth.
“Jesus, Quill,” he said, pulling away.
She laughed. “Take me somewhere that you can fuck me.”
“Stop talking like that. I don’t want to fuck you. I want to make love to you.”
“Fine, I guess I will settle for that,” she teasingly whined, moving to her side of the car so he could drive.
Julius only drove a couple of miles down the road and pulled into a driveway of a small house in a middle class neighborhood.
Quill looked at him confused. “Who lives here, Julius?”
“I do. I rented it a couple weeks ago, but I haven’t really had the chance to furnish it yet. I didn’t know how long you would want me here.”
“I want you forever and ever and ever and ever and—.”
“Okay,” he laughed, “I get it.”