Lady Midnight

Chapter 28

Julian's P.O.V.

Jules couldn't handle it anymore. He needed to see Emma. He couldn't sleep the entire night. He lay in bed with his eyes wide open staring at the ceiling.

He turned and looked at the picture of him and Emma when they were at the beach. This always helped Julian fall asleep at night, except now. Now, the picture just reminded him that Emma was in the infirmary trying to recover from nearly dying.

The thoughts of her not being his Parabatai anymore clouded his mind. It was a bittersweet feeling. They were no longer linked as they always were when they fought alongside each other. Though, they could be together now that it was not against the law.

He tried to fall asleep by reading, but he couldn't focus on the plot. He tried to sketch a picture, but it ended up being a picture of Emma. He even resorted to counting sheep. That just succeeded in making him bored out of his mind, but not making him tired.

His alarm clock was on the table beside him. It read that it was 5 in the morning. Jules let out a huff of frustration. He was never going to fall asleep.

He rolled out of bed and got up. He rubbed his eyes; he would probably look like a raccoon for the rest of the day. Julian trudged all the way to his bathroom. A hot shower would clear his mind.

He got dressed in a gray v-neck t-shirt and some blue jeans that had a few splatters of paint on them. There was never an article of clothing that he owned that did not have some type of paint staining it. Finally, he put on a jacket.

His hair was still damp from his shower when he stepped out of his room. Another person that he always knew was up at this time was Mark. Julian walked down the hall to Mark's room. He knocked twice and opened the door. 

Mark was lying in his bed, staring into space. Julian knew a daydreaming look when he sees one. Emma used to always daydream while they were in their lessons.

Jules crept up to Mark's side and knelt down. He yelled, "DEMON!" Mark jumped up from his bed, but his feet got tangled in his sheets. He fell off of the bed and just barely managed to twist his body so that he didn't face plant into the hardwood floor.

When he managed to get the blankets off of him, he didn't seem angry. He was laughing. "That was hilarious!" Mark was clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground while he laughed.

That was unusual. Julian said, "Mark. What's got you in such a good mood?" Mark stopped laughing, but lay on the ground and was smiling like he was drunk. "I kissed a girl," admitted Mark. This was the first time he ever heard of Mark kissing anyone. "Really? Who?" asked Jules.

"Emma."

That was surprising. Julian couldn't say that this scenario was out of the question. He remembered how when they were younger, he would sometimes catch Emma staring at Mark. He would ask her why she was staring at him and she would always deny it. He thought nothing of it at the time.

Jules nearly choked, "um. Are you sure it was Emma?"

"Of course it was. She was the one who kissed me," said Mark. Jules ran his fingers through his hair. Emma was always braver than most people. If she liked someone, she would just tell them and see if they reject her or not. She has never been rejected, not once.

Emma was the one who started the kiss.

She liked Mark.

Mark picked himself up off of the ground and sat on his bed. He eyed Jules curiously, "this must be a weird subject for you."