Danger Zone

Chapter 4: "Brand New Toy"

"So, how did the date go?" Nora asked Jules the next day.
"Man's obviously got a huge crush", she replied with a chuckle. Nora raised an eyebrow. "On my Fireblade, you silly!"
"And what about you?"
"All quiet on the Jules Front." She looked at her friend. "I definitely don't want to burn my fingers here. As charming as he is, he'll stay put outside my inner periphery. You know how much of a red flag he is!"
"Good." Nora, however, had an inkling that her friend wasn't going to be immune forever against the legendary Tom Cruise Charm, and she'd be damned if Jules wasn't going to have a crush on him as well in the long run. Red flag or no. But that was where she'd swoop in and save Jules. She was firm in protecting her best friend from the claws of Scientology, and if she had to sacrifice herself for it – Jules was not to be reeled in. That she vowed.
"You know, just because I am working for him now, it doesn't mean I will agree on any of his shenanigans whatsoever. Plus, you know my Rule Number One!"
Nora looked at her: "My ass! Rules are there to be broken!"
"Oh puh-lease!" Both had to laugh out loud at their banter.

"When did you say he'd go back home to the US again?"
"Tomorrow", Jules said. "And no, there is nothing else planned for the time being. I will be splitting my life between his home and mine, doing remote stuff as well as all kind of other PR stuff."
Nora didn't like the part about Jules having to travel to the US again or wherever else Tom needed her several times a year, because that also meant that she didn't have that close of an eye on her as opposed to here in Berlin. Not because she was jealous, but because she was really concerned. That whole Scientology mess was a bit too much for her liking, and with Jules having to be that close to Tom and his cult buddies, she could only hope that Jules was strong enough. So far, Tom had reeled all but one of his ex wives in, he had split with another publicist who had enough of him passionately advertising the church, and Nora wasn't going to lose Jules to them as well.
Jules noticed how her friend's brain was working overtime at this point. "What is it, Nora?"
"I am just worried that, you know, he could make you ..."
"Join Scientology? Nora, I'll hightail out of it the moment he only thinks of doing so!"
"Promise?"
"By my fucking life."

It was time for Lee Anne and Tom to fly back home to the US. On the plane, Tom kept looking out of the window, lost in his thoughts and with a hint of melancholy on his face. His sister watched him closely for a bit, and then dropped the bomb on him: "Tom, I will ask you again – are you in love with Jules?"
"Nope", he mumbled. "I just like her as a person. That is all." He still didn't mention how she had managed to look right into the depths of his soul. No one, not even his sister, needed to know about that. If only I could read her like that, too ... But the guard she had built up around her made it hard to. He sensed that she must've been terribly hurt, and everything she did, her sarcasm, her sass, her tough girl appearance, was just to protect herself. He hoped that one day, he'd be able to get through her armor. He sighed and fell asleep.

Shortly after the plane had landed, Tom waited for a moment, until his sister was busy with something else, and sent a message across the Atlantic.

"Back on US soil. Hope I'll see you soon.
- Tom"

Jules's blue phone buzzed. Nora looked questioningly at her. "Don't tell me he has your private number..!?"
"Who knows?" Jules replied with a sassy grin.
"So much for your Rule Number One."
"Says who?" She chuckled. "Real talk, Nora – I do not have any feelings for him. Honestly. I like being around him, yes, but that's about it."
"Okay then ..." Nora's inkling that her friend could fall for him got more intense. She knew Jules inside and out, she could read her face even when she was guarded. "Are you, like, REALLY sure?"
Jules nodded. "Don't you worry about that, Nora."

"Thanks for letting me know. I'm all yours!" she replied to Tom.
He grinned when he read her message and wrote back immediately: "Well, I do have to share you with Nora, though!"