Danger Zone

Chapter 7: "Waiting For A Star To Fall"

Jules woke up in her new surroundings for the first time. She stretched and looked around for a moment. It still felt like a dream to her. Bit by bit she got up and went to look for Tom. Whom she didn't have to search for very long, as he was rummaging around in the spacious kitchen. "Morning", she greeted him.
Tom looked up: "Hey! Hope you slept well?"
"Like a baby", she replied. Their eyes met again and Jules held his gaze.
Those eyes ... he thought once again. And realized at the same time how she had done it again – that look into his inner world. "Jules ..." he began.
"Yes Sir?" she said with a grin.
"That was the second time that ..." Tom went silent.
"The second time what?" She raised an eyebrow. What on Earth is going on here?
"I ... it's just ..." He wasn't sure how to say it. "Your eyes", he finally admitted.
"What about them?"
"I know, you ..." He paused. "Well, they are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."
Jules felt how she turned red in her face. "Tom ..." she muttered and looked down. But at least, that one wasn't going to be between them anymore.
I really don't know what she's doing to me, but I like it. He tilted his head and watched her for a bit, as she was trying to find her composure again.
Jules finally looked up again. "Thanks," she mumbled with a faint smile. Speaking of ... "Your smile isn't exactly unpretty, either." Fuck. Watch out, Jules! Maybe Nora was right in the end, and she and Tom were really flirting with each other.

"I am still not over that flip yesterday", he said with a chuckle.
Jules grinned. "Told ya – I am not your average person!"
"And I love that about you." The moment he had blurted that out, he wanted to kick himself for it. A flirt with her shouldn't be on the agenda, and yet ...
"Nah, don't worry. It's okay. I get to hear that a lot", she said, somewhat fibbing around it. It was true that former clients had praised her for her work ethic, her sense of humor even in stressful situations, but also for her authenticity. She loved being the oddball, but at the same time could also be driven and ambitious, without ever losing sight of warning signs that she might switch into overdrive. She looked at Tom. "Are you flirting with me, Mister?"
This time it was her who had caught him on the wrong foot. He almost choked on his breakfast. Careful, Tom! She has a history with something you wholeheartedly disagree with, and yet ...here you are. 
Jules giggled quietly. "So – are you?" Dead serious.
"Truth be told, I do like you. But if there's more? I don't know." That was the best he could give as an answer. He needed to be wary as Jules had something about her which he felt extremely drawn to. Not just her eyes which he loved to get lost in. For the first time since he had met her, he had to realize that she could bit by bit sneak her way into his heart indeed. And he didn't want that to happen.
Jules meanwhile was somewhat satisfied with his answer. For her, he was out of the question in regards to feelings, anyway. Rule Number One, and she was sticking to that. No matter what Nora had teased her with. While she enjoyed spending time with him, he was a client. And a very high profile one, at that. Playing with fire was fun, but only to a certain extent. With Tom, she would not just burn her fingers, but her entire self. Something she knew she wasn't ready for at all.

Little did she know at that point how drastically her life would change in the course of the weeks they got to know each other.

During her stay at SkyView, closer to Tom than she had ever imagined in her life, she also decided to play it safe in regards to Scientology. She knew it was a touchy subject, and the last thing she needed was instigating some kind of disagreement about it. Yes, it felt strange to her to be surrounded by it on a daily basis, even more so when someone from the "church" visited. Jules usually played the watcher in those cases. As in, she answered questions when asked, but overall remained as impartial as she could. "Nooooraaaaaa, get me outta here!!!" she texted her friend one day, when she was in her room.
"That bad?"
"Thankfully, I have some stuff with me to occupy myself with, but I can totally see first hand how the brainwashing works here."
"Please don't tell me they ...!?" Nora was immediately alerted.
"No. Fucking. Chance. I know that at some point, this will eventually be between me and Tom forever, but for the time being, he leaves me alone with it. As in, he gives me the freedom to withdraw here into my den should it be too much."
"Good." Nora breathed a sigh of relief. She knew how stubborn Jules could be, and she hoped that the sect would have no chance to reel her in. No matter how charismatic Tom was or wasn't. She was basically on stand-by to pry her friend free from the claws. "And ...your heart?"
Jules chuckled. "Don't worry about that. It's safe." She didn't tell her friend that Tom had flirted with her for a bit, and she had kind of returned the favor.