͏͏͏͏b͏͏r͏͏i͏͏g͏͏h͏͏t ͏͏t͏͏o͏͏g͏͏e͏͏t͏͏h͏͏e͏͏r

008. make a move

"Flynn!" Julie exclaimed.

Luke was left speechless. If Julie really did have feelings for him...

Seconds later, Nick walked up to the table. "Uh, hey guys." He looked at Julie. "I was just wondering if I could talk to you about tonight really fast."

Julie winced. "Uh... sure!" She said, faking a smile, but eager to get away from the awkward silence at the lunch table.

"Wait, Jules, can I talk to you for a sec first?" asked Luke.

She forced another smile. "Maybe later. I'm... a little busy right now."

***

Julie had refused to talk to Luke about what Flynn said at the lunch table and had been avoiding him the rest of the day. Even hours later, Julie was in awe of what Flynn had said. She still believed it wasn't the right time to start dating Luke.

After she had gotten ready for her first date with Nick, she heard someone knock on her bedroom door. "Who is it?" Julie called.

"It's me," Luke's voice called back from the other side of the door. "Can we talk?"

"Maybe after I get back," Julie called in return. "Nick should be here soon."

Luke sighed. "Julie--"

"Move, move, move, move!" Flynn exclaimed, shooing him out of the way. "I've gotta see my girl before she goes out with Nick!"

Julie turned back around from her mirror to face Flynn. "Hey..."

"Look, Jules," said Flynn, "I'm sorry about what I said at the lunch table this morning, but you and Luke seriously need to figure things out! You're going on a date with Nick when you're totally in love with another guy! It's crazy!"

Julie nodded anxiously. "Yeah, I know. I just... don't want things to get messed up with Luke. If something really bad happens, it could mean the end of the band."

Flynn let out a passionate hmph. "That still doesn't fix the whole Nick issue. After what Alex said at lunch, maybe you shouldn't be going out with him after all. You know, if it is actually that creepy Caleb guy."

"Julie, can I please come in?" Luke begged from outside the door.

"Crap," Julie muttered under her breath. She hadn't realized Luke was still there... probably listening to their entire conversation. "No, Luke, I'm talking to Flynn," She hollered back.

Flynn stomped over to the door, cracked it open, and told Luke, "Go away. Julie doesn't want to talk to you right now, and we're in the middle of a conversation! Seriously! Hasn't she ever mentioned boundaries to you?!"

Luke gave a hopeful smile. "Yeah. And speaking about boundaries, I came to talk to Julie first... so maybe I should be in there talking to her instead of you."

Flynn's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Excuse me?! Julie has been my best friend forever, and just because she likes you, doesn't mean you get top priority, Lucas!"

Luke shrugged and backed away. "Sorry. Uhm, I'm gonna leave now," He said before poofing back into the studio.

Flynn shut the door and turned back to Julie. "Wow, Jules. That guy really is crazy about you."

Julie shrugged. "Luke's just crazy in general."

Seconds later, the doorbell rang. "Oh!" Flynn. "I think I know who that is!" She said with an insinuating smirk.

"Yay," Julie said with sarcastic enthusiasm. "Right on time."

***

"Uh, hi, Julie," Nick said as she opened the door. "These are for you," he told her, handing her a bouquet of white pansies.

Julie smiled "Aw, thanks, Nick. That's really sweet of you."

She quickly set them down on the kitchen island and went back to the front door. "You ready to go?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, of course. Tonight's gonna be awesome."

"Don't be out too late!" Flynn called from the inside stairs. "And remember, don't do anything stupid you'll regret later!"

"I'm going to regret this entire night later," Julie mumbled under her breath.

"Did you say something?" Nick asked.

Julie shook her head and forced a fake smile. "No! Nothing at all! So, uh, where are you taking me?"

She saw a flicker of something... devious looking in his eyes. "You'll see, Julie. You'll see."