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chapter I

Currently.

Sophia

"Julian!", I called out from the living room. I heard his distante voice answer from the kitchen. He had gone there to do two sandwiches for us, leaving me in front of his frozen TV for what felt like three years now. "What's taking you so long?"

He appeared on the door, leaning on its frame with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "I ran out of ham."

"That doesn't explain why you took like a decade in there." I said, deserving me a roll of eyes in responce.

"Exagerated, as always."

"Like you love me less for it." I showed him my tongue, which he replied with a grimance of his own.

He came to sit beside me and grabbed his Play Station control. I would grab mine if his dog wasn't sleeping on it.

"Humm... Jules? I can't continue the game."

"Why?" He looked at me with a frown. I eyed his dog sleeping on my left so he could see the reason. He followed my gaze and his eyes humored me.

"Are you serious? Just wake her up."

"I won't do that. Look how she's sleeping."

"Soph, she'll probably just go back to sleep not even one minute after." I hated when he talked with mockery painting his voice.

"Would you like to be in your lane, sleeping, and someone wakes you up just because of some stupid control?" I narrowed my eyes at him. He laughed at that and reached his hand to his dog, taking the control from under her and handing it to me. She didn't even move.

"See? She doesn't give a damn about shit when she's sleeping." My guts told me to punch his smirking face, but I couldn't since that would hurt me more than him. "Or are you just scared to lose against me?"

"Pff! Please... Like you didn't just lose all the previous rounds already." Now it was his turn to narrow his dark eyes at me, but never taking that smirk on the corner of his mouth.

"Let's ignore the fact that I let you win. It's called 'chivalry', babe." He winked at me and laughed when I hit his arm in a playful way.

"Don't 'babe' me! I don't need your piety. I'm gonna beat you ass this next round, and there is nothing you can do about it." I said with my chin raised, challenging. He just released a guffaw and setted himself in his usual playing position.

"Bring. It. On."

I pressed start. It made the fifth round intro and then both our racing cars sped away, his slighly faster than mine. I could feel triumph emaning from his body, which irritated me, making me speed on full gas. I was able to come on top, but my reign didn't last long. After two seconds of me being on front, he managed to overtake by doing a perfect drift on a curve, in which I failed miserebly, and came up front. Oh, but I wasn't giving up that easily! You could say I'm a dirty player. I don't play by the rules, and he already knew that. When our cars, now side by side, reached the next curve, I messed with his hands so he couldn't do the drift that would make him arrive first to the finish line. He swore loudly, making me laugh diabolicaly as I crossed the ending line.

"And the winner is... SOPHIA!" I shouted in his face. "SOPHIA! SOPHIA! SOPHIA!-"

"You're a fucking cheater! That's unfair! You messed with my game!" He HATED losing. Especialy to a girl. He pushed me of his face, with me still laughing and repeating my name loudly, standing up like an hurricane and shutting the TV down. Then he just stud there, with a stoic expression on his face, arms crossed.

I got up from the couch and reached to him. It was obvious he was angry to the core, but I couldn't help mock him a little bit more.

"Ow, don't get mad. More oportunities will come and, who knows, you might even win some." Giggles where rising in my throat. I wasn't able to control them. He growled and took off to the kitchen.

What the fuck. It was just a game.

I followed him into the kitchen. He was leaning on the marble counter, smoking a cigarette. His image kind of matched the division. His kitchen was a modern black and white one, just like his clothes of the day. The division was lighted up by a large window decorated with white lace curtains that created funny shadows across the furniture and Julian.

"I thought you were done smoking." I said from the kitchen's entrance. He brought his eyes up to me, letting out some cigarette smoke trought his mouth.

"I only smoke when I get agitaded or irritaded." I knew it was true because I spent most of my time with him so I knew all his habits, but still couldn't turn down the disappointment I was feeling at the moment.

"You're aware that you are freaking mad over nothing, right?" I gave him the known 'what the fuck' look. "Really, Jules? Over a stupid game? It's not like I just stole your liver or something like that."

He gave up and smiled at that. He sighed, running his fingers throught his curly light hair and putting out his cigarette. "I'm sorry, you're right."

"I know I am." I walked over to where he was, leaning on the counter next to him. "This is not about the game, is it?"

He bent his head like he just got cought by his mom eating the cookies she told him not to.

"What are you hidding?" I tilted my head so I could find his eyes with mine.

He looked throught his lashes at me. His eyes cast sadness and... fear? Julian was afraid of something? He was never afraid of anything. He was the stronguest person I knew!

Apparently what they say about no one being able to be strong all the time is true.

For as long as I put up with him, I know for a fact that he's only afraid of one thing and one thing only...

"It's my dad, Soph. He's back."

****

Autch. His father can't be out so soon! What are they gonna do now?

And way to ruin a game afternoon, Jules...