Snow White In Distress | ᴛᴀᴇʜʏᴜɴɢ

13 | stitches & salvation

I bit my lip and looked nervously at Julia. She raised her eyebrow at me. I fidgeted with the cloth of the bedsheets in my grip. I muttered, "You knew I lied."

Julia took out a piece of cloth which had been previously wetted, and ever so slightly brushed my cut with it. I flinched and let out a groan, due to the pain. Julia pretended to be nonchalant and continued, however.

"Obviously, Olivia. I will know when my best friend is lying to me. It's not like I began seeing you from the other day. I've known you for long enough to know that you do not look into a person's eyes when you lie or that you are more fidgety than usual," Julia let out an exasperated sigh, as she explained. I nibbled on my lip nervously.

Julia covered my cut with a bandage and leaned back, supporting her body weight on her hands. She looked at me intently and asked again, "So, why?"

"It's hard to explain, Jules. It's like I crave him and yet, I don't. I know he shatters me but deep within, I believe he does so because he loves me. Maybe he's going through a hard time and to let it all out, he needs me. For everything in the world that could be possible, it's his way of showing me that he loves me," I tried explaining. Julia looked at me, understanding yet so done with me.

"That's one twisted way of showing a person that they love them, then," Julia remarked and leaned forward. Directing her gaze towards me, raptly, she continued, "I don't like you getting hurt. In fact, I hate it. End this venomous relationship you have with him, before it ends you, okay?"

She pushed herself back and got up. I looked up at her, wondering where she was headed to now. Julia smiled for the second time that night, after my arrival and said, "I'll be back soon. I'll grab some more cloth and ice for those bruises."

I smiled back and nodded. I looked towards my right and at the coffee table that was next to me. There stood a picture of Julia and I framed and my mind wandered of to those good old days.

Julia was young and passionate to start her café and I had moved into the province few months back. I had got into the Androsian National Hospital quite easily, to my surprise. The picture was snapped on one of those days where we lazed around after searching for a building or a room in a mall for the café. Julia had her head resting on my shoulder and I was pointing at something and laughing. We looked happy. The picture was bright and everything good resonated ten times more than ever at that point. Ben had clicked the picture and Isabella had stood next to him, laughing at us.

Gosh, I was so happy back then.

When did everything change? Beyond everything, why did everything have to change? Julia and I were still talking and she was still my partner in crime but there was this brisk uneasiness that was visible if one squinted their eyes.

If anything good had come out of this day, it was only the obvious acceptance of the fact that Xavier and I couldn't get along anymore. Moreover, I couldn't stay around him anymore. It physically and emotionally hurt and weakened me and I was too tired for anything extra.

Julia walked in with a hand full of pieces of clothes and a small cup filled with ice. She smiled and I figured that her anger had dissipated by then.

"What are you thinking about, Liv?" She asked as she took one of the pieces of cloth and put a cube of ice in it, only to cover the cube with the cloth.

"Everything," I maundered. "Everything that I called home."

Julia looked at me, apprehensively and pulled me closer towards her. She placed the clothed cube of ice on the visible bruises on my jaw and I winced loudly.

"Everything that stayed will stay if you want it to stay. Yes, changes have occurred. If you expected people to remain the same over the years, you're living a fantasy - a lie. I'll be here. Everyone you call a family will be here. They will root you and help you out, irrespective of anything and you need to know that," Julia told me as she pressed on my bruise.