Page 23 of Roses & Ruin

“Same!” I laugh, shaking my head. “I mean, not twenty-one. I turn nineteen.”

“Ah. You’re a November babe too.”

I feel a hot flush at the word babe, even though I know he doesn’t mean it like that.

“Yeah, yeah, I guess so.” I laugh.

“So, Rose.” He glances over. “Am I forgiven? Or do I need to beg?” Something about the way he drops his voice at the word beg sends a rush of heat down my neck. I swallow hard.

“I forgive you,” I say, a little breathless. Julian leans closer.

“Brilliant.” He reaches for me, and for one dizzying second, I have the craziest thought that he’s going to kiss me. But then he pulls back, holding the clean rag he grabbed from the pile behind me. I grab a clean rag, too, and busy myself with drying the paintbrushes so he won’t see the flame in my cheeks.

Did I really think that Julian would try and kiss me?

“You’ve got quite an eye for color, by the way. Especially for one so inexperienced.” He frowns a little. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d never painted before?” How does he know that? Off my look, he chuckles. “Your friend Delia might have let it slip last week. So why didn’t you?”

“Because I was embarrassed? Awkward?” I give him a tiny smirk. “Total rubbish?” I say, echoing his earlier words.

“Fair point,” he says warmly. Together, we carry the supplies back to the shelves. I suddenly realize something.

“Why were you here before eight a.m. on a Saturday?”

Julian shelves the last bit of paint and dusts his hands on his jeans.

“That’s another reason I was hoping we could be friends.” He raises a brow at me. “It’s nice to finally meet someone else who sleeps as poorly as I do.” Julian motions for me to follow him as he makes his way over to the desk. “Do you like tea? I’ve got a thermos of Earl Grey.”

“Sure,” I say, watching Julian with this new bit of information in mind. I can see it now, the shadows beneath his bright eyes, the slight drag in his steps. He unscrews the thermos, fills the cap, and hands it to me. Fragrant and steaming, it feels like holding a pocket of heat in my palms.

Or maybe it’s this new warmth blossoming in my chest from Julian’s apology, the camaraderie of a fellow insomniac, the crooked lift of his smile.

“So what’s your reason for shit sleep? Can I guess?” Julian leans back against his desk, crossing one leg over the other. “Let’s see…you can’t stop scrolling through Facebook Marketplace.”

“No.” I laugh. “Although Facebook Marketplace is ridiculously addictive.” I drop my eyes to my tea. “The truth is I don’t think I’ve ever had a single peaceful night of sleep in my entire life. I get nightmares. Bad ones.”

Julian’s looking at me closely. I twist my fingers, feeling vulnerable.

“Darling,” he says, reaching for me. At first, I think he’s asking for his thermos cap back. Instead, Julian steps close and wraps his long fingers around mine, cupping my hands and the cap both. “Have you ever heard of Ambien, for fuck’s sake?”

I laugh so hard, I snort, which only makes me laugh harder. The saving grace is that Julian’s laughing too. When our laughter dies down, I realize Julian’s hands are still cupping mine.

For a moment, we just look at each other.

The bag on Julian’s desk buzzes. He drops my hands immediately and swears.

“Totally forgot,” he grunts, grabbing the bag and digging out his phone. “I’m meeting my advisor for coffee. Her schedule’s completely mad; eight thirty on a Saturday was all she could do.”

“Of course. I should probably be going, anyway.” Delia will be back sometime soon, and I’m sure she’ll want to debrief about her night with Amber. “Thank you for the Earl Grey. And for the nice talk.”

“Anytime, Rose,” he says. “Truly. I’ll chat with you anytime. Not just about nightmares. Whatever you bloody want. Your arse of a TA, for example.”

“That’s…incredibly kind. You definitely don’t have to.”

Julian’s gaze roams my face. “It’s hardly an imposition,” he says.

Oh my god. Is he flirting with me?

Julian’s phone buzzes again and he groans. “Off I go. See you in class!” Julian rushes out but pauses at the door to look back over his shoulder. The smile he gives me has my stomach fluttering for a good five minutes after he’s left.