BETTER THAN ROMEO - CHAPTER 11&12
“Julia you’re here!” Zayn beamed in excitement. “Martha, Jake, meet my daughter Julia and Julia meet my girlfriend Martha and her son Jake” He introduced them.
“Jake?” Julia gasped.
“You two know each other?” Martha asked Jake with a curious look lingering on her face.
Jake shut his eyes tight to control his breath before nodding his head. “Mom she attends my school, we are from the same department” He answered Martha before facing Julia who still looks confused.
“Julia this is my mom and her… Her new partner” He told her.
Julia’s eyes almost popped out of its socket. Was she hearing double or maybe she’s dreaming. “I don’t think I’m awake if you could just give me a little pinch” She stretch her arms towards Jake but he only shook his head at her.
“Well it’s good isn’t it” Zayn smiled, dragging everyone’s attention to him. He pulled Martha by the waist and Jake couldn’t help but stare at them.
“Since Jake and Julia know each other then we shouldn’t have to worry about them getting along as siblings” He added.
“Maybe they should start leaving together to speed it up” Martha added and Julia’s eyes widened even more.
“Mom we are okay living in campus and this is really sudden. I think we both need time to talk about this” Jake said but Julia didn’t say anything.
A young lady, dressed as a maid walked up to them. “Dinner is ready everyone” She announced with a smile.
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The dining room was silent, just the sound of cutleries was the only thing that could be heard. Everyone were eating in silence as things were still awkward especially for Julia and Jake.
“Dad you didn’t even tell me you were seeing someone” Julia was the first to break the silence.
“I wanted to surprise you, I know you’ve always wanted me to settle down and I’m finally ready” He stared at Martha with a loving smile then interlocked their fingers together.
“Martha is a great woman” He added.
Jake couldn’t help but choke on his meals. Great woman? If only he’s heard the curse she receives from the men she dumps and family she had wrecked at the past then he would watch what he says.
“Dad I think I should give Jake a tour around the house” Julia suddenly stood up.
“Yes I would love a tour” Jake agreed, standing along with her.
“Well then have fun kids, you can also get to know yourselves a little as you take your tour” Martha flashed them a warm smile which Jake only returned with a thumb up before leaving with Julia.
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When they got outside, Julia stopped walking and gave Jake her full attention.
“What the f-__-k is happening Jake? Your mom is dating my dad!?” Julia’s voice rise with concern as she spoke to him urgently.
“Don’t give me that look because just like you, I’m also confused, I’m just finding out about my mom’s partner today” Jake cleared himself out.
“What do we do now, we can’t let them be together!” Julia began freaking out as she paced back and forth.
“You think I want that too? But it’s my mom I guarantee you that it won’t last” Jake replied and Julia scoffed.
“What if it suddenly last, what are we gonna do?” Julia crossed her arms under her chest as she asked.
“I don’t know Julia, we’d figure something out” Jake rubbed on his temples.
“How about I show my dad that article about your mom? Maybe his perspective of her might change and they wouldn’t get married anymore” Julia reasoned with him.
“You wouldn’t do that” Jake replied.
“Jake….”
“We are not going with that Julia, that’s final!” Jake repeated himself with a harder tone this time.
Julia bit her lips and began looking at her toes which earned a sigh from Jake. He moved closer to her and thought for a few while before placing a hand on her shoulder which caused her to surprisingly look up at him.
“We can think of something else, my mom don’t know how to control herself when it comes to men so we can set her up with few handsome men and also try with your dad too but please don’t talk about her issues, I’m still trying to leave with the whole school knows”
This was the first time, aside that night when he had written that poem for her and they kissed, he was being nice to her again.
“Does it really hurt that much, your mother?” She slowly asked and Jake sighed.
He sat on top a stone he found while Julia stood beside him.
“Well I don’t know what was up with my mother but the man who she claims to be my father left her to marry someone else, someone he truly loves”
Julia came to sit beside him.
“He doesn’t acknowledge me as a son because he believes my mother has had few men before getting pregnant for me. I mean I’m not sure too, I don’t know who am I” Jake muttered and Julia wasn’t sure if she could give him a short squeeze on the shoulder.
“Bit I don’t wanna talk about me, I just want my mom to be happy for once. Each time she breaks up or changes partners, we move from countries to countries or cities to cities that’s why I don’t know how to make friends cause what’s the point if I would leave anyways” He opened up.
Julia finally gathered the courage to touch his shoulder but when he looked at her, she took her hands back real quick.
“No it’s fine” He gave her a low smile.
“Really?” She asked with a shocked expression on her face.
Jake only respond by shrugging his shoulders, Julia placed her hands on his neck and rubbed him softly.
“I knew you’re not as hard as you are pretending to be” She said a little teasingly before turning serious. “I’m really sorry about your mother, you see we are bit similar, people judge me for dating too much but I’m not dating too much because I want to” Julia released a sigh.
“When my parents gave birth to me, my mom usually let me know that she didn’t like me. She got pregnant for me at a young age and she blames me for not being able to enjoy her youth”
“She blames you? That’s bull$h|t” Jake piped in.
“I know and my dad didn’t have my time cause he was busy running his father’s company so I was alone in this big house with no one to talk to. They let me do homeschool for some while, my teacher had a son named Romeo, he’s older than me but he was the only one who gave me attention” Julia smiled as she remembered.
“Then my mom had filed for a divorce and my dad was so heartbroken that he blames me too, no one cared about me expect Romeo. He would climb my window at night just to come see me. He was my first love, my first boyfriend but when my dad found out, he fired his mother from teaching me and I guess Romeo was a coward unlike the real Romeo” Her eyes turned a little misty.
“Romeo can’t die for me just like the real Romeo died for Juliet. He got scared because my father had thr_@tened to ki|| him and he never showed up again. Romeo out of my life felt like hell, I felt something in me was missing and I couldn’t stay alone, my dad sent me to school where I met other kids but I only felt better when I’m with the boys so when ever I’m single, I don’t feel like myself, I need someone to be attached too” She completed her story.
Jake stared at her for a short while. “And now, how do you feel?” He asked.
“You know you’re the first person to ask me how I feel in years, everyone assume that I’m happy” Julia chuckled quietly.
“I don’t know how I feel now Jake but I feel a little better with you here” She replied.
“We are not dating” Jake told her.
“I know but at least I finally told someone. The only person that knows about Romeo is Aime, I don’t know why I told you this but I’m glad I do” She smiled at him.
Jake only stared at her face for a while, now he knows everything he felt like trash for calling her a slút, not like he meant it for for some weird reason, she was too close to Rico and it bothered him.
“It’s getting late let’s go back in” Julia stood up.
Jake nodded and stood up too and they both went back to the house, they met Zayn and Martha sitting on the couch, watching TV and laughing together.
“You guys are back, hope Julia gave you a wonderful tour” Zayn asked, looking at them with a smile.
“Yeah, mom we should get going, it’s getting late and I have to be at school tomorrow morning” Jake said to Martha.
“How about just sleep here and I’d drop you and Julia off tomorrow” Zayn recommend.
Jake was shaking his head in disagreement but his mother seemed to be in support of it. “The house is spacious and there are lots of room, I think you’d sleep just fine” She said.
Jake looked at Julia and Julia only shrugged.
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In the middle of the night, Julia couldn’t sleep as she kept tossing around her bed, she was visibly shaking and whimpering.
“Don’t…. Don’t leave… Don’t leave please” She murmured in her sleep before shaking out of bed. Her hands were shaking as she took her phone and looked for Jake’s number.
*Are you still up?* She typed with shaky hands then remembered when he blocked her number but surprisingly her message went cause he responded.
*Yeah, why?*
*Can you come over please, I’m not okay* She sent another message but he didn’t respond.
Julia threw her phone on her head and gripped her hair tight. She’s not use to sleeping alone, every night she goes to Aime’s bed when her usual night mare starts or when she’s dating someone he usually cuddles them to sleep but when their cuddle seems not to work anymore, she usually breaks up with them.
A knock sounded on her door and she flew to open it.
“What’s going on?” Jake worried look was replaced with shock when she suddenly threw herself on his arms.
Jake blinked twice but patted her back as he led her in and closed the door.
“I can’t sleep alone, can you stay here with me, I can even sleep on the floor but just please don’t let me sleep alone” She was crying as she plead.
Just how many things don’t he know about this girl.
“Fine, I’ll stay here, go to bed” He told her.
“Are you sure?” She slowly asked.
“Hmm, go to bed, I won’t leave unless you sleep” He assured her.
Julia slowly laid down while Jake sat at the edge of her bed. “I know I’m really problematic, I’m really sorry to bother you with my problems” She softly apologized to him.
“It’s fine, it’s nothing new, I help my mom like this each time she goes through a break up” He flashed her a gentle smile.
“Thank you Jake” Julia muttered and after few minutes, Jake was begining to hear some soft snores, she was already fast as sleep which only made him smile.
His hands found its way to her face and he arranged some of her hair behind her ears so he could have a clear view of her face.
“Romeo was such an idiot” He muttered then his eyes went to her lips and he couldn’t help but remembered that night at the art museum when he taste this full pink sweet lips…
He shook his head and took his hands from her face. He promised himself he would forget about it and beside his mom and her dad are dating. Staring at Julia one last time and making sure she was already asleep, he stood up and left the room.
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NEXT MORNING; GGC**
It’s general class which means both science and art student stay in the same classroom for general subjects. It was maths this time, Aime was sitting alone, hitting her pen on her book as she dialed Julia’s number for the umpteenth time.
“Miss Bolivar, I don’t appreciate the use of phone in my class” The maths lecturer stopped in front of Aime with his arms stretched towards her.
Aime sighed and put her phone in his arms but then Julia stepped in with Jake.
“Julia!” Aime almost flew from her chair but she had to compose herself because of the math lecturer.
Julia came to sit beside her but watched Jake as he made his way to the back sit. A secret smile appeared on her face which Aime noticed.
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“Care to tell me why you and Julia came to class together, is there something going on between the both of you?” Kelvin asked as he walked out of class with Jake.
“You assumed something is going on because we came to class together?” Jake chuckled a little as he opened his locker to drop his books.
“I mean she’s Julia after all, she always get her way with guys and you won’t even know how it happened” Kelvin said as he opened his locker to drop his books too.
“It’s nothing, it’s just coincidence that we came to school today and I can’t be with her, I already told you I don’t like her” Jake rolled his eyes.
“It better be, the girl is of no good, you should be far away from that cheap sl*t…” Kelvin was talking when Jake angrily slammed his locker, interrupting him.
“What did you do that for? You scared me men” Kelvin held his chest.
“Don’t worry about Julia, Kelvin. Can we not talk about her, can we go get something to eat? Are you starving because I am” After talking, Jake left Kelvin behind.
“Hey, I’m also starving wait up” Kelvin ran after him. “What’s up with you anyways!” He added.
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ZAYN’S MANSION**
“Dad” Julia called when she stepped in, her father called her telling her to come and it was urgent.
“Julia” Zayn stepped out of his room with a smile.
“You told me to come” Julia asked and he nodded before going to sit, Julia sat beside him then he brought out his laptop.
“You know I really like Martha and I want to take things far with her but I don’t know what to do” He said and Julia’s heart skipped a beat.
“What do you mean by taking things far dad?” She asked with widened eyes.
“I want to marry her, Julia”
💋T💋B💋C💋