Broken Bonds (Unbreakable Bonds #1)

Chapter Thirty-Three

chapter thirty-three

CELINE

On Friday night, Julian knocked on my front door at six, and I was running late. I hadn’t known what to wear for over an hour. After a complete meltdown, I called Amber, and she was now busy doing my hair as Ryan and Julian talked downstairs.

“Stop twitching,” she mumbled for the fifth time when I flinched as the hair curler came near the tip of my ear.

“Stop burning me then,” I snapped.

She glared at me through the vanity mirror but didn’t say anything more, though she was more cautious as she worked on curling my hair. Another five minutes had passed when I checked the alarm on my bedside table through the mirror, and I started to sweat.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, we just finished your makeup, and you’re sweating. Calm your tits; it isn’t your first date.”

Amber was officially not the best person to call during a first-date crisis.

“My first with him… and since Aidan,” I confessed.

Through the mirror, I saw sadness flicker through her green eyes before she smiled.

“About time you went on a date, my sexy friend.” I snorted.

She stepped away from me, and her eyes met mine in the reflection. “You look beautiful, Cece.”

Looking into the mirror, I saw a ghost of the girl I used to be. Blonde locks of hair were twirled into curls, framing my face, with half of it pinned to the crown of my head. Smoky eyes with long lashes fluttered with every blink, and my cheeks were rosy, my lips red. The simple black dress I had chosen was adorned with gold jewelry to match my black and gold block heels.

I couldn’t believe how long it had been since I looked like this—since I felt truly beautiful.

Turning away from the mirror, I looked at my best friend and wrapped her in my arms. She hugged me back, her slender arms tightening around me. “Thank you,” I whispered into her red hair, and she nodded.

“Let’s go shock Jules,” she snickered, grabbing the heels at the door before heading for the stairs.

Ryan and Julian were facing away from the stairs, both mesmerized by the TV and some college football game. We silently made our way down the stairs and into the foyer, where Amber helped me put the heels on. They weren’t terribly high, unlike what I usually wore. I was scared to put too much strain on my legs, so, I opted for a pair of small heels that still gave me height but remained comfortable.

Amber smiled again, her eyes brightening when she took a step back and looked me over. “Flawless, babe,” she whispered before turning to the foyer. “Hey, Jules, your hot date is ready!”

Julian and Ryan turned, and their jaws dropped when they saw me. I flushed all the way down to my chest. “Well, I’ll be damned. You look smokin’, Celine.” My blush deepened at Julian’s words.

“Alright, we’ll be going,” I announced, directing my words to Ryan. “I’ll see you two later.”

“Have fun, you two!” Amber called. She stepped closer to me, her next words meant for me only. “Sleepover tonight, sexy.” And then, she sauntered over to my still-speechless brother. Wrapping her arms around him, she placed a kiss on his cheek.

Julian held the door open for me as we walked out into the humid Florida air toward his black SUV. He opened the passenger door for me, and I got in, sinking into the plush seat, willing all my nerves to evaporate, but the sinking feeling that this was wrong deepened.

Julian didn’t speak while he drove, and although from his appearance he seemed relaxed, I could see how tense he was from how tight he gripped the steering wheel in his right hand, the other arm lounging on the door.

My thoughts strayed to Ace, and I wondered if he was taking a pretty girl out tonight. I pushed that idea out of my mind because it hurt to think he had moved on. Closing my eyes, Aidan’s face popped into my mind when I opened the door for our first date. Why couldn’t I escape the two men who’d hurt me so badly?

“What’s going on in that pretty mind of yours?” Julian asked, finally breaking the silence. The memory of Aidan quickly evaporated when I turned to look at him in the dim lighting, his face illuminated by the lights on the dashboard.

“Just wondering where you’re going to take me tonight—that’s all,” I lied, but at least it was a smooth one.

He smiled at me. “You’ll like it. Your friend assured me you would.”

“Amber?” I asked, surprised. “You asked her where to go?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I wanted tonight to be a good experience for us. After all, I have a first meeting to make up for.” He shot me a cheeky grin that made me softly laugh.

“I think you did that when you stood up for me to Professor Barnes on Monday.” He chuckled, the sound funnily enough high-pitched, causing me to laugh with him.

Amber had directed him to one of my favorite restaurants, and we were getting on smoothly all evening as much as I hated to admit it, laughing and sharing stories about high school, no mention of dead exes and nothing about Ace. But Julian wasn’t the guy for me. He didn’t make my heart race or my skin sizzle with just one heated glance. Not like Ace had.

Why couldn’t I just move on from him?

Julian turned me to face him on my doorstep, his handsome face inching closer to mine.

“I honestly thought tonight was going to be a disaster,” I admitted, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear as I looked up at him.

“Me, too, Celine. I’m so glad it wasn’t.” His face was getting closer. I knew he wanted to kiss me, but I didn’t really want to kiss him.

I wanted to take a step back. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to kiss him. But before I could take that step, his hands were on my waist as if he saw the fear in my eyes, and he held me against his warm, hard body. I swallowed thickly, trepidation filling my veins.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Celine.”

That was all the warning I got before his lips crashed onto mine, moist and chapped, and I fought the revulsion bubbling in my chest. Julian was not a good kisser. Not when I had tasted Ace’s lips. Not when I’d Ace’s respect.

Julian pulled back, and I stifled the urge to wipe my lips of the moisture. It was like those kisses grandma always gave.

Ew!

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you with that asshat last year,” he mumbled, leaning his forehead against mine.

Don’t wipe your lips , I reminded myself again as he closed the distance and pecked my wet lips one more time. I fought a grimace, my stomach turning.

“I’ll see you Monday, girlfriend.”

Girlfriend?

Did he just?

What. The. Fuck.

It was my turn to hold and comfort Amber as we watched Ryan walk across the stage to receive his diploma. He would be leaving in two weeks—right after New Year’s Eve.

Amber, like my parents, had not taken the news well four months ago. The day Ryan broke the news to her—on the same night of my first date with Julian—they had their first major fight. Amber and I stayed up all night talking about Ryan, Julian, and Ace, and then, like true college students, we slept through most of the next day and snuck out of the house for breakfast at IHOP to avoid my brother since she wasn’t ready to face him yet.

Julian and I had been steadily dating since August. He was a perfect distraction from all the chaos in my life, even if I still didn’t feel much for him. Ace had been far from my mind since the night Amber and I discussed the pros and cons between the two men. Ace had left; he wasn’t here for Ryan’s graduation, and he hadn’t contacted us in over a year. I had to forget him. To leave him behind just like he’d left me.

I had to move on, so I did… with Julian. He filled most of my time with Friday night football games, Saturday night dates, and Sunday brunch with my family and Amber. He had fully immersed himself in my life.

He sat beside me now, hand on my bouncing leg as we watched Ryan walk down the steps and sit with the rest of his graduating class. “You still have two more weeks with him, baby,” he whispered, his lips kissing the shell of my ear.

Leaning away from my crying friend, I rested my head on his strong shoulder, basking in his silent strength. “I know.” It didn’t make it easier though.

After the last names were called, we met up with Ryan in the courtyard outside the auditorium, where Amber rushed into his outstretched arms. Her tears turned into ugly sobs within seconds. “I’m so proud of you,” she hiccupped, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

“Thanks, spitfire.” His arms wrapped around her small back, holding her trembling body to his. Julian’s arm slid around my waist, pulling me to his body, and the feeling of belonging flooded my being.

“How about lunch, everyone?” Ryan asked, looking from our parents to Julian and me.

Despite the cheeriness of the holidays, a sadness lingered in our house with the constant reminder of Ryan’s departure looming over our heads. Amber slept over every night, not wanting to be alone. Amber didn’t sleep much, spending most nights staying up late talking with Ryan before dragging herself to bed in the early hours of the morning.

She flew home the day before Christmas Eve, and the house felt empty without her presence. Christmas day for my family involved matching sets of pajamas in the morning with a family selfie before eating a roast prepared by Mom and me. Julian came over for dinner and said his goodbyes to Ryan, since Julian was set to leave for Colorado the next day until classes started mid-January and wouldn’t be back in time to see Ryan off.

Amber came back two days after Christmas, her red hair a mess on the top of her head when she walked into the house, a big pair of sunglasses covering her face. “I’m here, and I haven’t slept in three days. Don’t even start about my hair. Where’s Ryan?” Dropping her suitcase at the stairs, she turned to me, pushing the sunglasses to the top of her head, her eyebrow arched.

“In his room,” I told her. “Mom and Dad aren’t home, and I’m about to meet Julian for lunch, so you have the house to yourselves. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She laughed before running up the stairs.

“See ya later!” she hollered before I heard a door slam.

A few days later, nobody was smiling or laughing as Ryan came down the stairs, holding a duffle in one hand and Amber’s hand in the other. She was red-faced and teary-eyed, her knuckles white where she gripped his hand.

The drive to the airport was silent aside from Amber’s soft sobs, a gentle reminder of what we would be losing. Ryan held her hand and never let go. Even as he hugged us goodbye, her hand remained in his.

When his flight was called, he turned to Amber, cupping her freckled face with his large, tan hands. “It’s just one year, baby, and then, I’ll be back here, and you and I will be together for the rest of our lives.” He kissed her nose, and I broke, my own tears rushing down my face as he finally let go of her. She weakly walked over to me.

We held each other as he passed through the gate, both of our tears mixing together.