“The day my name shows up in your hands, I’ll leave.” I decided, my heart aching. “I’ll sail across the ocean and plant our rose garden. But you have to remember to plant our violets here. And then you’ll get a postcard with a rose on it, and all it’s say is: Roses aren’t as red without you here. —Alessandro And youll know I’m safe.” I rambled, trying to stop the influx of tears from pouring down my face. I just barely held them back, shaking as I tried to calm down.
I crumbled to pieces in his arms, an ocean of tears pouring out of my teacup reserves. “Romeo,” I cried, burying my face in his chest, begging him to hold me. “D-Don’t say that. Maybe—Maybe you’ll get the file first. Then you can—“
“If I get the file first, I’m taking down my father.” I replied flatly, tears slipping silently down my cheeks. I held Juliet, cradling her close.
“No,” I protested weakly, “If you get the file first, you know what you have to do. In order to stay safe. Just—Promise me that you’ll close your eyes?”
“Juliet.” I shook my head sadly. “You know I can’t do that to you.”
“Then I’ll do it.” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. “If you don’t—I will. I’ll stage it as a murder. Say you did it. I want to save you, Romeo. I need you to stay safe—and alive.”
“Don’t ever say that.” I held her closer. “If you go, I’m going too. Then we might as well have tried running away. Since the result will have been the same.”
I felt like we were cornered. Backed up into the edge of a cliff—it was time to pick our poison. We had no choice, no control over our lives.
I cried harder.
“Shh…” I began to soothe Juliet. “We don’t have to decide right now.” I squeezed her hand tightly. “We still have hours of just us. All alone.” I tried to look on the bright side.
Weakness. I was showing it again—too much of it. But I nodded weakly, swallowing.
“If you could do anything right now, what would it be?” I asked, trying to cheer her up, despite my own faint sniffles.
“I—“ My breath caught in my throat. “I would… I would be eating at the kitchen table of a normal house, with two, normal parents, introducing them to my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, huh?” I smiled gently. “I bet your boyfriend is really good looking.”
“Shut up..” I muttered, closing my eyes. “What would you be doing?”
“If I could be doing anything? I think I’d be cuddling with my girlfriend on her bed.” I snuggled closer to her.
I squeezed my eyes tighter shut, curling against him. “I’m sorry I want too much… I’m too ungrateful…”
“You want something normal.” I rolled my eyes. “Juliet, don’t ever say you’re ungrateful. You took me to get ice cream for the first time today. You even tried to warn me against biting into it.”
A smile ghosted briefly over my lips. “For this family? Normal is too much. And yeah, don’t bite any ice cream in the future.”
“It was incredible though!” I protested. “I want to try every flavor.”
"Then don't bite it," I chuckled lightly, trying to twist my pained expression into a more carefree one.
“Juliet, I have a question for you. I want you to answer me honestly.” I insisted, stroking her hair.
Confusion flashed over my features, but I nodded after a short pause. "Ask away."
“Will you still love me if I get fat off ice cream?” I teased, trying to cheer Juliet up.
I burst out laughing, having to slap one hand over my mouth in a failed attempt to keep quiet.
“Hey! It’s not that funny!” I whined, pouting dramatically. “It’s a serious question!”