89 Lean in

They looked up at each other and exchanged worried sighs, Gradis' hand automatically patting Matheio's back.

"Oh right," Julian gasped, "I came here to pick you up."

Gradis rolled her eyes and looked up at Julian questionably. "I thought I said it wasn't necessary? The celebration is in like 7 hours, you want us to get there and we walk around aimlessly? If I'm going to arrive there, I'd rather be fashionably late than look like a bum who has no place to go before the party."

Julian chuckled, walking to the table and leaning against the table next to her but facing the other way. "You think I wouldn't know that?" he grinned, turning to her with a smug smile on his face, "I know a lot more than you'd expect, love."

"Yea, yea," Gradis chuckled, tickling Matheio. "Did you hear the nonsense Julian is speaking, hun?"

Matheio's 'yes' was muffled, his head nodding like a bobblehead doll as he shook, laughter exuding from every move he made as he rolled around in Gradis' arms.

"Sigh…" Julian groaned, once again feeling like he had been ignored.

He eyed Gradis as she played with Matheio, the frown on his face softening into a smile.

'So beautiful…' he thought to himself as he admired the scene. Rays of light rolling off the soft waves in hair light brown hair, and like a sunflower wading in the soft breeze on a field, rays of light perching on their golden petals, she sat heavenly in front of him, her beauty illuminated under the light. The soft curves under her eyes when she smiled and her small pink lips revealing madly white sets of teeth as she gazed upon the object of her affection.

Julian turned his body to get a better view of her, his eyes soaking up her angelic features and the overall mood her presence alone created. It felt surreal almost. Like an afternoon dream, lit up with a rain of light from the sun, she stood in front of him, playing with and hugging the one that called her mother.

"Julian?" Gradis called out, turning to him with a puzzled expression before easing into another smile. "What are you staring at me for?" she chuckled, the creases under her eyes appearing again when she smiled. The hazel in her eyes shone brightly under the sun's touch. Like a hyper-realistic painting, she gave a grin too good to be true.

BATHUMP

Julian leaned in, unable to look away from her beauty. His hands rose before they could stop them, up to her face and rolling down the soft slopes called her cheeks, caressing her skin.

"Julian?" Gradis called out again, a blush spreading across her face as Julian's hand left hot-trails on her face on the places he touched.

He wasn't holding back.

"Jul-" Grads called out once again, daring to look up at his eyes. He looked up at her, his deep blue eyes dazed as they interlocked with hers. It was a move she couldn't tell if it was right or wrong, move that paralzyed her, "-ian."

'He's too close…' Gradis thought to herself as his face neared, his hand lifting her head slightly with a hold that wasn't too harsh or soft. The perfect inbetween.

'He needs to move…' Gradis thought again, trying to snap out of the spell his gaze had placed on her. Her head was moving closer to his against her will, her eyelids slowly shutting as she felt his hair brush against hers and her eyes fell from his eyes to his lips. 'Ah… just a bit closer.'

Her hand shot out and stopped Julian's approach, pushing him away just as his nose was about to touch hers

"Julian… stop. N-not here," Gradis murmured, looking away from his face completely. She didn't want to see the crest-fallen pout his eyes would give her.

Julian wanted to push her hand away and finally make the move he was longing to do since their first. Especially since the first wasn't real at all. But he couldn't move her hands. The soft touch she had against his chest was not something he could push down, it was a wall. One that wasn't planning to let him in.

'Not here either?' Julian thought to himself as he eased off Gradis, 'then where?' he looked down at her as she nervously fiddled her fingers. 'And when?'

Gradis turned at Matheio and patted his head, teasing him for the jealous stare he gave Julian. Nervously, she turned back to Julian, her eyes flickering back and forth from him to Matheio for a moment as she decided whether or not to talk to him.

"Jul-" she began, a cough from Julian's throat interrupting her.

"We should get going," Julian muttered, turning back to her and giving her a smile, "I wanted to spend time with you before the party. Then send you back home for you to get dressed before picking you up again for the party."

"Ah…" Gradis mumbled, guiltily looking away from Julian. She glanced down at Matheio who gave her a cute confused look by cocking his head slightly. Finally she looked up from him and back to Julian, "ok then… where to first?"

Julian gave another strained smile, his eyes barely managing to stay on Gradis for as long as the last. He turned around and started walking towards the door, "follow me your highnesses."

Gradis knew. She knew from his gaze that she had hurt him. From his broken smile that she had crushed whatever hope he had by stopping him earlier, from his slumped back that she had deeply confused him, but what was she supposed to do? She wasn't ready. To feel vulnerable and restless, to feel like she could be carried off in the arms of one person, making rash decisions in the name of a concept she didn't believe in. To feel like she had a weakness. And she wasn't ever going to be ready.

She picked up Matheio and put off her computer, following Julian closely from behind. She gave a silent apology to his back. Something told her she wouldn't be able to do it to his face.