November 8-9th, 2001
xoxoxoxox
-This story takes place around the present time. The only thing is that I
am not going to mention anything about the attack on America or anything
relating to that. Also, we're going to pretend that Julianna doesn't have
a movie to do at the current time. Okay. Basically this story is about their
love life, not their working lives or the reality of America. There we go.
Got it? Good.
-Ron is not in this.
-Chester is make believe. You'll understand later.
-There should be no harm done to the real actors and actresses of this story.
It's sort of....mean. I guess you could say.
-This story was mainly written for my entertainment, my readers, and because
I got a sudden stupid short idea. Okay. I'm finished with this now.
xoxoxoxox
Julianna sat in her living room of her Burbank home, flipping through Esquire magazine, which she had recently bought upon seeing at the local grocery store.
She sighed as she saw the various pictures of George and Julia Roberts. They both looked so happy in the pictures, like it really was all true. Julianna wasn't even sure that it wasn't true. She heard so many rumors nowadays and couldn't see or talk to George everyday, as she had been able to during ER, and ask him if he was going out with Julia. Or ever had. These pictures just proved it even more. The playfulness, the closeness, the cuddling. Then the article. They teased each other the entire time about "dating", now that she had broken up with Benjamin, but they did it with such an ease. Flirting was endless between them. Julianna had grown accustomed to George acting like that when they had worked together, but Julia Roberts? How would George ever notice her if Julia Roberts was there?
Julianna wasn't even sure when the friendship she felt for George bloomed into something larger. Probably after he left ER and she felt so lonely. Then she had broken up with Ron shortly after that, having realized George was really the one she wanted. And then she couldn't even have him. He was so unattainable and he would probably laugh if she told him how she felt. He would probably believe her to be joking and then he would humiliate her without even knowing it.
Many a time she had considered just telling him that she was in love with him, but every time she would gather up the courage, something would happen. Something like this, Julianna thought and slammed the magazine onto the coffee table in front of her. She leaned backwards, wrapping her arms tightly around her and resting her head against the back of the couch.
All her life she had strived for perfection. And then when she finally came to a place where she was peaceful with herself and her life, Julia Roberts had to jump in the picture and make her feel lower. Make her feel as if her life was not as important, not as great as she always wanted it to be.
That was really all she wanted. Happiness. Happiness with herself. She had never been one with much self-confidence. Sure, she could act. She could pretend to be confident and carefree. That's what she was paid for. But inside, she had never felt good enough. And now the magazine article was like a slap in the face.
Would it ever end? Would she ever be truly happy?
xoxoxoxox
A few days later George went to Julianna's house, deciding he wanted to hang out with her since they hadn't seen each other in awhile.
Julianna answered the doorbell when it rang and was delighted to see George on the other side. She opened the door and smiled widely at him.
"Hey!" She greeted enthusiastically.
"Hey babe. Whatcha up to?" He asked. She shrugged and closed the door as he walked into the house, making himself comfortable by taking off his jacket and shoes.
"Hanging out with Chester." Julianna said, motioning to the black cat that lay stretching lazily on the couch and staring back at the them with liquid green eyes. George chuckled.
"Sounds like loads of fun." He said.
"Yeah. It's not quite as exciting as motorcycle rides overseas, but what can a girl do?" Julianna asked, motioning around with her hands. "So, you wanna drink or something?" She asked.
"Uh, glass of water will do." He said.
"Just water?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He grinned.
"Yeah. Just water."
"Alright. I can handle that at least." She said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and turned, walking toward the kitchen. He watched her, brows puckered in confusion.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, following her. She glanced back at him as she took two glasses down from the cupboards.
"Like what?" She asked. He shrugged.
"You seem a little..down." He said.
"Nope, I'm fine. Dandy." She said and opened the freezer. He watched her closely, knowing something was wrong. He knew she just didn't open up to people very frequently.
"Jules, c'mon, it's me, George. You can talk to me." He said as she dumped ice cubes into the glasses. She sighed and turned, staring at him as she leaned back against the counter.
"Not about this, I can't." She said, then turned, frustrated at herself for spilling that much. She opened up the refrigerator and yanked the water jug out.
"Why not?" He asked softly.
"Because it's about you!" She said loudly and slammed the jug onto the counter. Her shoulders slumped. God damnit, why was it that she couldn't hide anything from him? What was it about him that made her mouth flap? George watched her, confused. About him? What did she mean, about him?
"Did I do something to upset you?" He asked. She sighed.
"No." She murmured.
"Then what? What is it?" He asked and walked to her, touching her shoulders softly and turning her to face him. She met his steady gaze with an anguished one of her own.
"Don't you see?" She asked, staring right into his chocolate-colored eyes. George wasn't sure if what he thought he saw was what she meant.
"I don't think I do." He said quietly. She closed her eyes and leaned back, against the counter, away from him. Maybe she was wrong to tell him this. Maybe it would only make things worse. But maybe, maybe for once in her life, doing what she wanted, what she thought would be right, would be good. Would bring happiness to her. So she opened her eyes to face him.
"Don't you see that I love you?" She asked quietly, hazel eyes penetrating into brown ones as shock registered in those dark eyes. He hadn't been expecting her to say love, exactly. He had saw something of the like, but love? That was, that was amazing. And apparently everything on his face showed that he was surprised and shocked. She stepped away from him and shook her head softly, biting her lower lip gently and placing her hand on her forehead.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you. Nothing ever works out that way." She muttered the last part to herself but he heard her. "It's just...I've held it inside for so long. After you left ER..I realized that I loved you. Ron and I....were...over. So I told him and tried to move on from both of you. I moved on easily enough from Ron. But you stuck. Always there in my head, always. Everybody wanted to know why I didn't stay on ER. The money really didn't matter to me. But I had to try and get away from you, the memories of you. It just doesn't work, George. You're a thorn." She smiled at that, couldn't help it. Finally she looked at him. "Something like Esquire comes along and once again, I can't escape you."
"Esquire?" He asked.
"With you and Julia on the cover." She said. He nodded, knowing what she meant but not knowing what that had to do with any of this. Julianna began to pace. "I know that you are probably just friends with her. But..I wonder, y'know? I don't see you everyday, I don't know what's going on with you so much anymore. And I begin to believe that you really are....with...Julia or whatever. And I think..I think how can I compete with someone as beautiful, as amazing as Julia Roberts? I mean, she's a goddess....I'm...not." Julianna sighed. "I'm not making any sense. Basically.." She looked up at him. "I want you and I can't have you." She shrugged a shoulder and smiled slightly, somewhat regretfully. "And I have to live with that every day."
They stood for a few moments, just staring at each other. Finally Julianna, seeing that he wasn't going to say anything of the such back to her, knowing she probably ruined their friendship, turned. She was on the verge of tears and knew she couldn't face him. Couldn't let him see her cry. Not after the way she had given him her heart and he hadn't given her his, or at least broken hers. Doing nothing with her heart seemed much more cruel.
"I have to go." Julianna said and walked quickly out of the kitchen, picking up her keys on the way. She headed down the hall toward the garage and he followed her. Just as she opened the door he called out to her.
"Jules!" He yelled but she kept going. She got in her car and drove away with tears threatening to spill over. And all he could do was watch and wonder why he hadn't said anything. Done anything to stop her, to tell her what he felt.
God, he had to find her. He rushed outside and jumped into his own car.
xoxoxoxox
Julianna drove for many hours, driving aimlessly without destination. Just thinking. Wondering why she had ever told him that she loved him. Way to scare him away, Jules, she told herself. Good going.
George had drove around, trying to find her. He had thought he had spotted her car once and had chased after it, only to find an elderly woman driving it instead. He had drove for two hours and hadn't found her, wondering where she went. He used his cell phone to call her car phone, but she didn't have it plugged in or was ignoring it. He called her house and she didn't pick up, so he drove back to it, to check and see if she was home. She wasn't.
George sat in the driveway, staring up at the house. He sighed and wondered what he should do. He quickly decided to stay and wait for her. He shut the car off and climbed out. He walked around to the back of his car and sat on the hood, waiting for her to come home. She had to sometime, he thought.
xoxoxoxox
Finally, four hours after she had left the house, Julianna drove back. She turned the car into the driveway and suddenly stopped, halfway in. George was sitting on the hood of his car. He stood up, straightening. Their eyes met through the windshield before she quickly checked her mirrors and backed out of the driveway. He watched her, stunned. She was actually going to leave?
He ran quickly around to the driver's side and jumped in as she sped off. He backed out after her and pressed down on the accelerator, hoping no children would decide to run out into the road as he followed her. He quickly caught up with her and stayed only one car length back. Julianna glanced in the rearview mirror and sighed when she saw how close he was. She would never get away from him now.
They continued driving through the streets of Burbank, but Julianna couldn't lose him. She kept driving for twenty minutes before realizing he wouldn't leave. He was just as stubborn as she was, if not more. She sighed and turned her car, heading back to her house. He followed her, relieved. The gas in his car probably wouldn't last much longer if they kept this up. So he was glad she was going back home.
She pulled into her driveway and he pulled up behind her, parking the car so she was blocked in. He quickly hopped out of the car and walked to her side of the car. She sat in it, her hands on the steering wheel, staring at the wheel. He opened her door and looked down at her. Finally she turned her head and met his gaze.
"We need to talk." He murmured and reached a hand in to her. She looked at it, remembering how she had always felt she could count on him for anything. And here he was, offering his hand to her. For support. Always. Her eyes wanted to fill with tears at that thought but she swallowed them back and placed her hand into his. He pulled her slowly out of the car and drew her up to face him. Their faces merely a few inches apart, she stared up, into his eyes. "C'mon." He said.
They walked to the door and she used her key to let them in. Chester sat by the door, licking his paw. He glanced up at them when they walked in, then he flicked his tail, and walked daintily away. Julianna wished she could pick him up and bury her face in his silky black fur, but she knew she couldn't. She moved away from George, setting her keys down on the stand beside the couch. Then she turned slowly towards him, bringing her hands together in front of her while she waited. He placed his keys in his pocket and shrugged his coat off, throwing it over the back of the couch. Then he moved to stand in front of her.
Their gaze met, but she quickly dropped her eyes because she didn't want him to be able to see into her soul like that. He reached out, taking her joined hands and warming them between his.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. She shook her head slightly then looked back up at him.
"How could I? How am I supposed to tell one my best friends that I'm in love with him when I don't believe he will feel the same? How am I supposed to knowingly break my own heart by subjecting myself to that?" She asked, her voice portraying all the desperation and...hurt she felt. Hurt because he had let her walk out with nothing.
George nodded, understanding it. Neither of them liked being hurt. They would much rather avoid it as best they could. And he knew he wasn't exactly the most approachable guy, especially on these sorts of issues.
"Okay but what does Julia have anything to do with us?" He asked. She closed her eyes briefly and tugged her hands out of his grasp. She turned and began to pace.
"I read all sorts of articles, whether in tabloids or not about you and Julia 'dating'. And I'm never around you to find out the truth. Not anymore. And she's Julia Roberts! I'm...not her. And I can't help but wonder if you really do have something going on with her. Because she's who she is. I'm just Julianna, your buddy. Julia's just Julia. How am I supposed to compete with that?" She asked.
"Who says you're competing?" He asked. She stopped pacing.
"I do." Julianna said. "Whether you believe we are or not...We are." He said.
"You're the only one competing, Jules. Julia isn't competing with you. Julia and I are just good friends. That's it. Nothing else." He said.
"Ever?" She asked. He studied her.
"Ever what?" He asked.
"You've never been anything else but good friends?" She asked. George sighed and glanced away.
"No. I kissed her one time. It was right after she broke up with Ben. She was at my house and she was upset and we said something about making the rumors about me breaking them up come true." He paused. "We kissed but both of us instantly knew it wasn't for us. We're more like siblings. I couldn't ever imagine being anything else with Julia." Julianna watched him intently with those penetrating hazel eyes. He met her gaze but once more looked away, unable to replicate her stare.
"I suppose that's how you feel about me, too." She said. "Just siblings."
"We've been best friends since we've met, Julianna. But after kissing you for ER, I could never consider you to be like a sister to me." He said, meeting her gaze. She didn't want to let her heart hope after hearing that, so she turned away from him. She walked to the sliding glass doors and looked outside, gazing at the cool waters of her pool.
George watched her for a few moments before walking to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her. Then he let his hands roam up to her face, cupping her cheeks in the warmth of his palms. Her heart beat began to quicken, wondering what would happen. He let his eyes roam hungrily over her face for a brief moment before he lowered his mouth to hers, their eyes still open, locked on each other. Then she let her eyes slide closed as he took the kiss deeper. He closed his eyes after he saw hers close, and he felt her hands curl against his chest, not yet holding onto him, but not pushing him away. Her heart beat slowed to a lazy pace, filling her with hope. Then he gently pulled her face away, but kept her body pressed between his and the glass, holding her there gently.
"Do you think I could actually ignore that?" He asked. She watched him, staring into his dark brown eyes, unable to avoid his gaze, even if she wanted to. "I always tried to because you were Jules. You wouldn't care for me anymore than as good friends. And then you tell me that you love me." He paused, smiling when she blushed slightly, looking away from him. "I was dumbfounded. You couldn't really love me, could you? My greatest wish couldn't possibly be coming true." She looked back up at him, surprise shining in her eyes. "But it was." He smiled again and ran his thumb over her cheek.
"So." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going to give my heart to you, the person most important to me, and tell you that I love you." Tears pooled quickly in Julianna's eyes as she looked into his.
"You're kidding." She said. He chuckled and shook his head, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I'm not. I love you, Julianna. Always have, always will." He said.
"Oh!" She gasped and those tears began to fall. He leaned forward and kissed two of her tears away. Then he kissed the tip of her nose, before letting his mouth travel back to hers. He kissed her softly, gently, making her go warm and fuzzy on the inside. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, wondering why she had waited so long to tell him. She laughed against his mouth and pressed closer.
"I love you, George, I love you!" He smiled and bent at the knees, picking her up and twirling around. She pressed her cheek to his and laughed, joy filling her heart. For the rest of forever.
xoxoxoxox