The effects of soma (Part 2)

 

Brendan didn’t know what to make out of the situation. Here he was, on a deserted island. With Julia. She was intriguing, he couldn’t deny. But she was no Sabrina. Julia had a tendency to overthink. She thought. Of. Everything. All. The. Time.

Brendan watched as she scurried around the hotel, or at least the parts that was visible. He noticed she was careful to always be in his line of sight. She didn’t like to be alone, despite how she mostly functioned on her own. Bizarre creature, he thought.

Brendan had not thought things through when he asked Julia on this trip. She wasn’t his type. Neither on character nor in physique. But there was something about Julia. He hadn’t made up his mind if he would have her before they embarked on their trip. And now, given these incredulous turn of events, he couldn’t make up his mind even further. Yet it was on his mind.

She loved to stare at him. Not just stare at him, she stared into him. It was like she saw things he didn’t know he had within him. He could never make up his mind. Was that how she flirted? Julia was far too… he couldn’t find a word for how she was with him. How she just sat in silence sometimes. How she would walk up to him, stare into him for a few brief seconds, which felt like eternity, and walk away.

Occasionally he would venture in and ask for an explanation, but her response more often than not raised more questions, and made your head spin. She had too many thoughts. Like seven different people’s lives had crammed themselves into that small body of hers and she is living a life for all seven of them. None of those seven had similar personalities, lived similar lives, or shared same ideas. All bundled up into that small frame of hers.

Brendan looked on as she clambered up a cabinet checking the supplies. He usually went for taller, bigger girls. Darker ones, too. Julia had none of those traits. And yet here he was watching her scamper like a little bunny up and down. Fascinating, he thought. He was still making up his mind so as to if he would have her. Opportunity is present, he thought. But would she want to? Brendan was stumped. With the other girls he always knew. All he had to do was show a little concern, shower a little bit of attention, and he knew which girls he could have. It was always easy enough.

But this was Julia. She didn’t seem to play on the same grounds. She was logical, practical, ethical, and she thought of everything. Could she have thought of being with him? He remembered how she lingered close to him, close enough for him to lean in for a kiss, but for some reason that day, he didn’t. He remembered how she spoke into his ear. He had felt a familiar buzzing as she nuzzled in to find his ear, but all she had to say was about possibilities. Had she no lust?

She was undressing. Her clothes were wet from the rain, and she had found bathrobes.

“I also found washing machines and dryers. We’ll have clean clothes soon enough” she said, almost triumphantly. She noticed he was staring at her as she undressed, right in front of him. “I’m sorry, but after being ditched by our motorboat guy I’m suffering a bout of abandonment issues. I don’t mean to give you nightmares, but I’m too scared to be out of your sight.” She said, matter-of-factly. He couldn’t make head or tail of things. He tried to think of Sabrina instead. It didn’t work.

She turned away as she peeled off pieces of wet clothing.

“I want to shower, but I won’t close the door, ok? I need you to keep talking to me so I know you’re still there. Will you do that?” she was staring into him again. Her arms were folded across her belly, holding the bathrobe around her. Hair in a tussled mess around her face. Lips pursed, eyes wide. Looking into him. He was stunned again. All he could do was to nod. She stepped back a few paces. He looked after her. He didn’t know what to make of it.

She stepped into the shower, and he couldn’t see her anymore, even with the door open. If this was any other girl he would have undressed himself and walked in, sans invitation. But this was Julia. How does one make anything of her? You could read her like a book, and yet you couldn’t at all. She was pretty, no denying that. But she had a way of pulling you in, yet keeping you away at the same time. She knew that. She had mentioned it to him once. She does it on purpose. “It hurts less to push people away then have them push you away” she had explained.

“Brendan?” her voice came from the shower.

“Yes?”

“You’ll keep me safe, right?”

“Of course, Julia”

“I’m trusting you, Brendan. Please don’t break my trust.”

Suddenly she was in front of him. Looking into him again. This time she had a towel on her head, wrapping her hair. The scent of shampoo emanating from her. Her robe securely tied around her waist. She knelt in front of him. She was almost pleading. She was pleading. Hand folded over the other, placed gently on his knee. She was staring up at him as she made him promise not to harm her, and to keep her from harm. He didn’t know if he could keep his promise, but he couldn’t say no. Not to those pleading eyes, to that voice.

Brendan broke away from her gaze, and let his eyes wander down, but she was careful to fold the robe up high. And she was far too slight that the robe concealed anything worth ogling over. Instead Brendan moved his gaze to her neck. He pictured himself leaning in to her neck, but this was Julia. Things were not going to be easy.