Page 50 of Clinically Bewitched
And that was when I saw it.
The way Julien’s shoulders tensed.
The way his jaw clenched even tighter.
The way something in his eyes, something small and hurt, flickered and then disappeared behind his usual mask of control.
Vivian was still talking. “I mean, seriously, what were you thinking? Did you think at all? Or did you just—”
“He was thinking,” I whispered.
They both stopped.
Turned to look at me.
“He was thinking,” I repeated, “that maybe, just for one night, he could let go. That maybe he could stop being perfect and controlled and responsible for everything and everyone. That maybe he could just... be.”
Vivian’s smile faded slightly.
Julien was staring at me like I’d grown a second head.
“And yeah,” I continued, “maybe it didn’t go exactly as planned. Maybe the universe had other ideas. But he was trying. He was trying to do something spontaneous and fun and outside his comfort zone, and that’s actually really brave. Most people never even try. They just stay in their safe little boxes forever.”
“Athena,” Julien started.
“No, I’m not done.” I looked at Vivian. “I know you’re his sister, and you love him, and you’re probably worried about him. I get that. I have sisters too, and I’d be protective too if one of them came home married to a stranger. But he’s not an idiot. He’s brilliant. He’s a neurosurgeon who saves people’s lives. He’s careful and thoughtful, and yes, maybe a little too controlled sometimes, but that’s because he cares. He cares so much about doing things right that he’s terrified of doing them wrong.”
The words were tumbling out now, faster than I could organize them, but they felt true. They feltright.
“And maybe I’m chaos,” I said. “Maybe I’m the opposite of everything he usually is. Maybe the universe put us together because we’re supposed to balance each other out, or maybe it’s just because the universe has a weird sense of humor. I don’t know yet. But what I do know is that he’s a good person. A really good person. And he doesn’t deserve to be laughed at for trying something new, even if it went completely sideways.”
Silence.
Vivian was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
Julien was staring at me as if I’d just performed brain surgery on him without anesthesia.
“I—” Vivian cleared her throat. “I wasn’t trying to...”
“I know,” I said, softer now. “I know you weren’t. You were just teasing. Sisters do that. But he’s had a really hard couple of days, and I think maybe he needs support more than teasing right now.”
More silence.
Then Vivian did something I didn’t expect.
She smiled.
Not a teasing smile. Not a mocking smile.
A genuine, warm, approving smile.
“Okay,” she said. “Okay, I like you.”
“Really?”
“Really.” She looked at Julien. “I still think you’re an idiot for getting drunk-married in Vegas. But”—she looked back at me—“maybe not a complete idiot.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Julien said dryly.
