Chapter 8 Inside Her Life

Bursting through the doors of Moonsong Valley General Hospital with Marcus close behind her, all Julianna could think about was her twin brother. She was too worried and stressed to be left alone, so she had asked Marcus earlier if he would wait with her at the hospital. He kindly agreed, which she was grateful for.

Rushing over to the reception desk, she asked the receptionist for her brother.

"Hi... I'm here for uh... Joshua Warwick." She stated, barely able to get her words out through the lump that had formed in her throat back when she'd heard Joshua's cries. She hoped with all her heart that he would he okay.

"Okay well he's in the ICU. Doctors are still seeing to him but when they're finished, you need to be family to see him. Are you family?" The lady behind the counter asked professionally.

"Yes I'm his sister." She answered finally able to pull herself together just enough to handle all the professionals.

"Okay well if you'd like to take a seat in the lobby and we'll get a doctor to inform you when your brother is stable." The lady replies, and with that Julianna found a couple of seats on the far side of the lobby.

Using this opportunity, she decided she would explain to Marcus, her reasons why she always called him in situations like these.

"Marcus... you wanna know why I always call you in a crisis?" She asked him, speaking to him for the first time since they arrived at the hospital. Making conversation was her way of trying to make time pass quicker. It usually worked a little to take her mind off things too.

"Sure." He answered, sounding more curious than he'd ever been before. He would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't wonder why. It wasn't like he could always guarantee a positive outcome or anything.

"It's because you're good in a crisis. You don't judge. You always know what the right thing to do is and.... there's something about you that has always made me feel so.... safe." she explained, searching for the right words. Usually she found expressing herself to be embarrassing but at that moment she felt more comfortable speaking her mind in front of him.

"Oh. Well honestly I've dealt with more crises and drama than you can count on one hand. I'm kinda used to it. Although with what has come up recently, I'm not even sure that I know what the right thing to do is anymore." He sighed, trying and failing to keep the troubled tone out of his voice. With everything that had happened recently he worried that he would begin to lose his calm and cool composition, some of which had already faded away.

"You mean with the whole werewolf situation?" She asked, causing him to look at her confused. Since when did she know about that? It wasn't like Joshua to squeal all of his secrets to her.

"Yeah... I mean.... how did you..?" He quizzed.

"I over heard you and my brother talking yesterday. I wasn't trying to hear, it's just the walls are like paper in my house." She explains, hoping that he wouldn't get mad. That was the last thing that she wanted.

"It's cool. Just please don't say anything to anyone." He pleaded, looking worried even though he knew that she wasn't the type to gossip.

"Don't worry. I won't. I promise." She smiled at him reassuringly. Much to her surprise, he smiled back. Not that she wouldn't expect him to, after all she wasn't oblivious to the fact that he was into her, she just never thought he would be able to smile with everything that was going on in his life. She didn't say anything because she knew he wouldn't like it, but she could see that he was slowly crumbling on the inside.

"Julianna...." he whispered her name so that she would look him straight in the eye.

"Yeah?" She questioned, making eye contact with him for the first time in, well, ever. In his eyes she found the level of comfort that she had been seeking all night.

"I..." he began then trailed off, leaving her wondering what was so difficult for him to say. Rather than continuing, he raised his hand, gently caressing her cheek. His fingers soft against her skin. With that, he leaned in and kissed her softly.

It was a sweet kiss. Sweet and innocent but with so much passion.

Julianna in that moment, couldn't think. It was as though the whole world had melted away and it was just the two of them. The moment his lips touched hers, she felt something change within her and between them. Before she had assumed that their relationship was nothing more than platonic, but now she could no longer tell. She wanted to ask him what the kiss meant to him, but she didn't want to ruin the only peaceful moment they were having that day. Rather than ruining the moment with questions, she let them slip away from her mind as she kissed him back.

His lips were soft and smooth on hers and this was by far the most pleasant kiss she had ever experienced. Even though he didn't have much experience, not to her knowledge anyway, he still knew exactly what to do and how to do it. He wasn't rough, nor was he a biter, and thank God he wasn't trying to stick his tongue in her mouth. She didn't know what to think, but she was done thinking for the time being. For once she wanted to live in the moment rather than just existing in her own head.

It was the perfect kiss, and Marcus, was the perfect kisser.