"Okay," Matt said, sitting down on the couch, heaving a sigh of relief.
Julie took Anna's puppy to her room, and Anna was happy to see her favorite toy, grabbing it and holding it close. She closed her little eyes and started to fall asleep before Julie even left the room.
Returning to the living room, Julie saw Matt half lying on the couch, one arm outstretched across the back of the sofa, the other one covering his eyes.
"Tired?" Julie asked with a little smile.
"So tired," he said. "I've had a long day, and it isn't going to get any better tomorrow. I have to get up in four hours and I haven't even been asleep yet. I've done it before, but it just… gets on my fucking nerves," he muttered.
Julie sat down on the couch, feeling sympathetic. "Long day at work?"
"No, work is pretty much the highlight," he said. "It's Emma, she doesn't seem to understand that she's a parent, too, and it isn’t a job you can just do whenever you feel like it. It’s constant, it’s all the time, every day, no set hours or vacation time. She doesn't care. I should’ve known better, I mean, Emma’s never been a maternal person, but… I don’t know. She isn't concerned with the fact that I have a job, that I can't be expected to just drop everything on a dime according to her whims."
"Where is she?" Julie asked a bit cautiously.
"Oh, she's in New York. She took an early flight. She decided she had to leave Wednesday instead. I don't personally care what the hell she does anymore, but I wish she would just make up her damn mind."
Unsure of what to say, Julie just bit her lip.
Matt looked at Julie. "I'm sorry, I'm ranting," he realized.
"No, it's fine," she assured him with a friendly smile. "Rant away, get it out. I don't mind."
But he just shook his head, his gaze staying on her. "So, tell me, why are you here?"
"To… help you find the puppy."
"I know, but it's three in the morning. Surely your boyfriend wasn't pushing you out the door when you told him you were going to someone's house at three in the morning."
Julie sighed, figuring since he had shared some of his issues, she could, too.
"My boyfriend is an asshole," she stated. "I'm not overly concerned with what he wants. I spent the past four hours watching him and some other girl flirt like crazy and probably have sex in their minds, and I don't even know why. I don't know if he's pouting because I study, throwing a tantrum because I have a job. I don't know what his issue is, but he obviously has one. Or maybe he's just getting bored with me. He thought this would be more fun and he sees that it isn't, so he wants to screw around."
He seemed to think about this for a couple seconds, then he nodded. "Yeah, your boyfriend is an ass. I kind of thought that already."
"I was worried about this when I agreed to transfer here. Jack… is not known for his enormous attention span. He loves the chase and he likes the newness of a relationship, but when there's no more chasing that needs to be done and it's not new anymore… he doesn’t put in any effort, he just strays. He loses interest. He's like a spoiled child; once he gets the toy he begged for he tosses it aside and wants a new one."
"Well, you're no toy, Julie," Matt informed her.
"In Jack's world, we're all just toys," Julie said, half-smiling.
As if he could sense that he was being talked about, Julie's phone started to ring and she knew it could only be Jack
"Hello?" she answered, her tone less than friendly.
"Where are you?"
"I already told you," she stated.
"You're still there?"
"Yes, and I'm being rude. I will talk to you when I get home."
"Are you mad at me or something?" he asked stupidly.
"Are you serious?" she asked in disbelief.
"I didn't do anything," he whined.