Chasing Him (Dark Love 4)

Charlie mouths “calm down.”

Under the table, Julian squeezes my thigh, relaxing me a little. If Julian has no problem with this, then why

should I? The only moron at the table is the one sitting across from me, refusing to make eye contact again. God, he is behaving like a petulant child.

“So, Julian, where did you grow up?” my mom asks as she serves some green beans to my dad.

Julian places his knife down politely. “In South Carolina. Stayed there till college.”

“What college did you attend, son?”

Oh, my dad called him son. Lex’s face is furious, the grinding of his teeth can be heard a mile away.

“Studied at Harvard, then moved to New York to find work.”

And then he met Charlie.

Looking across the table, Charlie shifts uncomfortably until Lex purposely drapes his arm across her shoulder. So fucking juvenile.

My dad talks about Harvard, and it seems to interest Julian. There’s a lengthy discussion held about the curricular activities, and during this time, the kids leave and are watching a movie in the playroom. The conversation then steers to New York as my dad probes Julian about his time spent there and his work with the New York Times. I motion to my mom to halt the conversation, and with feeble attempts, he still carries on.

“New York is a great home base for journalism. What made you move to Los Angeles?”

Lex laughs and rudely interrupts them, “Yeah, what made you move to Los Angeles?”

Julian takes all the questions in stride, not flinching once. “I was done with New York, wanted a more relaxed lifestyle. I used to surf a lot, and it seemed like a good choice at the time.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to come here.” I rest my hand on top of his.

“Did the two of you meet here in California?” my dad asks, slightly confused.

“Uh… no, Dad. The first time we met was in New York at a charity ball.”

Charlie has a blank face, refusing to a comment. Lex is lapping up the attention, his arm still around Charlie. He might as well pee on Charlie to claim her as his, that’s how territorial he is.

“I met Elijah a few times. He was a great guy.” Julian smiled.

Both my parents nod in unison, happily smiling at both of us.

“So why don’t you tell my parents the real reason you left New York?” Lex pushes him.

“Are you kidding me, Lex?” I blurt out.

“We’re a close-knit family. If Julian’s going to be part of it, surely they should know?” he says innocently.

“Lex, please stop.” Mom shakes her head, disappointed. “Julian, I want to apologize for my son’s behavior.”

“Emily, it’s to be expected. To answer your question, Lex, I wasn’t coping well with the death of a friend, and recent events caused the pain to resurface. I thought it was best to start new.”

“And go after Charlotte?” he states.

“Oh my God, Lex, will you just drop it?” Charlie pleads, fed up with his ludicrous behavior.

My mom lectures Lex and is clearly standing on her own as my dad is drinking his wine, looking somewhat amused by Lex.

“I’m not just going to drop it, Charlotte. It’s fairly obvious why he’s here.”

And here we go.