Chapter 22

Later when the curtain's drawn

And there's no one there for you back home

Don't cry to me, you played me wrong

You ruin me

~*~*~*~*~*~

Wednesday, September 20, 2020.

"So," Henry said with a mischievous grin. "What do you say you and I go grab a cup of coffee?"

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. "Stop asking me out, Nate. It's hopeless. I'm not falling for you any more than that the earth is flat."

Henry's grin just widened. "We'll see about that. About you falling madly in love with me, I mean. I know that the earth isn't flat. In fact, I even know that instead of being perfectly round, it's actually quite chunky. It was kind of weird to see—"

I held up my hand, silencing him. As he gave me an odd look, I tensed. "Something is wrong," I mumbled, my voice low.

"Well, obviously," Henry said. "My flirtation techniques aren't working as they should."

"Not that, you insufferable moron! Now be quiet so I can listen." I cocked my head to the side, pretending to listen for sounds that would be edited in later. "There are intruders inside," I whispered.

"Intruders?" Henry asked, keeping his voice as low as I was. "We're in CIA headquarters. How could there be intruders?"

I stood up from my comfortable desk chair, punched in the code to my top drawer and got out my gun. "Follow me," I ordered quietly, enough authority in my voice for him to listen without question. I pressed on a panel on the wall, and a door that had been invisible before opened. (No matter how often we'd shot this scene already, that was still so cool.) The door let out to a narrow hallway lit by industrial lights, and Henry and I walked through it wordlessly, the only sound my heels and his boots tapping on the stone floor.

At the end of the narrow tunnel, I paused and braced myself, clasping the gun in my hand. I kicked the door open and we were immediately hit by the sound of gunfire and shouts. It took a while to catch our bearings, but it became clear pretty soon who the intruders were. They were clad in black, matching ski masks pulled over their heads. They were shouting in Russian (things I couldn't understand, but Lily Davis, international super spy that she was, would) and shooting randomly around them. Several agents and other CIA employees already lay bleeding on the floor, some dead and some simply injured. I shot at the intruders, taking one out. Henry had taken his gun out as well, and together we ran closer to the Russians, taking cover behind anything we could.

I ducked behind a pillar, cursing. "This damned dress is making it hard for me to move," I murmured, pointing down to the tight pencil skirt of the navy dress I was wearing. "This damned blazer, too," I complained, and shrugged out of the white jacket, carelessly letting it fall the the floor.

"Here," Henry said, and he grasped the hem of my skirt, pulling so hard that the fabric tore. When I stared at him indignantly, he shrugged. "What? It's just a dress."

"I paid five hundred dollars for this dress!" I hissed.

He grinned broadly, and I fought not to smile back at him; he just looked so cute. But cute as he may be, Lily wouldn't smile, and that's what mattered most at the time. "I'll buy you a new one for our date. Cover me." And he darted out from the pillar's cover, shooting at the group of Russian intruders.

When we finally finished filming the scene for the last time that day, Alona gave us a broad smile. "You two did great. Keep it up like that, and I'll only want to make movies with you two from now on."

Blushing from her compliment, I thanked her, and then Henry and I walked off to take our makeup off and change back into our own clothes. Once my face was makeup-free, my hair was in a bun atop my head, and I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, we walked to Henry's car, taking Kal with us. He settled happily on the backseat as Henry started the ignition.

The car was quiet apart from the radio softly playing the latest number one hit as Henry drove and I stared out the window. It was quite dreary outside for L.A. standards, even for September, and it wasn't improving my mood much. There was something that had been pressing on me for weeks, and I had no idea how to bring it up to Henry in conversation.

But as I turned in my seat to study him, I couldn't help but smile. Seriously, what was it about guys driving that was so hot? But it wasn't just that he looked good; I just loved him so much, and it still grew with every day we were together. We'd been together for six months now, and it still felt so surreal sometimes. But he really was mine, and I really was his. We'd celebrated our six month anniversary at his apartment (which he'd finally decided to rent a month ago, when he'd come back from shooting something Superman related for two months in-between shooting this movie), and he'd ordered a custom-made red velvet cake from Cynthia's shop, plus a much smaller cake the size of a muffin covered in lots of marzipan (he knew me so well). We'd spent the day just hanging out together, having fun. It wasn't really anything special, but I'd still cherish that day forever. It was one of my favorite days.

We reached his apartment—just a simple two-bedroom home with plenty of space for Kal, which had really been Henry's only requirement. It was a luxurious and spacious home, but I knew Henry considered this only temporary. I was hoping that, someday soon, he'd ask me to move in together. We already spent most nights together anyway, and since Scott apparently found it pretty comfortable in the house I officially shared with Hanna, I could usually be found here with Henry.

"Should I start on dinner?" Henry asked after he'd filled Kal's bowl with dry dog food and was already opening the fridge, scouring its contents. "I'm thinking ravioli. You?"

"Yeah, ravioli sounds good."

Henry pulled his head out of the fridge and closed it, straightening so he could study me. "Something's wrong. You're usually a lot more enthusiastic when I suggest making ravioli," he noted. Then, his voice turning gentle, he asked, "What's wrong, baby?" He walked closer to me and placed his hands on my waist. The sincere concern in his eyes made the wall that I still kept up around him sometimes come crashing down.

"It's just..." I sighed. "Remember that thriller that I did with Vince Grieve?" I asked, and he nodded, his eyes narrowing so slightly that I almost didn't notice it. "The premiere is in a few days. Steph is an absolute miracle worker, and she got me out of doing any press for that godforsaken movie, but she's still forcing me to go the premiere. And I'm—I don't know... Just really nervous about it, I guess."

"Well, that's understandable," Henry said. "After all he's put you through, and all the progress you've made since wrapping that movie... It's only natural to be nervous about seeing him again. But you're strong enough to power through it, especially now. You've come so far already."

"Yeah, well, maybe, but... What I was really wondering, was if you wanted to come with me," I said nervously.

He laughed, pulling me into a tight hug and rocking me from side to side. "Of course I'm coming with you, you silly goose. From now on, we're always going to each other's premieres together. If not to support each other, then to protect each other from evil directors. I swear, if he does anything to hurt you, whether it's verbally or physically, I will hurt him, and it will sure as hell be physical."

"Just having you there will be a great help."

"I'm glad. And I won't ever leave your side if you don't want me to, okay?" He pulled back a little to look at me for an answer, and I nodded, giving him a smile. "Good. Now let's go make some ravioli," he said, slapping my butt before pulling back completely and turning to the fridge.

I giggled. "All right. Let's go make some ravioli."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sunday, September 24, 2020.

"I think we should tie your hair back into a sleek ponytail," Ella said, toying with the ends of my straight brown hair. "It'll add even more power to an already powerful outfit."

I smiled. "Okay. Let's do it."

I was nervous for tonight's premiere, but having Ella here to prepare me for it helped. We'd gone shopping for the dress the day after I'd asked Henry to come with me, and she'd spotted the red Alexander McQueen dress currently hanging from my closet door. It was a draped silk bustier dress in bright red, and I'd loved it as soon as she'd pulled it off the rack. It was elegant but still sexy because of the cleavage I had in it, and the color screamed power, exactly what I needed if I were to face Vince again after all those months. I'd showed Henry the dress right after I'd come home, and he'd loved it too. He'd said I looked gorgeous in it, even though I'd been wearing zero makeup and my hair had been a mess at the time. But the look on his face had convinced me his words were true. Thinking back to it still made me smile.

He was in the room now, too, getting ready with me. He'd just taken a shower, and apparently had zero reservations about walking around in just a towel in front of Ella. He was so at home here that I don't think he even noticed it. Though, to be fair, Ella gave off that kind of vibe that just couldn't help but make you feel comfortable. Even I would parade around in just a towel in front of her without a second thought. But I wouldn't look nearly as good as Henry did. The towel hung low on his hips, showing off his still slightly moist torso. His abs nearly glimmered in the light. I couldn't stop looking at him, and Ella kept giving me knowing glances. Well, could you blame me for staring at my aesthetically gifted boyfriend?

Eventually I became too entranced with Ella's work, though, and besides, there would be many other opportunities to admire Henry's physique. I watched as Ella combed my hair back into a sleek ponytail, my hair thick and shiny as it fell down my back. She wrapped a piece of hair around the ponytail, hiding the elastic band, and it added even more sleekness. She did my makeup then, evening out my face as she applied foundation, adding depth with bronzer and highlighter. She played up my eyes with dark mascara, eyeliner and smoky eye shadow, but kept my lips neutral.

Once she was done with me, she went to style Henry, and I pulled on my dress. The zipper was a little hard to reach, though, and even as he was sitting on a chair and Ella was doing his hair, Henry rose up to the challenge and zipped it for me. I bent down and kissed him on the cheek in thanks, and then went off to hunt for the black Christian Louboutins I'd been intending to wear tonight. Once I'd finally found them in Hanna's closet, Henry was already getting dressed as well.

He was wearing a charcoal gray three piece suit with a white dress shirt and a red tie and pocket square, exactly the same shade as my dress. He looked so incredibly good that it was nearly unfair, and I praised my lucky stars again for being able to call him mine.

Needing to distract myself before I'd suddenly find myself ushering Ella out of my bedroom so Henry and I could have a bit of privacy, I hurriedly went on a search for jewelry. I settled on a pair of gold earrings in the shape of feathers, and found a matching cuff bracelet and ring. I kept my neck bare, fearing it'd be too overpowering otherwise.

When I was finally done getting ready, Henry surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. I squealed a little as he placed a kiss in my neck. "You look so beautiful, Jules," he mumbled. Then, lowering his voice even more so Ella couldn't hear, he whispered, "I kind of wish we didn't have to go to that stupid premiere so I could have my way with you."

Ella, realizing this was a private moment, hurriedly busied herself by cleaning up her supplies.

I blushed and bit my lip. "You can have your way with me after the premiere," I whispered back. "If you can wait, that is."

"Hm... I'm not sure. I might have to resort to silly high school ways and fool around with you in the theater. You look so good I can barely stand to keep my hands off you."

I smiled, turning around in his arms. "You would fool around during your girlfriend's movie?"

"I most certainly would, if said girlfriend is sitting next to me and looking the way she does now."

My smile widened. "Even if it's the first time you'll be seeing the movie?"

He turned thoughtful. "Good point. We might want to leave the fooling around to the parts you aren't in."

I laughed. "All right." And I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck as I kissed him. I smiled into the kiss, feeling that warmth I always felt while kissing him. It made me feel like I was home (which, I suppose, technically I was), and safe, like nothing could hurt me. It was the greatest feeling in the world, and the one thing that was even better was that I got to feel it every day.

I pulled away again and tugged on his lapels to straighten his jacket before the three of us traipsed downstairs, meeting up with Hanna and Scott in the living room. Hanna was wearing a beautiful midnight blue halter neck gown, and her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, almost as a 'fuck you' to Vince, except that she pulled it off elegantly. Scott was wearing a well-fitted black suit with a tie the same color as Hanna's dress, and his ashy blond hair looked magically good as always. They made a striking couple, and I was glad to call them my friends.

"You look gorgeous, honey," Hanna said, pulling me into a hug. "And Ella, you did a great job, as usual."

Ella smiled. "Like I've said a thousand times before, I just work with what I've got. Juliette just happens to be insanely gorgeous on her own, and I simply enhance what's already there."

I smiled back at her, feeling myself blush. "Oh, shush," I told her.

"She's telling the truth, though," Hanna said wisely. "You are gorgeous."

"Well, so are you," I said, needing to get the attention off me. "That dress really makes your eyes pop. And seriously, you are the only one who could rock a messy bun to a premiere."

She grinned. "Why put in effort for that sleaze ball of a director, right?"

Scott elbowed Henry. "Dude, how did we get so lucky?"

Henry smiled, looking over at me. "I don't know, mate. I ask myself that every day."

"Did you ever think, when we first started shooting If You Love Someone, that we'd end up here?" Scott asked. "Because I sure as hell didn't."

Henry shook his head. "No. But I hoped, though."

Once we were done gushing over each other's good looks, the four of us piled into the waiting SUV and Ella left for home (but not after me making her promise she was going to the next premiere with us). Steph was already sitting in the car. "Hey, guys," she greeted us with a big smile. "Ready for the premiere?"

I took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The closer we got to the theater, though, the more nervous I got. It wasn't just that I would see Vince again (though that was definitely cause enough to give me anxiety), but also the fact that I had to do interviews. I still wasn't entirely comfortable doing those. One wrong word and it could haunt me forever, especially in this digital age. These would also be the first interviews I'd do since getting together with Henry, and though we'd always been very open about our relationship, both in public as well as on social media, they were sure to ask questions about us, and I just wasn't sure I was ready for them to dig around in our love lives like that.

The closer we got to the theater, the harder I squeezed Henry's hand. He didn't appear to mind, though; he just continued to rub soothing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. He seemed to realize that I needed quiet, and simply continued to be there for me. I gave him an appreciative smile, and he leaned in for a soft kiss. It was so gentle and so filled with love that it temporarily made me forget all about my inner turmoil—even my grip on his hand slackened.

"I love you," he whispered when he pulled away almost a full minute later.

I smiled. "I love you, too," I whispered back.

"Good, because we're here."

And indeed we were. We'd pulled up to the theater without me having realized it, even though the screams were considerably loud outside the car; I'd simply been too entranced by Henry to notice. "Oh," I muttered in surprise. "Could you maybe keep my phone in your pocket? I forgot to bring a clutch."

"Yeah, no problem," he said, taking my phone from me and letting it slide into the pocket of his trousers. I heard it bump into his.

We exited the car—Henry, Hanna, Scott and I—and were met with loud screams. Some screamed Scott's name, more people screamed Henry's name, but I was surprised at how the majority screamed my name. It was logical, I supposed: I had been sure to show up tonight, but Henry and Scott hadn't been officially confirmed, so of course there would be less fans of theirs. But still dozens of people were screaming my name, and I hadn't expected it.

Hanna grinned at me. "Perhaps this is the biggest 'fuck you' to Vince. Now go sign some autographs, Ms. Popular."

I smiled, leaving her behind for a bit as Henry, Scott, and I went to sign autographs. I had signed autographs before, but never for this many people all at once, and the whole experience was a little overwhelming.

"I love your dress, Juliette," one fan said.

"You and Henry are so cute together," another said.

And yet another said, "I loved you in The Bone House and If You Love Someone, and I can't wait to see you in this one."

I thanked them all as heartily and warmly as I could, telling them all how grateful I was that they were here. It was mind boggling to realize they were here for me, that they loved my work enough that they would come to the premiere of one of my movies, and even crazier to realize that I had fans. I guess that was the downside of my career falling into place as quickly as it had; you don't realize what's happening until it's already happened. But I guess it was also a good thing, because I was all the more grateful for all these people calling out my name. The whole experience filled me with warmth.

Eventually, though, it was time to leave the fans behind and do the interviews. But before I could do that, Henry quickly caught up with me. "So," he said with a smile, placing his hand on my back and leaning down a little so I could hear him better. "How does it feel, meeting so many of your fans at once?"

"So crazy!" I admitted. "Before this, I hadn't even thought of myself as having fans, and now look at this. It's like... It's like I'm not even experiencing it myself. Like I'm just floating above myself like an out-of-body experience, watching myself hand out all these autographs and talking to all these fans. It's... It's insane, that's what it is."

Henry smiled. "I know how it feels. But you're doing great, love." He pressed a quick kiss to my lips, then gave me another smile. "Time for interviews!"

I took a deep, shaky breath as Steph guided me toward the interviewers. At first, the questions were solely about me and the movie, but soon enough, the topic changed to Henry and me. "So," the lady interviewing us said with a big smile, "you two have been together for a while now, huh?"

With a smile, Henry said, "Yes, we have. We celebrated our six month anniversary two weeks ago."

The interviewer seemed to be surprised by that. "Six months? One would argue you've been together for much longer than that."

I nearly snorted. I'd think we ourselves knew how long we'd been together better than some stranger. "You would?" I asked instead, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we've all seen the pictures from when the two of you were filming If You Love Someone," she said, her smile never faltering. "And then, of course, there was a bit of confusion when you got back together with Alyssa Jeanes..."

"Yes, well, I never did get back together with Alyssa. We were simply friends at the time, as were Juliette and I when we were filming If You Love Someone, though I was in love with her from the moment I met her," Henry said, smiling warmly at me. The smile gave me butterflies, making me smile back at him.

"Oh, shush," I said, blushing as I elbowed him in his side. He just laughed.

Obviously realizing she had a huge scoop, the interviewer inched her microphone even closer to us, her eyes wide, as was her smile, making her look a little manic. "And what about you, Juliette? Were you in love with Henry from the moment you met him as well?"

"I was definitely infatuated from the beginning, yeah. I couldn't get him out of my head, though he didn't make it easy, following me around everywhere like the stalker he is," I teased.

Henry grinned back at me. "And then it took us a whole year to stop being idiots and just confess our feelings for each other."

"And do you have any plans for your future together, or are you just living it day by day?"

That was an extremely tricky question, and I kind of wished she hadn't asked it. We hadn't really talked about it ourselves, and in the middle of an interview was hardly the time to start discussing our future. But if Henry said he didn't really have plans, I knew it would throw me into anxiety overdrive—and I had a feeling he knew it as well.

"We haven't really discussed any concrete plans for the future yet," Henry started, "but this is definitely the girl I want to grow old with."

I felt the blush take over my cheeks, and I couldn't stop smiling at his answer. "Same here," I said.

Soon after that, Steph whisked us away to the next interview, and I couldn't be more relieved. The next interviewers were a lot less intrusive and asked questions mostly about the movie, which was an even bigger relief.

And before I knew it, the time for doing interviews was over and it was time to pose on the red carpet. At first I posed with just Hanna, posing naturally at one moment and hugging and laughing like idiots the next, and then I posed with Hanna, Scott and Henry, and then just Henry. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close as he smiled for the cameras. He looked like he was proud to show me off, and knowing that awoke even more butterflies. He wasn't the only one proud to show off his significant other, though. I smiled up at him like he was the moon and stars, like he was the most beautiful galaxy I'd ever seen. And in a way, he was.

He leaned down to press a kiss to my cheek, lingering there so he could whisper in my ear. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay so far," I whispered back. "Thanks for coming with me."

He smiled and kissed my cheek again—though it was closer to my mouth than my actual cheek. (Fucking tease.) "Any time, love."

I couldn't pose with Henry forever, though—eventually I had to pose by myself. That wasn't so bad per say, though I definitely did miss Henry's presence. The worst came when I had to pose with the cast and I had my first glimpse of Vince in months. He was wearing a black tux, and instead of it making him look more handsome (or whatever his goal had been when he chose this outfit), it just made him look like an evil undertaker.

I saw Henry giving me concerned glances, as well as Hanna and Scott, but I stood as far away from Vince as possible and smiled bravely at the cameras. Vince thought I was a terrible actress? Well, I was here to prove him wrong. I could act like I couldn't be happier to be here, and I knew the whole world would believe me. The only ones I wouldn't be able to fool were Henry and Hanna, but that didn't matter; I was okay with them knowing me fully. But I wasn't about to give Vince the satisfaction of breaking down in the middle of his premiere, no matter how much he was probably itching for it. I would never cry because of him again.

As I realized that, it became much easier to hold my head up high and smile as brilliantly as never before. Quickly, Henry's concern changed to radiant pride, and I straightened even more. It had been silly to worry about tonight. I could do this, no sweat.

But posing for pictures alongside him was one thing. Actually going inside the theater and mingling in the foyer was something completely different. Once I'd been provided with a glass of champagne, I quickly went on a search for my friends before Vince could catch up to me.

"You looked like a fucking goddess out there, hon!" Hanna shouted over the room's murmur.

"You did great, baby," Henry said, pulling me in by my waist and giving me a long kiss.

"Wow, Cavill, you used to have better judgment in girls," a voice I knew all too well said from behind me, and I quickly broke from the kiss, turning around to face Vince. "And Juliette, I didn't think you had it in you to actually bag the guy, so bravo on that." He gave me a once-over as I stared at him, slack-jawed, and his gaze was cold. "Doesn't change anything, though. You'll always be low-level, especially with your attitude."

"You have no right to talk to her like that," Henry said, his voice low and his jaw tight.

At the same time, Hanna snapped, "Why, you little fucking cockroach! You're even worse than I imagined."

Vince grinned, completely ignoring Henry. "I spoke with you on the phone. Hallie, was it?"

"Hanna," she corrected him, gritting her teeth.

"Forgive me. I guess you weren't that memorable after all. Only figures, I suppose, considering you're a friend of Juliette's."

I saw both Henry and Scott gear up to attack, ready to jump to their respective girlfriends' defense, but for once in my life, I actually felt like defending myself. My free hand balling up in a fist so tight that my nails were digging into my palm, I stepped closer to him, knowing my eyes were burning. "I will no longer accept you talking to me like that," I hissed. "Nor will I accept you talking to my friends like that. I have taken this blatant abuse from you for too long, and I've had enough! All this time, you've been trying to convince me that I'm the pathetic low-life, while it's been you all this time. You hate yourself so much that the only way to make yourself feel better is to bring others down. And you know what I finally say to that?" Not giving him time to answer, I dumped my champagne over his head, thrusting the now empty glass into his hand. "Fucking klootzak!"

And with that, I guided my friends as far away from Vince as possible. I was done letting him be a part of my life in any way possible, and I wanted to drop him as quickly as I could.

Hanna grinned at me. "So how did that feel, rock star?"

I held up my hands, showing them how badly they were shaking. "That was probably the most terrifying thing I've ever done, but I'm so glad I did it."

Henry pulled me into a tight hug, so tight that I felt the buttons of his jacket dig into my torso. When he pulled away again and I saw the tears of pride glittering in his eyes, I nearly started crying myself. "I'm so proud of you," he said, bringing up his hand to cup my face, his thumb soothingly stroking my skin. "The amount of courage that must've taken..." He shook his head. "I'm just so insanely proud of you."

And he kissed me hard, attempting to convey all his pride and all his love for me in that one kiss. By the time he pulled away, I felt a little dizzy, but couldn't help the huge smile taking over my face. "Thank you. I'm kind of proud of me too."

At that, he laughed and hugged me again. "What did you even call him at the end?"

"Klootzak. The Dutch word for asshole. Though, I suppose, directly translated it means 'ballsack.'"

He laughed even louder.

I rested my chin on his shoulder so I could look at Hanna and Scott. Hanna was still grinning proudly at me, but Scott still looked a little worked up. "Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely proud of you for standing up to that fuckhole, but I don't think a glass of champagne over his head is enough payback for all those nasty things he said. I should go up to him and fuck him up for real."

I shook my head. "Don't. You'll be sinking below his level." Then I grinned. "Besides, you don't want a scandal on your name now do you, Scotty?"

He pulled a face. "True enough. You dumping champagne all over your director's head is scandal enough."

I bit my lip, feeling my face grow hot. "Oh, God. I hadn't even thought of that."

Henry kissed the top of my head. "And you don't have to think or worry about it, not ever. Besides, Steph will be able to work her magic and spin it in a way that makes you look amazing and Vince look like an arsehole. Just like it actually happened. Where's Steph, anyway?"

"I think I saw her talking to some big shot producer," Hanna said, a twinkle of amusement in her eye. "She was seriously getting her flirt on."

Henry laughed, and I smiled when I felt it rumble in his chest. "We'll talk to her in the morning; it can wait. Besides, we should probably find our seats now."

Seeing the people slowly move out of the foyer, I realized he was right. I took a deep breath, gearing up to watch myself in a movie, knowing my performances in it weren't my best.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Babe, you were amazing," Henry exclaimed once the movie was over.

I furrowed my brow. "Seriously? I was so flat in some scenes."

Henry shook his head. "You just think that because you're comparing it to your life on set. But honestly, you were brilliant."

"You really were, Jules," Scott confirmed. "You could be up for an award for this one."

I snorted. "Good one, Scott. But thanks anyway."

"You were amazing, Julie," Hanna said with a smile. "I'm so proud of you. You're just rising higher and higher while Vince is digging himself in a deeper and deeper hole. You should be proud of your accomplishments."

I smiled. I actually kind of was.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sunday, October 1, 2020.

Poring over the books in the bookcases in my room, I debated what book to read. What was I in the mood for? Endless adventure? Romance so cute that it made me squeal? Horror, fantasy? Eventually I selected a book about time travel called Ruby Red and settled on the unmade bed, making myself comfortable before I opened it to the first page.

Scott and Hanna were over at Scott's house for once, leaving this place to just Henry and me. Henry was downstairs, preparing a surprise for me (whatever the hell that may be) and had instructed me to stay upstairs until he came to get me, and under no circumstance was I to go downstairs until he gave me the okay. So that's why I now found myself reading about centuries old family secrets instead of spending some quality time with my boyfriend. I didn't really mind, though. I liked to disappear in fictional worlds for a while, the longer the better. And it didn't take long for me to get lost in the book.

So it was a bit of a surprise when there was suddenly a hand on my leg, and I had to admit I yelped a little, dropping my book. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Henry said with an apologetic smile. "But your surprise is ready downstairs."

I picked up my book again, marking my spot by placing a pen in-between the pages. (I had plenty of bookmarks, but they were never close by when I needed them.) "It's about time," I joked.

His smile widened, turning more amused than apologetic. "Yes, well, it took a little preparing, but now we're ready for you." As he started leading me downstairs, he explained, "I got the idea ages ago. Actually, you gave me the idea, and since you did, I couldn't get it out of my head. And so I started scouring everywhere once we got together—not very seriously, though. That is, until I found her. And then I just knew."

Then he took me around the corner, leading me into the living room, and I got the surprise of a lifetime when I saw her, lying patiently in front of the couch, a curious look in her eyes, a blue bow tied around her neck: A chocolate brown Labrador Retriever puppy.

I gasped, my hands flying up to my mouth in shock. "You didn't..."

He smiled. "I did. You'd mentioned a few times that you wanted a dog again, and since then I started thinking about getting you one someday. And then that someday felt a little closer when we got together, and then I started looking. I found her in an animal shelter about two weeks ago, which, I suppose, happily coincided with you telling me about the premiere of Vince's movie, and once I knew what was wrong, I just wanted to make you feel better. They found her abandoned alongside the road."

"Oh, no, poor baby," I crooned, kneeling down next to the puppy and gently stroking her head. She just looked at me with that curious look in her blue eyes. "What's her name?"

"The people at the shelter started calling her Jane—you know, for Jane Doe? But you can rename her if you want. So what do you want to call her?"

I looked at her, still stroking her soft fur as I pondered names in my head. I wanted something Greek, but what? Then I knew, and I smiled. "Persephone. I want to call her Persephone."

He smiled. "Persephone, huh? I like that."

"And what about you, Persephone?" I crooned, carefully lifting her up and placing her in my lap. "Do you like your new name?" She curiously sniffed my face. Then, apparently deeming me worthy, licked my nose, making me giggle. "I'll take that as a yes then." I hugged her close to my chest and turned my head to look at Henry, feeling the tears well up in my eyes as I smiled. "Fuck you, Henry. Seriously. Go fuck yourself."

He laughed, throwing his head back. "I love you, too, Juliette. And you're welcome."

"But seriously, though, Henry. How will I ever be able to repay you for this?"

"Just take good care of her. Love her, like I love Kal. Give her a good life and that will be thanks enough." He grinned. "Of course, a kiss will be greatly appreciated too."

I shook my head, smiling. "You are so predictable, Cavill. But come here."

I beckoned him with my finger and he knelt down next to me, cupping my face in his hands as he brought his lips down on mine. I kissed him passionately (or as passionately as I could with a puppy on my lap), trying to convey to him how grateful I was. I mean, he'd given me a puppy, for fuck's sake! I lifted my hand up to his face, my fingers relishing in the feeling of his short stubble. He had to shave every time he geared up to play Nate Johnson, which meant he refused to shave every time he had a break. I lived for those breaks, and I just thanked my lucky stars that those breaks weren't ever long enough for him to grow a full beard. I loved his stubble, and he knew it.

I pulled his head a little closer and opened my mouth for him, our tongues colliding. He tasted like chocolate, and I smiled, knowing he'd broken into my secret stash. Punk.

He moaned suddenly and fell forward slightly, and I pulled away in confusion. "What's wrong?" I breathed.

"Kal's being jealous, that's what's wrong." He pointed to his back, and that's when I realized Kal had jumped onto his back, paws resting on his shoulders.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Aw, poor baby. Aren't you getting enough attention?" I petted his head and he excitedly dug his nails even deeper into Henry's shoulders.

Henry turned so Kal had no other choice but to jump off his back, but he made it up to him by pulling him onto his lap. "Come here, you jealous little git," he crooned, scratching behind Kal's ears.

"Have you already tested how Kal and Persephone get along?" I asked, smiling down at the little pup as she started licking my hand.

He nodded. "Yes, I did. That's actually what I was doing while you were upstairs. I didn't want to give her to you only to find out then that she and Kal don't get along, which would force me to bring her back, and that would really suck. I also talked it over with Hanna, seeing as this is her house too, but—as you might imagine—she was totally okay with it."

"When did you do that?"

"Around the same time I really started looking for a dog, so about a few weeks ago."

I felt my mouth fall open. "A few weeks ago? And she managed to keep this from me for that long?"

Henry grinned. "I may or may not have threatened her with one of Keegan's brother's swords if she blabbed to you."

I laughed. He really was part of the group if he'd started using that threat too. "Wow." I shook my head and gave him a smile. "You're cute." I leaned over to give him a quick kiss, then picked Persephone up to move to the couch. He joined me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. With his free hand, he patted the spot next to him, and Kal clambered onto the couch. As he lay his head in his owner's lap, I snuggled into Henry and smiled up at him. "I love you. I really, genuinely do."

He smiled and pressed a long, hard kiss to the top of my head. "I really, genuinely love you, too."

Once again, I felt that warm, happy feeling bubbling up in my chest. It really felt like Henry and I were building a life for ourselves, and Persephone felt like a new addition to our slow-growing family. And I, for one, couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As you might have noticed, I skipped a lot of time in-between this chapter and the last one. I'll probably do that a lot from now on, mostly because I have no other choice if I want to wrap this story up nicely. Other than that, I genuinely hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much, if not more, as I enjoyed writing it. Them being so cute together is SO much fun for me to write! I just love it. And as always, thank you all so incredibly much for reading! I really, genuinely love you all ;)

The lyrics at the start of the chapter are You Ruin Me by The Veronicas.

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