Take This To Heart

Jack

“Bitch, where are my hot pockets?”

“HOT POCKETS GET IN ME.” Alex screamed with me. “JULIET YOU ARE A TERRIBLE COOK.”

Juliet stepped into the bunk area and practically chucked bowls at Alex and I, smirking with a pissed off look in her eye that made me giggle.

“Aw yeah!” Alex nodded. “Love you babe.”

I laughed and took a bite. “Fuck, oh fuck it’s hot. Jules you didn’t cool them down! You know I have a sensitive tongue.”

I could hear her let out a long breath as the curtain to the bunks opened again. “You better eat those fucking hot pockets or I will cut your balls off while you sleep. Who the fuck eats hot pockets in the morning? Fat fucks.”

It was quiet for a few moments as I eyed Alex. “Hey Jules?”

“WHAT?”

“Can I have a glass of milk?”

“Not from me asshole!”

We laughed as I sat up in bed, eating my delicious hot pockets. Juliet was so funny when she was mad. She was also fucking adorable. I poked my head out while chewing, laughing as Juliet was practically asleep on Flyzik’s shoulder.

“I love you Juliet!” I yelled in my cutest voice, earning me her middle finger.

Alex laughed. “Shut down!”

I shook my head and took another bite. “COLUSSY. WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY?”

Colussy shrugged from his bunk where he was laying down. “I dunno, like stuff I guess. Whatever you want.”

“Colussy,” Rian piped up from behind his laptop, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “You’re fired.”

“Can’t you guys occupy yourselves for like one fucking day? Do you need me to hire you a babysitter?”

“Yes,” Alex chimed with a mouth full of hot pockets, “Specifically a blonde one with huge tits.”

“Colleen would love that.” Rian added again, chuckling to himself as I snorted.

Alex rolled his eyes and shut up for a second, giving me a minute to think. We were currently in New Jersey, and we had the day off. There was nothing else that came to mind when I thought of New Jersey more than the classic Jersey shore experience. And I was gonna have it.

I got up and moved next to Juliet, perching myself so I was semi on her lap, cutting her off from Flyzik. Which was probably going to piss him off, which only made me want to do it more. Juliet rolled her eyes and look at me.

“What do you want?”

I laughed and picked up her chin. “Can we be guidos?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Ya know, like those people on MTV. Can we go be like them today? Like go to the beach and tan and walk around like badasses?”

Juliet laughed and groaned, leaning into my chest slightly. “I dunno, I’m tired-”

“Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pleeeeease? With a dildo on top? And Alex’s nipple hair?”

She laughed and groaned again. “Ugh. You got me with the nipple hair Barakat. But only like an hour okay?”

“Fuck yeah!” I jumped off her. “This is gonna be the best day EVER.”

“That’s debatable.”

“It’s really not.”

“Shut up Barakat.”



Getting all the other guys not to come was probably the hardest part of getting off the bus. But I needed just a day of me and Jules. Those were the best days.

As we walked along the boardwalk, I took in some of that ocean breeze smells mixed with greasy food. Awesome.

“So where do we start?” Jules turned to me.

I turned to her and shrugged, my eyes moving to a stand. “Hot dogs.”

“I’m down with that.” Jules laughed as I grabbed her hand pulled her over to the hot dog stand. After we bought the food we continued to walk. Every so often I would glance over at her. She always looked so simply beautiful. Like she wasn’t trying all that hard, she just was.

“You look like you’re eating a dick.” I laughed as she took a bite.

Juliet giggled. “Oh, you do too then Barakat.”

“Yum.”

“I swear you’re gay.”

“You caught me!” I threw my hands in the air. “Don’t tell Joyce though.”

She snorted. “I miss that woman. It’s the only reason I still hang out with you.”

“Wow, I feel so loved by you today.”

“Maybe it would have started off better if you hadn’t woken me up at six in the morning so I could make you some hot pockets and then repeatedly called me a bitch.” Juliet laughed, her eyes twinkling.

I laughed nervously. “Does sorry work here?”

“Only if you mean it.”

“What about ‘I love you Jules’?”

She paused for a second before shaking her head. “Love you too Barakat.”

Juliet always needed to control me. And that was okay. Because I needed her to control me too. I just needed her in my life. And she wasn’t going to be if I didn’t give her the air she needed. Everything was simpler with her. I forgot about the world. And that was perfection.

The rest of the day was spent on the boardwalk, playing games and eating piles and piles of fried food. Juliet ate like a man. I loved that about her.

“Where the fuck am I gonna put this?” Jules giggled as we walked back to the bus.

I shrugged. “In your bunk. Haven’t you ever wanted to snuggle with a giant stuffed orange and yellow fish?”

“Every day!” She laughed, kissing the fish lightly on the head.

“What’s his name?”

“Fishy.”

“Fuck no, that’s not original at all!”

Juliet hit me with the fish and shook her head. “Originality is dead, Barakat. And Fishy is a good name.”

I laughed and nodded. “I like it.”

“Like hell you do.”

“Did you have a fun day at the Jersey shore?” I asked.

Jules looked at me and nodded. “I’d say we got the full experience.” She paused f or a second and looked back at me. “Next time we see Derek and the Mayday guys, can we tell them Jersey is not as cold as they say it is? It’s pretty fucking hot. And it’s not so miserable.”

I broke out into laughter and nodded. “For sure.” I looked at her as she laughed, thinking to herself. It was those comments that made me happy to be around her.

“I missed this, Barakat.”

And there was the other comments from her I missed. The sappy, gay ones. The ones that made me want to kiss her. The ones that broke my heart in the worst way because I knew I couldn’t.

“Me too Jules,” I sighed. “Me too.”

“Can we do it again?”

I paused and nodded as my phone vibrated and a name popped up on the screen that shot me back to reality.

“Uh, yeah.” I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Juliet smiled before kissing me lightly on the cheek. “Night Barakat.”

With that she walked onto the bus, holding the door open until I followed her. Slowly I slid into my bunk. The bus was nearly silent already, just little clicks of computers and phones. It was almost one in the morning.

I sighed and read my text messages.

Hey. I miss you. Are you doing okay?

Call me! I miss your voice.

Jack, where have you been? Is everything alright? I hope tour is going fine. I really do miss you. Please call me.

All from Annie.

I sighed and put down my phone.

There were two sides. One was Jules, where nothing was certain. One was Annie, where I held all the cards.

I knew which one I needed to choose. And it would be better for Juliet too, in the long run.

I needed to move on, and so did Jules.