Teal.

The first time she snapped was the day he received a request for a call-back. Marcus had phoned him at six that morning, ecstatic, screaming over how well he’d done, and how he was in the final selection of actors for the role. Julian had groggily shaken his head in disbelief, pushing his brown hair away from his eyes as he yawned, trying to figure out from Marcus just when he was supposed to be back in the States. He had hesitated a bit, explaining the company had already booked him a flight back for that evening; his call-back the next day. Julian reluctantly agreed, such short notice wasn’t really something he was overly fond of, but what exactly was he supposed to do? The flight was paid for, and even if he hadn’t expected to get a call-back it would probably damage his career to turn down such an opportunity.

He spent the morning packing, shoving a few articles of clothing in a bag, along with a few other little personal items here and there. He was done by eight thirty; his flight didn’t leave until seven that evening. Almost twelve hours with absolutely nothing to do. He made a cup of coffee, staring out the window at the city that was just beginning to come to life below. Per usual it was a gray morning, heavy with clouds and undeniable cold. The weather was predictable—a sharp knocking echoed through the room, reminding him that of late though his days certainly hadn’t been.

Julian didn’t really have guests, unless his editor counted, and in his eyes guests were welcome and generally Marcus was far from that. That left him with one guess as to who could be at his door, a small smile playing on his lips as he walked to the door.

On the other side stood a shivering Teal, bundled head to toe.

“Up a bit early this morning, aren’t we?” he asked, standing back to let her in. “Oh, you might be pleased to know Marcus called me a little while ago and I’ve gotten a call-back for the movie.”

She unwrapped herself without a word, her stale silence highly unusual. He noticed then the bags under her eyes, dark and fresh against her pale skin. Then there was the slight frown her lips dipped into at their corners, it hadn’t left her face since she’d walked in, even upon hearing his news.

“Teal?” he asked, running a hand along the back of his neck as he followed her into the living area. She avoided his gaze, plopping down on the couch as she stared at nothing in particular. After a few seconds her hand moved, scratching her arm without seeming to realize just what she was doing. Julian didn’t think twice, moving in her direction and pushing back the errant hand before he rolled her sleeve up, examining the gauze he had placed over her burn two days prior. “You haven’t changed this at all, have you?”

She looked over at him for the first time, eyes unreadable as she watched him, replying only with the shake of her head. Julian shook his head, heading for the washroom before returning momentarily with fresh gauze and disinfectant. What was going through her head, he had no idea. She had been acting strangely since the computer fiasco in her apartment two days earlier, but this was by far the strangest he’d seen her yet.

He sat down in the chair at the couch’s side, peeling back the old gauze carefully as he examined the still pink skin, lips set in a tight line. From the corner of his eye he saw her wince has he carefully dabbed the disinfectant along the affected area.

“Don’t move, really Teal, do you want this to get infected? You could land yourself in the hospital if you don’t take care of it,” he chastised wearily.

“Yeah, well that’s been the least of my worries lately,” she muttered in reply. “Why are you even doing this?”

“I’d prefer not to come back from my trip in two days to find you dead in your apartment or something because then it would be on my conscious,” he replied, carefully setting the new gauze. “There, all done.”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she slowly looked up at him. “Gone? Where are you going?”

“Didn’t you hear me when I said I got a call-back?” he asked slowly. Her face immediately darkened, slowly pulling her arm back from his grip; he hadn’t even realized he had still been touching her.

“That movie,” she sighed bitterly. “That damned book. I should have never written that; I should have deleted the file as soon as I finished. But I guess its way too late for that.”

Julian knew she hadn’t wanted it to see the light of day, he remembered that strange conversation well. What he had never understood was why she hadn’t stopped it if she was so against it seeing the light of day. Didn’t she have a right to request it not be published?

“So, why exactly did you let them do it, why not just nip it in the bud then?”

“Because that’s what a good person would have done,” she snapped. “And trust me; I am far from a good person.”

Julian watched her, brow furrowed in confusion at her sudden outlash. Teal’s eyes were cold, burning to the brim with aggression; for once her facial expression was a near match. This time, it appeared there wasn’t much to hide. This certainly wasn’t a side of her he had become acquainted with during her stay thus far. It was a sharp contrast from the usually level-headed girl who knew how to poke and pry without actually pushing too hard.

“I don’t think I follow,” he stated in a quiet, careful tone.

Teal rolled her eyes. “No, you don’t. I don’t expect you to. The only people who do are myself, those at the Orlando book signing, and…Look I’m expecting a phone call any time now. They’ve already called twice, and I just need you to make sure I don’t hurl my cell out a window, or flush it down a toilet, or set it on fire or something. I’ve already done enough damage with the laptop.”

“Teal, what’s going on?”

“I really shouldn’t have published that book,” she muttered quietly, pulling her knees to her chin. She was small, one tiny ball settled in the corner of his couch, curls a mess, eyes dull as she stared fixedly at the coffee table. Julian didn’t know what to say. She looked so small, fragile, so unlike the air she generally let off. His fingers clenched into a fist as he resisted the urge to reach over, give her hand a light squeeze. She didn’t seem like the type who needed comfort; but then again, she hadn’t seemed like such a lost, overwhelmed girl a few days earlier either.

A soft hum interrupted the quiet, before falling mute for a moment or two, and then starting back up again. Julian watched her face become a sheet of white, eyes widening as she quickly fumbled in the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out a phone. Her lips were set in a tight line, and he could almost feel her stomach bottom out as she sat there, staring at it for what seemed to be ages, then, shakily she flipped it open.

She said nothing; sitting stock still with the phone held to her ear. Either the volume was set low, or whatever was on the other end was extremely quiet; if in fact there was anything there. But as he watched, she seemed to wilt, a glistening of tears taking up residence in the corners of her eyes, nose shading itself a bright red. He barely noticed her fist clenching the fabric of her jeans tightly, for at that exact moment she met his eyes and for the first time he saw something there he never expected; a plea.

Help me.

It was impossible to miss, impossible to ignore, and he was on his feet and at her side before he even realized it. Gently he pulled the phone from her hands, a steady drum beat with a low bass through the static on the other end, and a voice:

“…The water’s warm and children swim, and we frolicked about in our summer skin…”

He shut it with a decisive click, a song; a simple song had driven Teal to such a point. She was silent, lips slightly parted as she let out a shaky breath as she stared down at her hand where the phone had previously been. He tossed the phone in the chair he had been in, reaching down gently and taking her hand in his. It was freezing, and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Why? You didn’t have to do that,” she stated, voice low, scratchy.

“Yes, I did,” Julian replied, bending down to her level. “Were you planning on driving yourself to tears? Who on Earth was that?”

Teal shook her head, squeezing his hand in return as fresh droplets clung to her lashes. “I deserved that. For what I did I deserve that, you don’t understand.”

She looked so ashamed, vibrancy gone and replaced with a heavy self-loathing. Someone—or something had flipped a switch, replacing the Teal he was becoming accustomed to with someone whose face was the same but personality had done a complete 180. Where was that confidence, that light and radiance she seemed to overflow with?

“You’re right, Teal, just like you said, I don’t understand, but if you’re willing to tell me, I could try,” he confided.

Teal let off a weak laugh, shaking her head. “Julian, don’t you get it? There are some things you are better off not knowing. Some things about my past I would prefer you not—“

The soft hum started again, both of their attentions pulled towards the chair. Teal’s grip tightened further. Julian looked back at her with a reassuring smile, carefully prying her fingers from his as he stood and took the phone in his own hand. The number that stared up at him wasn’t local, it was from the States. Whoever it was, given her words, and reactions to certain situations and confrontations he had a feeling it was the past she was so eager to avoid. He also knew this wasn’t the time to push it, that simple look she had given him, so desperate and sincere, he couldn’t just leave it be.

“Haven’t gotten a new cell since you’ve been here, have you?” he asked offhandedly. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught her befuddled stare, and a short shake of her head.

“Well, I’d say that gives us something to do until my flight leaves, wouldn’t you?”

He didn’t wait for a response, striding over to the sink and turning on the faucet with a twist of his wrist. He dropped the phone in the metal basin, leaving it there with the water pouring over it as he returned to the girl on his couch whose face was a mixture of confusion and pain.

“What did you just…?” she looked between the running water and the actor repeatedly, trailing off as she pursed her lips, crease forming between her eyebrows.

“Sorry.” he shrugged. “I will replace that, cross my heart. I took a page from your book, I think, dispose of the things that drag the past into the light; kill it with water. Clearly it’s not something you want to deal with—or should—given how it affects you. So I thought I’d lend a hand, not to mention you needed a new phone. So what do you say we go shopping?”

She surveyed him silently for a moment, watching as he lightly plopped onto the couch next to her, arms spreading out over the back of the seat with a slight smile pulling up at one corner of his lips.

“You’re not going to ask?”

“Not my place, is it?”

“You’re just going to…”

“Let it go, and be here, for now at least. Who else do you have here?” he offered. “Not to mention after what happened with Claire, I did owe you, didn’t I? Consider this my thanks, or way of repaying you, whichever.”

“I thought we were even when you bandaged up my arm the first time,” Teal muttered, picking at the gauze she was focused on. Julian reached down and pulled her hand back. Her skin was soft against his, warm, and the human contact was welcome. Ever since Claire there hadn’t been very much of that.

“Don’t mess with it, and no, fairly certain that didn’t count,” he countered.

“But killing my cell phone is part of evening out the favor,” she said flatly. “Right. Totally getting it now.”

Julian sighed, smiling down at her as she gave him an apprehensive stare. “You saved me from Claire. Can’t I at least try to help you escape whatever you’re so adamant to avoid?”

“If jumping from one continent to another hasn’t stopped it, I’m not quite sure anything will,” Teal stated, eyes fixed on the morning sky beyond the window. He could see her point; see how even after such effort to run away could seem to be in vain under the conditions. It was beginning to make slight sense how the resilience he had witnessed days earlier could wash away to the fear she so blatantly displayed a little while earlier; or maybe it had just been a façade, maybe she had just been fighting to keep her calm, and as the calls over the computer and phone came in that had completely slipped away. Regardless he still didn’t really understand what was going on, who exactly Teal was, or just what she was intent on avoiding. He wasn’t sure he would ever figure any of it out, either.

Silence once again filled the room as he watched her eyes drift shut, head nodding against his arm. The calls clearly hadn’t allowed her much sleep, and despite his offer to take her out shopping for a new cell he couldn’t seem to bring himself to nudge her awake. It was still early in the day, a few hours rest wouldn’t hurt anything. She was warm, shifting in her sleep, the fingers he had pulled away from the gauze a few minutes prior circling his gently. He didn’t pull back, didn’t fight it. She was comfortable and for the time at peace, feelings which for once, he found himself relating to. The messy curls rolled into her face as she dozed, her body heat combined with his early morning at the hands of his agent causing his eyes to droop drowsily. He tried to stay awake, for what reason he wasn’t sure, but with the regained calm, and a small troubled girl sleeping against him; it was a truly impossible feat. Julian fell asleep to the sound of the running faucet and a soft scent of apples as the day held its gray tint. Two sets of breath fell into the same slow rhythm.