Teal.

Julian awoke to an empty couch and a silent room. His neck ached from the awkward position he had been sleeping in, letting out a slight grunt as he sat back up, rolling it slowly around to work out the discomfort. The sky outside was brighter, his mind slowly recalling that there was something he had to do that day; something important. It hit him like a ton of bricks; his callback for the movie; his flight that was scheduled for him by the agency.

That was all it took to send him shooting up and off the couch, looking around in a slightly panicked state as he pushed the disheveled brown strands of hair out of his face. His alarm quieted momentarily as he glanced at the clock on the wall; fifteen past two; his flight didn’t leave until seven. The brief spot of relief that washed over him left almost immediately as he noticed the cell beside the sink; the water had been turned off. Before he even turned around he already knew what was missing, what hadn’t been on the couch upon his awakening that had been there before he had fallen asleep; Teal was nowhere in sight.

The sigh that escaped Julian was heavy as he ran his hands through his hair once again. Had she awoken to find their position uncomfortable? Had it scared her away after an already rough morning? It was as the actor shook his head and began to mentally kick himself that two things struck him at once; a soft female voice was becoming apparent from the hallway, and Teal’s coat and scarf still hung exactly where she had left them on his coat rack upon her entry.

To Julian’s relief a head of auburn curls appeared around the corner within seconds, eyes widening as she met his gaze. She didn’t give him a chance to speak before she held up a finger and then pointed at the phone pressed against her ear; his phone to be exact.

“Look, I know you’ve already fired her, but that isn’t enough. I want you to make sure she can’t get a job at even the lowest publishing company around, no one deserves to go through what I have, Darcy. Do you have any idea how many privacy codes she’s broken in the past few days? She gave him my Skype information, she gave him my phone number, and she put his things in the luggage I brought with me. I don’t want her to have the chance to do this to anyone else. I want her blacklisted to the entire industry,” Teal stated firmly, almost coldly. She paused, listening to whatever was on the other end before throwing her free hand in the air.

“Seriously? I know he’s my new editor but David coming out here is not going to do a bit of good, I could email him what I’ve got for free and he’s still going to fly across the Atlantic and waste company money? Darcy, I will leave him at that airport, I swear,” she threatened, irritation becoming apparent. “Oh my god, I know he’ll hunt me down like a blood hound if I do that, but god, have you tried to convince him of just how pointless this is?”

Teal scoffed as she rolled her eyes, pacing back and forth. Julian crossed his arms, amusement coloring his thoughts as he watched her animatedly continue her discussion with Darcy—whoever she may have been. If current appearances were any inclination of how Teal was feeling, it was definitely an improvement from earlier. He felt a little better in that moment; she hadn’t left, she was still there, and hopefully in better spirits.

“Of course he didn’t listen.” She stopped moving suddenly, forehead creasing as her mouth fell open slightly as she let out a frustrated groan. “And of course his flight lands at six thirty. My god, were you people going to give me any heads up that Satan himself was on his way to shackle me to a laptop until I pop out a new manuscript?”

Julian let out a slight chuckle, covering his mouth as she shot him a warning glare. Her sharp tongue had certainly returned, cutting witty and amusing replies without seemingly any effort.

“So you’re telling me, David Yorkshire, who I personally called to inform that I currently was laptop-less due to a panicked response to my ex-editor giving out my information to the one person she had specifically been instructed not to, sent me an email to inform me of his impending visit? Could you explain to me how that’s supposed to work exactly, because I’m not quite grasping it,” Teal deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. “Look, Darcy, I can’t do this right now. Liz must’ve taken the majority of his brain cells with her when she got fired. Drop the Editor-from-Hell a text and tell him to not call me when he lands because my cell was murdered a short while ago thanks to circumstances that mirrored the death of my laptop, not that it will stop him from dialing my number anyways. Yeah, bye.”

Teal pulled the phone away from her ear with pursed lips and the shake of her head. Glancing up at Julian her eyes widened briefly, before tossing the phone in his direction.

“Um, I should probably apologize now,” she muttered guiltily.

Julian barely glanced down at his phone, looking up at her curiously as he placed it in his back pocket. “For what, exactly?”

“That’s going to be one hell of a phone bill you’ve got coming next month,” she stated apprehensively. “Trans-Atlantic call. But then again, in my defense you did just drown my phone in your sink.”

“It’s fine,” Julian stated calmly, watching her as she began to slowly walk towards the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area, eyes slowly slipping out of focus. He had a bad feeling about that. “Teal, you alright?”

Her fingers traced lightly along the smooth surface of the marble counter top as she glanced up momentarily to give him a wistful smile. “I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have done that. It really wasn’t my place to barge in here and dump that on you, I just…”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” The words left Julian’s lips without much thought. He stepped quickly to the opposite side of the counter, resting his arms on the cold hard surface as he lowered himself to her eye-level. She avoided his gaze for a few moments, before her shoulders drooped slightly, bright eyes slowly meeting his in uncertainty. “Teal, you do not have to apologize for that. There are some things you should not have to deal with on your own, not if they affect you as strongly as whatever that phone call was, or in my case having Claire show up out of the blue for a direct confrontation. Sometimes… Maybe sometimes it isn’t a bad thing to have someone there to save you from the demons you can’t face alone. That’s perfectly normal, Teal. That’s human.”

The fear he’d seen that morning had slowly seeped back into her expression, her young appearance seeming even more teenage-like as she stood, holding her silence with a forlorn look on her face.

“I wonder if you’re still going to feel that way once you figure out the truth. You’re no idiot, and you already have all the puzzle pieces in the palm of your hand; it’s just a matter of time before you put it all together on your own. I don’t want that to happen just yet, because I don’t think you’ll look at me the same once you do.”

“So how about I not try?” He offered immediately, lips pulling upward slightly at their corners. Teal’s brow furrowed as she watched him with a fascinated curiosity, head tilting slightly as her lips silently repeated his words, once, twice, and then thrice.

She closed her eyes slowly before reaching up and massaging the backs of her eyelids as she leaned against the counter. “I don’t get you, Julian.”

“Nor I you, really. But I’m all right with that, if you are,” he stated softly.

Teal scoffed, meeting his eyes wearily. “God, where were you five years ago?”

“Modeling underwear for men’s catalogues and living in an apartment with four other blokes, but let’s not go there, yeah?” His grin widened as hers grew, dimples becoming apparent on her pale face. It was a smile different from most she had thrown at him; it didn’t feel like a mask or an act. It seemed genuine, and it suited her so much better. “Now, I’ve got four hours before I leave for a few days and I believe I promised to replace your cell I drowned earlier. Up for a bit of shopping, Teal?”

“Julian, I am not going out in public looking like a hobo that just rubbed her hair against a balloon for thirty minutes, we can do it when you get back,” she replied, turning away and heading towards the coat rack. He followed her at a leisurely pace, slipping a hat off the rack without her notice as she attempted to properly tie her scarf. Without warning he pulled it down over the mop of unruly, auburn curls. She jumped, looking up to catch their reflection in the hall mirror as he adjusted it carefully around her ears, grinning over her shoulder.

“Hats are for when people like us have bad hair days, Teal. See? Problem solved. Now, let’s go shopping. Besides, what if you need to get in contact with me while I'm gone?” he stated, pulling his coat on as she watched him warily in the mirror. Catching her eye he merely grinned back before opening the door and motioning for her to step out. “After you.”

“Begrudging amusement; is that how it felt to deal with me the first few days because I think you’re trying to give me a taste of my own medicine here,” she muttered, trudging down the hall and to the lift as he followed right behind. He laughed before the fell into a pleasant silence as they stepped into the small box.

“Hey, Julian?” Teal’s voice softly cut through the air, and the actor looked down in reply. It came as a surprise when a pair of small arms circled his neck, pulling him closer to her level as her nose pressed against his neck. Julian stood in shock for a moment, then, carefully his arms wrapped around her torso, hugging her back. He closed his eyes, burying his face in the wild curls that hung around her shoulders. She smelled of apples and mint, and he sighed, more at ease than he had been in a long while.

“Thank you, for everything,” she muttered against him.

He smiled into her hair. “Anytime.”

Neither one noticed as the lift doors slid open to the first floor and the people bustling back and forth. Neither one heard the click of the camera snapping eagerly only a short distance away.