"You just can't describe a day like this," Paul sighed to Jules, and breathed in the air. It was warmly fragrant with fresh dirt and blooming flowers.
"It's too trite."
"Trite? Trite! Did you just use 'trite' to describe a day such as this?" Paul exclaimed at her in exasperation. Jules just shrugged and ran along the dirt path.
"Trite, trite, trite. The day is trite," she childishly sang, "look at it. It's bright, it's shining. The birds are singing, and the flowers are in bloom. The only thing missing are damned talking animals, and we have a Disney production!"
"Come on, it's not that bad!"
"I never said it was bad. I just said it was trite."
Paul looked at Jules out of the corner of his eyes. She was grinning madly, a sign that she was just egging him. He laughed and ruffled her hair. Although they were both the same age, he always felt older then her.
"I mean, the least that could happen, would be some rainstorm or something," Jules said, ducking back away from his hair ruffling hands, "well, that may not work. That would be too Mary Poppin-ish, which is worse then having Bambi --- OOF!"
Paul looked over at Jules, and saw she was on the ground, glaring at a young man on rollerblades.
"Dammit! Watch where you're going, before I have you arrested for assault and battery," Jules muttered. Paul rolled his eyes; when she got irate, she became a complete drama queen.
"I'm sorry ma'am," the man apologized, extending his hand out toward Jules, "I'm not very good on these things," he said, waving his hands at his rollerblades.
"Ha! That's even worse! Assault with a deadly weapon!"
"Come on Jules," Paul said, "just get up and stop making a scene."
"But that…that…that MAN, called me 'ma'am'!"
"My name is Louis…"
Jules glared at him. He was a rather handsome man, with sandy brown hair and brilliant green eyes. Braking out into a big smile, she took his hand and stood up.
"Well, since you admit it's your fault," she said, "I won't press charges, I suppose." Paul groaned, seeing her giving Louis one of her disarmingly charming grins. "But, you can apologize to me, properly, over a frappachino." With that, she easily hooked her arms with him, and led him off toward the nearest coffee shop. He looked over his shoulder at Paul with a bewildered look. Paul laughingly shrugged and followed Jules' ongoing patter.
Nearly two hours and several rounds of coffee later, that Paul noticed that Louis was staring at him. Inexplicably, Paul felt his cheeks grow hot, and his heart thumped strangely. He looked away and tried to concentrate on what Jules was saying.
"…any ways, that is why I think that pink is the most psychologically stable color, not to mention the cerebral stimuli." Louis laughed appreciatively, and ruffled Jules's hair. She ducked away and glared.
"I think the sales clerk is glaring at us. Let's start heading back to the car, while the weather is still beautiful."
"I thought that you said the day was trite?" Paul teased.
"It is trite, but that has nothing to do with how beautiful the day is!"
Louis laughed at Jules's flouncing back. "Is she always like this?"
"No, this is one of her calm days," Paul said, avoiding Louis's eyes. Louis noticed Paul avoidance, and was about to say something when Jules came bouncing back to the table.
"Come on guys! Geez, what are you waiting for? To sprout wings?" She grabbed them both by the arm and dragged them in her wake.
"I really should be going," Louis said. Paul felt both disappointment and relief. "I'm sure that you guys have plans and…"
"Pooh and piffle!" she said, waving away his protests, "there's nothing more pressing then getting to know you better…unless…you have better things to do." She ended this with an edge to her voice and a dangerous narrowing of her eyes. Louis laughed, and ruffled her hair.
"Well, if you're sure…"
"Yes…please join us," Paul heard himself say and his heart thumped again. As they walked along the rest of the trail, Paul stayed a little behind Jules and Louis, feeling awkward and irritated with Jules's prattling. Rather then say anything, he just followed them.
What is wrong with me? He thought. I can't be jealous of Jules making new friends! He had known her for nearly ten years now, since high school, and she habitually picked up new friends, like other people would pick up pennies off the sidewalk. I'm just out of sorts, he told himself, but he knew that wasn't it either.
"Come on Paul!" Jules called out, already several hundred yards ahead of him and Louis, "I'll race you guys!" Louis promptly made to follow, but a rock on the path, threw him off balance. Paul reached out to keep him from falling. Arms around Paul, Louis looked at him and smiled.
"Thanks, Paul."
"Umm…don't mention it," he replied, unable to move. Louis stared at him a moment longer, before straightening up, and followed Jules, occasionally turning around to look at him.
He couldn’t believe that his heart was racing. What's wrong with me, he wondered, as he angrily chased after them. He finally caught up with them by the car.
"Great! I know the cutest little sushi place downtown."
"Is it in pink?" Louis asked, wide eyed.
Jules punched him on the shoulder; "you're such a dummy! Come on, it'll be great! You do eat sushi, right?"
"What if I told you that I don’t eat fish?" Louis asked, giving Paul a wink.
"Oh, I'll teach you how to eat fish," Jules replied, her voice thick with innuendo. Louis gave her a hug and looked at Paul.
He walked away.
"What's wrong?" Jules chased after him with wide, worried eyes; "we don’t have to go for sushi…"
"No, it's not that!"
"Then what?"
Paul looked at her with confusion and exasperation. "I don’t know. I just don't feel well." Wordlessly, he stalked to his car and drove off. Looking at his rear view mirror, he didn't notice Jules with her stricken and worried face. All he saw was Louis, staring after him.
Aimlessly, Paul drove around town. What was wrong with him? He was angry with himself for how he acted, but he was also frustrated with Louis and Jules. Mostly Louis. But Paul started fuming about Jules. She was always doing that. Going around with complete strangers. It was annoying to say the least. Today they were supposed to spend the day together. Alone. Why did she always have to do this?
He drove until the sun had set, and in the purple evening darkness, he found himself in front of the little sushi restaurant. They were seated at the bar, eating sashimi and drinking sake. He turned away and got back into his car.
Arriving back at his apartment, he grabbed a beer, and sat on the sofa staring out the window at the city lights. On his way to the fridge for his fifth beer, there was a soft knock on the door. He wasn't going to answer it, but he knew that it was Jules, and she would pound away all night, until he let her in.
"Out with it, what's wrong?" she said, striding into his place, eyes blazing and hands on her hips. "I saw you outside the restaurant. Why didn't you come in? Why didn't you pick up my calls?"
"I don't know…"
"That is no answer and you know it!"
"I really don't know…"
"Come on Paul. We've known each other for a billion years now. Come on. Out with it. What's up? Are you mad at me?"
"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know…"
"Will you stop saying that? It's driving me insane!" She grabbed the beer out of his hands, and took a long gulp before plopping down on his sofa. Paul went to get another one, and joined her.
"Talk to me," Jules said, softly.
"I…"
"If you say, 'I don't know' one more time, I'm going to hurt you."
"But I really don't," Paul laughed dryly.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Maybe. I think I should be, but I'm not."
"So what is it then?"
Paul looked out the window and took a long sip from his beer. "I'm not gay."
Jules's eyes widened with understanding, and she nodded. "I know you're not."
"I have always been attracted to women. You know that. I've had three long term relationships with wonderful women, and…"
"So you're not gay," she said, after Paul's voice drifted away, "it was a warm day, and we had been walking a lot. You've been stressed at work."
"What? No lecture from you about pursuing every opportunity?" She laughed, "no, no lecture from me today. You're not ready for it."
"I'm not gay, you know."
"I never said you were."
Paul stared at Jules's impish eyes, and reached out to ruffle her hair. She didn't pull away, but stare at him sadly.
Paul took another drink from his beer, and couldn't but help feel a sense of loss, and he didn't know why.