This Life ? (J.C)

Nick was playing the guitar, sitting on the couch. Nikolai was cracking underhanded jokes as Albert, Fab and Ryan hovered over some white lines. It was a strange sight; Al didn't try to hide his drug use anymore—none of them did.

The buzz she had seemed to make her forget the real reason she had made an appearance that night. Julian was MIA—nowhere to be found. She didn't mind though, in fact, she welcomed his absence. Anything to prolong the dreaded reunion that was sure to come. She just needed a few more drinks in before that happened.

She stood from the sofa, making her way into the kitchen. She was on her sixth beer; unable to chug them fast enough.

"Hey, are you getting another beer?" Nick spoke from the couch, clamping his hand over the strings to make the sound stop.

"Yeah."

"Could you get me one? And make me a sandwich, I'm hungry."

Joy rolled her eyes. "Not only is that the most sexist joke ever, it's also the oldest. You need some fresh material."

"You're the assistant now, you gotta assist my hunger." Nick chuckled, picking up where he had left off on his melody.

"I'm actually not your assistant. And telling jokes like that... well, it's making me lean in the other direction." Joy spoke over her shoulder, disregarding Nick's request for a sandwich.

She smiled when hearing Nick continuing on with the banter. She wanted to pull another sexist card—she wanted to tell him that he was acting like a woman by having to have the last word in, but refrained.

She opened the fridge, grabbing two beers from the bottom shelf. The laughter and shouts from the living room grew louder; something had happened. It didn't take much to entertain that group, especially in their inebriated state.

She popped off the caps to the beers, flicking them into the sink piling with dishes. She started toward the living room again, taking a drink of beer before handing Nick his.

She started to sit next to him, but caught a glimpse of a familiar tall figure standing in the foyer. She didn't have to look toward the doorway to know who it was standing there—his presence had been the cause of everyone's commotion.

Joy didn't bother to look in his direction as she made a beeline for the bathroom, being sure to take her beer with her. She turned it up as she walked down the hall, quickly closing the door behind her.

Julian was there.

My god... he's fucking here. She suddenly wasn't ready to see him—she regretted her decision to even consider the job Ryan had offered.

She stood in front of the mirror over the sink, bracing her palm on the counter as she chugged the contents of her bottle. She'd stop to take a breath, staring herself down in the reflection as she mentally encouraged herself to get wasted—to not care whether or not Jules was there.

She let out a rather loud belch, looking over at the toilet she had used a couple of times since being there. But looking at it this time, it was more than just a toilet. It was the same toilet Julian had almost face planted in during the night they had sex.

Joy looked to the wall; the pile of dirty laundry was no longer there, but the memory of talking Jules down from the walls breathing still remained. She questioned if his relationship with his father had differed from the last time he had spoke about it with her.

A lot can happen in two years. She thought.

She left the empty bottle on the sink, opening the bathroom door before she had a chance to talk herself into staying in there all night. She had to face him eventually, she supposed.