"What?" she pressed. "You think you're too cool to spend time with me now that your friends are here?"
I sighed. I knew I would do the same thing to my sister, but being on the receiving end of a joke like that was a pain.
"Don't say that—you know it isn't true."
Julie let out a hoarse chuckle as she leaned on the counter and laced her fingers.
"Haha, sorry. Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. It's been a while, you know?" she said, eyes staring straight into mine.
For someone so cocky, her eyes felt too knowing, too seeing at times like these—even though there was nothing to know.
This is why I hate talking to you…
I let out a deep sigh as I grasped the stool next to her and lowered myself onto it.
Without waiting for me to settle, Julie grabbed a nearby wine bottle and two glasses. The wine stained the transparent glass a ruby red as she filled the cups.
I already had an idea what she was thinking, but even so, I couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing with two cups?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she snickered.
Once both glasses were full, she set one in front of herself and slid the other toward me.
I stared absently at my ruby red reflection warping in the ripples before saying, "Uh—you know I'm seventeen, right? I can't drink this."
Julie scoffed, tracing the rim of her glass as she stared at her own reflection, just like I was. Except—the wine in her glass was completely still.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid—I used to secretly feed you sips of my drinks when you were nine years old. And I know your Dad doesn't care either."
She glanced towards the kitchen with a nostalgic smile. "You know—back when I was your age, I used to come over to your house and this place every day after school."
Of course, I already knew this. She's told me this story countless times—but I never interrupted her. As redundant as it may have been, hearing it time and time again always felt refreshing in a way.
"I remember sharing a drink with your Dad each time," she went on, her eyes sparkling with a certain tenderness as she did. "Your Mom would always tell him he's being a bad influence, but she never tried to pull the glass away from me."
She shook her head with a soft chuckle, then raised her glass towards me. "Point is—if your parents let me do it, they'll let you too."
I couldn't help but scoff at her logic.
"Yeah, maybe Dad would let me get away with it—but I know my Mom definitely wouldn't."
Julie scanned our surroundings, mock-searching, then turned back to me.
"Does it look like she's here? No—so stop being a scaredy-cat and just keep it a secret. I know you hide things from your Mom anyway."
I didn't react outwardly, but I'd be lying if I said I brushed the comment off like it was nothing.
After all—I never ran from a challenge.
I raised my own glass and then tapped it against hers, a soft *clink* ringing between us as I did.
"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. "I was just joking around. You didn't have to take it so seriously."
"That's more like it!" Julie grinned. "Well then—cheers!"
"Cheers."
We both tipped our glasses back, pressed them against our lips, and drank. The wine burned as it went down my throat, making me almost retch.
I didn't get why people drank this stuff—it wasn't good. Even so, I swallowed it down without complaint.
I put the glass down and wiped my lips with my sleeve. There was still about half a glass left, which meant I'd have to take another sip in the future.
A few seconds later, a loud *clack* rang out as Julie slammed her glass against the counter. My eyes widened as I stared at her now-empty cup.
I thought it was impressive, but Julie just burped.
"Man! That was some good stuff!" she sighed.
"...Should you even be drinking that much?" I asked bluntly. "Don't you have to drive? And aren't you working today?"
"Nah, today's an off day for my whole department. And I'm nowhere near drunk, so I can drive perfectly fine."
"Uh-huh…" I said, still unconvinced.
I don't know if it's just me, but lately, whenever I see her, she's always on a day off or out for work. I want a job like that…
"Anyway," Julie said, moving things along. "How've you been recently? It's been what—almost a week or two since I last saw you?"
I nodded. "Yeah—but we haven't really talked or anything in a month."
The last time we actually talked was when Lily and I coincidentally ran into her at the arcade. The other times after that, we were just competing.
"A month, huh…" Julie murmured, her voice going a touch softer. "So… how have you and your sister been?"
My mouth opened, but for a beat, the words failed to come out. It should have been easy to say, 'Everything is fine.' That was what I'd always said to her without fail. But when I tried, Lily's words from that night returned.
But even as my thoughts lagged, my mouth still managed to produce a sound—one that wasn't like mine at all.
"It's the same as usual. Nothing new has happened."
Julie let out a small breath as she leaned on her hand, her gaze unwavering.
"Is that so…"
Before I could say more, she moved on to the next topic. "How are your studies going? You have finals next week, right? Are you nervous?"
"Of course not," I said instantly. "I'm a genius, so there's nothing for me to worry about."
Julie let out a low whistle. "Sheesh—egotistical much? But I guess it runs in the family. Me, you, your Mom, my sister, your sister—and even your Dad—we're all like this in a way."
I tilted my head, doubtful. My Dad was many things, but I wouldn't call him egotistical. If anything, I'd argue he was the opposite.
"Are we talking about the same person?" I asked in a flat tone. "My Dad isn't like that at all. I'd say he's more humble, if anything."
It was a genuine question, but Julie just laughed it off.
"Ha! Then you don't know him well enough. He can be both humble and egotistical, you know?"
Julie's gaze shifted to my half-empty glass before coming back to me. "Are you going to drink the rest of that? Or are you scared–"
Before she could even finish talking, I picked up the glass and drank the rest in one gulp. I gently set it back down as I wiped my lips with the back of my hand.
Still disgusting...
But Julie seemed to be ignorant—or ignore—my true feelings as she stared at me for a moment before asking, "So—how do you feel? Are you drunk?"
I'd drunk a few times before with Kevin back in middle school, and Luna whenever she dragged me to a party. Granted, it was peer pressure every time, but the results were always the same.
"No," I said, pushing the glass away. "I don't know about other people, but I can't get drunk."
Julie's wide grin strained for just a moment before easing down into a strange, eerie smile.
"Well—what do you know? I can't get drunk either."
I stared at her face from the corner of my eye, her words ringing in my ears. Her answer should have been some throwaway line, one that fully embodied her arrogance. Except—the way she looked right now was nothing like the cousin I knew.
I couldn't help but wonder what she meant by that, but by the time I blinked and I opened my eyes again, her confident grin was back—like it had never left.
Despite the wine burning in my stomach, a subtle chill crept up my arms.
I continued to stare at her face, but no matter how long I looked, the smile from before never came back. Still—every time I blinked, I could see it clearly in that flash of darkness.
That was the only thing that kept me from believing I was seeing things—or maybe it made it worse.
Even though I hoped not, I wouldn't have been surprised if she had noticed some change. Even so, all she ever did was pierce me with her gaze—nothing more.
After a few moments, she let out a quiet breath, causing her body to sink slightly into the chair. She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. Seeing it, a small frown tugged at the corners of her lips.
"I should be heading back home soon," she said, something solemn in it.
"But before I do…" She slipped her phone back in her pocket and leaned in closer, whispering in my ear. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Maybe it was because of the wine, but the way her breath brushed against my ear felt warmer than usual—and that's what made the sweat in my palms feel all the colder.
I quickly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, forcing distance between us.
"You always ask this question," I said, maintaining my flat tone. "And I always give you the same response—no, I don't."
Julie snickered. "But would you tell me if you did? 'Cuz I'm pretty sure you're the type to hide it."
I sighed. "If you know that, then what's the point of even asking?"
"It's simple." She slowly pushed up from her seat and turned around, turning her back to me as she faced the exit.
"I won't be able to find out if I don't ask."
I didn't get it. Even if she asked, I'd always tell her 'no' whether I had one or not. So there should have been no point in even asking.
I waited for an answer, but Julie didn't elaborate. She just took wide strides towards the front door, her heels clicking loudly against the hardwood.
She lifted her right hand and waved me goodbye without turning back.
"Tell your Dad that I'll pay him back for the alcohol some other time, okay?"
"Sure," I said as I watched her go.
Her hand dropped to the front door, her fingers curling around the handle. Instead of pushing, she froze—then turned her head to the side and gave me one last parting glance.
She drew a quick breath, then opened her mouth.
"See you, Kid. If you need anything, just give me a call."
She pushed the door open and stepped outside, still watching me.
The bell rang, drowning out everything else.
Just before the light consumed Julie, she mouthed the words—
"Love you."
And just like that, the door shut, and she was gone.
The background sound of the restaurant returned: the soft murmurs of the other customers, the clatter of plates, the laughter—all of it.
The world moved on. Yet—I remained seated in the same spot, my body refusing to move.
My gaze moved between the door Julie had just left through and the now-empty seat in front of me.
Slowly, I lowered my head and took a deep breath.
Good riddance, now I can finally relax. Talking to Julie is always such a pain!—Or so I tried to tell myself. But my chest felt... unusually hollow. Even talking to Mei didn't leave me feeling this way when we said goodbye.
I closed my eyes, Julie's last words replaying over and over in my head.
"Love you."
I opened my mouth, the same way she had—but nothing came out. My lips couldn't even move.
I pushed—pushed hard enough that my throat ached, my nails digging into the side of my stool as I struggled, choking on it.
But no matter how hard I tried…
I couldn't say the words back.