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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 4, 2017 15:51:05 GMT -5
Lyra had expected to hear from Julian after he had stopped by her flat while she was out. She was certain he would be back or at least send an owl but two full days had since passed and there'd been no word from him. She thought very little of it, assuming he was once again painting and simply got caught up in his artwork. Or, wishful thinking, perhaps he was attending to business or any of the other projects he had been involved with prior to the start of their unorthodox relationship. No matter the reason for his absence, Lyra missed Julian and she decided that if he wasn't going to come to her, she'd go to him.
Lyra was feeling rather playful today and despite the chill in the air she was wearing a strapless dress with a whimsical print on the skirt which flared at the waist. As she stood on the porch she second guessed her decision to not grab a cardigan on her way out of her flat.
Julian can keep me warm, she thought to herself as she smiled at the idea of cuddling with him.
Lyra had made Julian a present to apologize for the ill-conceived ambush on him and Mason almost a week ago, and she held it behind her back as she rang the bell to his mansion. The wind picked up again and blew her hair into her face.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 4, 2017 16:34:44 GMT -5
Julian wasn't painting. He didn't see the point. Lyra and Nik's betrayal left him empty and void of any creativity. All that was left was bitterness. Truthfully it wasn't just their betrayal, it had merely been the key to opening the floodgates of pain he had been holding back since his childhood.
But one cause for celebration was his productivity. He had indeed begun to resume his other businesses and projects, and as far as his artwork was concerned that was a thing of the past. He had destroyed his studio and had no intention of putting it to rights.
He was on his way out, he only had a few final preparations to make before he'd be traveling out of the country, as far away from Lyra and Nik as possible, so when Lyra knocked he was quick to open the door.
His lip curled quickly but he schooled his features a second later, "Lyra...this is a surprise."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 4, 2017 21:46:41 GMT -5
She brushed the hair out of her face as Julian opened the door. When she saw him she smiled brightly at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
"Well Mimsy told me you stopped by but when I didn't hear from you I thought I should make the effort to come see you." She bounced on the balls of her feet as she looked up at him.
"I wanted to apologize for the other night, and I made you something." She shifted the large, flat package that she held behind her back.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 4, 2017 23:51:40 GMT -5
"Did you?" he asked in response to her thinking she should make the effort where he was concerned. He very skillfully resisted scoffing at her flirtatious words.
He realized now just how flirtatious she really was, it was a natural state of being for her and he found his body responded just as eagerly as ever though his mind remained fixed against her.
"I'm actually on my way out right now..."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 1:15:04 GMT -5
Her smile faltered but she quickly recovered; he was busy doing something other than painting, she saw that as progress. "You have time for a present, don't you?" she asked, looking up at him through her lashes with a playfully coy smile on her face.
"And maybe you could come by after your done with whatever you're doing. I haven't seen you and we promised not to hide from each other." She pouted a little as she admitted that she missed him.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 1:44:13 GMT -5
His jaw clenched in anger, but he schooled his features quickly. Every action she made, every word she spoke, now seemed like an elaborate lie. She wasn't the innocent little temptress he thought her to be, she was a scheming siren, and Julian wasn't even sure what her purpose was in being with him. Why was she torturing him?
First Mason, now Nik? How long had it been going on? He could or at least he might have tried to understand a relationship between the pair developing, after all Julian had pushed her away plenty, but as far as he could tell neither of them thought to tell him. Lyra was even now continuing to cast her charms on him. It only made him angry, impotent to hurt her the way he had been hurt.
"Very well, come in. But I do have plans later today that I must adhere to." he said stiffly.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 2:00:43 GMT -5
Lyra tried to hide any concerns she had about Julian's manner toward her. Clearly he was still upset about Lyra springing Mason on him at the gallery, and she could understand why he might not be overly happy with her right now. She tried to move past it as she smiled and stepped inside.
"Here," she said once she was inside the foyer. She held out a large, flat package wrapped in shimmery paper. Lyra had tied a ribbon around it, with a card hanging from from the bow. My Julian, it said simply in her girlish script - she'd dotted the "i" with a heart. Once he unwrapped it Julian would find a painting she had done for him. A swirls of colors; blues, greens, and purples on the bottom and red, oranges, and yellows on the top. The swirls were met in the center by a large bluish-white moon and there were black silhouetted flowers and blades of grass that sprung from the bottom of the canvas. She'd enchanted the painting so that it appeared a light breeze was blowing through the field, making the plants sway gently.
Lyra had spent several days working on this gift and as she handed the wrapped package to him she bit her lip anxiously and watched his face.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 2:12:33 GMT -5
Julian allowed her into the house, but not much further than the sitting room. He took his 'gift' from her and opened it quickly.
His surprise was so genuine that he smiled, "Lyra this is-" he cut himself off, "It's lovely." he said with a monotone then set it to the side.
He tried to ignore the desire to stare at his image through Lyra's work. She was talented in her own right, but the personal nature of the gift made it all the more beautiful to him, which made him all the more heartbroken and angry.
"Was that all?"
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 2:21:37 GMT -5
She smiled as he opened the gift and took his first look at the painting she'd worked so hard on. But when his expression turned flat, all of the giddiness she had felt left her. "I-" She fought back her emotions as Julian brushed her work, and her, aside. When she spoke next her joyous expression was gone, replaced with a sincere regret and sorrow.
"I get that you're still mad at me for the Mason thing. I-" She looked up at him, her eyes begging for forgiveness. "I thought I was helping but I've since realized it was the wrong approach. I just can't stand to think that you're not happy and I wanted to try to give you back what I stole from you." She moved toward him and reached out to press her hand against his chest.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 2:37:16 GMT -5
"Mason?" he asked confused. His memory didn't extend farther than the image of her straddling his best friend in a decidedly sexual manner, at least to his observation.
Everything she was saying was so in contrast to what he had seen. How could she be such a good actress? Was she really this conniving? Why didn't she just apologize about Nik, at least coming clean to him would be a step in the right direction, but she didn't.
He scowled and quickly stepped back when she touched him, "You can't." he said honestly, but it had nothing to do with Mason.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 2:47:46 GMT -5
"I know," she said ashamed as he claimed she couldn't fix his relationship with Mason. Or, at least that was what she thought he meant. She slowly retracted her hand as he stepped away from her touch. The action hurt her deeply and she chewed on her lip as her thoughts began to swirl with all of the terrible "what ifs" that his rejection brought on.
"I'm sorry, Julian! I shouldn't have tricked you like that. I just wanted to help! Please, tell me what I can do to make it right?" She should have learned her lesson. Julian needed time. He processed his emotions and problems slowly whereas Lyra jumped into action almost immediately. They weren't the most complimentary styles, but Nik thought Lyra's method could be good for Julian so she had hope that there was something she could do to right her wrong.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 2:52:31 GMT -5
He wanted to shake her, he himself was shaking with anger. How could she stand there and prattle on about an incident that didn't even matter when clearly she was f*cking his best friend?!
The more she danced around the real topic of concern the more Julian realized she wasn't going to tell him the truth. She was content to cuckold him, and he had no ground to stand on since technically they weren't even dating.
He looked at his watch. He needed to get out of there, "Lyra, I am late. I must be going, we can talk about this later."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 3:01:11 GMT -5
"So you'll come over tonight?" she asked with more hope than she should have. Her eyebrows raised in expectation and her eyes widened. "I can make dinner! Mimsy will help me so I won't ruin it. I'll make anything you want!" She was too eager to please him and in her excitement she again moved closer to him and reached out to touch him.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 3:06:31 GMT -5
He stepped back again, "No." he answered on instinct. Suddenly the wheels in his head began to turn, "No, why don't you come here. I'll cook for you." he said a heavy smile resting on his lips.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 3:12:22 GMT -5
"Of course!" Lyra beamed at him and she couldn't resist jumping forward and wrapping her arms around his middle. "What time do you want me?" she asked excitedly.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 3:22:37 GMT -5
Julian closed his eyes at the sensation of her arms around him. For a moment he allowed himself to feel her, but when the moment was over he disentangled himself, "Eight. Sharp."
He could make arrangements by then.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 3:32:38 GMT -5
Lyra bounced on the balls of her feet again as her excitement overflowed. She was so happy Julian was willing to forgive her for the mess she had caused. For a moment he had seemed too angry at her to be able to let it go and she was sure it would be a long path back to where they had been only last week. But now she had a dinner date with Julian and she needed to pick out an outfit.
"Eight, perfect. I'll see you then," she grinned as she kissed him on the cheek and turned for the door. "Good luck with your thing today," she said brightly as she pulled open the front door. She shivered as she was met with a blast of cold wind. She would definitely remember a jacket when she returned.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 3:45:55 GMT -5
Julian nodded distractedly, letting her leave. The gentleman in him even opened the door for her.
When she was gone he went to his office. He could have used an owl, but he wanted an immediate response and reached for the phone. After dialing the familiar number he smirked almost viciously as the feminine voice answered after the third ring.
"Lucy dearest, it's been a long time..."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 5, 2017 3:59:10 GMT -5
Lyra spent the better part of her day getting ready for her dinner with Julian. She went to the salon and had her hair done. It cascaded down her back in golden waves, one side pinned away from her face with a ruby studded hair comb. She wore a tight silver dress that stopped just below the knee. It was low cut with a slit up the back that gave her just enough range for her to sway her hips in a naturally seductive fashion. As the wind had picked up, she paired her outfit with a red coat which matched the five inch bright red heels she wore. She was completely overdressed for a night in, but Lyra didn't have plans to keep her clothes on too long.
Lyra shifted the bottle of wine she brought into the crook of her arm so that she could ring the bell. Lyra had sent Mimsy out to the store earlier with very specific instructions. The house elf delivered and Lyra now held a bottle of Julian's favorite wine. She was determined to make up for her mistakes.
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Post by Julian Faust on Jan 5, 2017 21:37:01 GMT -5
No one answered the door, and yet a slight wind opened it slightly.
High pitched giggling could be heard in the distance followed by masculine laughter.
"Julian!" the woman gasped in a french accent. The way his name rolled off of her lips spoke volumes about their familiarity.
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