36.

Elliot paused as he reached for the doorbell. He took a deep breath to slow his racing heart. He hadn't been back at Julia's house since she left for college over a year ago. He reminded himself that he wasn't the same as he was then, he was stronger now. Plus, not seeing Julia for over a year had cured him of that silly crush he had on her for all those years. He pressed the doorbell confidently. 

"Elliot, is that really you?" The tall, blonde girl asked when she opened the door.

Her ocean blue eyes were even prettier than Elliot remembered.

"Yeah, long time no see Julia," he said, trying to show how mature he was now . 

Her lips formed into a gigantic smile and she threw her arms around him.

"Elliot, oh my god! I can't believe you're actually here, I heard you were in town, but I thought it was a lie," Julia said as she hugged him tightly.

Elliot hugged her as well. The familiar feel of her embrace made him feel more comfortable. Julia let him go and took a good look at him.

"You bulked up I see, not that you needed to," she said and poked him in the chest.

Elliot smiled. Julia had always complimented his appearance, it was one of the reasons his crush on her was so deep.

"Yeah, but what's this all about?" Elliot asked and touched her hair. It went just past her chin. The last time he saw her, it went down past her shoulders. He used to fantasize about running his fingers through it.

"Yeah, I broke your no cutting it rule, but I needed to. I had to move on and let myself grow," Julia said, as she absentmindedly played with her hair. Her eyes wandered off into the distance.

"Is everything okay?" Elliot asked as he waved his hand in front of her face.

"Oh yeah," she said and snapped out of the daydream. "So, what did you get me?"

A look of sudden shock showed on Elliot's face as he realized he had forgotten to get her a gift.

"Don't worry about it. You can't buy what I want anyway," she said and gently pushed him.

"Umm should we go inside, you kinda skipped out on your own party," Elliot asked.

Julia took his right hand in her hands and began running her thumbs over the back of it.

"Only if you promise me that when I want you to myself again you wont fight me," she said. Her skin felt so good against his Elliot shuddered slightly.

"Okay, creeper," Elliot said and smiled.

"Whatever, I missed my Ellie Wellie," she teased and pinched his cheek. She used to constantly tease him like this for having such a soft nickname. This time when she let his cheek go, her hand flattened against his face. She gently stroked his cheek and chin with her fingers as she pulled her hand away. It was different, but it was the touch Elliot had wanted for years and never gotten. He decided not to question it.

Music filled the air as they walked into the crowded house. There were groups of people huddled in different areas of the living room, talking amongst themselves. Elliot didn't recognize most of them. Wow she has a lot of friends, Elliot thought as he surveyed the party. She led him into the kitchen, where her parents stood laughing with several other older adults.

"Mom, look who's here," Julia said and pushed Elliot forward.

He stood in front of her parents with an awkward half smile on his face and waved at them.

"Hello Elliot, it's good to see you," Julia's mom said and gave him a soft hug.

"Good to see you too Mrs. Byrd," Elliot said and returned her hug.

He glanced over at her father and caught the man glaring at him.

Hello Mr. Byrd," Elliot said and held out his hand for him to shake.

Mr. Byrd looked at his outstretched hand like he was offering him a fresh turd. Elliot was just about to get offended when Julia grabbed his hand again and pulled him away.

"You gotta meet my best friend from college, I told her all about you," she said as she led him back into the crowded living room. Elliot really wanted to know why her dad had looked at him that way, but he followed her. They walked up to a short, light skinned girl with gray eyes and long auburn hair. She was pretty, but she had a real physique to her. She clearly worked out a lot. 

"Hey Samantha, this is the boy I told you about," Julia said and pulled Elliot forward.

"Nice to meet you," Samantha said as she reached out and shook Elliot's hand. 

She had a ring on her left ring finger. Elliot couldn't help but be curious about it. She couldn't have been much older than he was.

"You're married?" He blurted clumsily.

"No, just engaged," she said as they let each other's hands go.

"That's not even the most interesting thing about her, she's a legit boxer," Julia said.

"That explains the physique," Elliot said and hoped he hadn't offended the girl. 

"I told her she was too jacked," Julia said and looked at Samantha.

"Whatever, as long as Marcus doesn't mind it, it's fine," Samantha said and shrugged.

They stood and talked with Samantha for a few minutes, until Elliot asked Julia where the drinks were.

"Let me show you," Julia said and led him by the hand into the kitchen again.

She led him to where there were red and white drink coolers on the floor. Elliot grabbed a bottle of water out of the first cooler he looked in.

"Okay time to go back outside and talk," Julia said, after watching him down the entire bottle in one gulp.

"Okay, lead the way," Elliot said, remembering their agreement.

He followed her out the back door and into her huge yard. They had played countless times in this yard. 

"So how has life been treating you?" She asked as they walked into the night air. The only sounds around them now were the bugs in the trees, and the music they could still hear from inside the house.

They both shared stories about their school experiences. Elliot's were far more extraordinary than Julia's, but he listened to her every word as if she had powers just like him.

"So, you have a girlfriend at school, don't you?" Julia asked, her voice was hesitant, like she already knew his answer and didn't really want to.

"Yeah, I have a girlfriend named Sheree. What about you?" Elliot asked. 

He found himself in a strange place emotionally. He knew it shouldn't matter to him, but he also wanted her to be single. He couldn't do anything if she was, but he just didn't like the thought of her being with someone else.

"I'm not seeing anyone seriously, but I do have someone I'm interested in. I just need to get something out of my system," she said. She stared up at the starry sky as she spoke.

Elliot looked up to see what she was seeing. When he couldn't, he got curious.

"Why do you keep zoning out?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it's because I made Samantha a promise that I didn't think I would actually have to follow through with. It turns out that I do though, and I 'm not sure if I'm brave enough," she said.

She was just vague enough for Elliot to remain completely clueless about her plight, but he still wanted to be supportive.

"Well, you have a literal superhero in your corner tonight, so just remember that, and there isn't a thing in this world that can hurt you," he said as they walked.

"That's awfully bold for a guy that forgot to even bring me a gift," she said and laughed as she pulled her phone out.

"You said that was fine,"Elliot said, starting to feel embarrassed again.

"It is, I promise. I would like a birthday dance though," she said with her head slightly cocked to the side.

"Say no more," Elliot said and held out his arms.

Julia started a song on her phone and laid it in the grass. As the slow piano melody filled the air around them they embraced each other. She put her arms around his shoulders and locked her eyes on his. Elliot put his hands just above her hips and returned her deep gaze. The song was called "All I ask" by the singer Adele. Julia sang the words as they moved slowly and the world around them ceased to exist. Her singing voice was what made Elliot fall for her when they were younger. That night however she was just goofing off. She sang along to "Oops I did it again" by Britney Spears. Tonight she was clearly singing directly to him. She sang the chorus and spelled everything out.

  "If this is my last night with you, hold me like I'm more than just a friend. Give me a memory I can use. Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do. It matters how this ends, cause what if I never love again?" she sang sweetly, while her eyes showed how serious she was.

Elliot's heart raced as her voice and the song ensnared him. He had wanted to be in this moment with her for so long, but it was too late now. He wasn't single, doing anything more than dancing with her would be wrong. Her song went on.

"Let this be our lesson in love. Let this be the way we remember us. I don't wanna be cruel or vicious, and I ain't asking for forgiveness. All I ask is if this is my last night with you, hold me like I'm more than just a friend. Give me a memory I can use. Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do. It matters how this ends."

The music faded as she sang the line  "cause what if I never love again". Their eyes hadn't left each other's since before she started singing. Now that she was done neither of them wanted the moment to end. They stared at each other in complete silence as their faces slowly moved closer. When their lips finally touched they both put every unspoken feeling they had into the kiss. Knowing that this was probably the last time he would see her, Elliot didn't feel any regret for going for it.