*James*

[What are you wearing right now?]

I tease Julia after she got me all worked up earlier.

[Aren't you supposed to be running errands or something, Mr. Gallo] 

[You didn't answer my question. But yes, I drove all the way to my mom's to get her prescription card to get her meds, but apparently, Gwen has it from running errands the last time. So she's gonna do it for me when she gets out of work.]

What a waste of time when I could have been still making out with Julia on the balcony.

[You all really work together to keep things stable for your mom, huh. So where are you now?]

[Home. just fed the big baby, and she's out in the backyard]

[In the rain??]

[She loves the rain. Mags is weird. She goes crazy running all around like it's some big sprinkler in the backyard]

[Awww wish I was there]

I smile, wishing she was here as well.. I can never tell if she would rather be here or Nate's, so when she says here, I can't help but feel relieved. 

[Answer my question] I continue...

[ I will. But don't get concerned, cuz I'm fine. Call me]

Shit. When someone says don't be concerned...be concerned. I immediately call Julia. She tells me how she felt really lightheaded after I left.

"Could be the new med. Make sure you're drinking enough water. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it happens again. Then you'd have to tell Jonah."

"Yeah, I'm hoping it was just a fluke thing. I really don't want to change meds AGAIN. It's messing with me." She sighs. I can tell she's getting really frustrated and can't blame her.

"Just be patient. It takes time." I clearly say to mimic the doctor, and Julia laughs, making me laugh. 

"So... you're laying on the bed in only a towel? Is that what you're saying??" My voice gets lower, and my body stirs.

"That's what I'm saying." She teases. Then I pause before saying anything. 

"Wait..." I need to know the answer to this because I have a feeling I already know. "Were you alone in the shower or..." My voice trails off, and there's dead silence, answering my question before Julia does. I swallow hard. Once again, Nate Hollan wins. He takes advantage of her the minute I'm out of that house. She's not mentally stable yet he doesn't fucking care. I also don't want to get mad at Julia because then she won't tell me this stuff and I need her to continue to be open with me.

"Do you really want me to answer? Because you know I tell you everything, James. I may be able to pull off lying to other people, but not with you. So if you don't want to hear the answer say it now." 

"Tell me."

"I wasn't alone in the shower." She pauses and  my heart drops even though I knew the answer already. "Well. I WAS at first but then he came in a few minutes later. It wasn't planned...on my end at least."

"It never is. I swear he does it on purpose because he knows you will tell me. Just to piss me off. I don't know why you can't say no to him."

"I don't know why either. The same reason I can never say no to you."

"So you guys had sex in the shower..." I let out another sigh.

"Not really."

"What do you mean, 'not really'. Either you did or you didn't."

"Then no. He just..." She pauses. "got me off with his hand." 

I let out a sigh of relief

"You sound relieved. Why?" She questions.

"I am relieved. So... Miss Moretti, you're saying you'd still be in the mood if I wanted you later?" My voice is low again.

"Oh, Mr. Gallo. I'd DEFINATELY still be in the mood if you wanted me later." She says softly and we are back on the flirting game again.

"Good. So Hollan didn't get the best of you."

"Not even close, James."

"If I didn't have Maggie with me, I'd be right over there."

"What do you do when you work??"

"I usually tire her out during the day, keep her active, so by the time my shift starts, she's sick of me and wants to go to sleep for the night. I don't tend to leave until she's already curled up in her doggy bed."

"You're so good to her, James."

"Maybe I can steal you away for a few hours tomorrow? Dinner at my house? Just leftover lasagna Jennie made me but it's good."

"I have to ask my 'babysitter' first."

*****

*Trisha*

It's 1pm and I'm purposely yapping Nate's ear off while getting my hair done. Just to annoy him now. One thing about being a celebrity's personal assistance, you don't really have time for anything else, especially making friends. 

I tell Nate about the  day of meetings I had yesterday and how packed the agenda is gonna be for him once he is ready to return. Being busy will help him. I do NOT tell him I've been having these little dates with Dave and told Paul to keep an eye out to see if he really is sober.

 Apparently Jonah is near him and can  hear our conversation or something because I hear him yell in the background.

"Just don't make him TOO busy! He still needs to take it slow!"

 "Yeah Yeah Yeah." I dismiss him.

I continue talking but in the middle of my sentence, Nate says "Gotta run." and fucking hangs up on me. Typical.

Sooner or later I'm gonna have to tell him about Dave. We've only been on a couple little dates,  but still. I'm starting to fall for him again and I can't seem control it. We loved each other. Then he loved alcohol more than me. Once it became a problem things went downhill. But before that. Sober Dave. Fuck. Sober Dave is my addiction.

****

*James*

Jonah gave us the ok to get some time together. Alone...NOT around Nate.

The rain picks up and becomes heavy again, drenching everything in its path. We pull up to my house and I run around the SUV to open the door for Julia. I take her hand and we quickly run through the downpour to get to the safety of the covered front porch. In just the few seconds it took to get from point A to point B soaked us completely.

Now that we are on the covered porch, I can't help but pull Julia against me and wrapping both arms around her body.

"I know we only have a few hours before you have to be back." I gaze into her eyes. "But I don't want to go in yet."

Julia  reaches up as far as she can and threads her fingers through my wet hair, letting both of her hands land on the nape of my neck.

"Then let's not go in yet..." She pulls my head down so she can  reach my lips and kisses me. Our sopping wet bodies press against each other's, and the kiss is passionate.

We kiss on the front porch of the bungalow for as long as we can until Maggie sees us in the window and starts excitedly barking up a storm.

"Let's go before she has a heart attack." I say and instantly regret my choice of words and shake my head. Julia laughs and pulls me inside with her.  Maggie goes ballistic having company here. Unlike when Paul was here surveying the house, this company is someone she likes. She jumps all over Julia until she gives her all her attention. I roll my eyes and drop my keys on the side table next to the door.

"Alright, alright, attention hog. She's not here for you. I don't think.." I raise an eyebrow

"Partially," She teases.

"Let me get her food going real quick, and then we can get some dry clothes on you." I kick off my sneakers and head to the kitchen. Maggie follows me, knowing it's time for her dinner. 

"You hungry, girl?" I pet Maggie for a minute rush to get her food in her bowl. Julia got me all worked up and I'm not gonna waste any time. You never know what mood you're gonna get or when it will change.

I walk out of the kitchen and stop short in the doorway when I see Julia. Stripped down. Wearing my favorite matching bra and underwear set.

Jesus Christ. She is perfect.

"Well, hi." I look her over and she walks over to me while I peel off my wet T-shirt, tossing it across the room. Julia lifts up her hand and softly traces my muscles on my chest while looking me up and down, making me harden without having to do much.  

"You're so perfect." I swallow hard, watching everything she does to me before I even touch her.

Her hands trace my abs and her mouth follows, leaving wet marks on my skin and my whole body aches for her now. She kisses back up my torso and I bite my bottom lip  when she  unbuttons and unzips my jeans. The wet denim stick to my thigh muscles making it hard for Julia to undress me so I do it myself, not wanting to waste any time.  I'm left in my black boxer brief that are also wet and hugging against my erection now. 

I press my body against hers and grab on to her ass, pulling her in tight. Instead of letting me kiss her, she teases me, backing up just enough so our lips are brushing up against each other. God she's gonna drive me crazy tonight, isn't she?

"Tell me what you want me to do. You can request anything you want." She whispers against my lips.

"Anything??"

"Anything."

Fuck.

We can hear Maggie finishing her dog food so I quickly pick Julia up and toss her over my shoulder so I can run up the stairs. I place her on my bed and she leans on her elbows, watching me throw  few of Maggie's puppy toys outside the door before shutting it to give us privacy. 

"Tell me what you want, James." Julia sits up and I walk over to the edge of the bed. I pull her legs, dragging her body to me so I'm between her thighs. She kisses my stomach and I let out a low groan. I take her face into my hands and look down at the beautiful woman in me bed, swiping my thumb across her bottom lip, letting her know just what I want first without having to say a word.

And she fucking gives it to me.

She gives me everything I want, where I want and how I want it. Every touch, every position, everything and I'm loving this new game. Over an hour of torturing each other, trying to make it last until I can't take it any more. 

And we end just the way I want it too. Slamming her up against a wall in my bedroom, linking both arms under her thighs to hold her up. This is by far my new favorite position and I feel all of her. I hold on for so long, not wanting it to end , giving her orgasm after orgasm until she begging for me to come. When I finally let go of all the built- up pressure, she has one last intense orgasm art the same time I release inside of her.

We are both out of breath, sore, sweating and completely fucked. I lower her legs and they shake, unable to stand, like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time. Julia quickly throws her arms over my shoulders and holds on tight.

"Are you good, babe?" I ask breathlessly and laugh a little from how I destroyed her to the point she can't stand. 

"Yeah. That felt amazing. My legs just don't want to cooperate now. They're like jello." She kisses me and I scoop her up, wrapping her legs around my waist and carry her back to bed. I lay down and pull her on top of me along with the covers, pushing her hair off to the side. I'm so in love with her.

"You're never allowed to leave this bed." I lean up and kiss her.

"Never??"  She raises an eyebrow at my demand.

"Never."

"Well there goes kitchen table sex... and living room couch sex...shower sex, and up against the wall in the hallway sex... and backyard sex and..."

"Backyard sex hmm?" 

"I don't know. I'm just making stuff up at this point. I've never had sex outside." Julia shrugs.

"Then we need to make that happen." I smirk and she rests her head on my chest. I gently stroke her back.

"Hey babe, don't fall asleep. We still have to eat."

My eyes are still closed and I wiggle my body a little. "But this is so comfortable. I don't want to get up. I'm not allowed to leave this bed, remember?" She wiggles her body a little with her eyes still closed.  "Anyways, I have no clothes. Everything's wet."

"I'll give you something to wear and put our clothes in the dryer. C'mon. I'm hungry."

She reluctantly rolls off me and checks me out as I get off the bed. I walk to the dresser and turn around and raise an eyebrow. "Are you checking me out, Miss Moretti??"

"I'm definitely checking you out, Mr. Gallo."

*****

You look good in my clothes." I wink. Julia is swimming in one of my white T-shirts while our clothes are in the dryer. She's washing the dishes and I'm drying and putting them away.. We are like an old married couple who have been doing this routine for years. Maggie lays in her doggy bed in the other room, ready to fall asleep for the night.

I notice her hand tremors are getting worse now but don't point it out to her. Tonight was perfect. I'm not gonna ruin it by bringing up anything negative.

"Tell your sister her lasagna was so good. Jonah will be very happy I ate two helpings PLUS salad and a dinner roll." 

"She'll be happy to hear. She loves to cook. Maybe we can all get together again soon." I dry the last dish an then stand behind Julia and grab her by the waist. "Does the nurse have a time line of when he thinks you'll be able to do more? Like...leave Nate's?"

"I don't know. Right now I guess he has to be the one to administer my meds, three times a day between the two of them. And he logs in all my food, vitals and side effects throughout the day. This is what they'd do if I was admitted somewhere." She holds on to my arms and leans back. I sway us back and forth like I always do.

"Would they have you sharing a bed with Nate Hollan too? Is it too much to ask for the guy to sleep somewhere else?"

Julia dries her hands with the towel and turns to face me. " It's his place. I can sleep on the couch."

"No. I don't want you to do that. That's not comfortable, babe. And you're still dealing with withdrawals. You need your sleep."

"Jonah said Nate's incision is still healing. He really can't lay flat the way he needs to on the couch or recliner, and there are no more available beds with Paul and Jonah there." She wraps her arms around my shoulders and continues to sway us. "But if it bothers you that much I can sleep with Jonah or Paul." She teases.

"Yeah, no. Not happening. But seriously, eventually it's gotta end between you two. Whatever the hell this is that you guys have going on..."

"I know."

"I mean it, Julia. I love you, you know that. I'll take whatever you give me but I'm getting tired of sharing you. It's not fair. You've got me thinking about you two constantly now. It's like the minute I'm not there he takes advantage, and you let him. And it's starting to fucking hurt." 

This is the first time I have really opened up about the subject. 

"Play my favorite song." Julia changes the subject. She nods to my phone and I let out a sigh, I kiss her on the top of her head and play her favorite song.

Julia pulls me in close and we dance in the middle of my kitchen. I sing the worlds quietly near her ear and notice her start to blush which makes me smile. And when the song ends, we still sway.

"James."

"Julia."

"Thanks for the perfect night. I love you. I mean it." 

"You're welcome for the perfect night. You know I love you." I smile down at her and kiss her cheek. "Thanks for the 'request anything' game." I laugh a little. "That needs to be played more often."

"We'll play it again, don't you worry."

"Mmhmm." I kiss her again until the buzzer of the dryer goes off.

"We should probably get dressed and head back before I get grounded." I roll my eyes. We both notice it's after 10 pm now.

"Ok, Miss Moretti. Let's get you back to the asylum."

We get dressed, and Julia makes my bed for me. I'm behind her as we head down the stairs when she scares the shit out of me. Her body starts swaying  and she looses her balance. Julia grabs on to the banister and stops in the middle of the staircase .

"You ok?? "I ask but know she's not now.

"Shit.."  Julia  passes out and her body falls forward getting ready to tumble down the stairs. I grab her waist just in time  and she falls limp in my arms.

******

The elevator door opens, and Julia walks out with me behind her. I know I made the right call to bring her back when I did. She looks very pale and weak.

"I'm fine. I think I just ate too much or something. I'm gonna go lay down." Julia tries to downplay it. What's more concerning is the way Jules is holding on to things while she makes her way through the house. We all notice it, and I take her by the arm and guide her the rest of the way.

"May be Vertigo." Jonah says out loud but to himself.

"What the fuck is Vertigo?"

"Vertigo is a sensation of spinning like when you're dizzy. But it's not the same as being lightheaded. People with vertigo feel like THEY are actually spinning or moving, or that everything is spinning around them." Jonah pauses when I come  back in the room to hear the nurse. "It's common with both withdrawal as well as switching SSRI antidepressants. It'll go away but it's not fun when it happens. She's gonna need to be closely monitored when she feels dizzy. She needs to tell us though."

"She's laying down now. I'll get her a water." I make my way to the fridge. "She scared the hell out of me though. She could have fallen down the entire flight of stairs."  I'm still shaken up by it all.

"I'll check her vitals and give her the night dose." Jonah takes his laptop and starts heading to the bedroom.

"Wait, you're still gonna give her that shit if it's making her sick?" Nate gives him a confused look.

"We don't know if it's from the medication and believe me, you do NOT want me to stop her cold turkey." The nurse says while walking away.

Why can't anything be easy?