Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Raven's POV
I was finally home, after a long day of lectures, and all I wanted to do now was to eat and collapse on my bed. I pushed the door open, not expecting to find Julie sitting on the couch, nervously. The moment I saw her in the living room, I froze, my heart skipped a beat.
I haven't seen her since that night at the party. I tried calling her after, but she ignored my calls. When I learned Mason was a Barrett, I knew I'd see her sooner or later. But I didn't expect it to be today.
"Julie," I greeted, unsure of what to say. "I didn't know you were here. Mason’s not back yet."
Julie looked up, her expression unreadable. "I know. I'm here to see you."
My stomach churned. She's probably mad I married her brother. She only told me she had a brother once but we never really talked about him. Then I found out Blair was engaged to the son of the Barrett family.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Julie sighed, looking down at her hands before meeting my gaze again. "Can we talk? Please?"
I nodded slowly and gestured for her to sit. We sat silently on the couch.
Julie took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology, Raven. I've been avoiding you, and ignoring your calls. I'm sorry for that."
I frowned, my heart pounding in my chest. "I wanna know why, Julie? What happened? We were fine until that night."
Julie’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she looked away, unable to meet my eyes. "I was embarrassed after what happened at the party. After I kissed you, I saw how you looked at me, and I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I just... ghosted you."
I blinked in surprise as the memory of that night flashed through my mind. When Julie kissed me, I was stunned. But I just brushed it off and convinced myself she did that because she was under the influence of alcohol that night. "Julie, you didn't need to ghost me for that; you were drunk. People do silly things when they're drunk."
Julie let out a bitter laugh. "I wish that was the case. The thing is... I've had a crush on you for a while, Raven. I didn't know how to tell you, and I was scared of ruining our friendship. And... I was terrified of what my family would think if they found out. Especially my mom, she already thinks I'm a disappointment."
I was stunned by Julie's revelation. I never imagined that Julie felt that way about me. "Julie I..." I struggled to find the right words to say. I don't want to hurt her feelings. "I would never judge you for your feelings, and if I could return these feelings, I would. But I only see you as a friend, Julie. My best friend, and when you stopped being friends with me, I felt bad because I thought I did something wrong and I lost my only friend."
Julie's expression softened, and she nodded in understanding. "I get it. I've already come to terms with my feelings. I know nothing can happen between us, and I'm fine with that. But I don't want to lose our friendship, Raven. Can we still be friends?"
As soon as she said that, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "Of course, Julie. I don't wanna lose you either."
We both smiled as Julie reached out to hug me and I hugged her back, grateful to have my friend back.
As we pulled away, I noticed the worried look that clouded Julie's face. It was as if there was something she wanted to say, but before I could press further, she changed the subject. "How's it going with your designs?"
She's the only one who knows about that, and she always asks me about them cause I don't have anyone to share my passion with. "Honestly, I haven't drawn anything new. I also plan on stopping by our house tomorrow to pick up my sketchbooks and some of my other stuff. Wanna come?"
"I'll pass. The last thing I want is to run into your evil sister." Julie doesn't like my family, and I don't blame her.
"And how are things with you and your mom?" I asked, paying close attention to her expression. Julie's relationship with her mom is almost like mine, the only difference is her mom can't express her disdain publicly like mine.
Julie shrugged. "Nothing changed. She still treats me like an inconvenience, but I've learned to deal with it. Anyway, enough about me. How are things going with Mason?"
I hesitated, unsure of how to answer her. My relationship with Mason is complicated and I don't think Mason told her about our arrangement. "It's fine, I guess. We're just trying to make this work."
Julie raised an eyebrow, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "You're falling for him aren't you?"
My cheeks flushed, and I quickly looked away. "We're just getting to know more about each other. You know we kind of rushed into things. Come on, let's go to the kitchen. I want to prepare dinner today." I tried to change the topic.
Julie smirked, clearly not buying my excuses. "You don't cook unless you're trying to impress someone. So clearly, you've fallen for my brother."
I opened my mouth to protest, but I couldn't find the words. She knew me so well. But I wasn't falling for Mason. Do I find him attractive? Yes. Do I sometimes want to kiss him? Yes, but that doesn't mean anything.
I sighed and changed the subject. "So are you gonna come over more often now, or do you still prefer traveling around the world?"
Julie smiled, her eyes lighting up. "I'll soon start taking a business class, so I'll be around more. You better get ready to see my amazing face every day."
I looked up in surprise. "Business class? I thought you hated the idea of working in the company or even studying."
"I do," Julie admitted. "But my dad insists. So I figured I might as well give it a shot. Maybe it won't be as bad as I thought."
I smiled, genuinely happy for her. "That's great, Julie. I'm sure you'll do amazing."