Suspension of hostilities

When Julie woke up, a strange smell appeared in the bedroom.

"Is that smoke?" She told herself, "It's impossible."

But when she tried to open the door, the doorknob was so hot that she burned the palm of her hand.

A smoke so thick that it seemed to come straight out of hell filled the room.

"Brandon! Brandon, help me! Brandon!" Her screams were so loud that her throat started to hurt, but her fiance didn't answer.

Suddenly a loud bang filled the room and a massive figure dressed in a firefighter uniform took Julie into his strong arms and carried her out. It had a masculine and light perfume mingled with the strong smell of burning wood. She felt secure enough that she could cry.

In the faint morning light, he laid her on the grass in front of the burning house and took off his helmet.

"No, no! There's no way he's...! But the dark messy hair, those deep brown eyes were his." She thought.

"But why him? Why would Daniel, the guy who never liked her since the day he became her stepbrother would save her?" The question formed in her mind but never got any chance to find an answer cause Brandon come out of the house screaming, his whole body covered in flames.

"No! No! No, this can't be real"

she opened her eyes, the brief breaths she took lifted her chest, and woke up soaked in sweat.

Next to her, Brandon was snoring and in the bedroom, the air was too warm, way too warm to sleep.

She checked her phone.

August 3rd, 2018, and the hour were 2:30 then she tried to fall asleep again.

3:00 in the morning. The alarm was set at 7:00 but she couldn't go back to sleep.

She was hot and thirsty so she decided to head into the kitchen for an iced coffee and perhaps a snack.

She paid attention not to wake Brandon. Even though it was late, she decided not to go dressed only in the white panties that she was wearing and to put on Brandon's shirt. Because he wasn't much taller​ than her, the shirt barely covered her booty but she was more decent.

She took her bunny slippers and closed the door behind her very carefully so as not to make a sound.

Julie didn't bother turning the light and just headed straight to the fridge and the feeling of the cold air hitting her skin make a small moan escape her lips.

She searched the ice cubes, took one between her fingers, and pressed​ it on her hot lips letting the cold water run down her chin then put the already melting cube on her tongue and let it sit there till was completely gone then she took another one for good measure and press it on the soft skin of her neck down to her cleavage.

Her long fingers instinctively hit and opened the first two buttons of the shirt leaving perfect lateral access to her small round breasts. She slowly drew icy lines on her soft white skin covering her perfect pink areolas and hard nipples underneath the shirt fabric until it was completely melted.

Julie thought about getting another one, but a low voice made her jump.

"You couldn't sleep, Princess? What happened, your Prince Charming snores a lot? " A smirk formed on his lips.

"For the record, Brandon doesn't snore." She said defensively.

He pressed the light switch, making her eyes hurt because of the sudden change from complete darkness​ straight to bright light.

When her vision was restored seconds later a part of her wanted not to see. He was wearing nothing but gray sweatpants, the bronze of all the hours he spent outside really did him justice and his hair was messy, as always.

Daniel took a seat on a chair close to her taking her Bambi-like eyes as a sign she was a bit uncomfortable with him towering over her with his larger figure.

"Come on! Of course, he does. He is my best friend since preschool, I know him better than you do. I know for a fact that he snores because, in high school, we slept together quite often."

Her thunderous laugh filled the room and she could not stop until her blue eyes were swimming in tears.

Her laughter was always infectious.

And he smiled through the clarification.

"I wanted to say sleep side by side, not ****. You know what I was talking about, you pervert!"

"Ok, he snores but that's not the reason I can't sleep. It's too hot in this house and on top of that, I had a nightmare but can't remember it. I think something about Brandon being on fire and this house burning"

"Again?" His tone was more one of a concerned parent of a small child.

"What do you mean by again?" The confusion, making its way into her features

"You screamed in your sleep for five nights in a row. I doubt he fucks you that good so you have to have nightmares"

Her lips, mouth the word "idiot" and it made her smile again.

"Can't help it. You're an easy target... I can make you mad effortlessly"

"Ok. Let's make a deal: No fighting today until breakfast. What do you say?"

"Sure, but I want a snack first."

Julie was still standing this time by a counter so she could face him. He gets up smoother and gets closer and closer to her. The smell so characteristic to him of fresh deodorant and minty shampoo fills her space and as always from up close his skin was glazed with a thin layer of sweat that make it glow.

He held out his arm. All of a sudden she felt trapped between his body and the counter, a million butterflies started to fly from her belly to the rest of her body making her shiver for a few seconds. When he took his distance from her body two tall glasses from the shelf behind her rested in his hand and the air in her lungs finally escaped.

"So, Jul, Orange juice, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? " His eyes already searching the orange juice in the fridge

"Sure."

She poured the juice into the glasses while he made the sandwiches

"You cut the crust from mine alone. Why? " She asked

"This is the way Lisa makes it and I figured you like it better"

"Never knew you paid attention to anything​ mom does"

"Come on! I might have wished they divorced at the beginning of their marriage cause were forced to live together, but Lisa is a great mom for me and I think dad is a great parent for you as well."

"Yes, Frank is a very good dad and even if I didn't think it was possible, I learned to love him."

She took a seat facing him and raised her feet on her seat, resting a hand on her knee. They eat in silence for a while, she graciously cared not to pour crumbs of bread everywhere, him fast and dirty.

"Can I jump on the opportunity of the no fighting policy to ask you a serious question?"

"Sure" She replied.

"What's stressing you so much that it gives you nightmares?"

"I think is the new book. I have a one-year deadline to write it, but I don't even know if I know how to write anymore"

"Jul, trust yourself. You're a good writer."

"Then why did one of my novels become bestsellers?"

"Probably because at the time you lacked experience"

"My agent has told me I should think outside the box for this one and I can't do that. How do you deal with stress? You're the calmest writer I ever met. " She asked

"I'm just a journalist for a health and beauty magazine. How stressful could salads and matcha latte be? "

"Come on. I saw sometimes signs of stress on you"

"Like?"

"Like Monday when I moved here you were working at this exact table, biting your nails and pulling on your hair"

"It happens but is rare and for short periods. I don't do much to stop it."

She double-checked the time on her phone as though she was waiting for something.

"Dane, would you like to go out and look at the sunrise?"

"Yes, of course, but get a blanket, you're going to get cold. It's like 55 degrees outside."

They sat on the porch, Julie with her chin resting on her bent knees all covered in a big fluffy blanket watching with big eyes the show of different colors of light yellow to deep reds, orange​ , and purple.

Daniel was proud and stoic " a real man who didn't need any blankets" At least that's​ what he said, but when she looked at him she realized he shivered and had goosebumps all over his skin.

An understanding smile crossed her face and without a word, she gets closer to him and put a part of the blanket around his broad shoulders and put her hot cheek on his cold as ice arm just as cold showers come down her spine.

"Thank you," he murmured extending his arm around her shoulders

"You're welcome," she felt the need to whisper too, like the nature that created the beauty in front of them it was a sacred temple that should be treated with this kind of respect.

Once they went inside the house, a heavy silence settled between them, and the first to break it was him.

"7 AM. Do you know what that means? Four hours without fighting"

"Wholesome, I think we just break our record"

"Yeah! I remember. At best 3 hours and that was at aunt Muriel's funeral"

"We did it. Give me five." he held his hand way too high for her to reach and she jumped to touch it with her.

"Now... shortie" he teased

"Dobby." She replied without

hesitation

" Manic pixie nightmare girl"

"That was creative" after a short pause she continued "take a Scooby

snack on the way out"

"Fish face"

"Dobby"

"Already said that today."

"Ok...How about you're a pig?!"

Daniel entered her space faster than she would have imagined and the shock made her take a little unintentional step back again, trapping herself between a hard wall and her body.

"And you're not... decent," he said, buttoning the two buttons she opened earlier and forgetting.

For a second she seemed confused, then a burning sensation covered his cheek when she slapped him.

"You knew! You knew I forgot these buttons and you wouldn't tell me for four hours just to humiliate me... And you even made me jump to uncover more of my b..." But the word couldn't seem to come out "Chest area"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-four just like you. Why?"

"At your age not being able to say the word '****' or '******' is humiliating enough not to mention your 'chest area' is too small to just slip from the shirt when you jump".

The same burning feeling seized the other cheek when she slapped it again with more force than the first time. She pushed him and took off to her and Brandon's room.

The tears that were about to fall fell into her voice when she said to him over her shoulder "You're a real jerk, you know that?" Then the door was closed behind her.

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