Chapter 9: Jealousy at Sixty-Six Degrees

The next morning, I didn't see Julian. I'd promised to go shopping with Camila, so I put on light makeup and went out.

I wore my favorite jeans and a cute tank, adding a dab of perfume. Camila met me at Starbucks, buzzing with questions.

"You're living with Julian Carter?!"

She nearly dropped her iced coffee, eyes wide as saucers.

Camila was shocked when I told her. "My goodness, and you still complain? So many people would dream of that."

She grinned, nudging me with her elbow. I rolled my eyes, stirring my drink.

I propped my chin, fiddling with my iced coffee cup.

I traced the condensation, over-stirring the ice like it owed me money. Was I really complaining, or was I scared?

Glancing aside, I suddenly saw a familiar figure.

Tall, with a unique aura, easily catching my eye.

Julian?

He moved through the crowd with ease, laughing at something Harrison said. I ducked, hoping he wouldn’t spot me.

I squinted to see, and sure enough, it was him, walking with our lab senior, Harrison Whitmore.

Harrison was animated, shoulder-bumping Julian as he joked about a “gel shift,” and Julian laughed, tipping his head back. My stomach twisted.

Harrison walked beside him, chatting happily; Julian also smiled.

They looked close, too close for my comfort. Camila noticed my silence.

Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable inside.

Jealousy prickled. I stirred my coffee faster, my voice already going a notch higher.

"What are you staring at so intently?" Camila asked, following my gaze, but Julian was gone, so she saw nothing.

I shook my head, forcing a smile. No need to confess my weird feelings.

"Nothing." I forced a smile, propped up. "Let's go eat burgers, I'm hungry."

I tried to sound normal, but my appetite had vanished.

I didn't enjoy the meal, and when I got home, Julian wasn't back yet. I sat on the sofa, not in the mood for my show.

I flipped through channels, restless, unable to settle. The room felt colder, emptier.

Picked up my phone, typed in the chat: Julian, if you're not back by eight, don't come back at all.

I hovered over the send button, heart pounding. "Seen 3:12 PM" glared from our last thread. What was wrong with me?

Just about to send, I realized what I was doing.

Was I really this invested in Julian Carter’s whereabouts?

What's wrong with me? What am I upset about?

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I wanted him here, wanted him to care.

Suddenly, I realized.

I liked him. I liked Julian Carter.

Autumn Lane, could you be falling for Julian Carter?!

My brain short-circuited. I buried my face in my hands, groaning.

"Autumn Lane! How can you like Julian Carter!" I shouted. "Autumn, you can't like Julian Carter!"

I paced the living room, arguing with myself. Camila would have a field day if she heard.

Getting more and more annoyed, I set the AC to 59 degrees, hoping to cool down.

I cranked the thermostat to 66 instead—still ridiculous—and muttered about the power bill as the air kicked on.

The living room got colder; I wrapped myself in a blanket, angrily watching the show's cheating king.

I gripped the remote, cursing at every romantic subplot.

"Men are all unreliable," I cursed.

I wanted to believe it, but Julian’s face kept popping up. I didn’t know if I was mad at him or the Netflix character.

Not sure if I was cursing the king or Julian.

Probably both. I needed a distraction, maybe a new hobby.

At some point, the entrance made a sound; Julian came in, shivering at the chill.

He kicked off his sneakers, rubbing his arms. I watched from under my blanket, pretending not to care.

I looked at him like a victim, just meeting his gaze. Julian smiled, came over and touched my forehead. "Which nerve is wrong, or is your brain fried?"

He grinned, poking fun. I swatted his hand away, cheeks burning.

I slapped his hand away, mocking, "You still bother to come home? After all that time in a warm embrace, you still come back to my cold place."

My words were sharp, but he just laughed, confused.

Julian paused, not getting my meaning.

He frowned, searching my face for clues.

"Today, you and Harrison—I saw you." I added.

I waited for his reaction, heart racing.

He paused again, then laughed. "Autumn, you're jealous?"

He leaned in, his eyes teasing. I refused to give him the satisfaction.

It was like he saw right through me; I immediately retorted, "Why would I be jealous?"

I tried to sound confident, but my voice wavered.

"Autumn." Julian leaned in, face close, forcing me to meet his eyes until my vision was filled by him. "You do like me."

My cheeks flamed, and I buried my face in the blanket.

My heart raced faster, my face flushed, afraid he'd keep talking and I'd give in, so I pushed his face away and stood up. "Julian, don't talk nonsense."

I darted to my room, slamming the door behind me.

"What's wrong?" Julian crossed his arms. "Is it so hard to admit you like me?"

He called through the door, his voice low and insistent.

I got up. "You have Harrison, does it matter if I like you?"

It was a cheap shot, but I needed an out.

"It matters a lot."

His voice was soft, but serious. I peeked out, uncertain.

My eyelashes trembled, heart beating wildly.

I hesitated, torn between hope and fear—afraid of being a joke, of losing what we already were.

Julian's expression turned serious. "Today's class reunion, I just happened to walk with Harrison."

He sounded almost shy. I felt my resolve slipping.

"Autumn Lane, I've liked you for a long time."

The words hung in the air, electric. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Quietly, he added, "I almost applied to a different lab last year because I hated how much I cared when it came to you."

My heart trembled even more.

I pressed a hand to my chest, willing it to slow down.

Happiness and confusion tangled inside, I didn't know what to say.

I fumbled for words, tripping over my feelings.

"Julian, let me think about it." I couldn't take it all at once, quickly ran to my room, climbed into bed.

I hid under the covers, grinning like an idiot. The world felt new, dizzy with possibility.

Couldn't hide my smile for long.

Camila texted, demanding details. I ignored her, wanting to savor the moment alone.

I think I do like Julian; seeing him smile makes me happy, seeing him with Harrison makes me sad.

Admitting it felt scary, but good.

At night, I dreamed of being held by Julian on the bed, undoing his buttons, being inappropriate all night…

My subconscious was a traitor. I woke up flustered, cheeks burning.

So when I saw Julian the next morning, my cheeks burned.

He smirked, clearly noticing. I dashed to the bathroom, desperate for a cold splash.

I quickly went to the bathroom to cool down, found my facial cleanser missing, looked around but didn't see it, so I went to Julian's room, opened the door and asked, "Julian, did you see my facial cleanser?"

I pushed open the door, not realizing he was in a video call.

As soon as I spoke, I froze.

The computer screen was filled with faces—professor, grad students, all staring at me in stunned silence.

On his computer screen, the professor and all the grad students were looking at me; the whole room went awkwardly silent for two seconds.

I fumbled for words, mortified.

I was terrified, awkwardly swallowing.

My face heated up, palms sweating. Julian tried to stifle a laugh.

The professor broke the silence, laughing, "Autumn's here too."

She sounded amused, not angry. I managed a weak wave.

Julian turned, signaling me to come over.

He waved me in, sliding a chair next to his. I forced myself to sit, head down.

I braced myself, obediently greeted, "Hello professor, hello everyone."

I waved, trying to look professional. Julian gave me a reassuring smile.

"Just right," the professor said, "Autumn, sit next to Julian, listen and learn."

I could only sit next to Julian, listening to them talk about terms I partly didn't understand, regretting barging in.

The jargon flew over my head. I scribbled a couple of buzzwords, pretending to keep up.

Now not only was I stuck here, but everyone knew I lived with Julian.

The Zoom chat pinged with 👀 and “ships it” from Priya. I shrank into my seat, wishing for invisibility.

So annoying.

Julian seemed to notice I didn't understand, had me sit to the side, showing only half my face, then handed me his phone, signaling me to play with it.

He texted me a smiley face, handing me his phone loaded with games. I mouthed "thank you," grateful for the distraction.

I gratefully glanced at him.

He winked, clearly enjoying my discomfort. I resisted the urge to kick him under the table.

"Alright, that's it for today, meeting over."

The professor finally ended the meeting; I stretched, returned his phone, ready to slip away.

"You two aren't going anywhere." The others called out as soon as the professor logged off, eyes full of gossip. "Confess, what's going on with you two?"

The chat exploded with heart emojis and teasing comments. I froze, searching for a good lie.

I was still thinking how to explain, but Julian leaned back, calmly answered, "It's exactly what you think."

He said it like it was no big deal. I gawked at him, speechless.

"Wow!" The computer echoed in surprise.

The chat lit up with GIFs of weddings and hearts. I wanted to crawl under the desk.

Me: ???

I nearly dropped his phone. Was this a prank?

What do you mean 'the relationship you're thinking of'?!

Did Julian just declare us a couple to the whole grad student chat?

"Don't listen to him!" I hurriedly explained. "We're not anything."

My voice was shrill, but Julian just smirked.

Then nudged Julian, signaling him to clarify.

I elbowed him, whispering, "Fix this, now!"

Don't try to use others to make me your girlfriend for free.

I glared, daring him to tell the truth.

"Not yet," Julian smiled. "I'm still chasing her."

His words were soft, but final. The chat erupted again.

"Wow!" Another round of surprise from the computer.

Someone sent a GIF of a guy chasing a girl with hearts. I wanted to hide forever.

I was petrified.

My cheeks burned, hands shaking. Julian just laughed, enjoying the chaos.

Speechless.

I mouthed "traitor" at him. He winked.

"Enough, she'll get shy if we keep talking."

He clicked out of the chat, closing his laptop. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Julian said, clicked to leave the meeting.

The silence was a blessing. I slumped back, exhausted.

Only me and Julian left, staring at each other.

He held my gaze, waiting for a reaction.

"Why did you say that?" I frowned, puffing my cheeks.

I crossed my arms, daring him to explain.

"To declare my territory," Julian's eyes smiled deeper. "Let everyone know, so other guys don't waste their time."

His words hung in the air, a little possessive but mostly sweet. I rolled my eyes, secretly loving it.

"Who said I'd be your girlfriend." I tried not to smile, pretending to be mad.

My lips trembled, but I kept my face stern.

The next second, Julian pulled my chair forward; before I could react, I fell onto him.

The chair’s wheel caught the rug, momentum pitching me forward; I yelped as I landed against his chest.

My lips, just by chance, landed on his cheek.

Soft, warm. My breath caught, freezing in place.

?!!! What happened?

Time slowed. Julian looked as shocked as I felt, then broke into a huge grin.

When I realized I'd kissed Julian, I immediately pushed him away, my face burning, heart racing.

I bolted, nearly tripping over the rug again. Julian laughed, calling after me.

I stood up, wanting to leave quickly.

My mind raced, embarrassment chasing excitement.

But the next second, Julian grabbed my wrist, looked up, calm as ever. "What? Got a freebie and want to run?"

He tugged me gently, smile mischievous.

"It was you…" I turned and glared at him.

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for my comeback.

He smiled. "What about me?"

His grin was all trouble, but I couldn’t stay mad.

That smile, just like a menace.

I poked his chest, laughing despite myself.

"Even if I'm a menace, I'm a handsome one, not a sleazy one." Julian kept smiling.

He flexed, striking a pose. I snorted, rolling my eyes.

I was shocked.

I never thought I’d see Julian so cocky and charming all at once.

How did he know I was thinking that?!

Maybe he was psychic, or maybe he just knew me too well.

Could he read minds?!

I considered testing him, but decided against it. He’d only use it against me.

"Don't overthink it." His lips curled in a victorious smile. "I know what you're thinking, so your feelings for me can't fool me."

He leaned in, voice low, making my heart flutter.

"Autumn Lane, you just kissed me, you have to take responsibility."

He grinned, teeth flashing. I groaned, wanting to argue, but couldn’t.

Shameless, shameless.

I stuck my tongue out, but he just laughed.

But since Julian said so, if I kept stringing him along, I'd really be a jerk. Might as well go with the flow and be his girlfriend.

I let myself relax, trusting him for once.

Besides, I already liked him.

It was time to admit it.

"I'll take responsibility." I answered in one breath. "Mr. Carter, satisfied?"

My voice was bold, confident. Julian looked stunned, then beamed.

Julian probably didn't expect me to agree so quickly, a bit surprised, then happily nodded. "Satisfied."

He reached for my hand, squeezing it tight. I grinned, nerves melting away.

I quickly walked out of the room, biting my lip, unable to stop smiling.

My phone buzzed—Camila demanding the full story. Also, a last stray text from Ethan popped up: “Can we talk?” I swiped it away and sent Camila a heart emoji and a photo of Julian’s jacket on the couch.