The Week Before Forever Novel

“She barged in herself, insisted on apologizing to Jane, said Jane looked down on her, grabbed my champagne, and ran,” Chloe said irritably as she came out.“I didn’t mean to,” Emily said with her head down.“They’re all friends, it’s not a big deal,” one of Julian’s friends tried to smooth things over.“Jane, you’re here too. Julian just got off the plane and rushed over for Chloe’s birthday.”“Not a big deal?” Chloe exploded.“She took your buddy away a week before the wedding and now comes to ruin my birthday. That’s not a big deal?”Julian looked at me, frowning. “Did you drink?”I tugged at my lips. “Do you want me to drink? So you can collect my body?”He stepped closer, his voice softening.“Alright, nothing happened. Is it worth making such a scene?”“She didn’t do it on purpose. If you’re mad, be mad at me. Don’t take it out on others. She has it hard too.”“Julian, do you think you’re that important?”“I’m taking it out on others? Are you blind or deaf?”“The one who did wrong is suddenly the victim?”“Forget it, Julian, don’t make it harder—”Seeing her pitiful look, my anger shot straight up.“Who asked you to speak?”“You did wrong and still act magnanimous. Do you have no shame?”“Jane,” Julian’s voice sank. “That’s enough. Don’t go too far.”He turned to Emily. “I’ll pay for the drinks. Go home and rest.”“No need,” I grabbed my coat.“If you want to be a saint, do it yourself. Chloe, let’s go.”“Heh, what a temper,” someone muttered behind us.Chloe and I walked through the SoHo streets after midnight.She looked apologetic. “Sorry, Jane. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have thrown this party. At least you wouldn’t have fought with Julian again.”“Why should I?” I kept walking.“Just because she cries, the whole world has to cater to her?”“And,” I stopped, “I already broke up with Julian two days ago.”Chloe walked silently beside me.“Don’t believe me?” I said.She sighed. “Honestly, Jane, no one believes you can really leave Julian.”She looked at me. “You can really let go?”In the Uber home, her words kept echoing in my mind.Really let go?Still some distance from home, I asked the driver to pull over. I wanted to walk.The first time I met Julian was in a law school stairwell.That year, LSAT pressure and my family’s expectations crushed me.The day before a mock exam, I had a severe panic attack.I hid in the stairwell, shaking, unable to breathe.I thought, if I failed, was my life over?I don’t know how Julian appeared. He had an important design exhibition that day.He squatted down and gently patted my back again and again.After that, the architecture prodigy kept following me, the ascetic law student.Studying made me gloomy and irritable. I pushed everyone away.I yelled at him to leave. He never got angry.He didn’t leave either.My roommate said he was crazy. He said no, he was here to save a princess trapped by statutes.Idiot, I thought.During my second bar exam attempt, rivals spread rumors about my academic misconduct.Julian charged forward and grabbed the guy by the collar.“Who says she can’t do it?” His eyes were red.“I saw her memorizing statutes until four a.m.! Say another word, any of you!”When the crowd dispersed, I looked at him coldly. “My business is none of yours.”“I’m making it my business,” he grinned.“When you marry me, won’t your business be mine?”My heart softened at that moment.That day, I reached out and pulled him out of the crowd.Our hands clasped and never separated again.Until my second year of the PhD, when Emily appeared.