Work Text:
It was a good day. Despite all the clouds, the sun was unobstructed. It had rained yesterday and now the grass was bright and glistening. The tinted glass made the grass look slightly blue. Or maybe it was all the nail polish fumes she’d been inhaling.
“All done!” Lana smiled, putting on her signature customer service voice.
The model smiled and nodded her thanks. What was her name, again? Lacey? Casey? She had introduced herself just minutes ago but Lana had already forgotten. She didn’t respect their back-stabbing nature and shallow personalities enough to remember.
She laid back in her chair and sighed, finally getting a break as all the models lined up to go on the runway. She reached under the desk and pulled out her journal carefully, making sure the ribbon didn’t snag on the edge of the wood. Julie had given her that ribbon. She didn’t want her thoughts to go there – to Julie – but her journal was full of her so she couldn’t really avoid it. Her name popped up almost every second page. If you go back far enough, it’ll be in every sentence.
Lana could feel tears build up in the back of her throat, but they didn’t dare rise any further. She had a professional image to maintain – and the pain had dulled over time. If this happened a couple months, or even weeks, earlier she might not have been able to restrain herself. But she could and she did, so she found a clean, new page to write on.
She put her pen to the paper before turning back to the page beforehand – 101 days. Okay. She flipped to her new page and began to write.
102 days after being discharged. 102 days without seeing Julie. That’s the two-month mark. If I was a humorous person I would say ‘Happy Anniversary’.
Work has been as boring as ever lately. The rain has let up as of last night, and now I can’t take a step outside without getting my feet wet from dew. Julie always loved the dew, said it made the air smell nice. It’s how she convinced me to go outside some days.
I love her. I miss her a lot. She was is my best friend. Sometimes I’m tempted to call her, ask her over one more time, but out of all 216 times I called in the first few weeks following my departure, she never picked up. I don’t want to take it personally, but what else am I to think? The calls did go through, it’s not her number that was blocked. She was just purposely avoiding my calls.
Lana paused her writing as she watched a singular tear drop fall onto the paper.
“Shit.” She muttered, closing her journal.
She could hear the models shuffling in, getting ready for the next round of repeated outfits. Hastily wiping her tear (singular) away, she tucked her journal away and started getting ready.
-
Julie gasped as her mind surged with memories and purged itself of Agamemnon’s darkness.
The first thing that came to mind after the blinding metaphorical light had faded – “Lana…”
Oh, god, Lana. As soon as that name crossed her mind she could think of nothing else. Her thought train was hijacked, and it could only be saved by seeing Lana alive.
The second thing that came to mind was – where was she? She was back in the hospital. She stood up from where she had been lying on the floor, turning around to properly observe her surroundings. The furniture was upturned and the cushions were cracking and peeling. It smelt old and musty, like nobody had been here in years. How long had Agamemnon been controlling her?
Julie suddenly found it very hard to breathe, gasping as she fiddled with the button at the top of her dress, popping it open so her throat was free. It didn’t help much, and she could tell now that she was going into shock.
Her legs went next, shaking uncontrollably. She dragged herself to the nearest chair and sat down heavily. She ducked her head between her knees and tried to regulate her breathing.
She knew the hospital kept shock blankets somewhere, but she wasn’t in any state to retrieve them, so she just had to wait it out. She went over some facts in her head.
The acute phase of shock may only last for a few minutes or hours.
That was good, right?
While in other cases, it may last for several days.
That’s not good. Wait- no. Calm down, Julie. It only lasts that long for severe injuries or conditions, right now she’s just a little shaken up. Literally.
She’ll be okay soon.
-
Lana woke up the next day in an unusually good mood. She couldn’t remember feeling so good since that day with Nurse Julie when they snuck cookies from the cafeteria together. It was as if something had snapped back into place inside her. A piece that can’t be found within a bottle of antidepressants, no matter how hard she looked.
She got up and ate a full, proper breakfast. Buttered toast, bacon, eggs, and even a glass of orange juice. The toast hadn’t even been burnt this time. It was a perfect golden-brown.
She hopped in the shower and let herself melt under the warm water. She should wake up in a good mood more often.
She dressed herself in her provided work attire and strode out the door. Until she realised that she hadn’t brushed her teeth, ducked back in to do so quickly, and then left properly.
Lana glanced at the dew in the grass and for once, the thought of Nurse Julie didn’t make her sad. Instead, she smiled. She wasn’t sure why. It must’ve been for the same reason she woke up in a good mood today.
-
The shock passed in little less than ten minutes, giving Julie some space to think. Luckily, she already knew what to do. Lana always spoke of becoming a nail-tech in New York when she got out, so that’s the first place Julie looked.
It would take a few days to travel, so she should get to New York by February 14th. Isn’t that ironic?
Julie located a stray wallet and found herself at the entrance of the hospital. She pushed the automatic doors apart and strolled outside. She was on a mission.
-
Lana’s initial good mood carried over to the next few days, but the closer it got to Valentine’s Day the worse she felt. Granted, that meant she still felt pretty good, but her mind kept wandering to Julie whenever she saw a model walk in with her boyfriend. She so badly wished she were here with her. Not just because of her unrelenting, unrequited feelings, but those definitely helped.
Waiting for the models to finish with their runway voting, Lana pulled out her journal.
105 days without Julie.
It’s Valentine’s day in two days. I’m finally able to admit to myself that I was am in love with Julie, which just makes it all the harder to look at the models with their boyfriends. I have to turn my head whenever they kiss. I dread to think how the models would react if they found out I was in love with a woman.
I’ve been in a good mood recently, which I so expertly ruined just now by writing about the lack of Julie by my side. I ate oatmeal with honey and cinnamon this morning, the way Julie used to make it for me. Sorry. I can’t get Julie out of my mind. She’s just been there since a few days ago. I just wake up and think of Julie. Oddly enough, these past days are also the only ones where I haven’t dreamt of her.
If this were about anyone else I would think it’s a sign, but I’ve lost my faith in fate since Julie was taken away from me.
Lana was brought back to real life by a hand waving in front of her face.
“Hey, Nail Lady!” One of the models snapped, clicking their fingers. “Garçon!”
Lana jerked her head up, squaring her jaw. She slammed her journal closed and swiped it off the desk and on to the floor. “So sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Obviously.” She said as she laid her hands out on the table, nodding towards the red polish with her chin.”
Lana sighed and got to work.
-
Julie didn’t miss public transport. She was still wearing her nurse’s outfit, tugging at it uncomfortably on the plastic subway seat. It was February 14th. Or it will be in a few minutes.
She had just arrived in New York a few hours ago and now she was on the subway, searching for where Lana worked. Her tactic to find this out was asking random people if they knew of Lana the nail tech. So far, everyone had said no, but it might be different at the next station.
Turns out it was.
There was a woman leaning against one of the pillars, smoking a cigarette. “Oh, Lana? Yeah, I’ve worked with her. She works at that 24/7 fashion show thing. I think it’s called Dress to Impress or something like that.”
Julie thanked her and hopped back on the subway, this time with a proper destination in mind.
-
Lana’s good mood had officially subsided as she dragged herself into work on Valentine’s Day. All the boyfriends of all the models were in the audience and off to the sides, watching their girlfriends dress up in pretty, skimpy clothing. She didn’t see any models with girlfriends. Only boyfriends.
God, she’d kill for some representation in this industry.
If the models picked up on her bad/sad mood today, they didn’t mention it. Well, they did mention that she was less efficient today, but they probably didn’t think of why that might be, and if they did, they definitely didn’t show it.
Just as she thought it couldn’t get any worse someone new walked in – a woman. Another model maybe? All she could see was the back of her head and her impressively tall frame. She looked lost, turning her head from side to side, so not another model. Could one of the models actually have a girlfriend? Okay, she did say she wanted representation, but maybe not today?
She was about to duck her head and pull out her journal until the woman turned her head.
Lana locked eyes with Julie from across the room. She felt her heart stop. Julie’s mouth formed a small ‘o’. Lana, unaware of her actions, stood up. All she could think of was Julie. Here. Safe. Alive. With each step she took it was Ju-lie, Ju-lie, Ju-lie, until she had crossed the room and found herself within Julie’s arms. Eyes wide open in shock, arms tight and unwilling to let go.
Julie.
Oh, Julie.
Oh my god, it’s Julie.
Lana pulled back, eyes wet with tears.
“Lana.”
“Julie.”
Although she could feel all the models staring at her, Lana ignored them and tilted her head up, meeting Julie’s lips with her own in a very, very overdue kiss. That would’ve been very embarrassing if Julie didn’t kiss back. Luckily, she did.
Unfortunately, a part of her was still conscious of the fact she was in a room of some of the bitchiest people in the world, which is why she was pulling away after a few long seconds.
“How are you- how are you here?” Lana whispered, almost afraid to raise her voice and shatter the fragile air around them.
Julie sniffled and Lana realised she had been crying too. “The subway.”
She said it so seriously Lana couldn’t help but laugh. “And what stopped you from taking the subway one-hundred and six days ago?”
“I was possessed by an evil Ancient Greek spirit.” Julie said, taking Lana’s hands in her own. “Believe me, I’d have come to see you a lot earlier if I could.”
“I forgive you.” Lana nodded, laughing and sniffling.
Julie stepped forward and captured Lana’s lips with her own again.
Lana felt her mood improve drastically.