With the help of her dad, arrangements were made to move Juliet's belongings into the Sokol residence on Sunday, the day after the musical closed. Closing night was a packed house and the performance sizzled. The duet was particularly beautiful, and full of drama as the two young women communicated their feelings to each other through their duetting voices. Hardly surprising, considering how close they'd become in so short a period of time. They'd been through a lot together, and there was still much they had to say.
But what made the performance especially meaningful for Adrienne was looking up to find Juliet at the stage's edge smiling down at her while taking her bow. Adrienne packed up her cello, shared a few hugs with her fellow musicians and made for one of the rehearsal rooms where there was a post-show cast party. By the time Adrienne got there, things were already revving up on the dance floor.
Neither Adrienne or Juliet planned to stay long, and after saying their goodbyes to others at the party, the two girls met on the dance floor.
"Hey, roomie," Juliet teased.
"Hey, yourself. Care to dance?" Adrienne asked, offering her hand.
"Why, I thought you'd never ask," Juliet replied, taking Adrienne's hand while putting on the airs and drawl of a southern belle. The music was a driving beat, and so the girls weaved, bumped and shook their way around each other, holding hands for a twirl or two, and when it felt right to do so, Adrienne moved in close and dipped her partner so quickly that Juliet let loose with a gleeful scream of laughter.
The next dance was a slow number, and they eyed each other, as if to say "are we ready for this?" A slow dance seemed to demand a different level of commitment, and they were both exhausted, and tomorrow was a moving day.
They decided to call it a night. As a concession to Juliet's parents, Adrienne had offered to drive their daughter home. And so, with Adrienne's cello in the back of the hatchback, and Juliet up front, the girls said their last goodbyes to the theatre and headed for home.
"Hard to believe it's over," Juliet sighed, as they made their way home.
"Well, this chapter, anyway. Tomorrow, we start a new one," Adrienne noted, as if it wasn't that big a deal.
"Are you excited?" Juliet asked.
Adrienne smiled, then laughed. "What do you think? It's all I've been thinking about. Well, that and my recital... and the paper I still need to write...and whether this bruise will be gone by May 17, and whether we'll want to kill each other by the end of the first week."
"I give it a couple of days before you throw me out on the street."
"On your ass, girl!" That got them both laughing pretty hard.
When they pulled up in front of Juliet's large home, they scooted together and embraced, neither girl wishing to be the one who ended it. When they finally parted, Juliet took hold of Adrienne's face with both hands and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
"See you tomorrow," she added impishly, as she jumped out of the car, grabbed her satchel from the back and made her way up the long walk to her house, while Adrienne sat stock still in the front seat, her brain attempting to process the wet, tingling sensation lingering on her lips.
Juliet had already entered her house before Adrienne managed to get both herself and the car back into gear. At home that night, Adrienne clutched her pillow close to her body, imagining it to be Juliet.
~*~*~*~*~
By the next afternoon, with the help of her father, and a couple of muscled college guys who ran a moving service, Juliet and her belongings were officially moved in. From that day on, her new home would be with the Sokols. Juliet loved her bedroom, and with Adrienne's help, they positioned her new dressing table, and placed some of her pictures and art pieces on the walls and about the room. As for the clothes she chose to bring, they easily filled her closet, as well part of a hall closet that Miss Sokol let her use.
"You are such a fashion tramp," Adrienne teased.
"I may let you wear some of my things," she smiled haughtily back. "But only if you're good."
Initially, Juliet was concerned Adrienne might be put off when she saw how expensive some of her things were. But Adrienne wasn't the least bothered. She was just happy to have Juliet living there. After rummaging, Juliet found Adrienne a sweater and matching skirt to wear.
"Dinner!" Caroline Sokol called upstairs. Juliet and Adrienne came down to find Adrienne's mom and Juliet's father setting the table. Juliet instantly felt her eyes tear up. Her father had worn jeans and a sweatshirt for the move, and she couldn't remember the last time she saw him looking so domestic. At their home, he always seemed to be in a suit and tie, and about to rush off to somewhere. He'd sit at the table perusing a brief, gulp down some coffee and then kiss his family goodbye before heading off.
At the Sokols, Mr. Langford and daughter sat next to each other at the table, and Juliet didn't need to say a thing to him. Just the way she looked at him with her bright, smiling eyes, let him know exactly how she was feeling inside.
As it turns out, the meal was anything but quiet. Juliet's dad and Adrienne's mom did most of the talking, sharing stories about the girls that were often quite funny, and even embarrassing at times. "After that movie, she slept with us every night for a month," Ted Langford ended to a burst of laughter. "Hey, those Disney films are terrifying," Julie pouted in her defense.
There was more laughter and razzing, and debates as to what happened when. And all through the meal, what struck Adrienne most was seeing her mom getting on so well with Juliet's father. She hadn't seen her mom that openly chatty with another man since her father died more than a year ago.
