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Chapter One
Juliet
My alarm blares from the bedside table and I curse myself for forgetting to turn it off last night. It's a Saturday, so of course I planned to sleep in. But those plans quickly slip away thanks to the loud beeping beside me.
Dammit.
I'm the type of person who, once I'm awake, that's it. As soon as my brain turns on, there's no shutting it back off. So I watch the ceiling fan spin above my head for a few moments as I blink my eyes into focus.
Two things are necessary to get any sleep: a fan on the highest setting and complete silence. The room is nice and cold, just the way I like it.
I’ve always been an anxious person, and for some reason, small noises have always driven me crazy. A ticking clock, a dripping faucet, even a bird chirping outside my window. God forbid I be forced to share my bed with a man who snores; I’d lose my mind.
“Jules, I know you’re up. I heard your alarm.” My roommate and best friend, Alyssa, calls from the kitchen.
I groan loud enough to know she can hear it.
“Oatmeal or fruit?” she asks.
“Both?” I shout back, my voice still scratchy from sleep.
I make my way into the kitchen and slide onto a bar stool and a bowl of oatmeal topped with chopped strawberries quickly appears before me. “Thanks, you’re the best.”
“I know.” She winks before spooning a dollop of oatmeal from her own bowl into her mouth. “So, are you going to come with me tonight?”
Oops. I’d almost forgotten about the concert. She won two tickets to some rock concert in a contest at work and was adamant that I would be her plus one. That wasn’t really my scene, but it was also nearly impossible to tell her no.
“Who is it again?” I ask, and she rolls her eyes.
“Honestly, your complete lack of pop culture knowledge astounds me, Jules. It’s Chaotix. You know, only the hottest band of the decade,” she scolds.
Listen - I can’t help if rock music isn’t my thing or if I have no desire to be shoulder-to-shoulder with sweaty strangers all night.
“I don’t know, Lys. I think I have some work to catch up on.” I know that excuse is bogus, but it’s worth a shot.
She shakes her head. “Nope, no way… You are not working tonight. You are going and that’s that. It will be fun, I promise.”
Fun.
Our definitions of the word are vastly different.
To me, fun is a good book and a cup of coffee. It’s a movie night with wine and Chinese takeout. For Alyssa, it’s getting dolled up and hitting the town. We are inherently opposite, but somehow our friendship works. Somehow she’s my platonic soulmate in every way possible.
Our apartment is small but perfect for just the two of us. Alyssa works as a barista at a local coffee shop - when she isn’t trolling for small acting gigs. After six months of searching, I finally landed an internship with a local public relations consulting firm, which means I'm now one step closer to my dream of becoming a publicist. My plan is to one day open my own private firm, but for now, juggling coffee runs and drafting portions of image proposals for my unappreciative boss Valerie will have to do.
“Okay, I do have a proposal to finish up before Monday though.” I offer, but she shrugs it off.
“Great, so do it tomorrow then. Please, Jules! I don’t want to go alone.” She pokes out her perfectly pouty lip and bats her eyelashes. This pout thing is always her go-to when I disagree with one of her schemes.
I groan. “Fine. I have nothing to wear, though.”
She claps her hands together. “Oh, that’s a nonissue. I’m sure I have something that will work.”
This was not going to end well for me. Our taste in fashion was in complete contrast, much like everything else.
“Great,” I mutter sarcastically.
After breakfast, I retreat into my bedroom to finish the proposal I was working on for Monday’s meeting. My objective is to come up with strategies and tactics to successfully improve the image of Naomi Keith, heiress to Keith Hotels and Resorts.
