Julius Caesar

"Goodness Romeo!" was the first thing Sam almost screamed, when she saw me in the doorway at four in the morning. I took a deep breath as Augustus came rushing by Sam's side, his eyes wide open.

He then looked at me, then at Sam. "Jesus, you scared the shit out of me." He breathed out, rubbing his eyes and looking back at me. "Come on in man, it's freezing out there and it's like five in the bloody morning."

I walked in speechlessly and they parted. I then collapsed heavily on the couch in the living room as Augustus switched on the dim, yellow lights. He wore nothing but his boxers and Sam was in her Hello Kitty pyjamas with her hair everywhere. I must have woken them up.

"What happened? You look...tense." Augustus said, his voice deeper and huskier than usual. Sam nodded, biting her lower lip and glancing at him.

I put my head in my good hand, rubbed my temples and took in a deep breath, not knowing what to do or say. It was messed up.

Sam then gasped, catching Augustus' and my attention. "Did they- Could it be possible?" She started, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"What? What's possible?" Augustus asked confusedly and I sighed.

"Yes. They did." I said firmly and then took out the two guns (mine and William's) from my pants. "Two of them." I then settled both the guns next to me as Augustus gaped at me, shocked.

"Okay. I think I deserve an explanation on what the hell is happening. Especially if I'm part of it." Augustus said, shaking his head slowly.

I looked up at him wearily. "Yeah, you do deserve an explanation. But don't worry, you're in no way involved in this." I thought he looked disappointed after what I said.

"How?" Sam said, already choking on tears.

I shook my head, then looked at her almost furious. "Because you registered me by your full name, Sam. No one does that when they're being watched under a goddamn microscope unless they're so utterly...naive-" I shot her a glare before I just stared at my rough palms. "I thought it was obvious. They were looking for you...but I surprised them."

"That's only because I didn't know your full name-" She said eyes wide open.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter now. What matters now is that you're not supposed to do anything with your real name. They'll track you down." I sighed again.

"Woah, woah! I really think I need an explanation and like...now." Augustus interrupted again, running a hand through his hair with a deep frown.

We both ignored him.

"So- so- um- Romeo, isn't your real name?" Sam asked, and I looked at her surprisedly.

"No. No, it isn't." I said slowly and sighed.

Sam sat on another couch, trying to process what happened, while Augustus tried putting pieces together.

"Okay. I get it." He said. "You seem like you are both in some deep shit. But I need clarification. I know people who can help." He was serious, and I shook my head.

"I don't want you involved in any of this Augustus. Not at all." I said glancing at his tall, lean built and hair that stood everywhere. He looked like a boy to me.

"But that's what friends are for!" I remember having to bite my tongue so that I wouldn't burst his excitement by telling him that 'we are definitely not friends'.

So instead, I shook my head and closed my eyes. "I'll let Sam tell you everything tomorrow. But for now, we all need the sleep and peace. Please."

"That's not fair! That's a lot of suspense to sleep with." He complained, pushing back his hair that fell over his teary eyes.

I smiled tightly. "Tomorrow." I then got up, taking both of the guns and heading to bed, leaving behind a complaining Augustus, and a silently shaken Sam.

---

I got up, rubbed my eyes, pushed back my hair and took my cigarette box. I then remembered Sam's 'allergy' and dropped it back on the bed with a groan.

I got out of the room to find Sam curled with a mug of steaming something on the couch, with tears streaming down her cheeks, while Augustus sat on the floor next to her, shirtless in his jeans and socks, rubbing her feet as she talked.

She seemed to cry a lot nowadays.

Seeing that they were having some moment which sure involved the explanation of yesterday, I went back into the room and lit a cigarette. I was sitting on the bed when my phone rang out of nowhere. I picked it up and answered without looking at the caller's ID.

"Hello?" A timid voice said, and I immediately recognized it as Samantha's.

"Samantha," I said, surprised that she actually called.

"You didn't come to the park for a while. How have you been?" She asked, and I suppressed a smile as I thought of how she'd make a great friend.

"I'm much better now that I've heard your voice," I said, surprising myself, as she laughed softly.

"Don't be so extra with me, Caesar." She lowered her voice, and I bit a grin away.

"I could try," I told her. "But how are you though? I'm sorry I wasn't able to go to the park for a while. I've been caught up in a lot of things... recently." I said, playing with my lighter.

Flick open. Flame.

Click close.

Flick open. Fla-

"Well, apology not accepted." She said playfully, and I raised my eyebrows bemusedly.

Click close.

"Why ma'am?" I asked, with a small smile, and she laughed lightly.

"I just have a condition." She said teasingly, and I waited. "Amanda, my aunt, invited you for lunch today since it's a Saturday and she's off, and she really wants to meet you." The words rushed out her mouth too quickly, and I was caught off guard for a moment.

I paused for a while. Did I really want to go? What was the point? I was sure that one day I'd leave all of that behind. You know, I couldn't afford connections.

"Julius? Julius?"

"I'm here. Samantha," I said softly, staring at the flame from the lighter, and pursing my lips as it swayed.

"If-if you don't want to come-" She started, sounding low-spirited now. "-it's okay, you don't have to. I've accepted your apology anyway, of course."

She just sounds so disappointed- I thought with a heart murmur as I tilted my head in defeat.

I sighed quietly. "No. I'll come, of course." I said, trying to sound thrilled. "I mean, I'd love to meet Amanda. And you. Again." I looked in my l.a.p.s and smiled.

Click close.

"You will?" She exclaimed and I smirked.

"Yes. Just come, and pick me up from the park." I inhaled. "When though?"

"By two. I'll pick you up by then, then we can walk it to there." She said breathlessly, and I nodded.

"Oh. Okay. Sure." I said shrugging, pocketing my lighter.

"Bye!" She almost squeaked it, and my lips curled up again. Blimey, whenever I was with Samantha, my mouth hurt from suppressing all the smiles that inappropriately surfaced on my lips.

"Bye, and thank you by the way." I even sounded weird to myself. I was not usually that nice. Fake or not.

"Not a problem." She then hung up, and I laid on the bed wondering what the hell was I going to do about this.

I glanced at the clock hung on the wall that faced the bed and sighed. It was still twelve-hundred-hours which meant I had two hours to kill.

I decided to call Caroline and check up on her to make sure that she didn't think I was a 'criminal', in case I needed her in any upcoming 'event'. I thought she sounded a bit better before she thanked me for calling and hung up.

When I got out of the room, I decided to make my presence obvious by clearing my throat. Both heads turned to me. Sam still glum and Augustus with curiosity etched all over his handsome face. They hadn't changed positions so I just sat on a chair that faced both of them.

"Well damn, Romeo. That's one of a drama." Augustus said with a smirk and I sighed. "What do you need those doc.u.ments for? And-" He added quickly, pointing at me. "-you should be honest with me if I'm to be of any use."

He just didn't get that I didn't want him involved, did he?

I nodded slowly and sighed heavily. "There's a very powerful person who wants those... doc.u.ments. So he's after Sam because it was her father who stole them."

Augustus nodded quietly. "But what do you get out of this? Why care?"

I paused and thought of any possible reason for 'why not'. There wasn't one. "Because-" I started and stopped, ran my hands through my hair once, fumbled with my ring and looked at them again. "-because that man...harmed me." I said, keeping my face neutral and knowing that 'harmed' was a very weak word to describe what I've been through. He destroyed me. Ruined me. Broke me. Wrecked me.

"Really? How?" Augustus asked curiously with bright eyes.

"It doesn't matter no-"

"But it does, my friend. Is it physical or sentimental?" He asked.

"I do not like talking about it," I said, playing with an unlit cigarette between my fingers.

"Why not?" He asked, and I started getting irritated by his endless train of questions.

"Because it reminds me of how I couldn't stop him. Because I was weak. Incompetent. Inefficient. And simply pathetic." I clenched my fists and crushed the cigarette, feeling angry.

"Oh," Augustus breathed. "But what if those doc.u.ments don't contain anything against him?"

"He wouldn't be chasing any of us then. He knows I can get them." I squeezed shut my eyes, to prevent my anger from getting the better of me as the insides of the crushed cigarette tickled my palm.

"Who is he?" Augustus finally said, and I looked at him.

"That doesn't matter now," I said with finality to stop him from further inquiring.

"So...what are you planning to do?" He asked after a pause, and I reflected on the question. What was I going to do?

I sighed in defeat. "Mostly, the obvious. Lying low and protecting her until she can get us those doc.u.ments. If he gets his hands on her-" I said, glancing at a mortified-looking Sam, imagining it. "-it would be...bad. Really bad."

I saw Sam shift slightly on the couch as Augustus turned to look at her with raised brows.

"We just need to be fast and careful," I said tiredly and then looked at Sam. "Did that man you said you texted, reply?"

"No. Not yet." She whispered back, switching on her phone that laid next to her on the couch.

"Okay, I got somewhere to go," I said, getting up as Augustus followed.

"Yeah. Even I need to leave." He said, grabbing his shirt and coat from a coach and I nodded at him with a smirk.

He was a good guy, I had to admit, despite his goofiness. Besides, he wasn't really an amateur. The biggest proof was when I told him to stay with Sam the day before, he did- despite the fact that they weren't on good terms. He knew when to be serious. He was a good kind of m.a.t.u.r.e.

"Wait!" Sam's voice came and we both turned to her as I shoved my hands in my pockets. Her lips were slightly parted as she fumbled with her fingers.

"Are you leaving without having some-uh- brunch?" She asked, her eyes fl.i.c.k.i.n.g between the two of us.

"You know me, I don't eat in the morning." I declined flatly.

"Umm...alrigh-" Sam started awkwardly after a short pause, but Augustus interrupted her.

"I'm staying! I'm actually starving. Can you like... make Nutella crepes? With it... you know-" he was using his hands to explain how the Nutella, I presumed, should be dripping from the sides.

"Yes, I can! The best. So, so much Nutella-" Sam said excitedly, her tears long forgotten, and Augustus' electric-blue eyes lightened up as he threw his shirt and coat back on the couch, already excited. Sam grinned.

"And- oh- are there blueberries?" he asked with parted, anticipating lips.

"There are blueberries and strawberries-" Sam was beaming, her dark, still puffy eyes, dancing under the lights.

What love does... It was really like watching an odd, food-based foreplay after watching a depressing movie.

"Lead the way, ma'am!" He said as Sam giggled. She glanced at me with smiling eyes before she walked toward the kitchen with Augustus right behind her.

Alright.

I then returned to my room and got ready.