60.3 - 60.4
Julianne would've been in and out of there in twenty minutes. She would have glanced around, pointed to the first couch she saw that looked plain enough to match whatever she decided to put around it, and walked right back out.

Kris, on the other hand, had a different conception of couch-shopping. Hers involved sampling every couch available and weighing the comfort, look, and price factors carefully.

Julianne was merely amused. Julianne loved the pensive look Kris would get on her face whenever she'd sit down at a different couch, and the dismissive looks she'd give when the object wouldn't live up to her expectations.

Realizing that they might be there a while, the actress decided to sit down.

The second she settled into the recliner, she knew she was in love. "I'm getting this!" she called to Kris, the moment the artist was close enough to hear. She put her feet up and sighed. "This is all I need in life."

Kris walked over and smiled. "There's a black suede couch over there that would match it."

"Does it pass the Kris Milano Couch Test?" Julianne teased.

"Innocent cows were slaughtered for your comfort," Kris replied with a slight grin.

Julianne cocked her head to the side. "Says she who wore leather on her birthday."

Kris opened her mouth to argue, and then shut it. Then opened it again and said, "That was Mark's fault!"

"Ahuh. I didn't hear you complaining."

Kris dropped her shoulders and sighed. "You're right. I'm a hypocrite." She eyed the recliner for a second. "That does look comfy."

"I'm not getting up," Julianne stated.

Kris got closer. "Oh, come on. Don't be a brat."

"I am a brat."

Kris narrowed her eyes. "And here you had me nearly convinced that you were a decent human being."

"Well, I am an actress," Julianne answered with a grin. She sighed melodramatically and closed her eyes. "Mmm… I could live on here forev-" Julianne's eyes snapped open as she felt a sudden weight on her body. She tried not to moan as Kris' back pressed against her breasts.

"Not bad," Kris commented, her head coming to rest beside Julianne's. "A little lumpy, though."

Julianne tried to relax under Kris' weight, but it felt too nice for comfort. "Really? It doesn't feel that lumpy to me. Although, gravity seems a bit heavier in this part of the store."

Kris smiled. "That's very odd. I can't imagine why."

"You know," Julianne began, "if a news camera appears suddenly, I'm going to have to deny we're friends."

"I'll pretend I'm just a crazy fan stalking you," Kris agreed, laughing.

Julianne wanted to wrap her arms against Kris' stomach, to hold her closer, but she didn't dare move. She kept her hands on the armrests. "I promise to bail you out."

"May I help you ladies with anything?" a male voice said from somewhere near.

Kris jumped off of Julianne, although she made a noble effort to look like she wasn't jumping off. Julianne instantly missed the feeling, and regretted the interruption. But it was for the best. There was no point in getting used to such things. Especially in public.I was wrong … it's not the movie that's going to out me.

She turned her attention to the salesman, whose eyes grew wide with recognition. Before he could go into babble-mode about how much he loved her, she intercepted the silence, "I'd like to get two of these, and whatever couch my friend here decided on." She nodded to Kris, who was blushing and looking down at the floor. Why does she look so guilty?

Kris glanced up and over at the salesman, who wasn't looking at her at all. "Um, it's the black suede one," she said.

The man seemed to snap out of his thoughts, and tore his gaze away from Julianne. "Uh, great!" he said, with a tone of over enthusiasm. Julianne was certain she heard his voice crack. He cleared his throat. "They can be delivered within the week," he said, turning back to Julianne. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss Franqui?"

"Yes, is there anyway you can deliver me along with the chair?" she wondered. "I don't want to move."

The man relaxed visibly and laughed. "I'm not sure that can be arranged, but you can stay there as long as you want. I'll be by the register when you're ready." He smiled and excused himself.

Julianne turned her attention to Kris, who looked awkward and embarrassed. "Are you okay?"

Hazel eyes rose up to meet with azure ones. "Yeah, it's just … I didn't want him to think that … you … that we …"

"Are a couple?" Julianne finished, her heart sinking.

Kris shook her head. "I just didn't want to get you in trouble …"

Julianne studied Kris' face for a moment, trying to understand the truth behind the words. All that she could come up with was that the artist was scared of getting mistaken for a lesbian. "It's okay," she said, hoping she didn't sound as hurt as she felt. "I'm pretty sure he's not going to run to Entertainment Tonight with the news that a cute Puerto Rican girl was sitting on my lap."

If possible, Kris blushed even more.

Julianne decided it was time to drop the subject. "I guess that means I have to get up now."

Kris walked over and offered her hand. "C'mon, lazy bones."

Julianne let herself get pulled from the comfort of the recliner. Somehow, touching Kris' hand was more appealing than sitting where she was. The realization was unsettling, in spite of the fact that it wasn't surprising. "Want to get dinner afterwards?"

"Are you always thinking about food?" Kris wondered as they headed toward the cash register.

Julianne smiled. "No, sometimes I think about other things."

"Like?"

Kissing you. Touching you. You. You. You. Her cell phone saved her from having to come up with a response. She stopped walking. "Franqui," she greeted.

"Hi, Julianne," came Karen's voice. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Julianne glanced at Kris for a moment then answered, "No, I'm just furniture shopping."

A short silence greeted her. "Furniture shopping? By yourself?"

Julianne rolled her eyes. "I am capable of buying furniture for myself, you know." She paused. "But, um, Kris is with me."

"Ah," Karen said knowingly. Though Julianne wasn't sure what Karen thought she knew. "I'll make this quick then. You're set to fly out of Newark on Friday night. The Guardian premiere is on Saturday. And your date called to confirm."

My date? Julianne thought about it for a full second before grinning. "Really? That's wonderful! Did you get him a hotel room and everything?"

"Everything's settled," Karen assured her. "Though, Julianne, aren't you picking them a bit young. I mean his father called to confirm."

Julianne laughed. "Age is just a state of mind."

"Right. Well, he's arriving Friday morning with his mother and sister. I'm having a limo pick them up at the airport. I'll get you their contact info when you get here. Also, you'll have to break the news to Adrian that he's not going to be your date for the evening, cause he didn't get the memo."

"Oh, damn," Julianne said. "I'll call him later."

"Last thing," Karen promised, "your mother knows you're coming this weekend, so you better call her. She's left about five messages on your answering machine at home. She said she lost your phone number in New York."

Julianne rolled her eyes. "Okay."

"That's it," Karen replied. "I'll let you get back to your ogling, er, shopping."

"Hardy har har," Julianne answered, shaking her head. "Weren't you the one who once found me intimidating? Can we go back to that?"

Karen laughed. "Bye, Miss Franqui."

Julianne hung up the phone and stared at it for a second before putting it away. She looked around for Kris and found the artist sitting on a nearby couch. "Sorry about that," she apologized.

"It's okay," Kris said, rising. "I get that you're popular." She smiled.

Julianne smiled back, but looked away before she could get lost in hazel eyes. An idea was brewing in her mind, but she wasn't sure if it was a good one. She dismissed it for now. Maybe later, she'd go back to it, when they were alone.





"It just doesn't make any sense," Kris commented, stabbing a leaf of lettuce from her salad. "You'd think after all of this time, they'd get a clue. It's so obvious they love each other."

Julianne shrugged, busy with her own plate. She glanced around the restaurant for a moment and turned back to Kris. "I guess it's just not obvious to them."

Kris shook her head. "Yeah, but I mean, they have a kid together now. They lived together … Hello?"

"I'm sure they'll end up together," Julianne assured her. "Some things take time."

"Love shouldn't be so complicated," Kris argued.

Julianne chuckled. "It's a sitcom."

"All I'm saying is that Ross and Rachel need to get their act together. It's uncanny that anyone could be so blind."

Julianne sat back and smiled. She glanced around and sat up, looking slightly more serious than she had before. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Kris' heart skipped a beat at the actress' tone. "Sure," she said, though she was suddenly nervous. Ever since they'd left the furniture store, Kris had worried that Julianne would bring up the incident on the recliner. Incident. Calling it that made it seem like an unfortunate accident. And there had been nothing unfortunate or accidental about it.I'm turning into a perv.

"What are you doing this upcoming weekend?" Julianne asked.

The question caught Kris off-guard. She'd been so convinced that it would be a recliner-related question. "Uh, nothing, why?"

"Do you want to go to California with me?" Julianne asked. Then quickly added, "I have to go to the premiere of my last movie on Saturday. And I thought it'd be nice to show you my house. You know, I thought it would be good for you to see how I live when I actually have furniture."

California? She wants me to go to California for the weekend? With her? To her house? Furniture… Kris' mind was reeling. She wasn't sure her brain was even forming coherent thoughts. Still, she forced herself to speak. "I don't think I can afford the plane fare."

"I hired a private jet," Julianne answered, a bit shyly. "You don't have to pay for anything."

"Right," Kris said, feeling completely overwhelmed. A weekend in California. With Julianne. How could that possibly be bad? "Sounds like fun," she found herself saying. Didn't she have homework? There were papers to write and books to read. She had midterms coming up. Julianne Franqui was going to get her kicked out of college. And still she couldn't keep from feeling giddy at the prospect of going to Julianne's house.

"Great," Julianne replied, grinning brightly.

Kris found herself staring at Julianne's smile. God, she's so beautiful. Gorgeous. Unreal. And I'm so, so screwed if I keep thinking like this. "So what are we doing after dinner?" she asked, fearing that it might be nearing the time they'd have to part ways.

Julianne shrugged. "If you're up to it, I think I recall someone promising me a dance."

Kris smiled. "You're on." So, so screwed.</i