THE ATTACHMENT
Chapter 7
by Abacab
“Well, hey there, Jim.”
“Oh, uh... hi, Elizabeth.”
He hadn’t seen her coming this time. It was sort of all Jim could do to focus on pouring himself a cup of coffee... not that he thought it would help him enhance his productivity in the end, but at this point anything was worth a try.
“Are you having a good Tuesday so far?”
“Yeah, I... I guess,” Jim lied, knowing full well that his lie was probably patently visible to anyone... at least, to anyone who wasn’t as deeply oblivious as Elizabeth. “...You?”
“Well, I’m excited to get to go out with you tonight, that’s for sure.”
“...I’m sorry, what did you say? ...That we’re going out tonight?”
“Well, yeah, silly.” Elizabeth chuckled her horrid, almost-grandmotherly chuckle. “Or maybe you just forgot? Looks like someone needs his coffee for sure this morning!”
“I’m sorry, is there some kind of office function I forgot about? Is... is the Taylor campaign over already? Figured they’d probably do some kind of party for that when that was done... I guess I just assumed that would be at least another...”
“Oh my gosh... you really don’t know, do you, Jim? I guess maybe Julia was going to let it be a surprise.”
Jim’s eyes lit up; he tried to subdue their light. “Oh, so... so you’ve talked to Julia today?”
“Why, yes, I have. And by the way, I heard you two had quite the wild weekend, you tiger.” Elizabeth made a tiger-claw-and-growl gesture, which caused her to spill some coffee onto her shoes. Somehow, Elizabeth’s tiger impression was even more disturbing and weirdly out of touch than her subsequent awkward laugh.
“Oh, uh... I’m... I’m pretty surprised she told you that.” Jim blushed, and wondered what Julia had actually told Elizabeth. From her tone, from her past discussions of Julia, it certainly didn’t seem that Elizabeth knew her best friend all that well... at least not in terms of her twisted sexual preferences.
“I just know the two of you spent some serious quality time together. In a swanky hotel... you devil.”
As Elizabeth playfully poked his arm, Jim blushed more deeply. He wasn’t sure if it was worse for Elizabeth to know the truth, or worse for her to believe the much more conventionally-skewed version of events that Julia had probably fed her. He quickly decided he’d much rather have the office gossiping about the latter than the former.
“...So I asked Julia if I was ever gonna get to hang out with you two before you off and get married, and she said she was free tonight, and knew you were free too. We’re all going out at 6:30, having dinner at that little pub around the corner. That’s not past your bedtime, is it, Jim?“
“No, definitely not, Elizabeth. OK, well, this... this does sound like fun, doesn’t it?”
“Hell yeah, it’s gonna be fun! I just hope I’m not too much for you once I get a couple of drinks in me.”
“Yeah, gosh, Elizabeth, I hope not either... because you might be, y’know.“
“Oh, don’t you worry. Julia and I have been trashed together plenty of times. She knows how to take care of me whenever I get like that.”
Jim didn’t know what to feel: ecstatic that he was going to see Julia, angry that she hadn’t thought to finally give him a clue of when that was actually about to happen, livid that he was going to be seeing her post-training for the first time in the company of the unbearable Elizabeth... and that she hadn’t thought to somehow clear it with him first. It wasn’t like he’d made his low-grade disdain for Elizabeth any kind of secret.
Then Jim remembered: Julia’s in control here. That’s what I signed up for. She’s reminding me of that. And she probably just wants me to be on better terms with her best friend.
...That’s a good thing. That means she wants to continue. She’s telling Elizabeth about me... saying it’s going well... she’s even telling Elizabeth we spent the weekend together.
Holy shit, she’s framing our relationship as... as normal. She’s holding us out as a normal new couple to the world.
She actually wants me.
She wants me like I want her. Or at the very least, she wants this to work.
And this is her totally fucked-up, remember-I’m-still-in-control-here way of telling me so.
Maybe this isn’t so hopeless after all.
Jim was happy to simply wait patiently for a text from Julia after coming to this realization.
That text finally came mid-afternoon:
E sez ur free tonight so will see u then. Be casual. Don’t worry. Later u WILL still get the reward u have been waiting for. I can’t wait. Can u?
“...And so I told Bob, if you really want THAT done by Friday, well, fuck, you’d better have a couple pairs of size 7 shoes in the budget!”
The women roared with laughter at Elizabeth’s “punchline.” Jim tried to laugh along with them.
He looked at Julia. It was getting a little weird; she was acting almost as stereotypically plastic as Elizabeth, nothing like the real Julia he thought he already knew fairly well. She was acting like every one of Elizabeth’s work stories—all of them involving the quirks of people Julia did not personally know—was pure comedy gold. Jim had a better reference point for the inside “humor” in Elizabeth’s stories, and he had been laughing along politely, even dutifully tossing in the occasional clarification or related aside. But his job, and anyone connected to it, were the last two possible things Jim wanted to think about right now.
“...Ok, fuck, I really gotta pee. Can you order me another Long Island?”
“Elizabeth, we need to cut you off. Jim and I have to be home soon. It’s only like 8:30 and you’re, like, obviously fucking plastered.”
Jim mentally tallied the number of drinks Elizabeth and Julia had consumed in the last couple of hours. He’d been astonished to watch Julia put down no less than five Bellinis, but was fairly sure Elizabeth had barely consumed two Long Islands... not nearly enough for most people to be as drunk as she was acting. Julia was holding herself together better than Elizabeth for certain.
“Oh, c’mon. Hook me up. Hell, Julia, have one with me; put it on my tab. You guys can drive me home if I’m really that terrible. Jim’s been drinking nothing but soda all night long... designated driver, ding ding ding.”
“OK, OK, fine, Elizabeth. Go pee already.”
“Right, I’m on it.” Elizabeth stumbled off out of the booth. Julia went to the bar to put in their order, looking quite wobbly herself. Jim figured that Julia at least had a better excuse. He watched her stumble her way back to their table.
“You cool with driving Elizabeth home, Jim?”
“Yeah, well, that depends. Am I still going to get this ‘reward?’”
“Of course, silly.” Julia giggled, pressed close to him, ran her hand down his cheek and shoulder. Jim felt himself stir. “You’ve been a very, very good boy tonight. Tonight and the last few days... you’ve been soooooo verrrrry good.”
Jim gulped, stirred, stammered. “Well, I hope so. I’m trying. I’m trying really hard.”
“I know you are, baby.” Julia had never called him anything of the sort. “I know you are. So don’t worry. Your reward is a’comin’ tonight.”
Jim honestly didn’t know what to say to that.
“And, hey, Jim...”
“Yeah?”
“Sleep for Julia.”
Jim felt his eyes slam closed involuntarily, felt himself sink back into the seat. He somehow managed to keep his mouth from dropping open. In his head, buried under the waves and waves of immediate bodily bliss wracking him, he still felt a distant awareness of where he was, a distant awareness of shame and anger.
“OK, wake up... three, two, one.”
“...Fuuuuck... Julia, seriously, what was that?”
She was laughing. “I just wanted to make sure that still worked. Y’know, for later... later tonight. Wow, I really have done a number on you, haven’t I, Jim?“
“Fuck, just... just please never do that to me again... not in public.“
She leaned in. “Jim... you’d better get used to me, used to that. Because now that your mind is mine, whenever I want it to be mine, that won’t be the last time I do that in public. Not by a long shot.”
“Christ, Julia...”
“...But the good news for you is that when I do that, it always... makes... me... wet. Sooooo wet.” She leaned in further, grabbed his arm with one hand, slid the other hand under the table, moved around uncomfortably in her seat. “Yeah, see, that... that definitely made me super wet.“
She proudly produced her glistening fingertip above the table. “See, Jim?”
Julia banged the table with her still-moist hand, doubling over with laughter.
“OK, right past this intersection, it’s the first house on the left.”
Elizabeth and Julia were in the back seat together, making Jim feel like a cab driver or chauffeur, irrelevant to the fun they were having. They’d been talking and giggling like a couple of schoolgirls... a couple of very loud schoolgirls. Jim felt like he might lose his shit at any moment during the whole short trip to Elizabeth’s house, but he’d somehow managed to stay calm and quiet. It looked to his relief and surprise like he might actually make it to Elizabeth’s door without blowing up.
He looked at his watch again: 9:34pm. It was going to be a hell of a late night, and he was at least 20, 25 minutes from home... assuming that was even where Julia would want to go after this, and he had no idea where she lived if she had other plans. So much for receiving his “reward” tonight, probably.
Jim pulled into the driveway and sighed heavily. “Alright, here we are.”
“Awesome, thank you Jim. ...Hey, you guys should really come in for a second.”
“Elizabeth, I’m sorry, I don’t think we have the time. I still have to get Julia home, we have work in the morning...”
“Ohhhh, you are such a party-poop, Jim. Just a few more minutes. I’m not done with you guys yet. I’m having such a blast with you two.”
“Julia, could you help me out here?”
“Actually, Jim... can we please stay here a little while longer?“
“What?”
“I’m sorry, Jim, I’m drunk... feeling pretty sick. I think I really need to get out of the car for a little bit, sit down.”
“O...OK. We gotta get going soon, though, Julia. You know that, right?”
“It’s cool, Jim, yeah, just a few minutes. I’m sorry. I’m just feeling so...”
“OK, it’s OK. Let’s just go in and sit down a minute, and then get ourselves home.”
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! We’re all hangin’ out at Chez Elizabeth!” Elizabeth opened the car door and promptly fell into her own driveway.
“So, uh, Jim... do you, y’know... smoke?”
“I don’t smoke, no, Elizabeth.”
“Well, I know you don’t smoke, but do you... smoke?“
Jim was confused.
“Smoke. Partake. 420. DO YOU GET FUCKIN’ HIGH, JIM?” Elizabeth laughed far too loudly from her chair; Julia, on the couch with Jim, giggled and snorted along with her.
“Oh. Ohhhhhhhhh... that. Yeah, well, I used to, back in college and all that. Huh, I guess I haven’t done that in... man, probably ten, maybe even fifteen years?“
“Oh, OK. So I take it you won’t mind if I smoke, then?”
As Jim pieced together that Elizabeth, of all people, was telling him that she was a regular toker, she got out of her chair. She walked over to a little wooden box on the mantelpiece, brought it back and opened it. Jim saw a little pipe, a lighter, and a half-empty baggie of appetizing-looking bud inside. Elizabeth casually picked up the pipe, still half-green in the chamber from its last apparent usage, and lit it up.
“And just so you know, Jim,” she rasped, contorting her face as she exhaled a huge puff of smoke, “I do not do this every night, and don’t you go telling anyone at the fucking office, please and thank you.“
She passed the pipe to Julia. Jim looked at Julia, expecting her to reject it. To his surprise, Julia grabbed the pipe and lighter without hesitation.
“Julia, I thought you were already feeling sick.”
“I am, and this helps.”
“Really? Does it, now?”
“Yes, Jim, it does. I know what I’m doing... man, you’ve really got a corncob stuck up your ass tonight.” Julia lit the pipe, inhaled, exhaled, just as smoothly and cleanly as she’d bound his wrists and blindfolded him in the car five nights before.
Jim’s mind boggled at the sight of the thoroughly professional Julia hitting the pipe in such a thoroughly professional fashion. Then he recalled the protracted social “activity” that usually followed a hit or two of weed, in his distant past experience of sitting around dozing off on college-dorm couches, and panicked.
“We’re still not staying long, are we, Julia?”
“No, Jim. Just a few minutes. Please, just let my stomach settle.” She handed the pipe to Jim. “Here, have at it.”
“What? No, I... I really don’t think I should. It’s been a long time, I don’t know if I can handle it any more... I have work tomorrow, and besides, I’m driving...”
“What, are you telling me you can’t drive when you’re a little high? Give me a break.” Julia and Elizabeth both began laughing.
“I guess... I mean, I guess I could, but I really don’t like to. This shit always used to make me a little paranoid, at last.“
“Jim, just... just come on. You’ve been standing off from the fun all night.”
“That’s not true, I...”
Julia leaned in, whispered so only Jim could hear: “Just one hit. Be cool. And I can make you do this, you know. Do you want Elizabeth to see how I can do that? Because I will if I have to.”
Jim realized she could quickly find a way to change his mind involuntarily. He did not want Elizabeth to see what Julia could now do to him. Julia was obviously wasted and feeling more than a little naughty. If she put him under, who knew what crazy things she might do with him, here, in front of someone with whom she shared a longstanding, deep rapport... in front of someone that he had to work alongside every day?
He took the pipe, put it in his mouth, sighed, and awkwardly lit the bowl.
Elizabeth and Julia cheered him on.
Jim looked at his watch. 10:13pm. Fuuuuck. I am so not getting laid. Be fucking lucky to get six hours of sleep tonight at this rate.
Head heavy in his hands, he looked over at Julia next to him on the couch, at Elizabeth in the chair across the room. They’re high as fuck, he thought. Just look at their eyes. I wonder if I look like that... if I look THAT high.
Jim suddenly noticed that Elizabeth had put on some music... that she’d put on Giant Steps. They were almost through side one. He suddenly remembered hearing the title track earlier. When had that all happened?
“I didn’t know you liked jazz, Elizabeth. Like, not just jazz, even... like, you like good jazz.“
“Oh, hell yeah, Jim, I do. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me. You’re sure learning quick tonight, though, aren’t you?”
“I guess I am. Yeah. I guess... I... am.”
The room grew silent. Jim looked at Elizabeth and Julia again. They were both stifling a laugh. When his eyes met Elizabeth’s, they could stifle themselves no more, erupting with laughter.
“What? ...No, what? What’s so funny?”
“Jim,” Julia said, “you’re as high as a fucking kite.”
“Oh, come on. I’m fine. I’m absolutely fine.”
“Yeah, you’re ‘fine,’ alright, I’d say,” Julia said. She obviously didn’t mean it in the complimenting-his-looks sense.
“It feels good, though, doesn’t it, Jim?” Elizabeth leaned back in her chair. “Don’t you feel kinda silly now, missing it all these years?”
“Yeah, I... I guess. Just one of those things where you get out of college, and you don’t know anyone, and so you just stop...”
“Well, now you ‘know somebody.’” Elizabeth picked up the pipe again. “So there goes that old excuse.“
He thought on it. “OK, cool, I’ll remember that. ...But I think we might need a codeword in the breakroom for when I want to, like... maybe do this again.”
“Oh, that’s awesome. Yeah, a codeword. I don’t bring this stuff to work, you know that, right? You’ll have to come here and smoke.”
Jim couldn’t believe that he was essentially proposing to spend even more time at Elizabeth’s house.
...Elizabeth’s house... Remembering where he was, he looked at his watch again. 10:16pm. Fuuuuuuck. We gotta go.
“Sure, but let’s figure that codeword out later, OK? Julia, c’mon, we gotta go. I just checked the time; it’s getting really late.”
“No, no... let’s come up with the codeword. I want to help.” Julia was smiling.
“Julia...”
“This will only take a minute, Jim. Let’s get this out of the way now. Because, y’know, then we’ll know.”
Elizabeth exhaled. “How about ‘I like jazz?’”
“That sounds fucking ridiculous. I’m just going to walk up to you in the breakroom and be like, ‘Hey, Elizabeth, I LIKE JAZZ!’, and then run off?” Everyone doubled over. “...Noooo, that won’t look, like, super fucked-up or anything.”
“OK, fine, then,” Elizabeth shot back, coughing, playing with the pipe. “How about ‘Your hair looks nice today?’ Because it sounds pretty normal, and I also know you’d never actually just... say that to me sincerely in a million years.“
“No, no. Then people will just think I’m hitting on you. We have workplace sexual harrassment codes and all.”
“Nah, I don’t think they’ll ever think that you’re hitting on me, Jim...“
“Wait, I’ve got one,” Julia interjected excitedly. “I’ve got a perfect codephrase for you.”
“Yeah? OK, shoot.” Elizabeth put the pipe down.
Julia looked directly at Elizabeth. “The codephrase is: ‘Elizabeth’s naptime.’” She snapped her fingers. Jim felt a little full-body shudder, felt his head violently empty itself with Julia’s finger snap.
Then, save for ’Trane, the room suddenly went completely silent.
Shaking himself off, Jim looked at Elizabeth. He saw that she was slumped forward in her chair, breathing heavily, eyes closed.
Julia got up from her seat, said a few more words to Elizabeth directly in her ear, stroked her forehead slowly and lightly. Elizabeth slumped even further forward, smiled groggily. Jim thought he could see her eyelids beginning to flutter.
“Julia... Julia, what did you do? Did you... did you just...”
Julia looked Jim in the eyes.
“Jim... sleep for Julia.”
She snapped her fingers again.