Chapter 209

                                    

                                          
There were few things more dramatic than Esme Panchek on a day when Juliette told them that she wouldn't be home for a few days... Okay, well, when they remembered that she wouldn't be home for a few days because she'd told them multiple times.
"I can't believe you're leaving me for four fucking days." Esme groaned, flopping back on the bed with their arms splayed out on either side so dramatically that Juliette couldn't help but laugh.
Spread out like Jesus.  Spread eagle.  Spread... Yeah, that's it.
"I'm sorry baby, I have to go to this... Shelby wants me there, it's some event with some lecturer." Juliette sighed, and Esme sighed, sitting up on their elbows as they looked at her with the most pitiful gaze that Juliette had ever seen.  She chuckled, walking over to press a slow, soft kiss on their lips, easing them back when they gripped onto her shirt to pull her down.
Woah there.  I've got plans for that, slow down.
"What is she lecturing about that's so important?" They asked, lips practically flush with hers.  She pulled back, grimacing. 
It felt weird saying an oddly charged topic while kissing Esme... She didn't know if explaining that she was listening to a lecture on what killed her mother was something that Esme wanted to hear about.
"Leukemia." Their eyebrows shot up as they nodded, clearly trying very poorly to hide their surprise that she was down to go to something like that - she hadn't really known if she would at first, Shelby had floated her the idea two weeks ago on a drive home, and she'd only really said yes a couple of days prior. "Her name's uh... God, I can't remember." She sighed, setting her head in her hands as she tried to think of it.  She knew it started with an H.
Hannah?  Hermione? Helena?
Esme pressed a kiss to her cheek, reaching over to grab their phone from the nightstand.
"Well, let me look it up, I'm sure it's somewhere online, right?" They asked, and she nodded.  It was a pretty big event that they had going on, she was apparently really well known, so Juliette had no doubt that there was probably plenty about her online.
"Maybe." They tapped into their phone, smiling not a moment later.
Quick fingers... In more ways than one.
"Ah!  Here it is!" They scanned the article slowly, mouthing the words as they read, nodding slowly each time they passed a new topic.  Cute. "So, it's some science nerd thing, guessed that..." Esme gave her a soft smile, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Not from you." They said, and Juliette gasped, shoving them softly.
She wasn't sure whether she was meant to be flattered or offended by that statement.
"Hey."
"And... The lecturer's name is... Quinlen." They squinted for a moment at their screen as Juliette ran her fingers through the back of their hair.  You need glasses, pretty boy.  She'd honestly thought that for a while, they didn't have the best vision. "Dr. Hazel Quinlen." They said, speaking slowly with the pronunciation. 
Cool.  Didn't ring a bell.
"Huh." She leaned over their shoulder, tucking her chin against it. "There a picture?" She asked, and Esme shook their head with a sigh, passing her the phone in case she wanted to read the article, but she just locked it.
She'd see it all soon enough, right?
"No, but she has a bio... Says that she started working on her findings in late 2013, early 2014, apparently she's in the top of her field." Esme said, and Juliette nodded, frowning slightly.