Yes, this is yet another Instant Star fan quite outraged, or well, at the very least largely disappointed by the rather abrupt and cold ending of the series, so here is my own little twist on one way the show could have continued going. I hope you like it.
xXx
"Great job, seriously. You really wowed the crowd tonight Jude," Marissa Ingrim, her P.R. advisor informed her.
"Uh, thanks, Marissa," Jude said, smiling a bit too sweetly. "So I'll just see you guys tomorrow?" Without waiting for an answer Jude stepped out of the limo, guitar case in hand, and popped in her security card. The gates to her loft opened and she bounded up the long, narrow stairway, practically feeling her way around in the dark.
She unlocked her front door and flicked on her light switch, setting her guitar next to the door, and pulling the latch shut behind her. She stared around at her new home, the emptiness engulfing her. She had been in England for a little over six months, and still, she had barely unpacked.
The kitchen still looked brand new and the living room only had a couch, which sometimes doubled as a bed, a keyboard, and some recording equipment. Her bed was all that lay in the bedroom area, no curtains or decorations anywhere, just a bare building she pretended to love.
The truth was, Jude had never felt more bizarre in her life. Sadie kept promising to visit, but she had been so busy with the new World Instant Star promotion, that she hadn't had the time yet. She was actually in London for a few weeks, but swore Darius was keeping her too busy, and that she just couldn't make it.
She emailed Jamie frequently, but he too was so busy with his new record label, that he wasn't able to visit, much less afford it just yet. Jude offered to fly him out, but he was too proud, and besides, he didn't want to leave Zepplin behind just yet.
Spied and Karma came out once to promote Spied's new album, and they all went out to dinner and then to a club. Jude loved seeing her old friend again, and even found she was thrilled to see Karma, but it seemed as soon as the visit had started, it had ended.
And Tommy...well, she hadn't quite worked up the nerve to talk to him after the way she more or less humiliated him at her farewell concert. As far as she knew, he hadn't bothered to contact her either, and she really couldn't blame him. In fact, she wasn't sure she should even try to call him, although she had to admit she missed him most of all.
It wasn't as if she didn't meet new people in London. The girl who lived below her, Roxy was an up and coming indie singer who hosted a plethora of parties. She instantly clicked with Jude, but Jude found her bohemian lifestyle a bit too surreal at times. Roxy always was dressing in odd clothing such as saris or long floral skirts and sometimes just walked around in a bathing suit top and jeans. She always wore her hair down with two small braids, like a lost flower child of the 60s or something. Her parties always ended the same way too, with a bunch of indie or wannabe rocker kids huddled around a small table, passing a bong, and elaborating on the meaning of life. It was a different experience for Jude, and she really did respect Roxy, but it all seemed a little pretentious to her. And, Roxy was just a bit too predictable. She could never tell if she was really that mellow and chill or just playing a part as the indie poster child of London. Nevertheless, Jude went there whenever she was bored, but didn't exactly fit in with the crowd.
She had also met Guy Parker, a club promoter she ran into from time to time at different gigs. She wasn't really sure what the deal was with him, or with them, she just knew they occasionally hooked up and hung out. She could call him whenever she was bored and he'd come over in a second, but he didn't quite get her passion for music, which frustrated her. She knew they weren't exclusively dating or anything serious, and she liked the freedom of the relationship. Actually, she wasn't sure she really even liked him. It was just nice to have a friendly face around wherever she went and to know someone in this strange city. It was nice to pretend.
She looked out the window at the rain pouring down, a reoccurring theme in her London lifestyle, and sighed quietly. She didn't want to spend another night alone with her thoughts and her damn guitar just to learn that she wasn't able to write yet again. In fact, she hadn't written a single new song since she moved. She kept switching producers and struggling to find her voice again, but something kept her blocked. Her label didn't seem to mind much. They had remixed a few songs here and there and just sent her out to clubs to get her voice known more internationally.
Jude dug into her jacket for her cell phone and dialed a familiar number. She uttered a few words and clicked it shut, dimming the lights in the room. She stared at the keyboard in the middle of her flat, staring blankly back at her, and she swore if it were alive it would be judging her. She stole a blanket from the couch and covered the instrument, unable to look at it any longer. She could still feel the vibrations in her fingertips from the crowd tonight, the songs she played for years still on her lips...all mostly written about the very same person who produced them.
She shut her memory abruptly and went to the front door, undoing the latch. She disappeared into her bedroom, undressing as she climbed into bed. Ten minutes later she lay in the darkness and heard the familiar sound of the door opening and closing, latch jiggling as it was locked once more. She heard the light creaking of wood as footsteps rounded the corner and then were immediately in front of her. She stared up at the figure, making herself smile on cue as the man before her stripped down to the bare minimal. He kissed her forehead and climbed in bed next to her, his sandy blonde hair colliding with her own. She forced her mind to shut down and for a while became lost in Guy, only knowing what her body was telling her.
After he had fallen asleep she sat awake, the insomnia she had developed closing in around her. She looked closely at the body next to her, his arm glued around her stomach, his head pressed so close to her own, and she no longer felt the comfort she had longed for.
She felt all wrong.
xXx
The next day Jude crept quietly out of her bedroom and crawled into her shower, dressing and packing a duffel bag, all without waking Guy. She called her record label and told them she was going out of town for a few weeks in the hope of breaking through her bad case of writer's block. She scribbled a note for him and left her England cell on the kitchen counter, grabbing her Canadian one before she took off. She grabbed her guitar case and slipped through the door and down the stairs, the day barely beginning, the darkness of night still upon her. She caught a glimpse of the sun rising before she slipped into her car and took off through the iron gates.
She pulled up to the airport half an hour later, and checked to see if there were any empty seats on a flight to Toronto. She found a flight leaving in an hour and purchased a ticket right away. She skimmed through the gift shop, grabbing a magazine that had Karma's picture on it and flipping through to the article.
She scanned the lines or words telling about Karma's new cd just released from G-Major, and her face dropped when she read Karma's quote, "working with my new producer James Wilenburgh is a dream come true. He's taken my music is such a new and positive direction."
Jude wondered what had happened to Tommy working with Karma. Karma hadn't mentioned getting a new producer when she and Spied came by, and she thought that would be kind of a huge deal for Karma. She gossiped about the dumbest of things, and to not bring up something like this was completely out of character. She wondered if Tommy was still even at G-Major. Maybe he had gotten out and moved on to better things. She hated the thought of that, but wasn't quite sure why. He deserved to break away from Darius and pursue other options. It's what he always wanted. It's what she always wanted for him. But somehow, now, the thought of him not sitting in that booth at G-Major made her feel sad, like a piece of her had been stolen. G-Major wasn't even her home anymore, and still, knowing that Tommy might not be there broke her.
She forced herself to shut the magazine and put it back before the clerk forced her to buy it. She saw the signs flashing for her flight number and decided she might as well board early. She reached in her pocket and pulled a small pill Roxy had given her to relax her whenever she felt a panic attack coming on. She popped it in her mouth and headed towards the gateway, boarding pass in tow.
"Knock knock!" Jude sung, tapping briefly on the wooden door before plummeting down the steps. "Surprise!" she announced, jumping into Jamie's basement. She gasped in horror as she saw Jamie and Zepplin break apart from each other on the couch, Zepplin's hair quite messy. "Oh god!" she remarked, turning around. "I'm sorry! I didn't...god, I don't think and..."
Jamie laughed, getting up from the couch as Zep pulled back her hair. "It's fine. We were just uh...taking a break. What are you doing here? Not that I'm not excited to see you! Did Spied know about this?!"
"Whoa, Jamie, slow down!" Jude laughed, hopping down onto the bottom step. "No one knew. I just...I don't know, felt this sudden need to be home for a while. So, I took a little vacation."
"Cool," Zepplin remarked, walking towards the two. "How long are you in town for?"
"Uh...well, that's yet to be determined. I have kind of free reign at my new label. I guess I'm hoping to muster up a little inspiration here or something."
"Ah, writing not going well?" Jamie asked.
"It's uh, well, no, not really," Jude admitted. "I think it's just the shock of the whole other country. I'm thinking that being back here for a while may open me up again."
"Good plan," Zepplin insisted. "Well, uh, we're all finished here for the day, and I have some laundry and stuff to catch up on...so you two can feel free to go catch up or whatever."
Jamie looked from Zepplin to Jude and Jude could sense the torn feelings stirring inside him.
"You know what?" Jude began. "I actually just came by to say hi. I drove by G-Major and saw Sadie's car, so I should really go see her first. But we can do lunch tomorrow? The three of us, of course."
Zepplin beamed and nodded and Jamie smiled appreciatively. "Sure Jude," he said. "Call if you need anything."
"You got it," Jude grinned.
"Hey, Jude!" Jamie called after her grinning. "I'm glad you're back...for a while anyway. It's been a weird year without you."
Jude flashed him a smile of appreciation as she disappeared through the doorway.
xXx
"Thanks," Jude replied to the cab driver as she stepped out of the yellow vehicle and bounded down the alleyway that led to G-Major. She found the backdoor carelessly unlocked, as always, and slipped in, knowing full well Darius would have a fit if he caught her.
"Hey gorgeous, what's shakin'?" she belted in a deep, raspy voice, causing Sadie to jump.
"JUDE!" she remarked, throwing down the envelope in her hand to hug her sister. "What in the world are you doing here?"
Jude shrugged and smiled. "Oh, you know. I needed some coffee and I can't find a decent cup in London."
Sadie rolled her eyes.
"No, I'm just taking a little break to regroup. I'm hoping to dig up a little inspiration for my new record."
"That's great," Sadie nodded. "Uhm, where are you staying?"
Jude looked confused. "Well I had my luggage sent to our house...unless I'm no longer welcome?"
Sadie bit her lip. "Well, it's just...dad sold the house...like three months ago. I thought I told you."
"Our house is gone?"
"Oh please Jude. No one even lived in it. You were gone...I was always here or staying at...well there was just no point."
"But it was our house Sadie! I can't believe you didn't tell me! I would have...wait! Staying at where?"
"Oh, uh, look Jude, I know you're not going to like this but uh..."
"Hey babe," Darius remarked, grabbing Sadie's hip as he walked by. "Have a meeting in five, then we're off to Japan tonight. Still coming?"
"Well, uh, Jude actually just showed up," Sadie said, motioning to Jude.
"Yeah...uh, hi, Darius..." Jude trailed off staring at Sadie incredulously.
"Jude," Darius nodded, barely noting her. "Airport at eight Sadie."
"Right," she nodded, smiling as he walked away.
"Okay Sadie, what the hell is going on?" Jude asked, baffled.
Sadie sighed. "Look, Darius isn't the prick he always seemed like Jude. And well, we kind of started something right after you left...and well, I began staying there more and more, and it just seemed appropriate that I would move in. And so, with the house empty, it just seemed logical to sell."
Jude sat down, grabbing her head. "Okay, Sadie, my mind's on overload right now. This is all so...well, crazy. I mean, you and D?"
"Look, I'm not going to defend it to you Jude. I'm happy okay?"
Jude shrugged. "Fine...I guess. But do you really have to go to Japan tonight? I just got here."
"Well, Jude, you did show up unannounced." Sadie paused, smiling at her and warming slightly. "Look, I'll be back in a few days. And I'm so glad you're here, I really am. And I kept your studio for you, so why don't you crash there? I promise I'll make it up to you. But come on, think of all those times you were leaving me for tours and gigs and such."
"Yeah, yeah," Jude nodded. "Go on, I'll manage without you."
Sadie smiled and hugged Jude again. "Okay, I'll see you soon." She paused and took in the sight of Jude once more. "Jude," she began more softly. "Just...just don't be surprised if you find everything different from when you left. And, don't take it personally if you're not exactly welcomed back by some."
"Some meaning Tommy?" Jude asked, scanning the building for him. "Is he here?"
Sadie sighed. "Look, Jude, just let it go. You made your choice, okay? You can't have it both ways." She kissed her sister on the forehead. "I have to go, but I'll call you the second I'm back."
"Okay," Jude muttered, confused by Sadie's cryptic message. She got up and spotted Karma in the studio, then saw Spied standing in the booth with a man in a business suit.
She knocked on the glass and Spied turned towards her, a grin erupting across his face. He motioned to Karma that he'd be back and rushed out of the studio, encasing Jude in a tight hug.
"Well Jude Harrison, as I live and breathe," he teased with a fake southern accent.
"Nice to see you haven't changed a bit," Jude said, breaking apart from his hug.
"When do you get here?" he asked.
"Oh, a few hours ago. I'm just making my rounds. I'm taking a little work-related vacation, I suppose you could call it."
"I don't care what you call it, it's great to see you," Spied remarked. "Did you catch Sadie?"
"Yeah, yeah, she just left. I stopped by Jamie's already, and I guess I'm going to head to the studio after this."
"Oh yeah, I forgot, they sold your house."
"Yeah, that little detail," Jude remarked.
"Uh...so listen, I should get back," Spied replied, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
Jude studied him, pursing her lips as she tried to read her old friend. "Spied, what's everyone trying to keep from me?" she asked at once, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"What? Oh! Nothing. There's nothing really major going on around here," he replied, his eyes darting to the floor.
Jude sighed. "So then why's there a new producer working on Karma's new record?" Jude asked, crossing her arms.
Spied cast his head down for a moment then met Jude's gaze. "Look, I don't know the details. Karma's not even sure. I'm guessing Darius may have told Sadie, but after you left, Tommy just kind of lost it again. He eventually stopped showing up, and when Darius threatened to fire him, Tommy came in to get all of his stuff and just left. No goodbyes or anything. He just marched out the door and didn't come back again."
"Oh god," Jude muttered. "I mean, wow. Have you...heard from him?"
Spied shook his head. "I saw him once. He was at a club Karma was playing at about a month ago. He looked stunned to see me and before I could get over to him, he jetted. So, he's still in town, if that's what you're after. If you want to find him, you know his favorite bar. I see his car there a lot. As for what he's doing now...I really don't have a clue. We tried to get him to take a job at NBR, but he just keeps blowing us off." Spied paused, not wanting to hurt his friend. "He's...he's different Jude. He's not the same Tommy you once knew."
Jude nodded and stood up. "Well, thanks. You should get back. Um, come by the studio at any time. I've got my cell on me, so just give me a call."
"Yeah," Spied agreed. "If you get too lonely, just come over to our loft. Karma's on this cooking binge, so there's always food, and we could definitely use the company."
"Thanks Spied," Jude smiled. "I'll see ya."
"Yeah," he agreed, turning back to the studio.
Jude took one last look at the walls of G-Major, the memories of her first encounters there flooding her mind. She looked back at Karma, and some new girl recording a track in a different studio and decided that she wouldn't be back. G-Major wasn't hers anymore.
xXx
"Okay! I lied!" Jude yelled, running back down the stairs of NBR. "Tomorrow's too far away. I need my Jamie fix now!"
Jamie shut his laptop as Jude entered the studio. "Your Jamie fix? You haven't had a Jamie fix in over a year."
"I know," Jude began, thinking quickly, "that's why I'm in dire need."
"Uh huh," Jamie began, knowingly. "And what pray tell are we to do?"
"Oh, I don't know..." Jude began. "I was thinking, we're nineteen now, so why don't we go to a bar? I mean, it might be fun."
"A bar?" Jamie questioned.
"Yeah, you know, we didn't get to celebrate our birthdays and we can catch up and rehash memories and such. It'll be fun!"
"Uh huh," Jamie nodded. "How about we go to Desperados? I mean it's classy."
"Perfect!" Jude exclaimed.
"Oh course, as you well know, a certain squinty eyed heartthrob may be there..." Jamie began.
"Oh, uh, well...you know, that's fine..."
"Jude," Jamie warned. "I'm not going to be your alibi for why you're out drinking when Tommy asks you what the hell you're doing there."
Jude sighed. "I need to see him Jaim, and I'm not sure how to go about it. So I figure the best introduction is to casually run into each other and see how it goes."
Jamie shook his head. "Look Jude, I don't know how you should try to talk to Tommy again, but be ready to accept it if he doesn't want to talk to you. You really broke the guy."
Jude sighed, not ready to come face to face with her choice to leave Tommy behind just a year ago. She hadn't wanted to hurt him. She was just scared and confused and wasn't sure what she wanted. She thought he understood that. She thought he knew her.
"Jamie, I need to try," she said. "I can't change what happened in the past, but I need to try to set things right. I need to see him again."
Jamie leaned down, inches away from Jude's face. "Jude, I'll drive you there. But, I'm not going in with you. The only person Quincy probably wants to see less than you is me."
"That doesn't make any sense Jaim, you two may not be bffs, but Tommy doesn't hate you."
"Jude, I'll explain later, but Tommy and I had a pretty brutal fight."
"What? But Spied said you wanted him to work for NBR, so that really doesn't make much sense," Jude remarked.
"I did," Jamie said. "That's how the whole thing started. Look, I really don't want to get into it Jude, okay? It was just a dumb argument and it's better left alone. Now do you want a ride or not?"
"Fine," Jude agreed, taking his hand. "A ride would be great."
Jamie took her duffel bag and tossed it into his car as Jude slid inside. She tightened her seatbelt and gazed out the window, taking in the sight of the house next to him, that once belonged to her family. She saw a little girl with blonde hair running through a sprinkler, her blonde curls soaked. Her sister, a lanky brunette had an ipod in her hand, playing air guitar with the other, and Jude couldn't help but laugh. "That house is good luck kid," she whispered. "Maybe one day, you'll be a rockstar, too."
She smiled as Jamie got in and turned towards him. "The new neighbors seem nice."
"Yeah," Jamie agreed, pulling out of the driveway. "They are. The one girl Kayla, well, you'd just love her. She thinks she's going to be the next Jude Harrison."
"Oh she does not," Jude insisted.
"Please," Jamie began. "She found this star ring like you have and she wears it on a necklace because her fingers are too small. She's quite determined."
"How flattering," Jude smiled, instantly folding her hands in her lap so Jamie wouldn't notice that her star ring was no longer on her hand. "So how's the biz?" she asked, eager to hear of her friend's success.
"Ah, it's awesome. We're thinking of renting a better studio soon. We just signed this young indie singer, Lara. She's amazing, you'll love her. You should stop by and check her out. And well, Spied's record took off and put our company on the charts. Karma is considering switching over after her third record with G-Major, but she's undecided. We also have this cool punk band called Disaster who are pretty good. Kwest is working on making their music more relatable."
"Wait, wait, Kwest?" Jude asked.
"Oh yeah. He quit G-Major as I'm sure Sadie told you, and we snatched him up right away. I was a little annoyed over the whole Blu situation still, but we made amends, and it's great having a real producer, because honestly, I'd rather be running this thing than producing. He's been great."
"Sadie never told me any of that," Jude said, slightly annoyed. "What's with her anyway? I mean...Darius?"
"Yeah..." Jamie began. "She's certainly under his spell. I don't really see how though. We're all kind of hoping she'll snap out of it soon. Maybe with you back, she'll see the light. They're living together and everything though. It's so..."
"Creepy?" Jude offered, laughing.
"Yeah, definitely creepy," Jamie agreed.
"So, how's Zep?" Jude asked. "You two seem rather cozy."
"Yeah," Jamie smiled. "She's great. She a bit naive, but great."
"That's good," Jude nodded. "I like her. She's got this unique quality about her, you know? It's refreshing or something..."
Jude trailed off as she spotted the bar up ahead. She had almost forgot why she was in the car with Jamie, and had begun to just enjoy their conversation, like old times. Now she realized she would have to leave him and face her demons alone.
"Jamie..." she started.
He sighed. "Okay, call me crazy, but I'm a sucker for Jude Harrison. If you want me to go in with you, I will."
Jude bit her lip, debating. The offer was quite tempting, but deep down she knew it wouldn't be fair to either Tommy or Jamie to take Jamie's offer. "Thanks," she said. "But you know, I have to do this alone. I have to face him," she said, spotting his car nearby.
"All right," Jamie said parking. "I'll be right out here."
"No," Jude shook her head, getting out of the car, and grabbing her bag. "Go on home. I can call a cab if I need to. I don't want you to wait."
"You're sure?" Jamie asked, unconvinced. "Jude, I don't mind waiting."
"I know, and thank you for that Jamie, but I'm sure. Go home, I'll be fine."
"Okay," Jamie nodded. "You'll call if you need me though, right?"
"Of course," Jude smiled, waving him off. She waited until she head his car pull out of the lot before making her way towards the door. She felt her pulse quicken and her body grew hot. She felt flushed and dizzy all at the same time and had to work hard at commanding her body to go through the door. Once inside, she wanted desperately to run, but marched forward instead. She looked around for any sign of him and seeing none, set up camp at a table near the bar. She ordered a beer as she waited, looking in every direction for any sign of him.
"Oh come on Katrina!" a male voice yelled. "Just one more?"
"Stop, you know I can't," a female voice insisted. Jude spun around to take in the scene.
"Come on Kitty Kat, I'll sing you a song," he promised, making her smile. "Whaaat would you dooo if I saaang out of tune, would youuu stand up and waaaalk out on meeee?" he sang, swinging his empty mug around.
"My god," Jude whispered, watching as Tommy sang and the bartender gave in, refilling his mug.
"You're lucky you're cute," she flirted.
Tommy grinned, leaning in to kiss her when his eyes locked with Jude. He pushed Katrina away and stared at her in disbelief.
Jude was trying not to shake, trying to figure out what to say, trying to make her mouth say anything, but instead all she could do was stare. It was Tommy who made his way over to her, and she noticed that his eyes seemed more intense than usual.
"Well, well, here's the rockstar," he said, sitting down across from her. "You lost?"
Jude paused, unable to tell if he was just teasing or trying to hurt her. "I suppose you could say that," she admitted, staring up at him. "They said you left G-Major."
Tommy shrugged. "I always hated it there."
"Always?" Jude asked, hopeful.
"Well, not always," Tommy admitted. "Always hated Darius though."
"Yeah...how about him and Sadie, huh? I mean what a weird couple."
Tommy studied her. "I don't know Jude. I mean, weirder things have happened. They're happy."
"Well, maybe, but Darius. He's such a bad guy," Jude remarked.
"Some people thought I was a bad guy..." Tommy began.
"Yeah, but they were wrong," Jude insisted. "You're not a bad guy, you're..."
"Just not good enough?" Tommy asked, his icy blue eyes stinging her.
"No Tommy," Jude began meekly. "You're more than good enough. If anything I'm...I mean, you've always been..."
"Why are you here Jude?" he asked. Jude couldn't seem to formulate an answer, and Tommy slammed his fist down on the table. "Damn it, Jude!" he bellowed, getting up and heading for the door.
"Tommy wait!" Jude called, grabbing her bag and slapping some cash down on the table. She hurried after him, adrenaline rushing through her. "Tommy, please wait!" she yelled, stopping him in the parking lot. "Please don't leave it like this."
"Oh, uh, you're asking me not to leave it like this?" Tommy smirked. "Pretty ironic Jude, considering you pretend you want to marry me and leave me in public via your speech to the crowd. You couldn't even face me and now you expect me to cater to you, like I owe you something?"
Jude choked back tears, no longer able to control herself. "Tommy I know. What I did was horrible...and I...I wanted to call you, so many times. I wanted to come back, to apologize, to tell you how stupid I was. But I couldn't, Tommy. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to have the conversation we're having right now. I was too scared. I knew how you'd react and you have every right to be mad, but I can't stand the thought of you hating me."
"Well, too bad Jude," Tommy remarked, throwing his arms up. "Too fucking bad. I would have never done this to you and you know that!"
"Tommy, I was scared," Jude insisted. "You have to understand that."
"You should have told me," he remarked.
"I know! I'm not proud of the way I handled it. If I could go back and change that, I would, but I can't Tommy."
Tommy shook his head. "Then answer me this Jude. Why'd you do it? I mean, why choose London over me? Why not let me come with you? Why did you have to do it this way?"
Jude inhaled deeply, tears streaming down her face. "Because," she said at last. "I was afraid that if you came with me, I wouldn't be fully committed to this new label. I was afraid I'd be too wrapped up in you. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I just...I didn't want to regret it years later and then resent you for what I didn't accomplish. I was afraid I would ruin everything by staying with you...at least, at that time. I thought it would be best to work on this alone and you have to believe that I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't even want you out of my life. I just screwed it all up, and I didn't know how to repair it, Tommy. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."
Tommy stood silently for a moment. "Don't cry," he said, watching Jude. "I didn't want to make you cry."
"Oh, I knew it would be impossible not to," she said, wiping her face.
"I don't know Jude," he began. "I want to forgive you and get past this, but I don't know. It's too fresh. I just...I didn't expect to see you back here so soon."
Jude nodded. "Do you know I haven't written a single song since I got there?" she offered.
Tommy looked down. "You should try harder. Your music's too important."
"I don't...I don't think I can do it...without you," she admitted.
Tommy shook his head. "Yes you can. You've done it before."
"It's...different this time," she replied.
Tommy sighed. "What...I mean what were you hoping for from me Jude?" he asked softly.
"I don't know," she said, frowning slightly. "I guess, I was just hoping, we could talk?"
"About what?" he asked quickly.
"I guess, I guess about us?" she said, letting her words hang out there.
"Jude...there is no us," Tommy said harshly.
Jude crossed her arms and shuffled her foot. "Tommy, I don't think there's ever going to be a time where there's no us," she said.
"Jude, I don't know if I can get past this," Tommy repeated. "And you just have to deal with that."
She nodded solemnly, afraid that anything else she might say would ruin any chance of changing his mind.
"I'm gonna go," he said, getting into his car.
Jude nodded and walked away, sitting down on the curb, willing herself not to cry. She pulled out her cell phone and called the cab company, now just wanting nothing more than to be home.
She ended her call as Tommy pulled up alongside of her. "Get in," he insisted.
"Tommy..."
"Jude, it's a ride, and you need one, so get in," he said, now staring away from her.
She climbed up and grabbed her bag, hopping into Tommy's car. "It smells the same," she said, taking in the aroma.
"It has a smell?" Tommy asked, confused. "There's not even an air freshener."
"I know," she smiled. "And of course, you'd never notice the smell."
"Why?" he asked, confused.
"Because," she said calmly. "It smells like you."
Tommy closed his mouth, not willing to answer her.
"Sorry," she said quietly, looking away. "By the way, I'm going to my studio. Dad apparently sold the house."
"Yeah, I heard that," he said, turning onto her street. "Do you even have a bed there?"
Jude shrugged. "I have a couch. That's good enough."
"You should get a bed," he insisted.
"Yeah, I guess," she remarked. "Maybe I will."
Tommy parked outside of her building and pulled the key out of the ignition.
"What are you doing?" Jude asked, surprised.
"Making sure you know what you're getting yourself into," Tommy said, getting out of the car. He entered the building looking for her door, Jude right behind him.
"Tommy what do you mean?" she asked, baffled.
"I mean, is the electric even on? Does the air work? Are you sure you have furniture there? Where are you going to shower? God, I forgot about that. You need a place to shower."
"I uh...okay, I hadn't really thought about that, but maybe Jamie..."
Tommy stopped before they reached her studio and turned around.
"Where are you going now?" Jude asked.
"To my car."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to drive it?"
"Well, wait, I have to get my stuff," Jude said, not sure if she said something wrong to offend him.
"No you don't," he cut her off.
"What?" Jude asked. "You're not making any sense."
Tommy sighed. "Jude, I'm not thrilled about this, but you need a place to stay. I happen to have a place to stay. So, you're going to stay in my room, and I'm going to take the couch, and we'll figure the rest out."
"Wait, no, I don't want you to stay on the couch," Jude began. "I'll take it, I..."
"Jude, I'm staying on the couch," Tommy finalized. "Now get in."
Jude took a deep breath, staring at his silhouette as he waited impatiently for her to make up her mind.
"Okay," Jude said at last. "Okay."
xXx
More coming soon! r/r please!