Hey everybody! I'm back with a new story. It's a one-shot and it's fluff, so I hope you enjoy it! I'm thinking about entering this in Portrait Magazine's One-shot contest, but I don't know yet. Either way, it was fun writing it!
Hope you enjoy it!
As always, thanks goes to gwynwhyver for betaing!
ONLY YOU
It's been two years since he's last seen her. Two years.
A lot can change in two years—a person can change a lot in two years.
He stood outside G-Major's doors, pacing, refusing to go inside. They all probably hated him after what happened; he really had no right to be here. After leaving for Asia, he decided to cut all ties with those left behind in Toronto. The only person that he bothered to keep in touch with was Kwest, and by association, Sadie. He had nothing here anymore. What was he even doing, coming back here like this?
Sweat trickled down the side of his face and his hands became clammy at the thought of seeing her again. The mere thought alone caused his heart to beat erratically.
'When did you become such a wuss, Quincy?' he muttered to himself.
"That would be the night you bailed."
He spun around, shocked to see Jude Harrison standing right in front of him. Well, there was no turning back now.
The sight before him was a changed, but welcomed vision of the girl he once knew. It was clear she was no longer a girl and she wasn't wasting any time proving that fact either. Clad in professional brown slacks, matching boots, and a plain, white silky sleeveless top, the teenager he had once known had magically transformed into a professional artist. The long blond hair he had admired once upon a time was now chopped in a sexy bob. She was breathtaking and he slightly resented her for still having the same affect on him.
"I heard you were back in town. When'd you get in?"
The ground suddenly looked interesting, so his eyes stayed firmly planted there, feigning interest in the concrete. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, as if it could ease his discomfort. "A few days ago."
He heard her snort in disgust, "Typical. Same old Quincy."
His eyes flew to her hardened face and he felt indignant anger slowly brewing in his system. Christ, he had forgotten how quickly she could get under his skin. "What was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know, Tommy. A head's up would have been nice!"
Yeah right. There was no way in hell he would have given her a head's up about this. "Why? So you could run away from me?"
A cynical laugh escaped her lips and she shook her head as she crossed her arms. "That would be your job, Tom. Not mine. You're the one that left and never bothered to come back, remember?"
"Yeah, well you were the one that chose Andrews."
"Oh that's a total cop out! I didn't choose Jamie!"
The anger that had been slowly brewing was now threatening to come out, full-force. "Bullshit, Jude!"
"Tommy, I told you what was going on! I told you that I wanted to stay here and work on my music while you back-packed and that translated to you as 'she's choosing Andrews.'"
It was all he could do to hold back a grin at the impression that she just did. Though he'd never admit it to her, it was practically spot-on. She had even gotten the sneer when she said 'Andrews' right.
He had come back, expecting a huge change to occur, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Things were still exactly as they always had been. They were still doing the dance, even after all this time apart. It was beginning to feel as though they wouldn't ever get it right; maybe their chance had passed. Five minutes had barely passed and they were already arguing. What kind of relationship was that?
It was the kind he didn't want; it was the kind that was doomed to fail.
He didn't want to fight anymore. It was too damn exhausting and pointless. One would think they both would have done some growing up in the last two years.
The realization that he didn't want to fight with her overpowered his anger. He was tired of it and he just wanted to clear the air.
"Girl, could we not fight. Please?"
She blinked and Tommy could only assume his request shocked her. Hell, he managed to shock even himself with that one.
As he looked around, he realized that not much else had changed either. The outside of G-Major was still the same, the same cars still filled the parking lot—it even still had the same neighboring businesses. It was amazing that so little could change in such a long period of time.
The breeze floated softly around them, creating a calming, tranquil feeling. He was no longer looking at his surroundings, but he found a new fixture to look at, to study: Jude. She was still hauntingly beautiful, still had the ability to make his mind go from completely clean thoughts to completely not-so-clean thoughts.
He watched in fascination as the wind blew through her hair, sending her soft tendrils cascading around her face. It was a picture-perfect moment and he wished he had a camera because it would be a beautiful portrait photograph. She looked like a model in that very moment, posing lazily for the camera. His throat suddenly felt dry and the air between them became increasingly tenser.
A hush fell over them, neither one willing to be the first to break. He should have known; she had always been so frustratingly stubborn. If the silence was going to be broken, he'd have to be the one to do it.
"I… I wanted to apologize for leaving. I know that my going to Asia was always the plan, but it wasn't my intention to stay away this long."
"Sure," she replied doubtingly.
He cocked an eyebrow in response. "Sure? What does that mean, 'sure'?"
She sighed. "Tom, it's always been this way with you. You never mean to do something, yet you do it anyway! Why is it so hard for you to grow up?"
What was it going to take for her to understand? He had stayed away for them. He had hoped and prayed that she would come to her senses and leave Andrews—luckily, according to her, that hadn't even been an issue. Maybe it was selfish, but he had wanted her to wait for him to come back, to see that he was good enough.
"That's why I stayed away so long, Jude. I had to grow up. I had to be ready before I came back. I needed to be ready for…"
"For what Tom? Ready for what?!" she shouted angrily.
"For us, damn it! For us."
"What?" she whispered softly.
Defeat overwhelmed him. It was senseless to fight it. He had known years ago when some little punk wanna-be rapper tried to take his girl away from him. She was the only thing that mattered; they were the only thing that mattered. Why try and stop the inevitable?
He briefly recalled a conversation in which Jude told him that Sadie had said to Jamie, "Don't come between Jude and Tommy. They always choose each other in the end."
A smile formed on his lips as realized the truth to that statement. It would always be her; he would always choose her—no matter what.
"I mean us, Jude. I still want there to be an 'us'. Is there? Do I still have a chance? Am I too late?"
She stared and for a heart-stopping moment, he feared he was too late, that she had moved on and wanted nothing more to do with him.
She glanced down at the ground, avoiding his gaze. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "I don't know."
He swallowed hard. "Why? Are you in a relationship?"
"No," she said meekly.
"Do you not want to be with me anymore?" He hadn't wanted to ask that, but he needed to know, despite being terrified of the answer that may follow.
"Of course not." She paused before she finally glanced up. "You should know that it's always been you. Only you," she whispered.
The confusion that plagued his mind soon became evident on his features. He didn't understand. "Then what's the problem?"
"I'm afraid you'll leave again," she stated weakly.
He rushed to her and tilted her chin up to force her to look at him. "Never. Not if I can help it. I won't leave again. I promise."
She shook her head. "Don't make a promise you can't keep, Quincy."
He placed his hands on either side of her head, reveling in the softness of her hair. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed being able to run his fingers through those blonde locks. "I can keep this one."
"You don't know that."
"I'll prove it," he said determinedly.
"How's that?"
He grinned, despite himself. "By doing this," he replied as he captured her lips with his own.
He poured everything he had into this kiss. It wasn't urgent or hungry like so many of their other kisses had been. This kiss held promise in it—it was sweet, loving, and gentle. Giving. It was something he had so rarely done with her.
To his surprise, she didn't push him away. She simply locked her arms around his neck, gently tugging on the hairs on the nape of his neck. He had missed how passionate she was in everything. No other kisses could compare to hers. It was as though they were made for each other.
Finally, the need for air forced them apart. He rested his forehead against hers. "It's only you, Jude. I promise."