Whoa. This one-shot is super long. It was supposed to be one of those simple love at first sight AU fics. Oh well. Whatever.
Like I said in the summary, it is set in modern times (you know... our present). However, it is in the Tales of Xillia universe. In addition, there are slight spoilers if you haven't played till the end of the game. But they're merely that. They're nothing huge that explicitly talks about the ending.
Also, I have tweaked the ages a bit. I hope that won't piss anyone off.
I think that's all I have to say right now. I hope you enjoy it and I do apologize for any grammatical errors.
DISCLAIMER - I DON'T OWN TALES OF XILLIA. IF I DID... WELL. I don't know what I would do.
You & I (Dancing Till No One Exists)
Jude Mathis stared at himself in the mirror of his homely bedroom. Freshly out of the shower, he was deciding whether or not he should comb his messy, dark hair back. Obviously, he chose not to, believing that it seemed too off-putting and unusual in terms of his typical appearance.
"Then again, I am going to a house party," he murmured to himself. "Why did I even agree to this…?"
Scratching his head, he thought back to a couple days during his language class.
Alvin, or so he calls himself, was a close friend to Jude. Despite the wide age gap (Alvin being six years older than him), they clicked easily.
Jude acted mature and rational regardless of his young age. As Alvin would say, his personality was "mighty refreshing" since most of his college friends tend to drink and smoke weed. Of course, he drank and smoked occasionally, but doing it every day seemed like such a waste, which is why he enjoyed hanging out Jude – he was completely different from the stereotypical college student.
Anyway, during a two-man group project where the students needed to create and act out a mini-play, Alvin asked him a question.
"Hey, want to go to a party?"
Jude, being himself, looked at him dumbly and replied curtly. "No. Focus on your work."
Alvin scooted closer to him and nudged his side. "Come on. It'll be fun."
Jude didn't budge and kept writing whatever ideas came to mind for their play.
Alvin sighed. Despite respecting the kid's work ethic, Jude was too much of a tight-ass. And not only that, he was a total loner.
Like said previously, Jude was quite young. At the tender age of 16, he began attending a university at the royal capital of Rashugal, Fenmont. Back in his hometown of Leronde, he was a prodigy who excelled in multiple disciplines – Biology being his forte. As a result, he graduated two years earlier than expected, became the valedictorian of his year, and received a full-ride scholarship to his chosen university.
Unfortunately, his unbridled potential brought out much ire from his classmates. With the exception of his childhood friend, two close friends, and most of the older townsfolk, the people around his age hated him. As a result, he was frequently isolated. In addition, he had his own issues with his stoic father, who tended to act cold and harsh towards him and him only.
Alvin only found this out from Jude's excitable, childhood friend, Leia, who he found to be quite cute. One weekend, she personally came all the way from Leronde to visit and give him a gift for his upcoming 17th birthday. Later, she coerced Jude to let her stay at his apartment.
Alvin sooner or later found out that she wanted to hold an impromptu, early birthday party for the young man. Feeling moved by her dedication, he agreed to help without hesitation.
The same day Leia told him about her plans, Alvin realized that Jude had barely had any friends at school other than him and maybe a classmate or two.
On the night of the party, Jude nearly had a heart attack in his apartment when Leia and Alvin jumped out of nowhere and screamed "SURPRISE!" in his face. Nonetheless, he was touched by their settlements and let Alvin stay over without argument.
After one in the morning, Alvin stood out in Jude's balcony, staring at the stars. Soon came Leia and she thanked him for being his friend.
Then, she told him Jude's life back in his hometown.
Alvin wasn't surprised that Jude received such grand accolades back in high school. He was an honor student through and through; even when he wasn't studying for his classes, he was studying something else during his free time. Personally, he felt that the kid deserved them.
As Leia began talking more about Jude's past, Alvin couldn't help but have sympathy for the kid.
No wonder he was so anti-social.
He was afraid of being rejected again.
And finally Leia ended the conversation with a soft chuckle.
"Despite it all, you know what Jude want to be?"
She paused.
"A doctor. Jude wants to be a doctor. He told me that one day, he wants to come back home and help everyone – even the ones who hated him out of pure jealousy… He's too benevolent… too kind for this cruel world, isn't he…?"
Leia cried on his shoulder that night.
And Alvin held more respect for the young, studious man who was snoring on the couch.
He didn't know the kid for less than a year and he already felt closer to him than ever.
The kid was so lonely. And not only that, he had such a shitty social life.
Alvin, for once in his life, decided that he would help out Jude.
Still, Alvin scoffed quietly. It was so ironic. He knew his entire backstory while Jude barely knew a lick about who he was.
It had been months since that happened. Jude was now a second-year while Alvin was in his fifth (and hopefully last) year of college.
And like Leia said, Jude decided to pursue his dream of being a doctor. Unfortunately for him, he still had his general education classes to take care of.
Jude's choice to learn a new language was merely that – a choice.
Taking a language class was only an elective, but being bilingual (or more) was now a requirement in the real world.
Especially in Alvin's case as he was a business major who wanted to start his own international trading business.
Enough with the history lesson.
Alvin stared at Jude and whatever he was writing. Peering at some of the dialogue he wrote, he noticed a mistake.
"Hey Jude. You messed up here," Alvin said, pointing out the grammatical error.
Funny enough, it was a simple error that should have been fixed since their first year of language.
Blinking, Jude realized the error of his ways, "Oh. Thanks." Erasing it, he fixed it.
Alvin shook his head. "No no no. You still got it wrong."
With a contorted face, Jude erased his mistake hastily and fixed it again. "There we go."
It was still wrong.
It was then Alvin realized something.
Jude was actually having trouble.
With a smirk, Alvin asked, "Hey, you're not having trouble with this class? Are you?"
Jude blushed embarrassingly. "N-No! What? How-"
Alvin looked at him incredulously. "Seriously?"
He soon noticed that Jude's paper was riddled with errors.
"Like seriously?"
Alvin repeated himself.
Jude's blush went even darker. "I-I've been having trouble with the class since last year."
His situation was understandable though. Unlike high school and below, college and universities used semester and quarter systems. Fortunately, the university they both attend used the semester system. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean learning a language was going to get easier. The difficulty level was simply going to get higher. Alvin only got by because he was already adjusted with fast pace classes like this.
Still, he laughed. The honor student was really having trouble.
And now he got struck with the best idea ever.
"I'll tutor you if you go to the party this weekend."
And that was the story of why Jude was going to a social function.
Jude groaned deeply. He was regretting his decision. But remembering Alvin's test scores in their language class made him think it was going to be worth it. Maybe.
However, who knew Alvin was capable of getting A's on tests?
Shaking his head, he headed toward his closet.
He sighed again. His selection of clothes wasn't much and wasn't impressive at all.
Then again, Jude never cared about fashion and what was 'hype' these days.
Except now.
Deciding to grab his nicest cardigan, which was a woolen, gray button-up, he threw it on his bed. Then, he chose a pair of dark chino pants, a white wife-beater, and a black v-neck.
Jude wondered if he should wear a sweater instead of a simple v-neck, but decided against it since he was going to a house party. He assumed there was going to be people everywhere, dancing and sweating. And if there were too many people in a single room, then the whole place was going to be an oven. He didn't want to hyperventilate.
He looked outside. With Fenmont's strange weather pattern, there was no way telling what time it was. It was literally night all the time.
So Jude looked at the alarm clock propped on his nightstand. 8:45 PM. Alvin was picking him up soon. He needed to get ready now.
Before dropping his towel on the floor, he grabbed fresh pairs of boxers and socks in one of his drawers.
Minutes later, he looked at himself in the mirror. To him, he looked a bit fancier than usual. Generally, he wore his beloved, navy blue overcoat.
But now it was discarded in his overflowing laundry bin.
He sighed. He really needed to take care of that.
He had nothing else to put on. No cologne. No deodorant. It didn't bother him though. He didn't smell as badly as his other peers. Plus, he took a shower. There was no reason why he should smell like anything except shampoo and soap right now.
Sitting on his living room's couch, he silently read one of his textbooks for class. It was a simple anatomy book. He already memorized what he needed to read for homework, but he had nothing else to do.
The wait was unbearable though.
Then, he heard a knock.
"Coming!"
Jumping up, he walked to the entrance door and opened it.
"Yo."
Jude raised an eyebrow. Alvin didn't have his cherished scarf wrapped around his neck or his scruffy, brown coat. Instead, he wore some blue, fitted jeans, a midnight blue cardigan atop a pink zipper hoodie and a dark v-neck, and baby blue sneakers. In addition, a tiny silver necklace dangled around his collarbones. He still had his hair combed back though.
"What's up? Do I look like an alien to you?" Alvin grinned.
"N-No," Jude stammered. "It's just strange seeing you with something else on."
"Haha. Miss my coat?"
"Not really," Jude replied nonchalantly as put on a pair of worn-out sneakers. "It started to smell anyway."
"Ouch. My self-confidence."
Jude rolled his eyes as he got outside and locked his door. "So where is this place?"
"A couple distances away," Alvin said, pointing at a random direction. "So we're driving."
Jude hummed, not exactly caring as long as his friend knew where he was going.
"By the way, you're looking pretty fly. Wearing all of those dark colors like that," Alvin laughed. "We wouldn't want you to get hit by a car though."
Jude guessed he should be flattered by Alvin's compliment. But considering it was Alvin, he didn't feel like thanking him at all.
"Man, you're going to meet my girlfriend! This is so exciting!"
Alvin mentioned something along those lines right after Jude agreed to come to the house party with him.
Him having a girlfriend? It was a possibility. Then again, he was infamous for being a habitual liar.
So like the other times, Jude thought he was fibbing again. And if he really wasn't, then it couldn't be a human at least.
Jude imagined it being his car or worse – a pillow.
"She's so beautiful and wonderful. And such a great lay-"
Jude didn't want to imagine Alvin copulating with a pillow.
"And not only that, she's fierce. Like a tigress-"
Now Jude's visualizing a plush tiger.
"Man, oh man," Alvin grinned as he continued to describe the love of his life.
Finally arriving to a luxury, four-seat vehicle, Jude eyed at him suspiciously.
"What?! You think I stole this?"
"You said it," Jude quipped, entering the back seat of his car quietly.
"H-Hey! I bought this with my own money!"
Upon entering, Jude looked up and saw a beautiful woman with luscious pale brown hair.
"Hello there," she greeted in a sultry voice. "You must be Jude."
She stared in his eyes.
"Just call me Presa."
Behind those oval-rimmed glasses were intense, crimson eyes that caused him to shiver.
"R-Right," Jude stuttered. "Nice to meet you, Presa."
"Likewise," she smiled. "Thank you for taking care of my big idiot of a boyfriend."
"Hey, hey. You shouldn't be insulting said boyfriend behind his back, you know?" Alvin entered the car with an easy-going smile. "It hurts his feelings."
"Whatever," Presa chuckled, kissing Alvin's cheek. "Did that make it all better?"
"Just a bit," Alvin smirked. "How about a kiss on the lip-"
Presa facepalmed him and neatly sat down on her seat as she buckled her seatbelt. "Now then, Loverboy, let's go to the party."
"Aye, aye, madam," Alvin saluted with a stupid grin.
And so the car vroomed and went off.
As the couple in front of him talked about whatever, Jude sat there at awe. For once, Alvin didn't lie about something.
For some reason though, he felt oddly relieved that his girlfriend wasn't a pillow at all.
15 minutes later, Alvin parked his car along a street curb in a quiet suburban area somewhere away from all the bustling and tussling Fenmont was known for.
As Jude got out, he looked around. He wasn't familiar with the surroundings as he only frequented in the school and around the downtown area.
"Hey Jude!" Alvin called out. "Are you planning to steal my car or what? Come on, let's go!"
Jude turned bright red. He was so engrossed by the new sights that he didn't realize that Alvin already alarmed his car and was now a dozen feet away from him with his girlfriend in tow.
He jogged to the patient couple and apologized.
Presa nodded, not bothered by Jude's absent behavior.
"Haha. Don't worry!" Alvin grinned as he wrapped his arm around Jude's neck. "This is an entirely new experience for you!"
Jude could smell the mint of Alvin's breath. "You're too close."
"Yeah, Loverboy," Presa added with mock jealousy. "Not even you do things like that with me."
"Oh come on, Beautiful," Alvin joked, unhooking his arm and letting go of Jude. "I already do enough intimate things with you. At least let me share something exclusive with my favorite honor student."
While he was silently thankful for Presa's save, Jude felt queasy by Alvin's words. "Can you not make it sound like we have something going on in front of your girlfriend?"
"Yeah," Presa frowned. "You're basically confessing that you're cheating on me."
With that, she walked off, her hips purposely swaying left and right with each step.
"Aw, come on!" Alvin followed her, glancing at her bottom in the process. "You know I will always love you!"
Before he could even glomp her, Alvin found himself on the ground with a huge handprint on his cheek.
"Hmph," Presa snorted. "Maybe I'll just go with Jude as my date – since he's so special to you."
Looking back, she motioned the young boy to follow her. "Come on, sugar. We're leaving this dirtbag and going on ahead."
"Come on, Beautiful-"
"S-Sure!"
Jude jogged toward her.
Alvin paled.
With a giggle, Presa hooked her arm with him and skipped away.
"H-Hey! Come back!"
While they seemed serious enough, Jude could see that their heated argument was merely playful banter. Alvin was even grinning despite the fact he got smacked hard enough to fall on the pavement.
Within moments though, Alvin was sprinting after them, ready to break the two of them apart.
Presa just laughed away, not caring that she was going to wake up the neighborhood.
It was unusual seeing two grown adults act this way. It was completely different of how Jude's father acted – so cold, so strict, so so harsh. His mother didn't act that way, but she was submissive towards his father and would rather follow his orders instead of listen to her son's hardships.
Even though Jude should be respecting the neighbors and their sleep, he joined the couple's laughter.
Still, he wanted Presa to let go soon.
Her death grip was killing his arm.
Albeit tired from running and skipping, the trio arrived soon at their destination: a quaint two-story house.
To Jude's relief, Presa released her grip on his arm and grabbed a pocket mirror from the leather purse she was holding on her other arm.
While she fixed her hair, Jude finally realized how sexy she looked in her attire.
Her knee-length, mocha-colored dress clung onto her curves wonderfully, with a bow wrapped around her waist area. And while it did show plenty of cleavage, it didn't make her look like a slut. Dark, see-through stockings rose high above the ends of her dress and drew attention to her long, unblemished legs. And to complete the look were slightly-raised heels.
Compared to Alvin, Presa looked like a supermodel – someone who was totally out of the scruffy man's league.
"I still don't understand why we couldn't match," Alvin said, knocking on the front door.
Presa stared at him stupidly. "Unlike you, I like to look fancy every once in a while. And if I matched with you, no guy would be willing to dance with me."
"Ouch. My heart. Are you telling me that you hate spending time with me?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be saving the last dance with you," she winked before kissing him on the cheek.
Alvin simply smirked.
The door finally opened and showed a giant, towering man in a gray sweater and black chinos.
"Ah, welcome," the man said respectfully. "Come in."
As he moved toward the side, the trio entered and looked around.
"Those clothes don't look right on you, Jiao," Presa remarked with a chuckle.
He sighed, "I'm only doing this because the missus asked so please take it easy on me, Presa."
"You know she never takes it easy on anyone, Jiao," Alvin interjected, laughing away. "You should see all the scars I received from her nails when we ha- OOOF!"
Presa elbowed her boyfriend's stomach without remorse.
Before Jiao could lecture Presa about domestic abuse, he noticed the young teen standing awkwardly behind the couple.
"Ah. I apologize, young man. My name is Jiao, one of the individuals living in this peaceful adobe."
"A-Ah!" Jude bowed. "My name is Jude Mathis. Thanks for letting us in, Mr. Jiao."
"Haha. Jiao is fine, young man," he smiled.
"Sheesh, Jude. Lighten up, will you?" Alvin grinned, wrapping his arm around his shoulder again.
"Y-Yeah, I will," Jude replied nervously.
"Who else is here?" Presa asked, listening to the voices down the hallway they're in.
"Wingul and some others," Jiao replied. "I'm still helping the missus with the cake so please make yourselves at home."
Before Jiao entered one of the doors, he turned back.
"And nice to meet you, young man."
Once the giant left the hallway, Alvin and Presa walked down the hallway to reach the living room.
"Come on, Jude! You're being slower than usual," Alvin jested.
"Y-Yeah!"
Jude followed in suit.
As Jude shortly found out, the house party was a surprise birthday party for Jiao's roommate, Ertson Outway. His sister, Karla, came up with the idea a week ago and shortly invited nearly all his friends and acquaintances.
How?
She stole his cellular phone, copied down every number, and personally texted each one about the upcoming party with her own phone.
Of course, she texted his ex-girlfriends too.
By the time Jiao found out, the damage was already done. Nonetheless, he didn't warn his close friend about the impending doom that may fall upon him. He believed it would do some good for him, especially since Erston didn't exactly know how to tie up loose ends with people.
Still, Jude couldn't believe he was in the Outway household. When Alvin told him the situation, his eyes nearly bulged out.
Erston Outway was a famous alumni who graduated three years ago at the university Jude and Alvin were currently attending. Originally from the capital of Auj Oule, his family sent him to Rashugal as a way to peacefully connect both countries together. As his father is the ruling king, he trusts that Rashugal will take care of him – unless they want to risk a war.
During his four-year stay, Erston spearheaded the student government and was quite vocal for freedom, peace, and equality for people everywhere. His non-biased attitude, love for the ordinary people, attractive appearance, and incredible grades caused him to be a popular figure in school. However, because of his beliefs and morals, he was often at odds with the Rashugal government, which favored royalty-based lineage above all else. Nonetheless, both parties respect each other's opinion. And occasionally, Erston would be invited by Rashugal's king to dinner so they could talk more about politics and the like.
Initially, Erston was to be sent back to Auj Oule when he graduated, but his sister expressed interest in going to the same university as him. Thus, with his father's consent and the money he saved up, he bought a house with one of his close college friends, Jiao, and started to live in the Rashugal suburbs as an Auj Oule diplomat. Once his beloved sister was finished with school though, the siblings planned to go back home and help their father improve their country.
Jude sat quietly as he drank his punch, trying to comprehend all the information he received in the past hour. Completely ignorant by his surroundings, he didn't notice a pretty girl sit next to him.
"Hey."
"Wh-Whoa!" Jude jolted in his seat. "H-Hey."
She giggled, "Did I surprise you? My bad."
"N-No problem at all," Jude chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously.
"What's your name?"
"Ah. Jude. Jude Mathis, miss. Yours?"
"Jessica. Jessica Myers," she mimicked with a laugh. "I never met such a cute guy before."
"O-Oh. Really?" Jude blushed.
"Yeah…" She inched closer. "Why would such a nice catch be sitting all alone?"
Her breasts were nearly popping out of her dress and the smell of alcohol wafted in his personal space the closer she got.
"Hey…" She mumbled in his ear, placing a hand on his thigh. "It's getting hot in here, isn't it?"
Jude gulped. "Ye-"
"WHOA THERE!"
Alvin came out of nowhere.
"I was totally trying to find you, Jude!" Alvin grinned. "I was meaning to introduce you to another one of my friends."
"W-What?" Jude blinked.
"Come on!" Alvin gripped his wrist.
"Wa-"
Before he could protest, Jude was being dragged away.
"Nice meeting you, Jessica!"
Unfortunately, she never heard it.
Sighing loudly, Jude leaned on the wall.
As soon as the coast was clear, Alvin released his grip on Jude as they entered the hallway entrance again.
"You okay, Jude?" Alvin smiled. "That was some high level stuff you nearly got yourself into."
"Y-Yeah… Thanks for saving me."
"Haha. No problem. You got to be careful when it comes to these parties. Girls like those are some of the thirstiest creatures you'll ever meet."
Raising an eyebrow at Alvin's lingo, Jude stared at him. "Where's Presa? Shouldn't you be dancing with her?"
As soon as more people arrived, Presa ditched the two guys and went off by herself. Pretty soon, the DJ arrived, the music started banging, and the alcoholic jello shots were being passed around to the guests. It was quite surprising that the living room was able to house so much. And if Erston didn't hate the smell of weed, its aroma would be flowing throughout the entire place too.
Erston wasn't here though as he was held up by a meeting with Rashugal officials.
Alvin shrugged, "Most likely twerking some guy."
Jude had no idea what twerking meant, but he supposed it was bad. "Aren't you worried that she might leave you?"
"No," Alvin leaned back on the wall too, looking up at the ceiling in the process. "I know I'm the one she'll always go back too."
Jude was quite surprised by how laidback his answer was.
"We've been dating for four years. Something like a little dance with another guy doesn't faze me anymore."
No wonder.
"How about her then? How would she feel if you did such things behind her back?" Jude asked, wondering how strong their relationship really was.
"She knows I'll always go back to her. Because like what she thinks of me, I'll always love her too."
Alvin smiled – a lot softer than most of his playful and lopsided ones. It was almost as if he was reminiscing of something tender that happened between the both of them.
Nonetheless, Jude didn't prod any further.
He knew Alvin was telling the truth.
And surprise, surprise.
Alvin didn't lie to Jude when he said he wanted to introduce him to someone else.
Sitting at the corner of the living room was Karla Outway, the ponytail cutie in the cherry-red cocktail dress.
She was a third-year college student, a year ahead of Jude.
Not as influential as her brother, Karla took a different path. Instead of immersing herself in politics, she decided to dedicate herself to teaching grade school students about history.
Still, she was pretty popular, especially with the guys. Many men tried to date her, but failed due to her brother's protective nature. Like in the political ring, he was ruthless to the guys who tried to romance his sister.
Nevertheless, Erston didn't deter anyone. Soon the idea of dating Karla became the ultimate trial at school, eventually being called the 'Outway Challenge.'
Like Alvin thought, Jude and Karla became fast friends due to their studious and curious nature.
And so, without them noticing, Alvin slipped away and tried to find his beloved.
He was really itching to roam his hands all over her bottom.
"So Jude, are you enjoying yourself?" Karla smiled. "You can be honest with me if you want. I don't mind."
"Honestly, this is my first time being at a house party. I kind of expected this, but I still feel a bit…"
"Out of place?"
"Yeah. Haha… sorry."
Karla chuckled, "Don't be. Actually, I wasn't expecting this either. I thought all of his friends were serious like him, but I guess not."
"He's too kind to remove people's numbers from his cell phone," Jiao added, sitting with the two. "Once someone gives him their number, he doesn't try to delete them just in case they need his help."
"Wow… I guess he really does love the people," Jude said, amazed by Erston's dedication.
"Of course, he's too oblivious to realize that girls just want to have sex with him 90% of the time," Jiao laughed. "Have you noticed all the women at this party?"
Jude examined the crowd in front of him. He never recognized that the ratio of girls was extremely higher than the amount of guys present.
"Nearly all of them want him and over half of them will claim that they were his girlfriend at a time," Jiao continued. "But like I said before, Erston never realized any of their feelings. To him, he thought that they merely needed his help."
Karla stared at Jiao at awe. "I can't believe how stupid my brother was."
Jiao chortled loudly. "I know what you mean."
As Jude kept staring the crowd, his eyes widened and his mouth ran dry.
In that crowd of heated, lustful dancers was a single woman in a light-blue dress.
Her golden hair shined brightly in the darkly lit room as if it was a beacon to heaven, ebbing and flowing like gentle ocean waves as she elegantly swayed her body to the harsh beat of the song.
And as she moved, a non-existent white-haired man – most likely her current dance partner – was trying to inch closer to cop a feel.
For once, Jude scoffed and felt a slight rage storm inside the pit of his stomach.
"Jude?"
Before he went berserk, Jude shook away his thoughts and looked back to the one who called his name.
"Are you okay, Jude? I've been calling you for the entire time," Karla frowned, concerned about her new friend's distracted behavior.
"If you need to, you can always rest in the guest room, young man."
Even Jiao was worried.
Shaking his head, Jude smiled and reassured them.
"I'm okay. Don't worry. I think I'm just feeling light-headed so I'm going to get a drink, okay? I'll be back."
Ignoring whatever the pair was saying, Jude quickly stood up and scanned the crowd again.
She was gone.
Unfortunately for Jude, the drinks stood at the other side of the room.
And as a result, he needed to fight through a plethora of sweaty dancers to reach them.
"Sorry!"
"Excuse me!"
"Sorry!"
Even though he knew no one would hear his apologies, Jude felt like he needed to as he bulldozed through the crowd.
As he finally squeezed out of a sandwich from two excitable dancers (who were dry humping the poor boy), he loudly sighed in relief.
He was in front of the drink table. Dipping a large spoonful of punch in the cup he grabbed from the end of the table, he licked his lips and savored the juicy goodness until it was gone.
Suddenly, his knees felt weak and the world started spinning. Placing his palms on the table for support, he turned around to face the crowd and breathed slowly.
The punch was spiked.
Cursing mentally, he staggered to one of the nearby chairs and sat down, plopping his bottom on it loudly. Despite closing his eyes to calm himself, he still felt everything spin.
"You okay?"
Jude opened his eyes and lifted his head to see a young man standing in a solid, black vest, a silvery dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, and dark-blue, faded jeans. His black-haired mop cascaded part of his face, but he could easily see his calm, nonchalant eyes boring into his own eyes.
If he remembered correctly, Jude met him before most of the guests started arriving. His name was Wingul, another one of Erston's close friends.
"Y-Yeah…" Jude answered unsteadily. "It's just…"
Wingul raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for Jude to continue.
"S-Someone spiked the punch."
With a sigh, Wingul nodded, "I see. Thanks for telling me."
Walking toward the bowl of punch, Wingul grabbed it and dumped its contents into the trashcan hiding underneath the table.
Approaching Jude again, Wingul asked, "I'm planning to wash this out in the kitchen. Do you need anything? I'll help you walk to the guest room if you want to get some sleep."
"N-No. It's fine," Jude breathed, closing his eyes again. "I'll be okay."
Nodding, Wingul said, "I'll be back again just in case."
"T-Thank you," Jude said unevenly, smiling at the man's kindness.
Turning around, Wingul walked through the crowd effortlessly, raising the punch bowl high into the air so it won't get on anyone.
Leaning back on the chair, Jude groaned inwardly. Things weren't go so swell for him. Despite the fact that he met Alvin's girlfriend, was currently in Erston Outway's house, and got acquainted with his sister and his inner circle of friends, the house party made him feel awkward. The partygoers were very much older than him and the alcoholic beverages made him feel like he didn't belong here.
Not only that, but he inadvertently drank spiked punch and was feeling tipsy for the first time.
His folks back home would be so disappointed in him.
Massaging his temples, he closed his eyes and breathed again.
And as he looked up, he saw her again.
The golden angel in a sea of desire.
Staring at the blurry brightness of her hair, Jude stood up absentmindedly and walked shakily into the raging crowd.
He kept going, bumping into others without an apology. Until he found that beacon, he wouldn't stop.
However, when he did find her, he stood as stiff as a stone. He didn't know what to do or what to say (even though listening to others was near-impossible now). He just stared at her and the way she moved.
He felt like a creep.
And within seconds, she noticed his eyes on her.
But that didn't stop her from moving toward him.
Instead, she gripped his wrists and mouthed something.
"Dance."
Blinking, Jude felt his arms wave wildly as she moved her limbs in multiple directions. They swung lifelessly like rag dolls as she continuously moved them with hers till Jude started to follow what she did and flowed with the beat.
Grinning, the woman let go of his arms and started to dance with him.
Despite the disappointment caused by her release, Jude shook it off and started undulating left and right, earning him a loud, hearty laugh from her.
It was music to his ears.
The next song instantly came on and like the previous one, the bass was heavy and the beat was catchy.
Out of nowhere, strobe lights came on and began filling the living room, heightening the already intense atmosphere.
Jude and the woman still danced together, swaying their hips and raising their hands in unison.
And as soon the beat dropped, everyone, including Jude, echoed the rapper's lyrics and jumped wildly as if they were trying to cause an earthquake.
Unfortunately for Jude, his face collided into her soft, voluptuous breasts during one of the jumps. Blushing madly, he screamed as loudly as possible.
"SORRY!"
The woman paid no heed to it and laughed again, mouthing "It's fine" in the process.
Instead, she inched closer towards him.
He could smell all the perfume and sweat exuding from her flushed body.
And even though his surroundings were still a blur, Jude could clearly see the woman's face.
She looked so gorgeous. Her fuschia eyes were as bright and vivid as her golden locks. The end of her cowlick was unusually tinted a light shade of green, but it didn't undermine her appearance one bit. Instead, it made her unique – one of a kind. Her bangs framed her mature, heart-shaped face and the tiny touch-ups she did with her lips and the edges of her eyes merely enticed Jude to caress her cheeks and kiss her everywhere.
Jude felt himself heat up. He blamed his tipsy state for his lecherous thoughts.
Pushing them away to the back of his mind, Jude leaned back and shimmied.
Grinning again, the woman did the same, except leaning forward.
The pair laughed at each other as they showed off their moves.
Once the beat was about to drop again, Jude leaned backward even more, nearly touching the floor.
Everyone around him chanted in excitement, watching him go down low.
"OOOOOOOOOOHHH!"
Even the woman widened her eyes in anticipation, wondering what her partner was about to do.
And when the beat dropped, Jude crisscrossed his legs and undulated upwards, doing a 360 degree spin as soon as he was standing.
The crowd went crazy as he successfully completed his move set – something he didn't expect he could even do.
The song went on, even more extreme as before.
And as everyone hopped, Jude's beautiful dance partner smirked and started to bounce her knees slightly and stomp from left to right, eventually creating rapid hand and shoulder movements that were in tune with the way she moved her legs.
Jude tried to copy her, but to no avail as he couldn't coordinate his hands and legs.
She chuckled at his efforts and changed it up, this time leaning her head and body sideways and swinging her bended arms like pendulums while shifting her weight and twisting her legs and feet.
Unlike the last one, Jude managed to do her move. However, he felt like he was doing it all wrong.
But as if she read his mind, she smiled and mouthed, "That's it!"
As the songs kept playing, she showed Jude other moves, ranging from spins and twists to popping and dropping. Of course, since he was no dancer, he did them all with varying levels of success.
Even though he felt embarrassed whenever he tried, the glowing presence of the woman in front of him seemed to melt away all his self-conscious, disparaging thoughts. And much to his delight, she laughed, giggled, or grinned whenever he followed her movements.
Every now and then, he would glance at the other dancers near him. Sometimes, they would have their eyes on the pair. Other times, they would do the same as them.
Either way, Jude was honestly having a blast.
His tipsy state didn't matter to him anymore – actually it seemed that it faded away in time, much to his delight. Now with that over, he just wished for one more thing.
He just wished that he knew this angel's name.
"And I know y'all have been waiting for this!"
After the last song ended, the DJ's voice boomed throughout the living room, calling all the dancers to stop and pay attention.
"So get your partner and look at them in the eyes because it's time for the slow jams!"
Soon, a mellow and soft beat started playing in the background.
Jude, pleading she wouldn't leave the dance floor yet, brought his left hand out and asked, "Can we have another dance?"
Without hesitation, she grasped his sweaty palm and squeezed it gently.
"Sure."
Her lovely smile and sing-song voice nearly caused his heart to jump out of his chest.
Jude hesitantly wrapped his right hand around her waist and brought her close. Still holding her warm hand, he extended their arms a little away from their shoulders.
It quickly hit him that she was a bit taller than him.
However, it didn't bother him at all.
"What perfect form," she said a bit surprised, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"O-Oh this?" Jude chuckled nervously. "I-I picked it up from somewhere."
"Romance films?" she guessed, a small smirk on her face.
"A-Ah…" Jude blushed embarrassingly, shifting his eyes away from her stare. "Something like that."
She laughed, "You keep surprising me more and more."
"I can't help it. A beautiful girl deserves a beautiful dance."
Jude's eyes widened in shock.
"I-I mean, ahh…"
Suddenly, a pair of soft lips kissed his forehead.
"Don't forget that it takes two to tango," she whispered, her face in close proximity of his. "I can't do this without you."
Her face was just as red as his.
As the song kept playing, the pair gently moved on the dance floor. They stepped. They spun. They came closer and closer. They were in unison. They were seamless.
Their hands clasped tightly – lovingly – as if they didn't want to let go of each other.
Their faces were so, so close. They could each feel their hot breaths and see themselves reflected in each other's vibrant orbs.
All eyes were on them as they glided effortlessly – their love shown blatantly for all to watch in awe.
And it was so peculiar.
Because they just met in the last hour.
They were strangers.
Yet they seemed like the perfect pair of lovers.
And soon, they felt their lips close the distance between them.
It was tender.
When they both came up for air, they looked at each other, their eyelids now heavy from their love.
Jude wondered if this was fine – to kiss a complete stranger as though she was his girlfriend.
But it didn't matter as she came in for another kiss – more harder than the first one.
Jude breathed through his nose, holding her closer as if they were hugging.
He accidently stepped on her foot, but they both didn't care.
They kept moving.
With each step, another kiss was placed on Jude's lips.
She teased him, slightly licking the bottom of his lip before releasing her kiss.
He could hear her breathe heavily, but she did not falter.
They kept looking into each other's eyes as if they were searching for more of their feelings.
How they thought.
What they felt.
Why they done it.
They kept searching, asking silent questions to one another.
And each one was answered with a loving kiss.
Once the song was finished, the woman in Jude's arms held him closer.
She wanted to feel his heartbeat.
She wanted to see if it was beating as quickly as hers.
So when she slowly let go of his hand for a moment, she laid her palm on his chest.
She thought her heart wouldn't go any faster.
Because like hers, his heart racing just as much.
The next song played.
"Let's dance more."
She muttered.
Jude didn't have to answer.
He grabbed her hand affectionately and assumed position.
Their surroundings got darker as they danced on and on.
The people didn't matter.
Their stares didn't matter.
Their whispers didn't matter.
Everything ceased to exist.
Except them.
There was nobody in the world except him and her.
She tightened her hold of his hand as they spun again.
She didn't want it to end.
She didn't want it to end.
She didn't want it to end.
"I never got your name."
Jude broke the silence between them.
But she ignored what he said and kissed him harshly.
Taking it as a sign, Jude returned it with the same passion.
"Mmmphh…"
She moaned softly.
When Jude released it, he saw how much he wanted her.
She became his entire world in a mere hour or so. He wasn't counting. He stopped paying attention to time when he found her.
Still, he wondered if he was in a stupid love story.
He wasn't in Cinderella.
He wasn't a Prince Charming.
He was just Jude Mathis.
And she was the mysterious woman who stole his heart.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERSTON!"
He heard something in the background.
It soon hit him that the music stopped ages ago.
And now they were the only ones dancing.
In silence.
Time was only stagnant for them.
But like her…
He didn't want it to end.
He wanted to keep holding her.
So he did.
They kissed one more time.
Then they heard the footsteps.
She automatically released Jude and turned on him.
"Happy birthday, Erston."
She walked toward the group of five emerging from the large crowd of people standing at the entrance of the living room.
Jude glanced at each figure.
Karla.
Jiao.
Presa.
Wingul.
Then he stared at who his partner was heading to.
In the middle of said group was a towering man with the formidable presence.
"Milla, it's nice to see you again."
His black blazer was swung over his shoulder. His clean, white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his tie was a bit loose. His dark trousers were as dark his hair. And his black loafers clicked on the floor with each footstep.
"I apologize that I didn't get you a present," she stated with a straight face.
"It's no issue. Your presence is what matters," Erston smiled softly.
Jude looked on and felt a pang of jealousy.
She merely nodded, "Well, that's all I have to say. Farewell, Erston."
"Be careful on your way home."
She nodded again and exited silently as the other guests made a pathway for her.
Jude stared at her back and made no move to chase her.
He simply felt his heart fall.
"Well, well, well!" Alvin wrapped his arm around Jude and smirked.
"A-Ah!" Jude woke up from his thoughts. "A-Alvin?!"
Jude didn't even notice him at all.
"Look at Mr. Casanova here, eh guys?"
Erston chuckled. "So this is the one you wanted to introduce me to?"
"Yep! The same one. But who knew he was aiming for the biggest prize?!" Alvin grinned.
"W-What?" Jude blinked, confused about what his friend was saying.
"Woman aren't prizes, idiot," Presa scolded, glaring her boyfriend. "If you'd objectified me like that, I would have thrown you away a long time ago."
"Oh come on! You noticed how all the guys were trying to dance with her," Alvin argued, laughing away at most of the men in the huge crowd.
"So you're confessing that you wanted to dance with her too?" Presa glowered.
Jude found it unusual that she was in fact jealous for once.
"Hey hey, I saved the last dance for you," Alvin winked, smirking at her knowingly.
Presa scoffed, looking away with a tiny blush.
Before anyone could say anything else, Jude interjected with a sigh.
"Can someone tell me what's going on?"
Alvin grinned.
"Milla Maxwell."
"Eh?" Jude blinked.
"That's her name. The woman you danced with."
Finally, Jude received the name of the woman he fell-
"Wait. Did you say Maxwell?"
"Yep. The same Maxwell from the renowned Maxwell family."
Jude's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets for the second time tonight.
The Maxwell Corporation was the world's leading figure in basically every sector of the modern society. Nearly every resource on the planet was regulated and taken care of by the establishment as if it was the world's life source. Clothing. Technology. Food. Water. Minerals. It handled it all.
While Auj Oule and Rashugal had its own nations, the Maxwell Corporation maintained all of their necessities. Not only that, it oversaw businesses and trade routes. Despite governments being personally preserved by the people, it is said that the corporation indirectly influences the way of history. In addition, rumors have it that the members of the Maxwell family are descendants of the ones who created the planet.
However, they're just rumors.
"Milla was my fiancée," Erston stated.
Jude's face contorted. Even though he was standing in front of a living legend, he couldn't help but feel animosity toward the man.
"Was being the keyword," Erston continued, putting emphasis on the word to quell Jude's anger. "Our fathers were the ones who made up this arranged marriage. Nevertheless, we decided to break it off due to various reasons."
"W-What?"
"Yeah!" Alvin grinned. "He won't give us the details, but apparently she insulted him so badly that he personally told her father that he wasn't interested."
"You will hold your tongue, Alvin," Erston scowled.
"So instead of being all pouty, why don't you get her?" Alvin urged, totally ignoring Erston's intimidating stare. "I mean, all of us agree that you guys were a great couple."
Jude scanned the room and saw everyone's knowing smile.
Even some people in the crowd were grinning ear-to-ear.
"Y-Yeah…" Jude muttered. "Thanks… Alvin."
With new determination, Jude ran out the house.
Unfortunately he didn't hear him say, "WAIT! NOT NOW! SHE MIGHT HAVE ALREADY LEFT!"
And to his dismay, Alvin was right.
He tried finding her for an hour, searching through the neighborhood without rest. He was so desperate in his objective that he nearly got hit by a car while mindlessly running on the middle of the streets.
Then, after sitting down at a random street curb, he searched through his phone and saw that Alvin was texting him to stop and come back.
However, Jude couldn't, especially since he ran out with such resolve in his eyes. It would be embarrassing to go back.
And so, he sat outside of Alvin's car, resting his weary legs and body on the curb and enjoying the nightly weather.
It wasn't till after two hours when Alvin and Presa headed back to the car and found a sleeping Jude leaning on the car door that they went home.
Now it was a week since the party and Jude was lying on his bed.
Ever since then, he couldn't sleep at all. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see her face, her eyes, her lips.
Then, he would go take a cold shower.
As he got up to calm himself, he got a notification from his phone.
He glanced at his nightstand.
It was a text from Alvin.
Jude groaned softly. He didn't want to talk to him.
Not for another week.
Because of him, pictures and rumors about him started to travel throughout the school.
Who knows how, but Alvin was able to take pictures of him kissing Milla Maxwell as well as him dancing and nearly breaking his legs.
The latter inadvertently caused him to be scouted by various hip-hop clubs and dance clubs at school.
Fortunately, the kissy-kissy pictures weren't presented to anyone.
How did Jude know that?
Presa told him.
One day while eating lunch outside, she approached him with her own food. Presa explained to him that Erston threatened Alvin to not let those pictures leak into the public, saying that a huge scandal would break out if such things came to the surface. As expected, Jude sighed in relief.
After, she ate with him in silence.
The woman was difficult to speak to without Alvin around.
However, she must have sense his anxiety because she started to break the ice and ask him questions about his life.
Soon, they were both talking about their favorite moments with Alvin.
And to Jude's amazement, Presa was particularly fond of talking about him, excitingly reminiscing about their first date and telling him about the time he broke her favorite high-heels.
Later in the week, he found himself spending time with Karla and the others. Despite being older, they had no problem accepting Jude and like Alvin, they respected him for his serious and meticulous personality.
Erston (who Jude said happy birthday and remorsefully apologized to) offered him a job to tutor a girl who was a year older than him. Apparently, Agria was her name and to his surprise, she was actually from one of the noble families of Rashugal. However, her personality, according to the others, was too eccentric and wild for most people to handle. Even so, he took the job without question and was plan to start next week.
Things were truly looking up for Jude.
But he really didn't care right now.
Jude came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Heading back to his room, he saw that his phone received another text.
This time it was from a random number.
Curious, Jude opened it up and read it.
All it said was,
"Open up the door."
He frowned. The sender must have gotten the wrong number. He looked at the time at when it was sent.
10 minutes ago.
He was in the shower.
Since he was reading text messages, he might as well read Alvin's too.
"Good luck. ;)"
"What is with all of these bizarre messages?" Jude murmured to himself, scratching his head frustratingly.
With a loud sigh, Jude chose to reply to his friend's text.
"What are you ta-"
A call.
He automatically answered it.
"Hello?" he said politely.
There was silence.
"Hello?" he repeated.
"…Is this Jude?"
His heart almost exploded.
It was her.
Milla Maxwell.
"Y-Yes!" he squeaked forcibly.
How did she-
Then, it clicked.
Jude sighed inwardly, imagining a snickering Alvin texting to Presa about his foul deed.
Maybe he should agree to that coffee date she offered him so he could take him down a peg or thirteen.
"Are you still there?"
Jude was so caught up in his thoughts again that he was ignoring his crush on the phone.
Nearly smacking himself, he replied hastily.
"Y-Yeah! I'm still on!"
She chuckled, "That's good. I thought you ran away."
"Of course not," Jude answered, calming himself in the process. "I'm just… surprised."
"I can see that."
He could sense her smiling.
"Did you get my message?"
"Message?"
"Yeah. I sent one a couple minutes ago."
"Open up the door."
Jude dropped his phone.
Jumping over his bed to reach his closet, he hurled his towel somewhere and grabbed anything he could wear. He threw on a white t-shirt and an average pair of brown PJs.
"Shit," he cursed quietly as he knocked his toe into the bedpost before shuffling out his bedroom.
He ran to the front door and slammed it opened.
"M-MILLA!" he shouted, out of breath.
She still held her phone to her ear as she stared at Jude's disheveled appearance.
"I'm so-"
She crushed her lips into his.
"Mmmph!"
Jude stood there in astonishment as he felt her hands run through his hair.
Milla Maxwell stood outside his door patiently, regardless of how long she waited. And when he opened his door, she instantly clung onto him and showed how much she wanted him.
Was this her way of apologizing too?
It didn't matter because within moments, he returned the kiss with more fervor, pulling her closer and into his home.
He kicked the door shut and leaned against it. Releasing their kiss slowly, he mumbled, "Where have you been?"
"Finding you," she breathed softly, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry for leaving."
"It's okay, Milla," he replied, massaging her back. "I understand."
She wanted to hide the fact she was falling for someone.
"I wasn't thinking it-"
She was about to argue.
Then Jude captured her lips again.
"So Alvin told you then?"
"Everyone who was there knows as well," she murmured, her lips pursed into a frown. "If they-"
"They won't make a peep," Jude smiled reassuringly, pecking her neck with kisses. "And if they did, we'll fight through it."
She held him tighter.
"I don't want to lose you, Jude."
"Then don't leave me again, Milla."
They peered into each other's eyes and found themselves falling into another kiss.
Time stood for them in seconds as they held the kiss.
And when they released it, Milla stepped back.
"We haven't even introduced ourselves yet," she chuckled.
Jude blinked, "But you know my name."
She grinned. "And you as well."
"A-Ah… Alvin told me," Jude blushed.
"He told me yours too, in addition to giving out your number."
He knew it.
Jude shook his head and sighed before looking at her again.
"Do you want to start the introductions or…?"
"My name is Milla Maxwell," she beamed. "It's nice to meet your acquaintance."
"And I'm Jude Mathis," he grinned back.
Before he got another word in, Milla stepped forward, lifted up his chin, and smacked lips with him again.
Releasing it, she stared into his amber orbs with misty-eyes. "I'll be your girlfriend for now on. Please take good care of me."
He reddened hard.
"A-Ah…"
She chuckled.
"Shall we continue our dance again?"
Jude was dumbfounded. It dawned upon him that she was wearing the same light-blue dress from before.
Milla smiled tenderly and held his hands, interlocking her fingers with his.
"Can we?"
Jude smiled and returned the same sentiments.
"Let's."
And so, they entered his living room and continued their soft dance of love.
This time, no one would interrupt them.
This time, no one would ever try to go between them.
This time, no one would witness the consummation of their love.
Still it's strange.
For Jude and Milla, it felt like they knew each other for eternity.
But in reality, they only knew each other for a couple hours.
Nonetheless, they won't ever forget how they met on that small dance floor.
And how they danced till nobody in the world existed.
Except.
"You."
"And I."
END.
Oh my goodness. Every time I read that ending, I feel so embarrassed. Like... I can't believe I wrote that.
Anyway, I know what happened in the story sounds totally impossible in reality, but just humor me, people.
Originally, I wasn't planning to extensively explain some of the characters and their histories (Gaius, Karla, etc.). But for some reason, it just happened while I was in the process of writing. And oh yeah. Because I didn't know Karla's estimated age, I made her the younger sister of Gaius. I hope that's cool with you. And before anyone calls me out on anything, Jude and Milla are relatively four or five years apart from one another.
Either way, I enjoyed writing this entire story.
Thank you for reading.
And like I said before, I do apologize for any grammatical errors.
Latersss.