Chapter One

1 Day before Jude's 18th birthday.

(G-Major)

6 months

It had been 6 months since he had stood here. 6 months since he had last entered this building. 6 months since he had quit his job, because of the girl he had loved. The world had said she was too young. Only three people knew the truth of why he had left, only two of them knew all of it. He had told Kwest that he had been right before he walked away. He had never gotten over her and that he couldn't work with her anymore, that it was too hard. But he had never told Kwest everything. He twisted one of the rings on his finger nervously as he braced himself to enter G-Major to ask for his job back. As he headed towards Darius's office he looked in the window of Studio A. There she was, long blond hair draped over her face as she played her guitar. She felt someone staring at her and looked up. Their eyes met for a single moment and she nodded at him before lowering her head to her guitar again.

(Home)

Late that night

She sat on the couch, in her childhood home, not that she had thought of it as home for a longtime now, even though she still slept there. The only light in the room came from a single lamp. 11:50 P.M. 10 minutes until her birthday. 18 was important she used to think. When she had been 16, 18 seemed like a lifetime away. 18 had been the magical number she had assumed would make a certain someone look at her differently, when he would give her a chance. At 18 she would finally be a grown up. Now it was just a number to her. It was funny how things could change. She tapped her fingers on the arm of the couch impatiently as she waited for the front door to open.

12:07 A.M. She heard the lock turn in the door and braced herself, as her sister walked in from her date with Kwest.

"Jude what are you doing in here?" Sadie walked into the living room and sat down next to her. She glanced at the wall clock."Oh my god! Happy birthday!" She threw her arms around Jude for a hug.

"Sades I need to tell you something. Please don't be mad." Jude played with the rings on her left hand nervously. Sadie saw the glint of the large diamond that caught the light. Her mouth was open in shock. Jude saw where she was looking and quickly tucked her hand under her thigh.

"You're engaged?! But you're not even seeing anyone!"" Jude swallowed hard.

"Not...exactly..."

G-Major

Darius stared at the producer who had walked out on him 6 months ago.

"Why should I give you your job back T? You just quit one day and disappeared."

"Jude needs me."

"Jude does not need you. She's been doing a great job producing herself."

"You're wrong D. I do need him." She walked in, sat down in the chair on Tommy's left and took his hand. Darius looked at their joined hands and saw the platinum band encircling Tommy's ring finger.

"You got married?! To who?!" Jude and Tommy looked at each other and held a silent conversation that only couples who had been together a longtime seemed to. She sighed and looked up at Darius. Tommy squeezed her hand in support. She reached under her shirt and pulled a chain out, on it were a diamond ring and matching band. They had never seen Darius speechless before.

Home

Jude took her left hand out to show Sadie. The engagement ring was platinum, with a large Asscher cut diamond in its center and smaller diamonds on the band. What Sadie hadn't noticed before was the slim matching platinum band encircling her sister's finger.

"Who?!" Her sister couldn't form a sentence and Jude didn't blame her. Her cheeks grew warm at the thought of her husband, his sapphire blue eyes and the way he looked at her.

"Sadie don't hate me.." She whispered.

"Hate you? Why would I...?" Sadie shook her head, not believing the man who popped into her mind. "How long have you been married?"

"It'll be 6 months in 5 days." Sadie knew in that instant. Jude was an expressive person and the only way she could have hidden all of this, was if the man she had married wasn't around her. Which pretty much crossed all of her male friends off the list except Mason who was on tour, but also gay.

"Tommy..." Jude nodded, afraid Sadie would never speak to her again. Sadie had been there for her when Tommy had left G-Major suddenly. Now Sadie understood why Jude hadn't been that broken up about it. Jude had gotten quieter and spent a lot of time recording alone late at night. She had seemed different somehow, and Sadie had assumed it was because of a broken heart. Sadie could see now that the quietness was actually contentment, because Jude had gotten what she wanted more than music.