"So what are you doing tonight?" Sadie asked her sister on one of her phone calls. It still wasn't easy for her that her little sister was so far away from home, even after almost 2 months.
"I'm meeting Tommy again." Jude replied casually.
"Tommy?" Sadie asked astonished. Jude had never told her about some guy named Tommy and now she sounded like meeting him wasn't all that special, like she had done that many times.
"You remember the guy I met at a bar?"
"Yeah. But I thought his name was Oliver or something."
"Owen, but Tommy is his friend. I met him when I visited Owen at work. He is really nice and has quite a notion of music." Jude explained.
"And now you're meeting him frequently?" Sadie asked further.
"Yes, we exchanged numbers at one point and with Owen's girlfriend being back, we two got closer and somehow ended at meeting at each others place."
"You two got closer? Like really close?" Sadie teased.
"We're just friends Sadie." Jude exclaimed annoyed. Sometimes her sister could really get on her nerves. Tommy and her were friends. Maybe best friends even, as he was the only friend she had in New York. Owen and her got along as well, but he was naturally always with his pregnant girlfriend and so they couldn't form some kind of deep friendship. He was more of a buddy.
With Tommy it was something more. When they had met for the second time, at Owen's place this time, he was in a better mood, the weight from the deadline was off his shoulder and he was more relaxed and they had instantly connected. They had talked about music the whole evening, barely registering their surroundings. They had exchanged numbers then and had talked on a daily basis since. Although Jude hadn't told him yet that she was a singer, and she wasn't sure if she ever would, as her career didn't affect her life in New York at all, she told him her opinion on his artists. When he had asked why she had such an appreciation for music, she had simply told him that she liked music very much and played the guitar and he had believed her. Why wouldn't he though? It wasn't as if you always thought 'Oh my god maybe he/she is a rockstar' when you meet somebody, who has some knowledge of music.
That's why he sometimes called her during a recording session when he was stuck and needed a fresh opinion. Jude didn't mind it at all. It didn't break her intention to not think about music, as it wasn't her own or that was what she told herself.
Once when they were talking again, Tommy had suggested that she should come over to his place, because it would be easier to talk there. Jude had been surprised, but had agreed nonetheless and had hailed a taxi to bring her there. Tommy of course lived in some fancy building with doorman and marble tiles and everything. His apartment looked also like it came right out of catalogue, everything matched. The painting and the counters, the curtains and the pillows, the pictures and plants. Everything was perfect and it was all were it belonged, nothing was out of place. A state Jude's apartment had never been in. She liked it however, it screamed Tommy the perfectionist. Maybe it was a bit to impersonal, as there were no photos and the tardiness made it look like nobody lived there, but his scent lingering in the air a mix of his aftershave, his cologne and his own personal scent, something between coffee and leather, made it the home of Tom Quincy.
There they had talked some more and then had settled on watching a film and eat take out and somehow it became a routine of them. Every evening when they had nothing else to do, what was for Jude almost everyday, they would meet at an apartment, rotating between Tommy's and Jude's, and would watch a movie and eat take-out.
Today they would be at hers and Jude was about to tidy up a little bit when Sadie had called.
"Okay, I just was asking. Take care of yourself, will you?"
"I will. Sadie I promise.
"Call soon. Bye."
"Bye." She hang up and turned up the volume of her music again and danced around the room, picking up the things on her living-room floor and put them back where they belonged or trash them
Tommy knocked on the door again, but nobody opened. It wasn't really a surprise that she didn't hear him with the music coming loudly from behind the door. He was already a little late, not that Jude would care for she had a habit of coming too late as well, as he had found out over the time.
It was shocking that he only met Jude 5 weeks ago, it felt like much longer. The movie nights with her were always the highlight of his week. He couldn't remember the last time he had finished work so often on time like he did now. Thank god he wasn't under any time pressure at the moment and could actually do it without putting his job at risk. Owen was thankful, too, with Tommy leaving he could go home as well and take care of Sarah.
He would never admit it, but he always used to be jealous of Owen. Every time Owen would go home to Sarah after a long day of work, he had to go home to his cold apartment with nothing waiting for him no warm dinner, no person being there for him or just listening to him talk, nothing. That was one of the reasons he enjoyed spending time with Jude so much. He always sped home in his car, so that he could change quickly and go to Jude's or so he could prepare his apartment for her arrival. Of course another reason was her personality. She was easy-going, didn't pry, didn't take crap from anyone, he was no exception so he had listened to many of her witty retorts to his cockiness, she had a good taste in music and always some advice for him when he was stuck, and needless to say you couldn't deny her beauty. Once when she had been at his apartment, she had lied on his couch as they had talked and she had looked up at him through her lashes with her big blue eyes and he had felt the air rushed out of his lungs. She had looked so pure, so beautiful, so...innocent.
That night, as he had lied in his bed after Jude was gone, had been the first time he had thought that maybe their friendship wouldn't be good for her. The conversations on the phone had been innocent, they didn't do any harm, but as soon as he had invited her to his apartment it had changed. He was no innocence. Even though he had no intention to harm her, he knew he would eventually. He always did. He had already hurt so many people in his life, that one more or less wouldn't make the difference, but she was only 17, she was still in high school and had her whole life before her.
Normally he didn't care as long as he got what he wanted, but Jude deserved better than him, he wasn't a good friend and he knew that she needed one. Something had already broken her spirit in the past, he saw the pain in her eyes sometimes, when she thought he didn't look and he knew that if he would hurt her, he would break her completely. And he couldn't do that, but he also couldn't stay away from Jude, her presence in his life was too important for him, so he had been selfish, like he always was, and he had visited her the next day as if nothing was wrong and of course she hadn't expected anything, she didn't know him long enough to read his eyes that well and he never had a problem with fooling people, he could be very convincing when he wanted.
Tommy still didn't hear anything except the music from Jude's apartment and decided to look for a key. He lifted the doormat, but nothing. Then he felt around for the key on the top of the door frame and soon felt the cold metal beneath his fingers. He put the key into the lock and turned it. Carefully he opened the door and stepped in, the music came from the living-room. He took off his shoes and hang his leather jacket on the chair next to the door. He shook his head as he saw the chaos on it, Jude definitely was the messiest person he had ever met. Sometimes he wondered how she could ever find anything to him it seemed impossible.
Bryan Adams 'Everything I do, I do it for you' started playing and he made his way to the living-room. The sight that greeted him there wasn't one he had expected. Jude was dancing around, only clad in some blue sweatpants and a white tank top and with her eyes clothes. She was singing along with the song using the rolled magazine in her hand as a microphone. He chuckled and leaned on the frame, watching her shake her butt to the rhythm and waiting for her to notice him.
As soon as the first chords of 'I do it for you' started to fill the room, Jude abandoned the mess on the floor and started to sing along with all her heart. Bryan Adams and especially this song was her guilty pleasure, she had watched Robin Hood: Prince of thieves multiple times only because of it. And it had been the first song she had taught herself on the guitar. She whirled around, she swayed a bit as she saw someone leaning on her door frame and tried to stop herself by grabbing on the back of her couch. Standing on her feet steadily again, she looked up again and looked into the blue eyes of Tommy glimmering with amusement. She blushed and walked to the CD-Player to turn off the music. Then she turned to Tommy again.
"I didn't hear you coming in."
"That would have been impossible with the music that loud." He smirked and she blushed more.
"Yeah, how did you come in anyway?" She asked walking past him into the kitchen. His eyes made her uncomfortable. How she couldn't have noticed his eyes the first time they had met, was a mystery to her. They were so blue and always full of emotions, even when he seemed relaxed on the outside his eyes always gave them away. And she sometimes like they could see right through her and into her very soul.
"You had your spare key on the door frame." He explained following her. "Not very imaginative by the way. 50% of all people hide their keys there, the rest have them under the door mat."
"And where should I hide it then, Mr. Know-it-all?" She asked turning to him exasperated.
"I don't know." She huffed and took two bottles of beer out of the fridge, gave one to Tommy and walked back into the living-room. "Why do you need a key outside anyway, you have one in your purse."
"What is if I lose it or forget it inside? Not everyone has a doorman with all the keys, Tommy." She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in frustration, and sat down on the couch, Tommy beside her.
"What if you gave it to me? Then you could call me, when you can't come in." Tommy suggested and Jude looked at him in surprise. Giving her key to him seemed like such a couple thing to do. It would be saver however, especially at night. And it was then that she most thought about how alone she was and then to think that anybody could find her key and get in had cost her some nights of sleep, but what could she have done differently? She had the vice to always lose her keys. Maybe giving Tommy the key would be the solution. But then Tommy could get in at any times without her knowing and that could be awkward as well. What if he walked in when she was just out of the shower or in her ugliest underwear?
"I wouldn't use it to come in unannounced, of course." He clarified. "Only to get you in or when you choose to ignore my knocks, because you're shaking your butt to Bryan Adams." He added and Jude swatted him playfully.
"Hey, I'm not the one, who used to shake their butt to some cheesy Pop-songs, Mr. Pick-up-the-pieces." She said.
"What's with the name-calling, today?" He asked.
"What you can't take it? Does it bruise your oversized ego?" She replied mockingly and Tommy rolled his eyes.
"No, it takes more than that to hurt my ego and it isn't oversized." This caused Jude to snort and Tommy chuckled at the unladylike noise. "You know what? Maybe I'll take it back and come unannounced, then I can see you in you underwear, because if the sweatpants are any indicator, then I totally want to see the rest of your underwear selection."
"You wouldn't dare." Jude glared at him, but Tommy didn't waver, but just stared back.
"Try me."
"Tommy." She launched herself at him, pushing him flat with his back on the couch. "Give me the key." She straddled him and searched his pockets for it. "Where is it?" She rummaged in his pants pocket.
Tommy chuckled at her desperateness. "Not there, but if you keep doing that, you'll find something hard and I can assure you it won't be made out of metal." Tommy said and Jude stopped moving her hands. She looked at him, noticing how close he was, and then back at her hands in his pockets, who were very near his...ugh...equipment. She blushed furiously and removed her hands quickly and then slipped off his lap to the floor. She bit her bottom lip and looked everywhere, but him.
"It's in my coat pocket." Tommy said from the coach, now sitting again.
"Huh?" She looked at him confused.
"The key. I put it into the pocket of my leather jacket. It's on the chair next to your door." He explained pointing to the hallway.
"Okay." Jude nodded and turned around to look for it, just as the bell rang. "I'll get it. It's our dinner." She called and opened the door. It was indeed the guy from the Chinese restaurant, where they ordered frequently.
A few minutes later Jude came back into the living-room with a bag full of dinner. She put it down and sat next to Tommy again.
They ate their Chicken Mango for a few minutes in comfortable silence.
"You can have the key." Jude broke the silence.
"You sure?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah."
"And you know, I wouldn't come just in. I was only mocking you." He reassured her.
"Really? I thought you meant it." Jude said sarcastically, shoving him playfully, causing Tommy to roll his eyes. Jude was really something else.
"So which movie do you want to watch tonight?" Tommy asked, picking up a piece of chicken with his chop sticks and let it fall into his mouth.
"Didn't we want to finish the Bourne trilogy?" She asked and Tommy nodded. "Then Bourne Ultimatum, okay?"
"Sure." Tommy got up and pulled the DVD out of her staple of DVD and put it in. The movie started and he sat back down on the couch. They both had now finished their Chicken and Jude curled up next to him with her feet on his lap, like she always did.
They fell into silence once again only disturbed by Jude's occasional squeals. She loved Action-movies, but she couldn't help it to squeal every time someone did something dangerous or fought with someone. At the beginning Tommy had found it somewhat annoying, but he had got used to it and now didn't even notice it anymore or when he did found it very entertaining.
Jude really tried to focus on the scenes on the TV, but she couldn't. Tommy was slowly caressing her calf with his fingertips and it sent shock waved through her body, ,making it unable for her to focus. Suddenly she noticed that Tommy was only touching a little part of her calf again and again and looked up. Tommy had stopped watching the movie as well and was now staring on her calf, as she looked at what exactly he was looking she saw the little 'J'. He traced it and ran his hand over it. When he felt her eyes on him, he looked up.
"I've never noticed you had a tattoo." He stated.
"I usually wear jeans." She explained.
"Does it stand for Jude?" He asked looking down at the 'J' and then at her again.
"No, it stands for Jamie, he was my best friend since we were in kindergarten. He has the same on his shoulder or I think he still does. We've got it when we were 16." There was this pained look again.
"You said was. What happened to him?" Tommy asked with a cautiousness, Jude hadn't thought possible from him, but she was glad. Jamie was still a sore subject for her, he hadn't called her once since she left Toronto.
"Jamie has the tendency to see everything in black and white and lets just say in his eyes I'm a deep black, right now." Jude chuckled, but even to her it sounded hollow.
"I'm sure he will get over it." Tommy caressed her calf again, sensing that she didn't want to talk about it more and smiled reassuringly.
"I hope so." Jude said quietly and stared out of the window into the summer night. Letting Tommy's caress make all the worries and memories of Jamie vanish from her mind and only feeling the warmth spread inside her body and into her heart.
VoilĂ my fourth chapter. I hope you like it. I know it is a big jump from the last chapter, where they just met, to this one, where they're already friends. I really tried to write their second meeting, where they would slowly become friends, but I just couldn't get it right, it was always out of character and forced. So I settled for this. I hope you like it anyway.
I already have the next chapter planned out in my head, so it probably won't take that long to update. Maybe even tomorrow evening, at least evening for all the people in CET.
Breakingaway.
