I'm taking forever to write these, I know. I blame two things: school (last semester, yay!!) and my obsession with editing. I write each chapter usually in a day, but I edit the shit out of it when I see things days later that I don't like. I'll try to be quicker from now on. Toodles.

Chapter 4

She was anxious. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly, unceasing, for the last half hour because he would be here soon. It was the Wednesday after their intimate, yet entirely cumbersome, encounter; and just like all the other Wednesdays, Tommy would be making his way to Jamie and Jude's apartment for their weekly budget meeting.

The last three and a half days had been torturous for Jude. When she slept, she dreamt of nothing else. When she was awake, her attempts at mindless distractions failed her, finding connections to Tommy in anything and everything. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town was on TCM a few days ago, but Jude couldn't watch it because she remembered Tommy telling her that Jean Arthur was his favorite actress. She couldn't even stimulate her senses with coffee because she previously ran into him at the nearby coffee shop. These connections eventually spun out of control, to the point where simply seeing the color blue reminded her of his eyes.

That was it. Her emotions had finally crossed the line. It was as if her mind was betraying her and there was no way to escape from the life and times of Tom Quincy. The only way to stop thinking about him, and to stop Jamie's questions about her unusual and distant behavior, was to talk to Tommy—face-to-face—and clear up any misunderstandings once and for all. She knew this could be handled rationally and calmly. After all, they had been good friends before, and she was sure they could go back to that and forget about the whole adultery thing. Ugh. What a menacing word.

Therefore, Jude saw today's meeting as the perfect opportunity to talk to him. He would be here, at her apartment, so she wouldn't have to secretly meet him some place. Plus, Jude just really wanted to get this conversation over with; a quick and painless execution for her misery and guilt. The most important obstacle, however, was how to get Tommy away from Jamie, and she had a pretty good idea. As a precaution, she even came up with a few back up plans, one of which involving her neighbor Sherry who would 'incidentally' stop by because she needed Jamie's help putting up new curtains. She didn't want to inconvenience someone else with her marital conflict, but if there was anyone she could trust with a secret, she knew it was Sherry Goodman. The spunky divorcee one floor below was very intuitive toward people's feelings, so when the two women crossed paths yesterday afternoon, Jude found herself unexpectedly pouring her heart out to the older woman over tea.

She knew what she was going to say to him, but was afraid of what he would say in return. He could get angry with her and never want to see her again…which was NOT what she wanted. He could be understanding and have them part ways as friends. He could, Lord help him, try and seduce her again with his piercing, pale blue eyes, which we all know would not end smoothly. Jude practiced responses to all these scenarios, and even though she felt confident in her words, she didn't have confidence in herself. A nagging feeling in the back of her head warned her that her carefully executed speech could be instantly wiped from her brain the second he walked through that door. She could envision it now: her body tensing up, eyes clouded over in a daze, and her mouth finally bearing the courage to mutter a quick 'hello' before bolting back into the bedroom.

No. That won't happen. It can't happen.

She glanced at the clock. It was 2:54p.m. Time made the walls slowly close in around her. She shook her head of the neurotic thoughts that floated about, and went toward the mirror in her bedroom to straighten out her appearance. She made a last minute decision to put up her hair in a messy ponytail after spending the previous ten minutes continuously putting it up and taking it back down, wondering if the insignificant matter would ever be resolved.

No more time to fret over looks. It was time to face her fears. The first part of her plan was to casually go into the living room and pretend to organize her album collection—'pretending' was the main objective here considering, on a normal day, Jude would never allow a single album to be out of its alphabetized place.

When Jude left the bedroom, however, the first thing that caught her eye was Jamie, putting on his jacket and grabbing the car keys on the counter. Jude forgot to mask her worried confusion. "Where are you going? I thought you had a meeting with Tommy in a few minutes."

"I do," Jamie replied, before looking at his watch. "In fact, I'm running a little late. We're meeting at a coffee shop, instead, today."

Sadness became the unwavering force that pushed tightly against her abdomen. She instantly felt her face fall, but was able to pick it back up before Jamie could notice. "Oh," Jude beamed. "That's…that's cool." Her instinct was to tell Jamie to say hi to Tommy for her, but, under the circumstances, she thought it wisest to just keep her mouth shut. She also had a feeling Tommy was the instigator for the meeting location change…the surest way for him to avoid her.

Jamie kissed Jude on the cheek as she put on her best forced smile, before he left the apartment. Now alone, Jude let her despair take on its physical form, let the hurt she felt from Tommy's actions swallow her whole.

For the record, it did not feel good to be snubbed by Tommy Q. In fact, it felt downright shitty, as if the ice cold hand of sorrow came up and smacked her square in the jaw. She stood unflinching, and stayed in this gloomy state for a few more minutes, staring at the door in front of her and wondering why he didn't want to see her. There were things to be said, didn't he understand that?

Not wanting her emotions to gain complete control of herself, Jude eventually got over her moment of weakness, and occupied her alone time with the usual routine of fine-tuning her songs. If Tommy was going to forget about her, then she could easily do the same. She didn't need to waste her breath on Little Tommy Q anymore.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. His mind raced, haunted by images of her smile, the sound of her soft, sultry voice, and, above all, the feel of her tender lips on his. He busied himself with studio details, doing as much work as he could to get the place up and running, but it never managed to block out his thoughts of her.

Tommy was sitting at a table for two in a far corner of the coffee shop. He didn't even notice Jamie walk in until the tall and rather scrawny man sat down directly in front of him. Finally snapping out of his fantasy, Tommy gave a courteous nod as Jamie began pulling out his laptop.

"How's it going, Tom?"

"Same old, same old." Now, of course this wasn't really the case for Tommy, but polite chit chat was customary in these situations, and he wasn't going to give any cause for alarm. How else could he have responded to that question anyway? Oh, I'm just kind of depressed right now because I had sex with your wife and now she doesn't want anything to do with me. Also, I think I'm in love with her. What alternate universe would allow that kind of confession to be handled lightly?

Tommy, of all people, was ready to talk business; give him numbers, contract agreements, blueprints, anything to get his mind off of the current situation. "So, have you visited the office recently?" Tommy asked, feigning interest of course, but willing to say whatever he needed in order to stop thinking about a certain blonde bombshell. He had been absentmindedly playing with the plastic lid that covered his vanilla latte, and eventually decided to take it off to let the drink cool.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, actually I was there two days ago. The contractor said they should be done with framing soon and then the other guys will come in to put down the tile and do wall-to-wall painting. I'm thinking we should be able to move in our stuff within a matter of weeks."

"That sounds great. I know Maggie and Joan are getting a little peeved about using their cell phones to talk with clients and investors. Plus, overall communication has been difficult, what with all the different meeting locales every day. It'll be good to have a conference room to take care of all the hum-drum business stuff."

"While we're on the topic, why did we come here instead of my apartment?" Jamie asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him. "I'm not complaining or anything, but the apartment thing seemed to have worked out fine before."

Shit. Tommy was caught in a mousetrap.

Okay, so he may have set himself up for that one, but what was even more foolish was that he hadn't even come up with a good excuse yet. He had to think of a lie quickly, stalling for as long as he could by sipping on his hot drink. "Oh, well…I just thought we might want a change of scenery." Tommy looked up at Jamie and could tell he wasn't convinced, skepticism visibly etched on his face. "And, you know, gas prices are ridiculous these days, so meeting some place half way was easier for me in terms of the commute. You know how it is."

It was a stupid lie, to be sure—his apartment only a few miles south of here—but Tommy was still hoping against odds that Jamie's gullible and unwitting nature would shine through and accept his response as a logical excuse. "You're telling me. I'm already considering moving to a suburb on the principle of gas alone. They gauge you out of every penny in the city."

The panic bells ringing madly in Tommy's head finally receded. He placidly sat back in his chair and nodded in agreement. The hard part was over. Now he just needed to avoid any other discussion topics that could possibly link back to Jude…hmm, that might be a bit of a stretch.

"Anyway, the reason I asked was because Jude looked a little upset when I told her you weren't coming over," Jamie stated flatly. Jude. Tommy's stomach did back flips when he heard that name, almost spilling his latte on Jamie's laptop. Shit. I'm starting to think this avoidance plan won't work out very well. He made sure to keep a cool and composed face so he wouldn't seem too eager to hang on every word Jamie had to say about Jude. "I think she's really got a soft spot for you. You're one of the few friends she's made in Chicago."

Friends…right. She'll pretend to be friends with me for Jamie's sake, but deep down I know she wants nothing to do with me. "She just needs to get out there and meet new people; Jude's an easy person to like. Besides, all she does every day is either go to work or lounge around in the apartment. You should convince her to go out more."

"Yeah, maybe that is a smart idea. Watching the same episodes of Full House over and over again are the primary warning signs of reclusiveness." As Jamie considered the many intricacies of Jude's bizarre behavior, a thought came to him. "Oh! I almost forgot. I changed the name of the label."

Tommy smirked, knowing precisely where the influence came from. "You changed it, or Jude changed it?"

Jamie slumped in defeat and nodded. "Okay, so maybe Jude took the reigns on this one, but I don't mind because it gives her a small part in this whole project. She said something about the first one being too 'cheesy'."

Tommy laughed quietly to himself. He remembered her exact words the first time she heard the original name for their company. "So, what did she come up with, anyway?"

They managed to continue avoiding each other for more than three weeks. Fortunately, a lot had been accomplished during that time to keep them busy. The biggest of all was the setup of Jamie and Tommy's company. They hired a few more people, including Kwest, and the interior designers were almost done with the finishing touches on the building. They would move in all the equipment the following day, which meant their record label could be officially open for business in a matter of a few short days.

To celebrate their success, Jamie invited Tommy over for dinner, wanting to show his appreciation for Tommy's hard work and dedication toward their project. Tommy was hesitant at first, coming up with a multitude of lame excuses to avoid Jude further, but Jamie was persistent and said Jude loved cooking for company. Who was he to refuse?

Tommy knew this moment had to come eventually. Not only was she his business partner's wife, but she had already signed a contract with them, committing herself as their artist for two years. Even if he wouldn't have been Jude's producer, their paths were bound to cross at some point. Maybe by now she would have cooled off and they could go back to being friends, able to put the past as far behind them as possible.

He sat in his car for a few minutes outside of Jude and Jamie's apartment complex, already working himself up way too much. "Don't blow it, man. Just be cool. The main objective here is friendship. No sweat." Tommy was thankful no one was around; otherwise passersby may have found it slightly odd to see a man in a fancy viper talking to himself in the rearview mirror.

His hand idly fiddled with the buzzer on the brick wall before finally pushing it. A couple of seconds passed before someone answered. "Yeah?"

It was her. His dreams did not betray him, recollecting perfectly how her voice had sounded. "Uh…it's T-Tommy," he stammered out, smacking himself for not controlling his anxiety soon enough.

She didn't even reply back. He only heard the buzzer ring again, signaling that the door was unlocked so he could enter the building. Her response, or lack there of, worried Tommy. So maybe she was still angry with him, which meant that this could be an uneventful and awkward evening.

Once he made it to the door, he had to knock to be let in. This time, Jamie answered…and with a giant grin on his face. If only I could pretend to be that happy. "Hey, Tom. Glad you could make it," Jamie said as he extended his hand for Tommy to shake.

"Well, no normal person turns down a decent meal, right? Especially when your routine diet consists of Jimmy John's and Chipotle." Anyone who knew Tommy well enough was quite aware that his cooking skills were less than perfect. To be blunt, he hated to cook and knew there was no sense in trying (other than the occasional frozen, already prepared meal). This meant that ordering take-out and stopping at drive-thrus were two of his not-so-favorite, yet customary, pastimes.

Jamie laughed, which, to Tommy, sounded a bit artificial, but he ignored it for the most part. "So, can I get you a beer? We've got Leinenkugel, as usual." Jamie was very particular with his beer and only found one brand that he really liked.

"Yeah, I'll take one," Tommy answered, muttering "or two" under his breath so Jamie couldn't hear.

They both walked further into the living room just as Jude came out of the kitchen with a spoon in hand and an apron around her waist. "Jay, can you come here and try this; I think it may need more salt. Oh, hi, Tom."

God he missed her. His memories obviously didn't do her justice, because she looked more radiant than ever. Her black boots accentuated the slender legs that hid underneath her fitted jeans, and the blue blouse she was wearing managed to make her blonde hair look brighter and full of life. The apron was just an added bonus to her more than worthy appearance. "It's good to see you, Jude."

She tried her hardest not to react to the sound of her name against his lips. It sounded beautiful and she wanted him to say it over and over again, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Instead, she had to pretend that he didn't look perfect in his grey pull-over. Only he could make a casual sweater look so freaking sexy. She averted her eyes and focused back on Jamie, hoping the slight blush she felt creeping in her cheeks wasn't visible yet.

Jamie was already testing the sauce from the ladle before she had time to erase thoughts of Tommy from her head, his voice slightly taking her by surprise. "Hmm, maybe put some of that garlic salt in it, for a little more flavor too." Jude quickly made her way back to the kitchen instead of replying to his recommendation. She needed to get out of there. Fast.

Tommy could see the edge in her glances. It gave away her trepidation toward him, and his worries were confirmed that tonight would definitely be a 'long' night.

------

They actually made it to dessert, Tommy equal parts shocked and elated that the majority of the night had gone off without a hitch. It wasn't like he was expecting Jude to have an outrageous temper tantrum, but possibly something along the lines of her making up excuses to coerce him to leave early.

Jude still had trouble looking at him though, only doing so when conversation compelled her to be a polite hostess. He wondered, sadly, why this had to be so difficult. Why couldn't they lock it away in a vault and never think of it again? If not the affection, he missed just being able to talk to her. They both knew each other so well and it was a wonderful feeling to have someone to be so in sync with.

Tommy and Jamie started talking as Jude went to get the desert from the kitchen.

"So, I'm having a few people over next Sunday for the infamous Bears vs. Packers game," Tommy announced. "You guys are more than welcome to come."

Jamie looked at Tommy suspiciously. "This wouldn't have anything to do with that 52 in. hi-def, flat-screen TV you just bought, is it?"

Tommy didn't miss a beat. "Unquestionably. I like showing off my new toys."

"Either way, I'm sold," Jamie said as he shrugged his shoulders. "That TV is pretty sweet. Plus, I'll take any opportunity I can get to watch Bears' fans cry over yet another defeat." Tommy knew Jamie was not a Bears fan, and it didn't really bother him. Honestly, it was much more fun to argue with someone over a team, than agree with them. It was like a Cubs fan being good friends with a Sox fan, which was a lot more common than people think.

Jude walked out of the kitchen and set plates of apple crisp in front of everyone as Tommy began his argument. "What makes you think we're gonna lose this time? I mean, yeah, their past rivalry has shown Green Bay's dominance, but the Bears have had a pretty good season thus far. As long as they don't put in Grossman again, we should keep up just fine."

"Look, the bottom-line is that Mike McCarthy is a superior coach over Lovie Smith any day of the year. Period." Jamie was so enthusiastic about his claim that he used his hands for emphasis, waving them about dramatically.

Jude chimed in as she took her seat at the table. "Yeah, but the Bears are tied with the Vikings to lead the division with five wins. I know the Packers are right on their tails, but if Matt Forte stays hot and rushes more yards for us, it should be a pretty interesting game."

Both men gaped at the blonde who was sipping her water calmly. After seeing their mystified looks, she couldn't ignore the quiet tension. "What?"

"Did you just say 'rush'?" her husband asked, clearly confused by Jude's personality transformation.

"What? Did I use it wrong or something?"

Tommy put his own two cents in. "Actually, I think he means the opposite. You see, we were kind of under the impression that you…"

"Hated football," interjected the other man. "I know you like baseball, Hun, but I always thought football was very low on your list considering you grabbed the remote from me almost every time I tried to watch an NFL game. I mean, how the hell do you know who Matt Forte is?"

By the way he gradually elevated his voice, Jamie was almost coming off as angry, and Jude could guess why. The pair had known each other more years than she could count on her fingers, and for the majority of those years she did hate football. It was quite clear to other people too, practically throwing fits whenever the word 'touchdown' was mentioned. She always thought people seemed ridiculous for obsessing over a stupid pigskin.

And then, about a month ago, her life sort of changed. Football had become her one safe haven, the very thing that kept her mind busy and didn't remind her of Tommy. After watching ESPN every day for a week, she eventually became fanatical about football, listening to games on her radio headset whenever she went out for a walk.

She could tell that Jamie silently feared not even knowing his own wife anymore. His new business had kept him extremely busy for the past couple of months, and he wasn't spending as much time with her as he used to. He didn't want to become that guy. You know, the distant, workaholic type.

Jude had to find a way to quiet her husband's reservations. "Okay, I admit to not liking football before. But I've been kind of bored lately, and there was not much else on TV. It just happened all of a sudden. And that's the only 'out of the ordinary' thing that's happened as of late." She tried not to, but couldn't avoid glancing quickly in Tommy's direction, who easily met her brief gaze.

Jamie stared at Jude sympathetically, concern and remorse in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be," Jude responded nonchalantly. "You're job is really important right now, especially since that job will eventually get me into the studios so I won't have to be bored anymore." Looking at her husband, she could tell he was still a little upset with himself. "Okay, how about you make it up to me by taking me to a Bears game before the season's over. It's the most I could ask from you."

There was a long pause. "Yeah, I suppose." It was a sacrifice on his part, considering he detested the Chicago team, and after that truce, the conversation wasn't spoken of for the rest of the night and they began silently eating their desert.

Tommy was the one to eventually change the subject, remembering something that he wanted to mention earlier. "So…Jamie told me about the company name change, Jude." He noticed the smallest flicker of intrigue dart across her face, though she kept her head down and played with her apple crisp like a curious child. "Eclectic Generation…" He said it slowly, letting the words roll off of his tongue like he was trying to find new meaning in them.

That same intrigue reappeared. He knew he could catch her attention by pausing; the shear anticipation of what he thought of the name was probably eating away at her. Jude finally caved, not even caring if that was his intent from the beginning. "And?" She still refused to look up.

"And…well, I don't know. To be honest, Progressive Records kind of had a nice ring to it."

Jude's eyes instantly widened, ready to pop out of their sockets, before she met Tommy's gaze with a scowl. "A nice ring to it? Are you kidding me? Ugh!"

"Jude Hun, maybe you should just calm down," Jamie interjected, wanting to quiet her ranting before she embarrassed him in front of his friend. It was enough that they'd already had a personal, and slightly emotional, conversation while he was sitting right at the table. Now thinking about it, Jamie wished he chose to bring up the football debacle at a later time.

She ignored her husband's attempts. "That just doesn't…because who thinks that…I mean, no musician in their right mind would see the words 'Progressive Records' and think 'Ooh! Sign me up!'" If Jude were a cartoon character, smoke would be shooting out of her ears and her face would be a bright shade of red. It wasn't the fact that Tommy liked the old name better. It was just the principle of it all. Conforming to record label names that had that stereotypical importance reminded her of the old Tommy Q; the one that paraded around in white dress pants like a mindless puppet to please the masses. She was afraid that Tommy had come back.

It wasn't, however, until after her mini-tirade that Jude realized Tommy's lips had curved up into a reproachful grin, almost sly-like. "Oh my god, you're messing with me, aren't you?"

Tommy's smile grew wider. "Of course I am. You knew I'd love the new name, so why would you doubt my intentions?"

Jude pouted as she folded her arms across her chest. "I don't know. I mean, I wasn't entirely sure how you'd feel about it." Everyone at the table was silent until Jude voiced her concern. "So, does that mean you think the name fits?" Her eyes spoke volumes as to how serious her question was.

"Absolutely," Tommy replied, sincerely. He found her insecurity captivating. Her fleeting eyes and closed off body language made him willing to do or say anything to silence her fears. In this particular situation, the only thing he needed to do to comfort her was to say the truth. "It really fits the company; incorporating old with the new. Don't think I didn't notice the subtlety in your Who reference." He paused, staring deep into her eyes, but without giving himself away to her husband—who was seated to the left, wordlessly munching on the tart dessert. "I also happen to think it fits you perfectly."

There was no hiding her jubilation now. Jude let a very endearing and warm smile creep onto her face as she took in Tommy's words. "Thanks, Tommy. That means a lot."

Tommy wished he could freeze this moment in time forever. It was the first time Jude looked happy, truly happy, since…well, since that fateful night almost a month ago. Jude always looked breathtaking when her smile had the power to make her skin glow. Tommy couldn't describe this picture in front of him as anything but perfect. Therefore, to be certain that his actions could not ruin the all too perfect moment, he felt this was his exiting cue.

"Well, thank you, Jude, for the lovely meal, but I should probably hit the sack early considering our exhausting day tomorrow." Tommy glanced at Jamie, who nodded in agreement.

"It was my pleasure. You know you're welcome over here anytime." That was it. The magic words he had been waiting for, to symbolize their reconciliation as friends. They both could feel the tension between them miraculously disintegrate.

Jamie stood and walked Tommy to the door. "So, Joan said she can bring her sons to help tomorrow morning. That way we can devote more time to testing out the equipment at the end of the day."

"Yeah, if it's not an inconvenience, I'd love a couple extra sets of hands." Tommy opened the door to leave.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow at 8, then."

"Sounds good." Tommy stole a glance back at the table to say goodbye to Jude, but she wasn't there anymore. He felt like frowning, but resisted the temptation.

It was then he heard a small voice come from the kitchen. "Bye, Tommy. Don't be a stranger."

He smiled. "Later, Harrison." As he left, Tommy couldn't stop thinking about how the night had ended. They had made progress and it would only be a matter of time until Jude could feel comfortable enough to be his friend again. He had every reason to hope. Granted, he also couldn't stop thinking about her exposed neck and the curve of her lips, but he was not going to press his luck now. Not when things could go really well for the two of them.

Jude sighed when she heard the door close shut from the kitchen. A million thoughts were sprinting through her head, and she couldn't settle them down enough to even begin to process them. After staring at the sink for 30 seconds, holding an unwashed pot, Jude finally made up her mind. She placed the cookware in the sink, not caring if soap bubbles splashed out and onto the floor, and walked into the living room to devise her plan. Jamie had his back to Jude as he sat at his desk, occupying himself with more work.

Her final solution was lame, to be sure, but she went with it, hoping Jamie's gullible disposition was on her side. "Oh no, Tom left his phone here." She clutched her own cell phone tight in her hand as a prop. "I better go get this to him. I'll be right back."

Jamie barely gave Jude a 'mhm' as he focused on the papers in front of him. She casually walked out of the apartment, only to sprint across the hall the second Jamie was out of sight. Quickly soaring down the stairs, she almost considered sliding down the railing in hopes of catching Tommy in time. Almost.

She was lucky. He had just passed through the main doors of the apartment complex when Jude saw his retreating form. When she finally reached the doors and burst through one of them, she shouted to get his attention. "Tommy, wait!"

Hearing his name, only one person came to mind. Tommy turned to find the owner of the angelic voice quickly approach him. "Hey, did I forget something?"

She stopped suddenly in front of him, looking nervous and unsure of herself. "No," she began. "I mean, yeah…well, maybe." Jude put her head in her hands as Tommy stood silently, waiting for her to clarify the jumble of words that tried to come off as a reply. She shook her head. "This is so stupid. And childish. Yeah, that's a good word for it. I mean, ugh, I told him I was coming out her to give you you're phone, even though you clearly have it in your hands right now, and I never lie to him, but I did, which makes me a horrible person, and…"

Tommy put a hand on Jude's shoulder to calm her nerves and incessant mumbling. "Jude, relax. Unfortunately, people lie all the time, and what you said wasn't even that big of a deal. Believe me, it could be worse." He removed his hand, thinking it might make her uncomfortable, and started to feel a little anxious himself. "I'm guessing you came out here 'cause we need to…talk." Tommy had been patiently waiting for this talk, but wasn't sure he wanted it to happen today, considering they had made so much progress already. He didn't want his big mouth to ruin it.

Jude nodded her head slowly and looked around at anything but him. "Yeah," she answered awkwardly. Her eyes accidentally drifted toward his lips, and she couldn't help but notice how they quivered with the same anticipation she was feeling. "Because we…well, we obviously need to discuss…and then there's…goddamnit!"

Without warning or thought guiding her actions, Jude stepped closer to Tommy, placing both hands on either side of his face before letting her lips take control of the conversation. She never forgot how good his lips felt on hers; this kiss was just a reiteration of that memory.

Tommy was hesitant at first, completely bewildered by her actions. But he quickly gave in, unable to resist taking advantage of her sweet-tasting flesh if she was giving it so willingly.

She could've kept going—kissing him was starting to feel as necessary as oxygen—but forced herself to stop, as it was not her real intention for coming out here. She turned their bodies around and forcefully pushed him against the brick wall of the building. Jude was throwing surprises left and right at Tommy, and he didn't know how to react to them anymore.

All her emotions came out in a torment of words. "Why have you been ignoring me? You wouldn't call and refused to come over. I was beginning to think you'd be able to find ways to avoid me for the next three years!" The volume of her voice rose with each tortured exclamation.

"I-I thought you wanted space," Tommy unsuccessfully stammered out. "It was obvious that what happened between us made you uncomfortable and angry. I didn't want you to think of me as your burden and be constantly reminded of it."

That, Jude was not expecting. If anything, she thought he would be mad at her, not the other way around. "I…" Her eyes softened as she thought of what to say next, wanting to speak in a more gentle tone to him. "I was angry with myself, not you. Never you. I didn't know what to make of the situation and I needed time to think about it all…but I didn't need you to abandon me when you were the one person I needed the most."

Tommy stared into her eyes lovingly, bringing his hand up to brush the few strands of hair out of her face. "You need me?"

It was obvious that her cheeks were flushing, so she looked down. She wasn't planning on revealing that much information and it made her feel vulnerable. "Well…uh…now's not really the best time to talk about that." Her eyes shifted toward the building behind them.

He leaned down to brush his lips against hers. It was tender this time; soft, but still so intoxicating that her body began to tremble. When Tommy moved away from Jude he noticed that her eyes were still closed and her lips were prepared for another kiss. He smiled, knowing he ignited that unwavering response in her, and cupped her delicate, porcelain cheek. "I want to see you again."

Jude's eyes reopened and stared into Tommy's desire-filled ones. "Well, there is still more that needs to be said. I mean, we haven't fully addressed the situation and decided what we're going to do about it." Tommy nodded, but Jude could tell by his look that he was only half paying attention. "I'll wait till Jamie's asleep and then swing by your place. But remember, this is just to talk."

"What are you going to say to Jamie when he finds out you're gone?"

She was unconcerned by his question. "That won't be a problem. Someone could launch a missile next door and he wouldn't know about it until he saw the damage the next morning. That boy can sleep through anything." Jude laughed for a second before catching Tommy's full attention again. She loved that look he gave her. "I should probably go now. I came out here to return your 'phone'…and that normally doesn't take this long."

Tommy let out a light chuckle before turning serious again. "I'll be waiting for you tonight."

Jude rolled her eyes. "Don't say it like that. Besides, I think I made it clear that I am just coming over to talk. Nothing else."

Tommy did his signature grin. "Whatever you say."