"I thought you were French Quincy, I mean Marquez" Jude smiled as she walked towards Tommy and sat on the stool next to him. Tommy nodded, "I am French, on my mother's side. My father was Brazilian." "Was?" Tommy looked down at his hands, "Yeah, he died when I was five. Car accident." Jude reached out a hand and placed on top of his. "I'm sorry." "It's fine. I don't really remember him that much. Thanks though" and smiled to her, holding one of her hands in his.
Trying to lighten the mood, Jude raised her eyebrows "Wow. Brazilian eh?." "Yeah" He then sat up straight and extended his neck "That's why I look so damn good." Tommy smiled as he watched Jude began to bust out laughing. Her laugh the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. He then noticed her chair leaning forward and caught her right before she fell to the ground. Holding her steady by her arms, Tommy looked down and saw the spark in her eyes that he didn't realize he missed until that very moment. 'This is how it should be. She should be in my arms, not his.' He didn't notice his grip tightened around her arms. A small voice entered his thoughts, "Uh, Tommy?" Jude said. "Yeah Jude" "My arms. I kinda need them." Tommy quickly let her go. "Sorry." "It's okay" The silence that followed was awkward and Tommy wished she would say something, anything. 'Tell me you miss me.' 'Where did that come from?' Tommy thought. Then just as he watched Jude open her mouth, his cell phone rang. He retrieved it from his pocket, shooting Jude and apologetic look and mouth 'Sorry' to her as he answered. "Hello? Can you please hold on one moment?" Tommy placed his hand over the phone "Jude, I have to take this, I'll be right back." Jude nodded "Sure. Take your time, I'm not going anywhere" Tommy smiled "You better not". He was silent for a moment before adding "Maybe you could write me something?" "I don't know." "Please?" Jude bit her lip "I'll try. Does that count?" He smiled and nodded. As he left the room, Jude spotted a guitar on the couch behind her. She picked it up and sat on one of the stools as she ran her fingers across the familiar strings. She hadn't played this guitar, Tommy's guitar, in almost four years. Thinking of him, she heard a tune playing in her head. She looked back at the door Tommy had left through and began to play.
"Alright then. I'll have that demo in on Monday." Tommy shut his phone and walked towards the studio. As he reached the door, he heard guitar playing. 'Is she really doing it?' He smiled and moved closer, eager to hear her voice again after all these years. Hearing Jude sing was one of the things he had missed most about her. The way she drew a crowd in with one song, one line. The glow on her face when she performed. It was all magic and that was why he fell in love with her. 'Loved. Loved. Not anymore.' He thought to himself. Tommy quickly shut those memories away, not wanting to torture himself again. The guitar stopped playing and Tommy frowned. 'Why did she stop?'
Tommy carefully turned the door knob and quietly pushed it open, wide enough just to see and hear her without being seen himself. She was busy writing things down in the rushed way he was used to. As he watched her, the feelings he tried hard to hide, returned. Fast and Hard.
