Songs that I do not own mentioned in this chapter: Get Back by Demi Lovato; Still the One by Ka'au Crater Boys; Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard; If I never see your face again by Adam Levine from Maroon 5 and Rhianna; Seven Nation Army by The Who; Favorite Things by Rogers & Hammerstein.
Chapter Twenty-six: When I'm Gone
The neon lights of Fletcher's, the bar Sadie had chosen for their fiasco, seemed to taunt Jude as she stood outside clutching onto Lucas' hand as they waited for the others to show. Sadie and Kwest were coming from the hospital where Sadie'd gotten her brace off her leg, Spied had left with one of their rental cars to pick up Nicole then Kyle and Wally, Jamie and Zeppelin rounded the corner a second time still searching for a suitable parking spot for his car. Jude had no idea that at that moment Tommy was waiting to leave his apartment in a half assed attempt to be 'unnoticeably' late. Darius on the other hand, who'd shown up early as they did, stood outside visibly bothered by the cold but obviously not enough to go inside. The few times Jude did ask, he replied with a curt "I'm waiting for someone." before letting his eyes dart back to the busy street. Normally, Jude would've had herself inside, huddling for warmth, but she stayed outside for the sheer fact she could chain smoke.
They were leaving in four days, Christmas Eve to be exact, but the timeframe was open for her. She could leave anytime she wanted, but Sadie's pleading eyes and the small performance she'd planned - which had already sold out - to reintroduce her back to the music world was just a few days away. She could suck it up and take it like a man who bled every month...or so she hoped.
Since resigning her contract with G-Major, she'd been recording in Studio B with Lucas co-producing. It was hard for her, being so close to Tommy, but she'd tried her best and it was until Lucas noticed her distraction level whenever said man was in the hospitality did he rent a studio across town in a completely different building then G-Major. So far they'd gotten about five songs finished, none of them she found suitable as her first single released, but Lucas couldn't - or maybe wouldn't - take a hint that she wouldn't disclose information on who or what her songs were about. They were personal, but impersonal all at the same time.
As she stood next to Lucas and Darius, quietly breathing in the menthol nicotine and letting the riffs of another song she'd been writing on play through her head. It was a more upbeat melody than her most recent songs; she knew when she would go to sing the song, it wouldn't feel like she was screaming the lyrics rather than singing it. Her head snapped up from her feet when she heard Darius mutter a "Finally," under his breath to see Georgia stepping from a grey town car. A smile broke out across her face as she approached the trio, but slowly drifted southward as she seen her embrace and kiss Darius in a more than friendly way.
"Jude!" She cried, pulling away from Darius' embrace and walking to sweep her into a hug. The cigarette she held between her index and middle fingers fell to the snow covered ground with the softest patter. "It's been so long and…I've heard so much. How're you doing?"
Jude pressed her lips together as Georgia released her. "I've been…fine." She hesitated at first, but repeated herself assuredly. "I've been fine."
"That's great." She said, not really believing the girls' words, but knowing enough to not press on at a time like this. "I'm glad to see you're back with the red hair…so tell me, who's this handsome fella is." She was surprised to see another man standing beside her, especially after that Darius had told her. The two had just passed their five month anniversary, which in reality was their two year anniversary but the two broke up and got back together so much it was hard to keep track for them. She was appalled at Tommy's actions, but even more so by Jude's. Georgia always expected the girl to have a more stand up for your right approach, but Jude proved her wrong when she ran away to New York for a new life.
"Georgia, this is my fiancé Lucas Michaels." She gestured from Georgia to Lucas, the back again. Darius and Georgia quickly exchanged a wary glance before anyone noticed. This was the first time Jude had mention the word fiancée and Lucas in the same sentence. "Lucas meet my first manager and mentor, Georgia Beavens."
Like the gentlemen he proved himself to be, Lucas extended his hands and shook Georgia's before smiling genuinely. "Pleasure to meet you, Georgia."
"Lucas Michaels?" She asked, releasing his hands and stepping back beside Darius. "As in the president and owner of The Good Stuf Records?"
The astonishment held in her voice caused his cheeks to flush deeper than the cold had already made them. "That'd be me."
"You're younger than I expected." She said, sizing him up. It wasn't everyday that a young man started a successful record label.
"The product of a good home. I know what I want and I go for it." Georgia nodded her head but before she could open her mouth to speak, Sadie and Kwest rounded the corner.
"Georgia!" Sadie cried limping forward quickly on a cane, throwing her arms around Georgia's neck. "It's such a surprise to see you. I didn't know you were going to come." She said with such sincerity. Little did Jude know that was to be the running gag of the night.
"Oh, well, a little birdie in a tree told me about it and I thought I'd come see Jude. I haven't seen her since before her first tour."
"I take it you'll be doing karaoke along with the rest of us?"
Georgia shook her head, smiling. "No, finding the talent was always my thing. I never contained a single talented bone in my body."
"I see, I see." She shivered, brushing her hair over her shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go inside. It's freezing out here."
Jamie and Zeppelin caught up with the six as they were taking seats at one of the tables set on one of the two tiered levels. "Hey, Jude." Jamie said, waving awkwardly to her. They hadn't spoken since her pajama party and he was floored when Sadie had invited him to come along. He was as heartbroken as the next person when he found out she'd disappeared. In his heart he had a feeling she wasn't missing as everyone was letting on. He knew she was unharmed. After all, they were best friends and their emotions (and beings) had fused together. In some way he was always able to feel Jude. Able to feel if she was okay, safe, anxious, scared. It tore him apart when he couldn't come and rescue her from the situation.
"Jamie!" She smiled the best she could, the cold had frozen her lips into the same position she'd stood there in. She was stripping her jacket, revealing a knee length black dress. The scoop neck and slightly puffed sleeves matched with a pair of black heels made her look foreign to Jamie. He frowned slightly at her appearance before fixing a smile on his face. "It's good to see you. It's been so long."
He nodded, very aware of Zeppelin beside him. "Too long. You should stop by NBR before you leave. It's definitely changed."
"So I've heard!" She said, scooting the chair in and leaning on the table. A glittering ring sitting obscenely on her left ring finger caught the eye of Jamie. Everything was hitting him harder each time: new life, new boyfriend, new profession, new style…new jewelry.
"Yeah, thanks to Zeppelin here NBR became more successful than I'd planned. Now we're located in the heart of Toronto." He said proudly, remembering the view from his office in the full building that housed the indie label.
"That's great, Jamie." She said, nodding her head. "Seems like your dreams came true." She smiled, a hint of sadness in the gesture.
"Yeah, they did - didn't they?" He said quietly smiling to himself.
Jude frowned at the way things turned out. Maybe if Jude had chose Jamie instead of Tommy, things would probably been different. Way different. Pushing back from the table she wandered over to the bar without saying a word and ordered a Martini. Quickly she downed it and the bartender poured another. "Problems, Miss?" The bartender was an old one, grey hair covering his head - the curse of balding not touching his head - and the wear and tear could be seen on his face.
"Problems…when aren't there problems for me?" She downed the liquor quickly, clicking her teeth at the welcomed burn.
"I'm sorry, miss. Anything I can help with?" He wiped the countertop with a white rag with what smelled like bleach. He eyed her features, immediately recognizing her. His granddaughter went completely ballistic whenever her face popped up onto screen, but he wasn't the type to make a scene. He knew celebrities were just as much human as he was.
"Oh just relationship problems…I'm getting engaged to a man," She held out her left hand and he lifted his round glasses, looking at it and whistling. "That I'm not sure I love."
"Well then, who do you love?" He asked, mixing up another drink for her.
"Music. I love music first and foremost, but I could never be married to music. I've been running for about two years from the man I really love. But Lucas is kind and treats me well, so why shouldn't I be married to him?" She looked at him, holding onto the stem of the martini glass.
"Because in the end you will be miserable."
"How can you be so sure?" She asked, her blue eyes betraying her doubts. "What if in the end this was the right thing to do?"
He leaned on his elbow a few inches down from her, his lips upturned. "Because once upon a time ago, I ignored my heart and went along with my parents, which was very common in my era, thinking that if I pleased them - nothing could go wrong. My life would be full and happy."
Jude frowned lightly, leaning her cheek on her palm as she watched him. "And it wasn't?" She asked, blinking.
"No, it wasn't." He said, standing up and looking uncomfortable. "I got married to who my parents wanted. We moved down the street from them and I got a job working underneath my father. All the while we put on shows at our friends' parties. Making it seem as if we were the perfect, happy, white-picket-fence couple, but underneath - our foundation was crumbling. I was having an affair with my secretary and she was sleeping with our neighbor. She had kids, but none of them were mine and finally after years of lying to one another and ourselves, we got a divorce."
"Wow…" She whispered.
"Yeah, I ended up getting lucky. I married my high school sweetheart and we lived, loved, and prospered together until her death two years ago."
"Yeah. That is luck."
"But not everyone is that lucky…" He said, taking her empty glass and wiping the counter in front of her. "You might not be so lucky."
Jude stared ahead as he said that to her, the words weaving it's way through her brain and settling in the back. She knew it was true, ignoring your heart only made things worse in the end. Even still she couldn't detach herself from the life she'd become so used to. Slowly, she slid down from the barstool, the words still ringing in her ears. "Th-thank you, sir." She nodded in his direction before walking towards the table.
"These boys are stupidly crazy." Nicole said, looking at Jude as she approached the table. She leaned down, kissing Jude's cheek chastely before taking a seat beside her. It'd been a few days since they'd seen each other; the last time they had met, it didn't end too well. All was well though after they apologized back and forth via telephone. Since then Nicole had immersed herself in writing for Vogue. They'd piled the work on her since she'd up and left New York for Toronto without any real warning.
Jude laughed, rolling her eyes. Her ears had heard the proclamation too many times already. "That's my band for you." She said, slapping their fists before punching their hands like she had before leaving. Things with SME seemed to fall right back into place since she began the recording process again. She leaned back into her chair that Lucas had him arm slung over.
Before she could say anything else to Nicci, Spied called her name, "Jude! Catch." Her head turned only quick enough to see the keys flying towards her. There wasn't enough time for her to even reach up in an attempt to catch it. The set flew past her head and fell several feet behind her. When she turned in her seat to get up, her eyes fell on the perfect physique of a certain Tommy Quincy, the keys dangling from his index finger as a smirk covered his features.
"Hey Tommy," Sadie said waving from her spot next to Kwest who nodded his head in Tom's direction.
"Ay, Sades. Fancy seeing you here." He said, tossing the keys to Jude who caught them with the same frozen look on her face that she had when she seen him. Nicole eyed her warily, wondering if she was going to move, speak, breathe, anything.
"I know right. Why don't you join us? No point in drinking by yourself if you've got friends here too." She said, knowingly. Quickly Jude whipped around and glared at her. 'What are you doing?' She mouthed, eyes bulging. Sadie waved her off a conspired smile on her face. The look Lucas had been enough to send her into a gale of laughter, though she contained it easily.
Tom nodded, pulling a chair from another table and sitting it beside Spiederman who was across from Nicole, which meant he'd be in Jude's direct line of sight. "What's up, Spied?" Tom said, taking off his leather jacket and letting hang off the back of the chair he sat on.
"Not much, digging the ladies." He said, looking pointedly at Nicole.
Tom drug his eyes across the table to the brunette beside Jude. She was beautiful to say the least, but nothing like the red head sitting next to her. "Ah, I see. Who is she?"
At that moment a tall, slinky waitress approached the table with enough mugs of beer for the whole table that Sadie ordered when they'd arrived. Immediately hands reached for mugs, some of the golden liquid slashing over the rim. "Nicole Renee Gregory." Spied replied in such a voice, Tommy eyed him. "She's Jude's best friend...from New York."
"You sound like you're in love with her."
Spied's hazel eyes flashed to him, seriousness engulfing his features. "I think I am, Tom. She's the complete opposite of Karma, not to mention she's completely better looking." Both of their gazes flashed to her as she and Jude were caught up in a laugh. "I've been thinking of going back to New York with her if she'll have me."
Tommy nearly choked on the beer and he set the cup down, turning his upper body towards the younger naive man. "Are you sure about this?" He asked, watching as Spied gazed at Nicole. He could see the adoration he had for her, but there was no guarantee for their future. What would happen if she turned out to be different and broke his heart? Just as Karma had? "You're...you're not afraid she'll do the same thing as Karma?" He remembered his own foolish wedding, a publicity stunt and a chance to piss Darius off in one. They didn't work out and the aftershocks of his and her actions scarred him until almost four years back.
"There's always that doubt in my mind," He said, smiling softly as she looked towards him with the same smile painted on her face. "But she's different. I can feel it."
"So, who's gonna go first?" Sadie asked a few minutes later, her eyes traveling around the table. Everyone was avoiding her gaze, obviously not wanting to volunteer. She huffed, crossing her arms. "FINE, I'll go first then." Her eyes traveled to the stage where a petite brunette stood doing her rendition of Demi Lovato's "Get Back". It wasn't anything to brag about, but as soon as the girl scurried off stage, Sadie hustled up there.
The table, along with the few bar patrons paying attention, watched as Sadie chose a song and made her way up to the microphone. "I don't know whether to cringe and be scared or watch in amazement." Jude whispered across the table causing them all to laugh. Her eyes drug across the room to Sadie who was waving timidly while her other hand rest atop the microphone and its stand.
"So, this isn't usually my area of expertise. I use to send people running, but secretly I've decided to amaze them all tonight." That earned her a round of laughs from the patrons and she curtsied before going back to cue the music. A warm smile spread across Jude's face as the familiar melody flowed through the speakers and into the bar. She was looking at Lucas but when Sadie began speaking, her head whipped around quickly to make sure that was actually her sister standing on stage.
"We've been together since way back when a-and sometimes I never want to see you again! But I want you to know after all these years, that you're still the one I want whispering in my ears." She looked pointedly at Kwest as she sang with a voice clear and actually in tune. Jude, Tommy, Spied, and the rest of the Toronto crew eyed Sadie with jaws to the floor. "You're still the one, I can talk to in bed. Still the one that turns my head. We're still having fun and you're still the one."
Tommy sneaked a peek at Jude and like every time before, his heart took a dive off the deep end and sprinted off. It took everything he had to look back at Sadie. "Well, I look at your face everyday and I never seen it 'til I went away. When winter came. I just wanted to go back to the desert, how I longed for the snow!" She slapped her thigh in time with the song, looking at Jude with a smile. "You're still the one that makes me laugh, still the one that's my better half...we're still having fun and you're still the one."
"Damn," Jude whispered, looking at Spied and shaking her head. "Sadie's actually good!"
Spied nodded, switching gaze between the two Harrison sisters that captivated his attention and baffled him for years. Jude, who he believed was his soul mate at one time but realized they were destined for sibling relations, stood as the bolder of the two. The red hair had defined her: fiery, passionate, and emotional. While Sadie was the rose; soft, beautiful. "You're still the one that makes me strong, still the one I wanna take along. We're still having fun, and you're still the one."
A round of claps circled the room while there was an instrumental break. Kwest stood up and wolf whistled while Jude intertwined her fingers with Lucas and as she reached to grab the mug of beer, Tom caught a glance of her engagement ring. He wanted to gag seeing the four carat, asymmetrical cut diamond hanging from her finger like an anchor to keep her in one spot. Lucas had finally presented her with one a few days ago after resigning of her contract. Personally, Tom thought the ring looked gaudy and unreasonably large on her finger. Jude on the other hand couldn't - or wouldn't - complain. Lucas was committed to her, Tommy wouldn't bother her now.
"You're still the one that I love to touch, still the one, and I can't get enough. We're still having fun, and you're still the one. You're still the one who can scratch my itch, still the one, and I wouldn't switch." Sadie looked at Kwest, smiling proudly, and pointing to him as she sang. "We're still having fun, and you're still the one. You're still the one that makes me shout, still the one that I dream about. We're still having fun, and you're still the one...We're still having fun, and you're still the one!" She finished her note with a small jump in her heels. Jude immediately stood up and clapped for her, smiling and laughing the whole time.
Spied, Kwest, and Tommy followed her suit while the rest of SME launched peanuts at one another and Nicole and Lucas clapped out politeness. "Oh, Sadie!" Jude cried, throwing her arms round her neck as soon as Sadie approached the table. "That was..." she pulled back looking off to find a word before focusing back at her. "Amazing. When did you get so...amazing?"
Sadie laughed, her cheeks bright pink. "Remember when I did that Latin Quartet and butchered the hell out of it?" Jude nodded, grinning at the memory. "Well, I took Portia's advice and started taking lessons. Years later and here I am! Stunning my platinum-record selling artist sister at karaoke!"
"You planned for this, huh?" she asked, looking at her. "Showing off your voice and surprising me?"
Sadie smiled, nodding. "Yes, I did, baby sister." She said with a laugh at the double meaning to her response. Before Jude and Sadie could even turn and ask who was next, Vincent Spiederman took mic.
"Hey all you, bar-people! I'm Speid...and you might know me from Spiederman Mind Explosion. I'm gonna do 'Pour Some Sugar One Me', so you pretty little ladies over there pull out your camera phones and put this on youtube." Both sisters took their seats and watched as Spied made a fool of himself.
"Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on! Livin' like a lover with a radar phone. Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp. Demolition woman, can I be your man?" He was into pointing at girls around the tabled area and head banging and slapping his thighs. "Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light. Television lover, baby, go all night. Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet. Little miss ah innocent sugar me, yeah!"
Jude cracked up while Nicole and Tommy were already doubling over in laughter. Suddenly, Spied ripped the microphone from the stand. "C'mon, take a bottle, shake it up! Break the bubble, break it up!" He dropped to his knees, eyes squinting shut. "Pour some sugar on me! Ooh, in the name of love!" he got up, leaning on the stand. "Pour some sugar on me! C'mon fire me up! Pour your sugar on me! Oh, I can't get enough!" Jumping off the stage, he approached a table of brunette girls, a guy sitting in the midst of them not looking pleased at all. Leaning into the table, the girls singing along. "I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah!"
He stood in the aisles, clearly not needing the screen to sing Def Leppard. "Listen! Red light, yellow light, green-a-light go! Crazy little woman in a one man show." He made a fashion of walking up to the table where he sat, leaning into Nicole as they sung together. "Mirror queen, mannequin, and rhythm of love. Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up." She moved her head along with the music, a flirting smirk spreading across her lips as they made eye contact. She sang along with him, moving her hands on his hips and gesturing him to bring his hips towards her as she stood up. "You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little. Tease a little more. Easy operator come a knockin' on my door! Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet. Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah!"
He walked back to the second level, singing to random females in the crowd and continued showing himself off. People had actually taken out their cameras and were filming him! Nicole who had stayed standing, dancing in her place, pulled Jude to her feet. "Take a bottle, shake it up! Break the bubble, break it up! Pour some sugar on me! Ooh, in the name of love. Pour some sugar on me! C'mon fire me up! Pour your sugar on me! Oh, I can't get enough. I'm hot, sticky sweet. From my head to my feet yeah!"
As the guitar solo pounded through the speakers, Spied stood doing by far the best air guitar anyone had ever seen. His eyes were squinted shut and he had a wicked look set on his face. When it finished, he jumped to action, singing again. "You got the peaches, I got the cream. Sweet to taste, saccharine. 'Cos I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet. From my head, my head, to my feet! Do you take sugar? one lump or two?" he swaggered his way to the stage, replacing the microphone to the stand and shaking an imaginary bottle. "Take a bottle, shake it up! Break the bubble, break it up!
"Pour some sugar on me! Ooh, in the name of love. Pour some sugar on me! C'mon fire me up. Pour your sugar on me! Oh, I can't get enough! Pour some sugar on me!" He tipped the microphone stand forward, pumping his hand in the air. "Oh, in the name of love! Pour some sugar on me! Get it, come get it!" He gave the crowd a come-hither look, rubbing his hand up his chest as held in a laugh. "Pour your sugar on me! Ooh, pour some sugar on me. Yeah! Sugar me!"
As his voice faded out with the music, the crowd broke out into applause and hoops and hollers. Nicole's voice was the most distinctive out of them as she catcalled and wolf whistled from the third tier. "Thank you, thank you." He said, bowing. "G-major 2011!"
…sometime later…
"And Jude, while she's standing in the middle of the four cart pile up with melting vanilla ice cream around her, decides to bust into song!" Sadie says breathlessly, clapping her hands together and laughing.
"Worst part was," Jude said, wiping beneath her eyelid carefully. "Our school was putting on a production of Sound of Music and the only thing that came to mind was the 'Favorite Things' song.." She laughed again, the whole table either holding their sides or wiping their tears of laughter.
"It was horrible." Sadie threw in.
"Oh, but when in doubt sing!" Jude countered, doubling over in laughter again. As they all joined her in laughing, the waitress brought over a tray of shots. Everything was quiet as hands reached for the tiny glasses, clinking them together randomly before downing them. It was their third round of the Grey Goose Vodka and Jude was beginning to feel more and drunk by the moment. Of course in a classy Harrison style, she held her liquor.
"So, who's next? These people playing now aren't appealing at all." Sadie said, slamming the shot glass down and peering around. "Oh c'mon! This is a table full of talented people and no one wants to lay down a cover?"
Suddenly, Jude stood up. "I'll go." She reached down and tugged Lucas' hand. "And he will too."
His head snapped up to look at her from where he still sat. "I will?" He asked, brows knitting together. She nodded, smiling.
"You've sang to me and with what's-his-name before." She said, tugging on his hand again. "Daniel Roughen. You sang with Daniel before, so sing with me."
After a moment of silence, Lucas stood and let Jude pull him up to stage. The two of them stood at the karaoke machine, seeming to bicker over choosing a song, before they finally settled on one. As the two hustled up on stage the barroom began buzzing with talk. "Hi there, Fletcher's patrons. From the talk you all seem to know who I am, but this man here is my other half, Lucas Michaels. He runs a fabulous label in New York." She waved her hand through the air as Lucas pulled up a microphone beside her. "Anyway, we're going to perform 'If I never see your face again' by Adam Levine and Rhianna." She adjusted the microphone and smoothed her dress.
Within seconds the music started up and you could see their bodies moving to the music. Lucas watched the screen, waiting for his cue. He knew the song, thank god. Embarrassment was not on his list of things to experience in Canada. "Now as the summer fades I let you slip away, you say I'm not your type but I can make you sway." He grabbed a hold of the mic and the stand, whipping to face her. If he was going to sing, why not put on a show? He stroked her cheek before turning to face the crowd. "It makes you burn to lean you're not the only one, I'd let you be if you put down you blazing guns." Jude smirked as she took her cue, walking behind him and trailing her arm across his shoulder.
"Now you're gone somewhere else I don't know if I will find you," She stood beside him, shimmying against his side as she played with the hairs at the nape of his neck as he vocalized along with her. "But you feel your breath on my neck, can't believe I'm right behind you."
Lucas slid his hand up and intertwined with hers behind him, quickly spinning her then pulling her back to his side, their joined hands behind her back. "Cause you keep me comin' back for more! And I feel a little better than I did before."
Jude smirked, facing the crowd. "If I never see your face again, I don't mind! Cause we got much farther than I thought we'd get tonight." She pulled away from him, pacing in front of him to her mic stand and looked pointedly at Tommy as she sung Rhianna's verse. "Sometimes you move so well, it's hard not to give in."
Lucas cut in, glancing over at Jude before back out at the bar patrons, some of who were dancing. "I'm lost I can't tell where you end and I begin."
She turned her head to him, red hair flying through the air just missing his face, gripping her microphone. "It makes you burn to learn I'm with another man."
Internally he flinched, the audacity she said the words with making him wonder if they were true. She had selected the song after all. "I wonder if he's half the lover that I am. Now you're gone somewhere else far away, I don't know if I will find you. But you feel my breath on your neck can't believe I'm right behind you." They turned to face one another as she harmonized with him like the song had before they both jumped into the chorus.
"Cause you keep me coming back for more! And I feel a little better than I did before. If I never see your face again I don't mind. Cause we got much further than I thought we'd get toni-ight."
Jude placed her hand on his chest, looking he sung to her. "Baby, baby please believe me. Find in your heart to reach me." She flashed him an innocent look. "Promise not to leave me behind."
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, smiling softly as she raised the microphone to her lips. "Take me down, but take it easy. Make me think but don't deceive me. Torture me by taking your time." With her hand still on his chest she pushed him back as she followed on into the chorus. "Cause you keep me coming back for more and I feel a little better than I did before. If I never see your face again I don't mind cause we got much further than I thought we'd get tonight."
He tore her hand away from his boy, turning and pulling her back against his chest. "Cause you keep me coming back for more and I feel a little better than I did before." His eyes bulged slightly as she slinked her body down his own, singing along with him at some parts, but kept his didn't stumble on a word. "If I never see your face again I don't mind cause we got much further than I thought we'd get tonight."
As the beat faded out, Jude moved her body against his. When the speakers had silent, a very loud and deafening applause filled the barroom. A huffing Jude bent over in a bow, a wide smile was plastered across her face as she stood up straight. "Thank you," She murmured into the microphone, looking at the bar-goers through her lashes.
Tommy, who was internally seething at the core, down his half glass of beer and two discarded glasses while everyone was busy praising the couple. He grimaced as they kissed and leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. Sighing heavily, he remembered doing the action often his early middle school years when he'd been scolded. When everything was settled, he sat up straight and signaled the barmaid for another round. "That was a great performance, Jude, really it was."
He snorted at Zeppelin's too-sweet comment. The liquor was taking effect and with present company his mood was not on the best side. "If you like porn on stage."
Jude's head whipped around to look at him, death gleam in her blue eyes. "Excuse me?"
"Well I mean it was obvious from the start. Look at the way you rubbed on him, touched him, grinded him. But don't worry. It wasn't the most nastiest thing I've seen this week. I give it a....NC-17."
Her cheeks flushed a deep red as her teeth ground together and fisted balled together. Several times she opened her mouth to speak but immediately shut it. Shoving her chair back, she leaned into the table, seething. "Fuck. You." She said before turning on her heel and walking towards the bathroom.
Nicole looked at him from under her bangs as she finished up a text and sent it. She knew what Sadie had organized and was all for it, after all she didn't exactly like Lucas. "You kind of messed up." She said shaking her head as she pushed her chair back and rushed after Jude.
"Wow, thanks for that." Lucas said, tilting his head to the side. "I thought I told you to stay away from her?" Jamie who'd been talking to Zeppelin whipped his head in their direction. The audacity, he thought.
He remembered plenty of times he'd wanted to say that to Tommy in the years previous, but he never did because he understood that that was Jude's choice. Not his. His eyes switched between the two men waiting for one of them to speak...or yell. Beside him he could feel Zeppelin stand up, but didn't tear his eyes from the two as she traveled up to the karaoke machine. "You honestly think I'd listen to you? Who are you to me?" He leaned into the table on his forearm. "Besides, it's not like you know JUDE HARRISON. You know the false persona she built up." Immediately the familiar baseline of 'Seven Nation Army' by The White Stripes pounded through the speakers.
"And who knows how close that was to the real her?"
Sadie opened her mouth but closed as she felt Kwest's hand on hers. Instead she watched with wide doe eyes as the nuclear blast she wanted to happen unfold. "Very far, I'm sure." He said, pursing his lips. "What's her favorite color?"
"Yellow." Lucas said surely, but Tom shook his head.
"Wrong. Blue. Or black. Depending on her mood." He said, raising an eyebrow. "Favorite artist?"
"Uh...Katy Perry?"
"Wrong again. Kurt Cobain. How about her coffee? How does she like her coffee?"
"Two sugars, no cream."
Tom let out a sarcastic chuckle, shaking his head. "Look at this. You have the qualifications of a personal assistant. Do you really think you should be marrying her?"
Lucas set his jaw, fully placing his palms on the table and pushing himself up while leaning forward. "I think I'd be better standing beside her at the alter than you would." With that he turned and stalked off. Immediately he could feel everyone's eyes on him and tried to focus on Zeppelin singing until he could literally feel himself burning. He whipped his head to the side, looking pointedly at Sadie, his attitude nothing short of blasé.
"What." He said in more of a statement than a question, shrugging his shoulders
"Jude?" The creak of the door was so cliché as Nicole slipped into the ladies' bathroom, her eyes searching for the tell-tale red hair. "Jude?" She rounded the corner of the bathroom stalls to where the sinks were to see her idol, Jude Harrison, curled up on the counter of the sinks, knees to her chest and tears running. "Awe, I'm sorry, honey." Nicci murmured stroking her hair, and reaching for the paper towels stacked by the mirrors. Quickly flipping on the faucet she wet the corner of the towel and wiped her cheeks tenderly.
"I'm sorry." Nicole said when Jude had finally stopped crying a few minutes later. But Jude just shook her head, waving her off.
"Don't be. It's not your fault my life is so fucked up." She hopped from the counter and stepped into the heels she'd discarded on the tiled floor. "He's an asshole anyway. Always was. Always will be." She looked into the mirror, building herself up like that. "Still, I can't help but -"
"Jude!" Her head snapped to the direction of the door. "I think we should talk!" Her eyes bulged at his words and she fumbled with the faucets as she splashed water on her face. She didn't even know what it was about - hell he could've been asking about the weather tomorrow - but she had a gut feeling it was bad.
Suddenly she was enveloped in Nicci's arms. "Be strong, girl. I know you are." She withdrew from the hug and nudged her towards the door. "Go." She whispered, nodding in encouragement.
Jude's eyes were wide as they met Lucas' expectant ones. He licked his lips and put his hands on her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he started speaking - or more better rambling. "So I mean I kind of realized that we don't know each other. Well you know me. You met my parents, but I don't know you. I just found out a whole new side of you from your ex..." His voice was beginning to raise until he stopped and looked around before picking up what he was saying in a whisper. "who I know nothing about. Not that I care about your past, I mean I do, but..." He sighed heavily and looked off.
"Spit it out, Lucas." She said licking her lips, still able to taste the cherry gloss covering the deep red painted on her lips.
He let go of her arms and paced to the men's restroom door, just feet from the women's and where Jude stood, then turned. "I don't think we should get married..."
Behind her she could hear Nicole's soft gasp before she followed suit. She was sure Nicci's gasp was more out of happiness where her own was out of shock. "W-what?" Her voice wavered, brows knitting in the process.
Quickly he rushed to her, cupping her cheeks. "No, no...I'm not breaking up with you, but I think...I think we should start over..."