Title: '3rd Time's the Charm' - Instant Star - Part 5
Timeline: set for after 'Lose Your Skin';
Pairing: Tommy/oc , Jude/Jamie
Synopsis: When a former flame of Tommy enters the picture, he has to decide between the love of his life or the girl who showed him there was more. And now Jude needs to find shelter in the arms of the one who was there all along.
As much as she tried, Jude just wasn't fast enough to make it into her house before Jamie was at her heels.
"Okay, this is not fair." Jamie waved his finger to Jude's back. She really wanted him to leave. She wasn't ready to deal with his yet. "I drive all the way out to...I don't even know where, and you barely say anything to me the entire car ride besides 'hi', 'thanks', and 'mind if i change this?'"
She continued away from the front door, but he continued to follow her through the house before she finally gave up and slumped down on a stool at the kitchen counter.
"Are you going to say something or what?" Jamie's voice reckoned back to his prepubscent days as it squeeked out.
"What do you want me to say?" Her voice came out muffled from behind her hands. "I don't know!"
Jamie was about to speak, but he withdrew, as if the thought in his head couldn't help his situation. "Well..." He tried again, still nothing. "I think...I think we need to talk...about the other night." His parlay at trying to sound strong and confident made him sound more like a child who told his parents that he wasn't ready for bed.
Jude didn't move from her spot. She stayed, face buried in hands, hands buried in arms, arms buried in chest. "Yeah, I left afterwards, but I tried to call you and when I come out to help you, you don't say anything. Not a single word to me." Jamie continued. "Do you even know how hard that was for me? Just a ballpark guess." Jude was still silent, and motionless.
Even though the responses weren't quite what he was going for, Jamie was on a roll, finally having an opportunity to get everything he had been feeling off his chest. "Really hard. I mean, it's been...I don't know...years since I was able to think differently about you."
Still nothing. "Jude, you have to say something?" Jamie reached over and lightly pulled up on Jude's arm. Her tear-stained face lifted from the counter, but her eyes avoided his. "Oh my god." Jamie ran over to behind Jude and held her really close, and she collapsed his shoulder, trying her best not to get make-up on his track jacket even though she knew it was probably useless.
Jamie petted Jude's bright red hair, shushing her to stop crying, and letting out little comforting statements whenever the moment seemed prepped for it. "We can talk about this later" was the statement that made Jude feel the most at ease. Grabbing a pile of napkins that were left on the counter, Jamie led Jude to the living room and the couch, where she collapsed defeated in the cushions. "Do you want me to leave?" Jamie asked, putting the napkins on the table in front of her. Jude managed to shake her head "no". She didn't want to be by herself right now.
The cushions hissed and molded as Jamie leaped over the table and onto the space beside Jude, in a vain attempt to make her smile. He sat beside her, not too close, just in case she didn't want that, but close enough for him to leave his hand "conveintly" next to the remote for the TV and within her grasp. And she did reach out for his hand, and pulled him to her, collapsing into her chest, her tears not present anymore. Just a heaviness around her.
This time the tables were turned. She was so relieved that there was someone there. Someone with her who cared, because if the past few weeks had shown Jude anything, it was that there were very few people in her life that she felt like that were there for her. But Jamie...he was always there for her. And before she could change her mind, or even think about anything differently, Jude pulled Jamie in for a long deep kiss.
He pulled away almost immediatly. Not out of disgust, but surprise. But it was only momentary, because Jude pulled him back towards her into the cushions of the couch.
Tommy's apartment was exactly how Nicole would have pictured his place now that he was "Tom Quincy, producer." Clean lines, white down cushions to match the pristine the white walls and carpet with inlaid lighting all through out the ceiling. "This is my favorite though." Tommy moved across the floor over to the window that stretched over an entire wall. The city shown out in front of him; the buildings catching the fleckles of light and bouncing them against the white background. He stood by the window and looked back forth between that and Nicole, who was carefully inspecting the layout.
"Not bad, Quincy." She made another revolution at the center of the living room. "Not bad at all."
Tommy just shrugged. "Yeah, it works." He dug the toes of his boots into the carpet. "So, how's your place still treating you?"
"Oh, I've moved from my old place about.three years ago. I have an apartment in Queenstown now." Tommy shot a puzzled look at her, and she knew why. Queenstown was a complete step down from Nicole's old residence in West Hills. "Well, I can't necessarily afford the mortgage on a $2.3 million dollar house without a job, can I?"
He got really quiet suddenly. She was making another one of her comments which would seem innocent enough, but was really meant to be painful to whom it was directed. "Do you want something to drink?" He decided changing the subject was his best means at this point.
"Vodka, on the rocks." Tommy shook his head. "Scotch?" Another shake. "Anything?" Once more.
"I don't have anything in here." He looked down at his hands, which had started to shuffle against each other. "After our little discussion at the restaurant, I came back and...threw it away."
Nicole's face was completely shocked. "Everything? Including that bottle of Cristal I told you to save for your 25th birthday?"
"Well, what can I say? Don't need to fall into old habits." Tommy wasn't even sure himself if he meant the alcohol alone. "But," he hurried away to the kitchen tucked in a corner. "I have water and ...water."
As much as she tried not to, she could feel her eyes rolling in her head. "Guess that's a pretty easy answer for you."
He sauntered out of the kitchen, carrying two bottles of water. Nicole took it grudgingly and returned her gaze out towards the city, glittering in front of her.
The pair were silent for awhile, drinking their water, as the plastic crinkled as they slowly drained them. "It's really beautiful, isn't it?" Nicole finally spoke.
"Yeah, it is." As Nicole turned, she found Tommy already staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush a little, and she turned away and found herself giggling. When she looked back again, he hadn't turned away. His steel blue eyes locked onto her deep brown, completely transfixed on the light green outer ring. He almost didn't realize what he was doing, until he shook his head to try and come back to his senses, and tried to turn attention back towards the city lights.
Nicole took one last sip of her water, and placed it on the ledge in front of her. "Tommy," she turned towards him, and placed a hand out on her hip. He looked back towards her with a look of trepidation. "are we going to pretend to stare out at the city all night...or you going to kiss me?" She moved in a little closer and arched her back, readying herself.
Tommy put his own water down, very carefully. His arm moved out and wrapped around her back, pulling her in close to him. They stood there for a moment, their noses almost touching , locking eyes once again. She put her arm up around his neck, and a small smile spread across her lips. Tommy matched it, and pulled her into him. Their bottoms lips met and he pulled her in closer. Nicole's arms intertwined with Tommy's, and they continued to pull each other as close as possible. Their lips dropped from one another, and he dreamily opened his eyes and saw Nicole's beaming smile looking at him.
His hand reached up and played with one of the curly brown tendrils hanging down by the side of her face. He twisted in his fingers, and laughed as he did it. And Nicole couldn't help but laugh with him. He took her hand in his, and squeezed it as he led her towards the back of her apartment. Down through the hallway, he stopped again, the smile that had decorated his face a few minutes earlier disappeared. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"
But the smile still covered his face. She leaned in and kissed Tommy's lips. She moved across and dotted both of his cheeks with kisses, and down across his neck. "Yes."