Hi - wow, you all really didn't like that last cliffhanger! I'm really sorry to do that to all of you! But because I was cruel, I decided to edit and post the next chapter as quickly as I could. Hopefully, this will help calm some of you down, but I'm not sure if it's going to be the outcome you're waiting for...just keep reading and let me know what you think.
Thanks again for your feedback--regardless of whether it's positive or death threats :) It's kind of nice knowing some of you are so invested in the story, you're willing to threaten my life to get more :) So without further ado...ENJOY!
"What happened?" Jude asked impatiently. "Do we have to pack up our stuff?"
"Well…I don't know," Tommy replied quietly.
"What do you mean? How do you not know?"
"Because…she didn't give me a final decision."
"What? I'm really confused…" she grumbled, slumping back against the couch in frustration. "Just start from the beginning," she pleaded, looking into his eyes.
"Okay," he agreed, taking a deep breath.
"I walked into her office and sat down. I must've looked nervous because she asked me about a dozen times if I was okay or if I wanted any water or anything. I said I was fine and then started. The first thing I did was to thank her for all of her support and help over the past few years."
"Good…kiss her butt a little…" Kwest noted from his chair.
"Right. It was all genuine, but she knew that there was a reason why I was being so nice, so she was looking at me suspiciously the whole time. When I was finished thanking her, she asked me to tell her what was really going on."
"She's so smart," Jude remarked quietly.
"So I took a deep breath and said, 'Georgia, because you've been there for me and for Jude over the past few years, I'm about to tell you something that no one else knows.'"
"No one except me, of course," Kwest added.
"Yeah, I left that out," Tommy replied quickly, continuing. "I said, 'When you asked me last week if there was anything going on with me and Jude beyond a professional relationship, I lied to you. I feel horrible about it, but I lied. We've been lying to everyone.'"
"What was her reaction when you said that?" Jude asked.
"She didn't seem shocked, but honestly, she didn't give much of a reaction at all. She just leaned back in her chair and listened to me ramble, which I did. I said that both of us had made the decision to tell her because we felt that she deserved to know the truth. I said that we understand what the consequences might be, but we didn't want to keep lying to her."
"Right," Jude agreed.
"So then she asked me to explain what I meant by 'beyond a professional relationship.' I said that we're together – like a couple. And then she asked how long it's been going on, which I said a couple of months."
"A couple of months? A couple is like two. Aren't you guys on four?" Kwest asked with a smirk.
"Whatever, close enough. She acted really serious, so I didn't want to get into technicalities," Tommy explained. "Anyway, there were a couple of minutes when she sat there thinking and I didn't know what to say, so I started to ramble again. I told her that we didn't want to tell her when it started because we didn't know how long it would last or how serious it was, but now, we both feel like it's not about to end anytime soon."
"That's nice," Jude said softly with a grin.
"She didn't really react to that either, I think she was mulling everything over and trying to figure out how to respond. Eventually, she stopped me and started to ask questions. Her first question was why I was in there without you, to which I explained that even though I was representing both of us, I didn't want you to have to deal with more drama than you already have. And that I was the one who was more likely to take the heat, as well as the one who directly lied to her. Then she asked why we chose to tell her now, instead of in another few weeks."
"My question too…" Kwest muttered.
"I told her exactly what we had discussed. That we didn't want to lie anymore and we felt like she was the best person to start with. And that in a couple of weeks, we can openly be together without worrying about the consequences, in the studio at least."
Jude nodded in agreement so he continued.
"Her next question was if I knew why you hadn't been eating or sleeping. I said that you had been going through a lot with your family and school and I had upset you enough to make everything worse. I told her that I knew you were down, but I had no idea how bad it was."
"What else did she ask?" Jude asked.
"Just a few more questions. She asked if your parents know, to which I said that they didn't and we weren't planning on telling them until you turn 18 in a few weeks. She didn't say anything more about that. The big thing she asked me was how I thought the situation should be handled."
"Ooo, really? That's a tough one," Jude thought aloud.
"What did you say?" Kwest asked.
"I said that I thought it was in everyone's best interest to let us keep working together. That if we're separated, the quality of the music would be what would suffer the most."
"What did she say to that?" Jude questioned.
"She understood but reminded me that G-Major has a strict policy against inter-office relationships. I think personally, she wouldn't want us to be separated, but as our boss, she couldn't really say that. Then it was her turn to talk."
"Oh no...what did she say?" Jude asked hesitantly.
Tommy sighed and looked at Jude closely. "She said that she appreciated our honesty and as our friend, she's happy for us. But as our boss, she has no choice but to take this to the G-Major board."
"The board? As in, Darius? And Liam?" Jude asked, slightly panicked. Liam was Darius's new business associate who was managing the financial side to the studio. He was tough, not at all a friendly, warm figure.
"Yup," Tommy confirmed. "She's going to talk to them and see what they think. She made it clear that as much as she wants to make the best music possible, they are not going to be happy with this arrangement and may want to change the situation, if not terminate our contracts."
"No!" Jude cried, her face in sheer alarm. "She can't let that happen!"
"She doesn't want that to happen but ultimately, it's not just her decision, Jude, it's all of them. And we broke the rules. She said that she's going to focus on the music and make clear that we're professional in the studio, but she warned me that the odds of us working together are slim."
"Did she really think they're going to want to end our contracts?"
"No, I don't think so. I told her that if she really thinks that's necessary, then I need to be the one to go, not you."
"Tommy…"
"But it's a last resort. And that was clear. Remember? It was our backup plan."
"I hate that plan though," she muttered quietly. "So that was it?"
"Yeah, basically. She thanked us for coming forward—she thought that it was very mature of us—but we need to be prepared for whatever their decision will be."
"When do you think they'll tell us?"
"Over the next few weeks, I think. Darius is away on business and Georgia wants to tell them in person, so she's going to wait until he's back. And then it'll take some time for them to decide."
"Ugh…" Jude sighed, closing her eyes. "So now, we just have to sit around and wait? That sucks."
Tommy leaned back with her as Kwest slouched forward against the soundboard, everyone silent and reflecting his story. Tommy grabbed Jude's hand and held it tightly, closing his own eyes to remember everything Georgia had said to him.
After a few moments of quiet, Jude softly said, "Well, I'm glad it's over with."
"Yeah," Tommy agreed, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. "Are you sorry we did this?"
"You know, I probably should be, but I'm not," Jude replied, opening her eyes. "It actually feels good to have told someone. Now she knows, so it's out of our hands."
"Right," Tommy muttered hesitantly. "Jude, if this doesn't work, if we get in trouble—"
"Don't say it, Quincy. This was your idea in the first place and you're not allowed to get all glass-half-empty on me," Jude said sternly.
"Okay, okay," he replied with a grin, squeezing her hand tighter.