Ack, seems like people are getting disinterested. I really appreciate the support I get, and I'm glad some of you guys liked the last chapter. If you were disappointed than I hope this one makes it up :)
The song in this chapter belongs to Vamessa Carlton. It's one of my favorites.
Tommy had forced Jude and Damien to stay and work on the song until almost midnight; Darius was growing anxious and Tommy didn't want to piss him off any more. All that was left the next day was the mixing.
Jude arrived at G Major late. She hit the snooze button twice that morning because of her late night.
In Studio A she found Tommy and Kwestwith headphones, both hunched over the sound board like hungry hyenas waiting to feast on an elk.
"Busy?" She asked as she slid in between Tommy and his work.
"Very," He sounded aggravated. Jude noticed the bags under his eyes and unusually messy hair. "Now if you'll just move."
She scowled at him. Touchy, touchy. "What do you want me to do then?"
"I'll call you when I need you." He waved her off and Jude scoffed loudly.
"And maybe I won't be available." She stalked out of the room and out of G Major all together. It was time for some shopping, major shopping.
"Where you going to?"
Jude spun around and saw a smiling Damien standing a few feet away. "Shopping. Care to join?" I could use a shopping partner.Plus I can really dish out on Tommy to him away from the Studio. Jude liked that Damien let her vent; the only other person she had been able to talk to was Kwest, and that was more than awkward.
"Uh, aren't we supposed to be working?" He was so naive to the way he could work at G Major.
"Tommy and Kwest are busy mixing, so we have no producers for approximately 3 hours, there won't be anything to work on." She smiled coaxingly.
Damien glanced around as though he was afraid he would get yelled at for leaving and cautiously followed Jude out of the building. The two climbed into her car and drove off without looking back.
The Toronto mall was completely packed, and unusually so for a Monday morning. Then again, it was winter break for the students.
"I need a dress, so you can look around if you want to."
Damien shrugged. "I'll tag along. I might get lost." He laughed sheepishly, but it was the truth.
Jude shook her head and found the boutique that she had gotten her last birthday dress from. Inside the store multiple sales clerks flocked over, but the tallest dominated and shooed the others away.
"'Ello!" The woman had a clearly fake French accent and a cake of makeup on her face. "Would you like some help finding your size and right fit?"
Jude shook her head. "No, I'm fine, thank you."
"Oh," The woman looked at her, clearly distraught, andwalked away.
"So rude." Damien muttered.
Jude turned around and frowned at him. "You try dealing with French Toast over there." She nodded at all the loud bickering coming from the cash register.
He laughed. "No, thank you. I like my women to eat their cake, not wear it."
She laughed and began to look through the dresses hanging up on wracks all around.
"What do you think?" Just held up a wild looking dress made of feathers.
"Lovely. Might as well not even look for another dress." He was almost convincing, but Jude noticed the sarcasm and chuckled.
"Eurgh." She put it back and continued to look.
Damien picked it up and held it to his chest and puckered his lips. "Well then maybe I'll just have to buy it for myself!"
Jude laughed loudly. The sales ladies glowered so she muffled herself with her hand. "I'm sure Tommy wouldn't be able to resist you."
"Oh, goody, I love Boyz Attack!" He rolled his eyes and put it back.
"I figured. Though you seem more like a Chaz fan to me." Jude had gathered a bunch of dresses and had them cloaked over her arm.
"Oh, I love me some Chaz, don't get me wrong. But Tommy's got the 'I pout because I can, and you like it' look going for him."
Jude gasped and had to hold a hand over her mouth again. Is he reading my mind or something? She thought. "How do figure?"
Damien smirked. "Because he pouts every time you're even talking to another guy." He paused dramatically. "And you like it."
"Do not!" Jude retorted rather immaturely.
He guffawed and she glared in return. "So defensive."
"I have a right."
He merely shrugged.
Jude tried on her dresses and picked out a simple red dress. It was very casual, but presentable. She loved the boutique, despite the women that worked there.
"That took like two hours. Just for a dress." Damien complained as the two walked towards the food court for some lunch.
"It took like one, and I wanted the perfect dress." She replied simply.
"Then you should have bought the feather one." He couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look on Jude's face. "Kidding."
"Better be." She muttered.
Damien sniggered. "Or what?"
"Or… I'll have to use my intense Kong Fu skills." She settled in line of Subway and gave him a threatening grin.
"Oh, spare me!" He cried and laughed at the same time, which resulted in a fit of hacking coughs.
Jude laughed. "The coughs might getcha first." She patted his back and turned around to order.
Damien decided not to try and come back, and ordered his food complacently.
"Oh, he's under my skinJust give me something-"
Jude quickly snatched her phone from her pocket and tucked it between her ear and shoulder without looking at the ID.
"Hello?" She paid for the subs and the two sat down at a table to eat.
"We need you in here to start recording Put Your Hands On Me." Tommy's voice grunted through her phone.
"I'm eating lunch, I'll be there in a little bit."
"Box it up, I want it recorded by Wednesday and we won't accomplish that unless we spend a while in the studio. You're just making a later night for all of us."
"I thought you didn't want to record it until we worked on the lyrics?" Jude was starting to get annoyed now. A couple of crying kids walked by and she massaged her temple in frustration.
Tommy sighed. "Where are you?"
"Mall."
"Get down here, girl, go to the mall on your own time." Tommy sounded aggravated as well.
"Whatever." And with that she shut her phone.
"What was that all about?" Damien said through a mouthful of chicken and bacon ranch goodness.
Jude wrapped her sub back up. "I need to go back to the studio."
"Oh." He finished his bite and packed up his own lunch.
The entire ride to the studio was silent. Jude was fighting between her rage at Tommy and wondering why he was acting so menopausal. Damien was just lost. He knew that Jude and Tommy had a delicate relationship, but he didn't know just how delicate.
They arrived twenty minutes later and Jude spotted Tommy on the couch of the lobby. She felt anger fill up her lungs, so she turned and looked at Damien.
He had a look of 'whatever you're thinking don't involve me' on his face, but Jude ignored it. On her tiptoes she planted a small kiss on his cheek and gave him a little hug.
"Thanks for coming with me." She smiled toopleasantly and walked over to the disgruntled Tommy on the couch. "Ready?"
Tommy's lips were thinned to small lines. "Right." He shot up and briskly walked to Studio A.
"Where's Kwest?" Jude asked when they entered the room.
"Took the day off."
"Right…"
The two stood in awkward silence. Tommy shut the door and looked intensely at Jude. Jude just tried her best not to look at Tommy.
"So, the song…"
"The lyrics still need some work."
"I know."
Tommy pause before speaking. "Why are we doing this?" He took a step closer to Jude.
"W-what are you talking about?" She took a step back. Tommy's with somebody else. He's not single, remember that. Don't do anything stupid.
"Fighting!" Tommy threw his hands up. "It's just ridiculous. Can't you even talk to me like you used to?"
"No!" Jude took another step back. She was almost cornered.
"Why?" Tommy looked the closest to broken that Jude had ever seen him. It couldn't all just be because of me. She thought.
"Because I still don't trust you." Jude could tell that something was really bothering Tommy. The hopeless look on his face and the emotion in his voice told it all; he was usually very put-together. "What's really bothering you?"
Tommy suddenly seemed to realize his outburst of emotions and stiffened up. "Nothing."
"If you want me to be your friend you're going to have to confide in me, Tommy. So stop lying for once. Tell me the truth." She was close to tears. Funny how when Tommy was gone she hadn't cried but once or twice. Now that he was back she felt like an emotional roller coaster all the time.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Joanne…" Tommy looked confused and shook his head. "I think she expects me to propose tonight."
"What?" Jude was far from expecting that.
"I don't know, Portia explained and…" He shook his head again. "I shouldn't be talking about this."
Jude fell back against the wall. "We can't be like we used to, at all. You're not the same Tommy that I, that I used to know." She almost said 'that I used to love,' but she caught herself.
"What am I supposed to do? I don't want to get married." Tommy looked completely lost. Truthfully he was fighting between whether he wanted to commit to a girl he loved, or breaking up with her because he knew it wouldn't last. But he didn't even know if he loved her at all.
She let out a breath of relief when he said that. "Then don't ask her to." Jude thought it was that simple.
He shook his head for the umpteenth time and slid down the wall. "She won't be happy and I'm working with her on my album-"
"You're working on your album again?" Jude didn't even know. Now it made sense; Frozen being in the mixer and Tommy having to 'get to work' with Joanne.
"Yeah, I have been for about 6 months. Lots of songs, but no passion behind them." Jude slid down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"That's how my second album ended, that's how this album began." She looked into his eyes for the first time. They were just like a storm at sea; so dark and cloudy, they practically took Tommy back to his 'brooding, misunderstood teenager' stage. He knew that Jude was blaming her fizzling passion on his leaving.
"I'm sorry I left you." Jude couldn't believe it. Is he drunk?
She could only speak what she felt. "I'm sorry you left too." Jude looked down and let her hair fell in front of her face; she liked to hide this way.
A hand reached over and tucked her hair behind her ears. Jude shivered when Tommy's hand brushed against her cheek. I'm supposed to be mad at him. But how can I when he's so… so…
"I don't know what I was thinking bringing her back with me, girl." Jude knew he was talking about Joanne. It was amazing how they could say so little to each other and it conveyed so much.
"Love makes you do crazy things."
"Yeah." Tommy tore his eyes away from the beautiful woman beside him. He was tempting himself and it wouldn't be right.
"I'm not a girl anymore, you know." Jude wanted to point this out to him so badly.
"I know." He had a look of realization on his face. But he wouldn't let himself loose control. "We better get working on your song."
"Right…" Jude stood up, clearly disgruntled. Why can't he just admit his feelings, now? She asked herself.
Tommy took his seat and Jude found her place in the recording booth, guitar in hand.
"I want to do my original lyrics."
For a minute Tommy hesitated, but he nodded and gave the thumbs up for Jude to sing.
"I first saw you at the video exchange
I know my heart and it will never change
This temp work would be alright if you'd call me
You'd call me
I lie awake at night
And for you I pray
We crossed the deepest oceans
Cargo across the sea
And if you don't believe me
Just put your hands on me
And all the constellations shine down on you and me
And if you don't believe me
Just put your hands on me, oh no
The subway radiates with heat
We've barely met
And still I cross the street to your door
We crossed the deepest oceans
Cargo across the sea
And if you don't believe me
Just put your hands on me
And all the constellations shine down on you and me
And if you don't believe me
Just put your hands on me."
Tommy wished he could. He wished he hadn't made the mistake of leaving in the first place. Deep down he knew he left only so he didn't have to face waiting for another year. He wanted to move on from his life here.
"Some day when our stories are told
They'll tell of a love like this
When our descendents are all growing old
A thousand years will be singing."
He wanted to realize how he felt. He wanted to feel it freely so badly. But after years and years of burying every single stray feeling, he was almost numb to it all. His entire life he had been hiding from things unwanted.
"We climb Tibetan mountains
Where we can barely breathe
I see the Dalai Lama
I feel him blessing me
And all the constellations shine down on you and me
And if you don't believe me
Just put your hands on me."
Tommy couldn't deny much any more. Now everything was mixed up.
"Your hands on me."
Maybe marrying Joanne was the only way he could set things straight.
"I first saw you at the video exchange."