"Judeā¦." He began quietly as I stopped him mid-sentence.
"Don't, Tom. Just don't. I shouldn't have answered the phone that way. We've both been busy. We'll just leave it at that, okay? How are you?" I asked sincerely, berating myself for getting angry at him when, as far as anyone else was concerned, I had no right to. Yeah, he had told me he loved me, but, alas, no we had not made any official announcements other than being affectionate with each other in public. Really, that should have been enough for me, but, strangely enough, it wasn't. He was quiet on the other line long enough I started to fidget.
"I'm fine." He said on a sigh as I walked over to a stool and took a seat.
"How fine is fine?" I asked persistently as he chuckled huskily. I could hear a rustling sound as he shifted about on the other end.
"You're not going to let me leave it at that, are you?" He asked affectionately as I quirked a brow at the phone. My silence clued him in to my response.
"Been busy mostly. There are three new artists to produce, and I've been making arrangements to take some vacation time to do a little public relations for them. You know, get the word out." He said as I heard a zipper zip in the background. Either he was getting dressed or packing a bag, and something told me he wasn't getting dressed. Something also told me he was lying. But I didn't call him on it. I was to the point, after the vague comments he had made over the past two and a half months, that he would tell me when he was ready and not before. I shifted uncomfortably.
"We're almost done with the tour, you know." I said evenly knowing that he was already aware of that but also knowing that I needed to fill the empty silence that had developed between us. Whatever seemed to be bothering him was putting a huge obstacle between the two of us.
"I know." He replied with a sigh as it suddenly grew quiet on his end of the line. I let my shoulders slump slightly
"Why did you call, Tom?" I asked in a defeated tone knowing as well as he did that there didn't seem to be much conversation between us these days. I heard him take a breath as he sat down on something.
"You know why." He said softly, and I realized rather belatedly that I did. Because despite whatever secret lay between us, as long as I heard his voice, it made me feel better. And I knew that's what he meant by that. I was just about to say something else when I noticed Darius leaning against an office door staring at me intently. It wasn't the first time this had happened.
"Is there a reason Darius eyes me as if I were a speck of dirt under his shoe every time my phone rings. I have this eerie feeling I'm under a microscope." I remarked to Tommy almost in a whisper as I glanced once again at Darius before turning so that my back faced him. I heard Tommy shift uneasily.
"It's not you, Jude." Tom stated firmly as I realized all of a sudden that the only time I really noticed Darius near me was when I said Tommy's name out loud. Something was up.
"What's going on, Tom?" I said with a hiss as Darius pushed away from the wall and headed toward me. I could hear Tommy getting up to pace in the background. Wow! Way too much movement going on around me at once.
"I've gotta go, Jude." Tom said in a rush as I clenched the phone tightly to my ear.
"Tom!" I cried knowing that, even as I did, it was too late. The phone went dead as I stared at it sullenly. Darius stopped halfway to me as if he had remembered something else he needed to do before turning around and walking in the other direction.
Yeah. Something was definitely going on. I just hoped Tommy was okay. Damn, I hoped we were okay. We were, weren't we?
Author's footnote: Okay, is the buildup killing you guys yet? lol. It's killing me. I haven't got any of the next chapters written yet so I've been writing and posting as I go. Just finished this one.Let's see how many more I can get out today. Things are heating up. Smiles to you guys. Keep reading and R&R.
