Tommy hit his steering wheel forcefully with the end of his balled up fist as he cursed the fates and yelled loudly at the night. What was happening here? And why the hell did he care? Tom was not a retrospective man—his emotions had been hardened, had been rolled into a brick wall that he had set up around his heart like a cage. And yet, she had come and managed to knock loose the mortar. The road ahead wavered as the lights from his car shone over the hot cement in dizzying speed—disorienting the moment, fragmenting the night the same way his thoughts were at the present second. And then the rain started—dripping slowly at first like a single teardrop rolling down a raised cheekbone, and then pounding down in fury as Tom lifted his roof up and turned on his windshield wipers. 'It certainly matches my mood,' Tom thought sourly as he drove almost aimlessly in a direction that would confuse most. It was pointless trying to think right now when his emotions were so on edge.
The rain began to pummel down so hard that his vision out the front of his window was affected, and he pulled over to the side of the road—resting his forehead against the steering wheel in a gesture of defeat. How had it happened? How had he let her get that close to him? She was like a parasite that had overtaken his body, and the only thing that seemed to ease his pain was her nearness. It was literally driving him mad. She was a child for God's sake! Or was he just telling himself that in order to guard what little dignity he had left. Shit! It didn't matter anyway. Who was he to make any promises to her, any commitments whatsoever when he wasn't even free to do so. No, the blackness that dominated his soul came from a different source altogether and it irked him.
Sitting there in the rain staring out at the black abyss that surrounded his car, Tom came to a decision and, with firm resolve, he shifted his gear back into drive before barreling out into the night.
Jude at the studio...
I couldn't do anything but stare at the blackness outside in the direction that he had gone as tears streamed down my face in rivulets while I stood there frozen like some mythical, ancient statue marbleized in time.
"Jude?" I heard someone whisper from behind me and still I didn't turn, didn't move as a hand worked its way cautiously onto my shoulder and, almost as if that hand were a stick breaking through a piñata, the flood gates exploded and I turned hurriedly into Jamie's arms where I sobbed uncontrollably. He rubbed what hair had fallen out of the clip down my back, and I hiccupped in misery as he whispered, 'shhhhhh.' Nothing soothed me.
"He'll come back, Jude." Jamie said earnestly while I just let my shoulders slump miserably as a drop of rain suddenly hit the side of my cheek and, even in my beautiful red dress, I didn't care. The water felt good as it's cold moistness dampened my body—cleansing it of impurities. I suddenly realized that I could ace my English exam on Romeo and Juliet because I felt like the tragic heroine of yore—I understood the animosity, the barriers of class and social stigma that must have faced Shakespeare's characters and then another of Shakespeare's lines began to roll through my head as I looked up into the rain soaked sky in sudden resolve—"To thine own self be true." Who knew that Tom was thinking the same thing at that very moment. I just knew that I had to let him walk away in order for him to make the decision to come back.
Author's note: Jude and Tommy are headed for a crossroads. What secrets does Tommy' s past reveal. How will Jude deal with the truth. What happens when shocking moments opens Jude's eyes up to exciting possibilities? And will Spied and Tommy become partners in an endeavor? Wow! Who would have thought? R&R guys and let me know you're still there. And hold onto your seats, we're in for a bumpy ride. Smiles toall of you reading. Please R&R. Angel.