"Those'll kill you, you know," Stuart said, voice shaking as he joined Tom by the railing. He raked a hand through his short brown hair and let out a heavy, wavering sigh.
Tommy laughed darkly, lighting the tip and inhaling deeply. "There are plenty of other things that are killing me right now; Smoking isn't going to do much more damage."
"I see you've finally been exposed to the Harrison women's effect on men," Stuart said lightly, and Tom almost choked. He'd forgotten all about Jude's parents when that tabloid had come out, and he was now certain that Stuart had come out here to kill him. He glanced around and noticed that they were the only two out there, and then swallowed hard. "Relax, Tom," Stuart said, glancing up at the same stars Jude had been watching not a minute before.
"Are you telling me that you don't want to kill me for...for..." Tommy started, not sure whether or not to finish the sentence. Maybe he doesn't know yet...
"I'm not saying that I approve of whatever you and my daughter may be...involved in, but I understand."
Tommy looked over at him, suprised. "How could you possibly understand?"
Stuart sighed, drawing his coat closer around him and keeping an eye trained on the sky. "When I was around your age...maybe a little older, I met this girl: Adrienne. She was amazing; intelligent, beautiful, compassionate. She was everything that I wanted in a woman, but she was six years my junior. I couldn't stay away from her, and pretty soon she started to feel the same way about me. I was leaving for university at the end of the summer, and all of a sudden I realized that I was practically in love with someone so much younger than me. I broke the entire thing off before it could really start, and...well, I started dating her sister. I don't think that I really liked her so much as I wanted an excuse to stay near Adrienne, but it was probably the stupidest thing I could have done; she refused to talk to me. I had been with Adrienne's sister for about four years, and then one day...Adrienne finally talked to me again. She told me that she was getting married and moving to the States with her husband. I never saw her again."
Tom stared at the end of his cigarette thoughtfully, watching the ember smolder and burn. "What about her sister?"
Stuart remained silent for a moment, wrapped up in his own thoughts. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped to barely above a whisper. "I married her. I knew that Adrienne was gone and that there wasn't a reason to stay with her, but...I couldn't let go. She was all I had left of her." Tom coughed, surprised.
"Jude's mom?"
Stuart sighed. "Yeah. I guess I've finally reaped what I've sowed; she's divorcing me. I cheated on her with our travel agent."
Tom nodded. "Jude told me."
"I'm not saying that I agree with your dating Jude," Stuart began, standing up and straightening his jacket. "I just...I don't want to see someone else make the same mistakes that I did." He turned and reached for the door, opening it and slipping inside. "By the way...Jude hates smokers."
The door shut with a click, and Tom took one last drag off of his cigarette before crushing it beneath his toe. He thought for a second, and then pulled the pack out of his pocket and tossed it out. If he was going to get back on Jude's good side, he needed every little bit of help he could get.
Maybe it's just me, but I think that Stuart and Tom are a little bit alike. I just wanted to play that connection up a bit...and in my own little brain, this gives Stuart a reason for cheating on Victoria. Maybe Yvette looks a little bit like Adrienne, eh? Thanks for reading, guys!
