A.N - So I had fun with this chapter. Hope you like it as much as I do. (:

FOUR

You shoulda been kissing on me (kissing on me)
Honey you don't know 'cause you won't listen
You're gonna be missing me, dear (missing me, dear)
When I'm everywhere but here
-- Hope Partlow

Standing in front of the full-length mirror two weeks later, Jude should have felt good. Her short black dress hugged her curves appropriately, the golden jewellery adorning her earlobes and draped around her neck added sparkle to the outfit. Her scarlet hair was pulled away from her face in a collection of curls, tendrils of which escaped their clip prison and curled affectionately against her cheek.

Tonight was her album launch party. Hers and Tommy's, at least.

Which, in and of itself, was what Jude was most looking forward to tonight – the opportunity to see Tommy for this first time in a fortnight.

Jude tugged at a flaming curl critically.

"Maybe I should go blonde," she muttered to herself, dropping the offending lock of hair and twisting in the mirror instead.

She couldn't put it off anymore; she was ready to go.

The doorbell chimed downstairs. Judging by the loud noises outside, Shay and his entourage – not to mention a considerable amount of paparazzi – were outside waiting for her.

Jude left her house on Shay's arm with the flashing lights from cameras exploding in her face. The white light blinded her but all she could think of was Tommy and how he'd look tonight.

Whilst she hoped that tonight would be the night that Tommy would talk to her again.

Tommy strolled into G Major, without a care, an hour after the party had kicked off. The walls were decorated with both him and Jude's album cover art, the DJ switching between both of their tracks in an attempt to appease everybody.

His body was encased in tight, black jeans, his shirt clinging tightly to his upper body as his eyes were hidden behind his trademark sunglasses. They'd mainly been for protection from the flashing paparazzi cameras and, having served their purpose, he slipped them off, slipping them into his jeans pocket.

Nodding to the many people who'd acknowledged him, Tommy stalked through the masses of record executives, thoughts of one girl on his mind.

It had driven him crazy to watch her in public with Shay Mills. Behind G Major's closed doors, Jude ignored Shay like the plague – clearly not wanting anything to do with him. The same couldn't be said for Shay, though. He followed Jude around like a dog its owner – even going as far as to convince Darius that they should release a single together.

"Tommy!" The sound of his name jarred him out of his less than pleasant thoughts and Tommy smiled gratefully at Kwest. "How you holding up?"

"You mean for the whole five minutes that I've been here?"

Kwest laughed and shook his head before whistling. "Hey," he nodded in the direction of a thick throng of people. "You seen Harrison tonight?"

Tommy remained silent, clenched his fists and shook his head. If Kwest meant Jude then he couldn't be held responsible for what was going to happen next.

"There she is," A smile broke across his face as Sadie Harrison came into view. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

But Tommy's attention was no longer on Sadie, not when she was talking to her sister, who was wearing the shortest, most jaw-dropping dress and attracting the attention of every available male in the building.

A jab to the ribs with Kwest's elbow had him nodding agreeably. "Yes," he answered, mind on a different Harrison. "She is."

"Do you think that I should go talk to her?"

Tommy nodded again, purely selfish thoughts in his head. If Kwest talked to Sadie, it meant that Jude was left alone. Which meant that he could get her alone for the first time in two weeks, and talk to her.

He watched, silently, brushing off the attention of people coming up to him, as his producer interrupted the two girls and Jude graciously stood back with a knowing smile in her sister's direction.

Slowly pushing away from the wall he was leaning against, Tommy walked purposefully towards his other Instant Star and wrapped his arm around her waist, without her seeing who he was.

"Shay," she whispered in a hiss as she tried to pull out of his steel grip. "Please, not now."

"Well," Tommy muttered, placing his lips against her temple. "It's a good thing that I'm not Shay."

"I don't want to talk to you either," she spat, ignoring the thrills that shot through her at his touch. "I haven't been good enough for you for the past fourteen days, why now?"

"Been counting, have you?"

"Hardly."

With a scoff and a tug, Jude managed to untwine herself from Tommy's grip and turn to glare at him accusingly. "Why now?" She repeated.

"Because now," Tommy insisted, walking closer to her, picking up a tendril of hair and twisting it between his fingers. "Your little boy toy isn't around."

"He is," she responded, looking around her. "Somewhere."

"He's not with you."

Jude remained silent before sighing. "What do you want, Tommy?"

"I want," his voice was a husky whisper as he touched his lips to Jude's ear, only a hairbreadths away, "you to break up with him."

"I'm not going out with him."

"To all intents and purposes," Tommy's hand snaked in hers and jerked her into the cocoon of his arms. "You are." His arms banded around her waist. "And now I want you to break up with him."

"You have no right to tell me what to do."

"I think," he insisted. "I do. Considering you don't want to be with him any more than I want you to."

"But –"

He cut her off with his lips falling down onto hers. They were in a relatively secluded part of the room and, apart from the few surprised glances, went unnoticed. The kiss was harsh and possessive but neither would have pulled away if the world were ending.

Eventually, the need to breathe took over them and they pulled apart quickly, breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You see now?" He demanded. "Why I want you to break up with him?"

Jude shook her head futilely. "No," she whispered, knowing it was a lie even as she said it.

Relenting, Tommy's gaze dropped to the floor as he let go of Jude, who took the opportunity for what it was and ran away into more populated areas. He sighed shakily as he watched her go before making his way to the refreshment table and downing a glass of champagne.

The flashes of paparazzi cameras blinded him from the corner of his vision but he paid them no attention – until he heard what they were chanting.

'Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!'

Almost apprehensively, Tommy turned his head to see Jude trapped in Shay's arms and his grip tightened on the glass in his hand. It only took Shay's head leaning towards Jude's and the stiffening of her back as he kissed her to enrage Tommy.

The sound of the glass smashing went unnoticed in the sound of righteous applause. No one saw it coming.

Tommy stormed over to the couple and pulled Shay away from Jude, cocking back his fist and punching him – hard – in his eye.

"Fuck!" The curse rolled off his lips as shards of glass embedded themselves further in his skin with the force of the punch.

Jude screamed as the clicking sound of cameras filled the otherwise silent hall.

Blood dripping from his hand, Tommy turned to look pointedly at Jude before leaving the album launch party, flashes following him as the whispers in the room started to grow.

And throughout it all, Jude could only watch him leave.