Tommy pulled up to the club around eleven and strided confidently into the doors giving Al the bouncer a nod. Tom came to the club once in a while and it was usually to talk to Braden or see if Jude was around.
From what Tommy could tell it was another busy Friday night with the smell of hard alcohol and musky cigarette smoke. He walked through the club scanning the dark atmosphere for a particular girl. Obviously Tommy brought plenty of attention to himself with his dark blue distressed jeans and black button up shirt. And of course he was looking even hotter while sporting his signature leather jacket. He was so wrapped up in finding Jude that he was ignorant to the fact that that there was about a dozen women drooling at the mere sight that was Tom Quincy.
Tommy walked up to the bar to find Braden. He saw him wiping down the counters and made it over to the far side of the counter.
"Hey Brade, how's business?" Tom asked while taking a seat at the bar.
"You know," Braden sighed, "same old thing. Hot girl orders drink. Hot girl buys you a drink. Hot girl ends up puking all over the counter."
"Don't envy you man. I really don't." Tommy replied while looking down the bar for Jude.
"So where is…"
"Jude?" Brade finished for him with a knowing smirk.
"Uh…. Yeah. I didn't see her when I walked in." Tommy replied slightly embarrassed that his actions were so obvious.
"That's because she is on the dance floor. After she has a couple of drinks she likes to let lose."
" Hey Brade your working most of the time she's in here aren't you?"
"Um yeah. I mean every night I work I usually see her in here. Why do you ask?" He inquired.
" Well not to go all over protective but don't you think she drinks a little to much?" Tommy asked with a serious look on his face.
Tommy knew Jude drank mostly because it was a way to relieve stress from the previous week at work. After being in the spot light for almost 4 years she was in fact a Rock star. Darius demanded a lot from the teenager. Her popularity had gone up a lot in the last couple of years and that meant more interviews more photo shoots and most of all more time at the studio recording. Tom admired the way Jude handled working while going to college and most of all still had time to see her friends and family. But what Tom didn't like was how hammered she would get from time to time. He usually ended up taking care of her the next morning at the studio when she had a massive hang over and could barely keep her eyes opened. He didn't like seeing her act so reckless and that's why he was glad he had Braden looking out for her when he couldn't be there.
Braden though about the question for a minute and simply replied, "I don't think she drinks that much. Jude's a smart girl she knows when to cool it most of the time when she's had too much.
He paused for a second and shook his head, " I mean there are nights that I have to cut her off and I have the bruises to show for it but it's her way of venting. I mean no ones perfect."
Braden trailed off and looked at over at the dance floor. He saw Jude dancing to the all to familiar techno music and couldn't help but smile. She really was the most amazing girl he had met in his 21 years. She was strong and loving and he absolutely loved her smile. He snapped out of his trance and looked back over at Tommy's frowning face.
"Actually Tom, tonight's the first night in a long time that she's drank more than she can handle." Braden paused and leaned over the counter.
"What did you do to her?"
Tommy sighed and turned around in his stool and scanned the dance floor for Jude. When he finally found the raven-haired girl in the middle of the dance floor he marveled at just how grown up she had become in the past few years. And he knew tonight was the night he had to make everything all right between them and finally stop being afraid of what they could have.
"Everything man. Just everything." He replied with disgust in his voice.