Chapter 6.5
A week had passed since Tommy and Jude had first gotten back into the studio. Though they were only working on the song Jude had written for Kwest and Sadie, it felt so perfect and normal for him to be behind the glass, producing her. She was truly a natural—always knowing the right way to adjust her playing or a lyric. She rarely had to do more than a few takes to find the perfect one, and she was always ready for his suggestions and pointers. Tommy had produced many artists over the years, but being completely honest, Jude was the best by far. Maybe it was their connection and friendship, but she always knew exactly what he wanted without him having to say a thing. They still weren't sure if this song was going to go on the album, but she wanted it to be a masterpiece nonetheless.
In addition to spending time in the studio, they had been helping Sadie plan what was quickly becoming the wedding of the century. Tommy still couldn't believe that Jude had just given Sadie all that money. He thought Sadie was being a total bitch about things too—always talking down to Jude or complaining about how things weren't perfect. Nearly every night he had been regaled with tales of how Sadie had chewed someone's head off because it wasn't perfect. During those conversations with Jude, they indirectly talked about how they would do things differently. She told him how she wanted something much more simple—friends and family only. He told her how he would love to get married in a small church or chapel. He was always surprised how similar they were when their conversations veered in that direction.
At this point, most of the details were discussed and plans were in place for the wedding in a couple of weeks. Tommy had just gotten off the phone with James to plan Kwest's bachelor party, and he had overheard Jude discussing Sadie's bachelorette party with Portia just yesterday. Because of the short notice for the wedding, they had to do many things on their own. Tomorrow, Sadie was taking Jude to look at flowers and he would be helping Kwest pick up the centerpieces that Sadie has specially made. However tonight, the four of them would be going to dinner at a little French restaurant, Le Paradis. It was Sadie's favorite—classy and expensive. He always preferred Le Petit Dejuner—a place he had discovered with Jude a few years ago. It was more of a cafe, but the food was incredible and the owner was amazing.
Tommy was just finished getting dressed when the front door opened and quickly slammed closed. "Hi!" Jude yelled as she ran past him.
He knew she didn't take a long time to get ready—in fact, it was one of the many things that made her so different and wonderful from any other girl he had dated. But they had to leave in about five minutes—she had raced through in jeans and a sweatshirt, hair in a messy bun, no makeup on. Buttoning the last button, Tommy grabbed his suit jacket and walked downstairs to make sure he had everything before they had to leave. Setting his keys, wallet, and phone next to his jacket, Tommy walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled, "Jude, we have to leave soon! You know that, right?"
Not thirty seconds later she came walking down the stairs, stopping for a moment to put on her heels. "Wow. You look fantastic! How did you do that?" She looked like a new person—her hair was down and softly curled, she was in a simple green strapless dress with a blazer over the top and had on yellow heels. Any makeup she was wearing was barely discernible, but somehow her eyes seemed to pop.
"Sorry I'm so late. Sadie had me making the little favors for the reception and I lost track of time. She had a pedicure and went upstairs to get ready when she got back. She wanted them finished by tonight."
"She should have helped." Tommy couldn't believe that Sadie was using everyone around her like a little slave. "Oh well, let's go" As he watched Jude walk in front of him, he checked her out from behind. The dress she was wearing wasn't overly tight, but it was fitted to her curves and showed off her perfect ass. He wondered what kind of underwear she might be wearing, hoping that it was a pair of those lacy ones she had on in Paris. It would be even better if there was nothing on underneath—if not, it would be perfect for a quickie in a secluded corner, or a restroom, or the back of a cab, or...Stop! Tommy smacked himself on the side of the head. Where had that train of thought come from? He had been so good at keeping those thoughts away for the past few months, what happened? Hearing Jude call for him, Tommy grabbed his keys and followed her out the door and to the car.
After a lengthy drive in a great deal of traffic, the pair arrived at the restaurant. Keys and a warning glare were given to the valet attendant, and Jude led Tommy into Le Paradis and to the table where Kwest and Sadie were seated. The friends agreed that no wedding details would be discussed, and instead caught up on what other things were going on in their lives. Tommy was most excited to hear about the baby from Kwest and Sadie directly—everything he heard had been from Jude until now. At this point, Sadie was only about seven weeks along, but she already had everything planned out. Jude's old room was going to be the nursery and they had agreed on decorating in a jungle animals theme. Sadie had wanted to be surprised as to the sex of the baby, and the animals were pretty gender neutral.
Eventually conversation moved on from babies and turned to music—as it was bound to do with them. Jude told them how excited she was to finally be working on her own album, but that she was hoping she could still work with SME on their new album that would be started the following month. Around when their dinners were brought out, their waitress came to check on the group. All night she had been making eyes at Tommy, and, though he wasn't going to actually do anything about it, it was funny to see Jude's reaction. Every time the gal would come by their table, Jude's hands would ball into fists and her jaw would clench in irritation. She would give one word answers and sarcastic smiles to the girl and roll her eyes the moment she left the table.
"How is everything? Is there anything I can do for you?" The waitress would only look at Tommy, and her second question was accompanied by a hand on his shoulder. She leaned closer to him, trying to show off her cleavage, and batted her eyes as if that would impress him.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Jude and could barely contain his laughter. Her face was getting red and she looked ready to burst. Knowing that he would be smacked if he encouraged their waitress too much, Tommy only told her that they were fine, "but thanks so much. The food looks wonderful."
"I'm so glad. If there is anything you might need, just let me know. My name is Tiffani—with an 'I'." Again, there was more eyelash batting before Tiffani left their table.
The moment she turned her back on the group, Jude let out a large sigh and rolled her eyes once again. Thankfully, conversation continued and the group was just about to leave when Tiffani came up to Tommy. Pulling him a step away from the group, she asked, "So, my shift is over in about thirty minutes. What are you doing tonight?"
Tommy coughed to hide his laughter. Anyone could clearly see that he wasn't interested in going anywhere with this floozy of a woman. She clearly had no class and was blatantly offering herself to him. Where would the fun be in that? Having no intention of ever agreeing to this woman's proposal, Tommy thought he could at least torment Jude a bit. "Well, what did you have in mind?" At his response, Jude's eyes shot open and he could feel her glare burning holes in him.
Tiffani put her hand on his chest and leaned closer, "we could go to your place. Tommy Q must have a place with a view, right?" She started rubbing his chest, and it was all Tommy could do to hide his revulsion.
"The only problem with that is my roommate." As he said this, he pointed to Jude and attempted to roll his eyes. "You know how roommates can be." The look of rage on Jude's face was a little too real for Tommy, so he quickly attempted to backtrack. Looking at her, he pleaded her understanding, "I'm kidding. Honestly, Babes, I'm kidding." Jude only looked away and he could feel the panic start to set it. Jude had to believe him—he was only joking around. "Jude..." She didn't look at him and began to walk towards the door, leaving Kwest and Sadie with mouths open. Quickly turning to Tiffani the waitress, he shrugged, saying, "Sorry, I'm really not interested. I was just trying to get a reaction from my girl."
He moved in the direction of the door, but before he could take too many steps, a hand clamped down on his upper arm. "What do you mean? I could show you a good time." Her eyebrows wiggled up and down, trying to be suggestive.
"I'm sure you could, but like I said before: I'm really not interested. Now, I have to go get her." The panic was setting in full force and Tommy knew that he would have to get to Jude soon. The rage he had seen in her eyes had quickly turned to hurt. He should have known that she wouldn't think his little game was funny. She was already feeling lonely with the wedding and baby frenzy, not to mention that she felt a little like she was being kicked out of her house. On top of all that, Tommy knew that she had been having a hard time with whatever drama had happened between them on tour. Hell, he had no idea what the feelings he had been having meant.
Tiffani grabbed his arm more tightly, not letting him go any farther, "No! What does that ugly bitch have that I don't? Come on!"
Forcefully removing her hand from him, Tommy was completely irritated and spoke slowly and deliberately, "Let me go." He turned and stomped out the door, on a mission to find his girl Looking down the street both ways, he couldn't see her anywhere. "Jude! Where are you, Jude?" He began yelling in different directions, the desperate need to find her increasing. A moment later, he felt a hand on his back, and he turned to face Kwest and Sadie.
"Tom, you know how she is. Just give her a little time to cool off. Go back to your place and you'll see her soon enough."
He knew Kwest was right. Jude was impulsive and stubborn. If she was mad at him, she would be for a while. Maybe the best thing was to just go home. Looking intently in both directions to see if he could catch a glimpse of her, Tommy made a last-ditch effort to find her. Shoulders slumping in disappointment, he turned back towards his friends and the valet. Grabbing his keys and tipping the man, he decided to follow their advice. He would go back to his place and wait for her. She had to show up at some point, right? The unease in the pit of his gut told him things might not work out so easily, but without any other real options, he got in the car anyways. Speeding off into the night, thoughts of Jude plagued him. She was tough, but this was Toronto at night. It was cold out—fall was quickly turning into winter—and you never know who you might find on the streets. He double checked to ensure that his phone was on and easily accessible, and continued in the direction of home, knowing that if his girl needed him, at least he would be ready.
…
Jude woke up to the coffee grinder whirring and a door slamming. Her neck hurt from the awkward position in which she had fallen asleep on the couch. Tommy's comments last night had left her numb and lonely. She knew that he would never think of her the way she thought of him. He was her best friend, but nothing more. Yes, she loved him. Jude had come to accept that the love she felt for Tommy was one sided. She wouldn't give up their friendship for anything, but she had needed some time away from him. After he told that he was kidding, she hadn't known how to react. A part of her had known that he wasn't serious with their waitress, but their interaction had further proved that she was not the one he would take home. Would she only ever be the best friend and roommate?
"Oh good! You're up." Sadie's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We have to get going pretty soon. My dress fitting is in an hour and then we are going to look at flowers. Somehow there was money added to the wedding account...we have to put it to good use!" Pulling the blanket off of her, Sadie finished by saying, "Get up, sis! We have to go!"
Before she could even think about getting ready, Jude needed a cup of coffee. Grabbing a mug from the cabinet she poured herself a cup and headed upstairs. Thankfully, she still had a few clothes left here, so not forty minutes later, Jude was ready to go. On the way to the boutique, she could tell that Sadie wanted to ask her something, and she had a feeling it was about last night. "Sadie, just ask."
A startled look graced Sadie's face, but she shrugged, "What happened last night?"
Though she knew the question was coming, Jude didn't know how to respond—should she be honest and admit that she was in love with her best friend or just say she needed some time to herself. Deciding that honesty was always the best policy, she took a breath and told her sister, "I couldn't do it. I knew that he was joking with that girl, but it made me realize that he would never feel that way for me. I'm in love with my best friend, and there's nothing I can do about it." Looking out the window, Jude finished her thought, "Last night it just became real, you know?"
The lack of response from Sadie made it clear to Jude that her words had shocked her sister. Ten minutes later of no words being spoken, the pair pulled up to the bridal boutique and went in. Before getting to the counter, Sadie grabbed her arm and asked, "Jude, where were you last night. I was up until at least midnight and you weren't home, but this morning when Kwest got coffee, you were asleep on the couch."
"Oh, I walked. The air helped clear my head." Jude didn't know why her sister was so concerned. Sure, it was a long walk, but there wasn't anything to worry about—she always carried pepper spray with her.
"You walked?" Sadie screeched. "What the hell were you thinking, Jude?"
"Calm down, I was fine. I stayed on the main streets and it only took a few hours. I was home around 1:30 or 2:00." Not wanting to discuss her evening stroll any further, Jude walked up to the counter and asked the associate for Sadie's dress. After assuring that her dress was perfect, Sadie paid for the remaining balance with her newly had funds and the sisters were off again.
Jude was shocked that Sadie hadn't questioned anything about the rise in the funds of her wedding account. She had acted as though it was normal that the fund had increased by over $13,000.00—that was a lot! Oh well, less explaining to do for Jude. The pair walked into the florist shop, Sadie immediately going to the chairs off to the side. Jude stopped all movement, closing her eyes, and taking in the scents. After a moment, she followed Sadie to the chairs and sat down.
Nearly three hours later, a floral masterpiece had been created for Sadie's wedding; at over $7,000.00 dollars, it better be a masterpiece. Jude could never imagine spending that much on flowers, especially in the intricate and extravagant designs that Sadie had picked out. She had always wanted to carry a simple bouquet of hydrangeas. Maybe with some bay leaf garland too. Regardless, it would be simple and beautiful.
Feeling her stomach growl, Jude realized how hungry she was. Not surprising considering she hadn't eaten all day long. Begging Sadie to get some food, her sister reluctantly agreed. "Fine, lets go. There's a cafe a couple of blocks from here. We can walk."
Along the way, Jude wasn't surprised when Sadie brought up Tommy again. "Jude, you just have to let it go. Tommy always has been and always will be a player. Sure, he's a nice guy, but he only cares about himself. Find a good guy, stop thinking about Tommy."
"Right, because it's that easy. I'll just stop thinking of him." Jude rolled her eyes at her sister's words. Like it was that easy to get over Tom Quincy. Sadie had been infatuated with him for years, shouldn't she understand a little bit how her had this hold on women?
"I know, I know. But Jude, you have to know that someone will come along and be the right one. The one who knows how to make you laugh and smile all the time, the one who listens when you need him to, the one who knows when you just need a hug, the one who you want to tell everything to and share everything with, the one who is like your other half. You'll find that someday."
Clearly Sadie didn't understand the depth of Jude's feelings. "That's just it, Sadie! Tommy is all of those things! He is the one I want to share everything with and the only one who knows how to make me smile when life sucks. Who do you think I called when mom left? Who do you think I called as soon as I found out about the tour?"
"Jude, I know you think Tommy is the only one who will ever be that person for you, but there will be someone else. It has to go both ways."
"Don't you think I know that? Sadie, I get it! I know Tommy will never feel that way about me, but it doesn't mean I can just turn off these feelings. I fucking love the man!" Putting her face in her hands, Jude tried to stop the tears from falling, but a few escaped despite her efforts. Taking a deep breath to clear her head and focus her attention on getting to the cafe, Jude looked up again.
Sadie looked surprised at her sister's response, and quickly grabbed her in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry, Jude. Forget this food, lets get some ice cream and go home. We'll kick Kwest out for the night."
With a weak smile, Jude nodded her agreement. At the moment, nothing sounded better than overdosing on cookies-n-cream ice cream with her sister and watching a cheesy chick-flick.
Hours later, the two were ready to pass out on the floor, three empty containers that once held ice cream scattered around them. Jude had some confidence that, despite the man she loved didn't love her back, she would be alright. Sadie had told her to stay at the house for as long as she wanted, she was always welcome. She had also decided to take Spied up on his offer and move into the rehearsal space. It may not be the most conventional place to live, but at least it wasn't with Tommy. Maybe some separation would help the situation. Jude knew that her feelings for Tommy would not go away easily, maybe she would never be completely free of them. But she would be alright, she could exist outside of those feelings. With that thought offering a bit of hope for the future, Jude slid into a restless sleep.
…
Tommy was sitting in his kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee and thinking about what his day would entail. Today he was determined to rectify things with Jude. He hadn't spoken to her in over a day, and all attempts at contacting her had come without response. He knew that she was upset about dinner the other night, but he couldn't apologize if she wouldn't speak to him. He had been especially confused at Jude's lack of response; thankfully, Kwest had come over the night before and explained everything to him. Thinking back, he had been shocked at Kwest's first words as he came in the front door.
"You're an idiot, man."
"What the hell?" Tommy had been shocked by the statement. "I allow you to come over and crash for the night, and that's the first thing you say?"
"What do you expect, Tom? It's your best friend who is at my house in tears because of last night. Why the hell would you do that when you know how she gets?"
It was true, everyone knew how possessive Jude could be, especially when it came to annoying skanky groupies. But, thinking back, Tommy could only smirk in response, "She looks so cute and sexy when she's mad. She gets this determined look in her eyes and clenches her jaw—its kind of awesome. I couldn't help it." At the last comment, he shrugged, knowing that his answer was not a good one—at least he was being honest. 'I didn't think she would take me seriously. She knows I would never go for that kind of girl."
"Sure, you know that and I know that, but what makes you think that she would ever know that? You are a perpetual flirt!"
"Maybe I do flirt with girls some, but I don't do the whole one-night-stand thing anymore. I need more than that, and she knows it! There has to be more to it."
Tommy could tell that there was something Kwest hadn't told him, but after repeated tries at getting the information out of him, he got no where. Kwest was being very tight-lipped. He had only revealed that Jude was dealing with a lot of change at the moment and feeling a bit alone. Tommy's comment had further intensified those lonely feelings.
With a bit of understanding, Tommy had vowed to find Jude the following day. The panic from the night before hadn't gone away, and he knew that he couldn't leave things with Jude like this for very long. He hated not talking to her and didn't like not knowing where she was. After dinner a couple of nights ago, he had barely slept a wink because he was so worried for Jude. Did she not know how dangerous that was to be walking late at night? Once they were back on good terms, he would have to talk to her about that. With that thought in mind, Tommy finished off his coffee and ran upstairs to finish getting ready.
Thirty minutes and a phone call later, Tommy and Kwest were off to Spied's rehearsal space. Knowing that he would need to execute a minor ambush on Jude in order to talk to her, Tommy had made Kwest call Sadie to see where the sisters were. After finding out that they were at the rehearsal space Spied and SME rented out, they were off, first stopping to get Jude some coffee, knowing that would soften the blow of being ambushed.
After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the rehearsal space, Tommy triple-checking that his car was locked because the area was awful. The rent may be cheap, but the location was terrible—the highest crime in Toronto. He was glad to see Sadie's car in the lot, but was surprised to find it full of boxes. Shoving the door open, Tommy walked in to the space to find his girl carrying a heavy box across the room. Setting the coffee down, he rushed over to help her, taking the box out of her hands. He could tell that she was about to thank him, but, upon realizing who was helping her, she turned away. After setting the box down, he grabbed her arm and led her to the coffee he had brought, determined to work things out. "Jude, we have to talk sometime."
"No, we don't. There's nothing to talk about. It was a joke and now everything is okay." She turned to walk outside again, he assumed to grab more boxes.
Not wanting her to leave until they had finished their talk, Tommy jogged in front of her and stopped her again, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Babes, you know I didn't mean it. She's not even close to my type." He said the last part hoping to get a smile, but all he got was a blank stare that looked away after a moment.
"But..." Jude paused, clearly unsure how to continue.
"What is is, sweets?"
"Am I in your way?
"Of course not! What would make you think that?" Tommy didn't know why she would ever think she was in his way. He loved having her around.
"Its just, I know she's not your type, but what about when someone is? What happens when you find someone who you want to spend the night with or who you want to have over? You haven't gone on a date in forever, and I know its been longer since you've...been with someone. I don't want to be the reason you aren't finding some perfect woman."
Tommy felt her shoulders slump beneath his hands, and he saw the tears in her eyes. Was this really because she thought she was cramping his style? It may have been a while since he found someone worth dating, let alone worth sleeping with, but in no way was that Jude's fault. He just didn't find many women interesting. Especially since being back in Toronto for a couple of weeks, Tommy found that he would much rather watch a movie with Jude than take some irritating groupie to dinner. "Babes..." When she wouldn't look at him, Tommy embraced Jude in a tight hug. "Babes, you aren't keeping me from finding a woman. Its not your fault that no one around here is as interesting or fun as you are. Is that what this was about?"
Jude didn't answer for a moment, but finally said, "I just had to make sure that I wasn't becoming too dependent on you. You need more than some clingy best friend."
Her words shocked him. He had never considered her clingy, and even if she was, she was his favorite person to be around. "Hon..." Before he could continue, another voice interrupted him.
"Its true, Tom. You both need more friends. Besides, Jude deserves to find someone too." Sadie set down another box and walked toward the door.
Still holding Jude, he turned his head toward Sadie, "Stay out of it, Sadie. Is this the reason Jude was so worried? You know she's way better than any groupie, and I love having her around." Turning back to the girl in his arms, he whispered, "I love having you around, Babes."
A quiet, "Are you sure?" was asked of him.
"Positive. I don't want you going anywhere." The mere thought of Jude not being around made Tommy's chest constrict and his brow sweat. She was his favorite part of the day, why the hell would he give that up? If and when some other "perfect woman" came into the picture, they would deal with it. Until then, they would continue being Tommy and Jude, best friends and musical genius'. Pulling back slightly so he could see her face, he asked, "Now, what are all these boxes for?"
Jude looked back at the stack that was forming on the far side of the room and then glanced back at him. "Since Sadie and Kwest want my old room to be the nursery, I decided to move my stuff here. Spied told me I could stay here as long as I needed."
Shock filled Tommy's face. Before he could stop himself, the words were out of his mouth. "Jude, you can't stay here! It isn't safe! Who knows what kind of creeps hang around this place at all hours of the night? You should stay with me." Why would she move? Jude hadn't slept somewhere other than his place—last night excluded—since arriving back in Toronto, and Tommy wouldn't have it any other way.
"I can't do that, hon. I don't want to take up more of your space."
"No. You aren't." He didn't understand why it was so hard for her to just agree to stay with him. At least he knew she would be safe and taken care of.
"Tommy, I'll have to find my own place eventually. I can't just mooch off of you forever."
Her argument fell on deaf ears, there was no way he would let her stay here in this crummy studio space. "Babes, no. If you want, I'll help you look for a place of your own, but until then, you're staying with me. End of discussion." With that, he kissed her lightly on the corner of her mouth as if to quell any further disagreement. Startled by his own actions, Tommy quickly moved away from her and asked, "So, lets grab the rest of your clothes and take them to my place. Then, we can have some fun. How does going by the pier sound?"
Jude showed him which boxes contained the rest of her clothes and they were quickly loaded into his car. Tommy ignored the glares that Sadie was sending his way, and brushed off the questioning glances that Kwest was giving him. Right now, nothing mattered more than making Jude understand that she couldn't be replaced as easily as she thought. She was his best friend—there was no way he would let her go.
…
A week had passed since the encounter at the rehearsal space. Sadie had gotten more hormonal and crazy by the moment, and Jude was trying to avoid her like the plague. She continued to help out with wedding details, making sure that things were getting done and being checked off the list. Tomorrow was the rehearsal, and the following day was the wedding, and Jude thought it couldn't come soon enough. As she waited for Tommy to come downstairs, she thought about the night before.
Tommy had a late dinner meeting with one of the major investors, so he wasn't going to be home. She had called Spied to see if he wanted to hang out, and not twenty minutes later, he had shown up with Wally and Kyle for a game of "Truth or Truth." The four had played for hours, stopping only when Tommy had called to say he was leaving the restaurant and asked Jude to put on some hot water for when he got home. Through the course of the night, Jude had found out that Wally had a crush on Sadie, Kyle had always wanted to be an astronaut, and Spied liked getting facials. However, Jude had confessed that she was in love with Tommy, and that had kind of taken the cake. Before he left, Spied had told her that she shouldn't give up on Tommy so easily—there might be hope for them yet.
Regardless of how much Jude wanted that to be true, she had tried to push the thought out of her mind. She couldn't give herself a false hope and get heartbroken in the end. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see her handsome best friends nearing the bottom of the staircase.
"You ready, Sweets?"
Smiling, she simply nodded, tossing him his keys, and then saying, "You bet. Let's get out of here." And just like that, they were off to the studio. This had become a normal part of their routine—waking up together, getting ready, getting some work done at the studio, coming home and watching TV or a movie, eat some dinner, and fall asleep again. They had inadvertently worked out a "shower-schedule" and were able to time their getting ready so they were done at the same time. As much as Jude had tried to stay away from him emotionally, Tommy knew exactly how to make her fall for him over and over.
The little things he did like opening doors and getting her coffee were nice...he always cooked or ordered food he knew she would like...he would tuck her in at night to make sure she felt safe and secure...and he was always holding onto her or being near her, telling her he liked having her close. At night when they would watch TV he would have his arm around her or have her lay down—head on his lap. When they would stop for coffee, he would know exactly what she wanted—whether it was her normal au lait, or a latte or cappuccino she felt more in the mood for. If she started getting stressed out, he knew how to make her smile and laugh. When there was a melody or lyrics that were on the tip of her tongue, he was the one who brought them out.
Tommy knew her better than anyone. Living with Tommy had been wonderful, and Jude was terrified at what would happen when he made her move. She had come to think of his place as "home," even more so than G Major. When she thought of relaxing, she thought of crawling into his comfortable bed and putting on a movie. Even when she wanted to hang out with Spied the other night, she had started to invite him to "her place," only barely catching herself and amending her words at the last moment.
A hand on her knee startled Jude out of her thoughts, and her best friend's voice brought her back to the present, "You okay, space cadet? We've been sitting in the lot for about five minutes now."
The slight grin on his face did nothing to stop her own smile from shining through. "Sorry." Jude shrugged, and continued saying, "just a lot on my mind, ya know?"
Rolling his eyes, Tom responded, "Oh, I know. Your sister has officially gone crazy! I got a text this morning saying we should count the number of programs to make sure there was enough. But I took them to the printer and told them to make about fifty extra—no need to count again."
A small chuckle left Jude's mouth as she thought of her sister. This past week she had gotten even more obsessive about all things wedding related, so Tommy and her had stayed away as much as possible. The studio had became their hideout until Sadie had stormed in a couple days before. Yesterday they had sequestered themselves in Tom's office with the door locked—him catching up on paperwork, her working on some new songs. Jude hoped that today they would do the same. Anytime she could be in a locked room with Tom Quincy, she was happy.
Mentally slapping herself upside the head, Jude forced her thoughts away from the possibilities of being in a locked room with him. She couldn't let herself think like that! It would only make things harder in the end. Thinking of Tommy's previous comment about her crazy sister, Jude grabbed his hand, "At least we can escape into a music-making paradise, right?"
"Piles of paperwork is not exactly what I consider a paradise, but if it gets me away from psycho-Sadie, then I'll take it. Let's go." Nodding his head toward the building, Tommy let go of her hand.
Jude was struck with the loss of warmth, and again scolded herself for thinking those thoughts. She followed him into the building and into his office. Tommy sat down at his desk and put a set of headphones on so he could listen to the final mix of SME's concert CD. Jude grabbed his Taylor Grand Auditorium 815ce and sat on the floor. She sighed in contentedness, loving the feel of this guitar, innately knowing that it would be perfect for the song she was trying to put on paper.
The past couple of day, Jude had come to terms with the fact that she loved Tommy, and that he didn't love her back. As much as she tried to ignore those feelings, they were real. And, as she told Sadie, those feelings wouldn't just go away. She thought that maybe by putting them into a song, she could move past them. That was what today was about—moving on with her life. She could see how perfect they could be together, but it wouldn't work if he didn't meet her halfway and feel at least a fraction of what she did.
Closing her eyes, Jude let her fingers feel the strings beneath them and took a deep breath to center herself. After a moment, her mind was flooded with all of the things she wanted to say but didn't have the courage to, and she began to write. Completely losing track of time, Jude was lost in the emotion of her song. Hours passed, people came and went from Tommy's office, and she was clueless. So surrendered to the power of the music and words she was creating, Jude didn't notice when the clock struck five and Tommy began packing up.
As she looked over the finished song, she felt that it would be a masterpiece. Playing it once through one last time, she knew that, if it were ever to be released, it would be a hit. She wasn't being cocky or full of herself, Jude just knew that the emotions were so real and raw that anyone who heard it would feel those same things. Closing her journal, Jude gathered her things into her bag and stood up. Stretching a bit, she looked around the room and saw Tommy sitting on his couch. Almost startled to see him, she asked, "Oh, hi. What time is it anyway?"
"Almost six. I take it you were feeling inspired?"
Smiling, Jude shook her head, "Just a bit, yeah."
Standing up from his place on the couch, he walked over to her and attempted to grab the journal from her. "First hit for the album?" Again, he tried to swipe the journal from her, "Come on, let me see it."
The look on his face was like that of a sad little boy, and it was hard for Jude to resist. But, she knew that he would only ask questions, something she didn't want to answer. "Nope, lets go. Maybe you'll get to see it later. Come on." Side-stepping him, Jude walked to the door and pulled it open. Turning her head to face Tommy, she asked, "You comin'?"
Rolling his eyes with a smile, he followed her out the door and to the car. They headed home and continued their evening as usual. Tommy made fettuccine alfredo with grilled veggies, which Jude loved, and then shared some vanilla bean ice cream while watching Sabrina—Jude's favorite movie. She began to get sleepy, and only forty minutes into the movie, she was falling asleep. She could feel the strong arms of her best friend and love grab her and carry her to his room. In her partially sleepy state, Jude thought about how nice it would have been if he was carrying to their room and they would be drifting off to sleep as lovers and soul mates, not just best friends. Resigning herself to the position she held as best friend, Jude settled into the comfort of the bed. The feeling of an arm wrapped around her waist only made her more comfortable. She ignored her common sense that told her to move away from him and instead cuddled into his arms, drifting into a fantasy world of marriage and babies, and loving every moment of it.
Le Paradis is an actual restaurant in Toronto, located on Bedford Road.
Le Petit Dejuner is an actual restaurant in Toronto, located on King Street East.