“Hey,” Jude whispers against my mouth, pressing their forehead to mine.
“Hey,” I echo, peering at them.
Jude’s lips are pink, slightly swollen from making out for however long we’ve been on the couch. “I think maybe we should eat something. What do you think?”
I manage a laugh. “I mean, I guess.”
Jude pulls back to study me incredulously. “Oliver Hammond, did we find something you enjoy more than eating?”
“I think we did,” I admit. “But, like eating, I suppose we can’t kiss forever.”
“If only,” Jude sighs, nuzzling back into me.
As if on cue, my stomach growls, and we burst into laughter.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many restaurants open on Thanksgiving, so our options are limited. Luckily, I remember I have a frozen pizza in my dorm, so we head down to room 319 to retrieve the pizza, Harrison’s air mattress, and a change of clothes for me. We pop the pizza in the oven, then get to work reconstructing the cuddle puddle arrangement in Jude’s living room.
“Even better than a blanket fort,” Jude remarks, a hint of sadness in their voice.
“Why not both?” I ask. “Do you have more blankets?”
Jude considers it. “Yeah, come help me get them from my room.”
I follow them into their bedroom, pausing at the doorway.
“What’s wrong?” Jude asks.
“I just realized I’ve never seen your room before,” I reply, stepping inside to take it in. The layout is almost the same as my own dorm room, though perhaps a little bigger. The walls are adorned with art—fan art, to be precise. I recognize most, if not all, of the characters portrayed in various art styles.Our Flag Means Death, Community, Good Omens, It’s Always Sunny inPhiladelphia, Hazbin Hotel, Bojack Horseman, Supernatural,andBob’s Burgers.
“Max is a movie nerd, but I’m a television nerd,” Jude explains. “Always have been.”
“I love all of this,” I say, my eyes moving from one piece to the next until they land on Jude’s desk. There are several notebooks and textbooks on its surface, which is to be expected. On the wall above the desk is a magnetic dry-erase board with a few notes, receipts, and to-do lists held up by green glass magnets, but one tiny slip of paper catches my eye.
“An exciting new friendship will get you out of your rut.”
“That’s from the night we met,” they say softly.
I frown. “Really?”
“You guys had Chinese food, and there was a handful of fortune cookies left on the counter. Remember? I asked you if I could have one, and you told me Theo was allergic to nuts or something?”
The memory floods back in an instant, and I smile. “Oh yeah. I do remember. I even remember wondering what happened to your fortune.”
“I slipped it into my pocket while we were talking and then forgot about it until I was getting ready for bed that night,” Jude explains. “I don’t know why I put it on my board. I didn’t think you were the ‘exciting new friendship’ it referred to right away, but a few weeks later, I noticed it again and immediately knew it was about you.”
I chuckle. “So, did I get you out of your rut?”
“Yeah, I’d say so,” they reply. “Last year, I never left my dorm unless I had class. I didn’t want to socialize or meet people. Everything with Tyler was still so raw, and I didn’t want to get hurt again. But within days of meeting me, you invited me over to playSmash Bros. You took me to campus events like the Movie on the Green. You convinced me to go to a Halloweenparty. You even got piercings with me. You absolutely pulled me out of my lonely rut. And Max helped, too, I guess. But honestly, it was mostly you.”
I manage a smile. “Wow. I had no idea.”
Jude nods. “Not only that, but you indirectly helped me get out of a fairly toxic relationship with Nikki, too.”
My smile vanishes. “Wait, your relationship was toxic?”
“A bit, yeah,” Jude continues. “I mean, I don’t think Nikki was toxic or anything. We just weren’t good for each other.”
I frown. “Huh. Well, that sucks.”
