AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What are you doing?” I ask as Skylar stands, grabbing my bag and clothes to hand to me.
“I wanted to make sure your stuff didn’t get jacked, so I waited. And she wouldn’t leave for some reason, so we’ve been waiting,” she says, and then stretches her arms above her head. “I’m tired. I’m going back to the dorm for a nap.”
“Thank you,” I say as she walks out the door.
“No problem. Be good,” she says, pointing a finger at me. “And you,” she then says to Rachael, “don’t be such a bitch all the time.”
When I look back at Rachael, she’s standing, her arms crossed across her chest, still wearing that look on her face. I ignore her, putting on my clothes because I don’t trust myself to say anything to her. I am still so mad at her and don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. Which wouldn’t be far. It’s just shitty what she did, what she claimed.
While I don’t trust myself to speak to her, Jude must not care because he says, “That was superlow, Rach.”
She shrugs as she looks down at the ground, wringing her fingers together. “I just don’t get it. I don’t know how you could lie to my face the way you did.”
“The same way you just did,” he says with a shrug. “I never promised you forever, and don’t say I did. I said if I decided to start dating, I’d call you.”
“But you didn’t,” she says, looking up at him, and I see her eyes swimming with tears. “You called her.”
“I didn’t call her. She took over my thoughts and my mind. I couldn’t stop it,” he admits and her shoulders drop. She takes in a deep breath, and it honestly pains me to see her like that. I know it doesn’t make sense, but no one wants to see someone hurt, even if they are a raging bitch like Rachael. She obviously cares for him – a lot – and he doesn’t realize it at all.
“You love him?” I ask suddenly and both of them look back at me.
“What? No,” he says with a chuckle and then looks back at her. “What? Seriously, Rachael? We fucked like twice. It was nothing.”
“Wow, jerk,” I say, smacking his arm. “It might have been nothing to you, but it was something to her.”
“Fuck off, Claire, you don’t know anything,” she sneers. She then starts to walk toward us, going for the door, but Jude stops her, taking her arm in his hand.
“Really?”
She doesn’t look at him as she shrugs. “I’ve known you for like ever, Jude. How did you not know?”
She then shakes her arm from his grip and leaves, slamming the door behind her. Looking back at me, he asks, “Should I go after her?”
“If you want to, by all means,” I say, but I’m not sure why. I don’t want him to chase after her; I want it to be done, but maybe it can’t be done without his saying whatever he has planned to say to her. “I didn’t know y’all knew each other for a while.”
Still looking at the door, he shrugs. “We went to school together, but I never knew. Not that I cared one way or another, or do now. I can’t control what she feels, and I don’t feel bad because I know I didn’t give her any reason to fall for me.”
He looks back at me like I have the answers, and I just shrug. “Jude, you don’t have to give anyone a reason. It’s you that they fall for.”
What I’ve said about Rachael must not matter because his mouth curves at the side as he reaches for me. I guess it’s good that he doesn’t care that she loves him, that all he cares about is me, but still I kinda feel bad for her. It has to be hard to love someone and for them not to love you back. I can’t imagine that kind of rejection.
“So you’ve fallen for me?” he says, waggling his eyebrows at me.
I laugh as I smack his hands away. “Whoa there, buddy, don’t go jumping to conclusions.”
“Oh, come on, you know you love me,” he says, pinching my butt, making me jump.
“In your dreams,” I say, moving out of his reach and heading out the door, but before I can open it, he slams it shut.
Turning me, he leans into my body, his mouth so close to mine as he whispers, “You’re damn right, in my dreams. But I hope one day it will be a reality.”
I can see it in his eyes. I think he may love me, but there is no way I’m going to say it without his saying it first. No way in freaking hell.
Reaching up, I cup his face, rubbing my thumb along his bottom lip. “This is some deep stuff. Let’s go back to your house and lie around and be lazy instead.”
He nods as he wraps his arms around me, picking me up off my feet. “I’ll get you to admit it sooner or later,” he says with a wink. “I know you do – I can feel it.”
I laugh. “I have never told anyone I love them but my uncle and aunt, so keep that in mind, mister.”
