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“Happy new year.” His voice was thick and raspy. “Can’t wait to make jokes about not seeing my girl since last year.”
If Jude hadn’t been stoned and called me his girl for the first time, I would have paused to take it in. But we’d spoken on the phone everyday over the last week; I knew his stoned voice.
But still, my heart fluttered. I wouldn’t mind being his girl. Not if it meant more kissing and touching, and his beautiful face smiling down at me.
“Are you ready for your show tonight?” I asked.
“I’m always ready. What about you, Tali? Send me a picture of how pretty you’re looking for other guys.”
I lowered my eyes to my lap, pushing a finger through one of the holes in my fishnets. “The entire time I was getting dressed, I was thinking I wished you could see me.”
He groaned. “Shit. I’m coming right now. Fuck the band, fuck my show. I need to see you.”
I laughed. He couldn’t be serious. “How about I make Nina take a picture of me and I’ll send it to you?
“Throw me scraps, I’ll eat them up. How many more days until you’re back?”
“Three more weeks until my dorm opens. Not that I’m counting.”
“You should come back early and stay with me,” he said. “And don’t laugh. I’m completely serious.”
“I’m not sure how I would explain that to my parents.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I wasn’t thinking about parents who actually care about what their kid is doing.” Someone called his name in the background. “Listen, I gotta go. Happy new year, Stripes. Next year, we’re doing this together.”
“Next year, Jude.”
* * *
“Hey, Jude.”
“Hey, Stripes. Sorry I was an ass last night.”
I stretched out on my bed. I hadn’t gotten up yet today. “You were a little, huh?”
“I was. Guess I’m getting tired of not seeing you.”
Rolling onto my side, I snuggled into the pillow with my phone tucked by my ear. “I am too. Did you get my picture?”
He exhaled heavily. “Yeah. Spent my night staring at you.”
I giggled softly. “Oh really? Did you have your phone out on stage?”
There was a pause. He cleared his throat but didn’t say anything. “Jude?Didyou have it out on stage?”
“I did. I showed your picture to the audience, not that they could really see you on my tiny ass screen. Told them I was thinking about my girl while I sang to them.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did. Don’t run screaming.” His words held an edge of urgency.
I was going to scream, but not from fear. Okay, maybe a little from fear. There was a ball in my chest the size of a boulder.
“I’m not,” I squeaked.
“So fucking adorable,” he murmured. “Did you have a good night?”
“Mmmm...yeah. All our old friends were there. It was a really relaxed night. No one got stupid, and I was tucked in my bed by one in the morning.” Getting a little braver, I added, “I would have liked to be with you, though.”
