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I pushed into the hallway, but only took one step before I faltered. Jude leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom, a bottle of beer hanging loosely between his fingers.
He held it out to me. “Thought you might want this.”
I took it from him, careful our fingers didn’t touch in the exchange. “Thank you, although I probably could have waited until I got back to the table.”
That should have been the end of that, but neither of us moved. Instead, I leaned against the wall opposite him and took a long pull of my beer.
“I talked to Jin yesterday,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow he probably couldn’t see. This hallway was just a few degrees lighter than pitch black. Truly, it was a lawsuit waiting to happen. I pictured some drunken tourist stumbling their way to the bathroom, possibly cracking their head on a hidden corner.
“I talked to him just before I came to dinner,” I replied.
“He say anything about me?”
I let out a breath of a laugh. “No, he never does.”
“That bastard is a steel trap.”
I took another sip of beer. “He sent me a picture of Rebecca playing guitar in just a pull-up.”
This time, Jude laughed. “Takes after her dad, that one.”
Although this dark hallway was a deathtrap, it was easier to talk to Jude here. I could barely make out his face, and his eyes were almost completely hidden.
“I think Jin has put his naked guitar playing days in the past.”
“Haven’t we all?” he asked.
“I don’t remember you ever doing that. That must have happened post-breakup.”
There was a long pause, and I wondered if he was going to say anything else. It might have been okay that he didn’t. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about our breakup or the things that went on after.
“I did a lot of stupid shit back then, Stripes.”
My breath caught in my throat. He kept doing that to me—throwing me off, even my most basic functions, like breathing.
“It’s strange to hear that nickname after all this time. No one else has ever called me that.”
“I would hope not. That was kinda my thing.” He bent his knee and rested a foot against the wall behind him. “Told you it’d always be your nickname.”
My eyes traveled up and down his long body and casual stance. Even with shadows clawing at his features, he was beautiful. Perhaps more beautiful than when I’d known him a lifetime ago, which pissed me off.
“You also told me we’d know each other forever.”
The urge to smash my beer bottle over my head was strong. Fleeing this hallway was probably a more logical option, but I wasn’t feeling very logical.
He moved closer, eating the small distance between us. One of his hands braced the wall beside my head as he peered down at me.
“Does it feel like we’re strangers?”
“No,” I breathed, wishing it did. If we were strangers, I could find him attractive. I could lean into him, let his scent intoxicate me. Maybe we’d have a fling while on tour; it had been known to happen. We could have fun and laugh, walk along the Rhine in Germany, take stupid pictures in front of the Eiffel tower in Paris.
I laid my hand on his chest and pushed. Probably harder than necessary.
“We might not be strangers, but I don’t know you anymore. Please don’t take liberties with me like you have the right.”
Jude held up his hands and returned to his side of the hall. “Fuck, Tali, I’m sorry for getting in your space. I forgot myself for a second. Won’t happen again.”
