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Jude
To my utter disbelief,Tali appeared a few minutes before show time, sitting in the chair I’d set up for her and crossing her legs. In no way had I expected her to spend any amount of time with me of her own free will.
Not that we’d be having quality time together. When I worked, I had tunnel vision. There was no time for talking or staring at the beautiful girl sitting slightly behind me and to my right. But I had no doubt I’d be aware of her the entire time.
“Hey, Stripes.”
Her painted red lips tipped up into the smallest smile. “Hey, Jude.”
I pretended to wipe sweat off my forehead. “I’m all nervous now that the great Tali DiPietro is watching.”
She laughed. “I somehow doubt that. You are, after all, the great Jude Goldman, astoundingly competent sound engineer and mildly competent musician.”
I barked a surprised laugh. “Those are pretty damn cutting adjectives, lady.”
She lifted a shoulder, still smiling. “Show me what you got, Jude. Maybe they’ll change.”
I tapped my ear piece. “I’m about to get real busy. Sorry for being a terrible host.”
“Between watching you and the band, I think I’ll have enough entertainment.”
Letting out a long, slow breath, my eyes trailed over her, still in disbelief she was here, not angry at me. I’d done a lot of watching her over the last two weeks. She’d done a lot of avoiding me. I’d left her alone; I wasn’t here to mess with her life. Don’t get me wrong, it fucking sucked not being able to talk to her, not being allowed to know her again when she was right in front of me, but I had to respect her wishes. It was past time I did that. My ass was thirty-six years old and I’d handled some rough shit in my time on earth. I could handle knowing the woman I was pretty certain would always be the love of my life wanted nothing to do with me; it wasn’t like it was news.
But maybe I’d acclimated her to my presence. Two weeks ago, when she told me I shouldn’t be here, I could have never imagined she’d be sitting behind my console, watching me work.
Tali touched her hair and shifted in her seat. Clearly, my creepy-as-hell staring made her uncomfortable. But truthfully, it was hard to look away. She’d changed over the years, turning into a more intense version of herself. All the softness coating her edges had worn away, leaving behind the stark, sharp, stunning Tali.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working? You’re making me wonder if I have food on my face or lipstick on my teeth.” She ran her tongue over her teeth to illustrate her point, and fuck if it wasn’t hot.
“Yeah. Got distracted by a pretty girl.”
She leveled a hard stare at me while working hard to suppress a grin. “Liberties, Jude.”
“Apologies, Stripes.”
I really did get to work then. I had an assistant monitor mixer who ran the board for all the backup musicians, so my focus was solely on the main band. It took all my focus making sure their mixes were just right, depending on the song.
Watching Blue is the Color over the last two weeks had been a lesson in professionalism and passion. They weren’t the first band I’d worked with, but this was the first time I’d compared myself to them.
I’d found myself lacking. That lack of drive and passion was part of why I’d walked away from it all years ago. The fact that I couldn’t seem to stay sober while I was on that huge stage had been the biggest part, though.
Glancing at Tali, I found her standing and subtly moving her body to the music. Her face was lit with a smile, her mouth moving to the lyrics. Her bright eyes met mine right before she raised her hands over her head and swayed her hips to the slow beat. My eyes stayed on her so long, when the song sped up again, I nearly missed a cue.
Once I got it all under control, I said over my shoulder, “You’re distracting me with your terrible dancing.”
Even over the music, I heard her throaty laugh. “I’ll try to rein in my moves.”
I got back to work, concentrating on the subtle changes I had to make. The band was lit tonight, and the audience ate it up. The guys were having fun out there, playing off each other, working together like a well-oiled machine. I guess that was what happened when you played with people you actually liked and stuck with it for fifteen years. It was cool to be a part of, if only on the periphery.
Then next time I glanced behind me, Tali’s seat was empty and she was nowhere in sight. I tried not to let disappointment settle over me. Not when I had work to do. Not when I’d been missing her for years and had gotten used to the feeling.
The smellof chlorine hit me the second I stepped off the elevator. The rooftop pool was completely deserted, but that didn’t surprise me. It was after midnight on a Tuesday. Not many people swimming this late at night.
I tossed my shirt and towel on a chair and kicked off my flip flops. Just before I jumped in the pool, a glow coming from the corner of the roof caught my eye.
“Tali?”
“Hey,” she said, confirming it was her.
