War Paint | Jonnor

Chapter 14

Connor's POV
Jude's face was frozen as I stood beside him. There was nothing I wanted more than for us to escape this place. Jude locked his eyes on mine when I found them. I could sense that he was wishing to leave as well. I nodded at him slowly and we both turned in the opposite direction.

With our backs facing her, I was certain she wouldn't notice us. I spoke too soon when a voice called out from behind.

"Hey! Where do you think you two are going?"

Crap.

Daria got out of her seat and walked towards us. I couldn't bear to handle what she was planning to say. Before she went around so she could meet our faces, Jude whispered into my ear, "It's going to be okay. We have our armor on, remember?"

I was surprised by Jude's comment. It made me realize that he wasn't scared of her anymore. He was brave. If Jude had the courage to stand up for us, then I shouldn't be backing down without him.

I reassured Jude by sending him a kiss on the cheek. His face warmed up after my lips pressed onto his skin. I smiled at him until Daria came into view.

"I told you this wasn't the last time you would see me."

"Yeah, we remember. What do you want?" I replied with an annoyed look.

"I want you to break up with your boyfriend."

"That's not happening anytime soon."

"It will tomorrow though."

"What are you-"

"You're going to regret not breaking up with him right now."

Jude jumped into the conversation and spoke.

"Whatever it is you plan on doing tomorrow, it's not going to hurt us."

"I doubt that." she told him while crossing her arms.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed a mall cop heading in our path. The officer reached the three of us with his hands on his hips.

"Is there a problem here?"

Daria cut me off before I could speak.

"No, there isn't officer. I was just talking to my friends."

"Well okay, you three have a fine afternoon."

When the mall cop left, I caught Jude rolling his eyes at Daria.

"Let's go Jude, she isn't worth our time."

"I can hear you." Daria mentioned.

"I know."

I grabbed a hold of his hand and we exited the mall. There was a bench nearby so I sat down with him. Jude rested his head on my shoulder as our backs laid against the bench. He held my hand and I gripped it softly. Eventually, I spoke.

"I'm sorry our date got ruined."

"It's not your fault."

Jude stayed silent for a moment until he added, "did you say it was a date?"

"Yeah, it was never my intention of us just hanging out. I wanted this to be our first."

Jude's cheeks grew red and I smiled at him.

"What about the night at the fair? Wasn't that a date?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, but it's not the same. I want us to have dinner and get dressed up you know?"

"I understand. But if you think about it, we're at the mall." Jude chuckled.

I shook my head in embarrassment, then playfully pushed his shoulder. We kept laughing until he finally calmed down.

"It's okay Connor, at least you tried."

"Now you're making me feel bad!" I jokingly answered.

"Listen though, I don't care if we get dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant. It doesn't have to be special or anything. As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."

"And that is why I love you."

A wide grin spread across Jude's face, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. I closed the open space between us and kissed him. He placed his hand behind my neck, pulling me closer to him. I cupped his cheeks as his fingers ran through the back of my hair. I could feel his warm breath as our lips pressed against each other. At some point, Jude pulled back and leaned his forehead on mine. I wanted to continue kissing him, but I didn't want to ruin this moment either.

Suddenly, a car honked in front of us. It was Lena. When she rolled down the passenger-side window, her voice opened.

"Hey, are you two ready to go?"

We nodded in unison and got up from the bench. I opened the door for Jude and entered after him. The ride back home was silent, but I didn't mind. Jude laid his head on my shoulder and slept peacefully. I kissed him on the forehead before closing my eyes too.

Jude's POV
Connor woke me up, shaking my arm softly.

"You're home." he whispered.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled myself out of the car. He held my hand, guiding me to the front door. Connor stopped near the entrance and looked down at me.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

He kissed me on the cheek and mentioned, "goodnight". Afterwards, Connor walked down the steps of the porch. His silhouette faded as he moved further away from the house. I went inside and headed upstairs. One of the doors opened and Mariana appeared.

"You're back! So, how was it?" she said with enthusiasm.

"How was what?"

"Your date with Connor, tell me everything!"

She grabbed my arm and pulled me into her and Callie's room. I sat on Mariana's bed, telling her what had happened today. After I finished, she hugged me while rubbing my back.

"What am I going to do about Daria?" I cried.

"Listen to me Jude, everything is going to be fine. Connor would never leave you just because of what others think about your relationship with him. You're strong, both of you are. And you're brave, I've seen the way you two connect. You were meant to be with each other. No one could ever break that."

"I'm scared Mariana."

"Don't let it get to your head, okay Judicorn? I have faith in you both, trust me." Then, she added, "We should get some rest."

I nodded and hugged her again before leaving the room. I'm so glad I have her in my life. She always knew what to say and when to say it. After that, I went into my room, tiptoeing to my bed. I slipped under the blankets and shut my eyes. Tomorrow is going to be one hell of a ride, but that's not stopping me from taking control of the wheel.