sunsets with jude

chapter ten- guarded

Emilia 

What if being an emotional mess is the last Jude sees of me, god forbid life goes on and this is our last time together?

I really thought Hunter was on the backburner, but that wound might need more than me denying it hurts to heal. Tori's "you're too good for him, but feel it to heal it" and Eva's "stop your crying" play in my head simultaneously. 

I sit at the island with those thoughts, staring at the empty Peterbrooke. On Jude's chair, I see a...retainer?

From the middle of freshman year up until after Christmas, I remember Jude counting down the days until he got his braces off. He probably wants to keep his cute smile, hence the empty retainer case.

My plan is to run over to his house, apologize, and return the small box in my hand. I shoot my parents, Jude left his retainer here I will go give it back

Mom responds with a thumbs up emoji, indicating I should head that way. To the right of my house was his, a white dwelling with the lights waving to me through the windows. I plant my feet on the red rug that lives on the porch and ring the doorbell. 

To my surprise, Abbey lets me in. Her dark blonde hair is shoved into a claw clip and her hoodie is a body bag on her thin frame. 

"It's nice to see you." She says as we make our way to the living room. "Jude's in the shower, but you can hang out wherever."

"Thanks, Abbey." I say. "He left his retainer at my house."

Abbey raises an eyebrow. "He never loses it." 

I take in my surroundings. Considering they moved in top of the year, I'm impressed at how organized the whole thing is. There are no boxes in sight and the walls are full of family beach photos. My personal favorite is one of Jude when he was a little younger than Abbey. Shirtless and scrawny at what looks like Neptune Beach, the massive smile on his face juxtaposes the husky and quiet guy he is now.

Abbey watches me scrutinize it. "I love that one too. Jude was so much fun, but now he never wants to do anything." Sadness fills her voice. 

I nod. "I can see that." Although we were in different crowds back then, he was known for being kind of a clown. Sadly, that didn't earn him any brownie points with our classmates and explains why all the fun got sucked out of him. 

We're not terribly close friends, but I wouldn't change his listening quietly. He's pretty shy, the opposite of my boisterous personality. I'm grateful that he trusts me enough to let his guard down here and there, but I want him to eventually feel comfortable being the happy boy I know he is.

Footsteps break the silence. I turn around hoping Jude is coming, but a woman joins us instead. If I had to guess, she's a little older than my mom, give or take three years. Unlike my mom, she's smaller, probably a size eight or ten. Her black hair sits a little below her shoulders. She has Abbey's hazel eyes, indicating she is the mother. 

If Jude doesn't hate me after my mom hits on him every time she sees him, I'm sure talking to Mrs. Merryweather will be fine. 

"Hey, Mrs. Merryweather. It's so nice to meet you."

Her dimples appear, also letting me know where my tutor got his. "Good evening. Are you a friend of Jude's?"

"That's his girlfriend Emilia, Mum." If Jude heard what Abbey said, I doubt she'll get her fun brother back.

"Girlfriend?"

I chuckle nervously. "We're just friends, Mrs. Merryweather. I came to give him this."

"He should be done bathing." She says after studying the small black case. "Go knock on his door, sweet girl."

I ascend the stairs and somehow find his room. The door is shut, but my nose can identify his cologne from a mile away. 

"Knock knock." I mumble, lightly tapping the door. 

Jude steps out wearing a wife beater and shorts that highlight his beefy thighs. "Hi, Emi." 

I throw the case in his hands like a ball that gets the runner on first out. "Looking for this?"

Getting a retainer thrown at him scares him initially, but he eventually smiles it off. "You're the best." 

"Even after freaking you out?"

His voice drops to a whisper. "I wasn't freaked out one bit."

"That's good to hear." I turn to leave. "See you at school?"

His arms squeeze my waist like a boa constrictor. "Don't go, gorgeous." I turn around again to see him smiling like the skinny kid in the photo. This time, it's a playful smirk. I'm in his arms, close enough to his face to notice the stubble decorating his chiseled jaw and smell the minty mouthwash on his breath. 

My brain and heart are having a rematch. Smart Emilia is telling me I shouldn't like the hug I've been pulled into. We've only known each other for a week and he's already getting touchy-feely. but the fact my heart rate is off the chain fast earns my feelings for him the win this time. 

I stay in his arms for a while. They say that a guy with a little meat on his bones gives great hugs. Great is a fucking understatement. He's soft like the stuffed animals I sleep with to this day, except he's nice and warm like the sun on my shoulders.

He lets go. "I'm going to miss you, Emi." Jude smiles, making me want to squeeze the dimple on his cheek until it turns red. "Tutoring the popular kids is a pain in the ass, but you make me feel safe."

"We don't live next door for no reason, big guy."

~

short chapter but a lot happened! i did this only because the following one is supposed to be light hearted and this was anything but :)

i appreciate the support bc i love this story and really miss florida's heat! there's no way the high is in the sixties. peace out 

-isla