𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙢

15 - sweet nothings ౨ৎ⋆˚｡⋆

★── 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢 ──★

𝐈 𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄 up with a pounding headache, my eyes struggling to adjust to the morning light. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, I found myself in an unfamiliar room, the memories of the previous night slowly trickling back into my consciousness.

I sat up slowly, the weight of my head heavy with a dull ache. Glancing around the room, I noticed the familiar surroundings of Jude's guest bedroom, the realization bringing a mixture of relief and embarrassment. How did I end up here?

Before I could dwell on the details, as if on cue, Jude entered the room, his expression a mixture of relief and concern. "Hey, you're awake." He said softly, his voice a comforting presence in the midst of my confusion.

I nodded slowly, trying to piece together the events of the night before. Jude proceeded to fill in the gaps, recounting my drunken escapades. I winced inwardly, the awkwardness of my behavior washing over me.

As he finished, a nagging question lingered in the air, one I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to. "Did we... you know?" I blurted out, the words leaving my lips before I could stop them.

Jude's eyes widened in surprise, caught of guard. "Wha- no Hannah we didn't why would you even think that?" He replied as if I was crazy. Hey I had to make sure.

Relief washed over me at his words, mingled with a twinge of disappointment that I couldn't quite place. Why did I even ask that? I mentally kick myself for being so stupid.

Jude hands me some breakfast and pills to help with the hangover, a silent apology for what went down last night. As I munch on toast, I notice a shift in his demeanor, like a storm cloud rolling in.

His expression darkened, his brows furrowing in frustration. "Hannah, we need to talk," he said firmly, his tone serious and no-nonsense.

I swallowed hard, a sense of unease settling in the pit of my stomach. What could he possibly want to talk about?

"It's about last night." He continued. "Your behavior was reckless, Hannah. You put yourself in danger, and it's not okay."

I felt a surge of defensiveness rise, the guilt of my actions warring with the need to protect my pride. "I know, Jude." I replied. "But I'm fine, aren't I? Nothing bad happened."

Jude's eyes narrowed. "That's not the point, Hannah." He snapped, with anger. "You need to start taking better care of yourself. I can't always be there to clean up your messes."

"I could've handled it on my own." I retorted with my normal stubbornness. "I didn't need you to come to my rescue."

"Again, that's not the point, Hannah." He repeated abruptly. "I care about you, dammit. I don't want to see you hurt."

His words hit me like a slap in the face, the intensity of his emotions shocking me. For a moment, I was speechless.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." I said softly.

Jude's expression softened, his anger giving way to something softer, something more vulnerable. "I just... I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you." He admitted, softly.

"I know." I answered, feeling sorry I dismissed his huge effort in keeping me safe. "And for what it's worth, I'm grateful you were there for me last night."

The raw honesty of his confession was both beautiful and scary. In that moment, all of my defenses crumbled, leaving nothing but the truth between us.

Jude wrapped me in a gentle embrace, kissing the top of my head lightly. Neither of us know what to do or where to go from here.

I've never been one to easily articulate my feelings, especially when it came to matters of the heart. But now I just couldn't ignore the truth any longer.

The realization had crept up on me slowly, like the gradual unveiling of a sunrise, until suddenly, it was impossible to ignore. I cared for Jude deeply, over these months we had created an undeniable bond and time and time again i'd keep on running into his sweet nothings.

At first, I had tried to dismiss my feelings, chalking them up to mere infatuation or temporary attraction. But as time passed and our relationship grew stronger, I couldn't deny the depth of my emotions any longer despite everything that happened, that's past news.

It wasn't just physical attraction or fleeting desire that drew me to Jude, although don't get me wrong, he is handsome. It was the way he looked at me, with kindness and understanding. It was the way he made me laugh, even in my darkest days. It was the way he stood by my side, unwavering and loyal, through every twist and turn of life's unpredictable journey.

But admitting my feelings for Jude meant confronting a daunting reality, one filled with uncertainty and vulnerability. What if he didn't feel the same way? I knew he felt something but I don't know to what extent. What if our friendship couldn't withstand the weight of my confession?

The thought made my heart hurt with apprehension, but I knew I couldn't keep my feelings bottled up inside any longer. I owed it to myself, and to Jude, to be honest about how I felt.

Taking a deep breath, I let my guard down, allowing myself to acknowledge my feelings and I was ready to face whatever consequences came with that admission.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆