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Aleyah watched Jude pace around beneath the canopy of trees lit up by the dim park lights paired with the soft glow of the moon. She wasn't necessarily hidden but with the harsh lighting combined with her distance, it wasn't shocking that the boy failed to catch her lurking silhouette. But judging by the boy's nervous antics, Aleyah doubted that he'd be able to see her even if she stood in broad daylight only a few feet away from him.
Jude was unmistakably tense. Aside from his pacing, his shoulders were taut, fingers unconsciously toying with the cool rings of metal around them. And his eyes were glazed over, staring at nothing in particular, a clear indication that his mind was focused elsewhere. The girl didn't need any guesses to know what he was thinking about.
The moment she'd gotten some reprieve from her demanding customers, Aleyah had reached out to Jude before she could convince herself not to. Her text had been sent on borrowed time meaning she hadn't enough time to craft it in a way that would ease his worries. The girl had all but sent a location and time to the boy with an accompanying 'let's talk' attached to it.
When she sent the message, she hadn't considered how it would be perceived by the recipient. Now, as she stared at the nerve-rattled boy, she realized she could have spared another minute to phrase the text differently.
Although she did feel bad for his unease, a part of her did feel delighted at the fact that the boy cared enough to be distressed about their meeting. Aleyah knew it was silly to think that Jude had just stopped caring about her in a matter of a few hours but the irrational part of her brain had been in charge for those hours so she wasn't to blame for the thoughts. At least not in her book anyway.
After another brief hesitation, Aleyah made her way to the boy. Her treads were light as she approached him, using the few extra seconds her slow steps provided to brainstorm a suitable conversation starter that would convey the direction she wanted the chat to go in.
"Hey, Jude," Aleyah called out with a quick clear of the throat. The boy went rigid before he turned to face her, his fingers still toying with his rings. Aleyah found herself being a bit taken aback at his figure. He was nervous, Aleyah noted although it wasn't new news to her. She'd already taken note of his skittishness during the initial minutes she'd been observing him. But within these nerves was the picture of unsureness, which surprised her.
Of course, his lack of confidence went hand in hand with his nerves, but seeing him so unsure of himself, hesitant, and vulnerable spun her. Jude was always the perfect picture of calm—around her, anyway—he always knew what to say or do like he anticipated every possible outcome of every situation which made him ready for anything. And even during the times he was caught off-guard, he was always able to quickly adapt to fit the situation. With abilities like that, it was no wonder he carried an air of confidence around him. It was this confidence Aleyah had gotten used to being around, so seeing him in such a state of disarray only a few hours after meeting with him was a bit of a shocker.
