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21. Taking a Risk
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Forever Jude 22. Different Worlds
In the morning, I’m in front of Brent Harvey’s door a few minutes before nine. I’ve been thinking and I decided that I’ll use this initial meeting to decide whether I’ll take the job. I intend to discuss our training program before signing the contract, and that should be enough to show me what kind of attitude he intends to bring to the table.The door opens and a middle aged guy in black trousers and white shirt opens the door. I saw him several times while I worked at the club. Gavin Baker, Brent Harvey’s personal manager.“Thank you so much for coming,” he says, offering his hand in greeting before stepping aside to let me in. “Please come in.”“Thank you,” I say, stepping into the apartment.The place screams luxury, right from the shiny black marble floor to the plush velvet couches and the massive fireplace. A cabinet on one end of the room displays countless trophies and medals. The exterior wall is entirely made up of glass windows, allowing in ample natural light into the
Forever Jude 23. I Need You
Jude’s not home when I get back, and he’s not back by the time I give in to the sleep creeping on me. He’s also not back when I wake up in the middle of the night.I frown at the empty space beside me before reaching for my phone to check the time. It’s thirty four minutes past one. He wasn’t supposed to be this late. The last time we texted, he said he would be back around the time I did too.Worry sets in as I notice there are no new texts or missed calls from him. I sit up in bed and reach over to turn on the bedside lamp. I’ve just pressed his number to make a call when my eyes are drawn to a gap in the curtains. It allows me to see outside to the terrace, and I make out his figure in the moonlight. Sighing in relief, I quit the call and get out of bed. I cross over to the glass door and slide it open, then step outside. Jude is leaning over the parapet, his back to me. He’s wearing the same black long coat he was wearing when he left in the morning.It’s a chilly night and goos
Forever Jude 24. The Purse
“Coach Walker! Coach Walker!”I move out of the way just in time to avoid getting bulldozed by a bunch of kids in blue football jerseys flocking to Jude.Coach Walker?What am I missing?“Hey buddies!” he greets them, high fiving everyone in the group. “How’ve you been?”The boys and girls who all look below ten years old talk over each other to answer his question. Somehow, he hears what each of them is saying and offers compliments where necessary.“Are you ready for today?” he asks them when they are done telling him about the developments in their little lives.“Yes!” they all cheer in unison.“Let’s get them,” he says, and the kids cheer again.A middle-aged man with greying hair in a tracksuit that matches the kids’ jerseys approaches, a smile on his face as he addresses Jude. “I think my work’s done here,” he says. “Seeing you is all the motivation they need to get in there and kick some.”“Chandler,” Jude says the man’s name in greeting, and they shake hands. “It’s nice to see
Forever Jude 25. She's Not Worth It
Hunger is a powerful motivator. My pity party has been going on for barely an hour when I can’t take it anymore. I haven’t eaten anything proper since morning, okay? I only had a few snacks while we watched the games and that was it. And when Jude mentioned barbecue earlier? My mouth watered and my stomach started warming up for all the good food I was anticipating. I never followed through with that and now my stomach is growling in protest. It also doesn’t help that the aroma of what Jude ordered is making its way into the bedroom. I should have taken my share before announcing my need for isolation.I walk out of the room and turn straight to the kitchen. Jude is in the living room with his back to me. Football is playing on the TV. If I’m quick enough he won’t even know I was here.I open the refrigerator and find the food containers sitting right there. I reach for the first one but another hand beats me to it.Startled, I look behind me. He’s right there, reaching for the cont
Forever Jude 26. An Unexpected Goodbye
I walk into Simon’s apartment on Saturday afternoon to find him wrestling a jacket into a suitcase.“You are just in time,” he says, looking up at me. He’s kneeling on the carpet in front of the fully packed suitcase. “Come on, give me a hand.”“What are you doing?” I ask as I shove my shoes off and slip my feet into a pair of slippers. “Why are you here?” He’s supposed to be at Ben’s lake house, sweeping Keri off her feet.I get down on the carpet and hold down one side of the suitcase. With my help, he manages to zip it up. It’s a huge suitcase, and it’s full of clothes. “Are you going somewhere?”He nods and sits on the floor, raking his fingers through his hair. “Yeah,” he says. He sounds tired, and when I look around, I get an idea why. The room is in disarray and there is another suitcase on the bed. He has been packing. A lot.My eyes move back to him. “Are you moving?”He nods and reaches for a water bottle beside him. While he takes a drink, I ask, “Where? I thought you like
Forever Jude 27. Hello Princess
On a Saturday morning two weeks after Simon leaves me fighting tears–unsuccessfully–outside the departure area, I’m sitting at the kitchen island, on a video call with Nicki.“What’s that on your neck?” she asks, making a gesture towards her own neck.I reach for my neck and raise my brow. “Like what?”“Like a hickey.” Nicki’s eyebrows pull together as she moves closer. “Wait…actually that looks more like a bite mark.” She sits back and wiggles her brow at me. “I suppose you are not taking it slow this time, uh?”I shake my head and wiggle a finger in the air. “Let’s not get sidetracked.”“Seriously, we need to get together ASAP! It’s been so long since we gossiped,” she whines.“We don’t gossip,” I say, popping a piece of apple into my mouth. She’s right, we need to get together. I didn’t get to hang out with her over the holidays because she went on a cruise with her boyfriend. And now, she’s busy with art school some six hours away.Nicki cocks her head, and her face is one big ‘s
Forever Jude 28. You Left Me
“Cole’s back.”Those are the first words I say when I wake up the next morning. “Yeah, I figured that out from all the photos you sent me yesterday of you guys eating burgers, feeding ducks at the park, and riding roller coasters,” Jude says from right beside me, his voice groggy with sleep. “Did you enjoy the date?”Jude’s right, we did all that. We spent the entire afternoon yesterday as if we were making up for lost time–which we were. After stuffing ourselves with burgers, we went to the park where we sat and talked for hours and fed the said ducks. Then we went to an amusement park and went on several rides.Nobody would probably guess that’s how Cole chose to spend his first day out of prison. He’s more likely to go to a club, get piss drunk, and pick up girls. I’m pretty sure he’s working up to that.But yesterday, he was the Cole I got to know when I was eighteen after Jude left. He was the guy who did all sorts of things he normally wouldn’t just to bring a smile to my face
Forever Jude 29. Thank You
My phone rings a few minutes later and I grab it quickly. It’s a strange number calling. I don’t waste time wondering who it could be before receiving it. “Hello?” “Hey, you need to come get your friend,” the person on the other side, a man, says.I get off the couch, frowning at the same time my pulse doubles. Is it Cole? Is it Jude? “My friend?”His voice becomes detached as he asks, “Hey, what’s your name?” A few seconds later, he says, “Name’s Cole. He’s outside Club Twenty on 7th Street.”He hangs up before I can ask any more questions. Not that there’s any need for that. Cole is outside Club Twenty on 7th Street, and I have to go get him.I hail a taxi and then rush into the bedroom to get dressed. I try to call Jude again, but his phone is still off. If he’s not with Cole, where is he?I head downstairs and wait in the lobby until my taxi arrives. The ride to the club takes twenty minutes, which seem like hours. Fortunately, the roads are clear at this hour, so there’s no del
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