4. The Boy Next Door
1403 Words
No f*****g way. What is Dave trying to do?
What does he mean by ‘coming to you’? Does he not remember that my parents don’t know about him?
I hit the call button and he picks up before a full ring goes through. “Dave, what the hell are you doing?” I complain on the phone.
“Evie, hey. How’s it going?” he asks nonchalantly.
“Dave, what does that plane ticket mean?” I ask, clawing at my throat as sweat beads on my forehead.
“I found out you quit your job from Daniel. That means you’re not planning to come home anytime soon. Well, it’s a good thing I’m a freelancer. We can celebrate Thanksgiving together with your family!” he announces with excitement.
I gape at his words, catching my messed up appearance in the mirror of the dressing table. “You can’t come here!”
“Well, why not?” he asks without missing a beat.
Yeah, why not, Evie? A voice in my mind mocks me. Is it because Jude is here?
My cheeks flush but I shake the thought off. “My parents don’t know about you,” I reason. “Dave, please. Cancel the ticket. I’ll come back soon.”
“We can change that, babe. About your parents not knowing about me, I mean. Hey, I gotta go. Let me text you as soon as I’m free, okay?”
I barely manage to utter the word. “Okay.”
The call ends and the ability to breathe returns to me.
I’m not even allowed the chance to recover or ponder over the idea of Dave being here. Someone knocks on the door.
I open it, and there stands Jude, leaning against the doorway, looking like s*x on legs. The fabric of his white t-shirt is still struggling to stay together, and his faded jeans clings to his muscular thighs. His messy hair begging for my fingers to run through it. He’s too attractive, too hot to handle, even after all these years.
His eyes travel from my head to toe and he clicks his tongue, crossing his hands over his chest. “See you haven’t changed into fresh clothes. Bad, Evie. Your Mom will be disappointed.” His voice is flat and yet it makes me flinch.
I open my mouth to mutter a reply, but he silences me by walking into the room. When the door lock clicks behind him, I forget to breathe.
He steps closer until his face is only inches from mine, his warm breath fanning my face. I can’t help but stare at his lips, remembering how they felt on mine, on my body. My heart hammers in my chest. So beautiful. So f*****g perfect. Even after all these years. They say you never get over your first love. Maybe they’re right.
“I was waiting for when you’d show up,” he says, making me gasp.
What does he mean?
“Funny that it’d happen now,” Jude continues, and brings up his hand to touch my cheek. I let out a shuddering breath, closing my eyes. I feel him lean closer before his lips brush against mine. Only for a second.
I hear him move, prompting me to open my eyes. My chest heaves, and I realise I’m shaking. This is a dream. This can’t be real.
“Bad timing, Evie. I was almost ready to move on,” he says with a mock frown, shrugging dramatically. And then he moves closer again, and this time I look away. This is torture. Pure torture. “Tell me,” he begins, his finger holding my chin and forcing me to meet his eyes. Those dreamy hazel eyes. “Seven years is too soon to move on, isn’t it?”
I swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat. “J-Jude, I’m dating someone,” I blurt out, my voice trembling.
His hand drops as if turning limp. His eyes narrow, in disbelief or disappointment or anger. I’m not sure.
He draws in a sharp breath before nodding. “Should’ve known,” he admits, dropping his gaze to the floor. “Well, your Mom wants you to come downstairs for dinner.”
Without another word, he turns and leaves.
I stand there, rooted to the spot watching the place where he just stood. My fingers trace my lips. Did he actually almost kiss me or did I imagine that? A shiver runs through me.
No, I can’t let myself think like this. I’m dating Dave Weston. Seven years is a long time to move on, then why couldn’t I tell him that? I’m here for my Mom. I have to remember that. Not for Jude. Not at all for him.
I just have to get through dinner, and then I can go back to avoiding him. He’ll be on his way and I’ll be on mine.
***
When I return downstairs after changing into something comfortable, I do my best to not meet his eyes. I know he’s trying to do the same.
Mom, however, has other plans on her mind. “I haven’t spoken to Trish in a long time. Not since you came back here, Jude. How is she doing? Have you heard from her?”
Jude nods. “She calls me every other day. Makes sure I’m taking good care of her house.”
Mom laughs. “She only cares about you. How I wish she’d move back here and we’d go back to how it was.”
He sighs. “She misses you guys too. But her heart is too much at peace in Montana.”
Mom smiles. “We struggle all our life to get there. Peace. I’m happy for her. But Evie here,” she turns to me, placing a hand on my lap. “She misses Trish the most. Don’t you?”
I force a smile. “Of course.”
“There were times I wondered if she loved Trish more,” Mom jokes. I shake my head, and somehow my eyes meet Jude’s. He looks away. Rudely. Evidently. “Carl, come sit here with us for dinner!” she calls out towards the living room.
“Mom, I’m in the middle of a game. I’ll eat later!” Carl shouts back.
Mom sighs, shrugging. She puts a smile back on her face before she speaks, “Anyways, Evie has never told me if she was in touch with you, Jude. And you haven’t either. You two were pretty tight-knit during high school, weren’t you?”
“Tight-knit?” Jude repeats with venom in his voice that Mom certainly doesn’t notice. His eyes draw to me and linger for far too long. “Maybe. But we all grow up. Grow apart,” he says with a shrug.
Mom nods. “That’s a sad thing even though growing up is a part of life. But hey, now’s the opportunity to catch up again, right? You two should plan some reunions with your highschool friends.” she pauses, turning to me once again, and this time I’m not able to fully hide the frown on my face from Jude’s words. “Evie?” she asks, tilting her head in concern. When I nod, she places a hand on my lap again, saying, “I just remembered, Harper—the girl I tutored—she’s getting married.”
“Reunions?” I bluff, but she has my interest. “But wait. Harper’s getting married. To Derek?”
“Oh, no,” Mom frowns as if she were hoping for it. “Some guy from here. But I’m sure you’d meet many people there!”
As if I want to be reminded more of the time in highschool. Half of which was fun, happy and just amazing with Jude as my secret boyfriend. And the other half—miserable, pathetic and tortuous after I broke up with him before finally moving away for college.
I find Jude waiting for me again, but now there’s a sinful smile on his face. Almost challenging. He knows I can’t escape him as long as I’m here. Not if he’s staying this close to my house.
This close to me. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t want to escape. I want to be right here, right now, with him.
- Writer
