I’m deep into the bottle when someone sits down next to me. Her perfume takes over the wretched smell of tequila. She orders water because she’s smart.
“What do you want?” I slur.
“You,” is all she says.9LauraI heard and saw everything in the parking lot. Shawn and Jude had no clue I was watching them. The last thing I expected to see was Jude laying into Shawn and breaking his nose. I heard the crack from where I stood. Shawn had no right to say the things he did to Jude. I’m not his wife anymore and nothing he says or does will change my mind to take him back. Especially now. I want to get back in my car to follow Jude, but I have to settle things with Shawn once and for all.
Blood seeps through his hand as he stumbles to get to his car. “Did you fall on your face?” I ask, coming up behind him.
Growling, he jerks around and glares at me. “That fucking cocksucker of a boyfriend of yours broke my nose.”
“I think you deserved it.”
He untucks his shirt and uses it to wipe the blood off his face. “I told him the truth. You’re my wife. We deserve a second chance.”
“Ex-wife,” I correct him. “And there are no second chances for us. I love Jude.”
Shawn stares at me in disgust. “Seriously? He’s a teacher that only makes like thirty grand a year.”
I shrug. “Don’t care. He makes me happy.” Jude could make only ten grand a year and I’d still love him. Just the thought of him makes me smile. “Goodbye, Shawn.”
“Laura, wait!”
Turning on my heel, I march to my car and speed out of the parking lot. I don’t know where Jude went but it shouldn’t be too hard to find him. Boone isn’t exactly a big town so just a few minutes driving down Main Street is all I need. There, sitting right in front of the bar is his Jeep. I park beside him and rush inside. He’s supposed to be teaching class, not in a bar being stupid. I already got the email alert on my phone with our Philosophy assignment from him. There’s no way in hell I’m going to type a ten-page essay on whether or not I think a bush is a small tree or just simply a bush. It was either that, or a ten-page essay on if we can see wind. How the hell can you write that long of an essay on those two topics? I know I can’t.
I scan the inside of the establishment and Jude’s right there at the bar, elbows on the counter with his shoulders hunched over his drink. I know what’s going through his mind. He thinks I’m choosing Shawn over him. How he can even think that I don’t know? I’m angry that he’d ever think I would choose Shawn, especially after the time we’ve had together. He should know where my heart belongs. I’d given it to him completely.
Taking a deep breath, I march up to him and sit in the seat next to him. “What do you want?” he says, his words slurring together.
I stare right at him, but he has yet to look at me. He brings the glass up to his lips and pauses when I speak. “You,” I tell him.
He looks over at me, eyes narrowed skeptically. “Why?”
The man drives me crazy. I move closer to him and smile. “Because I love you. I always have.”
His shoulders straighten. “Why do you want to be with me when Shawn can give you everything you want?”
He reaches for his drink, but I push it away. “You make me happy, Jude. There isn’t a person in this world who knows me better than you.”
“Exactly,” he scoffs, “and you still chose him. I can’t go through that again. You have no idea how bad you broke my fucking heart.”
I take his face in my hands. “And you have no idea how much I regret that. I don’t want Shawn, Jude. The only person I’ll ever want for the rest of my life is you.”
His eyes darken with need and he pulls me onto his lap. The bartender tries to hide his smile and fails. Jude grabs my chin and kisses me, his tongue claiming mine. It’s a good thing we’re the only two people in the bar. He breaks the kiss first and leans his forehead to mine. “You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted. I think I’ve loved you ever since we were five, the first time we met.”
I smile. “I remember. We were in the cafeteria and my mom forgot to pack me my fruit. You ended up giving me your apple.”
Jude tucks the hair behind my ear. “You looked so pitiful without your fruit. It was the best decision I ever made.” He slides his hand up and down my thigh, his smile lazy.