Jude hugged Webber’s arm, leaning his head against it.
“Give it at least another month before you dismiss it, please,” I said, leaning down close enough to kiss him.
“Ok,” he said.
“Good,” I said, kissing him softly. “Good boy, Peaches.”
He glared at me, but I kissed him again before kissing Jude on the forehead. My stomach swooped when I looked at them cuddling together. They were so cute.
I finished the steaks, and we ate outside as they told me stories of their college years. We learned we were all from Texas and we shared the best places to eat and the best things to get a Buc-ees.
As they left, I realized we never once talked about what happened at Webber’s, but throughout the night we never stopped touching each other and we all kissed once more. Tonight felt like it was a date, and while I liked it, they made me nervous. They made me feel things I didn’t know I could and had probably spent a long time running away from. But as I closed the door and locked it after they left, I knew I was too far gone to stop now.
14
sam
If I didn’t think about the kisses I shared with Jude, I didn’t have panic attacks. The past week I had tried to be confident, but inside I was panicking that I was fucking up our friendship. How did you say no to your best friend that you had been in love with forever?
Jude was usually quite reserved and sometimes I could get him to break through his shell and break loose, but the way he acted at the bar and at my home, I had never seen him so bold. The way he grabbed me for a kiss shocked me, but it was also how I had dreamed of us getting together so many times. It was a fantasy I had indulged in throughout college, but as the years went by, I buried it because I knew he would never see me that way.
It was hard to believe that he kissed me as we walked home and then on my fucking bed, and then when we had dinner with Forest. Now all I could think of was when was the next time I'd get to kiss him and possibly do more. I also feared the moment he came to his senses and realized that this was too much for him.
I think I was overthinking for everyone.
The cool September air felt good as I drove back to Sterling Ridge. I stayed in Monroe for a lot longer than I had normally done. My physical therapist suggested swimming to ease me into working out more and after talking with Forest and Jude, I knew I was too scared to push myself to do anything. So, I started to implement some exercise to get back into shape and fuck, had I missed having a goal and purpose.
The sun was setting as I made it back home. My entire body ached as I got out of the car, but I felt good about it. I took a shower, reheated the meal I had from yesterday, chicken and rice, yay. That was the only drawback to playing hockey. As much as you wanted to eat like shit you couldn’t, you had to balance it out with a good diet and sometimes it really fucking sucked.
Who wants to say no to dessert?
I sat down on the sofa looking through my streaming services to find some reality TV to make me feel better about my chaotic life. I was halfway through my meal when Jude’s name popped up on my phone. My phone buzzed as I stared at it, thinking the worst. This was it, the call where he told me that it was all a mistake and that we had to stop what we were doing. I guess it was better now than later.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Sam,” he said out of breath.
“What’s wrong, Jude?” I sat up instantly.
“Still remember how to ride a horse?” he asked as I heard yelling in the background.
“Yeah, we went riding last summer?” I got up and headed to my room.
“Think your knee can handle it?”
“Yeah, as long as I’m not getting off and on a lot, why?” I asked, grabbing a pair of jeans.
“The fires in the west are heading this way,” he said. “They changed course this afternoon. Theo wants the herd moved and we need help.”
“I’m on my way,” I said, putting the phone on speaker, so I could change. “Which barn do I meet you at?”
“The old one,” he said, a little muffled. “Forest will meet you there.”
“What about you?”
“Theo and I are heading out west to see how close the fires are and to see our best course of action,” he said as someone started speaking. “I gotta go.”
“Please be safe,” I said before I heard the click of the line.
