Don't Kiss the Bride

If things don’t change soon, I’m going to throw in the towel and move out of Jude’s house. His silence is making me crazy. I’ve put off signing a lease on my own place. As much as I don’t want to do that, I can’t live in limbo forever. If I did leave, I’d miss Jude in a soul-crushing, heart-wrenching, I’ll-never-get-over-him way. Every time I sit down and seriously try to decide what I should do, the thought of moving out makes my heart ache so much that I feel physically sick.

Fake marriages are no joke. This shit has fucked us up royally.

“What about you and Jude?” Megan asks, reading my mind. “Anything new going on there?”

“No. He really hasn’t said anything more about us. He’s either doing stuff for the bar, or holed up in the garage working on his motorcycle. We’re basically still in limbo.” I nibble on my muffin and try to push down the sadness that’s creeping up my chest. The distance between me and Jude the past few days has been like a chasm. I’ve never felt so empty. So many times, I’ve wanted to tiptoe into his room in the middle of the night and crawl under the sheets with him, kiss him, and just stay there.

“I thought, since he said he loved me, that meant he wanted us to be together. But we’re still in separate rooms. We haven’t been intimate. Maybe I was wrong or misunderstood.”

“I don’t think you were wrong. Men are weird. And he is recovering from a head injury and dealing with a lot of stress. Give him time,” she says, glancing at her watch. “You never know what could change at any moment.”

“I’ve been giving him time, but I can’t just wait around forever. I told him the other day I found a cute studio apartment that I love, and he looked like he was having a panic attack. I have to give the landlord an answer by next week.”

“Can we switch seats?” she asks suddenly, popping up and almost sending our drinks flying.

Frowning, I grab my cup and say, “Um, okay. Why?”

“I don’t like my back to the window.”

“Since when?”

“I think I feel a draft. I’m getting a cold, so I don’t want to get sicker. Erik and I have plans this weekend.”

“Alright.” I laugh at her as we get up and switch seats.

“That’s better,” she says, glancing at her watch once again, then out the window behind me.

“Are you okay?” I ask, starting to worry. “You’re acting really sketchy right now.”

She smiles and waves her hand in the air between us. “I’m fine. I have to meet Erik in a little while, that’s all.”

My phone vibrates on the table. I pick it up to see a text from Jude.

Jude: Hey you.

Me: Hi.

Jude: What are you up to today?

Me: Just having a tea with Megan at the café.

Jude: Can you meet me at the park in about half an hour?

My stomach flutters with nerves—both the scared and the excited kind.

Me: Sure. Is everything okay?

Jude: I just want to talk.

I almost drop the phone into my tea.

Me: Ok. I’ll be there soon.

“Everything okay?” Megan asks, shifting her eyes to my phone.

“I think so. Jude wants me to meet him. To talk.”

“That’s good, right? Why do you look scared?”

I read the text messages over again.

“I don’t know,” I say. “Meeting somewhere public to talk sounds bad, doesn’t it?”

She rolls her eyes. “Skylar, don’t be so paranoid. You watch too many movies. Not everything is bad news. Your luck is on the upswing now, remember?”

Maybe so, but I have a bad feeling brewing.

“I guess I should go, then.”

We gather our things and walk out front to the street where our cars are parked. I hug her good-bye and tell her I hope she feels better.

“Call me later,” she says as she walks to her car.

I wave at her and climb in my car, but once I put the key in the ignition, it won’t start.

Oh, crap.

I try again, but the engine won’t turn over.

Not again! I should’ve bought a new car with my lottery money instead of continuing to use Jude’s Subaru and waiting for my Corvette to be put back together.

Megan appears at my window. “Is your car broke?”

“Looks like it.” I let out a big sigh and try to start it again, but I get the same result. “This sucks! What am I supposed to do now? Jude’s probably on his way to the park already.”

“I’ll drive you. Let Jude deal with this later.”

“I thought you had to meet Erik?”

“I’ll call him and tell him I’m running late.” She smiles and pulls my door open. “Come on, it won’t take long. Jude will probably come look at the car later. I’m sure he’ll get it to start.”

“Okay…” I say reluctantly.