Oh, hello! And welcome to No One Else, the third book of the Someone Else series. I never thought this would happen, but here I am, unable to let Elle&Jude go. If you're coming here after having read the first two books, please disregard the epilogue I wrote for Somewhere Else for now; I've never been good at writing to a prescribed ending. This book picks up right after chapter 35 of that one. If you're here, it means you love Elle and Jude as much as I do, and I couldn't be more grateful that they've worked their ways into your heart as they have mine. -L

1

Elle

"If you let me, I'll wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives."

I squeezed my arms tightly around him, trying to convince the voice in my head that was working her way back in that I was making the right decision. I could feel the rapidity of his heart in his chest, something I'd missed immensely over the previous six weeks. But my heart wasn't beating nearly as fast; I wanted it to, I hoped it would one day beat like that again, but the same cocktail of emotions I'd felt upon first meeting Jude was stirring in me once again. It was a strange mixture of love and longing, of fear and mistrust.

Asking him to come back to my apartment wasn't something I'd planned, but in the moment I felt such a need to be near him that I couldn't stop the words.

He pulled his lips from my forehead and brushed a few rogue strands of hair from my cheeks. "I've got to run up to grab something to sleep in."

"Okay." I slid off his lap, noticing our untouched drinks on the table; the wine was cheap, but the whiskey I poured him wasn't. "Want me to pour that back in the bottle? You're running low."

The smallest wince ran over his face. "Er, yeah, sure. I'll be down quickly."

As he trudged up the stairs, I brought our glasses into the kitchen. Before dumping mine down the drain, I gulped nearly half of it; something needed to quiet that voice.

When I opened Jude's liquor cabinet and pulled out the whiskey, I noticed a half empty bottle of cinnamon whiskey behind it. Jude hated that stuff, always huffed about how it wasn't real whiskey (even though it was one of the only shots I could actually get down), and that was when one of those icy waves washed over me, and doubt filled my mind once again.

I don't know how I knew; I just did. Jude would have never bought it himself. It was leftover from the party he threw after the preview of his play. That party was why his liquor cabinet was nearly empty. That party was the night he forgot I existed. Who abandoned who?

I left the glasses on the counter and walked straight to the door, needing fresh air more than ever, but instead I found myself smacking right into him, the fabric of his sweater blocking my airways.

He gripped my shoulders, voice soft. "Alright, love?"

"Can, can I have your keys so I can wait in the car while you blow out all the candles?"

His eyebrows furrowed for only a moment before something like realization took hold of his features. He placed the keys in my hand and brushed past me.

Outside of his house I let the nighttime spring air and the scent of the flowers blooming in his neighbor's garden overwhelm me, hoping beyond hope that they would cast out any darkness trying to brew within my mind, that they would overtake the garden of weeds that had grown in their absence.

The London I lived in without Jude for the preceding six weeks was a drab, colorless London, and I wanted nothing more than my technicolor world to be restored.

Before I even made it to his car, I felt his hands come down on my shoulders. "Elle?"

I turned to face him, keeping my eyes trained on his. "I'm sorry. I just needed a minute."

His head shook back and forth. "You don't need to apologize. If I've learned anything from my therapist, it's that we have to be open with each other. Are you sure you want me to come back with you?"

The inside of my cheek was turning to mush as I continued to bite at it. "Do you want to?"

"More than anything in this world, Elle. But right now, it's not about me."

While the lump stuck in my throat refused to make even the tiniest of movements, my head was nodding up and down. "I can't pretend to know what the next few weeks are going to look like, hell, I don't even know what the next few hours will hold, but what I do know is that a day hasn't passed that I haven't missed you."

His eyes closed for just a moment before his lips came down into my hair. Without thinking about it further, I took his hand and unlocked his car doors.

***

Jude's entrance into mine and Lily's apartment didn't contain the explosions I'd feared it would. Lily would never fully forgive Jude; she didn't love him as I did. She wasn't home when we got there that night, and I wondered if her absence was purposeful.

It was late. Like, well past midnight late, and I'd said screw it to my nighttime routine too many times to care about missing it once more. When we made it to my bedroom, Jude's eyes fell on the mess of papers and envelopes covering my bed and floor. He was holding my hand, and he gave it a squeeze, taking a moment to scan my room.

"You've redecorated." It was nothing more than matter-of-fact.

"Just needed a little change." His hand twitched in mine as his eyes roved over my desk, now on the opposite side of the room than he was used to. The picture of us from the premiere of his show last summer was gone; it became too hard to look into his eyes every day we were apart.

I let go of his hand and started collecting the pieces of paper about the room. Jude bent down to start gathering them, but I stopped him. "I can get them, if you want to go change."

"Oh, er, right." He held out the papers he'd collected and put them in my awaiting hands before retreating into the bathroom. He was treading so lightly around me, and that in itself made me feel weird and nervous and like it was literally the first night we were ever spending together. I collected the remaining papers, vowing to myself to put them in order the next day, and placed the massive stack on my desk. Before Jude came back from the bathroom, I took out the picture that had been missing and put it back where it belonged.

With a quick change and a hop into bed, I scrolled through my phone one last time as someone no one cared about. I knew by the morning, someone, somehow, was bound to find out that Jude and I were back together.

When the sliver of light from under the bathroom door extinguished and Jude made his way out, he did so slowly.

I took in his shadowed form in the doorway. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, well, no. I...fucking hell." His hands rubbed over his face as he approached my bed in joggers and a t-shirt. I lifted the side of the comforter to invite him in.

My emotions were having a fit; one moment I was doubting everything, then the next I wanted to be wrapped in his arms. When he climbed into my bed, I found myself in the latter of the two extremes. He instantly pulled me in, palm cradling the back of my head.

"I'm sorry, darling. I'm—I wasn't expecting you tonight. I'd lost all hope, and now, now that we're together, in each other's presence, I'm worried I'm going to say the wrong thing."

I let the fingers of my free hand stroll up and down his arm. "You said we need to be open and honest with each other, right?"

"Mhmm."

"Even when it hurts?"

The hand holding the back of my head pulsed. "Especially then, love."

I let my lungs fill and deflate once more. "I'm feeling a lot of different things right now. I...I'm not sure how to communicate everything to you, and I'm hoping your therapist can help with that. I don't want you to feel awkward or guilty or like you have to walk on eggshells for the rest of your life with me. I don't want that. I...I wish we could go back, but time travel is as realistic as the teleportation technology I so desired all those months ago."

He pulled me in closer, rocking me up into him. "I want you to feel like you can trust me again."

"That's a lot to ask right now."

"I know, love," he said.

A few seconds of silence passed between us.

"When's your next session with Lisa?"

He cleared his throat. "Tomorrow."

"Can I be there?"

"Course."

"You meet at your place?" I asked.

Jude rustled uneasily underneath me. "Yeah, but, if it'd make you more comfortable, I can ask her to come here. We usually meet at 11, though I'm sure she can come later after you get home from work."

I rolled off him, turning so I fit into the curve of his body. "I can call off. And, I'd rather her come here."

"Okay, Elle. I'll call her in the morning." I felt his lips make contact with the back of my head one last time before his chest fell into a steady rhythm.

I tried to set my breathing to match his; I counted sheep and stars and even back from one hundred; it wasn't until I recited Macbeth's tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow soliloquy in my head that I finally found a sense of rest.

***

I rose far before Jude, far before the sun. The red LED lights of my alarm clock shone 4:35 AM. Out in our kitchen space, I brewed a pot of coffee and composed an email to Caroline's secretary, letting him know I wouldn't be in. If I was being honest with myself, I wouldn't have been very productive had I gone in anyways.

My dreams had been full of long blonde hair tangled in a shock of dark curls.

It was chilly out, despite it being early May, but I took my coffee outside anyways. Once seated on our patio, I cradled the mug right beneath my nose and took deep breaths in, taking myself to the first morning Jude and I ever spent in Paris, with the city below us, Eiffel Tower in view, on the balcony of his apartment. When that didn't work to calm my overactive brain, I dialed Alice's number. It rang just twice before she picked up.

"Why the fuck are you awake at," she paused on the other end, "four o'clock in the morning?"

"I went to the show."

"Ah, that's why. How'd it go?" she asked.

"It was good."

"Not the show, you idiot. If you're awake, it's because you met up with him and now you can't sleep. How did that go?"

"Well, I mean, he's here. At my place."

"Also awake?"

"No. I don't know what I'm doing, Alice. My heart is telling me to forget everything, to pretend like the last two months never happened. My head is telling me I'm making a mistake, that if Lily hadn't walked in on him, he would have...you know the story. What would you do? If Pat did this to you, what would you do?"

"Pat and I have barely been together for two months. You can't compare us. What I do think though is that you two have something worth fighting for. You love him, and he loves you. It's at least worth the shot of trying to fix it. Both of you have had some time to yourselves, and now it's time to see if you can make it work together."

"You're wise beyond your years, Al," I said.

"Don't you forget it. Now, on to brighter subjects. What are you doing for your birthday?"

"Haven't given it much thought."

"Figured. I'll give Lily a call," she said.

"Alice, don't—"

"You're right. She probably already has something planned."

"I told her not to."

"Since when do either of us listen to you?"

I felt the rumble of the groan that escaped me.

"Come on, Elle. You deserve a little fun. If Lily or Jude plans something, just go along with it."

"I hate the attention. Besides, I get more than enough of that now, and Jude's birthday happened while we were apart, which means I've got to plan something for him."

"One, while I'd like to see you two work it out, he doesn't deserve that. Two, since I know you're going to do it anyways, ask Lily for help planning something."

"She, seemingly like you, still hates him," I said.

"Not surprising. Guess you're on your own with that one." She yawned into the phone. "It's nearly midnight, and I've got work in the morning, BUT, if you need me, call."

"Will do. Thanks, sis. Love you."

"Love ya, too, Elle."

With a click, she was gone.

I trudged back into the kitchen with my empty mug, but when I made to refill it, the pot was almost empty. I set it down in the sink and walked back to my room where I found Jude sitting on the edge of my bed, mug in his hands.

"Morning," I said.

He picked his eyes up to mine. "Morning, love."

"How long have you been up?"

"Since you got out of bed."

"I didn't mean to wake you. You could've joined me on the patio." I sat down next to him.

"Didn't want to disturb you." He tilted his mug back and finished what was left in it before setting it on my bedside table.

I laid back on my bed and patted the space beside me. Jude joined me, and his hand found mine between us.

"Happy belated birthday."

He squeezed my hand. "Thanks, love."

"Did you do anything?" I asked.

"There wasn't anyone else I wanted to spend it with."

And before my mind could tell me to stop, I turned over into him and set my lips on his. My mouth and his worked hungrily against each other, trying to make up for the last six weeks. My hands found the hem of his t-shirt and slipped under it, feeling his warm skin against my palms. His found their ways to my back and pressed me more snuggly against him.

Within seconds, he was pulling my shirt above my head, and I was doing the same to his. My pulse quickened under his touch as he trailed light fingers across my skin. The love and longing were winning, the desire was taking over as my lips pressed into his neck, eliciting a groan from deep within his chest.

But it was all short-lived. The moment his thumbs hooked into the waistband of my shorts, my heart stopped cold, my lips paused against his, and my eyes fluttered open to find his full of longing; mine were brimming with the fear and mistrust I knew had been lurking within them.

"I—I can't." I rolled off him. "Not yet."

"S'alright, love." I twisted out of the weak hold he had on me and faced the opposite way of him. His hand rested on my shoulder. "Please don't shut me out."

The Elle of a few weeks back would've started to tear up, but I was trying to cry less; it was a slow process. I turned back to face him.

"I'm not trying to shut you out. I'm just...confused. I...I'd like to wait until we have a neutral party present before getting into it." Hopefully she'll be able to translate my feelings, my hesitations, to Jude.

The corners of his lips turned down. "I understand."

With each defeated note that left his lips, my heart tore a little more.

***

Jude made breakfast when we finally decided to get out of bed. I was quickly reminded of how good he was at cooking when I dug into the French toast he'd prepared. He'd stuffed it with fresh strawberries, and it may have been the most delicious thing I'd eaten in the past two months. He knew the most direct route to my heart.

While Jude was in the shower, I sent Lily an update via text: "Jude spent the night here...nothing happened. We have a counseling session at 11. Ps. I stayed home from work."

She must have been waiting for something from me because her response was immediate. "That was quick. How did you get a therapist between last night and this morning? Ps. Keep holding out on him. He doesn't deserve that yet."

My thumbs typed out a response: "He meets with her every Monday at 11. The timing just worked out."

I'd barely hit send before my phone vibrated in my hands.

"HER?!"

"He said she reminds him of his grandmother. I doubt she's a threat."

"Heard that before "

With a frown, I responded: "You promised you'd support me in whatever decision I made."

"Can't a girl change her mind? "

I didn't have time to get into it with her. "I'll see you when you get home. I'll make sure Jude's not here." I pocketed my phone and made my way to my room to swap places with Jude. When I got to the door, I could hear his voice clear on the other side of it.

"Absolutely not, Georgie. I'll not be going...There's nothing in the contracts—" A deep sigh followed, then, "I'll...I'll talk to Elle...yeah, last night...Right. Sorry for getting upset. See you."

I pushed open the door just slightly to give him a bit of warning, but his eyes were closed. His hands gripped either of his shoulders as he paced back and forth, a muttered fucking hell falling from his lips. If I was being honest, I'd missed his little quirks. When he noticed me, he gave a start.

"Oi. Sorry. Didn't see you."

"Your publicist?" I asked.

"She was inquiring about my feelings towards going to the premiere. It's in July again, so it's not too far off." He brought his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. "I told her, I fucking told her I wasn't going weeks ago."

I approached Jude, hair still dripping a bit from his shower, and put my hands on his chest. "You said you'd talk to me about it, so let's talk."

His chest rose and fell under my hands. "Lisa will be here shortly. I think it'd be best to do it while she's here."

"Okay, then I'm going to hop in for a quick shower. I'll meet you out in the living area. Does she drink coffee or tea? We can brew her either."

"Tea. Maybe we shouldn't trust her."

I laughed, it was a small laugh, but it was a laugh nonetheless. It was the first laugh Jude had brought out of me in months.

He bent down and kissed my forehead. "Love you."

"I love you too, Jude."

As I swayed under the stream of hot water, I wondered what would be the most appropriate piece of mine and Jude's history to bring up. Did we start with our communication issue? With the confusion I was feeling? With his attraction to another woman?

She was going to be at that premiere, with her beautiful long blonde hair and her sparkling personality. That push and pull of two very distinct feelings came rushing in. Part of me never wanted Jude anywhere near her again, wanted us to go off in our own little bubble far away and be free from the public and drama and everything that came with his career. The other part of me wanted to go, wanted to show her that Jude and I were stronger than ever.

Maybe Lisa would help sort out these conflicting bits of my brain. But, in the end, it wouldn't matter what she said. Jude and I were going to have to learn to come to an agreement on things, to compromise more effectively, before either of us did something we'd regret forever.

A/N: Hi!

Can you believe we're finally here? Just about all of this chapter was composed abroad lol. We had quite the long flight home, which made for perfect writing time.

I had songs in mind for this chapter, but once I get stuck I'll let you know when you can suggest them for the chapter :)

Also, did you know I'm on Instagram? It started out as a place where I was posting writing tips and mostly morphed into a place where I now post original poetry and snapshots from my life :) if you're interested, my handle is novels_and_coffee ☺️

Please vote and comment and chat with me. I've missed you all for the last few weeks!

With love,
L