Jude Merryweather

my gorgeous girl: hey can't wait to hang out later

The name change was Abbey's idea. She interrogated me about everything that took place yesterday until I gave in. Instead of laughing her little head off at me, she was happy for me for once. 

After talking to my sister and Rishi, I feel good about what I'm about to do. The only thing I'm not totally certain of is what I'm wearing. 

I come across a white polo and cargo pants and throw them on. The combination makes me feel more confident about myself than ever. A blue bag with the Peterbrooke logo sits on my dresser, ready to be given to Emilia later today. 

By the time I'm dressed, it hits me that she'll be here in five minutes. A frisson of excitement fills me and I grab her gift.

Jude Merryweather: when can i come over?

my gorgeous girl: now if you want to. i'm doing girly shit right now and it shouldn't take long

Jude Merryweather: sounds good

"Hey, son. You look handsome." Mum compliments. After taking in my nervous expression, she reassures me. "You're going to be fine. You and Emi are good kids." As a therapist, Mum is paid to sense people's feelings and catch onto her son's nerves when needed. 

"I love you, mom." I reply.  

She rubs my back. "Have fun. Don't do anything your Dad and I wouldn't."

~

"Come in. You're here for Emilia, correct?" Ramon lets me in, looking me up and down.

I nod. "Yes, sir."

"Maybe." He says. "Taking a long time to get ready runs in the family."

"No rush."

Alicia, wearing pajama pants and a tight Lululemon jacket, joins us and decides to squeeze me half to death. "How's my future son-in-law?" 

"Pretty good. How are you doing?"

Avoiding my question, she releases me. "I'm so excited for y'all! Emilia adores you. You're kinda famous here." 

Ramon puts an arm around his wife. "You're all we hear about, kiddo." Seeing her parents together proves that Emilia is a combination of her parents' best features. Thank God she's not her mom's age hitting on me, but she gained her mom's bubbliness. Her dad gifted her with her tan skin that looks sun-kissed long after the UV is high enough to burn my pale ass. 

As her footsteps emerge from upstairs, so do those butterflies that she always gives me. My organs almost grow legs and leave when my gorgeous girl comes into view. 

"Talking to Jude without me?" 

Ramon looks at her with pride. "There she is."

"You look beautiful, baby."

I don't mind being arrested for murdering Alicia because beautiful is an understatement. The short, blue dress she's wearing is beyond stunning and showcases the best parts of her body. I can see the strap of her baby pink bikini under it. Half of her hair is in a ponytail on top of her head whilst the rest of those curls flow down her back. She has on makeup, but it does nothing to hide any of her features. 

"Ready?" I'm freaking out, but she can't know that. 

"Have fun, kids." Ramon says as we head out. 

The oppressive heat hits me like a brick and I know I'll look less than decent by the end of the afternoon. We hop in her car and body spray enters my nostrils. 

"I just wanted to say that you look stunning." Somehow, she isn't a sweaty mess like me. 

"You're so sweet. You look pretty good yourself." She replies with that smile that never fails to make me smile also. "Thanks for the Peterbrooke. You know me pretty well."

I nod, taking a moment to let the freezing AC touch my skin. "Don't mention it."

Emi doesn't even pull out of the driveway before a Taylor Swift song Abbey loves is played on the radio. Upon the opening guitar notes, she decides to put on a concert for me. I mentally roll my eyes, but I pretend to enjoy the music for her sake. It's some song about an uptight girl who meets a guy in college. The guy successfully knocks down her walls and they're eventually rebellious together. I hear Abbey sing it almost every day, along with some other songs by Taylor. This is different. I'll put up with my crazy sister until I die, but being with a girl like Emilia again isn't a guarantee. 

When Mine ends and Right Where You Left Me plays, I realize that song was made for us. 

"I heard that the choir at school is looking for new members."

Emilia turns down the music and glances at me. "My fault. I kinda love Taylor Swift."

"You and my sister would get along great."

"So...you don't like her?"

"Uh..." It's clear that this question might make or break our relationship. "Let's put it this way. I'm into older stuff."

"Like the Beatles?"

"Correct." I can see the same beach from two weeks ago in the distance. However, she stops right before where the party took place. Behind me is what looks like the crowded beach club. 

Silver Palms Beach Club is far from dilapidated, but you can tell it isn't the newest. It looks like a refurbished hotel with some of its original charm, complete with a swimming pool and other things to keep everyone entertained this summer. 

Before we eat, Emi is adamant about showing me around. I let her since I'm not super hungry. We stop by the places her friends frequent: the infinity pool teeming with snotty children and old couples, the lounge chairs she and her friends lay on whilst the sun works its magic, and the swim-up bar overflowing with drunk middle aged men who wear swim shirts that can't hide how many pounds they put on. In my opinion, the most memorable part of her tour was visiting the hot tub. 

Hollywood paints a picture of hot tubs as being a place where drunk people ruin their lives. Thankfully, none of the people in the hot tub look inebriated enough to be stupid. I let Emi know that we should hold the swimming portion of our day here and she agrees. After the tour is over, we are greeted by a guy the same age as the swim shirts. This man, however, is wearing a polo with khaki shorts.

"Miss Shapiro. How are you today?"

"I can't complain."

"That's good to hear." The man smiles, gathering menus for us. "No Victoria and Evangeline?" 

"They're on vacation with their families, sir."

The man inspects me. "And who is this?"

"This is Jude. He hasn't been here in a while."

"Welcome back, kiddo." He turns into one of those overly happy TV hosts. "Please treat Emilia well. She's an awesome kid."

My cheeks get hot at his insinuation. "Will do." A waitress who is in at least college approaches us. 

"I'm Jackie, and I'll take care of y'all this afternoon. I can tell we're going to be besties." The number of happy people I've encountered lately reinforces how I feel about myself. I'm like a dark storm cloud that will linger and feel sorry for itself while the people on the beach below me live their lives like I don't exist to fuck things up. "Right this way."

Emi and I sit across from each other at the table Jackie picked. "By the way, you look gorgeous in that dress."

"That's all you, Jackie." She isn't wrong. Jackie and Emilia aren't on the same level, but I guess she's easy on the eyes. Jackie is tiny. If I had to guess, she's five feet even and is my sister's weight. Her dirty blonde hair is in two neat French braids and her eyelashes have a tube of mascara per eye. 

"Can I get y'all something to drink?"

"Two Dr. Peppers, please."

She turns to me and smiles. "Didn't see you there."

"Yeah. I'm kinda quiet."

"All good. I'll be right back." Jackie leaves to get our drinks.

Emi looks in her direction. "She would get along with Eva pretty well."

"No shit. Everyone gets along with Eva Hamilton but me." I reply. 

"That's alright. Y'all will be best friends in no time."

Part of me wants to laugh in her face, but I shut it up quickly. Instead, I change the subject. "So, how was your softball season?" I know the answer, but need to talk about something.

"Nothing too crazy. We were basically undefeated this year." She says proudly. 

"Not surprising. You're always so focused behind home plate." The pictures of her catching in the yearbook feature a mean expression, the opposite of how much of a sweetheart Emilia is at her core. 

Emi shrugs. "That's just my job. It's worth the knee pain."

"Thanks for convincing me to stay a photographer instead of an athlete." A smile forms on my lips listening to her talk about what she's interested in. 

Jackie chooses to swoop in with our drinks. "Here you go, y'all." She focuses her attention on the menu on the table. "If y'all are ready to order, I love the steak. I feel like y'all might share something. If so, I love the nachos or chicken tender basket."

I forgot all about the menu in front of me with several enticing options. In the end, we cave in and get what Jackie recommends. 

"As you should." Jackie swells with pride. "You guys are so cute together."

We share a look before Emilia decides to just go along with it. "Thanks, Jackie."

"Don't mention it, gorgeous." She grabs Emilia by the shoulder, yet her gaze is trained on me. "Your dimples are so fucking cute! Honestly, you're an adorable kid in general."

"That's sweet of you." I say, flattered and uncomfortable at the same time. Only Emi can attack me with her sweet compliments and make me giddy. 

Jackie pats my shoulder and leaves us. I look at my date to gauge her thoughts on Jackie's words. Emilia's attention is God only knows where, but the way she avoids my eye contact indicates she's a bit caught off guard by our waitress' advances.

"You alright?"

"Yep." She says flatly, but I'm pretty certain she's lying. "Anyways...what did you do after last night?"

I decide to tell her about my visit to Rishi's, but obviously left out the fact that he knows.

"I'm so glad he's growing on you. Rishi's a sweetheart."

Why are we talking about other guys like that on our date?

"He's a nice person." I pray that she can't tell how upset I am. This is ridiculous. Why am I so mad about this? We're not even dating, let alone particularly close.

If there's anything this date is schooling me about, I definitely love her more than I think.

What's not to love about sweet Emilia? She has the biggest heart and cares about people, but that doesn't mean she's a doormat. Her confidence and willingness to stand up for herself when people rip on her are just so hot.

"He's like a brother to me." She agrees, absentmindedly playing with her hair. "But Rishi is Rishi, and he pisses me off."

"I'm with you on that."

Our lunch arrives, courtesy of Jackie. Her braids are no longer present and her blonde hair gained some waves. This time, it couldn't be more obvious that she's flirting with me.

"Here's your food, big boy." Dainty fingers squeeze my bicep. "Enjoy. These big muscles need it."

"Thank you."

"Of course, cutie!" Jackie removes her hand from my arm. "Want some more Dr. Pepper?"

"Uh..."

Emi cuts in. "We're okay, thanks so much Jackie."

"Enjoy."

We dig in immediately. While both of the dishes were delicious, I prefer the addicting and cheesy nachos a little more. The hot queso makes quiet moans escape from my throat as I devour them. 

"That shit's good." Emi moans after a few chicken tenders and a singular chip from the other plate.

Soon, we're both stuffed like we just enjoyed a seven-course Thanksgiving dinner. That's a lie: I don't know about the fine ass girl across from me, but my stomach is pissed off at me for pigging out like that. 

"I'm so full." By now, my hand is resting on top of my swollen tummy. I definitely put on several pounds from that meal alone.

"My thoughts exactly. Should we head back to mine and hang out there instead?" A smile plays on her lips. "Just kidding. You ready to swim?"