Page 53 of The Plus One
Jude nodded then smiled, following Collin to the car.
Low-key and chill. Exactly what he needed.
Saturday, shockingly, was neither low-key nor chill.
Jude stared in silent horror at the unadulterated chaos filling the foyer as Collin and Rake wrestled with camping equipment while Lizzie and Jeremy laughed like banshees every few minutes. It didn’t take long for Jude to realize his fatal mistake: Collin, demonic extrovert that he was, had applied his signature “the more, the merrier” mentality to Jude’s desperate attempt at a peaceful weekend in nature. He’d done similar things in college and med school, handing out camping invites like candy on Halloween. It hadn’t bothered Jude much back then.
He hated himself for how much it bothered him now.
“Oh my God, what is happening?” Indira asked, appearing at theopen front door, earbuds hanging around her neck and face flushed from her run.
Lizzie hurdled over a tent and a cooler like an Olympic track star to smack into Indira with what Jude assumed was a hug. It resembled more of a meteor crashing onto earth with its force.
“Howdy, camper!” Lizzie said, wrapping her arm around Indira’s shoulders and ushering her into the house, shutting the door with her foot. “There’s still time for you to join us on our outdoor adventure.” Lizzie offered a sweeping gesture at the shit storm in the hallway.
“I’m sorry, what?” Indira asked again, face scrunched up as she looked at Lizzie.
“We’re going camping,” Rake explained, examining a dented cooler.
“You should come!” Lizzie said, bouncing on her toes.
“It’ll be fun,” Collin added with a smile, zipping up a backpack.
“Absolutely not.” Indira’s eyes danced around the mess, landing on Jude for a beat longer than anything else. Then she turned to her friend. “Lizzie, I didn’t even knowyouliked camping.” Indira’s eyebrows were furrowed so deeply it made Jude want to laugh… if he wasn’t absolutely freaking out at his crumbling plans for peace.
“Well,” Lizzie said, “this will actually be my first time. But I’ll try anything once. And I’m also fairly desperate to get a little time away from Rake’s screaming spawn.”
“Yes, because Evie obviously gets her volume from me, love,” Rake deadpanned, making Lizzie cackle.
Unfortunately, Indira caught the way the sudden noise made Jude flinch. She studied him for a moment, and Jude’s pulse punched at his chest as he wondered if she could read his panic. He didn’t want her to see how chaotic every emotion was. How damaged he was.
“I… I thought it was just Jude and Collin going?” Indira asked, her expression mirroring Jude’s own internal confusion at how things had spiraled into such a massive event.
Lizzie shrugged. “From what I understand, Jude invited Collin. Collin obviously invited Jeremy. He also invited Rake. And I invitedmyself with the full intention of turning this into a homemadeNaked and Afraidmoment.” She shot Rake an overt wink.
“Did you even ask Jude if this was okay?” Indira asked, rounding on Collin. “Or did you just steamroll through his plans?”
Collin shot Indira a confused look. “Why are you being so combative right now? Jude was the one who suggested inviting you in the first place. Why would he care if our other friends came along?”
Indira’s eyes shot to Jude, and he looked to the floor, pangs of embarrassment slicing through his haze of sensory overload.
“That’s… that’s not the point,” Indira spluttered out.
Collin let out a sigh. “Do you want to go camping or not?”
“No, I don’t want to go camping!” Indira flung up her hands. “I also don’t want to intrude on or alter Jude’s intentions for the trip.”
“Oh my God. Not everything has to be made into some big deal,” Collin said, rolling his eyes.
“You didn’t even think about his feelings!”
“Would you just chill? It’s camping, not some soap opera. It’s going to be a fun weekend away, but if you’re going to be like this you don’t have to go.”
“I don’twantto go!” Indira screeched. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Jude cut her off.
“Indira, stop.”
His voice cracked like a whip across the room.
