Page 120 of When the Stars Fall
There was a knock on the door and I went into full-blown panic mode. “Oh my God. He’s here. He’s at the door.”
“Um, call me stupid but that’s kind of how it works. He knocks on the door. You answer it. Then you have angry sex and order pizza.”
“We’re not having... I have to go.”
“Have fun.”
“Thanks.” I cut the call and took a deep breath. Not like I didn’t know Jude. Not like I hadn’t known him all my life. I was being ridiculous. I smoothed my sweaty palms over the skirt of my dress and gave myself a final look in the mirror before I went to answer the door.
“Hi.” I gave him a dorky little wave.
He laughed. “Hi. You look... fucking amazing.”
I smiled, happy that I’d made the effort if only to see that heated look in his eyes. “Thank you. So do you.” And he did. He looked amazing in a dark blue button-down shirt and jeans.
“You ready to take off?”
“Yeah, let me grab my purse.” Grabbing it off the couch, I walked over to him and he took my hand and led us to the door.
* * *
“I love this place.”
“Good.”
We exchanged a smile and I lifted the copper mug to my lips, laughing as Jude shuddered. I had no problem drinking my Texas Mule from copper but Jude couldn’t bear the thought of it. Weird the things that bothered him.
I set down my drink and watched the sunset over the hills and acres and acres of sprawling trees from our table on the deck. The restaurant was modern rustic with soaring ceilings, timber walls, and floor to ceiling windows that opened onto the deck. Romantic. Upscale but relaxed. Not at all where I’d expected to end up for our date tonight.
“Does it remind you of anything?” Jude asked, foregoing the glass and drinking his IPA from the bottle.
I’d never been to this restaurant, so it shouldn’t remind me of anything, but it did. It was almost exactly what we used to talk about when we were planning our dream house. Rustic. Modern. Timber and stone. Our own treehouse, we used to say, back when we had so many hopes and dreams. We were just kids, but so in love that anything felt possible.
“It reminds me of the house you were going to build for us.” I sat back as the waiter delivered our food and after we thanked him and he was gone, I picked up the conversation again. “Is that why you chose it?”
“I just lucked out.”
Knowing Jude, there had been more than luck involved in his decision. I took a bite of my Gulf Shrimp and Grits. Delicious food. Perfect spot. Jude hadn’t left anything to chance. And I had no idea why that bothered me when it should have made me happy.
While we ate our dinner, we made small talk. And everything was just perfect. It really was. But only because we weren’t talking about anything important.
“You look beautiful, Lila.”
“You don’t look too shabby yourself. You clean up nice.”
He looked down at the shirt he was wearing. “I bought it at the mall.” He laughed a little.
“I can’t believe you went to the mall. Were you okay?” I asked, remembering how hard it was for him to go to crowded places.
“I was fine.”
“I had my own wardrobe crisis until Sophie told me what to wear and saved the day.”
“It doesn’t matter what you wear. All I ever see is you.”
My gaze wandered to the scenery but I wasn’t seeing it because it was the same for me. I hated that he still had this power over me. I hated that I still loved him the way I did. I hated him for leaving me.
“Hey. Lila. Look at me.”
