He won it all.
I was his.
Chapter Twenty
“I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” Rowan clapped her hands giddily, then pointed to where Jude and I sat across from her at the cafeteria table, “but I’m so incredibly happy you two finally got your shit straightened out.”
“Um,” I leaned towards her, propping my elbow on the table and my head in my hand, “If I recall, didn’t you resist Trent for like…years.”
Her cheeks colored slightly. “That was different.” She pretended to pick lint off her shirt to avoid my eyes.
“Mhmm, sure it was,” I laughed.
Beneath the table Jude’s hand found my thigh and gave it a slight squeeze. I’d been getting nasty looks all day from the female population. Even in college, there were still high-school-like antics and the women were pissed that Jude was off the market. I half expected one of them to grab me by my hair and try to throw me around. Jude acted like he didn’t notice, but I knew he did. Even the guys on campus seemed surprised that Jude was holding my hand and we were acting like a…well, like a couple, because that’s what we were.
I finished my lunch and pushed the uneaten portion over to Jude. I’d discovered the guy was a bottomless pit. He never seemed to get full.
“So,” I smiled at Rowan, “graduation is in a month, and then your wedding is soon after. Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m ready to be married, but not for the wedding itself. I feel so unprepared, and big parties aren’t my thing anyway. We’re trying to keep it small. But…that isn’t working out so well.”
“You have nothing to be worried about,” I assured her. “Everyone that meets you loves you. I wish you could see how amazing you are.”
“Yeah,” she groaned, biting into the sandwich she’d brought from home, “maybe one day I’ll view myself differently. I’m working on it.”
I was beginning to think we were all always ‘working’ on something to better ourselves. We all had our faults, and most of us were well aware of them, even if we tended to ignore them.
I knew if I was a better friend I’d offer to help her out more with the wedding. But between finals and now a job, it left very little free time, and what time I had I wanted to spend with Jude. I was probably the most selfish person on the planet.
“Hey,” Jude rubbed my neck in a soothing manner, “why do you have that angry look on your face?”
“No reason,” I forced a smile.
Jude didn’t believe me, of course, but chose to ignore it. “Are you ready for your last week of shadowing me?” He asked. “I’ll try to make it good for you,” he joked with a wink. He knew something had upset me and was trying to make me feel better.
“I’m ready to be done with my paper,” I grumbled. I’d been struggling immensely to get it right. The day in the library where Jude and I went to get ice cream wasn’t the first time I’d had to walk away from my laptop out of frustration. I needed it to be perfect and my words kept falling flat. “But I’m going to miss watching you work and interact with the patients. You’re quite remarkable.”
Jude grinned, then turned to Rowan. “She just likes to look at my ass in my scrubs.”
“Do not!”
“Your cheeks are getting red, Tate. And I think,” he leaned closer, “…yep, your nose just got a little longer.”
My hand shot up to grab my nose, an involuntary reaction. “I’m not Pinocchio.”
“Oh, I know you’re definitely not Pinocchio,” he nuzzled my neck, and then peppered light kisses along my chin and jaw.
“Ew,” Rowan wrinkled her nose. “You guys are gross.”
“You wanted this to happen,” I admonished her. “It’s too late to change your mind now.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she muttered. “I’m getting what I deserve. The disgusting public displays are worth it to see you guys happy,” she cracked a smile.
“Are you happy with me?” Jude asked, playing with a strand of my hair.
I nodded. “Very happy.”
We stared at each other for a moment before Rowan interrupted us. “I don’t know which is worse, the PDA or staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.”