Chapter 13- Distracted
1627 Words
"I'm always workin', slavin' every day
Gotta get a break from the same ol', same ol'
I need a chance just to get away
If you could hear me think, this is what I'd say
Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist?
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this"
Nothin’ but a Good Time, Poison
Jude POV
This girl was just amazing from start to finish. I'll admit I was a little disappointed that she refused to take her mask off. It wasn't that I just wanted to see what she looked like, I really felt like losing the mask and wig would make her way more comfortable. But then again, Kiss and Daft Punk always wear their get up, so I guess some people are just fine with it. Maybe I was just hoping she'd trust us enough to really be herself. I sighed. It was only day one, after all. Eli and Ash already seemed extremely comfortable with her. Like they'd known her for years. I was still kind of a nervous wreck.
Granted, I was trying to just be friends, but she was undeniably attractive. I felt a little bit like I was being unfaithful to Violetta on some level, just by thinking she was hot. I know it's not cheating to look, but since I rarely looked either, I managed to somehow feel bad. Grace was looking at me, head tilted as she waited for my answer to her question. Wait, what did she ask?
"Sorry, what?" I said. Ash snorted and Eli raised a brow. "I was thinking about... Nevermind, could you repeat that please?" I said to Grace.
"I asked if you were ready for the duet I picked." She said, seemingly neutral about my distraction, though I thought maybe a ghost of a smile hovered around her now bare lips. Was that a dimple on the right? Why did it seem familiar? When I turned to Eli, I noticed he had one too, just on the other side. Guess that must be it. "They don't need their instruments. Just you, me and my guitar again. Like we did for Good to You." She said. I nodded, stepping up to the mic next to hers.
As she strummed the opening for More Than Words by Extreme, I got a little nervous. It's a very bare track. Easy to f**k up. It was another that was nearly full harmony, with some pretty damn high notes.
[Jude]
Saying "I love you"
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
[Both]
More than words
Is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know
[Jude, Both]
What would you do
If my heart was torn in two?
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say
If I took those words away?
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying, "I love you"
Da-de-da-la-de-da
La-de-dei-dei-dei
More than words
Da-de-da-la-de-da
[Jude, Both]
Now that I've tried to
Talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes
And just reach out your hands
And touch me, hold me close, don't ever let me go
More than words
Is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know
[Jude, Both]
What would you do
If my heart was torn in two?
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say
If I took those words away?
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying, "I love you"
[Da-de-da-la-de-da
La-de-dei-dei-dei
More than words] x 2
La-de-dei-dei-dei x 3
More than words x 3
Well damn. Ash and Eli had grins a mile wide. It was flawless. We'd made eye contact the entire time, like we were singing it to each other. It was a little pinchy around my heart. I could see why so many bands ended up with dating issues when it was mixed men and women. Easy to get pseudo-feelings for someone you're singing to. In order to make the performance all it could be, it was the best thing you could do, though. The best way to read your partner.
"That better end up on the vlog too, hmm?" I said, clearing my throat. It was now eleven PM, and we had school in the morning. "Well, Ash, we better head home, right?" He tilted his head at me This dude and his mannerisms were sometimes annoying.
"We could just crash here." He quipped. It was not lost on me that Grace stiffened at the comment.
"Nah bro, all my school s**t is at our apartment. Pretty sure yours is too." I intoned, trying to get him off his ass.
"I'll take Grace home." Eli volunteered. Dammit. I'd wanted to offer, but he got there before I could, and fighting over it would look weird.
"Cool. Well, Grace, glad to have you, can we expect you at any performances on Friday or Saturday?" I asked.
"Yeah, I can do that." She agreed, smiling. This dimple was triggering me bad. I refocused on the actual words instead of her mouth.
"Great! See you tomorrow night, then." I gave her a fist bump to be on the safe side, and left with Ash. He was stealing glances at me and laughing to himself all the way home. Once I was parked, I turned to him, annoyed.
"What the f**k is your problem, Ash?" I snarked.
"Oh, nothing's wrong here, Bro. Not with me, anyway. Something is definitely off with you though. Care to share?" He asked. I sighed. He was not going to let it go, for sure.
"Let's go inside, at least?" I said as my shoulders deflated. We got out and went into our apartment, flopping on the couch for the second time in the last two weeks, just to talk about my love life, or lack thereof. I stared at him. "You are acting so weird with Grace. Both you and Eli."
"Are we?" He grinned. For f**k's sake!
"Yeah, you both are. Like you've known her forever or something. You like her?" I asked, desperate to know.
"Don't worry Bro, Eli and I both see her as a sister and friend, that's it. But I thought you were focused on Violetta, finally?" He asked. I sighed.
"I am, I just feel weirdly protective of Grace." I hoped I sounded fully convincing. I still needed to convince myself.
"Dude, you're very attracted to her, even Eli can see that s**t, and he's about as sensitive as a rock." He quipped.
"Well, I have eyes, you know. She's ridiculously hot." I stated. He just looked at me.
"She is attractive, sure. But see, the thing is, you normally have blinders on when it comes to women, you don't pay them any attention." He pointed out. "And what the hell had you so distracted?"
"Ah, I was thinking of Violetta. Is it weird that I wished it was her I was singing with? I don't even know if she sings, but at that moment, that's what I wanted. I felt bad that I was thinking like that with Grace right in front of me." I sighed. Ash's face split into a wide grin, patting my shoulder.
"Believe it or not, that is actually a good thing, Jude. It means that as attractive as you find Grace, Violetta still comes first. I heard you ran into her getting coffee." How had he heard that?
"And you heard about it where?" I asked.
"From Violetta herself, of course." For some reason, I wanted to punch the s**t-eating grin right off of his face.
"And when were you talking to her?" I gritted out. Ever since I admitted I liked her, he'd been giving me a massively hard time.
"Oh, I picked her up for lunch." He said, meeting my eyes with a glint. I stood up.
"Ash, is there something you're not telling me here? Should I be worried about you going after her?" I just had to ask. He leaned forward with his chin in his hand, elbow resting on his knee.
"Well, I've always found her cute, despite her attempts to hide herself from everyone. She's mega-smart, and goal-oriented. What's not to like?" He shrugged. My hands clenched into fists, and he leaned back on the cushions. "Relax, Jude. I am not interested in her like that. I went with her and Eli." I took a deep breath, opening my hands. I ran one through my hair.
"Fuck." I said out loud. He nodded.
"I agree. You've got it bad, Bro. What is it with you and not being able to slow your roll?" He inquired, brows raised. I sighed.
"I just, I've liked her for so long, and it's like I can feel my chances slipping away without even trying." I despaired.
"Well, it's not like she's in high demand for dating or anything. Just keep weirding her out by being friendly and eventually I'm sure you'll make progress." He laughed.
"Yeah, whatever you say, Ash. Just make sure you tell me if you change your mind." I told him as I headed towards my room,
"About what?" He called.
"Liking Violetta or Grace." I called back.
The last thing I needed was to be blindsided by own best friends.
- Writer
