by DeLuca, Gia
Jax laughed as he rifled through the fridge and pulled out a tinfoil-covered plate.
“How you liking L.A. so far?” Jax asked, his back toward me.
“So far, so good,” I said meekly, trying to ignore the awkwardness that lingered between us.
“How long you staying here?” Jax asked, popping his plate in the microwave and turning around to face us.
“Oh, um, uh…” I turned to Jude, unaware of the fact that Jax didn’t know I’d moved there.
“As long as she needs,” Jude interjected, reaching over and grabbing my hand. “She has to find a job and then an apartment. Know of any nursing jobs?”
“Um, check the hospital, man, I don’t know,” Jax said as the timer went off behind him. He grabbed his food and took it back to his room, disappearing like a dog dragging his bone to his den.
“He pretty much hangs out in there all day,” Jude said. “He’s harmless, really. Take nothing he says or does personally.”
“Does he work?” I asked.
“Here and there,” Jude said. “He’s pretty much a trust fund baby, but every once in a while, his dad lines him up with a job as a PA on a movie set. He spends most of his days surfing and most of his nights down at the bar, cruising for hook-ups.”
“How are you guys even friends?” I asked. “You’re polar opposites.”
“We met at UC-Davis,” he said. “We were roommates. You get used to living with someone, and then you don’t want to live with someone else. It works, this arrangement we have.”
“I see. Carys and I always talked about living together, but I never had the money to move out.” My voice softened, “Julian was the first person I ever lived with.”
“Didn’t you go to college for nursing?”
“Yeah, but I lived at home and commuted,” I said. “I went to Larson Hills Community College, ten minutes from Halverford.”
“I’ve lived on my own since I was eighteen,” Jude said, leaning back. “Went to school. Mom cut me off in the middle of my freshman year. The rest is history.”
His face twisted as he likely recalled some painful memories.
“Hey,” I said, “how come I never met you in high school? You were, what, three years ahead of me?”
“I attended Holy Cross,” he said, referring to the private Christian school thirty minutes from our hometown.
“Oh,” I said. “Is that where your other brother went, too?”
“Yep,” he said. “Jamison and I both attended Holy Cross. Julian had a private tutor.”
“Public schools not good enough?” I asked, already knowing the answer. Sending her boys to Holy Cross was very much a Caroline initiative.
“Of course not,” Jude snickered.
I hated how our conversations always seemed to drift in the same direction. It never mattered what we were discussing, somehow Caroline always came up.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Jude shrugged it off. “You mind if I get a little work done?”
JUDE
“Your girlfriend’s trying to fatten me up,” Jax said over dinner one night.
Evie’s first week had been an adjustment for all of us, especially Jax, but she was slowly making herself at home. And in an attempt to make herself feel better for imposing, she insisted on cooking us dinner most nights.
I wanted to tell Jax she wasn’t my girlfriend. I didn’t know what the fuck we were, and labels were never my thing. But I kept my mouth shut. Leave it to Jax to speak without thinking first.
“Yeah, the girl can cook,” I agreed, throwing a smile at Evie as she watched us scarf down the latest Midwestern church potluck dish she’d cooked up.
“You don’t have to eat my cooking if you don’t like it, Jax,” she teased. “I wouldn’t want to destroy that surfer boy figure you’ve got going on.”
“How can I say no?” Jax said, rubbing his washboard abs. “I smell this stuff in my room every night. It’s like I just follow my nose and I end up right here with a big old plate of whatever’s on the menu.”
Evie smiled. She and Jax were slowly becoming friends, and she was growing more comfortable around him each day, as if he were the annoying older brother she’d never had.
“You going to be around this weekend, Jax?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Jax said in his trademark smartass tone.
“My friend, Carys, is coming to visit,” Evie said, a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. “We should all go out, or something.”
Jax shot me a look. He hated being fixed up. Hated it. I stifled a smile.
“Yeah, sounds like a great idea,” I said.
“This isn’t, like, some double date thing, is it?” Jax said
“No,” Evie laughed, though neither of us fully believed her. “But I think you’ll really enjoy meeting her.”
Jax rolled his eyes. He was never one to be tied down and rarely had a girlfriend, but from what Evie said, Carys was sort of the same way. They were either going to hate each other or they’d be unable to keep their paws off each other.
Jax finished dinner and trekked back to his room, shutting the door. The sound of bullets and calamity trailed down the hall, indicating he was in gamer mode.
“He really doesn’t like to be set up,” I said to Evie as we cleared the table. “Just so you know.”
Evie shot me a conniving smile and shrugged a shoulder.
“You know they’re probably going to hate each other,” I added.
“Or they might fall madly in love, get married, and live happily ever after,” Evie said, doing a spin in the middle of the kitchen with arms full of dishes.
“Wanna make a wager?” I asked.
“Uh, yes,” Evie said without pause.
“If I’m right and they hate each other,” I said, running the water and filling the sink with suds, “you have to…”
I hesitated to come up with something. Staring at her with her elbows deep in dirty dishwater, I realized there was absolutely nothing I needed from her. Not a damn thing. Just looking at her, I knew she’d do anything I asked, regardless of some stupid bet.
“Look, there’s no point in betting on them,” she said. “They’re going to like each other. I’m telling you.”
“Jax hasn’t had a girlfriend in two years,” I said. “And before that, it’d been almost three. He hooks up, Evie. He doesn’t date.”
She shrugged, unwilling to give up the fight.
“What about you? What’s your dating history look like?”
I struggled to find the words as I felt her staring. Did I tell her I was no better? That I was noncommittal? I never knew what I wanted. Never settled. Never got too attached. Veronica was the only serious girlfriend I’d had, and I suspect it was a combination of her crazy antics keeping me entertained and her killer moves in the sack that kept me fulfilled on a near-nightly basis.
“I haven’t dated much,” I said.
“Really? I’d have figured girls would be knocking on your door twenty-four seven.”
They had been. I just never answered unless they wanted to hook up, and even still, I’d turned away more than I cared to admit.
Evie’s phone began to buzz on the counter, providing a much needed interruption. She pulled her hands from the soapy water and quickly dried them before answering the unknown number.
“Yes, this is she,” Evie said, stepping into the living room. “Absolutely! Sounds great. What time? Thank you so much. I’ll be there.”
“Who was that?”
“I have a job interview on Monday. Ten in the morning,” Evie said, cautiously optimistic. “Cedars-Sinai. OR nurse.”
“That’s one of the best hospitals in the area,” I said, impressed. “Congrats.”
“I’m going to need a ride,” she said, biting her lip.
“You got it.”
The sun began to set behind her, beckoning her to the balcony as I finished cleaning up.
“Whatcha th
inking about?” I asked when I joined her minutes later.
She turned her head, startled by my presence. “Nothing, really. Just wondering what I’d be doing if I were home right now.”
“You miss it already? Hasn’t even been a week.”
“No,” she said. “Not missing it like I want to be there. This might sound crazy.”
“Okay…”
“Sometimes, I feel like there are two versions of me,” she said, peering down below as the wind rustled her hair. “There’s the old me, the one still living back home in Halverford, still knee-deep in mourning, depressed and unmotivated. Trapped, reliving the past, and only finding happiness in memories that are long gone.”
I nodded. I got it.
“And then there’s the new me,” she said, sitting up tall. “The girl living someone else’s life. Doing things she never thought she’d do in a million years.”
“You feel like you’re living someone else’s life?”
“In a way, yes,” she answered. “I don’t know how to describe it, but I feel like I’m being pushed in this direction, you know? Like I’m being pushed to try new things. Do you believe in destiny, Jude?”
I raked my fingers through my hair, cocking my head to the side and flashing an amused grin. How could one phone call about a job offer suddenly make her want to have this deep, introspective conversation?
“No, not really,” I said.
“You don’t think I was destined to meet you?” she asked carefully. “In some weird, twisted way?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Thinking too hard about things like that gave me a headache. I tended to live in the moment. It was the only way I survived.
“Why don’t you ever talk about him?” Evie asked. “Julian, I mean.”
I shrugged. “I might not talk about him, but I think about him every day.”
“Fair enough,” she said, studying me like the anomaly that I was.
It was true. I thought about Julian daily. But if I talked about him, it gave me the feels.
“I don’t like feeling sad, Evie,” I said point blank, my expression remaining stoic.
She placed her lithe arm around me, leaned in, and kissed my shoulder. “Me either.”
EVIE
“Is that her?” I asked, standing on my tip toes and peering over throngs of travelers at the LAX baggage claim Friday afternoon. “No. Wait. I think that’s her. Nope. Never mind.”
“Relax,” Jude said, softly rubbing my shoulders. “She’ll be here. Just wait.”
“I wish you knew what she looked like,” I lamented. “I need an extra set of eyes right now. Believe me when I say she’ll blend right in here.”
“Is that her?” Jude said, pointing across the way. “She’s staring at you pretty hard.”
Before I had time to say anything, I found myself running toward her like a crazy person and throwing my arms around her. We bounced like a couple of excited schoolgirls, as if we hadn’t seen each other in years.
“Carys, meet Jude,” I said, proudly introducing them.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand. I was right. She blended right in with her mint skinny jeans and her spray tan and her mile-long legs. Her sleek, platinum blonde bob laid perfectly smooth and shiny against her pretty oval face. Her full lips were slicked with glassy red gloss. Carys loved to make a stunning impression anywhere she went. “So, you were the guy hanging out in Evie’s driveway the other night.”
Jude flashed an unapologetic grin, owning it.
“Thanks for flying me out here,” she said, hoisting her leather satchel over her shoulder.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Jude said as he loaded her bags in the car a bit later. “I’m going to drop you girls off at home while I take care of a few things. I’ll pick you up for dinner at seven. Sound okay?”
“Perfect,” I said, studying Carys as she took in her surroundings. It was as if I were reliving my first L.A. venture through her.
“Where are we going for dinner?” Carys asked.
I filled her in, attempting to be as casual as possible. “You, me, Jude, and Jax are going out to some seaside bar tonight for dinner and drinks.”
“Wait,” Carys said. “This isn’t some double date thing, right? You know I hate being set up.”
“No, no, no,” I lied. “Not at all. Just didn’t want you to feel like the third wheel, so we’re dragging Jax along to make it an even number. Don’t read it to it, Carys.”
“Better not be,” she huffed, brushing her flaxen hair from her eyes and glancing out the window again. “I came here to hang out with you—no offense, Jude. Not to be some surfer dude’s flavor of the weekend.”
“You’re going to love their place,” I said, changing the subject. “It’s amazing.”
Jude dropped us off, and Carys and I traveled up the elevator to Jude’s floor a half hour later. I watched Carys’ reaction as she saw the guys’ place for the first time. She, too, was from a modest, working class family. This blew her away just as much as it had for me.
“Is this real life?” Carys said, slowly spinning around the room. “This place is beautiful. Are you sure two guys live here? I went to my brothers’ place once, and I couldn’t get the smell out of my hair for days. This is incredible.”
“That’s Jax’s side, and that’s Jude’s side,” I said, pointing. “Living room. Dining room. Kitchen. That’s pretty much it. Oh, and the balcony.”
“That view,” Carys said, floating toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that covered the living room wall. She rested her hand on the balcony door handle and slid it open. The breeze blew her sleek locks back as she stepped out to look at the busy street view below.
“I could get very used to this,” she said, her red lips curling into a smile.
“I knew you’d love it here,” I said smugly. “Just wait until you see Jude’s bathroom. It’s like a freaking palace.”
After giving her the tour of Jude’s suite, we collapsed on his bed, side by side.
“So, thoughts?” I asked. “I know you’ve been taking in every little thing since you stepped off that plane.”
Carys popped up, always loving a good opportunity to share her opinion when she could.
“Okay, for starters,” she said, getting right down to business. “Jude seems nice. Almost too nice, but that’s all I’m going to say because I really don’t know him that well yet. The fact that he flew me out here to make you happy, Evie, speaks volumes. Not a lot of guys would do that.”
“Okay.”
“Second, this city,” she continued. “I’ve only been here an hour, and already I’m in love. It weirdly feels like home, but it could just be that I’m in vacation mode and everything is new and exciting.”
“This place makes Halverford seem pretty lame,” I agreed. “Like a boring little one horse town.”
“Halverford is a boring little one horse town,” Carys said. “That’s why we love it so much.”
“I don’t understand this loyalty you have to Halverford,” I told her.
“It’s not that,” Carys mused. “I’ve just never had a reason to leave. It’s my home. But who knows? If you’re out here, I might finally have a reason.”
I smiled. I could see it on her face. She was opening up to the idea of moving out here.
“I have a job interview on Monday,” I said. “At a hospital. If I get the job, Jude’s going to take me apartment hunting. I kind of need to know if I should be looking for one bedrooms or two…”
Carys grinned. “Shit, Evie.”
“You can give me your answer by Sunday,” I teased. “I’ll give you the weekend to think about it.”
She rolled her eyes, though we both knew the answer was already practically written in stone. She was moving out here. I wasn’t giving her a choice.
“Okay, so back to Jude,” I said, shifting the conversation.
“Just be careful, Evie,” Carys said, her expression growing concerned. “I know yo
u’re happy right now, and he seems so wonderful. But on what planet does a drop-dead gorgeous guy from West Hollywood sweep some naïve Midwestern filly off her feet like some knight in shining armor, moving her from his friends and family so he can take care of her?”
“It sounds ridiculous when you put it that way,” I said.
“All I’m saying is, don’t let your guard down too much,” she said. “Don’t become too dependent on him. Just take things slow. Promise me that.”
Carys loved to lecture me. It was what she’d always done. I both loved and hated her for it.
“Promise,” I said. “That’s why I need you to move out here. I need you to keep me grounded. I don’t want to cling onto him like some trembling leaf in the wind. And we both know I’ll do that.”
“Yes, yes, you will,” Carys laughed. “Have you guys, um…”
“No!” I said, my eyes growing wide. “I told you, we’re taking things slow. I don’t even know if we’re dating.”
“What? You moved out here to be with him. You’re dating.” Carys seemed annoyed as she pursed her lips.
“We haven’t had the whole boyfriend-girlfriend talk,” I said.
“Is there a boyfriend-girlfriend talk?” Carys asked. “Do people still have those?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “We’re just trying to figure things out. One day at a time, right?”
JUDE
“You girls about ready?” I called from the other side of the bathroom door.
The lock popped and the door flung open, revealing Carys and Evie all done up in a cloud of hairspray and perfume, giggling like a couple of high-schoolers.
“Let’s go,” I said, leading them to the kitchen where Jax was waiting by the island, desperately trying to hide the fact that he was checking out Carys. I laughed as she completely snubbed him.
“Carys,” I said. “Meet Jax. Jax, Carys.”
I could see it in his eyes when he looked at her. Carys was a stunner, and stunners were Jax’s type. The long legs. The blonde hair. The hair and makeup to the nines. It was as if she were designed and manufactured specifically for Jax Meredith.