I stomped my foot and walked away. If Jude was going to act like an idiot then its his problem. If he really thought that gold digging bitch still had feeling for him he was in for more heartbreak and I really hope that he had enough sense to save himself the trouble. I returned to the house with a frown on my face.
“Whoa!” said Sean.
“What?”
“Girl don’t frown so much please! You will get frown lines! Keep it smooth. Breath in breath out. Inner peace.”
I started giggling uncontrollably. Sean was really adorable.
“What?” he asked annoyed, “It actually works ok? Try it!”
“I will” I said, still giggling.
“So what happened to you?”
I hesitated just a moment before I poured my heart out to Sean. Something told me I could trust him. He was my only confidante in the Smith household. Besides I was really worried about Jude. We were sitting in the room allotted to Jude and I. After I finished relating the entire incident Sean sighed.
“He really loved her you know. I couldn’t stand her for a minute but I pretended to get along with her for Jude’s sake.”
“Its difficult to believe you don’t get along with someone.”
“Oh believe me. Besides she was always dressed as a skank!”
“Sean!” I said laughing.
Sean rolled his eyes dramatically and said, “She was an ace bitch I tell you!”
“I believe you!”
We both started laughing and stopped abruptly when Jude entered with a huge smile on his face.
“What are you guys laughing about?” I was still annoyed with him and said, “What are you smiling about?” His smile dropped a little and he furrowed his brow and said “Nothing.”
Sean and I looked at each other and shrugged. Jude walked in and put his mobile to charge when suddenly his father called him down. He went and immediately Sean got up and took his mobile phone.
“Sean what are you doing?”
“Well I want to find out what he replied”
“Sean don’t! You are violating his privacy!”
“What? Its not like I have placed cameras in his bedroom to watch him do the hanky panky.”
I started laughing again and in between laughing and trying to breath said, “I cant believe you used the term hanky panky!”
Sean frowned and quickly went into Jude’s sent items. I was sitting on the bed watching him.
“The idiot!”
“What? What did he say?”
“I thought this was violation of his privacy?”
“Sean!”
“Well he said he misses her too!”
“What?” I yelled then quickly clapped a hand to my mouth. I felt sick, I felt my stomach twist and a strong wave of nausea. Why am I having such a strong reaction to this? It is not my business if Jude wants to go ahead and screw himself some more.
“I know right?” said Sean sitting down next to me on the bed. I just nodded. Jude came back and said, “Dad wants to keep a party in honor of our engagement.”
“Why?”
“Duh! Didn’t I just say in honor of our engagement?”
“Ok. When is the party?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Dear God!” squealed Sean, “so many things to do! Shopping to be done! Clothes to be bought and I have to take an appointment with my beautician!” I looked at Sean a little amused. He was fanning himself with his hands.
“What are you grinning at! You and I both have to go shopping. I will take you the best boutique and all the best shops. This is going to be so much fun!”
“Er one more thing”, said Jude, “it’s a masquerade ball!”
“Wow! Natasha I get to play dresser and you shall be my doll” said Sean while I just looked at them horrified. I hated parties and I hated all the fuss that went on during the parties. They heard a knock on the door and in came Jude’s mom.
“I trust Jude has told you about the party Natasha?” I smiled and nodded.
“Well that’s wonderful. Tomorrow we can go shopping! We need to buy you a gown and well all the necessary things!” I tried to look enthusiastic. “Oh Auntie I want to come too!”
“Of course Sean! What would all of us do without your expert advice?” Sean beamed at us and scampered away happily. I smiled at him, his enthusiasm was contagious.
Soon it was just Jude and I.
“So I uh” started Jude hesitantly and I raised an eyebrow at him, “I invited Stephanie too.” I stared at him. Was his crazy? What would his parents think? What would everyone think for that matter?
“Don’t look at me like that! I am nervous as it is! Dad and mom will kill me when they find out. They despise her.”
I nodded and licked my lips, “So what are you going to tell your parents?”
“Well I will tell them that I forgave her and we decided to bury the hatchet.”
“Ok”
“Ok?”
“Yeah if you think that will convince them then ok. But tell me this why have you invited her here Jude?”
“Natasha I have been thinking about it and I think that Stephanie and I were meant to be. I just need to be sure this time though. I have never truly forgotten her.”
I looked at him in disbelief.
“Jude are you sure about this?”
“almost”
“So do you want to call off this engagement?”
“What are you crazy?”
“We are getting married no matter what!”
“I don’t understand!”
“Well Natasha I have the perfect solution to the dissolution of our marriage! Stephanie! We can just say that I couldn’t forget her and it led to problems in our married life and voila! Everybody will buy it!”
I nodded and couldn’t trust myself to speak. I went to the washroom to change and couldn’t for the life of me understand why I had tears in my eyes.
I awoke the next morning and felt the now familiar weight of Jude’s arm on my waist. I got up and went to freshen up and change when I came out Jude was still snoring away. I decided to let him sleep in. After all he had been up for most of the night texting Stephanie! Argh! What is it with good guys? Why do they always have to fall for the bitchy girls? Couldn’t they see the nice girls? Is bitchiness some sort of a magnet for good guys? I shook my head as I went down. When I went to the dining room only Sean was sitting there eating his breakfast.
“I see you are an early riser like me.”
“Yeah well I am a lighter sleeper and Jude’s snores are worst than a freight train.”
Sean laughed and snorted fruit juice from his mouth. I sat down smiling and ate a bowl of cereal, two toasts with an egg and sausages. Sean stared at me wide eyed.
“Wow. You must be working out real hard to stay in shape!”
“Nope! Quick metabolism. Its hereditary.”
Sean groaned and glared at me while I smiled back and he muttered something about girls having all the luck and something like that.
Soon the others had come down for a breakfast except Jude. I was sent to wake him up as all the elders smiled at me indulgently. I smiled back, grinding my teeth. I went upstairs and tried waking Jude up. When he wouldn’t get up I started shaking him violently. All of a sudden he snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me down. I yelped as I fell on top of him.
“What are you doing?”
“Now is that any way to greet good morning to your future husband?”
“Very funny Jude!”
“Actually its not”
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t reply but gave me a quick peck on the lips. I squealed and started squirming.
“Natasha stop squirming” he said huskily. I froze as I realized what was happening. I sat up next to him pretty sure by now my face had turned red.
“Sorry”
“Its ok”
“Get dressed everyone is waiting for you downstairs.”
I went down and as soon as I entered the room everyone had a huge smile on their face. I looked at Sean in confusion and he pointed at his hair discreetly. When I still frowned in confusion he took me outside the dining room and said, “Rule #1 always straighten yourself up after a roll in the hay!” I stared at him mortified as I realized in my haste to get out of the bedroom I had forgotten to straighten my clothes and hair. To anyone else it might have seemed that Jude and I had been doing more than we had actually been doing.
“I did not roll in the hay!” I said indignantly as I ran a hand down my hair.
“Sean! What does he mean by saying he loves Stephanie and then he kisses me!”
Sean’s eyebrows rose.
“So you were rolling in the hay!”
“I wasn’t! I tried waking him up and then he pulled me on top of him and them pecked me on my lips! What does it mean?”
“I am as clueless as you. But tell me why are you so flustered about it?”
“I am not flustered just confused!”
“Yeah right! Natasha its apparent that you care about him.”
“Yes I do but as a friend”
“Hmm I guess Jude was just messing around. You are kinda cute when you’re all annoyed.”
I glared at him. He raised his hands in surrender and said, “I am just guessing!”
“Anyhow, aunty said that you and I could leave ahead of them and Jude and she will join us.”
I nodded and wore my shoes. I went upstairs to grab my bag and Jude was getting out of the room. I grabbed my bag and told him the plans for the day and he said that he would see me later.