“Bring it on then, Professor.” He smiles and I can’t help but stare at him. He seems happy which is something I’ve always wanted for him. “Looks like you got what you wanted. A college professor. You must like it.”
Averting his gaze, he peers out at the mountains and smiles. “I love it, Laura. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard work trying to teach college kids. Some of them want to learn, but there are a lot who don’t give a shit. One day, those specific ones will grow up. I think we’ve all been there.”
“Exactly,” I agree. “I remember us going to plenty of parties our freshman year.”
Jude’s lips tilt slightly. “Yes, we did.”
There were times when we’d party a little too hard and he would be the one holding my hair back. Or vice versa, he’d be the one who got wasted and I’d stay with him to make sure he stayed hydrated. There isn’t a single memory of my time in Boone without him in it. Losing him was like losing a part of my soul. How could I have ever been so stupid?
Jude places a few dollars for tip on the table and nods toward the sidewalk. “Ready to go?”
I stand and grab my bookbag. “Yep, let’s go.”
As we’re walking down the sidewalk back to campus, something catches my attention. There’s a big sign, covered in pictures of sliced watermelon with the words Watermelon Festival on it. Mouth gaping, I grab my chest. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe it.”
Jude follows my line of sight and smiles. “Happens every year. You should know that.”
“I know, but I forgot about it. We used to have so much fun at it.” We slowly walk by the big sign and my heart jumps with excitement. The festival is tomorrow. “Do they still have the funnel cakes I love?”
“Yep,” Jude says with a laugh. “I get one every year.” Then he looks over at me. “Want to go? It’ll be fun.”
Yes. Yes. Yes.
“I’d love to,” I say, trying not to sound overly enthusiastic.
When we get to the parking lot, he follows me over to my car. “Do you want me to pick you up or meet you there?” he asks.
Never before have I been nervous around him, but I am now. It’s the butterflies in the stomach kind of feeling. It’s strange because I’ve never had those types of feelings for Jude before.
“You can pick me up if you want. I’ll text you my address.”
We exchange numbers and he pockets his phone, his eyes searching mine. I’ve known him a long time and I can tell he wants to say something, but instead, he takes a step back. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow.” He smiles once more, and I watch him get into a black Jeep and drive away. Once he’s gone, I pull out my phone and call my sister.
“Hey, sis,” she answers. “How did your first day go?”
I get in my car and laugh. “Let’s just say it was a blast from the past. You’ll never guess who’s one of my professors.”
A few seconds pass and she giggles. “I have no freaking clue. Who? You got me curious.”
I let a few more seconds pass in suspense. “Jude Daniels. Can you believe it?”
She squeals so loud it hurts my ears. “Holy shit, that’s insane! What are the odds of that?”
“Exactly. It felt so good seeing him again.”
“It should,” she exclaims. “I’ve always told you what I thought about him.”
“And what was that?” I already know the answer, and I’ve thought about it millions of times over the years.
She snorts. “Duh. That he’s the one you were supposed to be with. Now you can make it right.”
Closing my eyes, I let that sink in. Maybe it’s time we do make things right.
4
Jude
I wake panting, completely out of breath. The continuous whoosh of the ceiling fan keeps rhythm with each inhale and exhale I take and give. It takes me a moment to gather my bearings. My hand slides across to the empty side of my queen-sized mattress. It’s cold and vacant, despite what my dream and memories are telling me.
It’s been years since I’ve dreamed of Laura… like that or in any way, really. At first, after she cut off all communication, I used to have nightmares about her, and us. We’d be running through the forest, side by side, until I couldn’t see her anymore. I’d search for her but to no avail and when I woke, I’d be much like I am now, out of breath. The only exception this time is, I’m rock hard, there wasn’t a forest, and I have very detailed and graphic images of her in my mind, straddling my lap.
My hand reaches under my blankets and into the waistband of my shorts, confirming what I already know. For the first time since probably the seventh or eighth grade, I’ve had a wet dream.
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter as I throw the covers back and set my bare feet on the hardwood floor. I lean toward the lamp on my nightstand and twist the little black dial to illuminate my room. A quick glance over my shoulder confirms everything—the sticky shit I felt on my dick has definitely left a giant wet spot on my sheets. I have no choice but to strip my bed. I do this quickly and fling my boxers onto the pile and carry the items to my washer and throw them in. My next stop—the shower.
After I turn on the water, I step in, not caring if the water is warm or not. I need to wake-up even though it’s three in the morning. There is no way I’m going back to sleep. Laura is at the forefront of my mind and I’d rather spend as much time as I can thinking about her before we spend time together today.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I asked her to stay after class. At first, I wanted to be a total prick and tell her to transfer, tell her that if she stayed, I’d flunk her. But as I watched her approach me, every bad thought I had disappeared. Before me, was the one I let get away. I put our friendship first and thought we were building a foundation. And then the summer of our sophomore year in college came, and so did Shawn. I could tell immediately she was into him. I welcomed him, treated him like a friend. I had no idea he was going take my best friend away from me.
When Laura cut off all ties, I knew it was because of Shawn and not something she decided on her own. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and wouldn’t say boo if you paid her. He, on the other hand, was that guy everyone either liked or hated. The one that would walk down the hall, make fun of someone, and get everyone around him to do the same. I loathe people like him.
The water finally turns warm and I start to relax. There’s so much tension in my shoulders and back that I do everything I can to loosen up. Still, as my fingers dig into my skin, flashbacks of my dream about Laura flood my mind. I don’t get where these visions are coming from. I’ve never seen her naked, let alone kissed her. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, it’s that I never wanted to jeopardize our friendship. Maybe if I had—because the opportunities were there many, many times—things would be different between us.
I give up on the shower when the water turns cold again. I’m tempted to see if I can get another hour of sleep in the guest bedroom, but ultimately decide the couch is better. I slip into a clean pair of boxers and make my way downstairs. Soon, the weather is going to change, and I’ll have the woodstove going to keep the cabin warm. Until then, I pull a throw blanket from the decorative basket my mother set near the couch and cover up with it. I turn the television on and flip through the channels. There’s a ton of infomercials, trying to sell me beauty products, household cleaners, and machines meant to tighten my buttocks to make them firm. Pass, pass, and thanks but no thanks. I finally settle on a classic TV channel, turn down the volume and close my eyes. I figure the background noise will be enough to keep my naughty visions of Laura at bay.