When the timer sounds, I stuff what I have left in my hand into mouth and throw the rind down into the pile. I lean back and groan. “Holy crap that was a lot of melon.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Laura says as she covers her mouth and her eyes go wide.
“I’ll laugh if you puke.”
“That’s mean,” she mumbles from behind her hand.
I shrug. “You made us do this.”
Laura leans her head into my shoulder and as if it’s second nature, I put my arm around her and pull her toward my chest. “Are you really going to be sick?” She shakes her head, which is relief.
When the results are read, Laura and I have come in second, which means we may or may not have to come back. Honestly, I hope not because I’m not sure I can eat another slice of watermelon.
Like in the past, I take her hand as we walk around the fair. When I see the ring toss game and the giant stuffed animals, I drag her toward it, expecting her to want one of the animals. That’s how things used to be with us, and right now I want her to remember the good times we used to have.
I hand five bucks over the game attendant and take my bucket of rings. I haven’t done this in years, but it should be second nature.
“You got this, Jude.”
“Thanks.”
It just takes one.
Actually, it takes eight, but that eighth one is the most satisfying as it loops around the bottle and stays there. Laura is jumping up and down before I realize I’ve won.
“Which one do you want?”
Laura points to the giant teddy bear holding a heart. The worker climbs up onto the table, reaches for the bear, and hands it to Laura. Both the bear and Laura hug me. “Best day ever,” she says into my ear.
After another hour of games, in which I’ve won three more stuffed animals for Laura, we finally decide to call it a day. When we get to the Jeep, I take the bear and buckle him into the backseat. He’d be a good carpool buddy if I put a hat on him and dressed him up a bit.
When we get back to Laura’s, my heart sinks at the fact that our day is over. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“No, why?”
I shrug, trying to keep things as nonchalant as possible. “I was thinking of going for a hike and didn’t know if you wanted to head to the fire tower with me?”
“I’ll pack the picnic,” she says with a smile.
I help Laura take her friends up to her apartment. She invites me in, and I bask in the idea of being surrounded by everything that is her. “Where does he go?”
“The chair is fine.” I set him down and look around her apartment. It’s cute, homey and very Laura. She comes to stand next me and places her arms around my waist.
“I had the best day, Jude.”
“Me too, Laura.” I press my lips to her hair and inhale. Oh, how I’ve missed her. I’m not sure how long we stay like that but neither of us are willing to let go. I start to hum her favorite song, “All Summer Long,” Laura looks at me, her green eyes locking on mine. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve never cut you out of my life.”
I smile softly and move her hair behind her ear. “You’re here now. Just promise me you won’t ever leave.”
“Never again, Jude. I promise.”
She keeps her eyes locked on mine. Our bodies are pressed together, swaying to nothing but our own heartbeats. I can’t remember the last time my heart raced like this, but after the dream I had about her, the way I’m feeling with her in my arms, I know if I don’t do something, I may regret it later.
“I’m going to try something.”
“Yes, please,” she says as she rises up on her tippy toes and presses her lips to mine.
5
Laura
“I bet you wanted to do a whole lot more than just kiss, right?” Anna teases. She stares at me with her all too knowing brown eyes. Looking at her, she reminds me of myself when I was her age, young and full of life. She may be twelve years younger than me, but she’s smart.
I told her everything about mine and Jude’s date at the fair. Date? Was it a date? I have no clue. All I can say is that it felt like old times, but also a little different. More electric, more exciting. I like who he’s become. He’s still the same Jude, but… sexy. He was cute as a teenager, somewhat nerdy, and I might’ve had a little crush on him at times, but I refused to even think of him like that. The last thing I wanted was to ruin our friendship.
Rolling my eyes, I take the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. I can still feel the tingle in my lips from where we kissed last night. Did I want to do more than just kiss? You better believe it. It feels like an eternity since I’ve felt so alive. With Shawn, I didn’t crave the intimacy. Our sex life was lackluster to say the least. Mine and Jude’s kiss was more exciting than any of the times I had with my ex-husband.
“Cat got your tongue, sis?” Anna laughs. She grabs one of the hot cookies off the pan and it falls apart, just the way Jude and I like them. We never hiked the fire tower without having chocolate chip cookies in the picnic basket.
“Okay, fine,” I say, glaring at her playfully. “I wanted more than just a kiss. It’s too soon for that though.”
She snorts. “You’re thirty-two-years old Laura. Live life and stop worrying about the semantics. If having a night of raw, primal sex with Jude gets you off, then go for it.”
It’s hard not to smile when she says things like that. Very straight forward and to the point. She’s not wrong though. I should be able to do what I want. I wasted six years of my life with Shawn. That’s six years I could’ve been with someone else and been happy. Maybe I’d even have a family right now, kids of my own.
Thinking of a wild night with Jude does sound amazing, but something holds me back. “What if it ruins our friendship, Anna? I just got him back. I don’t want to lose him again.” I scoop the cookies onto the cooling rack. “He knows me better than anyone.”
Anna squeezes my shoulder. “I may be young, but I’m not blind. Even when I was a little kid, I always thought you and Jude would end up together. If you don’t at least try to see what might be there between you, then you’ll always wonder what might’ve been.”
“You sound like a country song,” I say, earning a glare from her.
We both laugh and she hugs me. “Have fun today, Laura. You deserve it.” She looks down at her phone. “What time did Jude say he’d be here to pick you up?”
My phone is on the kitchen counter and it’s closing in on ten o’clock. I have to hurry. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
Anna snickers and grabs another cookie. “All right, I’ll get out of your hair.” She takes a bite of the cookie and smiles at me. “By the way, you look cute in your little shorts and tank top. I hope I have your body when I reach thirty.” She winks and starts for the door. “Call me later.”
“Will do,” I shout as she walks out the door.
Taking a deep breath, I look through the picnic basket to make sure Jude and I have everything for our picnic. Seeing it all takes me back to freshman and sophomore year of college. We have turkey and provolone sandwiches, bread and butter pickles, sour cream and onion potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies. The cookies haven’t had much time to cool, but I put them in a Ziploc bag and place them on top of everything in the basket. With it being August, the cookies will still be nice and warm when we get to our favorite picnic spot on the trail.