Jude picks up the phone on the first ring, to my relief.  “Look who’s calling me,” he says, amused. I manage a smile past the tears that won’t stop streaming down my face. I take in a deep breath and try to keep my voice even. “Hey Jude. I need a favour.” I fail terribly, sounding as if I have grains of sand stuck in my throat. My body shivers, a fresh sob threatening to surface. “Jo? Are you okay?” Jude’s voice drops the playfulness, becoming urgent. I suck in another breath. “No, I… Can you pick me up please?” “Of course,” he responds without missing a beat. “Where’re you?” “You know Ana Grace right? Do you know her place?” “Yes, yes I do, is that where you are?”

"Wake up.” Shake. “Get up.”   I press the pillow to my face and wish the voice away. What sort of human being disturbs perfect morning slumber?   “It’s nine already, Jo.”   “What?” I yell and fly up, shoving the pillow away. It’s not that late, is it?   Jude is standing beside the bed, regarding me with an amused smile. He looks put together, like he woke up a long time ago.   “Shit.” I hop out of bed. “I need to go home.”   The last of that sentence finds me at the bathroom door. I get in quickly, do a quick clean up and put on my dress. When I get back to the room, Jude is sitting on the bed.   He quirks his brow. “What’s the hurry for?”   I give him a look of disbelief. “I don’t want to get into any trouble!”   “Your parents already left for work by now, right?”   I nod.

My phone rings at a quarter before midnight and to be honest, I’m not surprised. It has become a routine for Jude to call me at insane hours of the night, and to talk about what? “I can’t wait for tomorrow,” he says now when I pick up. I smile at the sound of his voice. In a span of several weeks, it’s gradually managed to become my favourite sound. “Why?” I ask, rolling onto my back. I can’t remember there being any special occasion for tomorrow. “So that I can see you,” Jude responds. “And?” “There’s an and?” “I mean, of course you’ll see me tomorrow, we have school.” “Does that mean I can’t miss you?” I let out a small laugh. “You’re kidding, we were just together like, four hours ago?” “You’re not here with me right now, are you?” I refrain from making an audible ‘awww’ sound because I still can’t believe he’s actually saying this to me. I mean, I know by now that he does appreciate my company, but he’s sounding like we’re in a relationship or something, and we’re not.

"Am I interrupting something?"  At the sound of Nicki's voice, my first instinct is to jump out of Jude's laps immediately. I don't get anywhere because his hold on me proves to be tighter than I thought. My flaming face turns towards my friend, who's standing at the top of the stairs, eyebrows meeting her hairline as she takes in the sight in front of her. "Don't let me interrupt," she says saucily, then proceeds to come forward. I feel Jude's face against the side of my head, his laugh muffled. He presses a kiss to my ear then finally lets go of me. "Hi, Nicki." I say, moving across the table back to my seat. "Hello, friend who didn't bother telling me she's been snogging her hot study partner all along." She perches on the table, facing me. "Other than that one time, that is." "I--" "What one time?" Jude pipes in, the amusement in his voice apparent. Nicki turns toward him. "The one time you both skinny

"I need you to stay away from Jude."  I stare at my father across his study desk and wonder whether I heard him right. "What?" I ask. When he called me to his study, I didn't think my boyfriend was going to be the topic of discussion. Maybe my plans now that high school is behind me and I have several months before leaving for university, but not this. Dad clasps his hands on top of his desk and leans toward me. "I'm his doctor, and I'm your father. I have both of your best interests at heart. He's like a son to me. And right now what's best for him is that he stays away from you." I press a finger to my temple. "We are not doing anything wrong, if that's what you're worried about," I say, my gaze fleeting to the ceiling. "And I don't want to stay away from him, he's my boyfriend!" He nods. "I know." I look back at him. "I love him, I can't just stay away from him." "Jude's not well--" "He's fine! His wound healed