Page 45 of Fool's Errand

Judah rubbed circles around my lower back as he winked at me. “Let me introduce you to everyone, Tav. It’s okay if you don’t remember everyone’s names. This here is Edwina and James.”

He pointed at a couple who looked every bit each other’s opposite. Edwina was a beautiful woman with a deep tan complexion and brown hair and eyes. Her makeup was soft and natural, and she wore a kind smile and a purple dress that stopped near her knees. James, however, was the epitome of what I imagined a frat bro was, with a blond mane that hung around his shoulders and a dopey grin, though the longer he stared at me the quicker the smile fell off his face.

Judah moved on to the next couple. “This is Eric and Nancy, true college sweethearts. They met at school and married a year after they began dating.”

Eric was the only one other than us who was standing, and he guarded over the others like security, with his arms clutched behind his back and a hard expression on his face. He wore a full black suit that looked more expensive than everything I owned combined and had dark hair slicked back. Nancy complemented him with her sleeveless black pencil dress and similar brown locks that she had tightly wound into a bun.

Judah laughed as he gestured at the next two. “This is our esteemed host, Brett, and his wife, Jessica.”

Brett looked exactly as his name suggested. He wore khaki pants and a blue polo shirt, with flip-flops hanging off his feet. He lounged on the couch like a king, while his wife, Jessica, sat like the perfect Stepford wife, legs bent and hands placed delicately on her knees. She had flowing blond hair that was perfectly styled over one shoulder and wore jewelry that could blind a man.

“The only other gay couple here is Michael and Cadwall.” Judah gestured at the last couple, and like he’d pointed out, they were two men. They were both more relaxed than the other couples and seemed a lot more in love, too. Cadwall leaned against Michael’s chest with a genuine smile. They both had short brown hair, but Cadwall had bright blue eyes while Michael’s were more of a yellowy-green, and unlike the others, they were casually dressed in simple shirts and pants.

“And finally, you’ve already met him, but this is Chaz.” Judah waved at the last person, the same man who’d let us in. “And we’re the gang.”

“Tav’s the teenage sweetheart.” Chaz glanced around the room with a smirk, and everyone had a range of reactions, but mostly the guys were amused.

“You spoke about me?” I teased Judah, if only to break the awkwardness I was currently experiencing.

These men were the type that I suspected Elizabeth wanted Judah to date, the kind who already had money and influence and came from prestigious families. While they seemed polite, I could already feel the hard, suspicious gazes under the fake smiles they gave me, especially from Chaz. The women seemed to care less, but that made sense because they weren’t Judah’s college friends.

“Always.” Judah laid a kiss on my cheek, and I leaned against him. His arms curled around me, and I relished the warmth and comfort of his strong chest. The cinnamon scent of his aftershave danced in my nose, and I breathed it—him—in.

“Ladies, shall we let the men catch up?” Edwina stood, her dress swaying gently, and smiled at me. “It’s lovely to meet you, Tav. You are welcome to join us, too, if you’d like. Cadwall does. The boys only reminisce and it’s very boring. We drink wine and gossip in the sitting room.”

I hesitated before I shook my head. “No, that’s all right. I might stay with Judah, if that’s okay with you.” I peeked at Judah, and he hugged me tighter against himself, nipping playfully at my earlobe.

“Of course it is, Puffin.”

I held in a snort. Puffin. It’d been a long while since I’d heard that pet name, but it was nice to hear it come out of his mouth again. When we’d first started dating, Judah had announced he wanted a special name for me, one that wasn’t as boring as darling or baby, so he’d gone on the hunt for it. He’d decided on Puffin after learning about the clowning puffin, a bird of the sea.

“It’s freaking adorable, like you,” he’d told me, sixteen-year-old Judah proud that he’d found such an awesome pet name for me.

“Wasn’t there a dangerous, voracious animal to choose from?” I’d asked.

He’d laughed. “I could call you Highland cow if you want.”

“Oh, shut up. Now mooooooove it.” I’d shoved him, and he’d fallen off the bed, landing hard on the floor but still laughing.

As the women and Cadwall left the living room, Judah and I settled onto the couch between Chaz and Brett. Judah kept his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, happy for some distraction from my nerves through his touch.

Eric finally moved to join us on the couches as well, taking the seat beside James. He was the first to speak. “When did this happen?” He indicated between me and Judah with his index finger before crossing his arms. “Last I heard, you hadn’t seen him since he broke up with you, J.”

“Yeah, I want to know the same thing.” Chaz leaned forward to peer around Judah at me, and while he kept an easygoing smile on his face, I didn’t miss the sharpness and distrust in his eyes. It was so subtle that I didn’t expect Judah to catch it. He wasn’t used to people staring at him the way I was.

“He ran into me. Literally.” Judah laughed.

“The day got shitty for both of us.”

Judah threw his head back and snorted while he continued to chuckle. He slapped a hand to his chest and wiped tears from his eyes. “Fuck. I’ll never forgive you for that. My poor Bentley.”

“Don’t keep us in the dark,” James said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He clapped his hands excitedly. “Tell us what happened.”

So, we did. By the end, most of the guys laughed, but Chaz and Brett seemed to only smile politely and agree that it was now a funny story, though I didn’t totally believe them.

The beer came out almost immediately, and while I wasn’t in the mood to drink, I took one so I wasn’t the lone man. The conversation turned to their college days, and I listened, eager to feed my Judah obsession and discover all the years I’d missed. From what I’d heard, he was exactly as I’d imagined he’d be in college.

He joined a frat.

---