Page 33 of Strangely Normal

“Eden, it’s me. Let me in.” The sound of Jude’s voice pushed the tears harder.

“I’m fine, Jude. Just go away.”

The door opened and he stepped inside. I didn’t look up from the pillow.

“Go ahead and say I told you so,” I muttered into the pillow. “You were right. I couldn’t handle it.”

“Actually, I didn’t see that coming. I mean Mike’s an asshole and everything, but I had no idea he’d pull that shit.” He was directly over my bed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him. “Come on, Eden, take your face out of that pillow. I just want to know that you’re all right.”

“Okay, but I must warn you that my nose and eyes get really puffy when I cry.” I wiped my tears with the palm of my hand and sat up against the headboard.

Jude crossed his hands in front of his face. “Holy shit, that is frightening.”

I threw my pillow at him, which he deftly snatched from the air before it made contact. He sat on the edge of my bed, and once again, I was acutely aware of his nearness as if electric charges were sparking between us.

“Thank you, by the way.” My eyes watered again. I’d had unwanted advances from guys before but I’d never been as scared as I had been this time. “Let’s not tell Finley.”

“Agreed,” he said. “Hopefully people are already too wasted to relay the story. At the moment, she’s busy swooning over Max.”

“Is he a trustworthy guy?” I felt better switching subjects and getting my mind off of my traumatic experience.

“Max is all right.” Jude combed his fingers through his black hair and it stuck out in every direction. I’d been so busy surviving the party, I hadn’t noticed just how heartbreaking he looked in his black t-shirt and jeans. “Fin has had a thing for the guy for the last three years. And I think he’s always liked her, but—”

“But he doesn’t realize how bad her problems are?”

“I don’t think Cole talks about it much. Just like my dad, he kind of likes to shrug it off like it’s no big deal. I don’t want her to get hurt. It’s the last thing she needs.”

“Your sister might be dealing with some things, but she has an incredible grasp on people and the world. I don’t think she’ll lose her head over him. He’s just a guy, after all,” I added with a grin.

“I’d say you’ve got a pretty incredible grasp yourself there, Valley. You’ve known my sister for a few days and it’s as if you’ve known her a lifetime.”

“I feel like I’ve known her a lifetime. Hey, she mentioned you were pissed at Cole for inviting someone you didn’t want to see. Was that sleazebag, Mike, the guy?”

He shook his head. “Nope. That was a different sleazebag. Although after tonight, Mike’s definitely the king of sleaze. The other guy didn’t show. I think Cole told him not to come after my subtle warning.”

I laughed. “Was it anything like the subtle warning you gave Mike? I thought he was going to pee his pants. It would have been so great if he had. Who was this guy that you disinvited?”

“He’s the reason I’m wearing this thing.” He held up his ankle. “His cocaine, my freedom. I got pulled over in my car for speeding, and the fool dropped it between the seats. But my sentence is almost done now.”

“Then I guess you’ll be leaving soon?”

“Did Fin tell you that?” The green in his eyes moved from light gray to green depending on the light.

“She mentioned you’d be out of here once they took it off.”

He nodded and pushed up from the bed. He stared down at me and the electricity I’d felt when he sat near me only intensified. “So you’ve never lost your head over a guy?”

The way he looked at me had knocked the breath from me, and it took me a moment to find the air to speak. “Nope, never.”

His mouth turned up on one side. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet.” He walked to the door, opened it, and looked back. “I guess we can call the bet a draw since unforeseen circumstances got in the way.”

“No, you won fair and square. But I have to warn you, I’m a boring subject for a painting.”

“Trust me, Valley, you’re anything but boring.” He shut the door behind him.

Chapter 11

I sat in bed reading, waiting for Finley to wake up. I could still hear voices downstairs as if people were just sobering up enough to leave. Her knock came earlier than I’d expected.

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