Page 28 of The Plus One
That was when he spotted Chris at the high top next to Indira, talking to his (very) new girlfriend, Lauren, as they swayed in arhythmless dance. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together with that one.
Jude risked another glance at Indira, who was staring with a bland look at her ex. When Chris placed a particularly sloppy kiss on Lauren’s cheek, Indira grimaced, then shifted so her back was to them, a disgusted look lingering on her pretty features.
Indira must have felt the weight of Jude’s stare, because her gaze flicked to him, their eyes locking. Jude couldn’t pull away. Her lips parted slightly, a tiny pucker forming between her eyebrows.
After what felt like an eternity, she lifted her hand in a tiny wave, one side of her mouth kicking up.
Jude didn’t know what to do. He felt so disconnected from his limbs and body, it was hard to know what a normal response would be. But he felt himself mimic the gesture, and Indira’s small smile grew a bit.
Suddenly, Chris swayed backward, throwing his head back as he laughed at something Lauren said. He bumped into Indira, pitching her forward and causing half her drink to slosh over the rim of the glass. She whipped around, a snarl on her lips.
Chris turned, his jolly smile morphing into a look of surprise, then horror. Then pity.
Jude couldn’t fathom a universe where Indira would take that reaction well.
Sure enough, the tone of her voice carried to where Jude stood. He couldn’t make out exactly what she said, but he could tell she wasn’t happy. He didn’t blame her. Jude knew things were really heating up when she started pointing her finger at Chris’s chest.
Without fully processing that his legs were in motion, Jude strode over to Indira.
“Hey,” he said, standing a bit too close to her for it to be natural. Indira blinked at him.
“Hey,” she managed, tilting her head back to look at him.
Jude wasn’t sure what to do next, why he was even standing there. For some bizarre fucking reason, he made a sort of jerky andindecisive movement toward her, Indira’s eyes widening in alarm and horror.
Ah, fuck it.
Jude leaned in and gave Indira an awkward, one-armed hug. Indira was stiff at first, then her body softened, feeling oddly familiar pressed against his side. He dropped his arm, taking a small step back.
Jude glanced at Chris, who was staring at him with a confused look on his face, like he couldn’t quite place Jude despite having met him several times at all the countless pre-wedding events.
Jude turned his attention back to Indira.
“Wanna, uh, stand in the corner with me?” he asked, nodding to his hideout.
Indira was silent for a beat, then flashed him a sardonic look. “I’m sure you use that line on all the girls,” she said dryly.
“With excellent success,” Jude shot back with a small huff of laughter.
Indira smiled at him, then mouthed the wordsThank youbefore shifting toward the spot, Jude following close behind.
Before they made it, Collin picked up the mic again, sharp and painful feedback piercing through the room. Jude stopped in his tracks, his neck stiffening painfully and hands shooting up to cover his ears, his entire body pivoting to red alert.
“All right,” Collin said through the noise, adding a layer of static to the auditory chaos. “It’s time! Please divide up into teams of five or six.”
The bar erupted in movement and sound—the scrape of chairs on the sticky floor and the bang of tables as they were pushed against the wall, Collin holding his phone up to the microphone as he played theJeopardy!theme song—all of it wedging apart Jude’s nerves.
Something in Jude’s brain glitched, his world tipping. It was the deep bass of the people in the bar laughing and yelling and the screeching feedback of the microphone and the thuds of barstools that sounded like gunshots… and… andeverything.
“Jude.” Indira’s soft voice cut through the disarray of his senses, and she bobbed into focus in front of him.
She looked calm. Soft. Steady.
She looked like everything.
His head swam. He wanted to ask her for help, but he didn’t know how. He wanted… wanted…
“I’m going to touch you,” she whispered, holding up her palms. “Is that okay?”
