All Chapters of Loving Jude : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"What will you give Eli for his birthday?"I catch my roommate's gaze in the mirror before looking away. I know what I want to give Eli for his birthday. But I cannot tell her."You haven't gotten anything for him," she notes. "You're not going empty-handed, are you?"I don't miss the accusing tone in Tori's voice. She probably has more to say but is holding back.She has already bought him a present. I have no idea what it is, though. When she came back to the dorm with it, it was wrapped in gift paper and she maintained it was a secret."He did say we don't have to get him anything." I grab a scrunchie and tie one half of my curly hair at the back of my head."You can't be serious. The guy got you a box set of your favourite book series for your birthday. He only said that because he's sickening nice to you."Tori is fond of reminding me of how Eli treats me sweetly. She also likes pointing out how blind I am to the fact that he likes me.Elias is one of the first friends I made in

"Elias Kim?"He hasn't seen me yet.I'm glued to the floor when all I want to do is disappear.Am I dreaming?Hallucinating, maybe?Eli bends to grasp the handle of the suitcase standing between them. "That's me. But you can call me Eli."Jude looks up over him, and his eyes finally find me.Eli straightens and pulls the luggage into the room. "Come in."The paper in my hands crinkles noisily as my fingers close over it.Eli says something, but I don't hear a word.Jude doesn't move an inch past the threshold. His blue eyes bore into me, surprise evident on his face.Surprise? More like shock.Something pokes my arm.Then a hand waves in front of my face.I snap my eyes from Jude to find Eli trying to gain my attention.He gives me a confused look. "Jo?"I suck in a deep breath and drop the paper to the floor. "Bathroom. I need to use the bathroom."I feel Jude's eyes on me as I close the distance to the bathroom—which is, in this situation, so inconveniently close to the front door.

"Anyone fancy a cold drink? I'm parched."We've just come to the football pitch after completing our tour of the Sports Complex. It's been a kind of awkward tour. Tori is still fuming because of God knows what, and I'm trying to avoid any type of interaction with Jude. He might say something that makes me snap and blows our cover."Sounds great!" I agree with Eli, turning to him. I can go with him to get them and escape this suffocating situation for a few minutes.He's looking at Tori. "Tori? Want to go with me?"No way! If they leave, I'll be left with Jude alone!I step closer to Eli and grab his arm. "I'll come with you."His dark eyes shift from Tori to me. He leans in and whispers. "She has been down all afternoon. I want to talk to her while we get drinks."I deflate. The two are childhood best friends, so Eli must be bothered about her low mood. And, after her reaction about us not telling her we are together, she must be mad at him. So mad that she hasn't put much effort into

Eli opens the door to his dorm room while I stand beside him, fingers nervously tapping on my bag strap.We've just come from the field. Practice lasted two hours. Jude went straight to the offices to finish up some registration stuff. Eli doesn't have a class until eleven o'clock, and I have an hour before my next schedule at the sports complex.He pushes the door open and lets me walk in before coming in after me. I take off my shoes and walk further into the room, my mind taking me back to the last time I was here. There's a soft thud on the floor, then Eli's hand wraps around my arm. He pulls and turns me around, bringing me to him. Before I can react, he dips his head and kisses me.His lips are firm and urgent on mine. Before long, I find myself digging my fingers into his arms, getting closer to him.When we break apart, his thumb caresses my cheek. "It feels like it's been forever since I had you alone."I chuckle. "True." I feel the same way too. A lot has happened since yes

I unwrap his fingers from around my hand and step away before turning to look at him. "Stop, Jude. We are history. And I have a boyfriend now."His blue eyes bore into me. "You having a boyfriend is not going to keep me away." He takes a step towards me, to which I respond by stepping back farther. He narrows his eyes. "We never broke up, you know."I gape at him. Is he serious?"So no, we are not history," he continues.I fold my arms around my middle and gaze up at him. "It's been three years—""It's been a misunderstanding," he interrupts me. "And it's solved now."I look away, chewing on my lip. I can't handle this right now. First, I need to get to work on time. Then, I need to think of a way to tell Eli about all this. Until then, I don't want to have this conversation with Jude. I reach for the car door and pull it open. "Let's go back.""I came here because of you," he says.That stops me in my tracks. I turn to look at him again, a frown forming on my face. "What?""You're th