26
That had to be the worst joke Jude had ever heard in his entire life.
After crying his heart out in terror, he was not even sure it could still be called a joke.
It was very bad. It was awful. It was horrible.
It was not funny. It was gross. It was disgusting.
It was annoying. It was stupid. It was everything not good at all in between.
And at that moment, Jude wanted nothing more than to punch Sky in the chest over and over in revenge.
He hated Sky so much.
“Here,” Sky said, turning toward him and holding out Jude’s glasses he had picked up from where Jude had dropped them earlier.
After wiping away the rest of his tears with the hem of Sky’s shirt, Jude’s cheeks gashed in embarrassment as the realization of what he had just done fully sank in.
He had cried and buried his face against Sky’s chest. He could even see faint, damp smudges soaking through the fabric of Sky’s shirt underneath his unzipped hoodie.
Quickly tearing his gaze away from Sky’s broad chest, Jude looked down at the glasses resting between his trembling hands. He carefully wiped the dirt off the lenses with the hem of Sky’s shirt while soft, occasional hiccups escaped involuntarily, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.
A moment of silence dominated the cold atmosphere, and Jude kept himself busy even though he was already done with what he was doing.
“Close your eyes,” Sky ordered in an authoritative tone, instantly making Jude uneasy.
Jude looked at him in confusion.
“W-why?” Hiccup. “W-what’s wrong?” he asked nervously, trying hard not to let his brows crease in suspicion. “Don’t try to make jokes like that to me again, please.”
“Just fucking close them,” Sky muttered under his breath, the curse making it obvious his patience was wearing off.
Jude lowered his head and gave a hesitant shake, reluctant to obey after what Sky had just pulled on him.
“You know how impatient I am, Jude Finn,” Sky said calmly, though the warning underneath his tone could be felt. “If I tell you to close your eyes, then close them.”
“Now,” Sky said impatiently, the roughness in his voice startling Jude.
As much as Jude had grown used to Sky’s attitude, he still found himself unable to do anything but obey.
Jude was not a doctor yet, but at this point, he was convinced Sky had some kind of serious mood disorder.
One moment, he was joking around, and the next, he turned cold and deadly serious without warning.
Honestly, Jude would not even be surprised if Sky suddenly decided to rip his head off and toss it to the wolves or bears lurking somewhere in the forest.
Reluctantly, Jude shut his eyes and silently prayed that everything would turn out fine.
The crunch of dead leaves and snapping twigs beneath his footsteps told Jude he had moved from his spot.
He could feel Sky’s warmth drawing closer, making him catch his breath nervously.
Jude sensed him stop right behind him, and a few seconds later, contact finally reached him.
A shiver raced down Jude’s spine when Sky’s thick and enormous hand covered his closed eyes, nearly swallowing his entire face with its size.
His heartbeat accelerated wildly, leaving him frightened and confounded.
Sky’s chest pressed lightly against his back, and Jude’s heart hammered so violently it felt ready to burst out of his ribcage.
He tried to steady his nerves, but their closeness left him completely breathless.
“Can you fucking calm down? I’m not going to kill you or anything,” Sky growled near his ear, his deep baritone voice sending a strange jolt through Jude’s stomach.
The low rasp of it made another tremor crawl down his spine.
Maybe Sky was right. If he had truly wanted Jude dead, he could have simply let him cross the road and get hit by that truck.
Jude flinched slightly when Sky grabbed hold of his arm, but after a moment, he reluctantly allowed him to keep holding it.
Sky slowly guided him forward as they took careful steps toward wherever he was leading him.
Jude’s body grew uncomfortably warm, sweat beginning to form against his skin.
A strange sensation twisted deep in his stomach, leaving him short of breath.
Their closeness felt dangerous in a way Jude could not explain, and somehow, that only made him more nervous.
Jude could feel Sky move to his side again, clearing away branches and plants blocking their path.
He stayed cautious with every step, carefully feeling his way forward while silently fearing he might accidentally step on a venomous cobra hidden somewhere beneath the dead leaves.
The sound of rushing water grew louder the closer they got to whatever destination awaited them.
Strangely, the steady splashing sounded soothing to Jude’s ears.
They continued taking slow, careful steps until they finally came to a stop.
Sky moved back behind him once more, never once removing his hand from over Jude’s covered eyes the entire time.
When Jude no longer felt Sky’s hand covering his eyes, he hesitated, waiting for something bad to happen.
“You can open your fucking damn eyes now,” Sky said impatiently, his usual blunt, bored tone returning as he noticed Jude keeping them shut.
Slowly opening his eyes in apprehension, Jude quickly put his glasses back on and lifted his gaze. As everything came into focus, his lips parted slightly in awe at the breathtaking view before him, stunned and enthralled by the majestic waterfall surrounded by a lush, magnificent forest.
“Wow,” Jude murmured almost involuntarily, his voice barely more than a whisper.
The waterfall seemed hidden deep within the forest, almost untouched and undiscovered.
Remote and free from pollution. It stood quietly away from the world.
It was not particularly tall, but the water from the mountains struck the ground with enough force to burst outward like fireworks before settling into a calm, steady flow.
The water itself was pristine, with some parts revealing the rocky riverbed beneath.
“I’ve never seen an actual waterfall in my life,” Jude thought to himself, only to realize he had spoken the words out loud.
But instead of getting shy from what he had said, Jude’s eyes watered in pure joy. He could never be wrong. This was supposed to be the famous hidden Can-Umantad Falls here in Bukidnon.
“This is so beautiful…” Jude muttered, his heart warm. “Thank you for bringing me here, Sky,” he said with genuine gratitude, no longer caring if Sky would respond with a harsh remark or not.
Jude was simply happy to be there. It was one of the places he had always wanted to see, and the long walk earlier suddenly felt worth it.
“If you’re just gonna stand there spacing out, you might as well go back,” Sky snapped, breaking him out of his momentary awe.
Not wanting to take his eyes off the waterfall, Jude glanced at Sky uncertainly, only to be slightly taken aback when he suddenly began to undress. Blinking a few times in confusion, Jude watched as Sky effortlessly pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside, where it landed on top of his hoodie.
“W-what are you doing?” Jude muttered under his breath, bewildered.
Sky’s upper body was fully revealed, tattoos covering him almost entirely—from beneath his sharp jawline, down his neck, across his shoulders, and over his chest.
Jude swallowed hard, overwhelmed by the sight of his defined physique.
He could clearly see his well-built eight-pack abs, something Jude had only ever seen in pictures of men in magazines hidden in his closet.
His eyes instinctively traced the inked patterns scattered across his torso, though he could not make sense of their meaning.
His gaze drifted lower for a moment, noticing the sharply defined V-line leading down toward his waist, perfectly sculpted into his frame.
Jude instinctively looked away, suddenly aware of the contrast between Sky’s built form and his own slender figure.
Jude gulped hard.
Jude’s eyes had their minds on their own when they trailed back down to his body. He wanted to touch it. He mentally scolded himself for whatever inappropriate thought had crossed his mind. Even though Jude constantly insisted that he was not gay, his reactions seemed to betray him every time.
Jude’s gaze briefly dropped to the waistband of Sky’s black Calvin Klein underwear, visible above his gray pants.
Before he could stop himself, his eyes lingered a little too long, then drifted downward, only to catch sight of a noticeable bulge beneath the fabric.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, and his throat went dry almost instantly.
No wonder girls fought over him. To them, he was almost like a god, and saying he was not attractive would have been an outright lie.
He was even well known around Lindaville University for his flings and hookups with popular cheerleaders.
Jude had tried his best to ignore the gossip circulating, but it was everywhere. It was impossible to escape.
“Are you done staring at my body?” Sky’s voice cut through his thoughts, pulling Jude’s attention back to his icy green eyes.
There was a hint of mischief in his tone.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to watch me strip completely,” he added arrogantly, the corner of his mouth curling into a teasing sneer.
Jude’s cheeks instantly flushed red, heat flooding through him in pure mortification. He felt like he might melt into a puddle on the spot. Quickly turning away from Sky, he pressed his hands against his burning face, wishing for the millionth time that he could simply vanish into thin air.
A loud splash echoed behind him, signaling that Sky had dived into the water. Jude let out a shaky sigh of relief, at least for the brief moment.