Chapter 11 #2
Fresh, plush white towels hung straight from the heated racks, completing the immaculate, orderly sanctuary.
‘Thank you, Jude,’ I said. ‘For all of this. Really.’
He paused midstep, turning toward the door, his looming physique pausing before he let out a slight growl of exasperation, followed by a curse.
‘Fuck, didn’t I say to stop thanking me, Sofia?’
The edge in his tone jolted me.
A hot wave of mortification rushed up my neck.
He stared at me with irritation.
I kept my face blank, a survival trick I perfected over the years, refusing to let him see how much his annoyance shook me.
Jude closed his eyes for a brief second, pinching the bridge of his nose before exhaling.
When he glanced back at me, the vexation was gone, drained from his expression, replaced by weary exhaustion.
‘Look, I’m sorry,’ he muttered, dropping into a quieter, more careful register.
‘I didn’t mean to be gruff with you. It’s not you.
I’ve just been out of my element for too long, and I’m tired.
We spent a weekend surrounded by people after a few weeks of touring, and I’m an introvert at best. I require space to decompress, and I’ll be back to me again. ’
‘I understand, I get the same way too.’
We exchanged glances as I gave him a wry smile.
‘Want to see the rest?’
‘Yes please.’
He walked me through the home, pointing out the smart light and temperature panels and living spaces.
The kitchen was straight out of a culinary catalog, featuring a sizable marble island, dual commercial ovens, and rows of pristine copper cookware hanging from a stainless-steel rack.
He gestured at the fridge and pantry.
‘Our band assistant and booking manager, Nari, comes by every week we’re home. She brings a huge grocery shop.’
I arched a brow at his announcement.
He caught my bewilderment and explained with a quirked mouth.
‘It’s the only way we get chow down, babe.
Musicians are notorious for starving themselves for our art.
Nari is our band mum and a paragon and stickler for keeping us healthy.
So when she informed all six of us she was doing it, we’d no comeback.
There’s plenty of food, so feel free to eat what you want, make whatever you need. ’
It was the kitchen of my dreams, but as I glanced around the adjoining living areas, the lack of personality became glaringly obvious.
We ended the tour in his studio.
The walls were decorated with mountain guitars and a shelf of music trophies, which I studied as he set his favorite acoustic guitar on a velvet stand.
The room was also packed with vintage amplifiers, leather cases, and lyric sheets covering the desk.
It was the most lived-in space in the residence; the rest of it felt like a luxury hotel.
I chalked it up to his relentless touring schedule; one of a man who lived on planes and buses, who had little time to put down roots and make his house a home.
Staring at his album awards, I gathered my courage and smoothed my palms over my denim jeans.
‘Signore, I mean Jude,’ I corrected myself. ‘Would you play a little of your music for me? Just a small piece?’
Jude arched a thick eyebrow in clear surprise, his eyes searching my face to see if I meant it.
I did, and nodded to confirm it.
With a huff, he picked up the instrument, his tattooed fingers settling over the wooden neck, and plucked a series of intricate, minor-chord progressions.
He sat in a deep chair in front of the sound mixer.
He strummed up a warm-up tune as a slow, uncharacteristic smile crossed his rugged features, softening the harsh lines of his jaw.
It was clear he loved his craft.
Then he began to sing.
His voice was a deep, resonant rumble.
He sang a song so beautiful and haunting that the emotion it evoked overwhelmed me.
It wasn’t an aggressive, grunge confessional; this was a raw, stripped-back, acoustic, finger-picking guitar lament about survival and lost love.
It was so poignant, I wiped away a stray tear before it tracked down my cheek.
In that moment, I understood why he and his band had such a fanatical following.
The song spoke to the soul and went deeper than any generic pop anthem ever could, cutting straight down into the core of human suffering and endurance.
The final chord died away, leaving an intense silence in the room.
Our eyes locked, and for three long seconds, my heart skipped a frantic beat.
‘So beautiful, I murmured, unable to resist.
Jude sliced his heated gaze away, his mouth tightening as he gripped the guitar and placed it on a stand.
A shiver raced down my spine at the abrupt shift in the atmosphere.
‘I’ve got shit to catch up on in here,’ he muttered, turning his back to me. ‘Help yourself to whatever you need.’
I turned to leave.
‘One more thing, Sofia,’ he rasped. ‘Tomorrow, I’ll head into the city to the Six Sinners HQ for a rehearsal block.
After that, I’m going to The Sanctuary to talk to the administrative director.
I’m going to see what kind of entry-level office work they have available for you so we can get your paperwork sorted.
I’ll be back before dusk. Need anything, call me. ’
‘I will and -.’
He gave me a look, and I bit my lip, stopping myself.
‘Good night.’
With a nod, I left him to it and retreated upstairs to my private washroom. I turned on the brass fixtures to let the steaming water fill the glass shower stall.
I cleaned up, scrubbed off the grime of travel, then brushed my teeth with the new toiletries in the bathroom.
I put on the soft cotton lounge suit from my shopping trip with Maggie.
Back in the kitchen, I explored his fridge.
I pulled a package of chicken breasts and fresh vegetables from the double-door Sub-Zero refrigerator, dicing the ingredients to prepare a simple stir-fry.
Once the food was simmering in the pan, I walked toward the hallway and called out into the quiet house, inviting him to the table.
‘I’ll eat later, Sofia,’ his bass reverberated from behind the closed studio door. ‘Go ahead without me.’
I left him to it and sat alone at the marble island, finished my portion, and washed up, leaving his plate wrapped in the stainless-steel warming drawer.
I retired to my suite for the night, slipping beneath the lush duvets as the Tennessee wind brushed over the windowpanes.
Sighing as I nestled into the warm bed, I lay in the dark, touching the cool diamond of the wedding band on my finger.
Still uncertain about my future, yet more at peace than I’d ever been in days.