is up. My performance this season wasn’t as good as it
was three seasons ago. Hell, it wasn’t as good as last season, and that season
sucked. So I take a little something for help when I need it. Sue me.” That was
mostly the truth. At least the truth he told himself. The groin injury didn’t
start his issues and most likely didn’t cause them.
“I
guess. I wouldn’t know. On all counts.” Jude went back to his homework, the
subject dropped. Or at least Will hoped the subject was dropped. “So what are
your plans for after football?”
Before
Will could answer, the room went dark and silent. He sat in the dark listening
to
Jude’s
gasp of breath which was immediately followed by… “Fuck…my paper… goddammit.”
“ Shoulda had a backup plan.” Will reached for the beer
bottle he’d left on the table right in front of him. A chewed up pen hit him on
the side of the head.
“Asshole,”
Jude said after Will yelped, “serves you right.” Will had to give the man props for making the
hit in the dark.
A
dim light came on next to him. Jude held up his cell phone as he went over to
the built-in entertainment unit. A couple of minutes later soft candle light
filled the room, and Jude stood over his dark computer playing with the power
cord. “I guess my battery is completely fried. I don’t want a new computer.
Fuck.”
“Just
buy a new battery.” Will picked up his food mess and stacked up their dishes on
the tray. His legs ached from sitting on the hard floor too long. Standing up
he stretched as the wind whistled and moaned outside. A chill blasted from the
old windows across his bare chest. “Damn, it’s going to be fuck loads of cold
if the electricity…” the lights flickered on and stayed on as he spoke. “Okay,
why does that happen every single time?”
Jude
laughed as he restarted his computer. “Seems like it, doesn’t it? But it does
bring up the question of how to heat this place if we really do lose power
since the fireplaces are all closed up.”
The
heat didn’t immediately come back on. But it was still warm enough inside that
Will didn’t worry too much. There were plenty of blankets tucked away in the
bedroom closets, and the stove was gas. They could camp out in the kitchen if
need be. Maybe share body heat…he froze at that thought, and refused to let it
mean anything. “Did your computer come back up?” He settled on the couch with
the remote control. The television came on, but the cable was a different
story.
Jude
flicked his mouse with practiced ease. “YES! Well, mostly yes. I lost a couple
of paragraphs. Nothing I can’t rewrite.” He clicked “Save” and closed the
document. “But there’s no internet.”
“The
satellite must have taken a hit.” Will shrugged. It didn’t really matter, there
was nothing on anyway, and he wasn’t much of a computer person. “I’m surprised
it lasted this long in this storm.”
“There
is that.” Jude closed his computer down completely and took his text book and
legal pad onto the sofa where he wrapped up in a blanket and went back to
taking notes. The ornate clock on top of the entertainment unit ticked in the
quiet of the room. It wasn’t even seven o’clock yet and he had nothing in his
room to keep him occupied through the night— except his thoughts and his hand.
“It’s just too freaking quiet, and that wind is going to get on my last damned
nerve. I’m going to see what Levi has in his video collection.”
“Noise
would be wonderful.” Jude didn’t look up. His glasses were on the coffee table,
his shoes under the table. He sat with his legs tucked up and the blanket
falling off one shoulder. His hair a shaggy mess that fell into his eyes, he
looked completely different than during the week when he was polished and
primped for going out in public. He liked this Jude better. Will had to look
away because parts of his body were doing strange things. The willow-thin,
leggy body would
was three seasons ago. Hell, it wasn’t as good as last season, and that season
sucked. So I take a little something for help when I need it. Sue me.” That was
mostly the truth. At least the truth he told himself. The groin injury didn’t
start his issues and most likely didn’t cause them.
“I
guess. I wouldn’t know. On all counts.” Jude went back to his homework, the
subject dropped. Or at least Will hoped the subject was dropped. “So what are
your plans for after football?”
Before
Will could answer, the room went dark and silent. He sat in the dark listening
to
Jude’s
gasp of breath which was immediately followed by… “Fuck…my paper… goddammit.”
“ Shoulda had a backup plan.” Will reached for the beer
bottle he’d left on the table right in front of him. A chewed up pen hit him on
the side of the head.
“Asshole,”
Jude said after Will yelped, “serves you right.” Will had to give the man props for making the
hit in the dark.
A
dim light came on next to him. Jude held up his cell phone as he went over to
the built-in entertainment unit. A couple of minutes later soft candle light
filled the room, and Jude stood over his dark computer playing with the power
cord. “I guess my battery is completely fried. I don’t want a new computer.
Fuck.”
“Just
buy a new battery.” Will picked up his food mess and stacked up their dishes on
the tray. His legs ached from sitting on the hard floor too long. Standing up
he stretched as the wind whistled and moaned outside. A chill blasted from the
old windows across his bare chest. “Damn, it’s going to be fuck loads of cold
if the electricity…” the lights flickered on and stayed on as he spoke. “Okay,
why does that happen every single time?”
Jude
laughed as he restarted his computer. “Seems like it, doesn’t it? But it does
bring up the question of how to heat this place if we really do lose power
since the fireplaces are all closed up.”
The
heat didn’t immediately come back on. But it was still warm enough inside that
Will didn’t worry too much. There were plenty of blankets tucked away in the
bedroom closets, and the stove was gas. They could camp out in the kitchen if
need be. Maybe share body heat…he froze at that thought, and refused to let it
mean anything. “Did your computer come back up?” He settled on the couch with
the remote control. The television came on, but the cable was a different
story.
Jude
flicked his mouse with practiced ease. “YES! Well, mostly yes. I lost a couple
of paragraphs. Nothing I can’t rewrite.” He clicked “Save” and closed the
document. “But there’s no internet.”
“The
satellite must have taken a hit.” Will shrugged. It didn’t really matter, there
was nothing on anyway, and he wasn’t much of a computer person. “I’m surprised
it lasted this long in this storm.”
“There
is that.” Jude closed his computer down completely and took his text book and
legal pad onto the sofa where he wrapped up in a blanket and went back to
taking notes. The ornate clock on top of the entertainment unit ticked in the
quiet of the room. It wasn’t even seven o’clock yet and he had nothing in his
room to keep him occupied through the night— except his thoughts and his hand.
“It’s just too freaking quiet, and that wind is going to get on my last damned
nerve. I’m going to see what Levi has in his video collection.”
“Noise
would be wonderful.” Jude didn’t look up. His glasses were on the coffee table,
his shoes under the table. He sat with his legs tucked up and the blanket
falling off one shoulder. His hair a shaggy mess that fell into his eyes, he
looked completely different than during the week when he was polished and
primped for going out in public. He liked this Jude better. Will had to look
away because parts of his body were doing strange things. The willow-thin,
leggy body would
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