01-16-2023, 07:16 PM
Their fingers brush as Jude takes the glass, and he is uncomfortably aware of it. Water in hand, he does slouch now, leaning back into the couch and crossing an ankle over his knee. "Bully for you," he says sourly at the unpleasant joke that Near would call his sister. "They would be ever so grateful." Yes, better, back to the familiar state of low-grade irritation, though now it is covering up the newly arisen disquiet. Near has managed to turn the faucet on Jude's mouth though, and so instead of speaking two sentences and staring like a hungry eel, he keeps talking.
"How would you know how worried I am? You don't know how long I've been watching you." That's not true. Maybe Near was watching Jude watch him. Near is the kind of person weird enough to do that. But Jude injects confidence into his voice all the same.
He looks at the narrow hallway that probably leads to the bedroom and bathroom and asks, "Didn't get another dog?" He vaguely remembers the one that ran off in the heat of the car crash. Can't remember the breed though. Was it some rat-catching kind of dog? Terrier? He doesn't remember a great deal of hair. No long, loyal face. No dumb, soulful eyes. Maybe he is just imagining the Near-version of a dog, yipping and ankle-biting.
"How would you know how worried I am? You don't know how long I've been watching you." That's not true. Maybe Near was watching Jude watch him. Near is the kind of person weird enough to do that. But Jude injects confidence into his voice all the same.
He looks at the narrow hallway that probably leads to the bedroom and bathroom and asks, "Didn't get another dog?" He vaguely remembers the one that ran off in the heat of the car crash. Can't remember the breed though. Was it some rat-catching kind of dog? Terrier? He doesn't remember a great deal of hair. No long, loyal face. No dumb, soulful eyes. Maybe he is just imagining the Near-version of a dog, yipping and ankle-biting.