eden-rivers​:

Seven years was a long time to share a life with someone, especially when that life was as complicated and as deep as Jude and Eden’s. Eden would never regret meeting Jude, in fact, she still cherished it even after everything. Although sharing those seven years with Jude brought along some grief and heartbreak, there was a lot of good. And when things were good, they were really fucking good. He had taught her so much, given her so much and the two of them shared such a great loss together that Eden could never regret her time with Jude. Regretting their time together would be like saying it was all for nothing- that Jude wasn’t meant to be in her life. Being with Jude taught her how to put herself first and made her realize how important it was to just face her shitty traits and really work on them.

Even though they were together for seven years, Eden still felt like he was still so far. She still felt- no, knew that there was still so much that she didn’t know about Jude.

So standing in front of him wasn’t easy even though it was expected considering their circles. Eden just wished she hadn’t been so blindsided by the whole occasion. Damn her assistant.

Marpole always had a negative connotation for Eden and coming back was proving to be a huge mistake. She examined Jude’s body language; arms folded, closed off. “I don’t think anyone would like a place that their husband chose over them.” Eden wasn’t being spiteful, she was being honest.

It didn’t help that the room was impressively tight, so Eden pressed her back against the wall opposite Jude’s desk. As she faced him Eden couldn’t help but remember the first time that they had met and think - where exactly did it all go wrong? She hadn’t remembered any red flags and if there were any, they must have been ignored. But Eden couldn’t put all the blame on Jude, she had her faults as well.

It was ironic that they were in the same room during the same month that they had divorced. Eden saw it as some sick joke the universe had been playing. She had just begun enjoying Christmas again. Before it had been a reminder of one of the most depressing holidays she had ever experienced; freshly divorced in 2010 and isolating herself from friends and family for the sole reason of just not having to talk about it at the time.

“You hated that job.” The bar really did fit Jude and she meant that. When she had walked in Jude looked relaxed in the environment that he was in (before Eden walked in), even happy. Even when the two had owned Opulence, their baby essentially, Jude was perfect at owning an operation. “Everyone back at Opulence is going to be heartbroken when they hear you own a bar. They miss you.” It was true, a few of the veteran bartenders at the restaurant had really respected Jude during his time there.

-

The INEVITABILITY of their reunion had been hanging over his head ever since their last face-to-face contact. There was no way to completely detach from a relationship like theirs — as rife with mutual burdens, unhealthy coping mechanisms and insecurities as it was filled with joy, passion and genuine affection. If anything, it might’ve been better if their divorce was one caused by apathy and boredom. It might’ve been cleaner; amicable, even.

Eyes averting, Jude exhaled through his nose; in part defensive, part concessive. He couldn’t deny that his regular and increasingly-frequent escapes to his former home from their problems had only served to EXACERBATE them. “I didn’t choose it over you.” He’d known at the time that leaving in the middle of arguments instead of staying to talk it through would upset his wife and make the underlying issue worse in time, but running from problems had always been his modus operandi. “Simply wanted to stay there in the first place. Never wanted a big house, all the fancy shit.” It was unfair to say though, given that he always knew it’d be too small for both of them. 

Jude snorted a laugh, despite himself. "Yeah, I did hate it.” He shook his head. He’d worked there because he had to, because he was good at it, because he’d had no other aspirations in life. It was also what brought Eden and him together, which seemed like FATE at the time. Even so, among all the regrets which might even include the wedding itself, Jude still couldn’t count meeting her among them. “Ha, they’re just saying that.” It feels good to hear, though. Opulence was always partly more Eden’s than his, but they had built it together, and it represented their best times. It had been difficult to let it go. “How’s it going, anyway?” Though his voice is still low and somewhat severe, the conversational tone comes naturally, and he doesn’t even notice it nor realise his shoulders have slightly relaxed. “Still hovering over it, or have you offloaded all the managerial drama to someone else?”

Constantine (2005)

harlow-harris​:

“Ahh you really do like me” Harlow joked, taking a sip of the coffee-savoring the taste of caffeine that came with it. “It’s never too late for coffee” He said simply, grinning. One would probably say that he drank too much coffee, but he simply refused to believe that. Just like it was never too late for coffee, there was also no such thing as too much coffee. Harlow felt his cheeks heat up at the others compliment “Ah, really?” He asked shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I went through a few outros but thought that one fit the best.” Harlow runs a hand through his hair. “Thanks though, means a lot” He says in response to the rest of Jude’s statement. “So I know why I needed this coffee, but what are you up that’s got you craving it?”

-

"That wasn’t ever in doubt, was it?” Jude asks, lobbing the joke back with a grin. There was difficulty in finding something NOT to like about the young man, as often was the case with his rare archetype. Kindness and humility, in particular, always seem to summon Jude’s protective instinct like a moth to flame. “Yes really — you know I’m not just sayin’ that. Though I’ll have to re-listen to the full adventure with the geese on the station’s website later; I missed the first half and I’m intrigued.” His smile makes way for a long sigh, a little exaggerated for effect. “Ah, y’know how it is — end of year preparations are always insane with all the orders we need to place, reshuffling of furniture, extra hands I’ve gotta hire for the season.” He gives the cup in his hand a gentle shake. “So fuel is VITAL right now.”

dante-ochoa​:

Dante grinned. Tiago also grew like a lil sprout, just… started making all the inches in the last few years, before they knew it, he was going to be as tall as him… or hopefully taller. Dante hoped he would become as tall as his mom, that would be a sight to see. They saw a lot of her in their son, his eyes for once, but also some of his mannerisms. A lot more was genetics than people realised. “Okay, fair, that’s true, time goes differently for you. He also grows really fast.”

Dante shook their head in amusement. “See, I knew I could count on you, I will count on you, and she’ll laugh at me in return. Or we’ll have to make sure to miss her, then i can come in the next day and look like I already know the place by heart.” They imagined it for a moment. It would be fun to look like they knew what they were doing.

-

“Oh yeah, you know me, I exist beyond time. I transcend it.” Jude snorted a laugh. “And given his speed for growing up, maybe Tiago does too.” All he heard from parents was how FAST kids grew up in that first decade, and how much they wished it would slow down. “You ever feel that parental cliché of wishing your kid would remain your “baby” forever, or is that just a movie thing?’

At this point, the duo had a full-blown scheme for getting Dante to appear a total natural at the gym, perhaps a bit TOO elaborate but which seemed absolutely hilarious, especially with the influence of excessive mead. “You can always count on me. Listen: I’ll go in, doublecheck when she’ll be in with front desk, then you and me will come in on the one day she won’t. We’ll turn you into a gym rat overnight.”

shreycs​:

Shreya had known from the start of the conversation that if she mentioned her writing–he’d ask to read it. It wasn’t that she wasn’t fully confident in what she’d written that was the problem, it was really just the thought of how they might look at her afterwards that worried her. She didn’t know other’s preferences always and while she assumed it sometimes when they came into the bookstore, it was never a concrete thing. “I have some links…I can send them to you later on when I’m back at my place. They’re saved on the laptop there.” She explained before taking a moment to look at him again and smiling when he expressed that he understood her fears. It felt good and almost vindicating that she wasn’t wrong in feeling the way she did. 

“You’re very nice for saying that, but you can’t tell if I’m talented yet,” Shreya teased with a very obvious grin, “you haven’t read anything of mine yet…what if I can’t write at all.” This was of course not the truth since she was such an avid reader and took time in really absorbing each and every sentence she read but Jude didn’t know that after all. “It’s just a stupid fear I guess…it’s the same fear I had even when I took over the bookstore from my uncle…like, a part of me just expects to fail, even though I know that’s the pessimist in me talking.”

"Keyword being comfortable,” he repeats with a grin and a raised index finger. “Sure I’m curious, but I’m also fine to wait and read them along with the rest of the general public if you’re not ready to share yet. Okay?”

He taps his chin thoughtfully, the beginnings of a smirk twitching at his mouth. "Well in my opinion, someone who speaks well, also always writes well. Maybe I’m assuming, but I don’t think you’d do badly with converting words to paper.” He snorts at her joke. “Well, it’d be pretty funny if you sent me your stories and it’s just paragraphs of nonsensical keysmashes, so win/win for me, I think.” 

Conscious of the vulnerability Shreya was exposing in her recollection of taking over the bookstore, Jude listens intently. “Well you’ve identified pessimism as the key culprit in those feelings, so I’d say you’re already halfway to overcoming fear of failure. It’s as irrational as it is potent.” He waves a hand in the air idly, rolling his eyes as if at the concept itself. “Felt the same way when I bought the bar, y’know; just waiting for the cards to come falling down. And I think the fear never TRULY goes away — but, if you can banish it to a tiny corner of your mind and put the skills and abilities you know you have at the front instead, I think that’s when you’ve conquered it.”

eden-rivers​:

Eden made sure that she stood tall before Jude. With him, she hated showing emotion because it seemed to only make things worse. Eden would be vulnerable only for the vulnerability to be ignored. So it wasn’t surprising that she felt as though she needed to be strong and even a little bit cold.

It was hard to contain her composure at Jude’s words, mindful that his customers were beginning to stare. Eden had only been there for maybe five minutes and already one of her biggest insecurities was being poked at. Perhaps it was deserved. “You’re fucking ridiculous.”

Warily, Eden picked up her purse and followed Jude to a more private area (and took her time just because she could). It was against her best judgment really, she felt out of her element. Eden trusted Jude, she did. But it didn’t mean she wanted to be alone with him.

“I’ve never disliked Marpole,” Eden said defiantly, simply wanting to disagree. She was still holding onto Jude’s insult from earlier. Why couldn’t they be like those divorcee couples who could joke and laugh? “I just never thought that there was anything here for me at the time.”

Jude Mercer.

It was still somewhat hard for Eden to believe that he was standing there before her. She took his presence in, feeling almost nostalgic. He had aged well, if at all, and still had his same ways about him; the way he spoke, walked, looked at Eden.

Eden reminded herself be stoic, be confident.

“And I figured I would broaden my horizons a bit, find a diamond in the rough.” Eden fixed her hair subconsciously, she was anxious. It had been a while since she had gone from such a high and low situation in such a short amount of time. It could be overwhelming. “You own a bar. That’s very,” a pause. “You.”

-

If Eden was putting on a brave face, Jude had no way of knowing. To him, she seemed the epitome of calm and collected, even with the odd curse here and there. Even his unfair words didn’t appear to rattle her, and he knew once upon a time, she might’ve even considered throwing something at him for it.

Ridiculous — well, she wasn’t wrong. He felt as ridiculous as this situation. Jude wasn’t sure why he was so rocked by her reappearance. They’d been married, after all, with all the mutual friends, connections and places that entailed; they were BOUND to meet again at some point. And yet, Eden Rivers standing in the back room of his bar now felt like a season 1 main character returning after an extended absence in season 5 of his life.

The ‘office’ was a tiny room. He leaned back against his desk with his arms folded, brow perpetually creased with a frown. “Because it wasn’t high-class enough?” Of course it wasn’t fair to say she hated Marpole, and it also wasn’t right to gloss over the fact that the place had likely left a bad taste in her mouth almost ENTIRELY because of Jude’s refusal to sell the old house there. But he was in no state to start ceding ground now.

Jude didn’t miss the way Eden started fiddling with her hair — now that habit he recognised. It was a sure sign of nerves, of stress. And yet, instead of triumph, it made him simmer down; a bout of guilt propped up in anger’s stead. Normally, he’d take her final comment as a jab, but — “Yeah.” His voice is rough, and he clears his throat to alleviate it. “Bought it in January ‘18.” A month after their divorce; not exactly out of spontaneity given the amount of time he’d been eyeing the place, but circumstances had definitely aided him in taking the plunge. “Had to find something to do with myself after I quit... the last job.”

emma-caine​:

It’s truly silly the way her heart has sped up at the close proximity that she’s sharing with Jude after so much time has passed. After all—while things were great between them—the end left her bitter, at least for a couple of months. She’d taken her time though to try and get over what they had shared—allowing herself to focus once more on what she deemed the most important thing in her life—her patients. However seeing him in this area of her life, when he wasn’t there just to see her, weirded her out. It just wasn’t at all expected and perhaps if she was honest with herself—she always hoped she’d never have to see him in her workplace, especially not as a patient though.

It was selfish really, the thought of him hurt just didn’t sit well with her. Was that because of underlying feelings? Or because she was just a bleeding heart? That was a question she wasn’t willing to face at this time. Instead she just allowed her smile to stay on her face, taking in his features that were the same as before and the ones that had changed but then his words had her looking away, averting his gaze quickly. “Stop…” He knew how she was about compliments, they were never that easy to take. But thankfully he changed the topic back to what he was doing here and she was just about to comment on it, and how much she missed the bar when the elevator lurched and she found herself falling back against the wall behind her, her hand reaching to grab onto something to steady herself. 

Luckily the movement had been quick but the feeling of a stuck elevator was not one she was that familiar with either. “This is…” she murmured softly to herself before hearing his quick question to her, “I’m okay..just, startled, I’ve never had this happen here before.” And of course she was hoping there wasn’t some sort of power failure because that would leave the entire hospital in trouble but the lights were on and given how everything else seemed to be okay—it looked like the elevator they’d chosen was just malfunctioning. Which in hindsight almost seemed poetic that they had run into each other this way after so long—of course something memorable had to take place.

A soft smile was on her face finally after she made a quick call to the maintenance office of the hospital, who reassured her that everything in the hospital was fine and that they’d called the workers to help get the elevator moving. “It shouldn’t take too long…just about a half hour or so.” But then it was pretty late in the day which meant that could stretch into an hour and while it wasn’t an ideal situation—Emma was still thankful that it was something like Jude she was stuck with, as opposed to a complete stranger. 

There were worse people to be stuck in an elevator with, that went without saying. Truly — and he knew Emma would immediately try to deny it if he said so — anybody would be THRILLED to get stuck in an elevator with her. Intelligent, beautiful, kind; absolute no-brainer. For Jude, however, it was a little more complicated that that. What he’d hoped would only be a few minutes would now be a half-hour, and he thinks that’s understandably nerve-racking when that time has to be spent staring in the face of a relationship he all but single-handedly sunk; into the eyes of the woman he’d caused so much undue hurt to. 

Who STILL treated him as kindly as ever.

“Hospital never got that extra funding, did they?” Jude jokes, looking at the dead console, its lights all gone dark. He’d been here quite a few times, almost all of them just to see Emma, and he’d never witnessed a malfunction or an out-of-order sign. Hearing her confirm the rarity just makes it feel all the more fateful a meeting. For better or worse. “Well, better get comfortable, right?” He shrugs off his long coat, laying it back-down on the floor and motioning for her to sit down on it with him. “Since I doubt the janitors have clocked in yet,” he explains with a grin. God, he really hates his habit of cracking jokes when nervous.

“So, uh.” Every question he could ask her would sound so ridiculous. How’s life. How’s work. What’ve you planned for the holidays. Once, they’d known each other inside-out, and now he was reduced to inane small talk. But what else could they do? “What’s new with you?”

charlottewright​:

@vancitystarters​

“Yeah, so after the divorce I started talking to my brother again, he too cut ties with our parents a few years ago so there’s that…” She frowned, trying to remember how she had first landed on her brother to explain things. “But he—Theo, he said I should get out more, put myself out in the world again. Which, believe me, is so hard.” She continued on her rant, rolling her eyes for a moment. “I absolutely refuse on the whole dating app ordeal, I won’t put myself through it. Tinder, bumble, none of them! It’s just straight up stupid. And with the deadline on the next book and the business, I barely have time to go out anymore.” She gulped a long sip on her whiskey before going on, she wasn’t normally this chatter box, but two drinks in would do the deal. “But I promised Theo and I promised my other friend I’d go out, so here I am. That’s why I’m here.”

"I hope you didn’t feel like you had to explain all that just for my benefit,” Jude jokes, good-humoured and light-hearted as he sets his drink down. “Jokes aside, I know EXACTLY what you mean. Seems like everyone in your life suddenly becomes a life coach after you go through a breakup, let alone a divorce, right? Can’t say putting myself out there was ever much of a remedy, but it never hurt either. Or not much, at least.” He wrinkles his nose, as if in distaste. “You couldn’t pay me to venture onto a dating app, but maybe that’s just me hating social media apps in general. And showing my age too, maybe.”

Keanu Reeves as Perry Lyman in Thumbsucker (2005) dir. Mike Mills

shreycs​:

“I probably will have to now, with people like you snooping around,” she chuckled not at all missing the way he was teasing her. It was a completely strange situation for Shreya to have someone approach her when she was writing but she found the thoughts still in her mind, not at all floating away just because she was having a conversation with Jude at the moment. Still she did enjoy this back and forth between them, not at all missing the laughter in his voice. “You clearly do–it’s very impressive, I promise.” She told him with a smile as she admitted everything to him. “You should…I’ve been working on trying to be a little bit more open with trustworthy people.” She told him with a casual shrug before nodding, a very proud but small smile on her face. “I’m definitely pretty pleased with myself,” she told him before sighing and nodding, “It’s hard to have yourself out there at times and I guess in some ways–until I know the proud I have is…perfect, I don’t want to have my name on it.” She shook her head, taking a sip of the drink in front of her for some time to think over her thoughts as she explained some more. “I just–it’s taken me a lot to get to this point so I’m just a bit cautious I guess.”

-

He laughed at the quip. “Vigilance is key, I’m sure I’m just one among many journal spies lurking around nowadays.” Her commitment to being more forthcoming with those deserving of it was both admirable AND worthy of emulation, though Jude knew that telling himself to take a leaf out of her book was about as reliable as a New Year’s resolution. “I won’t tell anybody, of course. You have any hard copies, or links to your stories? I’d love to read some of your stuff; I mean, only if you’re comfortable with someone you know reading them.”

He drank from his coffee before nodding in understanding — it was certainly no easy thing to expose something you created and open it up to critique. “That’s understandable, I mean not only would you be putting it out to the general public, which is scary enough on its own; you’re also facing your peers. Probably more nerve-racking than the opinions of strangers.” It wasn’t exactly the same thing but he’d felt similarly when he’d taken over the bar, that fear of not living up to the previous owner’s success or his changes being ill-received by the bar’s regulars; the potential for FAILURE on his name. “I think you’re right to take your time and hone your craft, though I also hope you’ll make your debut sooner than later. You’re talented, and you shouldn’t hide it too long.”

dante-ochoa​:

“Big city,” Dante agreed, they grinned and could almost imagine them walking into the club at the same time, though it had never happened. They didn’t know all of Maeve’s friends, or those who went to the gym. They had friends from all walks of life, that’s how they liked it. “He’s… ten,” Dante said, cheeks slightly red because they had to think about that. He grew up so fast, they could still remember when he was a little baby. “Probably only a few months, but sure: ages.” They chuckled. 

“I have to use my phone for that?” they asked. “Okay, okay, I got this, I’ll shoot you a message, you will have to meet me and then take over the guided tour to cover if Maeve sees me, she’ll gloat, I am certain of it. Secretly, I think she’ll be glad I’m finally going to work out.” 

-

"Jesus, where’d the time go.” And judging by the look on Dante’s face, they were thinking the same thing. It was a little DAUNTING to see how fast time went by and how much faster it seemed to pass, year after year as he aged. Watching children grow up seemed only to illustrate that. “Listen, five months is a lot for me when I’m sittin’ around doing nothing. Felt like an eternity.”

Jude laughed, “Yeah; phone necessary.” He pretended to consider their request; rubbing his chin. “Don’t know, 'think it’d be pretty funny to witness Maeve rubbing it in.” A moment later he dropped the act though, chuckling with a gesture of reassurance. “She’ll definitely be glad, but don’t worry; you can count on me to provide cover and delay the gloating until at least after the tour.”

emma-caine​:

How many times in a given day did Emma step into an elevator; either this one or one of the many others in the bank of them? Numerous times—so what had happened that caused her to step into this one of all of them. Two had opened after all, both saying they were going down. But someone had stopped to say goodbye to her and by then—the other doors had shut which left her with this one that she stepped into. Of course nothing was strange for the first two floors it passed, but then it stopped and she glanced up as she normally did, wanting to see if it was a fellow nurse or doctor she knew that was also heading home for the night. But instead—it was someone else she knew, someone that made it feel like she’d been transported back two years.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him since their relationship ended but every single time she did—it felt like a hand was reaching into her rib cage, looking for her heart to squeeze it tightly, reminding her of the way she once felt about this man in question and the way she sometimes still felt when it was late at night and she was recounting everything that had gone wrong in her life. A smile was on her lips as she greeted him with a soft “hi,” before glancing at the buttons, watching where he was headed—unsure of why she was even so curious. It’s not like she needed to know what was going on in his life after all, right? 

But then he spoke and his voice—Lord help her—his voice still held the power over her that it had in the past. It was smooth and it always felt buttery soft to her ears. “It has,” she was about to say just how long before keeping her mouth shut and smiling at him for the compliment before nodding, “it’s after a fourteen hour shift so that’s clearly not true, but thank you—you look good too.” She took a moment, realizing once more where they were and so the question was on her lips quickly, “um—this isn’t exactly a place I would want to run into anyone, so I hope…everyone’s okay?”

It seems she’d remained the same in more ways than JUST visually — the same ( misplaced ) modesty, the same ( undeserved ) concern, the same kind, generous smile are all present. All aspects of her that he’d cherished so much, and perhaps taken for granted, too. Jude might think she was just gritting her teeth and putting it on for the sake of being polite if he didn’t know her better than that — Emma had never been the type for falsity, nor grudges even if he thinks she’s more than entitled to hold one against him.

He’s so distracted simply looking at her that he almost forgets to counter her humble dismissal, and he shakes his head slightly with a quiet cough to clear his throat. “I wasn’t just saying that,” he says, with a gentle smile. He almost adds her that aside from drooping eyes and long tired sighs, she had NEVER looked like she’d just worked 12+ hour shifts ever since he’d known her, but he thinks better of that kind of sentiment and answers her question instead. “Just checking on a friend who got into his usual monthly bar fight.” He rolls his eyes, drawing an invisible line across his temple to demonstrate. “Few stitches, nothing serious. Ego’s more damaged than anything else.”

Momentarily after the words leave his mouth, there’s an alarming, irregular noise from outside ( or above? ) the elevator, and the cab lurches to a sudden, stomach-turning STOP.  “Fuck,” Jude mutters, a hand having grabbed onto the rail to steady himself. He’s experienced this a few times — though its never any less unpleasant — and his first instinct is to immediately check on Emma. “Are you alright?” he asks in a worried rush.

harlow-harris​:

“And that folks, is how I learned that geese are in fact, not the nicest creatures” Harlow said into the mic, grinning as he finished telling his story. “Anyway; just like that, we are outta time” He pressed a button to make his end of show sound effect go. “I know, I know, it’s so sad. But! Don’t fear, I’ll be back on these radio waves in just a few days.” Harlow heard his phone buzz from where it sat-facing down on the booths table; but he didn’t have time to actually check it right this second. “As always, remember to be kind to yourself. Life ain’t easy” He finished off his sign off before clicking his mic off and the ‘on’ button for the normal music to continue. As he did, he spotted Jude standing in front of booth and his smile widened. Harlow got to work putting his stuff away before he basically bounded out of the office. “Hey!” He said as he shut the door behind him. “Oh, please tell me one of those are for me” Harlow said, eyes on the coffees. 

-

"You know I wouldn’t come empty-handed, and I certainly wouldn’t bring coffee to your workplace without one of them being for you.” Given both cups contain the same thing — good ol’ plain black coffee — Jude presents him with one of the cups. “I was in the area so thought I’d stop by with an offering. I know it’s a bit late for coffee, but hopefully you need it as much as I did.” He gestures to the office Harlow had just come out of, referencing the outro he’d just completed when he says, “That ending was real good, by the way. Seems like you’re somehow getting even better with each show, your charisma’s fantastic.”

All of his sorrow won’t fit in his chest It just burns like a fire in the pit of his chest And his heart is a bird on a spit in his chest How long, how long, how long?

Anaïs Mitchell, lyrics from “How Long,” Hadestown LP (Righteous Babe Records, 2010)

john wick (2014) dir. chad stahelski

eden-rivers​:

For a moment, Eden stared at her ex-husband as if lost in thought when in reality, she was weighing her options. She was a businesswoman for fucks sake, Eden had an image that she had to uphold and she wasn’t going to allow Jude to mess that up for her. Granted, she wasn’t going to allow Jude to yell at her either.

Eden watched Jude’s mood change in a matter of seconds, giving her a good reminder as to why she no longer had a ring on her delicate left ring finger. Sometimes Eden would stare at the bare skin on her finger, watching as the tan line of the ring slowly faded away just like her marriage had.

“I was not aware of that Jude,” Eden spit back, putting a huge emphasis on his name. “Do you honestly believe that I would have trekked my way over to this dump willingly if I had known that you had any association with it? Fuck, no.” It was disappointing, really. Eden had thought about the very situation that was before her. She knew that fate would have brought her and her ex-husband together eventually, but of course not with good intentions. Eden had hoped that it wouldn’t have gone so sour so soon, but she simply reminded herself who she was dealing with and the type of person they both became when dealing with one another.

Unfortunately, though, years of therapy and yoga, and stress techniques had flown out the window. Jude just had that effect on her. Maybe she would redeem herself if they were to ever cross paths again. Maybe she would be able to be the bigger person and ask how Jude was doing and if he was happy. One could only dream, some people you are meant to be in a constant battle with. Eden learned that from a self help book, she was proud of it.

“I was coming here because I was under the impression that this bar of yours needed an investor, from the looks of it.” Eden made a point to look around the place as if it needed work. In reality, she thought that Jude had done well for himself and thought the bar was perfect for him. But she would never let him know that. “I was going to flip the place. Buy it for what it is worth, which is close to nothing, and then sell it.” The words left her lips and Eden knew that she was simply adding fuel to the fire. She felt confident in the moment but would regret it later.

-

There was no reason for her to lie, the rational part of his brain supplied. Even if the coincidence seemed farfetched, it wasn’t like her to be this petty ( unless she’d changed in their time apart ). And given their years together, he thought himself familiar with her tells, to some degree; and Eden did seem just as stunned to see him as he felt. It didn’t quite negate the resentment he was feeling, though. She’d always had an intense effect on him, in a WIDE variety of ways.  

He scoffed at her evaluation of the bar — it did grate on his nerves a little, even if he didn’t believe her words. “Maybe you should fire whoever fed you your information on this dump,” he suggested, bitter and venomous. “Great news: it’s not for sale. So spare me your genial business plans and find some other establishments to throw daddy’s money at.” It was a low blow and unfair, especially from someone like Jude who’d been witness to Eden’s skills and self-realised accomplishments, but he couldn’t stop himself. There had been a myriad of events and people during the course of their marriage that had soured him.

The uttering of his name by one of his bartenders quelled his anger for a moment, and the sudden quiet brought with it a moment of LUCIDITY — and awareness that this probably wasn’t the sort of thing that his customers needed witness. “Hold it down for me,” Jude muttered to the employee, an apology in his expression as he left his place behind the bar; motioning impatiently for Eden to follow him round to the back. She had no reason to acquiesce, but he had a feeling she might also want to at least put a lid on this disaster. When he restarted the discussion, it was with much less fire. “You never liked Marpole,” he recalled; or at least assumed. Suspicion still lingered. “So why are you even looking in the area?”