Painting My Life Without You Chapter 2

The cold war that followed was unlike anything we’d ever had.

It started that night under the streetlamp, with Jude pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Megan, I’ve been in meetings all night. I am exhausted. Do we really have to do this right now? Over nothing?"

When I didn't answer, a bitter laugh escaped him.

"How many times do I have to say it? If there was anything between Valerie and me, we would’ve dated years ago."

He wasn't entirely wrong. For four years, they were the golden couple of the finance department.

Yet, Jude had always made it clear to everyone: "I have a girlfriend. She’s an artist. Her name is Megan."

I still remembered the first time I met his college friends. Waiting outside their private booth at the bar, I heard their loud voices drifting through the door.

"If Jude turned down Valerie, his girlfriend must be an absolute goddess."

I didn't miss the subtle flicker of disappointment in their eyes when I finally walked in. It was a silent, collective "Oh. Her?"

Even my own friends would whisper, "A guy like Jude doesn't stay single long once college ends, Megan. Hold onto him while he’s still yours."

It felt like our entire relationship was a ticking clock everyone else was waiting to run out.

Now, looking at the untouched bowl of pasta that had gone cold on the kitchen counter, I buried my face in my hands, hot tears slipping through my fingers.

The sudden shrill of my phone made me jump. I wiped my face quickly, only to hear Valerie’s exasperated voice on the other end.

"Megan, please come pick up your boyfriend. We had a team dinner, I went to the restroom for five minutes, and everyone else bolted. Now I'm stuck here with a completely wasted Jude."

I ordered an Uber and rushed to the restaurant.

While I was on my way, Valerie’s complaints kept lighting up my screen.

When Valerie and Jude first became the talk of Columbia's campus, she had actually been the one to approach me.

"You're Megan, right?" she’d said with a bright, easy smile. "Jude and I are just group project partners, I promise. Don't believe the gossip. Honestly, I find you much more interesting, little artist."

For four years, she was one of my few close friends. She watched anime with me, came to my art exhibitions, and was always the first to comment on my posts: "You are literally a genius!"

I once asked her what kind of guy she liked while Jude was busy scolding me for eating ice cream in the winter, snatching the cone from my hand.

Valerie had rolled her eyes. "Definitely not someone like him. Too bossy, acts like a dad. Besides, I like being number one. I can't stand guys who try to outshine me."

But when I arrived at the restaurant, the reality was different. His colleagues were hovering by the table, looking incredibly awkward.

"We, uh, we thought you two had a thing going on," one of them mumbled to Valerie, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were just trying to set you up..."

Jude’s face was flushed red. He shifted in his seat, almost slipping off the chair, but Valerie caught him just in time.

He sank into her embrace, murmuring something incoherent as his face brushed against her collarbone.

The tension in the room was suffocating. Valerie quickly pulled back as if burned, her face turning crimson when she spotted me.

"Megan. You're here."

The colleagues looked like they wanted the floor to swallow them whole. I could hear their hushed whispers as I stepped forward.

"So he actually has a girlfriend..."

"She's kind of plain, isn't she? Must be a high school sweetheart thing."

I took Jude’s heavy arm from Valerie, offering her a tight, polite smile. "Thanks for calling me."

Back at the apartment, I managed to get him onto the sofa.

The living room was pitch black. As I turned to fetch a wet towel to wipe his face, his hand suddenly shot out, gripping my wrist with surprising strength.

"Don't fight with me anymore, please," he muttered, his voice thick with sleep. "It hurts."

A lump formed in my throat, threatening to break me.

I tried to pull away, but my foot caught on the edge of the rug. I stumbled, landing right on his lap.

And that was when I heard his quiet, slurred whisper against my neck.

"I told you Apex's financial statements were flagged... why do you always have to fight me on this?"

"Valerie."

In the dark, my blood ran cold.