PYRAMIDS | JUDE BELLINGHAM

[22] whole lot of explaining

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CLEO's POV

"let me help you get everything inside."

"i can lug it in myself." before jude can even think to take his seatbelt off, i stop him now that we're parked outside of the house where mason's waiting for my arrival after being gone a whole weekend... with jude... that he didn't know about.

"you're gonna explain, right?" i know he's only asking because i'm capable of backing out at any second. "said i would didn't i?"

i can't and won't back out now.

"let me help you in, then you do the talking. or in your case, rambling."

"i do not ramble!"

"keep telling yourself that, love." jude's like a grandma. he literally pinched my cheek before he got out the car and i gathered my bag and charger i was using on the way back.

i wasn't expecting him to open my door. if anything i thought he was already unloading the trunk, but the gesture makes me blush.

"you do know if all goes wrong you can call and i'll come by in no time, right?"

yeah but it's mason we're talking about. "means a lot." i say before he hauls the small suitcase all the way to the porch and i follow behind with the keys i'm a little afraid to put in.

mason has always supported you, what makes you think he won't now?

that's all that could run through my mind.

it's a helpful reminder before i just rip the band aid and open the door for us where jude comes in. "cleo, is that you?" sounds like he was already in the living room. but i say nothing and look at jude who moves my suitcase to the side.

"thank fuck, now you can finally tell me where you've been!" technically he knows that part, just not the whole story. "both of you for that matter."

"actually, cleo and i agreed she'd be telling you herself."

it was a sibling crisis after all.

"uh... okay?" as long as he gets an answer.

jude squeezes my hand one last time before he leaves and i'd kiss him if it weren't for mason staring daggers as he walks out the house. "you, jude, cabin, the hand squeeze and the way he just looked at you? i know you guys made up but are you guys seriously back together?"

i forget how good mason is at reading body language. "if i said yes, how would you react?"

"well shit, confused out my mind. that's for sure."

"let's go to the kitchen so we can at least snack on something." the best conversations come with a snack on the side on the island. i pull out a bag of veggie chips and roll my eyes that he refuses to get anything good.

and the only reason he's had edible food in the house is because of my visit.

the good thing is, it's the one thing i like. "so basically," i say unraveling the bag, "at the game night when you guys crashed we kinda, sorta, maybe... kissed." to be fair, he kissed me first.