ø jude ø

Jude, of course, agreed to babysit Aura again, especially due to their arrangement that Rain would help him get started with investing. He arrived two hours early so they could get some work done. They kept Aura entertained with the TV but stayed close—sitting at the dining table with their laptops.

Naturally, two hours weren't enough to cover everything. So, for the next babysitting session, he arrived early again.

About a month later, they met for the first time outside Rain's apartment without it involving Jude babysitting Aura. They met at a café near Jude's school, ordered coffee and dessert, and Rain taught him about investing. In fact, they ended up staying for nearly three hours, even though they discussed investing for less than two.

When they left the café, Jude spotted Luna. Naturally, he hadn't told his friends about his investments; he didn't want them to know in case it didn't work out, and he lost money. He also didn't want them to find out that a professional in the field was helping him with his seminar papers and assignments. On their latest submission, Jude had earned full marks, while Luna and Robin were glad just to have scored half.

He knew he was being selfish. But he also knew his friends—if he told them about Rain, they'd likely start annoying him too. Maybe then Rain would grow to dislike him. Maybe he wouldn't let him babysit Aura anymore.

So Jude spun on his heel. Rain stopped and looked at him in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, nowhere," he muttered, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see if Luna had already passed.

Rain turned and spotted her. "Avoiding a girl?" he teased.

Jude frowned at him but said nothing. Luna walked by on the other side of the street without noticing them—or so Jude thought. He said goodbye to Rain, who had to pick up Aura from preschool, while Jude headed back to school for class. When he arrived, Luna and Robin were already in their seats, with an empty one between them.

He greeted them and sat down. Luna was the first to speak. "Jude had a date today. And he didn't tell us anything about it."

His eyes widened. Robin clicked his tongue. "Who goes on a date in the morning?"

"It wasn't a date, for god's sake," Jude blurted out. "What are you talking about?" he asked, looking at Luna.

"The café down the street. Hot guy. And you, trying to hide from me. Who was it?"

Although Jude had vaguely described Rain to them once, he'd never shown them a picture. He didn't have one, and he wasn't sure if Rain even had social media. They only ever communicated via text or calls. Rain had called him once, which had surprised Jude, but it was just so Aura could say hi while they arranged the next babysitting session.

"Rain," he sighed tiredly. There was no point in lying.

"The Rain you babysit for? Why didn't you mention he's not, like, forty?!"

"What does he look like?" Robin asked.

Jude buried his face in his hands. "Oh my god, leave me alone," he groaned. "We were just working on something."

"What were you working on?" Luna asked.

"What does he look like?" Robin repeated.

Thankfully, their professor arrived, sparing Jude from further interrogation. Since it was a class, not a lecture, they couldn't just chat freely—every word would be overheard in the small room of twenty students.

Two days later, Jude went to babysit Aura again. The frequency of his babysitting had been increasing, but Jude never asked Rain what he was doing on those nights when he needed a sitter. That felt too personal.

Of course, he arrived early again. "This looks good," Rain said, reviewing Jude's trading progress. "At this rate, you might start turning down babysitting jobs because this will earn you just as much."

Rain had started paying him less than he initially did. Jude insisted on it, since Rain provided professional financial advice, and it certainly wasn't free for his other clients. Jude saw no reason why he should get that advice for free. And since Rain refused to take money directly, Jude would leave a few bills from what he earned babysitting Aura somewhere in Rain's apartment. Eventually, Rain handed him less directly. "You'd just leave it here anyway, right?" Jude smiled, pocketed the money, and headed home.

"Pf, even if I did turn down babysitting, Aura would never forgive me," he replied confidently.

Rain gave a small smile. "You're probably right."

Rain always left around six in the evening, usually returning around midnight or 1 AM. He would wake Jude, who had inevitably fallen asleep on the designer yet uncomfortable couch, and Jude would move to the guest room, which housed his favorite bed in the world—far more comfortable than his own bed at home.

Then, one night, nearly four months after Jude started babysitting, Rain came home drunk. Jude knew whatever Rain did on those nights out involved drinking, but he'd never returned drunk—always sober and in control.

Not tonight. This time, Jude was woken not by Rain himself but by the sound of him collapsing beside the couch. A pained sigh escaped him. Jude sat up and immediately noticed him.

"God," Jude muttered, instantly aware of what was happening. Rain remained on the floor, his head lolling back and forth.

Jude climbed out from under the blanket and helped Rain sit up against the couch. "What happened? Where were you?"

Rain tilted his head back and exhaled deeply, closing his eyes. Jude thought he looked awful. He also knew that Aura couldn't see him like this, so they had to make sure she stayed asleep.

"What's wrong?" Jude pressed. But Rain wasn't giving answers—until he raised a hand. In it was a tiny toothpick flag with the words Happy Birthday!—the kind stuck into cupcakes or muffins. He looked confused.

"Is it your birthday? Or were you at a party?"

Rain shook his head. Then a tear rolled down his cheek.

He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, hiding his face. Jude had no idea what to do.

Finally, Rain exhaled, "Caroline..."

And Jude understood. He knew who Caroline was. Rain had mentioned her once, in passing, during a conversation in a café when they weren't just discussing investing or babysitting but chatting casually. He'd explained briefly: "Aura's mom," before moving on without elaborating.

So Jude knew who she was but had no idea what had happened to her or why she wasn't in their lives. Had she left them? Did she not want Aura, leaving Rain alone? Did her absence still haunt him?

Jude hesitated. Maybe this was why Rain needed a sitter—perhaps Caroline had left them shortly before Jude entered their lives.

But he didn't want to jump to conclusions. He shook Rain gently to keep him awake. He had to get him to his bedroom; he couldn't let Aura wake up and see him like this.

Taking Rain's hand, he forced him out of his curled position. "You can't stay here," Jude whispered. Rain shook his head, unwilling to move. "If Aura wakes up and sees you like this..."

That did the trick. "Aura," Rain mumbled, struggling to his feet. Jude had to support him as he stumbled, worried Rain might head for Aura's room, but he turned towards the bedroom instead.

Jude had never been inside Rain's bedroom. The door was always closed, and Jude had deduced that he wasn't allowed in. But this time, he had no choice; otherwise, Rain would collapse right past the threshold. The bedroom looked like no one lived there—like a display in a furniture store, devoid of personal touches or warmth.

Ignoring that, Jude helped Rain into bed before returning to the kitchen for a glass of water. When he returned, something on Rain's dresser caught his eye: a handcrafted photo collage featuring a young brunette and the letters "R+C" in the corner.

It was his first time seeing Caroline. But what struck him was how different Rain looked in the photo—short hair, few tattoos. He looked like a completely different person. It had to be an old photo.

Jude turned to Rain—and nearly jumped when he saw Rain staring at him intently. Then Rain simply said, "Caroline is dead."

Jude swallowed hard. That was an explanation he hadn't considered. He'd assumed she'd just left them.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"She died in childbirth."

"And you got yourself drunk because..."

"Because today's her birthday. She would've been twenty-two."

Jude nodded slightly. "So you decided to drink alone? You thought that was a good idea?"

"Don't start. I know what I'm doing," Rain snapped.

"I'm not saying you don't. But look at yourself. You could've spent her birthday with Aura. Not alone."

That comment enraged Rain. "Don't tell me how I should spend her birthday!" he yelled. "You didn't know her. You don't know me. Or Aura. You know nothing, so don't act like you do!"

"Calm down," Jude replied evenly, hoping to de-escalate the situation.

But Rain's emotions were all over the place. "She was supposed to be here. I should've been celebrating with her. If it weren't for Aura, she'd still be here!"

Jude's jaw dropped. He felt a surge of anger. Part of him wanted to excuse Rain's words—he was drunk, after all—but another part was furious.

"You can't mean that," he said quietly.

"And where's the lie?" Rain shot back.

So Jude slapped him. Because, in his mind, Rain deserved it. "She's your daughter!" Jude shouted. "Pull yourself together!"

The slap seemed to bring Rain back to his senses. He looked stunned and muttered, "Jude—"

"Go to sleep," Jude cut him off sharply. "I don't want to hear another word from you. Ever." And with that, he left the room, returning to the uncomfortable couch rather than the guest room, just in case Aura woke up.

He didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

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we love lil drama (thats not gonna be so lil) (spoiler alert) (oops, too late)