“No, I might not be able to talk to you for another ten years,” Law said. “I’m going to say this while I can.”
“Fine,” Jude bit out.
“I’m not trying to make you angry,” Law said. “I know you loved Sam. He loved you too.”
“Yeah.”
“But things were getting difficult before what happened,” Law pointed out.
“That’s not true!”
“It is,” Law argued. “And you know it. The two of you were fighting all the time.”
“What are you saying? That we wouldn’t have worked out if Sam would have lived?” Jude dropped to the ground as his knees went weak. Just slid right down onto his ass. Those horrible thoughts that had plagued him for years.
“I’m not saying that.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No, because I couldn’t know that. Neither do you,” Law pointed out. “All you can think about is what could have been. I understand that. But that’s no way to live, man.”
Jude blew out a long breath.
“You will drive yourself crazy with what could have been,” Law told him. “Why not just think about what they two of you shared.”
“I didn’t call to talk about Sam.”
“You can’t really talk about Liam without discussing Sam though,” Law said. “Sam is what is holding you back.”
“I’m not—”
“You are,” Law corrected.
“It’s not like I can forget Sam or even want to,” Jude said.
“You don’t have to,” Law told him. “But you can’t keep living the way you have.”
“It’s not so bad.” Jude had his beach, the ocean, his routine.
“I miss you, man,” Law said. “We all do.”
He was lonely. “Maybe…maybe I could start answering the phone.”
“That would be a start,” Law replied, obviously unimpressed.
“I’m not ready,” Jude admitted. This was already a very big first step.
“I’ll be here when you are ready. We all will be.”
“Thanks, man,” Jude replied sincerely.
“I’ll call you more,” Law warned.
“Okay.”
“And Jude?”
“What?”
