Giselle
closer to her, Giselle walked along the sprawling lawn of West Bridge. Before passing out in his arms last night, Giselle listened to Jude's quiet mumblings about all the campus's hidden gems and shining stars.
In high school, college didn't inspire excitement in her compared to well-off classmates with their legacy admission status and lofty plans for their future careers. Yet, walking on West Bridge's campus changed her mind.
Giselle's arms crossed over her chest to the crinkle of the plastic "visitor" badge taped to the outside of Jude's coat. As she walked, she searched for Jude in the faces of strangers.
She should've agreed to let him wait outside the bathroom for her, but she didn't want him to be late for his class. Severely underestimating the sheer size of the campus was her mistake, but she had everything under control.
Spring bloomed on West Bridge's campus, defined by the sunshine and balmy April breeze racing past Giselle on the sidewalk.
Giselle wandered down the path from the campus bookstore, seeing students milling around outside the buildings on the lawn. She counted the flowers dotting the manicured hedges, beautifully coloring the world with their presence.
Life was so much better with flowers in it.
A few moments of aimless wandering down the path behind a few PJ-clad students, who looked like they had just woken up, brought Giselle to a cluster of buildings with brass lettering mounted above their doors. She read the signs until she noticed the one with 'Kelly.'
"That's the one!" Giselle exclaimed to herself. She tackled the stairs leading into the building, clenching fistfuls of her skirt as she dashed up and hit each step with a click of her kitten heel.
She smoothed over her coat and fluttered skirt as she ducked inside the building, squeezing past several students in the middle of a heated debate in the doorway. Her feet carried her past them before an apologetic smile could seep out of her.
Giselle wandered past every open door, peering her head inside to search the large lecture halls for Jude. She got through four doors before she poked her head through a door frame, immediately greeted by a gasp.
"Giselle!" Miriam and David waved to her, dropping their conversation with a well-dressed stranger as soon as Miriam spotted her. "You look absolutely darling today!"
"Thank you, Miriam. How have you two been?" Giselle bounded over, knowing she had found her way.
Miriam's arms pulled Giselle into a warm, motherly hug. For the occasion, she and David matched their clothes in a grayish blue; David wore it in the buttoned shirt tucked into his slacks while Miriam chose a pencil skirt tapered off at her knees in the shade. Sophistication radiated off them.
"Ah, we've been lovely, dear."
"Miriam keeps saying that Jude's been hogging your attention." David hummed, smiling hard.
"He has! I've been trying to get the two of them over for dinner, but our son finds every excuse to keep Giselle to himself," Miriam huffed.
Giselle stifled a laugh while the two exchanged quiet stares. "I'd love to come to dinner again, but on the condition that you allow me to bring dessert."
"Done," David interjected before Miriam reminded her that guests didn't lift a finger in her home. "Dessert would be lovely."
Miriam relinquished Giselle to David, who gave her an equally warm but shorter hug than his wife. She clasped Giselle's shoulder with a gentle, guiding hand. "We have seats saved."
"Oh, great! I wasn't sure how this works." Giselle followed them down a few rows, closer to the podium. The rest of the rows had bodies in seats with a diverse range of spectators. She swore there were students, professors, and others with the tell-tale guest badge on their chests.
Miriam and David sandwiched her as they crossed their row, finding their seats on the right side. Their spots had an unobstructed view of the podium beside the front two rows of student speakers.
Giselle squinted toward the heads until she spotted the fluffy, dark hair she knew. While seated, Jude blended into the crowd. But when he turned in his chair, his profile glowed with a backlit halo from the overhead lights.
Had she ever known someone as beautiful as her boyfriend?
While his classmates moved around and shook with laughter—visible even from her distance—Jude lingered in the silence. He listened, nodding his head before he dropped his gaze to pick at the arm of his chair. Although he sat in silence, his nerves screamed for help.
Giselle scooted up in her chair, hands tucked under her knees, but her eyes followed the sullen change of Jude's posture. However, as if he sensed her gaze on him, Jude's face turned and found her among the spectators.
Jude met her eyes, and a surprised smile stretched across his face. Giselle knew she did the same, waving to him.
"Good luck," she mouthed to him. "Love you."
"Love you more," Jude mouthed back. The small action of reaching out tethered her to him, and the rush of adrenaline likely rushing through his veins appeared in hers. He would be amazing up there, no matter how nervous public speaking made him.
Giselle slumped back into her chair, still focused on Jude, when the temperature around her dropped. Like a bad omen, familiar laughter echoed from behind her, and every nerve in Giselle's body froze in place.
Without checking, she knew each of those laughs and the faces they belonged to. James and the old friend group.
While she made peace with her parents, James and the others inspired an untapped, raw streak of anger. After what she learned, forgiving James became an impossible ask.
He deserved nothing but bad things.
Giselle sank further into the foam cushions, burdened with the heavy feeling rapidly mounting on her shoulders. She knew she'd been spotted upon the faint burn of stares boring holes into the back of her head.
In a moment of bravery, Giselle glanced over her shoulder to the chorus of scowls. The faces of her former 'friends' and James found her. But their judgment meant so little.
Giselle glared back twice as hard; she spent too long bending over backward to gain their approval as a person when she alone should've been enough. If she still considered them friends, maybe she'd feel more guilty about how their acquaintanceship ended.
Their faces rippled, and some, like Valentina and Jayden, grasped onto anger like a lifeline while others averted their gaze. Instead, they deferred to their de facto leader, who stared at Giselle with his face so pale that it looked like he spotted a ghost.
She hoped her face would haunt him forever.
Giselle scooted around in her chair, trying to find comfort while the others shuffled into their seats. James slinked past, and Giselle kept him in her peripheral, trying to focus on Jude only. Her boyfriend still hadn't shaken the nerves, and it showed.
Before she knew it, Giselle bounded out of her chair, carefully sliding past people on the other side of her for the aisle. She raced down the ramp until she reached Jude and his classmates.
She plopped down in the unoccupied seat next to him and grasped his hands in hers, causing Jude to jump in his chair. His eyes widened for a split second before realizing who grabbed him. "Giselle, is everything alright?"
"Yes," Giselle squeezed his hands tight until the slight trembling of his fingers stopped, drawing out the nervous energy. "Saying good luck isn't enough, you know?"
"Oh, and I assume you've got an alternative suggestion?"
"Absolutely, I do."
"I'm all ears," Jude remarked, but his startled 'mmph' drowned out when Giselle shut him up with her mouth. Jude's hands didn't hesitate to wrap around her waist and pull her closer, forgetting all about the arms of their chairs. The chair dug into her hips while Giselle leaned over, but Jude's lips waved away the discomfort.
Giselle's fingers traced up Jude's jawline slowly, feeling the flex of his jaw as her fingers grazed over the sensitive skin. He had a ticklish spot around there, which she accidentally nicked once or twice during sex.
She laughed, breaking the kiss. Jude's eyes didn't open as he leaned forward, trying to catch her mouth with his. She shook her head, finger pressed against Jude's lips in jest. "There's your incentive to rock that speech."
"Is that a preview for later?" Jude mumbled, kissing the side of her finger without breaking their eye contact. Giselle shivered under his gaze, struck by darkened irises raking over her.
"Maybe. You'll have to get through your final successfully to find out."
"Ever consider becoming a motivational speaker? You've got me ready to volunteer."
"In another life, maybe. Let's focus on you becoming the greatest speaker this class has ever seen. Anyways, I love you, and you've got this. Your parents and I are cheering for you in the back."
Giselle snuck out of her chair before Jude convinced her to stay, speed walking back to her seat. She reached halfway up the ramp before she nearly collided with someone.
"Giselle. Hey," Dakota remarked, sporting a shocking lack of malice considering all the collective glares Giselle earned. Sensibly dressed in a designer suit, Dakota didn't look unlike any of the speakers lined up for their performance in the front rows.
"Dakota. It's been a while," said Giselle. Five words crossed the distance between her and the girl she once called 'best friend.' But had the distance ever been her fault when she remained the only one who called, texted, or tried to stay in touch?
"Yeah, it has. How've you been?"
"Great."
"Well, you look great. . . you're glowing and smiling a lot, which is saying something."
"Thanks. Hope you've been well, too."
"I've been. . . decent."
Awkwardness jolted off every word, thrumming with discomfort because Dakota refused to meet Giselle's eyes. She was probably there to support James.
Giselle wrang her hands together, unable to fill the silence with something more meaningful than idle chatter. Small talk never seemed Dakota's style, but what did she gain by coming over? Everyone turned their back on Giselle long before she and Jude got together.
She played with her fingers. "Is there something I can do for you? I don't think the others will be thrilled to see us talking—I'm public enemy number one to Team James."
James cheated on her, and SOMEHOW, she still led the "losing" team.
"Right. That." Dakota rocked on her heels as awkwardly as Giselle imagined she looked at that moment. "Look, forget them. I'm here to apologize for the things I've done."
A pause followed. Dakota stared at her, eyes expectantly waiting for a response, but Giselle couldn't find one. Dakota owed her an apology, yet the thought of one hardly sounded ideal for where they stood.
Closure, however, won out in the end.
"Oh. I won't stop you." Giselle swallowed, picking her words as carefully as she plucked ripe flowers from her garden. But Dakota sighed.
"Look, I wasn't a good friend to you. You and I used to be really close when we were in high school, but I think I realized our whole exchange felt more one-sided. That, and everything with James, broke whatever was left of our relationship. So, I'm sorry for all of that," Dakota said, yet the words sounded rehearsed like a typed-out apology read from a notes app.
And in that moment, Giselle knew better. People like James and Dakota never changed for anyone but themselves. What a waste of words.
Giselle nodded. "I hope this brings you closure so we can go our separate ways. That’s the best outcome for everyone involved."
"Fair enough. Closure is good."
"Good. I wish you well."
"Same here. For you and Jude. The others might not agree, but you two work well together. Better than you and James."
"I'm sure Valentina would be thrilled to hear that. Besides, I agree with you there. Falling in love with Jude was unexpected, but I wouldn't change a thing. He's my better half."
Giselle trailed off when Dakota asked, "What do you mean by that? Unexpected?"
"We didn't intend to fall in love when we reconnected. I didn't think I'd find someone so soon after James, but he understands me. He doesn't make me change to fit his world. He meets me in mine. I've never questioned if he cares for me, and I never will because he shows it, says it, and most importantly, lives it."
Dakota's mouth dropped open, but a hush blanketed the room, and Giselle's heart leaped into her throat. Showtime!
She and Dakota wordlessly pivoted away from one another. Giselle scurried over and slid into her chair as a woman in a suit climbed onto the raised dais with the podium in the front.
"Welcome everyone to the student presentations of my upperclassman seminar class. I'm Dr. Leandra Miranda-Silva, and I teach Policy and Political Bargaining to junior and senior students within the political science department," she announced. Giselle sat taller as if her performance as an audience member might help Jude's presentation. "Today, you'll hear students speak on a policy topic of their choice. They spent two semesters perfecting their presentations in paper format. Their performances will be graded by the panel of Professors I assembled. Please give Dr. Sinclair, Dr. Holmes-Bradford, and Dr. Stevens a round of applause."
Applause echoed around the room, thunderous from the start, as two men and a woman waved from their front rows, holding score sheets into the air.
Dr. Miranda-Silva wore an unreadable expression as she centered the podium and shook a jar with wooden sticks in her hand. "Please save your applause until the end of each student's speech, and no recordings are allowed. With the ground rules laid, our first speaker is. . . Jude Beauregard."
Giselle gasped, hands clapping over her mouth, and caught the understanding eyes of David and Miriam. Several rows ahead, Jude rose from his chair with a stiff posture and his laptop in his hands.
Giselle watched his every move while he set up his space, not shaking where she could see. His eyes wandered into the audience and found hers in an instant. She leaned forward, holding his gaze.
"Eyes on me. Come on, love. You've got this," Giselle whispered under her breath before Jude cleared his throat loud enough for the whole room to hear.
"Good morning. My name is Jude Beauregard, and today I'm presenting on the case against capital punishment, better known as the death penalty," Jude remarked, and the air crackled until one of the grading professors waved their hand in the air. Begin.
". . . Let's hear a round of applause for all our student speakers once again." Dr. Miranda-Silva's words brought the room to polite applause. Almost half-asleep in her chair, Giselle perked up, clapping with the audience.
When Jude stood on stage, Giselle swore time flew by from how she hung onto his every word. She knew Jude had passion for his studies, but her shy, quiet boyfriend shed his introversion to shine. Every word exuded confidence; he answered questions with a charming smile that had her squirming in her chair.
Behind that podium, Jude carried himself with the confidence befitting a presidential candidate; his performance snatched her breath out of her lungs. Giselle didn't remember exhaling until he stepped off the stage.
Compared to him, the rest of the performances dredged on for ages. Many of them brought compelling topics to the table, but Giselle couldn't focus on a single word said. She remembered pieces from Billie and Grace's speeches and that she almost fell asleep during James' speech on raising the voting age until he began bickering with Dr. Sinclair.
Dr. Miranda-Silva clasped her hands. "Students, thank you for applying yourselves. You're free to mingle with your guests or other faculty. I will come around and individually deliver your score sheet. You're free to go."
No sooner than she gave the go-ahead, Jude was out of his chair and striding toward the ramp. Giselle's pulse raced at the sight of him, scrambling out of her chair. They met in the middle, and Giselle crashed into his arms, tackling him as if she were a Division I football prospect.
Jude laughed breathlessly when his arms curled around her. "I don't want to do that again for another year. Can I smuggle you into my thesis defense? I think you're my lucky charm."
"I didn't do a thing." Giselle cupped his face between her hands, bringing him close enough for her lips to graze down his nose. "You're a star. All by yourself."
Giselle could've continued praising her boyfriend until he became the man she saw on that stage every day. However, Miriam and David, waiting politely off to the side, caught her attention. Giselle tipped his face toward them. "Your parents want a turn with you."
"I'll be back," Jude promised, whispering a kiss against her forehead before he dove into his parents' embrace. Giselle's smile started big but widened when Miriam opened her arms.
"Giselle, get in here! You're family!"
"Coming!"
Giselle slid into the opening; Jude's arms pulled her closer while his parents took turns with him. Warmth eclipsed all eyes, closing her off from the room of spectators and the hot lights above the dais. She sank in, drifting away from the world on Jude's cologne and his stifling touch.
She liked being part of a family. . . as long as it was his family.
A soft cough of a throat being cleared reached Giselle through the cluster of bodies surrounding hers. Her eyes cracked open, and she saw none other than Dr. Miranda-Silva standing outside their group hug. A paper tucked between her fingers hung limply.
"Pardon me for interrupting the well-deserved hug," she hummed, sporting the ghost of a smile. Giselle felt Jude slip from the embrace, but his hand reached back to take hers, pulling her to his side.
"No worries, Professor. Thank you for such a great year."
"Of course. I know you're eager to see your score, but introduce me to everyone?"
"Yes. So, these are my parents, Miriam and David, and my girlfriend, Giselle." Jude gestured to everyone at their name. Giselle jumped under Dr. Miranda-Silva's attention, but her smile blossomed.
"I've heard so much about you. Lovely to meet you all," Dr. Miranda-Silva remarked, shaking their hands in the previous order. She handed Jude's feedback to him. Giselle watched Jude check the score and slap the paper shut instantly but catching the glimmer in his eyes stoked hope. He nailed it.
"It was a pleasure to witness how you make such engaging scholars, Dr. Silva. Genuinely, our son has never been so enthusiastic about a class where speaking is required," said David.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that because I've come to speak with him about something important."
"Professor?"
"I read your email for your thesis proposal and your request for me to be your faculty advisor. In fact, Professor Mendola and I read your proposal over lunch since your paper crosses disciplines. He expressed his interest in you, but your performance today convinced me. I want to be your faculty advisor for next year. Are you still interested?"
Jude's jaw dropped. So Giselle, like a good girlfriend, pushed his mouth closed and said, "I speak fluent Jude, and that's a yes."
Jude blinked through the daze, rushing to shake Dr. Miranda-Silva's hand. "Yeah, it is." Although borderline speechless, Jude's sparkling eyes and the smile accompanying them lit up Giselle's world. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"
Whenever Jude smiled, the sun emerged from behind dark clouds, filling the air with its power. He simply existed beyond what words could portray; not even the poets could write something to encapsulate him so perfectly.
"I look forward to next year, then. I'll be in touch." Dr. Miranda-Silva strode off to the next student, leaving Jude to sweep Giselle off her feet.
She squealed, "Jude!"
"We're so celebrating!" Jude gasped against her ear, so breathless but happy. "You, my parents, and I will have the best time out."
"We so are. But that's because you've done something amazing, Jude. You're amazing."
Miriam leaned over, squeezing Jude's shoulder. "Your father and I are so proud of you. You two go ahead, and we'll meet you at the restaurant."
"Alright. We'll see you there," Jude said as he strode away with Giselle still tangled up in his arms.
"Put me down! My legs aren't broken!" Giselle squirmed, feeling eyes on them. One thing about Jude: he never hid her from the world, letting her wilt in the darkness from her loneliness. With him, the world knew about them.
The two burst out into the hallway, taking a detour to the right instead of the left. Giselle followed Jude in a daze and ended up with her back pressed into a wall adjacent to several classrooms.
Jude's hands boxed her in, but his eyes raked her over in slow appreciation. "Beautiful dress, but even more beautiful girl. . . how'd I get so lucky?"
"Mmm, maybe you'll get even luckier," Giselle murmured, and Jude didn't think twice. Their lips met in the middle, spiced by the adrenaline buzz. Everything was turning out perfectly according to plan.
A pointed cough from behind them interjected their secret moment, needling with an almost accusatory edge. Almost perfect.
But then, the voice spoke, causing a chill to rush over Giselle's body like the clouds burying the sun. "You two almost had me fooled. . ."