responsibilities

There's all these secrets I can't keep
Like in my heart there's a hotel suite

It's a good sign that she's ready to rise from the floor in his eyes, because it means she has a clearer head, one that can actually recognize the discomfort of their current seating arrangement instead of desperately reaching for every drop and crumb of comfort his arms provide.

He's not old enough to creak or groan which is a good thing in many ways, but most importantly it means she doesn't have to feel guilty for having kept him on the floor. Rising and keeping as much of her in hand and close by as he can, Jude lets her decide where she wants to be and merely follows in her wake. It's a common pose of theirs, so he lays his hands on her knees and gently begins to stroke up and down her calf, more absentminded than intentional.

"I have no schedule compared to you, so you don't have to come even on the weekends unless you want to see dad." Which she very well might, Jude knows she and Harper have their own bond completely unrelated to him. "But...maybe I should just move here?" It's a big suggestion, and it's clear with how quietly and tentatively he offers the idea even when he supplies his reasoning mere seconds later. "I don't know if maman and dad are going to get back together, and I don't think me being in the house will be helpful one way or the other. Dad would be sad but he already sees me less with all the traveling." The only issue Jude can see is - "But if I take the apprenticeship with Talyson I might be away a lot anyway...?" So then maybe he shouldn't move?

And you lived there so long
It's kinda strange, now you're gone

Jude