Handsome CEO PRETENDS To Be A Poor Bus Conductor To Find True Love – Ty

Once upon a time, there was a man named Julian Sterling. Everyone who knew him just called him Jude. If you looked at Jude, you would think he was the luckiest person in the whole world. He was 29 years old. He was very tall and his shoulders were huge, like a football player who pushed heavy weights all day.

But Jude did not play football. He built things on computers. He made a special fitness program for phones that helped people get strong. Millions of people bought his program. Because of this, Jude had more money than you could ever try to count. He was a billionaire. He lived in a giant house in the sky.

His house was the very top floor of the tallest, shiniest building in the big city of Chicago. But even with all his money and his big muscles, Jude was very unhappy inside. His heart felt cold and heavy all the time. He believed that nobody in the world actually cared about him.

He thought people only smiled at him because they wanted to reach into his pockets and take his gold. He believed true love was a silly fairy tale made up to trick children. To Jude, the real world was just a place where people traded money for feelings. Tonight, Jude was throwing a massive party in his giant house in the sky. The walls of his living room were made entirely of clear glass.

You could look out and see all the tiny lights of the city far below, looking like scattered diamonds. Inside the room, there were hundreds of people. The women wore shiny, beautiful dresses that cost more than most people pay for a car. The men wore sharp black suits and drank fancy juice from tall, thin glasses.

There was loud music playing, but it did not sound happy. It just sounded like noise. Jude stood alone in the corner of the giant room. He did not smile. He crossed his huge arms over his chest. He watched all the people laughing and talking. He watched the way they looked at his expensive paintings on the walls. He watched the way they looked at the expensive food on the tables.

He thought they all looked like hungry wolves wearing nice clothes. His girlfriend, a woman named Victoria, was standing on the other side of the room. Victoria was very beautiful. She had long, straight black hair that shined under the lights. She wore a bright red dress that swept across the floor when she walked.

Jude used to think he loved Victoria. He used to think her smile was real. He had bought her beautiful rings and taken her on big airplanes to islands where the sand was white and the water was clear blue. But tonight he was going to learn a very hard lesson. Jude decided he wanted to talk to Victoria.

He wanted to tell her he was tired and wanted all these loud people to leave their house. He started walking across the shiny floor. But as he got closer to her, he noticed she was not talking to her friends. She was hiding near a tall green plant in the corner. She was talking in a very quiet voice to a man wearing a gray suit. Jude knew that man.

That man was a lawyer. Lawyers are people who help you make rules about money and sign important papers. Jude felt a strange cold feeling in his stomach. Why was his girlfriend whispering to a money lawyer at a party? Jude stopped walking. He stood behind a wide stone pillar where they could not see him.

He held his breath and listened carefully. Are you sure the papers are ready? Victoria asked. Her voice sounded sharp and nervous. It did not sound sweet like it usually did when she spoke to Jude. Yes. The man in the gray suit said. The papers are perfectly safe. I hid the extra rules on the very last page.

When you marry him, he will just sign it because he trusts you. He will not read the bottom of the page. And if we get a divorce later, Victoria asked. Her voice was shaking a little bit, but she sounded excited. How much will I get? You will get half of everything. The lawyer said, “You will get half of his fitness company.

You will get half of this giant house. You will get millions and millions of dollars. Even if you only stay married to him for one year, you will never have to work again. You will be richer than a queen.” Victoria laughed. It was a cold, cruel laugh. It sounded like glass breaking. “Excellent,” she said. “I am so tired of pretending to care about his boring computer programs.

I just need him to put a ring on my finger, sign the paper, and then I am free. Behind the stone pillar, Jude closed his eyes. His hands turned into tight, hard fists. His fingernails dug deeply into his own skin. He felt like someone had kicked him right in the chest. It was hard to breathe. The cold feeling in his stomach turned into a burning fire.

He was not sad. He was furious. Every bad thing he had ever believed about people was completely true. She did not love him. She only loved his bank account. Jude stepped out from behind the pillar. He did not shout. He did not run. He walked very slowly toward Victoria and the lawyer. His face looked like it was carved out of hard rock.

Victoria turned around and saw him. She gasped loudly. She dropped her tall glass. It hit the shiny floor and smashed into a 100 pieces. The fancy juice spilled everywhere. The loud music seemed to fade away. People nearby stopped talking and turned to look at them. “Hello, Victoria,” Jude said. His voice was deep and very quiet.

“It was so quiet that it was scary.” “Jude,” she said. Her face turned completely white. Her hands started shaking. “I did not see you there. We were just talking about a surprise.” “A surprise,” Jude repeated. He looked at the lawyer. The lawyer was sweating. The lawyer took a step backward, trying to run away. Jude looked back at Victoria.

Is the surprise that you are going to steal half of my company or is the surprise that you think I am stupid? Victoria opened her mouth, but no words came out. She looked around the room. More and more people were stopping their conversations to watch them. The whole giant room was becoming perfectly silent. I heard everything, Jude said.

He took one step closer to her. He was so tall that he cast a dark shadow over her. I heard you talking about the papers. I heard you talking about the divorce. I heard you say you are tired of pretending to care about me. Victoria started to cry, but Jude could see there were no real tears in her eyes. She was just acting.

Jude, please, she said. Her voice was high and whiny. You do not understand. My family told me I needed to be safe. It is just for safety. I love you so much. Please do not be mad. Do not lie to me,” Jude said, raising his voice just a little bit. The sound echoed off the glass walls. “I gave you everything.

I bought you the clothes you are wearing right now. I bought the shiny car you drive. I let you live in my home, and you stand in my house, drinking my juice, plotting to rob me.” Some people in the crowd gasped. Someone in the back pulled out a glowing phone to record a video. Jude pointed a long, angry finger at the person with the phone.

Put that away right now, Jude ordered. The person quickly hid the phone. Jude turned back to Victoria. We are done, Jude said. The burning fire in his chest was getting hotter. I want you out of my house. I want you out of my life. I never want to see your face again. But where will I go? Victoria cried, wiping her dry eyes.

I live here with you. That is not my problem anymore. Jude said, you can go sleep in the lawyer’s house. You have exactly 5 minutes to pack your expensive bags and get out of my sight. If you are not gone in 5 minutes, I will have the security guards throw you onto the street. Victoria opened her mouth to argue, but she looked at Jude’s eyes and stopped. His eyes were dark and empty.

She turned around and ran down the long hallway toward the bedrooms. The lawyer quickly ran toward the front door and disappeared into the elevator. Jude turned to look at the huge crowd of silent, staring people. The party is over. Jude told them, “Go home. Take your shiny dresses and your fake smiles and get out of my house.

” Nobody argued with him. Hundreds of people slowly walked toward the elevators. They whispered to each other. They looked at Jude like he was a dangerous animal. It took a very long time for everyone to leave. Jude just stood there listening to the clicking sound of their shoes on his floor. Finally, the giant room was completely empty.

The only sound was the low humming of the refrigerator in the kitchen. The floor was covered in spilled juice and dirty napkins. Jude walked over to the giant glass wall and looked out at the city. He felt completely empty inside. A door opened behind him. It was Marcus. Marcus was Jude’s best friend in the whole world. Marcus also helped Jude run the giant fitness company.

Marcus was the only person Jude actually trusted. Marcus did not care about money. Marcus just cared about doing a good job and being a good friend. Marcus walked over to a table and poured two glasses of plain water. He walked over to the window and handed one glass to Jude. Jude took it but did not drink it.

That was very ugly out there, Marcus said quietly. He stood next to Jude looking out at the city lights. I told you, Jude said. His voice sounded tired and broken. I told you a hundred times, Marcus. They only want my money. Every single one of them. You picked the wrong girl, Jude. Marcus said. He took a sip of his water. Victoria was always greedy.

I never liked her. But that does not mean every girl in the world is bad. Name one girl who would look at me if I drove a broken car and wore dirty clothes, Jude said. He squeezed the water glass in his giant hand. My sister, Marcus said quickly. My mother, my wife. There are millions of good people in this city, Jude.

You just do not look for them. You only hang out with rich, greedy people. So, you only meet rich, greedy people. Your wife knew you when you were both young kids in school, Jude argued. That is totally different. I am already rich. It is too late for me. Anyone who meets me now only sees a giant walking bag of gold.

They do not see a human being. They see a bank. I will never find real love. It does not exist for men like me. Marcus sighed heavily. He put his water glass down on a table. You are feeling sorry for yourself, Marcus said. You are throwing a giant pity party. You have a terrible attitude. I do not have a terrible attitude, Jude snapped, turning to look at his friend. I am just smart.

I open my eyes and I see the truth. The world is a cold place. Money is the only thing that matters. Marcus rubbed his chin. He looked at Jude for a long time. The room was very quiet. Then Marcus smiled. It was a challenging smile. If you are so sure you are right, Marcus said. Let us make a test.

Let us make a giant bet. Jude frowned, his thick eyebrows pulled together. What kind of test? He asked. Marcus crossed his arms. You need to see the real world. Marcus said, “You have lived in this giant glass tower for too long. You have forgotten what real people do. Here is the bet. You must give me all your shiny black credit cards.

You must give me the keys to your expensive cars. You must move out of this giant house tonight.” Jude laughed, but it was not a happy laugh. “Are you crazy?” he asked. “Where am I going to live?” “On the street?” “No,” Marcus said. “I own a small old apartment building on the south side of the city. It is not fancy.

The heater makes a very loud banging noise all night. The water in the shower is freezing cold every morning. Your neighbors will be noisy. You will live in a tiny room there. What will I do all day? Jude asked. He was starting to get angry again. I have a giant company to run. I will run the company, Marcus said calmly. You will work a normal job.

I found a job for you already. You will wear a cheap uniform and you will punch paper tickets on a big red tourist bus. You will work outside in the cold wind. You will ride the bus all day long and help lost tourists find the museums. You will get paid very little money. You have to buy your own food with the tiny bit of money you make.

You must do this for 3 months. Jude stared at his best friend. He thought Marcus was playing a bad joke, but Marcus was not laughing. His face was very serious. A bus? Jude asked. His voice was full of shock. I own cars that drive themselves. I fly in private airplanes. I am not riding a bus. Not anymore, Marcus said.

For 3 months, you are just Jude. No fancy last name, no giant bank account, just a regular guy trying to pay rent. You are not allowed to tell anyone who you really are. And what happens if I do this crazy thing? Jude asked. What do I win? If you can find a girl who likes you when you are completely poor, Marcus said, “If you can find a girl who falls in love with regular broke Jude who rides the bus, then you win the bet.

I will admit you are right about everything. I will give up all my shares in our newest company project. But if you fail or if you quit and come back to your glass tower crying, you lose. If you lose, you have to admit you are wrong. You have to stop complaining about women forever.” Jude looked back out the window.

He looked at the endless miles of city lights below him. Down there were millions of people living normal, hard lives. He thought about Victoria and the cruel laugh she had. He thought about how badly he wanted to prove to the world that everyone was just as selfish as she was. He wanted to win this bet to show Marcus that the world was a dark, greedy place.

Jude turned away from the window. He reached into his fancy suit pocket. He pulled out his shiny black leather wallet. He took out every single plastic credit card he had. He grabbed the heavy shiny keys to his expensive cars. He walked over to Marcus and dropped all of it loudly onto the glass table. “You are on,” Jude said, staring right into his best friend’s eyes.

“I will take your silly bet. I will live in your cold apartment. I will ride your stupid red bus. And in 3 months, when I am still completely alone, you will owe me a lot of money.” Marcus picked up the shiny cards and the keys. He put them in his pocket. Good luck, broke guy. Marcus said, “You are going to need it. Pack a small bag.

Your new life starts tomorrow morning at 6:00 sharp. Do not be late for your bus.” Jude woke up because a terrible noise was hitting him right in the ears. Bang, bang, bang. He opened his eyes and stared at a dirty yellow ceiling. He was completely confused. He was not in his giant, quiet glass house in the sky. He was in a tiny, dark room.

The loud noise was coming from a rusty metal pipe in the very corner of the room. The pipe was supposed to bring warm air to the room, but it only brought noise. Jude sat up on the thin mattress. His back hurt in places it had never hurt before. The blanket covering him was very thin, and it smelled a little bit like old soup. He shivered.

The air in the tiny room was freezing cold. He looked at the cracked wall and hit it hard with his giant hand. Turn off that banging noise, Jude shouted at the metal pipe. From the other side of the thin wall, a woman shouted back at him. Shut your mouth in there, the woman yelled. Her voice was loud and scratchy.

Some people are trying to sleep. I am trying to sleep, too, Jude yelled back. But this metal pipe is hitting the wall like a giant hammer. Then put a pillow over your head, new boy. The woman screamed back through the wall. If you hit my wall one more time, I will come over there and kick your door down.

Jude stared at the wall in total shock. He was a billionaire. He was the big boss of a giant company. Usually, if someone yelled at him, he would just fire them and make them leave his building. But he could not fire his loud neighbor. He had no power here. He just took a deep breath and rubbed his cold face.

He walked into the tiny bathroom. The mirror on the wall was broken in the corner. He turned the handle for the shower. The water that sprayed out was freezing cold. There was no warm water at all. Jude stood under the freezing water for two long minutes. He shook and trembled from the cold. He used a tiny bar of cheap soap that felt like hard chalk on his skin.

This was his very first morning being a poor person, and he already hated every single second of it. He walked outside. He had to walk 10 blocks to the bus station. The wind blowing off the big lake was brutal. It cut right through his thin jacket like a sharp knife. When he finally got to the giant garage where the big red buses were parked, his teeth were chattering together.

He walked into a small, dirty office. A short man with very little hair and a messy shirt was sitting behind a metal desk. The man was eating a sticky donut and looking at some papers. This was Stan. Stan was the boss of the bus drivers and ticket conductors. “Who are you?” Stan asked. He did not look happy to see Jude. He chewed his donut very loudly.

“My name is Jude,” he said. “I am the new ticket conductor. Marcus sent me here to work.” Stan looked Jude up and down. He looked at Jude’s giant arms and his broad shoulders. “You look like a professional wrestler,” Stan said. “Do you even know how to punch a paper ticket, big guy? Your hands look too big for the little hole puncher.

” “I know how to do a lot of things,” Jude said slowly. He was trying very, very hard not to get angry. I am smart. I can learn how to do the job. Stan wiped sticky sugar off his mouth. We will see about that. Stan said, “Here are the rules for my buses. You stand by the door of the bus. You smile at the tourists. You look at their tickets.

You rip the ticket a little bit so they cannot use it twice. You do not sit down while you are working. You do not complain about the cold wind. And most importantly, you do not argue with the customers. If a customer screams at you, you just smile and say, “Thank you.” “Do you understand my rules?” “I understand,” Jude said.

“But what if the customer is wrong?” “The customer is never wrong on my buses,” Stan said sharply. “They pay us money to ride. You are just the guy who rips the paper. If you talk back to a customer, I will fire you before you can even blink your eyes. Now, here is your uniform. Go put it on.

” Stan threw a pile of bright red clothes onto the metal desk. Jude picked them up. The clothes felt terrible. They felt like they were made out of cheap plastic bags. They were stiff and scratchy. Jude walked into the bathroom and put them on. The pants were way too short. They stopped right above his ankles, showing his socks. The red jacket was way too tight across his huge chest.

The plastic buttons looked like they were going to pop right off the shirt. He felt totally silly. He felt like a giant angry red tomato. Jude walked back into the office. Stan started laughing loudly. You look completely ridiculous, Stan said, pointing at him. But you will have to wear it. Go to bus number four. Your shift today is 12 hours long.

For the next 3 days, Jude lived in a walking nightmare. He had to stand on the open top deck of the giant red double-decker bus. The bus drove in a big circle all around the city. It drove past tall buildings and big museums. The wind up on the top deck was terrible. It blew right into his face all day long. His hands turned bright red and hurt from the cold.

But the freezing cold wind was not the worst part. The worst part was the angry people. On the third day, the bus was running very late. The traffic in the city was terrible. A man with a big camera around his neck stomped up the metal stairs to the top deck. The man was very angry. His face was bright red.

He marched right up to Jude and poked Jude hard right in the chest with his finger. This bus is garbage. The angry man shouted. Little bits of spit from his mouth flew into the cold air. I have been waiting on the street corner for 45 minutes. My feet are freezing. Jude looked down at the finger pointing at his chest.

His brain told him to grab the angry man and throw him right off the bus. But he remembered Stan’s rule. He remembered the giant bet with his friend Marcus. He forced his mouth to make a big fake smile. “I am very sorry, sir,” Jude said quietly. “There was a big car crash on the bridge ahead. We could not move the bus.

“I do not care about a car crash,” the man yelled even louder. Other people on the bus started looking at them. “I paid $50 for a ticket to ride this bus.” “You are stealing my money. You are lazy and you are terrible at your job. Give me my money back right now. I do not have your money, sir,” Jude explained. His hands were squeezing into tight, hard fists behind his back.

“I just checked the paper tickets. If you want your money back, you have to talk to the office when we stop. You are completely useless,” the man screamed. “You are just a dumb bus boy.” Jude stopped smiling. The fire in his chest burned hot. “Nobody ever talked to him like this ever. If someone spoke to him like this in his beautiful glass tower, he would destroy their entire business with one simple phone call.

But right now, he had no power at all. He was just a guy wearing a cheap red coat. Please sit down in a seat, sir, Jude said. His voice was very low and very dangerous. The bus is moving now. It is not safe to stand. The angry man looked deeply into Jude’s dark eyes. The man saw how huge Jude’s shoulders were.

The man finally stopped yelling. He grumbled a bad word under his breath, turned around, and sat heavily in a plastic seat at the back of the bus. Jude turned around to face the wind again. He closed his eyes. He felt completely empty and defeated. He was tired. He was hungry and his pride was broken into tiny little pieces.

He could not do this anymore. It was just too hard. When the bus finally parked for a very short lunch break, Jude ran behind a hot dog cart on the street corner. He pulled a cheap plastic phone out of his pocket. Marcus had given him this cheap phone to use. He pressed the buttons and called Marcus. “Hello,” Marcus answered.

In the background, Jude could hear soft, happy music playing. He could hear the sound of someone pouring hot, fresh coffee. “It sounded like total heaven.” “I quit,” Jude said into the phone. His teeth were chattering loudly. “You cannot quit,” Marcus said. “It is only day three of the bet.

I am freezing to death, Marcus.” Jude yelled into the phone. My toes are turning purple inside my boots. My back hurts from the terrible bed in the apartment. A man just yelled at me and spit in my face because the bus was late in traffic. I had to stand there and let him yell at me. I hate this. I hate being poor. I am coming home to my tower right now.

Marcus chewed on something very crunchy. It sounded like expensive delicious toast. If you come home right now, you lose the bet, Marcus said calmly. You have to admit that you were wrong about women. You have to admit that you gave up when things got hard. I do not care about the bet anymore.

Jude shouted at the hot dog cart. I will just buy this stupid tourist bus company with my money and fire everyone. I will fire Stan. I will throw that angry tourist right into the cold lake. That is cheating. Marcus said you cannot use your money to solve this problem. That is the main rule. Are you really going to let a rude tourist and a cheap red coat defeat the great Julian Sterling? Are you really that weak? Jude gripped the cheap plastic phone tightly.

I am not weak, Jude growled. Then prove it, Marcus said. Stay on the bus, finish your first week, find a girl who likes you just for being you. Or you can come back to your glass tower and be a lonely, sad billionaire forever. It is your choice. Marcus hung up the phone. The line went completely dead.

Jude stared at the plastic phone in his big hand. He wanted to throw it onto the hard street and smash it into a million pieces. He wanted to walk into a fancy, warm restaurant, order a giant steak, and pay for it with his hidden emergency credit card. He wanted to go to sleep in a warm, soft bed. But he remembered exactly what Marcus said.

Are you really that weak? Jude was many things, but he was never weak. He never gave up on anything in his whole life. He built a giant company from absolutely nothing. He could survive a few more bus rides in the cold. He was going to win this giant bet. He was going to prove to Marcus that the world was greedy and terrible.

And then he was going to go back to his real rich life as a winner. Jude took a deep breath of the freezing city air. He rolled his stiff, sore shoulders. He looked down at his bright red pants that were way too short. He shook his head and laughed just a little bit. It was a completely crazy situation. He put the cheap phone back into his pocket.

He walked out from behind the hot dog cart. He marched straight back to the giant red double-decker bus. It was Saturday afternoon now. The city streets were getting much busier with people walking around. The sun was finally trying to peek out from behind the gray winter clouds. His next shift was about to start right now.

He walked up the metal steps of the bus, ready to punch more paper tickets, ready to face more angry tourists, and absolutely determined to never give up the fight. Jude stood next to the open doors of the giant red bus. The bus was parked at the busiest street corner in the middle of downtown Chicago.

There were hundreds of people walking fast on the sidewalks. They were carrying bags and drinking hot coffee from paper cups. The cold winter wind was blowing very hard, pushing the thick gray clouds across the sky. Jude was wearing his terrible red jacket and the pants that were way too short. But he was not complaining anymore.

He had made a firm promise to himself. He was going to stay on this bus and win the giant bet against his best friend Marcus. He was going to prove that true unselfish love did not exist. He crossed his huge arms and looked at the line of freezing tourists waiting to get on his bus. Suddenly, a huge noise came from the sidewalk.

Someone was running very fast toward the bus, yelling loudly. It was a young woman. She was carrying so many things that she looked like a walking mountain of heavy junk. In her right hand, she dragged a massive black rectangular case. It was a case for a piano keyboard, and it looked heavier than a giant bag of rocks. The hard plastic edges of the black case were all scratched and broken.

Hanging off her left shoulder was a giant brown tote bag. The bag was completely open at the top and hundreds of loose white papers were sticking out. She was running in big heavy boots and the papers were flapping wildly in the strong wind. “Wait! Please hold the bus!” the woman shouted. Her voice was bright and loud, ringing clearly, even over the noise of the busy street traffic.

“Please do not close the doors. I have to get to my job.” Jude looked over his shoulder at the bus driver. The driver was an older man who looked very angry and very tired. The driver put his heavy hand on the metal lever to close the doors. The driver did not want to wait for anyone who was running late.

“Wait,” Jude told the driver sharply. “Do not close the doors yet. Let her get on.” The driver grumbled a bad word under his breath, but pulled his hand off the lever. The woman reached the bottom of the bus steps. She was breathing very hard, puffing small clouds of white air into the cold. Her cheeks were bright pink from running in the freezing wind.

She had beautiful warm brown skin and big expressive eyes that looked like smooth brown glass. She wore a thick green coat that looked very old but very warm. She grabbed the handle of the giant black keyboard case with both hands, tried to lift it up the steep metal steps, but the case caught hard on the sharp edge of the door.

Oh no, she said, pulling backward on the handle. Come on, you stupid heavy box. Move up. She pulled way too hard. The sudden jerk made the giant brown bag on her shoulder slip down her arm. The bag turned completely upside down. It was a total disaster. Dozens and dozens of white papers spilled out everywhere. They went flying into the air like a flock of crazy white birds.

At the same exact time, she reached into her deep coat pocket to get her bus money. Her hands slipped on the fabric and a huge handful of silver coins fell out of her pocket. The coins hit the metal floor of the bus. Clink, clank, ping. The coins rolled everywhere. They rolled under the plastic seats. They rolled under Jude’s heavy black boots.

“Oh my goodness,” the woman cried out in total panic. She dropped to her knees on the dirty metal floor. “I am so sorry. This is a complete mess. I am always making a huge mess everywhere I go.” Jude stood perfectly still for one second. His brain was telling him to remember the rules his boss Stan had given him. Stan told him to just punch the paper tickets and never ever help anyone with their bags.

Stan said helping people took too much time. But Jude could not just stand there like a statue and watch this woman panic on the floor. He dropped his metal ticket puncher into his pocket. He bent down on his knees right next to her. He was so big and wide that his body blocked the cold wind from hitting her face. “Do not move,” Jude said.

His voice was deep and very calm. “I will get the papers. You get the money. If you try to catch the papers, your coat will just blow them away more.” The woman stopped moving immediately. She looked up at him. She was very close to his face. He could smell her perfume over the smell of the city exhaust. It smelled like warm sugar and fresh vanilla.

she looked at his serious face and then she looked at his giant shoulders pushing tightly against the cheap red jacket. “Okay,” she said softly, letting out a long breath. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You are a total lifesaver.” Jude reached out with his big hands. He grabbed the papers that were blowing around the dirty stairs.

He gathered them together into a neat flat pile. He noticed the papers were completely covered in musical notes. There were black lines and tiny dots everywhere. Some of the papers had little cartoon animals drawn on the corners. Other papers had very complicated jazz music written on them with big bold letters. “Here are your papers,” Jude said, handing the thick pile back to her.

She took the papers and quickly pushed them deep inside her giant brown bag. Then she crawled a little bit on the floor, picking up her shiny silver coins. Jude helped her find the last few pieces. He reached his long muscular arm far under a plastic seat and pulled out three shiny quarters. He held them out to her flat in his palm.

She placed her soft hand right on top of his giant cold hand to take the quarters. Her hand was incredibly warm. Jude felt a strange tiny shock run straight up his arm when her skin touched his. He pulled his hand back very quickly, feeling totally confused by the strange feeling. “I am Chloe,” the woman said.

She stood up and wiped the dark dust off her green coat. She was smiling a very big, beautiful smile. Her smile was so bright and real that it made the whole dark, freezing bus feel a little bit warmer. “I am Jude,” he said. He stood up, too. He was much taller than she was. He had to look down to see her face. “Well, Jude,” Chloe said.

She dumped her huge handful of silver coins into the metal payment box next to the grumpy driver. I am very sorry for dropping my entire life onto the floor of your nice bus. Today is just a crazy wild day. Actually, every single day is a crazy day for me if I am being totally honest.

Why are you carrying a giant piano onto a slow tourist bus? Jude asked, his dark eyebrows pulled together in confusion. People only ride this big red bus to go look at the museums and the tall buildings. This bus stops every 5 minutes. If you are in a big hurry to get to your job, you should ride the fast city bus or you should call a taxi car to drive you.

Chloe laughed out loud. Her laugh was a beautiful rich sound. It sounded exactly like a happy song. A taxi car? She asked, shaking her head so her hair bounced. Jude, taxi cars cost $20 just to sit down in the back seat. I am a music teacher. I teach little kids how to sing their ABCs all day long.

Then at nighttime, I sing old jazz songs in a dark club to try to pay my giant school bills. I do not have an extra $20 for a fast taxi car. Jude looked down at her battered black keyboard case. But why this tourist bus? He asked again, still not understanding. It stops at every single fancy hotel in the city. It takes forever to get anywhere because this exact red bus turns down the tiny narrow alley right behind the blue note,” Chloe explained, pointing a finger in the air.

“The blue note is the jazz club where I sing every Saturday night. If I take the regular fast city bus, I have to walk six long blocks carrying this giant heavy keyboard. If I take your slow red bus, I can get off right at the back door of the club. It saves my poor arms from falling completely off my body. Jude looked at the heavy case on the floor.

“Your keyboard looks very old,” he said, pointing at the deep scratches on the plastic. “It is ancient,” Chloe agreed happily. She patted the hard black plastic like it was a good pet dog. “It is older than I am. Sometimes the white keys stick together when I play fast. Sometimes it makes a weird buzzing noise if I plug it in wrong, but it is mine and it works most of the time.

I have to bring it with me everywhere because the piano sitting inside the club is completely broken and sounds terrible. The bus driver suddenly honked the loud screaming horn. Are you two going to stand there talking about broken pianos all day? The angry driver yelled from the front seat. Sit down so I can drive this giant boat before the light turns red.

Chloe grabbed the handle of the heavy black case again. She tried to pull it down the narrow aisle toward an empty seat, but the case was so wide and bulky that it kept bumping hard into the seats on both sides. “Stop,” Jude said firmly. He walked right over to her. “Let me carry that for you. It is way too big for the aisle.

You are going to break the seats.” “Oh, you do not have to do that,” Chloe said, stepping back. “You are the ticket conductor. You have your own job to do. My job is to make sure people do not fall over while the bus is moving,” Jude said. He reached down and grabbed the thick handle of the heavy black case.

He lifted it straight up into the air with one single hand. He did not even look like he was trying to lift anything heavy. To him, the giant keyboard felt as light as a soft feather. Chloe opened her big brown eyes very wide. She stared at his huge arm muscles popping tight against the cheap red fabric of his jacket.

“Wow,” she said softly, sounding very impressed. “You are incredibly strong. Do you lift heavy cars for fun on the weekends?” Jude felt his face get a little bit hot. He was absolutely not used to pretty girls looking at him like that when he was wearing cheap, ugly plastic clothes. He was used to girls looking at his fancy watches or his expensive sports cars.

I just work out,” he mumbled quietly. He carried the giant case easily down the aisle and slid it safely under a large double seat near the back of the downstairs section. Kloe followed him closely and sat down in the seat right next to where he put her keyboard case. She patted the empty plastic seat right beside her leg.

“Sit with me for a minute,” she offered with a bright smile. “I cannot sit down,” Jude told her, shaking his head. My boss Stan said if I sit down for even one minute, he will fire me immediately. I have to stand up by the door and rip the paper tickets for the tourists. Stan sounds like a terrible mean boss, Khloe said. She frowned and her whole face looked sad for him. That is a very cruel rule.

How can you stand up on a moving floor for 12 hours straight? Your feet must be screaming in pain by the time you go home. My feet are totally fine, Jude lied smoothly. Actually, his feet were hurting so badly that he wanted to chop them off and throw them in the trash. The cheap boots he bought were giving him terrible blisters, but he was absolutely not going to tell this pretty smiling girl that he was tired or in pain.

“Well, if you must stand up like a soldier, stand right here next to my seat,” Chloe said. She smiled up at him again, refusing to let him walk away. I want to talk to you. You helped me pick up my money and my papers. That makes us friends now. Jude leaned his broad back against a metal pole right next to her seat. He looked down at her.

Nobody had ever said they were his friend just because he picked up some dirty coins from a floor. Usually, people only wanted to be his friend because they wanted a highpaying job at his big company or they wanted him to buy them expensive dinners at fancy restaurants. Why do you look so grumpy, Jude?” Kloe asked him suddenly.

She tilted her head to the side and studied his face. “You have a very handsome face, but you frowned so hard that you look like an angry bear. Did someone steal your honey today?” Jude was totally shocked. Nobody ever talked to him like this. People in his giant glass tower were always deeply afraid of him.

They always agreed with every single word he said. They never called him an angry bear. I am not grumpy, Jude said. His voice sounded a little bit tight and defensive. I am just cold and this red uniform is very itchy on my neck. And I do not like dealing with angry tourists who yell at me all day long. I get it. Chloe nodded slowly.

Her big brown eyes looked very kind and understanding. Working a hard job for very little money is terrible. Believe me, I understand exactly how you feel. Sometimes I have to teach singing to little kids who just want to scream loudly and throw sticky juice boxes at my head. It is very tiring, but you cannot let the hard job steal your joy, Jude.

If you let the angry people make you grumpy inside your heart, then they win. Jude crossed his giant arms over his chest. Who wins? He asked. The bad days, Khloe answered simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The world is full of hard, heavy, unfair things. You have to look very closely to find the tiny pockets of good things to keep yourself going, like a hot cup of coffee or a really good song playing on the radio or a strong guy helping you carry your heavy piano onto a bus.

Jude stared down at her. He thought deeply about his giant empty glass house. He thought about Victoria and the greedy money lawyer whispering in the corner. He had everything in the whole world, every toy and every car. And he had absolutely no joy. This girl sitting in front of him had a broken piano and a heavy bag of papers, and she was smiling like she owned the entire city.

What do you do when you are not riding slow buses and carrying heavy things? Chloe asked him, breaking the silence. Jude froze. He had to remember his fake story. Marcus told him he needed to practice a good fake story so people would not figure out he was a secret billionaire. I used to be a fitness trainer.

Jude lied slowly, hoping he sounded normal. I helped people lift weights and exercise in a gym, but I lost my job recently. I am just trying to make some money to pay my rent right now. I am so sorry you lost your job, Chloe said. Her voice was full of real, honest caring. It was not fake. She really felt bad for him. But you will find something much better soon.

You are smart. You are strong. And you are kind to clumsy strangers who drop their coins. Good things will happen to you. I promise. Jude felt a strange tight feeling in his chest again. It was not the angry burning fire he felt when he caught Victoria lying to him. It was a completely different feeling. It felt warm.

It felt like someone had just wrapped a heavy soft blanket around his cold shoulders. The bus drove slowly down the busy street, stopping at red lights and letting more tourists on and off. For the next 20 minutes, Jude stayed right next to Khloe’s seat. He completely forgot about the freezing cold wind blowing through the doors. He forgot about his itchy red pants.

He forgot about the angry tourist who had yelled at him the day before. He just stood there and listened to Kloe talk. She told him all about her grandfather. She told him that her grandfather used to play the shiny brass trumpet in famous jazz bands a long time ago. She told him that she wanted to sing real jazz music to make her grandfather proud up in heaven.

But it is so incredibly hard to get a real music record made. Khloe sighed looking out the large bus window at the passing buildings. It costs thousands and thousands of dollars to rent a quiet music studio with good microphones. I save every single penny I make, but it feels like I will never have enough money.

Sometimes I just want to give up and only teach the alphabet to the sticky children forever. “Do not give up,” Jude said suddenly. The words flew out of his mouth fast before he could even stop them. “You seem very brave and stubborn. You will get your music record made.” Chloe looked up at him.

The afternoon sun was starting to set, glowing bright orange through the dirty bus windows. The soft light made her face look incredibly beautiful. “Thank you, Jude,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me. You are a very good listener. Most people just want to talk about themselves, but you actually listen.

” The bus turned sharply down a narrow street. The tall brick buildings blocked out the orange sun. The bus driver hit the heavy brakes, and the giant bus stopped right near a dark, empty alley. “This is my stop,” Khloe said. She stood up quickly and grabbed her giant brown bag of papers. Jude immediately bent down and pulled her heavy black keyboard case out from under the double seat.

He carried it to the open bus doors for her. The cold wind rushed inside again, but Jude did not even shiver. He stepped down onto the concrete sidewalk and placed the heavy case very gently on the ground. “I will see you later, Jude.” Khloe said. She stepped off the bus and grabbed the handle of her case. I work every Saturday night, so I will be on your slow red bus again next weekend.

Same time, same exact place. Jude looked down at her. He felt a sudden sharp feeling of panic that she was leaving. He wanted to keep talking to her. He wanted to hear her beautiful musical laugh again. “I will be here,” Jude said. He forced his face to stay serious, but his heart was beating very fast inside his chest.

Do not drop your money all over my floor next time. Chloe laughed her bright laugh again. No promises, angry bear, she called out loudly over the wind. She turned around and started dragging her heavy case down the dark alley toward the back door of the jazz club. Jude stood on the cold sidewalk and watched her walk away until she disappeared inside the old brick building.

Hey, the bus driver yelled from his seat. Are we driving this bus today or are we camping here all night? Get back on the bus, new boy. Jude turned around and walked up the steep metal steps. The doors hissed closed behind him with a loud noise. He walked back to his spot by the window. The bus started moving again.

The cold wind slapped him right in the face. His cheap red pants still felt too short. His feet still hurt terribly, but Jude absolutely did not care. For the very first time since he moved into the tiny, freezing apartment, he smiled. It was a real true happy smile. He looked out the clear window at the dark city streets.

He was not thinking about his big company or his billions of dollars. He was not thinking about his giant glass tower in the sky. He was only thinking about a girl with warm brown eyes, a bright smile, and a broken piano. Saturday could not come fast enough. A whole week passed by very slowly for Jude. Monday was boring and gray.

Tuesday was freezing cold. Wednesday and Thursday were full of loud traffic and angry people complaining about their tickets. But Jude did not care about the cold wind or the rude tourists anymore. He was only looking forward to Saturday. He counted the days and then he counted the hours and then he counted the minutes.

He wanted to see the girl with the heavy black piano and the warm brown eyes. Finally, Saturday afternoon arrived. The giant red bus stopped at the busy street corner right in the middle of downtown. Jude stood near the open doors in his tight red jacket. He looked up and down the crowded sidewalk. His heart was beating very fast inside his wide chest.

He was worried she might not come. He was worried she found a different way to get to her job. Then he saw her. Chloe was walking fast toward the bus. She was wearing her old green coat. She was dragging her heavy black keyboard case with one hand, but in her other hand, she was holding a greasy white paper bag.

She was not running late this time. She was smiling her big, beautiful smile. “Hello, angry bear,” Chloe said happily as she stepped onto the bus. She dropped her shiny silver coins into the metal box next to the bus driver. “I am not an angry bear,” Jude said, but he could not stop a small smile from growing on his face. He immediately reached down and took the heavy black case from her hand.

He carried it to the back of the bus and slid it safely under her favorite double seat. “Yes, you are,” Chloe laughed, following him down the narrow aisle. “You are big and grumpy, and you always look like you are going to growl at someone, but I brought something to make you smile today.

” She held up the greasy white paper bag. Delicious smells were coming out of it. It smelled like warm bread, salty meat, and sharp yellow mustard. Jude realized his stomach was completely empty. He had not eaten anything since early morning because his cheap apartment had no food in the little refrigerator. “What is inside the bag?” Jude asked, looking down at it.

“It is my lunch break,” Chloe explained, opening the top of the bag. “And it is your lunch break, too. I bought us two giant Chicago style hot dogs from the little rolling cart near my street. Do you have time to sit down and eat with me?” Jude looked over his shoulder. The bus was completely empty right now.

All the tourists had gotten off to go walk around a big museum. The grumpy bus driver was already stepping off the bus to go smoke a cigarette on the sidewalk. They had 20 minutes before the bus had to move again. Stan says, “I am never allowed to sit down.” Jude told her, crossing his arms, but Stan is not here right now. Let us go upstairs.

Jude led the way up the steep metal stairs to the open top deck of the giant red bus. The winter sun was shining brightly today, making the air feel a little bit warmer. They walked to the very front row of the top deck and sat down on the hard plastic seats. They had a perfect view of the tall city buildings and the busy streets far below them.

Chloe reached into the bag and pulled out two hot dogs wrapped in shiny silver foil. She handed one to Jude. He took it carefully. His hands were so huge that the hot dog looked very small in his fingers. He unwrapped the foil. The hot dog was covered in bright yellow mustard, chopped white onions, green relish, and a large green pickle.

There is no red ketchup, Jude noticed, turning the hot dog around in his hand. He was used to eating fancy steak and expensive fish in his giant glass tower. He had not eaten a simple hot dog from a street cart in many years. If you put red ketchup on a hot dog in this city, the police will come and arrest you,” Chloe said very seriously.

But her eyes were dancing with happy jokes. “You just have to trust me. Take a big bite. It is the best food in the entire world.” Jude took a big bite. The bread was soft and warm. The meat was perfectly salty. The pickle was crunchy. It was completely delicious. It tasted better than any expensive dinner he had ever eaten in his whole life.

He chewed slowly, looking at Chloe. She was eating her hot dog happily, humming a tiny little jazz song while she chewed. “Thank you for buying this for me,” Jude said quietly. He wiped his mouth with a cheap paper napkin. “You did not have to spend your money on me. You told me you are trying to save every single penny you have.

” Chloe stopped humming. She swallowed her food and looked down at her hands. “It is just two hot dogs, Jude,” she said softly. It cost $6. I can afford to buy my friend a nice lunch. You helped me last week when I was having a complete disaster. Buying you a hot dog is my way of saying thank you.

But you are saving money for a very important reason. Jude pushed back gently. He wanted to understand her life. He wanted to know everything about her. You are saving money to record your music and make your grandfather proud. Every dollar is important. Chloe sighed a long heavy sigh. The wind blew her dark curly hair across her face and she tucked it behind her ear.

Yes, every dollar is important, she agreed. Her bright voice sounded a little bit sad now, but sometimes I feel like I am trying to empty out the giant ocean using only a tiny plastic spoon. Do you know how much a real recording studio costs, Jude? It costs $300 for just one hour, one single hour. and it takes many days to record a whole album of songs.

Jude calculated the math in his head instantly. $300 an hour was nothing to him. He made $300 every time he blinked his eyes. He could buy an entire recording studio building right now in cash and give her the shiny keys. He felt his hand reach toward his pocket where his secret emergency credit card was hidden.

He wanted to fix her problem immediately, but he stopped his hand. He remembered the giant bet. He remembered he was supposed to be a broke guy wearing a cheap red jacket. That is a lot of money, Jude said carefully, pulling his hand away from his pocket. It gets worse, Chloe laughed. But it was a dry, tired laugh. I went to a very fancy music school to learn how to sing properly.

I had to borrow thousands and thousands of dollars from the bank to pay for the school. Now the bank wants their money back every single month. Between paying my rent, buying food, and paying the bank, I have almost nothing left to put in my music jar. I work at the school all day, I sing at the club all night. I am so tired, Jude. Sometimes my bones feel like they are made of heavy lead.

Jude looked into her eyes. He saw the real exhaustion hiding behind her bright smile. He felt a deep ache inside his own chest. He wanted to protect her from the hard world. “Why do you keep smiling then?” Jude asked her. His voice was intense and very serious. If everything is so heavy and so hard, why do you smile at strangers? Why do you buy hot dogs for grumpy ticket conductors? Why do not you just get angry at the world? Kloe turned her body to fully face him.

She looked right into his dark, serious eyes. Because getting angry does not pay the bills, Jude. She said softly. Getting angry just makes your own heart turn sour and black. My grandfather taught me that music is supposed to lift people up when they are drowning. If I let the heavy things pull me down into the mud, then my music will sound like mud, too.

I have to find the light everywhere I go, or else the darkness will swallow me completely. Jude stared at her. He felt like she had just punched him in the stomach, but in a good way. She was exactly the opposite of his ex-girlfriend, Victoria. Victoria had millions of dollars and still complained that her shiny rings were not big enough.

Khloe had nothing but heavy debts and a broken piano, and she was busy trying to find the light to share with other people. “What about you, Jude?” Khloe asked, changing the subject. She took another small bite of her food. “You told me you were a fitness trainer. Why did you lose your job? You seem like a very smart guy. You do not belong on this slow red bus punching paper tickets.

” Jude looked away from her. He looked out at the tall glass buildings. He felt a terrible, heavy feeling of guilt wash over him. He hated lying to her. He really hated it. But he had to protect his secret. I lost my job because the gym was bought by a giant greedy company. Jude lied. He made his voice sound bitter and angry.

He decided to describe his own real company to make the lie sound true. The boss of the giant company only cared about making numbers bigger on a computer screen. He did not care about the people who worked hard every day. He fired all the normal trainers so he could bring in fancy computer machines to do our jobs.

That is completely horrible. Chloe gasped, her eyes filled with real anger for him. That big boss sounds like a selfish monster. He probably sits in a giant tower far away and never thinks about the normal people whose lives he ruins. Jude swallowed hard. His throat felt very dry. Yeah, Jude mumbled quietly.

He probably is a selfish monster. Well, his giant company will probably fail someday because machines cannot replace human kindness, Khloe said firmly. She reached out and patted his thick arm to make him feel better. You are much better off without them. And working on this bus is not forever. It is just a little stepping stone.

You will build your own fitness gym one day, Jude. A gym that actually cares about people. Jude felt the warm spot on his arm where she touched him. He realized in that exact moment that he was completely falling in love with her. He was falling in love with a girl he had only known for one week. He had spent his whole life building tall walls around his heart to keep greedy people away.

But Khloe was not trying to climb his walls. She was just sitting nicely at the front gate, offering him half of her lunch and a warm smile. I hope you are right, Jude said quietly. I am always right, Chloe joked with a big smile. She crumpled up her shiny foil paper into a little ball. Except for when I try to run fast in my heavy boots.

then I am usually wrong and I fall on my face. Jude laughed. It was a deep rumbling laugh that came from the very bottom of his chest. It felt amazing to laugh out loud. Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise came from downstairs. It was the grumpy bus driver honking the horn to tell them break time was completely over. “We have to go back to work,” Jude said, standing up.

He held out his giant hand to help her stand up from the low plastic seat. Chloe put her small, warm hand inside his huge one. He pulled her up easily. She stood very close to him for one second before letting go. “Thank you for sharing lunch with me, Jude,” she said. Her brown eyes were shining in the sunlight.

“Thank you for the food, Chloe,” he replied. They walked back down the steep metal stairs together. The bus doors opened and a large crowd of noisy tourists started climbing onto the bus. Jude stood in his spot, ready to punch their paper tickets. He did not feel the cold wind anymore. He did not feel angry at the world anymore.

For the first time in his entire 29 years of life, he felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. He was just Jude, a normal guy eating hot dogs, completely mesmerized by the beautiful girl singing jazz songs on his slow red bus. Jude woke up because the metal pipe in the corner of his tiny room was screaming, “Bang, bang, bang.

” The loud noise echoed against the cracked yellow walls. It was the middle of the night and the apartment was freezing cold. Jude was lying on his terrible thin mattress with a dirty blanket pulled all the way up to his chin. He reached under his pillow and pulled out a small glowing piece of plastic. It was a secret burner phone.

It was not the cheap phone Marcus gave him for emergencies. It was a completely secret phone he bought so he could still be the boss of his giant fitness company while pretending to be poor. Jude pressed a button and called Marcus. Marcus. Jude whispered angrily into the dark room. You cannot sell the new computer software to that other company for such a low price.

It is a terrible deal. Jude, it is 3:00 in the morning. Marcus groaned through the phone. And I am the boss right now. Remember, you are just a guy who punches paper tickets on a bus. You need to let me handle the big money. Do not joke with me right now, Jude said. He rubbed his freezing face with his giant hand.

That software took my team two whole years to build. We made it perfect. Tell them we want $20 million more or we walk away and never talk to them again. Marcus sighed a very long heavy sigh. Fine, big boss. I will tell them. How is your crazy new life going? Are you ready to quit the bet and come back to your warm glass house in the sky? No, Jude said firmly.

He clenched his jaw tight. I am not quitting. I am actually doing very well on the bus. Jude hung up the phone and pushed it deep under his mattress. He rolled over and stared at the dark wall. He was living a completely crazy double life. By day, he was counting tiny copper pennies just to buy a cheap box of dry cereal for breakfast.

He worried about his rent money, but by night, he hid in the dark and argued about millions and millions of dollars. The extreme friction between his two lives was starting to make his brain feel like a rubber band stretched way too tight. It felt like it was going to snap in half at any second. Saturday morning finally came.

Jude stood by the open doors of his giant red bus. The cold wind was blowing hard off the big lake, but Jude did not even zip his jacket up. He was just looking down the crowded gray sidewalk, searching for Khloe’s bright green coat. Finally, he saw her walking toward the bus stop. But something was completely wrong. She was not running fast.

She was not holding a greasy bag of delicious food. She was dragging her heavy black keyboard case very slowly. and her head was hanging low to the ground. When she climbed the steep metal steps onto the bus, Jude saw that her beautiful brown eyes were entirely red and puffy. She had been crying for a very long time. “Chloe, what is wrong?” Jude asked immediately.

His deep voice was thick with worry. He hated seeing her look so sad. She dropped the heavy black case onto the metal floor with a loud thud. “It is over, Jude,” she whispered. Her bright voice was shaking and sounded completely broken. “Everything is totally ruined,” Jude felt his chest tighten into a hard knot.

“What is ruined? Did someone hurt you? Tell me right now.” “Nobody hurt me,” Chloe said softly. She reached up and wiped a fresh wet tear from her cold cheek. She pointed a shaking finger down at the plastic box on the floor. “My piano died today. It is totally dead.” Jude looked down at the scratched black case.

Did you put fresh batteries inside it? He asked, trying to find a simple, easy fix. It is not the batteries, she cried, her voice getting a little louder in pure panic. When I plugged the cord into the wall at the music school this morning, there was a loud popping noise. A huge spark of yellow fire shot right out of the back.

Black smoke came out of the speakers. I tried to turn the power on, but nothing happened at all. All the wires inside are totally burned up into crispy black pieces. We can take it to a good repair shop, Jude said calmly. He stepped closer to her, using his massive shoulders to block the freezing wind from hitting her face.

“Repair men can fix burned wires easily.” Khloe shook her head side to side. “I already carried it to the repair shop on the corner,” she sobbed. The man opened it up and looked inside. He said it would cost $400 to fix the main computer board. $400, Jude. I do not have $400. I only have $20 left in my whole pocket to buy food for the week.

What does this mean for your music job? Jude asked quietly. It means I cannot sing at the jazz club tonight, she said, burying her face in her hands. If I do not play music tonight, the club boss will get very angry and fire me. If he fires me, I cannot pay my apartment rent next week. My whole life is falling apart just because of one stupid broken piano.

Jude felt a massive wave of anger wash over him. He was not angry at Chloe. He was incredibly angry at the unfair world. He reached out and put his giant warm hands firmly on her shaking shoulders. “Take a deep breath,” Jude commanded gently. “Do not cry. Go to the club tonight and tell the boss you are sick with a bad fever.

Tell him you will be back next week. Leave the heavy case right here on the bus with me. The bus driver honked the loud horn. Chloe nodded slowly, wiped her face with her green sleeve, and walked off the bus. Jude carried the heavy black case to the very back of the bus and pushed it safely under a seat. Then he waited for his lunch break.

When the bus finally parked, Jude did not go by a hot dog. He walked fast into a quiet, empty alley between two tall brick buildings. He reached deep into a hidden pocket inside his cheap pants. He pulled out a thick black plastic card. It was his secret emergency credit card. This tiny piece of plastic was magic.

It could buy a giant house, a fast airplane, or 10,000 new pianos. It had absolutely no limit. He pulled out his phone and called Marcus. “Hello, bus boy.” Marcus answered happily. Marcus, I need to use the black card, Jude said fast, pacing back and forth in the alley. Khloe’s piano blew up in flames today. She is crying.

She is going to lose her job and her apartment. I am going to walk to the fancy music store right now and buy her the most expensive perfect piano they have in the entire building. The phone was completely silent for five whole seconds. Then Marcus spoke. His voice was cold and hard like a heavy stone. If you swipe that black credit card, the giant bet is completely over. You lose.

You have to pack your cheap bags and move back to your lonely glass tower today. Are you completely crazy? Jude yelled at the brick wall. She is going to lose everything she has. I have billions of dollars sitting in a bank doing nothing. Let me help my friend. You are missing the entire point of the bet, Jude. Marcus said firmly.

Anyone can throw a giant pile of money at a problem to make it go away. That is very easy. That is exactly what rich people do. But that is not what a real friend does. That is not what real love is. Then what is love? Jude demanded loudly, squeezing the plastic phone so hard it almost cracked in his hand.

Love is giving something that actually costs you real effort. Marcus explained slowly. If you buy her a magic piano with your endless bank account, you are just proving that you think money solves every single human feeling. You are acting exactly like your greedy ex-girlfriend, Victoria. If you want Chloe to like you for who you really are, you have to be the broke guy.

What would a broke guy do to help his friend? Jude stopped pacing. He stared down at the black credit card in his giant hand. He looked at the shiny numbers. He thought about Khloe’s crying face on the bus. He realized Marcus was absolutely right. If he bought the fancy new piano, he would have to explain to Kloe how a poor bus worker got $5,000.

The lie would get way too big. He would completely ruin the real honest friendship they had built together. Jude shoved the black card deep back into his hidden pocket. “Fine,” Jude grumbled into the phone. “I will fix it the hard way,” he hung up the phone. When Jude finished his long, cold shift on the bus, he carried the heavy black case all the way back to his freezing apartment.

He dropped it onto the small wooden table in his kitchen. Then he counted his tiny pile of paper dollar bills. He had just enough money to buy some basic tools. He walked down the dark street to a cheap hardware store. He bought a small metal screwdriver, a roll of sticky black tape, and a hot tool that melts silver wire like hot glue.

He went back to his tiny room and opened the piano case. He used the screwdriver to take all the tiny metal screws out of the bottom. When he pulled the heavy plastic cover off, a terrible smell of burned rubber hit his nose. The inside of the piano looked like a complicated little city made of green metal boards and colorful wires.

Right in the middle, a thick red wire was completely melted into a black puddle. Jude was very smart with computers. Before he built his giant fitness company, he built tiny computer parts in his bedroom. He knew exactly how this machine worked. He plugged the hot glue tool into the wall outlet. He waited for the sharp metal tip to get dangerously hot.

Then the real work started. The tiny room was freezing cold, but Jude was sweating. His hands were huge, like giant bear paws, but he had to use them to pinch tiny, delicate little wires. It was incredibly difficult. Come on, you stupid red wire,” Jude whispered to himself. He tried to attach the clean wire to the green board using the hot melting tool. The tool slipped.

The burning hot metal touched the side of his giant finger. “Ouch!” Jude yelled loudly, dropping the hot tool onto the wooden table. It burned his skin badly, leaving a bright, angry red mark. He sucked in a harsh breath and shook his huge hand in the air, but he did not stop working. He picked the tool back up. He tried again and again.

The loud metal pipe in his room started banging against the wall again. Bang, bang, bang. His loud neighbor started yelling bad words through the thin wall. Jude ignored the loud banging. He ignored his angry neighbor. He ignored the sharp pain burning on his finger. He just kept working.

He worked through the middle of the dark night. He worked until the sun started coming up outside his dirty, cracked window. He stripped the burned rubber off the wire, twisted the shiny copper pieces together perfectly, and melted the silver glue over the top to hold it tight. Finally, he wrapped the whole thing tightly in the sticky black tape so it was perfectly safe.

He screwed the heavy plastic cover back onto the keyboard. He was totally exhausted. His eyes were red and burning from not sleeping all night. His back was stiff from bending over the small table. He found the black power cord and plugged it into the wall outlet. He held his breath. He reached out his burned finger and pressed the power button.

A bright blue light turned on immediately. A happy little chime sound came out of the big speakers. Jude pressed a white key. A perfect loud musical note filled the tiny room. He pressed a black key. Another perfect note played out loud. Jude fell back into his cheap wooden chair. He let out a giant breath of air.

He looked down at his dirty, burned hands. He had built billiondoll companies in his life. But fixing this broken piece of plastic made him feel prouder than anything he had ever done. On Sunday morning, Jude carried the heavy case down the street to the music school where Khloe worked. He waited outside on the sidewalk until she came out the front doors for her lunch break.

When she pushed the heavy glass door open, she looked just as sad as yesterday. Her shoulders were slumped forward and she was looking at her boots. Then she looked up and saw Jude standing there holding her giant black case. She stopped walking and stared at him. “Jude,” she asked, looking very confused.

“What are you doing here? Why do you have my dead piano?” Jude walked over to her. He did not say a single word. He just set the heavy case on a concrete bench near the door. He opened the metal latches with a loud click. He pulled the keyboard out and set it on the cold bench. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a large battery pack he had bought and plugged the piano cord into it.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asked, stepping closer to him. “I told you yesterday it is completely burned up inside. It is garbage now.” Jude looked right into her big brown eyes. He pointed his giant finger at the round power button. “Press it,” he commanded softly. Khloe looked at his serious face. She saw how tired his dark eyes looked.

She saw the bright red burn mark on his thick finger. Slowly, she reached out her small hand and pressed the button. The bright blue light turned on immediately. The happy chime sound played loudly in the cold street air. Khloe gasped loudly. She jumped backward like the piano was a scary ghost. She stared at the glowing blue light.

Then she quickly reached out and pressed her fingers against the white keys. She played a fast, complicated jazz song. Every single note sounded perfectly clear and beautiful in the air. She stopped playing and looked up at Jude. Her mouth was hanging wide open in total shock. How? She whispered. Her voice was shaking hard. The repair man said it would cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

How did you do this? Jude shoved his large hands deep into his jacket pockets so she would not see his burned finger anymore. I used to fix old computers a long time ago. He lied smoothly, but his deep voice was very gentle. I bought some cheap tools and I stayed awake last night to fix the burned wire inside.

It was just a small problem. It did not cost hundreds of dollars. Chloe stared at him. Her brown eyes filled with fresh tears, but this time they were absolutely not sad tears. They were happy tears. One shiny tear spilled over her eyelashes and rolled down her warm brown cheek. She looked from the perfect working piano back to his tired, handsome face.

“You stayed awake all night long just to fix my broken junk?” she asked, her voice cracking with pure emotion. Jude, nobody has ever done something so incredibly kind for me in my entire life. Before Jude could say another word, Khloe stepped forward and threw her arms tightly around his wide neck. She hugged him with all her strength.

She pressed her face right into his chest, right over his beating heart. Jude froze for a second. His whole giant body felt completely stiff. Then, very slowly, he pulled his hands out of his deep pockets. He wrapped his giant muscular arms around her small back and hugged her back. He rested his chin on top of her dark curly hair.

She smelled like sweet vanilla and cold winter air. In that exact moment, standing on a dirty sidewalk holding a girl who owned absolutely nothing. Jude finally understood what Marcus meant. Buying her a new piano with his endless money would have taken zero effort. It would have meant absolutely nothing. But giving up his sleep, burning his hands, and working hard just to see her smile again meant everything in the world.

This was the most valuable gift he had ever given anyone in his whole life, and it cost him absolutely no money at all. Kloe finally pulled her arms away from Jude. But she did not step far back. She kept her small hands resting gently on the sleeves of his cheap red jacket. Her brown eyes were still shining with happy tears.

She looked right up into his face with a very serious expression. “You have to come to the club tonight, Jude.” Chloe said. Her voice was completely firm. She was not asking a question. She was giving him an order. You have to come watch me play this beautiful piano. You have to be there. Jude shook his head slowly. He suddenly felt very nervous.

He looked down at his dirty work boots. “I cannot go to a music club tonight, Chloe,” he said quietly. I have to work on the bus until 9:00. By the time I finish, I will be covered in street dirt. I will smell like heavy bus smoke. I do not have any nice clothes to change into. They will not let a guy wearing a bright red plastic jacket sit inside a nice club.

The blue note is absolutely not a fancy place, Chloe argued, grabbing his sleeves a little bit tighter. It is very old. The paint is falling off the walls. The chairs squeak when you sit on them. Nobody cares what you wear in there. They only care about the music. I will tell the boss at the front door that you are my special guest.

If you do not come, I will stand on the stage and play completely terrible notes on purpose. Jude looked at her stubborn face. He could never say no to her. Okay. He agreed with a heavy sigh. I will come to the club after I finish parking the bus. But if the boss throws me out into the street, I am going to blame you. Chloe smiled her giant bright smile again.

“Deal,” she said happily. She grabbed the handle of her heavy black case. She looked at him one more time before walking back into the school. “I will see you tonight, angry bear.” Many hours later, the dark knight completely covered the loud city. Jude parked the giant red double-decker bus inside the cold garage.

He gave his paper tickets to his grumpy boss, Stan. Then he walked very fast toward the dark alley behind the tall buildings. He found the heavy wooden door of the Blue Note Jazz Club. He pulled it open and stepped inside. The club was exactly what Chloe said it would be. It was not fancy at all. The air inside smelled very strongly like old wood, sweet lemon soap, and spilled juice.

The lights hanging from the ceiling were very dim, making the whole room look like a dark, cozy cave. There were small round tables crowded close together on the floor. Every single seat was filled with people talking loudly and laughing. A very large man wearing a tight black shirt was standing by the door.

He blocked Jude from walking into the room. You have to pay $10 to come inside, the big man said in a rough voice. I am Khloe’s guest, Jude told him quickly. The big man looked at Jude’s bright red bus uniform. He frowned, but then he nodded his head and moved out of the way. Go find a corner to stand in. Red coat, the man grumbled.

The show is starting right now. Jude squeezed past the crowded tables. He found a tiny empty spot near the back wall. He leaned his broad shoulders against the brick wall and waited. Suddenly, the loud talking in the room stopped. A single white light shined brightly down onto the small wooden stage at the front of the room.

Chloe walked out from behind a dark curtain. The crowd clapped their hands loudly for her. She was wearing a long dark blue dress that sparkled a little bit when the light hit it. She looked completely stunning. She sat down on a tall wooden stool behind the black keyboard Jude had fixed. She leaned close to the silver microphone.

“Hello, everyone,” Khloe said. Her voice filled the dark room. It sounded smooth and perfect through the big speakers. Tonight is a very special night. This morning, I thought I was not going to be able to sing for you. My trusted piano broke completely, but a very good friend stayed awake all night long to put the broken pieces back together for me.

I want to dedicate my first song to him. Thank you for fixing my music. Jude felt his heart slam hard against his ribs. The whole crowd clapped again, but they did not know who she was talking about. Jude knew. He stood very still in the dark corner. Khloe pressed her fingers on the white keys.

The beautiful clear notes filled the quiet room. Then she closed her eyes and started to sing. Her voice was incredible. It was rich and deep, completely full of raw, honest feeling. She sang a slow, sad song about finding a bright light in the middle of a very dark storm. As Jude watched her sing, a sudden, clear thought hit him right in the middle of his chest.

It hit him so hard that he almost stopped breathing. He looked at the tiny sticky tables. He looked at the old cracked walls of the club. He looked at the girl in the blue dress pouring her whole soul into a cheap plastic keyboard. He realized the giant bet with Marcus was completely dead to him now. He did not care about proving a point anymore.

He did not care about winning his company shares back. He did not care about testing women to see if they were greedy. He was just a man deeply in love with a woman. It was that simple. He loved the way she dragged that heavy piano everywhere. He loved the way she bought him hot dogs when she was poor. He loved the way she refused to let the heavy world crush her spirit.

He loved her more than he loved his giant glass tower, his endless bank accounts, and his fast cars. If she asked him to ride the slow red bus with her every single day for the rest of his life, he would do it without thinking twice. For the next two hours, Jude did not move an inch. He just watched her sing. He watched her make the whole crowded room smile and sway to the music.

When the show finally ended, the people cheered loudly and started walking out the front doors. Jude waited by the dark wall. Chloe came down from the stage, dragging her heavy black case. She saw him standing there and walked straight toward him. She looked completely exhausted, but her brown eyes were glowing with pure joy.

You actually came,” Chloe said happily, dropping the case near his heavy boots. “I told you I would come,” Jude replied. He immediately picked the heavy case up off the floor so she would not have to hold it anymore. “You were completely amazing up there, Chloe.” “Your voice is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my whole life.

” Chloe looked down at her shoes. Her cheeks turned a little bit pink in the dim light. Thank you, Jude. That means everything to me, especially coming from the man who made the music possible tonight. They walked out of the back door of the club together. When they stepped into the dark alley, the freezing winter wind hit them violently.

The temperature had dropped very low while they were inside. Chloe gasped loudly and wrapped her thin arms around her body, trying to stay warm. Her blue dress was very thin and did not block the angry wind at all. “You are freezing,” Jude said. He did not even think about it. He put the heavy keyboard case on the cold ground.

He reached up and pulled his giant red jacket right off his broad shoulders. He was only wearing a thin white shirt underneath, but he did not care about the cold hitting his own skin. He stepped very close to Chloe and wrapped his big, warm jacket carefully around her shaking shoulders. The jacket was absolutely huge on her.

The bottom of it almost reached her knees and her small hands completely disappeared inside the long sleeves. “Jude, no,” Chloe said, looking up at him with wide eyes. She tried to push the heavy jacket back toward him. “You are going to turn into a solid block of ice. You only have a thin shirt on. Take it back right now.

” Jude grabbed the edges of the big red jacket and pulled it tighter around her. He refused to let her take it off. I am perfectly fine,” Jude said. His deep voice was very soft. “I am a very big guy. I have a lot of extra heat. Keep it on, Chloe, please.” She stopped trying to push it away.

She pulled the warm fabric closer to her chin and looked up at his face. They were standing directly under a tall street lamp in the middle of the dark alley. The lamp cast a soft yellow circle of light around them. Everything else in the city was dark and completely quiet. There were no loud cars. There were no angry tourists.

There was only the two of them standing in the freezing cold night. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Chloe asked softly. Her breath made tiny white clouds in the cold air. “Like what?” Jude asked. He could not stop staring at her beautiful face glowing under the yellow light. “Like I am a complicated puzzle you are trying to solve,” she whispered.

She took one tiny step closer to him. The tips of her boots touched the tips of his heavy work boots. Jude felt his hands start to shake, and it was absolutely not from the freezing wind. He was terrified. He was a billionaire who made giant deals with scary businessmen every single day. But right now, standing in an empty alley, he was completely terrified.

“I am not trying to solve a puzzle,” Jude said. His voice sounded deep and rough. “I am just looking at you. I have never met anyone like you, Chloe. I have met a lot of people in my life. People who want things, people who take things, but you just give. You work so hard and you have so little and you still try to give the world your beautiful music.

I cannot stop looking at you because I have never seen anything so real before.” Chloe stared up at him. The yellow light reflected in her wide brown eyes. She slowly pulled her small hands out of the giant sleeves. She reached up and rested her warm palms flat against his chest right over his racing heart.

She could feel how fast it was beating through his thin white shirt. “You are very real, too, Jude.” Chloe whispered. Her voice was incredibly gentle. You act like you are so tough and grumpy, but you have the kindest heart of anyone I know. You stayed up all night to fix my broken life.

You stand in the freezing cold without a coat, just so I can be warm. You are a truly good man. Jude could not hold himself back for one more second. He lifted his large, rough hands and gently held the sides of her face. His thumbs carefully brushed against her warm cheeks. She did not pull away. She tilted her face up toward him and closed her eyes. Jude leaned down very slowly.

He gave her enough time to step away if she wanted to, but she stayed perfectly still. He pressed his lips against hers. It was a slow, perfect kiss. It was quiet and gentle, completely opposite from the loud, angry world around them. Under the glowing yellow street lamp, with the freezing wind pushing against them, Jude felt a giant heavy weight completely fall off his shoulders.

He felt safe. He kissed her deeply, pouring all the sudden, overwhelming love he felt right into that single moment. He forgot about his fake name. He forgot about his hidden black credit card. He forgot about the giant tower waiting for him across the city. Chloe wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on to him tightly.

She kissed him back with the same honest, raw feeling she put into her music. When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. Jude rested his forehead gently against hers. He kept his eyes closed, wishing he could stay in this dark, quiet alley with her forever. “Wow,” Khloe whispered breathlessly into the cold air.

“Yeah,” Jude agreed softly, a tiny smile breaking across his serious face. “Wow,” he opened his eyes and looked at her. He knew right then that he was going to tell her the absolute truth very soon. He had to tell her who he really was. But for tonight, he just wanted to be the lucky guy holding the most amazing girl in the entire world.

He reached down, picked up the heavy black case, took her warm hand in his, and slowly walked her the rest of the way home. The next few weeks were the best weeks of Jude’s entire life. He did not care that he was living in a tiny, freezing room. He did not care that his boss yelled at him every morning.

He only cared about the days he had time off from the big red bus so he could see Chloe. Because he was supposed to be a completely broke guy, they could not go to fancy restaurants. They could not buy expensive tickets for big shows. Instead, they went on completely free dates all over the city. On Tuesday, they walked to the giant science museum because it was a free day for everyone.

They stood in a giant room looking up at the heavy white bones of a massive dinosaur. Look at the size of his teeth,” Chloe said, pointing her finger up at the giant skull. “I bet he could eat a whole car in one single bite.” “He would not eat a car,” Jude said. He smiled down at her. “Cars are made of hard metal. He would break his teeth.

He probably just ate giant leaves from the tall trees.” “You are no fun,” Khloe laughed, bumping her shoulder against his thick arm. “You are too logical. I like to imagine him eating the bad drivers in traffic.” Jude laughed loudly. He loved the way her brain worked. She made normal, boring things feel completely fun and new.

On Thursday, they took a long walk through a big green park in the middle of the city. They brought a cheap loaf of bread and some sliced turkey meat. They sat on the soft grass and made messy sandwiches together. Jude watched a tiny gray squirrel run across the grass. He realized he was happier eating cold meat on the dirty ground with Khloe than he ever was eating expensive steak in his giant glass tower.

The fancy food always tasted like stressful business. The cold turkey sandwich just tasted like pure happiness. But keeping his giant secret was getting harder every single day. Every time she smiled at him, he wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her he could buy the whole museum for her.

He wanted to tell her she never had to worry about rent money again. But he remembered Marcus’s warning. If he told her now, she would think he was a liar who played a cruel game with her real life. He had to wait for the absolute perfect time. On Saturday morning, they decided to go window shopping. Window shopping meant walking slowly down the street and looking at all the beautiful things in the glass store windows, but never actually buying anything.

They were walking down a very wide, clean street right in the middle of the expensive financial district. The buildings here were covered in shiny glass and tall marble pillars. Men in sharp black suits and women with fancy leather bags walked quickly past them. Jude felt a tight, nervous feeling in his stomach. This was his neighborhood.

His giant tower was only three blocks away. He usually walked down this exact street every single day. “Look at this one, Jude.” Chloe said happily. She stopped walking and pressed her hands against the thick glass of a fancy jewelry store. Jude stopped next to her and looked through the glass. Sitting on a black velvet pillow was a shiny silver watch.

It was covered in tiny clear diamonds. “It is very shiny,” Jude said carefully. “It is completely crazy,” Chloe said, shaking her head. She pointed to a tiny white tag next to the watch. “Look at the price tag. It costs $20,000. Who in the world spends $20,000 just to know what time it is? My cheap plastic phone tells me the exact same time for free. Jude swallowed hard.

His throat felt very dry. He actually owned that exact same silver watch. It was sitting in a dark wooden box on his bedroom dresser right now. I guess some people have too much money, Jude lied smoothly. They just want to show off. It is just sad, Chloe said softly, turning away from the window.

Imagine how many broken pianos you could fix with $20,000. Imagine how many hungry people you could feed. Anyone who buys that watch is probably a very selfish person with a totally empty heart. The words hit Jude like a heavy hammer. He felt a terrible dark wave of guilt wash over him. He was that selfish person.

He had bought the watch just because he was bored one afternoon. Before Jude could say anything back to her, a loud, sharp voice called out across the crowded sidewalk. Julian. Julian Sterling. Jude completely froze. His giant boots stopped moving. His blood turned completely cold. He knew that annoying loud voice. He slowly turned his head.

Walking out of the tall glass building right next to them was a man named Arthur Harrison. Arthur was a very rich businessman. He owned a company that tried to compete with Jude’s giant fitness company. Arthur was wearing a custom blue suit, a bright yellow tie, and shiny brown shoes that cost more than Khloe’s entire music school.

Arthur stopped walking and stared directly at Jude. His eyes moved up and down, looking at Jude’s cheap red jacket, his short pants, and his scuffed work boots. Julian, what in the world are you doing? Arthur asked. He sounded completely shocked and very confused. He walked right up to Jude. Is this some kind of crazy joke? “Are you going to a costume party in the middle of the day?” Kloe looked at Arthur and then she looked at Jude.

“Jude, do you know this man?” she asked. Jude pushed his hands deep into his pockets so Arthur would not see them shaking. “He had to lie. He had to lie better than he had ever lied in his entire life.” Jude stood up as tall as he could. He pushed his broad chest out. He completely changed the way his face looked, making his eyes wide and blank.

Then he changed his voice. He put on a thick, rough city accent. I do not know who you are, buddy. Jude said loudly. His voice sounded totally different. My name is not Julian. You got the wrong guy. Arthur frowned hard. He stepped even closer, squinting his eyes in the bright sunlight.

Do not play games with me, Sterling. We sat in a giant meeting room together just last month. We argued about buying that new computer software. I know your face. You are the boss of the biggest fitness company in the city. I said, “You have the wrong guy,” Jude repeated. He made his voice sound a little bit angry and dangerous now.

“My name is Jude. I ride the red bus. Now step out of my way before I step right over you.” Arthur looked at Jude’s massive arms. He looked at the angry, heavy scowl on Jude’s face. Arthur took one small step backward. He was clearly getting scared of the giant angry man in the cheap red coat. This is totally crazy, Arthur muttered to himself.

He shook his head. “You look exactly like him.” But Julian Sterling would never wear such terrible cheap clothes. And Julian Sterling certainly does not talk like a common street worker. I am sorry. I made a mistake. Yeah, you made a big mistake. Jude growled, keeping the thick accent perfectly steady.

Go back to your fancy office, rich boy. Arthur quickly turned around and walked very fast down the street, looking over his shoulder one last time before disappearing into the crowd of busy people. Jude let out a long, silent breath. His heart was beating so fast he thought it might break his ribs. He felt dizzy. He had survived. The secret was safe.

He turned back to look at Khloe, expecting her to be smiling and ready to keep walking. But Khloe was not smiling at all. She was standing perfectly still on the sidewalk. She was staring at him. Her big brown eyes were narrow and she was watching his face very closely. “What was that all about?” Jude asked, dropping the fake accent and trying to sound casual. He forced a small laugh.

People in this city are completely crazy. He called you Julian,” Khloe said. Her bright voice was very quiet and serious. “I guess I have a face that looks like a lot of other people,” Jude replied. He reached out to take her warm hand, but she stepped back just a tiny bit.

“He did not just say you look like someone,” Khloe pushed. She crossed her arms over her green coat. “He knew your exact face. He called you by a full name, Julian Sterling. He said, “You own a giant computer company, and he was wearing a very expensive gold watch on his wrist, just like the one in the window, Chloe.” The man was just confused,” Jude said quickly.

He hated the way she was looking at him. She looked at him like he was a stranger. “Rich guys like that think they know everyone. He probably just needs new glasses. Do you really think I own a giant computer company? Look at my shoes. They have holes in the bottom. Chloe looked down at his dirty work boots.

Then she looked back up at his handsome face. She remembered how easily he had carried her heavy piano. She remembered how quickly and perfectly he had fixed the burned wires inside the complicated machine. She remembered how he never seemed to worry about anything except being late for the bus. “You did fix my keyboard like a total genius,” Chloe said slowly.

“You said you used to work with computers. I fixed old junk, Jude lied, feeling the trap closing around him. I am just a guy who punches paper tickets. Chloe, you know me. We ate hot dogs on a bus together. Do I act like a greedy billionaire? Chloe stared at him for a long, silent minute. The loud noise of the city traffic rushed around them.

But Jude only heard his own loud heartbeat. He prayed she would believe him. He prayed the lie would hold together just a little bit longer. Finally, Khloe let her arms drop to her sides. She let out a small breath. The hard, suspicious look slowly faded away from her eyes. “You are right,” Chloe said. But her voice did not sound completely sure. “You are just Jude.

You would never lie to me like that. A billionaire would never stand in a freezing alley and give me his only warm jacket. Never.” Jude agreed quietly. He reached out and gently took her hand. This time she let him hold it. Her fingers were warm and soft. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

“Let us get away from these crazy tall buildings,” Jude said. “Let us go find a cheap slice of pizza.” “Okay,” Khloe agreed, resting her head against his arm as they walked. They walked away from the fancy windows and the tall glass towers. Jude held her hand tightly. He tried to focus on the soft smell of her vanilla perfume. He tried to think about the hot pizza they were going to eat, but the heavy feeling of dread did not leave his stomach.

He looked down at Chloe, walking happily beside him. He saw the complete trust in her eyes. The seed of doubt had been planted in her mind today. He knew it was only a matter of time before the tiny seed grew into a giant, destructive tree. The clock was ticking very loudly, and Jude knew he was running completely out of time.

The rain poured down from the dark clouds, hitting the top of the glass bus stop like angry little rocks. Jude sat on the cold metal bench, waiting for Chloe. It was Tuesday, his only day off from the slow red bus. Usually, he felt excited to see her. But today, something felt very wrong. Kloe walked around the corner of the brick building.

She was not holding an umbrella. She was not wearing her bright green coat. She was just wearing a thin gray sweater and she was completely soaked from the cold rain. Her head was hanging down so low that her chin touched her chest. She was not dragging her heavy black keyboard case. She was holding a crumpled piece of white paper in her hand. Jude stood up quickly.

He stepped out into the rain and grabbed her hand, pulling her under the glass roof to keep her dry. Chloe, you are freezing. Jude said loudly over the noise of the rain. Why are you walking in the storm without your coat? Where is your giant smile? Khloe looked up at him. Her face was completely wet, but Jude could easily see that her brown eyes were red and swollen.

She had been crying very hard. She did not smile. She just held up the crumpled piece of wet paper. “It is gone, Jude.” Chloe whispered. Her voice sounded totally empty, like a hollow drum. Everything I worked for is completely gone. What is gone? Jude asked. He reached out and gently took the wet paper from her shaking fingers.

Tell me what happened right now. That is a letter from my landlord, Chloe explained. She wrapped her arms around her own stomach like she was in pain. He is selling my apartment building to a giant company. The new company is raising the rent money. They want $500 extra dollars every single month.

If I do not pay the extra money by Friday, they will throw all my things onto the dirty street and lock the door. Jude looked at the wet paper. He felt a hot fire of anger start to burn in his chest. $500 is a lot of money, Jude said. But we can figure it out. You can ask the music school to let you teach more classes.

Chloe shook her head side to side very slowly. I cannot teach more classes, she said, her voice cracking. The boss at the music school called me this morning. He said they do not have enough young children signing up for singing lessons. He cut my hours in half. I am going to make less money this month, not more.

I am totally drowning Jude. The water is over my head. Jude grabbed her cold shoulders. Listen to me, he commanded gently. Do not give up. You are the strongest person I know. You will sing more songs at the jazz club. You will put out a big glass jar and ask people to give you extra tips. The people love your music.

The tips will not pay $500, Jude. Khloe suddenly shouted. Her voice echoed loudly under the glass roof. She pulled away from his hands. You do not understand. You think a happy song can fix a hungry stomach. You think a nice melody can pay the greedy landlord. It cannot. Real life does not work like that. Real life is completely cruel.

Jude stood perfectly still. He had never seen her yell before. He had never seen her give up. She always found the bright light in the dark places. But right now, her light was completely blown out. “What are you going to do?” Jude asked very quietly. “I have to quit,” Khloe said, dropping her face into her hands.

She started to sob loudly. “I called a giant shipping warehouse on the edge of the city. They need people to move heavy cardboard boxes all night long. They pay good money, but I have to start working tomorrow night. I have to work from 8:00 at night until 6:00 in the morning. Every single day, Jude felt his heart shatter into tiny pieces.

If you work all night long, you cannot sing at the jazz club, he said. I know, Khloe cried, wiping her wet face. I have to quit the club. I have to put my grandfather’s music away in a dark box. I am never going to make my record. I am just going to be a tired girl lifting heavy boxes in a cold warehouse until my back breaks. My dream is totally dead, Jude.

No, Jude said firmly. You cannot do that. You love that club. You belong on that wooden stage. You cannot go work in a dirty warehouse. Khloe looked at him with angry, tired eyes. Then who will pay the landlord, Jude? she demanded. Will you pay him? You punch paper tickets on a tourist bus. You cannot even afford to buy a new pair of boots.

We are both totally poor. We have zero power. The rich people in the tall buildings make all the rules and we just get crushed on the bottom. Every single word she said felt like a sharp knife stabbing Jude right in the chest. She was crying because she thought they were both helpless.

She was giving up her entire beautiful dream for a few hundred pieces of green paper. He looked at the woman he loved. She was shaking from the cold rain and completely broken by the unfair world. And the most terrible part was that Jude was one of the rich people in the tall buildings. He had exactly $500 million sitting in a private bank account right at that very second.

He could buy her apartment building, the music school, and the entire shipping warehouse with one phone call. He was letting her cry over pennies while he sat on a giant mountain of gold. Suddenly, Jude realized how incredibly stupid and childish his bet with Marcus really was. He was playing a silly game with a woman’s actual life.

Marcus wanted him to learn about real love. Well, Jude finally understood it. Real love meant you did not watch the person you care about drown when you have a giant boat floating right next to them. The bet was over. Jude did not care about proving a point to Marcus anymore. He did not care about winning his company shares.

He only cared about saving Khloe’s dream. “Listen to me very carefully,” Jude said. He took a step forward and wrapped his giant arms around her perfectly tight. He held her shaking body against his broad chest. “You are not going to work in that warehouse. You are not going to quit the jazz club. You are going to go home, take a warm shower, and go to sleep.

Do you hear me? But the rent money, Khloe sobbed against his shirt. I will fix the rent money, Jude promised, resting his chin on top of her wet hair. I will handle everything. Just trust me. Go home and rest. Tomorrow, everything will be completely different. I swear it. Chloe was too tired to argue anymore. She just nodded her head slowly against his chest.

Jude walked her through the heavy rain all the way back to her apartment door. He waited until she was safely inside. Then Jude turned around and walked back into the storm. His face was completely serious and hard like a stone. He pulled his secret plastic burner phone out of his deep pocket. He made a plan in his head. Tomorrow morning, he was going to call his private bank.

He was going to wire exactly $5,000 straight into the greedy landlord’s bank account. He was going to do it totally secretly so nobody would know where the money came from. The landlord would be completely paid for a whole year. Chloe would be safe. And then after the money was sent, Jude was going to go to her apartment.

He was going to sit her down on her small couch. He was going to look right into her beautiful brown eyes and tell her the absolute truth. He was going to tell her his real name was Julian Sterling. He was going to tell her he was a billionaire. He knew she would be very angry. He knew she might scream at him for lying, but he was ready to face her anger.

He could not pretend to be the broke bus conductor for one more minute. The silly game was completely finished. Tomorrow, Jude was going to show her his real world. The sun came up the next morning. Jude woke up very early. He did not put on his cheap red bus jacket. He took the scratchy plastic pants and threw them right into the garbage can.

He was totally done playing games. He reached into his small travel bag and pulled out his real clothes. He put on a perfectly clean dark blue suit. He put on his shiny black shoes. He felt like his normal, powerful self again. He picked up his phone to call his private bank. He was going to send the extra rent money to Khloe’s landlord right now.

Before his thumb could press the green button, the phone started ringing loudly. It was Marcus. Jude, you need to come to the main office right this second, Marcus said quickly. His voice was full of total panic. I made a terrible mistake. The lawyer team did something really stupid. I am busy, Marcus, Jude replied coldly. I am going to pay a bill and then I am going to tell Khloe the complete truth about my life.

You have to come here first, Marcus yelled through the phone. The lawyer team bought a block of old buildings yesterday. They want to knock the buildings down to build a new parking lot for our workers. But they bought the wrong block, Jude. They bought the jazz club. They bought the blue note. Jude stopped breathing. The shiny phone almost fell out of his hand.

You bought Khloe’s music club, Jude whispered. Yes, Marcus groaned. And the heavy bulldozers are driving over there today to smash it to the ground. Stop the bulldozers, Jude roared loudly. He ran out of the tiny apartment, his expensive leather shoes hitting the dirty stairs hard. Call everyone. I am coming to the tower right now.

Jude ran all the way to his giant glass tower. He pushed past the security guards. He jumped into the fast elevator and rode it all the way up to the very top floor. He burst through the heavy glass doors of the giant meeting room. 10 men in expensive gray suits were sitting around a massive wooden table.

Marcus was standing at the front looking very nervous. Who signed the paper to buy that specific street? Jude screamed at the room. His voice was louder than thunder. He was so angry his hands were shaking. He slammed his giant fists down onto the wooden table. The loud noise made all the men jump in their chairs. “We thought it was a good deal,” Mr.

Sterling, a frightened lawyer, said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “The building is very old. It is full of rats. We just want to make a flat parking lot. I do not care about a parking lot. Jude yelled back, his face turning bright red. You are going to cancel the deal right this second. That club is completely off limits.

Nobody touches that building ever again. While Jude was screaming at the terrified lawyers, a huge noise echoed in the hallway outside the glass doors. People were shouting. Security guards were running. You cannot go in there, miss. A guard yelled loudly, “Watch me!” A bright, familiar voice shouted back. The heavy wooden doors of the meeting room flew open with a loud crash.

They hit the walls so hard the glass windows shook. Jude turned his head. His heart completely stopped beating. Standing right in the doorway was Chloe. She was breathing heavily. Her dark curly hair was wild and messy. She was holding a large piece of thick cardboard. Written on the cardboard in thick black marker were the words, “Save our music.

” Behind her, Jude could see the frightened security guards holding their radios. Khloe marched two steps into the giant fancy room. She looked ready to fight an entire army. “I want to speak to the giant, greedy boss of this terrible company.” She demanded loudly, her voice ringing off the high ceiling. “You are not knocking down my grandfather’s club today.

” The entire room went completely dead silent. You could hear a tiny pin drop onto the soft carpet. All the men in the expensive suits stared at the angry girl in the old green coat. Chloe turned her head and looked right at the head of the giant table. She looked right at the boss everyone was so afraid of.

Her big brown eyes locked exactly onto Jude’s dark eyes. She looked at his broad shoulders perfectly filling out the $5,000 blue suit. She looked at his shiny leather shoes. She looked at the expensive gold watch on his wrist. The cardboard sign slowly slipped out of her hands. It hit the floor with a soft slap.

“Jude,” Chloe whispered into the completely silent room. Her bright voice was shaking terribly. She looked around at the giant glass walls, the fancy lawyers, and then back to the man she loved. “What are you doing here? Why are you wearing those clothes?” Jude could not speak. The giant powerful billionaire was totally frozen. The heavy walls of his massive secret were crashing down right on top of him. “Mr.

Sterling,” Marcus said softly from the corner of the room, looking very sad. “Do you want me to call the police?” Khloe gasped loudly. She stepped backward, bumping into the wooden door frame. She covered her mouth with both of her hands. “Mr. Sterling,” Khloe repeated, her voice cracking into a broken whisper. Julian Sterling.

Chloe, please. Jude finally begged. He took one step toward her. He reached out his hand. Let me explain everything. You, Chloe breathed out. Her eyes filled with total horror as the complete truth rushed into her brain. She remembered the rich man on the street calling his name. She remembered the expensive gold watch in the store window.

She remembered how easily he fixed the computer wires inside her piano. You are the greedy boss. You are the monster who wants to knock down my home. You are the billionaire. She did not wait for his answer. She turned around and ran out the door as fast as she could. Jude did not care about the important meeting anymore.

He did not care about the terrified lawyers or the billiondoll company. He pushed his heavy chair backwards so fast that it crashed loudly onto the floor. He ran straight past the security guards and out the heavy wooden doors. “Chloe, wait,” Jude shouted down the long shiny hallway. She was running very fast.

Her green coat flapped behind her. She reached the giant silver elevator doors and hit the down button over and over again with her hand. She was crying so hard that her small shoulders were shaking. Jude ran toward her. His expensive black shoes slipped a little bit on the shiny floor, but he did not slow down. He reached the elevator just as the metal doors started to open.

He put his giant hand flat against the silver metal and pushed himself right inside the small box with her. The doors hissed closed. They were completely alone in the bright, quiet box moving down to the street. Kloe pressed her back flat against the cold metal wall. She pushed herself as far away from him as she possibly could. She looked at him like he was a dangerous monster. “Do not touch me,” Khloe said.

Her voice was shaking, but it was also incredibly angry. “Do not come one step closer to me.” “Scloe, please listen to my words,” Jude begged. He held his hands up in the air to show he was not going to hurt her. His chest was moving up and down very fast. “I can explain every single thing. I know it looks terrible right now, but I can make you understand.

” “Under understand what?” she yelled. Her loud voice bounced off the small walls. Understand that my sweet broke friend Jude is actually Julian Sterling. Understand that the man who held my hand on a slow tourist bus actually owns the biggest company in the whole city. Which part should I understand first, Jude? Or should I call you Mr.

Sterling? Just call me Jude, he pleaded. His heart felt like it was breaking into pieces. I am still Jude. I am the exact same guy you shared lunch with. The clothes are different, but my heart is exactly the same. Do not talk about your heart, Chloe screamed, covering her ears with her hands. You lied to me. You lied about your name. You lied about losing your job at the gym. You lied about being poor.

Every single word that came out of your mouth was a giant ugly lie. The elevator made a soft ding sound. The doors opened to the giant, busy lobby on the bottom floor. Chloe ran out of the elevator. She ran past the giant indoor fountains and pushed through the heavy glass doors to the outside street.

The cold winter wind hit them instantly. Jude chased her onto the wide concrete sidewalk. He reached out and grabbed her arm gently to stop her from running into the busy street traffic. “Let me go,” she cried, pulling her arm away hard. She spun around to face him. People on the sidewalk stopped walking to stare at them, but neither of them cared.

I lied because I was scared. Jude said loudly over the noise of the traffic. He stepped closer to her, ignoring the people watching. Before I met you, I had a very bad girlfriend. She only loved my money. She tried to steal half of my company. I thought every single person in the world was completely greedy. I thought nobody would ever love me for just being me. Chloe stopped moving.

She stared at his expensive blue suit. “So, what did you do?” she asked, her voice dropping into a dark, dangerous whisper. “Did you decide to play a game?” Jude swallowed hard. The truth was going to hurt her, but he could not lie anymore. Marcus made a bet with me, Jude confessed quietly.

He looked down at the concrete sidewalk. He bet that if I gave up my money, moved to a bad apartment, and worked a hard job, I could find a real honest girl. If I found someone who loved broke Jude, I would win the bet. If I quit, I would lose. Khloe’s mouth fell open. The angry color completely left her face.

She looked like she was going to be sick. A bet? Chloe repeated. The word sounded like poison coming out of her mouth. You made a bet with your rich friend. This whole thing was just a game to see if you could win. It started as a game, Jude said quickly, stepping forward again. But it did not stay a game, Chloe.

When I met you, everything changed. I fell in love with you. I love you so much. I wanted to tell you the truth a hundred times, but I was so scared you would walk away. You watched me cry, Chloe said. Her voice was not loud anymore. It was completely flat and cold. That was much scarier than her yelling.

You sat next to me on that bus, and you watched me cry over tiny silver coins. You watched me break my back dragging a heavy piano across the city because I could not afford a $20 taxi car. Chloe, I fixed the piano for you. Jude argued desperately. I stayed up all night and burned my hands for you. I proved that I care about you.

You played a trick on me, Chloe shouted, her anger exploding again. You thought it was fun to play poor, but being poor is not fun, Jude. It is terrifying. I was crying in the rain yesterday because my landlord was going to throw my bed onto the street. I told you I had to give up my grandfather’s music to go lift heavy boxes all night long.

My heart was totally broken and you just stood there hugging me knowing you had millions of dollars in your pocket the entire time. I was going to pay the landlord today. Jude yelled back feeling completely panicked. I was calling my bank this morning. I am going to buy your whole apartment building. I am going to buy the jazz club so they never knock it down.

I can buy you the biggest music studio in the world right now. I will fix everything with my money. Chloe looked at him with pure disgust. She shook her head slowly. Tears were pouring down her face, but she did not wipe them away. You still do not understand anything at all, Kloe said. Her voice was full of deep, heavy sadness.

You think you can just throw your giant piles of money at me to make me forget how cruel you are? You think money erases the lies? I just want to keep you safe, Jude pleaded. He felt his own eyes getting hot and wet. The great Julian Sterling was about to cry on a public street. I just want to give you the beautiful life you deserve.

I do not want your beautiful life, Khloe told him firmly. I wanted Jude. I wanted the grumpy guy who ate cheap hot dogs with me. I wanted the guy who offered me his coat in the freezing alley. I trusted that guy. I gave that guy my whole heart. But that guy is completely dead. He never even existed.

I am right here, Jude begged. He reached out to hold her face, but she slapped his giant hands away hard. Do not touch me with those hands, she warned him. She took a big step backward. You let me worry about buying food while you secretly owned the whole city. You used my real hard life as a fun vacation from your rich life.

You treated me like a totally stupid rat in your little science test. That is not true, Jude shouted. I learned how to be a better man because of you. Well, I am glad my terrible pain helped you learn a good lesson, Chloe said bitterly. But the lesson is over now. You got your answers.

You found out that not all women are greedy monsters. Jude could not find any more words. Every single thing she said was completely true. He had been selfish. He had used her real struggles to fix his own broken feelings. He looked at her beautiful crying face and knew he had ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. Tell your friend Marcus you won the giant bet, Kloe said.

She turned around to face the busy street. You won the game, Mr. Sterling. But you completely lost me. Chloe, please do not walk away,” Jude said. His voice broke into a loud sob. Please, I will do anything you want. I will give away all my money. I will go back to the red bus forever. Just tell me how to fix this. Chloe looked over her shoulder one last time.

Her brown eyes were totally empty of the warm, bright light he loved so much. You cannot fix a broken glass by throwing money at it, Chloe said quietly. It just stays broken. Goodbye, Julian. She turned her back to him and started walking quickly down the crowded sidewalk. She did not look back. Jude stood completely frozen on the cold concrete.

People walked around him, bumping his broad shoulders, but he did not feel them. He watched her green coat get smaller and smaller until she disappeared completely into the sea of people. He was standing outside the biggest, most expensive building in Chicago. His name was on the top of the tower. He had more money than the king of a country.

He had beaten his bad ex-girlfriend. He had won the giant bet with Marcus. He had proven his point. But as he stood there in his $5,000 suit, Julian Sterling felt poorer than he had ever felt in his entire life. He dropped his face into his large hands and cried right there on the street. He had everything in the world and it meant absolutely nothing because the only thing he really wanted had just walked out of his life forever.

Three whole weeks passed by very slowly. For 21 days, Julian Sterling sat inside his giant glass house in the sky. The huge room was perfectly quiet and perfectly clean, but it felt completely empty. He had fired the greedy lawyers who tried to buy the jazz club. He used his giant mountain of money to buy the blue note club himself, but he did not keep it.

He signed a special heavy paper that gave the building to the city forever. Nobody could ever buy it, and nobody could ever bring a heavy bulldozer to knock it down. He also paid Khloe’s angry landlord for the next 5 years. He did all of this completely in secret so she would not know it was him. But fixing the old buildings did not fix his broken heart.

Jude called Khloe’s cheap plastic phone every single morning and every single night. She never answered his calls. She never replied to his messages. The silence was heavier than a huge rock. He finally realized that using his bank account to solve her problems from far away was exactly why she was so angry in the first place. Throwing money from a safe distance was too easy.

It did not take any real courage. If he wanted to win her back, he had to do something that cost him his pride, completely out in the open where he could not hide behind his rich name. It was a very busy Saturday afternoon. The bright winter sun was finally shining and the city sidewalks were packed with people holding shopping bags.

Chloe was walking down a crowded street near her neighborhood. She was carrying her giant brown bag full of white music papers. She looked very tired. She was walking slowly with her head down, just trying to get home after a long day of teaching the loud children. Suddenly, a giant shadow fell over the sidewalk next to her. A huge bright red double-decker tourist bus pulled up right next to the curb.

It drove very slowly, matching her exact walking speed. The giant bus was completely empty. There were absolutely no tourists sitting on the top deck or the bottom deck. Chloe stopped walking. She looked up at the giant red bus. The front doors hissed open loudly. Sitting right in the big driver’s seat was Jude.

He was not wearing his expensive $5,000 blue suit. He was wearing the cheap, scratchy red uniform jacket. It was still way too tight across his massive chest, and the plastic buttons looked like they were going to pop right off. Jude picked up the heavy black microphone that was connected to the loudspeakers on the outside of the bus.

He pressed the thick button. His deep voice boomed out over the entire busy street. Attention everyone walking on the sidewalk. Jude said into the loud microphone. My name is Jude. Please keep walking if you are in a big hurry. But I need to say something very important to the beautiful girl in the green coat.

Chloe froze completely still. Dozens of people on the street stopped walking. They turned around and stared at the giant red bus. They looked at the giant man holding the microphone. And then they looked at Chloe standing completely alone on the concrete sidewalk. “For a very long time, I thought I was the smartest man in the entire world,” Jude said over the loudspeakers.

His voice echoed off the tall brick buildings. I built a giant company. I made billions of dollars. I thought having the most money meant I won the big game of life. I thought nobody could ever hurt me. But I was completely wrong. I was actually the poorest, most foolish man in this entire city. Chloe did not run away.

She stayed right on the sidewalk, her big brown eyes locked onto his face through the open bus door. I built giant heavy walls around my heart. Jude continued, gripping the black microphone tightly. I used my money as a giant shield. I was terrified of being hurt by greedy people, so I pushed everyone away. I became angry and cold.

Then I met a girl who carried a completely broken piano onto this exact same slow red bus. She had absolutely nothing. Her shoes had holes. Her landlord was terrible. And she carried a giant mountain of heavy debt on her small shoulders. But she still gave away her bright smile, her lunch food, and her beautiful music for totally free.

People in the crowd started to smile. A few people pulled out their phones to record a video, but Jude did not care who was watching him today. He only cared about the girl listening to him. She taught me that real wealth has absolutely nothing to do with bank accounts, Jude said, his voice dropping a little bit lower, but still booming over the street.

Real wealth is having a heart brave enough to care about other people when the world is completely hard and cruel. I lied to you, Chloe. I lied because I was a total coward. I was terrified that if you knew the real me, the angry guy hiding in a glass tower, you would walk away forever. I thought the broke bus conductor was a much better man than the billionaire, and he really was.

Chloe let out a long, shaky breath. The wind blew her dark curly hair across her face, but she did not move her hands to brush it away. You told me that money cannot fix a broken glass. Jude said into the microphone. You were completely right. I bought the jazz club. I put it in a special safe rule, so it is protected forever.

But I did not do that to buy your forgiveness. I did it because your grandfather’s music deserves to be heard forever, even if I never get the total honor of sitting in the dark corner to hear you sing it again. Jude put the heavy black microphone down. He stood up from the driver’s seat and walked down the short metal steps to the open doors.

He looked right down at her, not using the loudspeakers anymore. He spoke just loudly enough for her to hear him over the city wind. I do not want to be Julian Sterling anymore, Jude said softly, holding his giant hand out toward her. I just want to be the guy who carries your heavy keyboard. I just want to be the guy who listens to you sing.

No more secrets, no more bets, just me. Just Jude, please. Chloe, come on to the bus. The entire busy street went completely silent. Everyone was watching the girl in the green coat. Khloe looked at his giant open hand. She looked at his serious, terrified eyes. She saw the bright red burn mark still healing on his thick finger from the night he stayed awake to fix her piano.

He had given up his privacy, his pride, and his quiet life just to stand in front of the whole city and apologized to her. Slowly, a bright, beautiful smile broke across Khloe’s face. It was the exact same perfect smile that had warmed his freezing heart on his very first day working the terrible job. She stepped forward and grabbed his large hand.

He pulled her up the steep metal steps so fast she almost flew right into the air. He wrapped his massive arms around her waist, lifting her boots right off the metal floor. “You are completely crazy, angry bear,” Khloe whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around his wide neck. “I am only crazy for you,” Jude promised. He leaned down and kissed her.

It was a perfect, loving kiss. The big crowd of people on the sidewalk started clapping loudly and cheering. Jude did not hear them at all. He only felt Khloe holding him back. He finally put her down, closed the bus doors, and sat back in the driver’s seat. Khloe sat right next to him. Jude pressed the heavy gas pedal, and the bright red double-decker bus drove slowly down the street, carrying them toward a beautiful, shared future where love finally mattered much more than me.