Lyrical Love Letter

“Jonnie let me in!” Zack had been leaning against the guest room door to the Dawson house for twenty minutes. He’d decided that even if she never let him in he still wouldn’t leave, if the closest he could be to comforting her was outside this door than that was where he would be.

”Just go away Zack! I just want to be alone, what part of that don’t you get?!”

“The part where your voice is cracking and a pitch higher than usual.” He stated bluntly, his head resting against the white painted oak door tiredly. “Please, J, please just let me in.”

It was silent on the other end, Jonnie found herself too exhausted to fight him but she also wasn’t quite ready to let him in the way he wanted either. If he was here and fighting so adamantly to get into her room than that meant Declan had shared the most privy of information pertaining to her life; and that meant Zack wanted to talk.

“I don’t want to talk about him Zack,” She mumbled and found herself surprised to find he had heard her.

“I didn’t come here to force you to talk about him, I came here to be with you because I can’t stand being at Alex’s right now and going home just isn’t where I want to be right now.”

Jonnie closed her eyes tired, she hadn’t slept in 2 days, and while she considered herself more nocturnal than not, the lack of sleep was beginning to get to her. Her legs were threatening to give out beneath her at any moment, her eyes actually hurting from tiredness, her heart yearning just to be held.

She shuffled toward the door, unable to make her dead feet move any faster. She unlocked the brass knob and came face to face with her favorite pair of hazel eyes. He wrapped his arms around her instantly and her arms found their way to the back of his neck. She rested her head against his chest tiredly, unable to find it within her to move another inch.

As though he’d heard the thought, Zack lifted her into his arms bridle style and carried her quietly toward her bed, placing her upon it. He made to move away but Jonnie silently refused to let him leave her, her arms staying locked around his neck. He smiled quietly at her before slipping into bed beside her, the couple just staring into each other’s eyes tired, both of them too exhausted to say or do anything.

Zack lightly traced the outline of her face, his hand crooking under her chin.

“Just tell me you’ll be alright,” He requested quietly, his concentration lost in her aquamarine orbs.

Jonnie closed her eyes and sighed; This moment was the closest she felt she’d ever get to feeling content and okay. Zack wasn’t asking her to be okay now, to be strong now, to be one less person he wouldn’t have to worry about. He was letting her know it was okay not to be okay, it was okay to be a little bit broken, be that much more jaded.

“Yeah,” She murmured biting her lower lip as her thumb traced his absently. “I will be.”

The couple lie there, drinking in each others presents and willing themselves to relax as much as they could giving the circumstances. Zack became Jonnie’s rock—her sanity, while Jonnie made Zack stronger in her own way; Jonnie needed strength and Zack could be strong, right now he couldn’t help Alex but maybe here and now he could help Jonnie.