Why Won't You Fall Into My Arms?

“We should go out somewhere,” Jack declared grandly.

“What are you talking about?” I looked at him as if he was crazy “it’s about to rain and we still don’t know what’s happened to everyone. It’s best if we just wait whatever it is out, preferably remaining somewhere warm with plenty of provisions.”

“You make it sound as if there’s going to be a monsoon,” he scoffed “is a little bit of rain the best excuse you could conjure up for staying in bed with me all day?”

“In case you haven’t noticed Adams, we’re already out of bed and I think it’s best if we don’t go out looking for trouble.”

“Well I want to go out. What better way to scope the area for other people than by going out exploring? Hey, maybe the whole town’s just hiding out down the supermarket. Maybe there was a big sale going on and they got caught up in the promise of cheap food?”

“Oh yes,” I humoured him “the entire town has spent the last day and night in our local supermarket. Gee those offers really must be unbelievable.”

“That’s the spirit sweetheart.”

I groaned and pulled myself up onto one of Jack’s marble counters “I was being sarcastic, Jack.”

“Or maybe you were just disguising your true feelings behind the lowest form of wit.”

I rolled my eyes and kicked my feet up, the soles of them pressing against cold granite. Jack’s kitchen alone was probably worth my entire home with its posh laminate finish and shiny looking fridge. I had risen to an empty bed that morning and found Jack darting excitedly around jabbering about leaving the house.

“Oh come on Soph, it would just be for a little while! I don’t like being cooped up in the house for long. I’m man, I need to go outside to breathe fresh air and do other manly things. Manly things which can’t be done indoors,” he turned those big blue eyes onto me. And I had to pull myself together before I melted into his cabinets.

“Don’t think that’ll work on me Jack. I know you, and those pretty eyes of yours, you can’t guilt me,” I shot back, thinking this war won.

In a second his head had snapped in my direction and an evil smile played at his lips. With that look I became painfully aware that I was still in his oversized baseball shirt and loose bed shorts. I slipped down from the counter to walk cautiously around him, turning to his fridge. I wasn’t really a picky girl when it came to food but I refused to eat anything that looked like it was centuries passed its sell-by date which, unfortunately, made up most of Jack’s fridges content.

When I next looked up from the suspicious food Jack was advancing at an alarming pace. I backed away only to feel the counter top pressing sharply into my back. He placed himself firmly in front of my body so there was no way of worming free.

“What’s the big idea?” I shot him my best do-you-want-to-die look.

“So you think I have pretty eyes?” he smirked and I realised my slip up.

“That isn’t what I said,” I denied firmly.

“Yes it is.”

“Prove it asshole.”

He narrowed his eyes dangerously before stooping his head sharply towards mine. We both stood at almost the same height thanks to my overactive growth hormone so I knew exactly what he planned to do. I knew but was powerless to stop it. Powerless.

I hated to admit it, but last night hadn’t been the exception I was hoping it would be. The wall between us was rebuilding itself slowly but it was still pitifully small. I felt vulnerable around Jack in ways that didn’t bear contemplating. I watched him teeter oh so closely to doing what I had been dreading for my entire life but there was nothing telling me to stop it. Just yesterday, I would have had him in a headlock before he’d even so much as touched me.

His face was so close to mine I could feel his breath tickling my bare shoulder where his shirt had slipped slightly. It tasted sweet on my lips and smelled like cinnamon. It was disgusting really how perfect Jack had to be.

“Pretty eyes, huh?” his lips moved tantalisingly slowly and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from them.

He leaned forward closer so all I could do was crane my neck away from him until it softly hit the cabinet. I could have told him to stop but words failed me. My heart was racing so fast it was a surprise I didn’t just pass out. It would have been a complicated kindness if I had.

Both of his hands raised up to press tightly against the cabinets either side of my head so Jack could lean himself against me without crushing my body.

“Say it Sophia” he licked his lips and met my eyes with a clouded look.

“Say what?” I mumbled mindlessly, his close proximity had robbed me of my brain.

“Tell me I have pretty eyes again,” he whispered, still getting nearer until the boundary was met. Any closer and his lips would most definitely be in contact with mine.

In the very back of my head was that obedient little Sophia screaming about how he was a jerk and how we hated him but she was muffled and quiet. The main part of my mind implored him to kiss me senseless. And that was the most shocking, sickening thing.

I had honestly never wanted anyone to kiss me before. Or, if I had, it wasn’t to the extent where it had my body paralysed with waiting. But this was Jack in question, not just some random guy. I hated Jack. I had to tell myself that I hated Jack Adams. God knows what would happen if I didn’t.

I closed my eyes briefly so Jack’s ridiculously beautiful face was blocked from view. In that moment, little obedient Sophia took control and led me back to sanity.

“Fuck off Adams,” I shoved him so forcefully he stumbled back a few feet. He looked hurt the briefest of seconds but that was quickly concealed under embarrassed laughter.

“So are we going out then? We can get some nicer food,” his smile was so hopeful and innocent you wouldn’t have linked it back to the same person who had just assaulted me. Or rather, who had just tried.

I rolled my eyes and eventually gave in at the promise of food.

“What shall I do about clothes?” I asked, mainly to myself. Jack’s excited and mischievous grin just made me shove him away again. “We’ll stop off at my house and I’ll grab some provisions. I can’t stay in these forever,” I brandished at his clothes which were practically hanging off of me.

“Hell, I don’t have any objections.”

We followed through with our half revised plan, me temporarily sporting Jack’s huge clothes, resembling a little boy playing dress up, as we left the sanctuary of his house. We strode in silence for a while, it was better with our thoughts than with mindless chatter.

I couldn’t understand where all of Jack’s friendliness had come from. And certainly not his flirtations. Sure, before he’d tried it on with a few innuendoes but never had he gone so far as to reach out and touch me. Especially not to lean down with the appearance of kissing me.

But if I really hated it so much why wasn’t I telling him so? If I really hated him so much then why did I want him to kiss me? In fact if I hated him so much why was I willing to go back to my house for provisions and not just for good?

“This is you,” Jack broke through my disturbing thoughts.

“How do you know where my house is?” I gazed at my home rising before us, looking particularly plain after Jack’s impressive abode. “Not been stalking me have you?”

He chuckled deeply “I’m not the one who does the stalking in my relationships.”

“Way to evade the question Jack” I called after me as I moved awkwardly in his big clothes up my path to the door. I still had my key, rusted with use, which I used hesitantly. I was worried and scared for a brief moment; I wanted to open the door to find my brother standing there. But then that was just as improbable as finding my parents standing there. I had to come to terms with the fact that this wasn’t going to be a 24 hour dilemma.

Bolting up the stairs past imagined ghosts, Jack made to follow me before I stopped him.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Up to your room,” he said casually.

“I don’t think so Romeo.”

“Why not? You’ve seen my room… slept in it even.”

“So what?”

“So I think that more than justifies me entering your room.”

“Well think again, you stay here,” I pointed to the landing where he sulkily stood obediently.

After a few minutes of grabbing important looking belongings and stashing them into a huge bag, I thrust Jack’s clothes back into his arms. I didn’t want to linger there for long. It made the fact that everyone else was missing so much more palpable.

“Nice,” he commented, instantly perking up now he wasn’t alone. Or it could have been that I was wearing clothes for females now.

“So where did you plan on us heading?” I queried after slamming the door accidently behind us. He eyed it in amusement before offering to help with my bag. I was struggling with the heavy load but just gazed at him in amazement when he offered.

“I can be a gentleman,” he defended at my doubtful expression.

“I have yet to see that side of you Jack.”

“Well you can see it now,” he stretched out an arm to take my bag and I happily obliged. It was too bad for Jack that the bag weighed a lot more than it looked…

It took me a few minutes to realise he’d completed evaded my questioned about where we were actually going. He seemed to be good at evading.

“Excuse me,” I poked him “where are you taking me?”

He smiled devilishly but didn’t reply. I kept up the poking though until he finally caved.

“We’re going to the camping shop next to the supermarket.”

I blinked in surprise and then in disappointment. Of course we would be going somewhere as exciting as school.

“Why on earth are we going to the camping shop? I hate camping and we have a perfectly good house to stay in.”

“Oh God Sophia, stop whinging for a minute. It’s still a surprise.”

Sighing heavily, I stalked along beside him only to catch his devious glances every now and then aimed at my body. No matter how much of a gentleman Jack Adams was trying to be, he couldn’t escape his true perverted nature.