Thankful for You

She Made Me Change My Ways

“Favorite ice cream flavor?” Jack rested his elbow on the table and then leaned his chin into his palm. He stared at her, determined. She gazed unsteadily back.

“Cookie dough.” Ivory had already given up trying to read. Jack would only close the book on her every time she would open the book. She laced her fingers and placed her hands on top of the book. “Yours?”

“You can’t just say yours after I say a question. You have to come up with your own.” Jack huffed but of course he melted when he looked straight in her eyes. “Butter Pecan. What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Mostly classical, but I love jazz too.” Ivory bit her bottom as she tried to think of a question herself. “What’s your full name?”

Jack winced. “You have to promise not to laugh,” he warned and then gave a goofy grin as a small smile appeared on her lips. To be honest, he wouldn’t mind if she laughed at him, as long as he got to listen to it. “Jack Bassam Barakat.”

“Wow,” Ivory bit her bottom lip harder to try and keep the giggles from bubbling out. “That is a mouthful.” She stared down at her hands and felt the smile tug harder at her lips.

“I know. Don’t ask what my parents were thinking, cause I’m not so sure myself.” He chuckled and shook his head.

“Bassam Barakat,” Ivory repeated and this time she wasn’t able to keep the laughter in. “Does anyone call you Bara-kitty?” She tilted her head and Jack swore his stomach flipped.

“Alex uses that when he tries to reference that I’m a girl.” Jack shrugged. He was trying to pull back the extreme feelings he had for her. It wasn’t working that well though.

“What about Bassam?” She still couldn’t help the big smile.

“Nope, the few people who know my middle name are forbidden from using it.” Jack arched one eyebrow up and gave her a look.

“You do realize what that means.” Ivory wasn’t phased by the look. This time Jack raised both eyebrows, “Now I have to call you Bassam, all the time.”

“You know,” Jack started, but then stopped. “I may just have to get used to that then.” There was one side of his mouth that rose higher than the other. Jack didn’t notice, but Ivory did. “Now my question,” he leaned a little more forward, anxiety coming from both bodies. “What’s your number?”

“Um,” Ivory stumbled with her thoughts at his sudden boast in confidence. He flirted a lot with her, but he usually wasn’t forward like this. It scared her a little.

“Or can I give you my number? Just in case you ever need anything,” Jack shrugged as he deflated from her lack of a response.

“Yeah,” she sighed with relief. The spotlight was taken off of her, for the time being, and she was ever so thankful for it. Ivory bent over and pulled her phone from her school bag, slowly handing it to Jack. She made sure not to touch his hand and he frowned as he noticed.

“You can text me too, if you’re ever bored.” He shrugged and smiled a little as he typed in his number and then Bassam as the name. “However,” Jack paused as he hit the green talk button and waited for his phone to vibrate in his pocket before he handed her hers back.“Since you get to call me Bassam, I need a new name for you. One only I get to use.”

“You already have that,” Ivory rolled her eyes and glanced at the screen. “Not even my folks call me Ivory.”

“Beautiful,” Jack muttered as he hit the save button on his phone.

“Yes, you’ve said my name is beautiful a few times.” Ivory rolled her eyes again and then reconnected them with his brown ones.

“You’re beautiful.” He grinned and held his phone up, showing her the screen. There was her number, and the name above it was Beautiful.

A soft smile fell into place as she stared at it.

♠ ♠ ♠

did you miss me and the wonderful Jack Attack?
xooxDee