There Will Be Rain

Isobelle

Walking hand in hand with Jack as we childishly skipped down the hallway, we were suddenly interrupted and made to stand frozen on the spot when my emerald eyes were subjected to my best friend running out of a hotel room, her mascara running horrendously down her placid face – she looked like she had seen a ghost.

Jack gripped my hand tighter as Jemma pushed past me, rubbing her eyes furiously as her mascara only irritated her brown eyes further as it mixed in with her tears. I called out for her, for her to give me some kind of response but I received none.

Alex soon ran out from the door Jemma had just left from, he searched the corridor desperately in sign of Jemma but when he saw us standing there with confused expression on our faces, he just sighed solemnly. He looked down at his shoes nervously, shuffling his feet before him.

“Which way did she go?”

Jack pointed behind his shoulder concerned at his best friends actions as I was about mine, Alex nodded in thanks before taking off down the corridor, holding onto his belt loop to stop his skinny jeans falling any lower and sprinting around the corner Jemma has just fled down.

“Dude aren’t you going to tell us what’s going on?!”

Jack shouted after Alex, his voice carrying in the empty space.

“Don’t even ask!”

Was Alex shouted response and I turned to look at Jack suspicion matching both of our expressions as we turned to look at one another, however our burning question was about to be answered. A familiar voice shouted from the hotel room both our best friends has just escaped from, as he stood in the entrance he held the girl I detested by her wrist.

“God damn it Tracy! You always have to fuck things up don’t you?!”

Gus spat at the pink streaked girl as she buried her head in embarrassment and shame, only shaking her head every now and then in objection to Gus’s angry statement. Upon seeing Tracy a million questions seemed to race through my mind and I instantly became aware she could see me at any minute, Jack sensed my change in attitude and pushed me behind him protectively – even though he didn’t need to, if anyone had a right to start a fight, it was me.

Jack held my hand tightly and reassuringly as he softly rubbed his thumb over mine, instantly calming me down with just his touch alone. I never told him how much of an affect he had over me, I hadn’t even told him I love him; Jack had slipped out an “I love her” in the argument from the hometown show with that bitch, but I don’t know whether he said that in the heat of the moment or whether it was just to get her to back off – we weren’t even official, I didn’t really know what we were.

“Oh come on Gus baby, we can go back to how it was!”

Tracy whined using her malicious blue eyes to plead the puppy dog look with Gus, he just scoffed sarcastically before slamming the hotel door in her face. Tracy angrily stamped her foot on the floor before she stormed off in direction of the elevator, luckily avoiding noticing Jack and I standing there. After she had gone I rubbed my hand along Jack’s arm making him turn around to face me, his deep chocolate orbs swirling with content as his face softened upon seeing me smile up at him.

“What?”

I asked self consciously as I brushed my black strands behind my ear as my cheeks flushed a violent red, he laughed half heartedly before shrugging to himself. Running his free hand through his dark hair he ruffled it slightly which in turn sent my heart racing.

“Nothing you’re just cute when you smile like that”

“Thanks Barakat”

We both smirked at one another before he placed his arm settling it around my waist as mine did the same, Jack placed a sweet lingering kiss to the side of my head and with that we both made our way out of the hotel in order to find the rest of our group.

--

I texted Jemma as soon as we stepped foot into the warm New York night air, we were currently stopping over in New York before moving on with the next dates and stops. I was worried about Jemma as we had obviously clicked onto and witnessed what had happened, I just couldn’t believe Gus would do that to her.

“She’s texted me they’re at a bar a few blocks from here”

I instructed as Jack flagged down a taxi and we jumped in instantly as I read off the address of the Bar to the taxi driver. The taxi pulled up in front of a modern bar about 20 minutes later, Jack handed him $10 before we both jumped out, both of us studying the bar skeptically pondering over the welfare and state of our friends inside.

Once inside I identified a dance floor dead centre in the middle and surrounding the outside were about 20 booths, the bar situated across the whole of one wall. Alex spotted us and waved us over a concerned expression etched on his worn out face, he obviously hadn’t slept for a while as he averted his brown eyes down to the girl slumped on the table next to him.

Jack and I ran over as I knew immediately that it was Jemma, Alex rubbing soothing circles on her back with his palm – I guess to calm her, to make sure she wasn’t sick everywhere.

“Shouldn’t we get her back to the hotel?”

Jack suggested just as worried as I was, his teddy bear eyes eyeing Jemma up in a brotherly way – the boys were all like my brothers except Jack of course. Alex shook his head slowly a small frown appearing on his lips.

“She won’t move, she refuses to go home. She says she’s fine”

“That’s because I am fine. God stop mothering me all of you!”

Jemma mumbled from her place on the table top, I sighed heavily at the state my best friend was in over a guy. Yes I knew she had fallen for Gus but it wasn’t like they were dating or something.

“Jemma lighten up it’s not like you were dating or anything was it?”

Zack drunkenly declared as I shook my head laughing as his drink tippled slightly out of his glass, landing on his black skinny jeans – Zack oblivious to the whole thing. At his comment Alex’s mouth shut tight in a firm line, while Jemma just grunted from the table before rolling her head to the one side, the side away from all of us.

“Oh my god! You two were totally dating weren’t you?”

“Yes Zack okay shut up”

“Maybe we should order her some coffee or water –“

Rian suggested his face scrunched up slightly as he ran his hand over his freshly cut, buzz cut. I laughed inwardly at Rian’s suggestion I had noticed when we went out he always seemed to keep to his limits, acting like a father to all of us and making sure we all got back safely. Alex nodded at Rian before his hand left Jemma’s back and he walked to the bar, only returning 5 minutes with a steaming mug of coffee – bit odd for a bar if you ask me to be serving coffee, but if Jemma needed it I wasn’t complaining.

--

“I’m just going to the toilet before we leave okay?”

“Yeah I’ll still be here”
Jack joked unraveling our hands so I could leave the booth; I hastily walked through the middle of the dance floor getting momentarily caught in crowd of party goers. Bringing my hands up to my chest my nose scrunched in disgust, the horrendous stench of alcohol hanging heavy in the air. Quickly I maneuvered my petite frame from out of the crowd and allowing myself to take in a clean intake of oxygen just outside the toilets.

As I came out of the loo I quickly checked my appearance in the mirror, my jet black at this point has curled slightly due to the humidity and my complexion appeared shiny from the rise in temperature in the bar. Deciding not to redo my whole makeup again I pulled a makeup wipe from my bag and wiped all the cosmetics off my face, staining the majority of the wipe black from my heavy eye shadow and eyeliner – my face was now completely neutral.

I walked out of the girls loo and was just about to approach the table we were at, I felt a hand wrap around my wrist, smiling to myself I turned around expecting to see Jack – oh how wrong I was. My emerald eyes swirled with pure anger and repulsion as they were subjected to the sweaty, slightly tipsy Oliver standing in front of me.

“Bella!”

“Don’t ever fucking call me that again, what the fuck are you doing here Oliver!”

I screamed at him as the list of profanities escaped my lips, tugging my hand from his grasp violently I looked over my shoulder towards our table, searching for Jack but he was nowhere in sight. Biting my lip, scared I turned back around to face my ex.

“I came to get you back!”

He shouted back like it was the most obvious thing for him to be doing, it fucking wasn’t I wanted nothing to do with him. Again I turned around searching the table for Jack but he was nowhere in sight, where the fuck was he? Desperately I tried to gain Alex, Zack’s or Rian’s attention but I was practically on the other side of the building and with my shortness I had no chance. Just behind me I could feel feet approaching, maybe someone would intervene, and maybe it was Jack? But before I could turn around I felt the footsteps fading, I didn’t even bother to turn around to see who it was, to call them for help.

“Ha! Don’t make me fucking laugh, you will never get me back Oliver. For the first time in my life I’m happy here, I’ve realized that you meant nothing to me, you never loved me and I don’t think that I ever did either. After I found you with…her, I thought I’d never find love again –“

I gulped down the dry lump in my throat that had formed, avoiding Oliver’s glare I stared down at the floor that was shiny with brightly colored patterns from the lighting equipment. Over the past 2 months I had been with Jack I was happily content, finally I could say that I knew I loved him – I truly felt like he would be the only person I could ever love, which was astounding to me at least considering I thought I was “in love” with Oliver. However with Jack everything was different than what it was with Oliver, Jack put me as his first priority and constantly made sure I was happy – I didn’t have to be anyone different around Jack, he accepted me for my childish self and I did the same in return. Jack was the only ever person of the opposite sex that I could actually spill my secrets to, mainly about my parents and how they didn’t seem to care. Oliver never asked me stuff like that, let alone ask if I was okay.

Realization swept over me in a sudden wave and fear occupied every ounce of my body, my heart rate increasing and my stomach twisting into tight knots – the same feeling I got whenever Jack simply smiled at me. Looking up at Oliver stood before me, a guilty look on his face as my emerald eyes widened in shock. I love Jack Barakat. As the unspoken thought registered in my mind, that was when the fear kicked in, yes I might love Jack but what if I willingly told him that and I gave him everything; because trust me I would, he was the first person I could honestly think this about. What about if I was just a bit of fun for him, I mean he never asked me to be his girlfriend and even if he did want me to be his girlfriend what’s to say 3 months down the line he wouldn’t get bored? Find someone else who was prettier or smarter or more mature than I?

Shaking my head in an attempt to shake the pessimistic thoughts from my mind, I blamed one only thing for these so called insecurities I had when contemplating new relationships – he was stood right in front of me. Anger raged behind my emerald orbs as I clenched my fist slightly to stop tearing the living day lights out of Oliver, he had no idea the damage he had caused and I’d be damned if I’d let him affect anything me and Jack, may or may not have.

“But I met this amazing person Oliver, Jack. You might have heard of me talking about him at some point during our time together, he’s in All Time Low. You want to know the truth?”

Oliver looked like a deer trapped in car headlights as his head snapped up to meet my eyes, his dark brown side fringe flicking to one side in a dramatic fashion before he smoothed it back over his left eye. He mouth kept firmly shut as he nodded as a signal for me to carry on, I’d probably embarrassed him enough in front of the little crowd that wasn’t so subtly, listening in.

“I realized after being with you and then being with him, that I didn’t love you. What we had was probably teenage lust, but with Jack I have all that plus the feeling of love. God Oliver I love Jack! And the worse thing is that he will probably never even get to know that because I’m too damn insecure because of you! Because of you cheating on me and leaving me with the fear that it will happen all over again, and I know Jack would never do that! But you planted that seed in my head and now I’m afraid to let Jack in all thanks to you –“

“I’m sorry Isobelle I never meant to –“

“Save it…I’ve had enough listening to your apologies and excuses just leave go back to England and never see me again okay?”

I demanded both of us not daring to connect with each other in any way, the awkward tension separating the two of us becoming thicker with each passing second

“Fine”

As soon as this confrontation had begun Oliver had left, straight out the door and hopefully out of my life for good – I didn’t need reminding of him. Letting a lot of pent up anger and thoughts leave my mind in one built up breath, I was about to go back to the table when I felt a pair of skinny arms wrap around my waist, squeezing me gently. My breath hitched in my throat at the familiarity of who it was, they placed a soft kiss to my exposed shoulder blade and I leant my head back against their chest.

“How long have you been behind me?”

I questioned him as my anxiety levels escalated, I knew in my heart that he had probably been there for the whole thing – however as I shut my eyes tightly and wrapped my arms over his own, intertwining our finger, I silently prayed he’d prove me wrong.

“Long enough”

Letting my arms fall from his I rubbed my hands over my clear face in desperation, I didn’t need Jack to hear my declaration of love because I was pretty sure he’d reject me. Losing Oliver I could handle but losing Jack, the thought alone was eating me up on the inside. Shut it Isobelle, you can’t even call him your own! My chest tightened and my breathing became sharp, little to my knowledge – I was too busy studying Jack’s face to gauge his reaction. Searching behind his deep brown eyes I tried my best to find a hint, anything that would tell me what he was thinking – nothing.

“Listen Jack I –“

Turning around I began my sentence ready to explain how I didn’t really know what I was saying, it was a heat of the moment thing. When in all truthfulness I knew exactly what I was saying, I just didn’t mean for Jack to hear it. Staring intently into my green eyes as they mirrored in his brown, he listened to me begin my sentence but I was stopped midway when his soft lips came crashing down on mine, his tongue gently teasing me as I whimpered. Smiling into the kiss, he eventually stopped teasing me and let me allow him entrance as our tongue’s danced passionately together. Eventually after what seemed like forever but in reality was a minute at least, he broke the kiss fluttering his eyes open to see the pout evident on my lips, laughing he pecked my lips gently, making my pout be replacing by a huge grin.

“So I take it you’re not mad?”

Jack knitted his bushy brows together instantly upon hearing the question escape my lips.

“Why the hell would I be mad at you?”

This was it here goes nothing, sucking in a huge breath I held it for a few second fiddling with my fingers nervously.

“Because I just said I loved you to my ex and that I never loved anyone before, until I met you. Jack you’re the only one I think I’ve ever felt love with, if that makes sense? And I know I’m being stupid because we aren’t really official exactly are we and um yeah it tends to freak a lot of guys out. Plus I am frightened you’ll end up doing what Oliver did, which I know you won’t, but he left me just like that. You should be mad at me for even thinking it about you, I just urgh, I’m rambling, I’m a paranoid insecure piece of fuck –“

Drawing in another intake of oxygen I prepared to ramble my way through this for the second time, Jack just stared at me seriously through the whole thing simply raising an animated brow every now and then, so just as I was about to continue I was shocked when a long boney finger was placed gently against my lips. Astonished I crossed my arms across my chest and I huffed in annoyance, he always seemed to stop my rants – whether they needed to be stopped or not.

“Iz just stop for one second okay?”

I nodded my head in response, not saying a word as his finger still lay placed upon my lips and my uneven breathing, due to Jack, had eventually made him remove his finger. Jack hung his head down low ruffling the top of his head as he thought to himself for a moment – nervous wasn’t even the word I was looking for at this moment. Jack stopping his hair ruffling, cautiously he took one small step towards me (which for Jack was a damn small step) and closed the gap between us, his breath tickling my lips ever so and blowing my black strands from around my face with every exhale.

“Isobelle I have never been in a proper relationship, you know that! I told you as much on our tour bus roof that night remember? I said I never had time to even start a relationship let alone stay in it for long enough. Girls get bored and frustrated with my timetable…that was until I met you. When I met you I knew instantly I liked you, not just physically but emotionally too, when I found out you had a boyfriend I was gutted. When I found out he cheated on you, I was fuming I wanted to punch him right now when he turned up here. I couldn’t believe someone would ever even think of cheating on you, because honestly? Honestly you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. You think you have things to worry about, fear about…try being me. Coming over to get you and seeing Oliver here with you, trying to win you back! I nearly gave up on us all together. I thought to myself why would she want to be with someone like me who disappeared around the world 80% of the time, when you could have Oliver and settle and have a family – everything I could only dream about”

That overwhelming feeling of tightness formed in the pit of my stomach, my whole body felt heavy, the lump in throat returning just as worse as last time and desperately I swallowed on reflex to try and hold back tears that were forming in the corners of my emerald eyes, my vision becoming slowly distorted as built up water flooded my pupils. How I thought Jack could think so lowly of himself was beyond me, lovingly I reached out for his hands lacing them with my own, I gave them a reassuring squeeze; Jack looked at me sheepishly playing with our hands subconsciously as he swung them slightly, he gulped down the lump in this throat – I knew this because his Adam’s apple fell down before travelling back up. It upset me; I didn’t know Jack felt like this because in my eyes – he was perfect for me.

“It was when I heard you tell Oliver that you loved me did I realize that I want you to be mine for as long as possible, I don’t know if we will be together forever – I don’t know what the future holds. However the one thing I do know is that I should have said this from the beginning. Isobelle Lucy Green I love you and if you would like to, I would like for you to be girlfriend…officially”

Without saying a word my immediate response was to jump into Jack’s arm’s as he caught me off guard, placing kisses to his neck, exposed collarbone and just under his ear. I felt the rumble of his chest as a content laugh rasped in this throat. Pulling back slightly to see Jack, his cheeks held by both of my hands, he continued to support my weight with his arms as my legs wrapped loosely around his waist.

“I’ll take that as a yes then?”

The only thing I could do was smile wide at his question; it was the affect Jack had on me. He just had to smile or say hello or press a kiss on my lips for me to act like a little girl, not a nineteen year old. I felt young around Jack, it was one of the long list of things we had in common, with Oliver I felt I had to act mature – which was so out of my comfort zone. With Jack I could have water fights, bake cookies, have pillow fights or simply watch Peter Pan all day – Jack made me feel like I didn’t have to grow up, because he didn’t want to either.

“What do you think?”

Smirking I bit down on his bottom lip as a throaty moan escaped his lips, he still held me up and used his groan to explore inside his mouth, surprising him. We continued with our heated make out at the side of the dance floor before it was so rudely, maybe? Interrupted

“Thank fucking finally! It’s official”

Alex and Zack shouted before bro fisting each other and walked out of the bar, I laughed at their behavior as I pulled away from Jack as we both rolled our eyes at Zack and Alex. Jack dropped me down and took my hand in his as we helped Rian with Jemma; while Alex and Zack stumbled into the cab Flyzik had waiting for us. I observed the scene on the taxi ride back to the hotel, Jemma had fallen asleep on Alex’s lap, Zack had passed out and the side of Rian’s face was stuck to the cold taxi window as he dozed off. Jack kissed the side of my temple wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close, the warmth of his body instantly making me feel content. Sighing happily I let my head rest on his chest, tracing my finger over his Jack Skellington tattoo that was exposed by his V neck, soon I felt my eyelids felt heavy and I let myself fall into a peaceful slumber.