Crazy Love

For once in my life, the traffic I was currently in on my way to work wasn't homicide inducing, which meant today wouldn't be half bad in my opinion. It wasn't like the record store I worked in was the high light of the town, even if we were right off the freeway; the business was barely even scraping by. I pulled up into the familiar parking lot. Or at least, I tried. There was a sickening metal crunch and suddenly the back of my car was propelling the whole thing to the right in a donut. Fan-fucking-tastic.

The now smoking car skidded to a stop and I exited the vehicle, preparing to tear the moronic fool who hit me to pieces. I noticed that the car that had hit me was barely even scratched. My entire fucking bumper was ruined and there was no way that would be cheap to repair.

"Oh my god. Are you alright?" asked the man who had hit me as he looked at the damage he had caused to my car.

"No I'm far from fucking alright! Do you not see the smoking wreck that was my only means of transportation? What the hell were you doing?"

"I looked away from the road for a second!" He had finally looked up at me at that point. "Holy fuck," he said somewhat quietly.

"Your holy fuck should be pointed at the car you ruined, dude."

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

"Yes. You're the asshole who just wrecked my car."

"No, Lex."

Lex? No one had called me that since... no. There was no way in hell the man who stood in front of me was my lanky, awkward best friend who moved away with no thoughts of me in his head in the tenth grade.

"You can't be," I could barely whispered.

"Well look who caught on."

"Jason?"

"What? No. I'm his twin, Jack."

"He has a twin?"

"He never told you?"

"No. I had no idea."

"Well, he wasn't exactly proud of his bullied, loser of a brother, but yes. He has, or had, a twin."

"Had? You're standing in front of me. What do you mean had?"

"I mean, I, uhm. Jason's dead, Lex." I could see him trying to hold back tears, but he couldn't and a few rolled down his cheek.

"Oh. Oh god. I'm so sorry. I had no idea. No one told me."

"We tried, Alex. We couldn't track you down. Look, I am so sorry about your car. I'll call the cops."

"It's fine, no need for cops. Just let me call my insur- fuck."

"What?"

"My insurance company went out of business last month and I couldn't afford a new policy."

"I'll pay to fix your car. This is my fault after all."

"No, Jack."

"Look, before Jason, well, you know. He had a lot of money, earned and saved, and it was left to me. So please let me pay for the repairs."

"Jack, I can't."

"You can't pay, so let me. Please, Lex. I want to. Let me do this. And maybe, uhm, if you want, I could take you out to dinner?"

Did Jack Barakat just ask me out? Now that I thought about it, I did remember him. He was always so quiet, which was why he had faded in my memory. I had always thought Jason was attractive and before they moved, I told him I loved him and I had meant it. I didn't want to say yes to Jack because he was second best to Jason. I wanted to say yes because I was now intrigued by this boy. He was different from Jase in every way possible except for his looks.

“Okay. Thank you Jack.”

“Wait. Okay to what?”

“Both of your offers,” I replied with a small smile.

“Oh. Good. Uh, I assume you work here?”

“Yep.”

“Well, if it's cool with you, I can take your car to a friend of mine who's a mechanic and then I'll come back here to pick you up? When does you shift end?”

“It ends at seven. And that works, I guess. Thanks again, Jack.”

“Of course. I'll see you at seven?”

“Yeah. Sure. Try not to hit anything else, 'kay?” I said with a smile, regardless of everything that had just happened.

“I think I can manage,” he replied, getting in the car after winking at me. I felt my cheeks color, shocking myself. Something had awakened inside of me. Something I haven't felt since the day Jason left my life.

Yes, I know. Alex Gaskarth has gone seven years without dating anyone? Did he break a mirror and the bad luck is just now going away? To which I reply, I was really in love with Jason and no one had so much as caught my eye since he walked away. Until Jack. I know that's a bad thing. But he wasn't Jason. There was a blonde spot in his hair, he was more toned, and his smile was even more dazzling, which I had believed was impossible. How had I never paid attention to this beautiful boy?

My work day flew by which was shocking because there were only five costumers the entire time I was there. It was typical. Most days I hung out behind the counter and played guitar, learning all that I could from the books we had in the store.

No one had come in for about two hours, so I had decided to test out my voice with a few of my own chords I felt I had perfected.

“From the get-go I knew this was hard to hold
Like a crash the whole thing spun out of control
Oh, on a wire, we were dancing
Two kids no consequences
Pull the trigger, without thinking
There's only one way down this road

It was like a time bomb set into motion
We knew that we were destined to explode
And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage
You know I'm never gonna let you go
We're like a time bomb
Gonna lose it, let's defuse it
Baby, we're like a time bomb
But I need it
Wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're fucking amazing."

I jupmed about three feet in the air and turned to face a smiling Jack Barakat.

"Oh. I didn't hear you come in."

"You probably didn't hear the bell over your own great voice."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. You're extremely good, Lex. Does it bother you if I call you that?"

"No, you're fine. And thank you, but I don't think so."

"Well, I think you're fantastic. Your voice is something I could never get tired of," he said quietly, ducking his head then smiling up at me from under his fringe.

"Are you implying that this won't be the last time I see you, Jack?"

"Not if I have anything to do with it. Now, come on. I'm starving."

He dissapeared, heading towards the door. Alex put his guitar in the case, then followed the taller boy, locking up the shop in the proccess. He was out by his car, holding the door open for me. Something, I think it was my heart, fluttered inside of me. No one, I mean NO ONE, had ever done that for me.

"Close your mouth Lex. You'll catch flies."

I blushed upon realizing that my mouth, had in fact, been hanging open, but did as he asked.

We drove to a part of town I had never been in; it looked a little, uhm, shady.

"Jack where are we going?"

"Just trust me."

"Dude, I don't know. I mean, we technically just met this morning," I replied as he pulled into a parking lot in front of a completely unmarked brick building.

"I've known you for years. You never gave half a shit about me though..." he trailed off.

"Jack. I'm sorry.”

“Maybe sorry doesn't cut it, Alex.”

“Woah. Hold on. What's up?”

“You're a moron, Alex Gaskarth?”

“I'm sorry, what?”

“All those years you were so busy drooling over Jason, you never even noticed.”

“Noticed what? What are you talking about?”

“Alex!” he half whined, half yelled. “I loved you, Alex! All that fucking time you loved Jase, I loved you! I thought I was over it, too. Until I saw you this morning, I thought I was over you. But I'm not. I wish I was, because you don't love me. You never even knew I walked the same ground you did.”

“Jack, that isn't true. I just... forgot. I pushed everything I could possibly remember about Jason out of my mind when he left. I'm so sorry. I-”

“Shut up, Alex. You aren't sorry.”

“Yes I am! I never realized what an amazing person you are because I am a fool okay?”

“Whatever.”

“Please believe me, Jacky.”

He faltered at the nickname I had used.

“Let me prove it to you?”

“Hmph. How?”

I slid across the seat, closer to him.

“Alex?”

“Shut up, Jack.”

I took his face in both of my hands and looked right into his eyes.

“I am so so so sorry Jack. I should have never let you fade into the background like I did. I hope you can forgive me and I hope you won't freak out when I do this.”

Slowly, I leaned into him and kissed him with as much passion as I could. He didn't move at all.

“Jack,” I said, pulling away just a little. “Let it happen.”

I kissed him again and this time he responded, moving his lips softly on mine. I had planned on just kissing him briefly, but it was apparent that he had other plans. He tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth and I groaned a little. He giggled into the kiss before sliding his tongue into my mouth, quickly intensifying things.

“Jacky.”

“Hmm?”

“Not that I'm not enjoying this, because I am, but we're practically strangers still.”

“Then let's go eat, because that definitely needs to change and this definitely isn't over,” he said. He smirked and got out of the car. I followed him with swollen lips, a lifted spirit, and a seemingly permanent smile.

-Three Years Later-

I rolled over in bed to face a sleeping Jack. I smiled. He was so damn beautiful and by some small miracle, he was all mine. In fact, today was the three year anniversary of the day this asshole had hit my car. I never would have thought I was going to fall so deeply and crazily in love with him, but I did and these have been the most amazing years of my life.

I moved as slowly and quietly as possible and sat on his stomach.

“Mmmm.” he muttered as his eyes opened. “Why are you sitting on me?”

“Jaaaaacccckkkkk. You know what today is!”

“Today? Yeah, it's Thursday. That still doesn't explain why your fat self is on top of me.”

He doesn't know? No, he has to know.

“Could you please get off of me, baby? I'll go make us breakfast.”

“Uhm, okay.”

He left the room and I heard him go downstairs. Okay, what the fuck?! There was no way he was getting away with this. I got out of bed and descended the stairs. What greeted me at the bottom made all thoughts of anger vanish completely.

Jack was on one knee in front of me and there were hearts, flowers, and candles everywhere.

“Jacky,” I whispered, already tearing up and losing my composure.

“Alex, I love you more today than I did yesterday and tomorrow I will love you more than that. I never thought I would see you again after we moved away so long ago and it tore me up for so long. The day I hit your car at the record store was, as bad as I felt about it, more than I ever had expected. I didn't ever think you would say yes when I asked you out. When you kissed me that night, I knew I was absolutely still in love with you. My heart flutters every time I see you and whenever you touch me, it's the best feeling in the entire world. The first time we made love, I knew you were even more special than I had originally thought. I love you with every square inch of me, Alexander William Gaskarth and I want, no. I need you. Please be mine forever?”

I was fully crying now, and so was Jack. I ran to him and we collapsed against each other.

“Yesyesyesyesyes. A hundred million times, yes, Jack.”

I kissed him and we both smiled at the same time.

“I love you, Lexy.”

“I love you, too, Jack. Forever and always.”