Let The Walls Break Down

I haven’t heard from Jack since the party Friday night, and it’s now Wednesday. He won’t answer my texts or calls, and he hasn’t come by the store. I have half a mind to go to his house and ask him what the hell his problem is, but I have to work all week for Matt, who is on vacation. My days in the store have been spent waiting for Jack to walk in, or text me with some excuse. But it never happened. By the following Friday, I was getting fed up. What kind of friend just ignores the first person he met when he moved here for a week, with no explanation ?

I closed the shop early on Friday night so I could go to Jack’s. I pulled up to his house around five, and knocked on the door hard. His mother answered “Oh, hi Alex ! I wasn’t expecting you ! Jack is up in his room.” I thanked her and made my way upstairs. I pushed open the door she had directed me to, to see Jack sprawled out on his bed. He jumped up when he saw me, gesturing angrily. He went to get his board “What are you doing here ?!” “I came to see what your problem is,” I told him defensively. His attitude was really off-putting, he seemed so angry. “You slept with Tay when you knew she was drunk; you took advantage of her on purpose.” “What ?!” I exclaimed. “Listen, I don’t know WHAT she told you, but I did NOT, nor have I ever, slept with her ! I walked in on her making out with someone I didn’t know at like four AM, but that’s IT !” Jack looked skeptical “Are you sure ?” “Yes I’m sure ! I’m not some whore who just uses my friends ! God, Jack ! Is that really why you’ve been ignoring me ?” He looked down and nodded sheepishly. “Wow,” I shook my head and sat on the edge of his bed. “I’m sorry.” He wrote. I sighed, “It’s okay Jack.” I had missed him too much to do anything but accept his apology.

I stayed at Jack’s after that, and we just sat talking. “Hey Jack ? Do uh, do your parents know you’re…bi ?” He shook his head, “Nope. I’m not sure what they’d say, to be honest.” “I just wondered…” I trailed off, but on the inside, I was thinking about what they would think if we ever became a couple. Sometime during Jack’s period of absence from my life, I had realized my feelings for him. I could only hope that he felt the same.

Around eight o’clock, I requested we watch a movie. I picked out something scary, and he warned me about how easily he was spooked. We sat on the floor at the edge of his bed, backs leaning against it. The lights were off, and the tv was giving the room an eerie glow. Every time something scary happened, Jack leaned closer and closer. Forty-five minutes into the film, Jack was practically on my lap. On screen, something appeared in the window and the boy at my side jumped a foot in the air, then cuddled into my arm. He wrapped his hand around my bicep, holding on for dear life. He held up his board, which read “No homo.” I giggled, “It’s fine Jack.” It was fine because I liked it…now if only he could get a little bit closer. He cowered into my side, literally shaking. “Jackalope, do you want me to turn it off ?” I liked the movie and the sort-of cuddling but I felt bad. He shook his head, which was buried in my side. After a few minutes of peace, Jack peeked out at the screen and relaxed. But when the crazy old lady appeared again, he gave up and plopped into my lap. “Scared Jacky ?” I asked him sarcastically, trying to mask my nerves. “Mm-hmm.” He hummed. Jack had just made actual noise. I hugged him without thinking, “Awh, Jack you talked ! Well, sort of.” My heart started beating faster, and I couldn’t get my arms to let go. He settled against me, his head on my chest. The board now read “Is this okay ?” It was shaking, as if he was nervous as well. “Yea, it’s okay.” It was more than okay, really, but I didn’t want to scare him off and ruin the moment. We stayed like that for the duration of the movie, and my heart didn’t slow its beat the entire time.

Jack moved off my lap to turn on the light and take out the movie. It was already so late right now that I might as well just stay over. I guess Jack was thinking the same thing, because he turned to me with a faint blush. “Want to stay the night ?” I nodded, texting my mom quickly. He left the room to ask his own mother, and I tried to calm myself down. I was torn between making a move on Jack and just letting things happen. He came back in the room before I could make my decision, and he tripped on his own feet, phone flying out of his pocket in the process. We both bent down to pick it up at the same time, and our hands touched on the phone. I grabbed it and we stood in sync. We were facing each other, our bodies just a mere inch apart. He was slightly taller than me, which put my eye level right on his lips. My gaze lingered too long there, and then flickered up to meet his eyes. They bored into mine, and the air seemed to spark with the tension of the moment. “Uh, here.” I handed him the phone, my voice soft. We both stepped back a bit, wondering what had just happened. It was obvious to both of us that the encounter had lasted too long to be ‘just friends’. He cleared his throat awkwardly, another sound that he had never made before today.

We both never got too close after that, instead busying ourselves with getting ready to settle down for the night. Around midnight, we both sat in the dark talking. Well communicating anyway. He had opted to sleep on the floor by me and we were seated on various blankets and pillows, just pondering life. To say I was glad to be here tonight with Jack would be an understatement.

My lips pressed against Jack’s, softly at first and then more forcefully. He tugged at my hair, and I ended up on top of him. I was finally making out with Jack.

And then I woke up.