An Unexpected Influx of Feelings

I just walked, unheeding of the shouts that followed me. I didn't know where I was going, and for once, I didn't care.

I wandered around the streets for about half an hour until I accidentally came upon a park. I went in, the iron gate squeaking in protest.

It was almost dark, making the park look more menacing than it did in daylight. I made my way to the swings and sat on one. I dragged my feet on the tarmac, pushing myself along.

My phone was going off. I looked at the caller ID. It was Jack. I sighed, unwilling to answer it. So instead, I let it ring, the noise loud in the otherwise silent park.

I didn't want to talk to Jack, not now, not when I was so vunerable to him. That was the problem, no matter what he said, it would always hurt me, whether he meant it to or not.

{---}

Eventually, about three hours later, I went back to the bus. I walked through the door and was attacked - quite literally - by Jack.

"Where were you?" He asked, while squeezing the life out of me.

"I - can't - breath..." I said, taking a deep breath after he'd let me go.

"Sorry," He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's just, I was worried, you know?"

He had been worried about me! My heart sung. But it was only because he was my best friend, nothing more.

{---}

That night I had a dream about Jack confessing his love for me and then proceeding to kiss me. When I woke up, I broke down in sobs, heartbroken that he would never feel the same way as I did about him.

"Alex?"

"J - Jack?" I whispered, my voice croaky from the crying.

"Are you crying?" Jack asked, being a caring friend.

That simple sentence had me breaking down again. He didn't know about my true feelings, and even if he did, he wouldn't return them.

"No?"

I heard him move and then my curtain was being jerked to the side, showing a dark outline of Jack. He sat down on my bunk, his neck bending in order for him to sit. I shuffled sideways towards the bunk wall.

"Don't shit with me. You are." He said quietly, his minty breath in my face.

I gulped, feeling overwhelmed but still aware of the burning hot tears running down my face.

His fingers stroked across my cheek, leaving a heat that had nothing to do with the tears. He was touching me! Maybe, just maybe, there was hope.

"Alex?" Jack whispered, so as to not wake anybody else up, "Are you going to tell me why you're crying?"

The truth was burning inside of me, bubbling in my stomach. I felt like I had to tell him, regardless of the consquences.

"It's - it's..." I wiped those cursed tears away with the back of my hand and continued, "I like you, as in I really like you. And it's killing me that you don't like me back, but that, that I can deal with. But what I can't deal with is the fact that, when you were drunk, I told you about my feelings for you, and the next morning, you laughed about it. Granted you didn't know it was crushing my heart, but still, it hurt."

Gathering the last of my courage, I looked up at him and gasped.

"You really feel like that Lex?" He said, blinking his brown eyes rapidly.

Shakily I nodded, "Yeah, I do."

He doesn't seem to hate me, in fact he used his nickname for me!

"That's - that's," Jack turned his face away, a blush staining his cheeks in the dim light of the streetlamp outside my bunk window, "Great! Fantastic! I mean, I'd never thought you'd feel the same way as I do."

"Wait, you like me?" I questioned.

He nodded hesitantly.

"Then why did you dance with those girls?"

"I didn't know you liked me, so I had to hide it." He explained.

I nodded before asking, "Jack? Why did you just laugh at me the other morning, after I'd confessed my love for you?"

"Because I had been drunk, so I'd thought it had just been a dream. I didn't know that your confession had actually happened. I'm sorry."

"Oh Jack." I said, grasping his hand with mine. Our fingers entwined naturally. I rubbed his gently, trying to convey the amount of love I felt for him.

Our faces were so close to each other, I could kiss him.

Quite suddenly, our lips were moving together in a slow dance. His lips were soft despite how they looked. After a few moments of pure bliss, we pulled away and looked at each other with startled eyes.

"Well... that was..."

"Amazing." Jack finished off my sentence.

"Yeah."

{---}

When Rian and Zack woke up the next morning, they found Jack and I cuddled up together on my bunk, his head on my chest.

"Hey, wake up!" Rian said, shaking my shoulder.

I cracked my eyes open, "Piss off Rian."

"Good morning to you as well!" He said, laughing, "Seems like you have found out that he loves you."

Looking down at Jack sleeping soundly on me, I smiled, "Yeah, I did."

"Wake him up." Zack said, smiling.

"I will do." I replied, watching them walk away, toward the kitchen.

I nugded his cheek with my nose, "Jack, wake up. It's time for breakfast."

"Food?" He mumbled sleepily, his eyes fluttering open.

I laughed, "Yes, Jack food. Come on."

Jack got up and pulled me up. Our palms touched, sending shivers up my spine in a pleasent way. He dragged me towards the kitchen, where I could smell pancakes. I hoped Rian was making them, his were the best. We entered the kitchen and Jack pulled me down on his lap when he sat down.

"Hey lovebirds." Zack said, digging into his pancakes.

I blushed furiously. Jack pecked me on the cheek before feeding me a forkful of pancake. I made an apprectiative noise and gave Rian a thumbs up.

"So good." I mumbled, leaning back into Jack's chest. I felt his finger slowly card through my hair.

This was worth everything I thought.