(4) Out of Control: An All Time Low FanFiction Romance

Chapter 71: Date

        I covered my mouth while chewing, barking out an obnoxious laugh and shaking my head at Jack's story. He was seated across a small table, looking at me with an excited expression and grin.

        "I'm not kidding, the cops had no idea what the hell to do when they pulled us over and Alex was naked in the driver's seat," he said, taking another piece of raviolo off his plate and taking a bite.

        My eyes brimmed with tears, wiping under them and letting out a breath through the fit of giggles. "That's hilarious."

        It didn't seem so difficult then, to be with Jack alone in a restaurant together. I thought maybe I was starting to understand why he wanted to in the first place. It was -- and I coudln't believe I'd ever say it -- fun. It was actually sort of nice to talk to one another -- in a strange way I hadn't felt before.

        "You know, in all the months I've know you, I don't think I've ever seen you laugh so hard," he mused, head cocking to the side and elbows now resting on the table. "Why's that?"

        I coughed once, meeting his dark eyes in the dimly lit room. It was well past nine o'clock at that point, way later than I thought we were going to be. There was always this damn intensity in his stare when he was being more serious about something, or anything for that matter. I wasn't sure how to take it because it made me feel uncomfortable all the time.

        "It's because you're just so fucking funny," I said sarcastically, smiling in my direction.

        Sarcasm always felt like the best option for me. It was such an easy way out of a conversation or any situation. I didn't want to talk to Jack about things revolving around me; I wasn't used to it and I wasn't sure I ever would be.

        "Way to dodge the question Love," he taunted, eyebrows raising slightly.

        I looked down at my half-empty plate with steak and mashed potatoes, biting my lip. "I laugh all the time actually."

        "For some odd reason," he pause, mouth twitching up in the corners. "I don't believe you."

        "That's interesting," I pondered before moving my fork to my food and picking up a piece of meat and popping into my mouth. "I feel like I should be concerned you notice so much about the way I act."

        "I pay attention to the little things," he said simply, and I smirked.

        "That seems like the first stages of becoming a stalker," I commented, moving my foot forward to wrap around his under the table. He didn't seem to mind when I raised my ankle to his calf, a smile spreading across his mouth.

        "I prefer the word infatuation, it's much less creepy," he continued, shifting his foot to rub up the side of my own leg. I tried to ignore the goose bumps that erupted across my skin at the touch.

        "Oh yeah, way better," I laughed, leaning my eblow on the table and placed my chin in my hand. There was a small pause between us, Jack resting his hand on the table lightly. I reached forward with my free hand, nails running up and down his arm. "So, how am I doing so far? Is this a relationship worthy date?"

        "You're learning quickly, young grasshopper," he responded in an awful fake accent. I rolled my eyes, focusing my attention on the bumps that rose on the top of his arms.

        "Am I going to get lucky tonight?" I continued to taunt, looking up to wink at him. He chuckled, flipping his dark hair out of his eyes.

        "You need the golden ticket to get into this chocolate factory, Nat. I don't just give myself to anyone."

        I realized how much I liked the way we communicated with one another. Jack's sense of humor was so similar to mine, we fed off each other's comments without pausing. It made me feel at ease, that we were always on the same page. Or at least we were for the majority of the time.

        I ran my tongue over my lip lightly, chewing on the side with my head cocked slightly. My nails slowed on his skin, the tips barely touching the veins I had been tracing previously. His hand twitched under my air-like touch, eyes narrowing while he focused on my mouth. I laughed softly, raising my eyebrows at him with a closed mouth smile.

        It was always so easy for me to see the lust in any guy's eyes. It was always like a flashing sign when I looked at Jack's coffee-like eyes.

        "What's your middle name?" he asked curiously, flipping his hand over to allow my nails to do the work on the underside of his forearms.

        It still amazes me, how fast he could flip from the gaze in his eyes to asking questions about my life. We had been making out in his living room for only a few minutes before when he started asking about my family. At first, I thought it was because I was boring him, but it was obvious he was having just as much fun by the way his mouth moved against my throat.

        "Grace," I answered, feeling that same awkward sensation rise into my stomach again.

        "Natalia Grace Rislove," he recited, nodding. "I like that, a lot."

        "Thanks, I guess," I murmured quietly, glancing past his face and to the back of the man's head behind him. My heart was beating faster, and I wasn't sure how to handle it.

        "You don't take compliments that don't have to do with your looks well," Jack observed, lifting up his hand t touch my palm as it passed over the tips of his fingers. I paused, looking at him once again and shaking my head.

        "That's not true," I said lowly.

        "Sure it is, every time I say anything nice, you always get quiet," he said simply, beaming in my direction. "It's sort of cute, actually."

        I rolled my eyes again, snorting lightly. "There go the stalker comments again," I whispered, and he laughed once again.

        He stood from his seat, retracting his hand and leaned over the small table. I almost didn't know what he was doing until his mouth began to move slowly against mine. I sighed softly against his lips, responding to his action willingly.

        It was only a second before he was pulling away, and settling back into his seat with a satisfied smirk on his face, eyes crinkling in the corners.

        "You'll learn to like the compliments someday, even if you think they are creepy."