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

Chapter 72: Happy

        The end of May had come and gone, the temperature steadily rising as we moved further and further into June, into the days before summer officially started. We'd been in the studio for roughly a month and a half, and my relationship with Jack was still going strong, something that had become a big deal and a bit of a surprise to not only me, but everyone I knew.

        A couple days ago, I'd spent time on the phone with my parents, catching them up on how the recording was going. I hadn't told my mother about Jack, and when I did, I could have sworn she was on the verge of breaking out in tears. Kinsley had just flown out to California yesterday to spend a little less than two weeks with us, claiming it was because she wanted to celebrate my twenty-first birthday with me, but I knew it had more to do with seeing Xavier than anything. As close as we were, I knew she could mae-do without seeing me for months, but Xavier was a totally different story. She also knew that I didn't want to make a huge deal out of my birthday, but she certainly made it a priority to make sure everyone knew just when it was, including Jack.

        That had become the topic of our conversation that night, lying on Jack's couch after another full day at the studio. The television was on, a movie playing that I didn't know the name of because I had my back to the screen, my head turned into Jack's chest, my eyes closing as I slowly started falling asleep.

        My ankles were wrapped around Jack's calf, my right arm wrapped around Jack's torso, my left hand tucked under my head. Jack was in a similar position, his left arm around my waist, hand resting on my lower back, holding my body close to his in the small space of the couch. His chin was at the top of my head, words coming out softly as he started to talk, just barely above the sound of the television.

        "So, I heard a bit of interesting news today," Jack muttered, his breath blowing across the top of my head.

        "Hmm?" I murmured, fingers moving back and forth lightly against his side. One month ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead beside any guy, but I couldn't hide the fact or feeling that I was perfectly content lying next to Jack.

        "It appears that someone's birthday is next week and she neglected to tell me," he continued. I inhaled deeply at the statement, the smell of clean laundry and men's cologne drifting into my nose before I exhaled heavily.

        "It's not a big deal," I muttered. "Kinsley just likes to make a big deal out of everything." Jack chuckled before me, his chest rumbling against his own. I tilted my head back slightly, positioning myself now so I could see his face. His chocolate eyes were already on my face, studying me carefully. My brow creased as I looked back, a new thought popping into my head a moment later.

        "No," I said quickly, still tired, but more alert now. "No, no, no! Do not even think about getting me some cheesy, lame-ass birthday present!" I said firmly, emphasizing my words carefuly, glaring softly at Jack as he chuckled again, hand pushing against my back to press my chest to his. He moved us both, hands moving to my waist after he shifted our positions. He was lying on his back, his thin frame under me.

        "Why not?" he wondered, eyes shifted downwards to look at my face as I was lying on top of him. My left leg fell between his, m right betwen his left and the back of the couch. I bent my elbows, forearms resting gently along the length of his chest, finers moving across his collarbone. I turned my gaze to my finges, watching my fingers move across the edge of the collar of his t-shirt.

        "Because, I think it's a stupid idea. You don't need to get me anything," I tried to argue, but Jack could fight back just as well as I could.

        "Come on, Nat, as your boyfriend it's my job to buy you useless and senseless gifts whenever I get the opportunity," he grinned. A few weeks ago, I might have flinched at the titles, but it became as common as everything else I'd known in my life.

        "No," I said firmly. "No gifts."        

        "Whatever you say," Jack said, dragging out his words to a tune.

        "I'm serious," I frowned, stilling my hands, fingers curling around the edge of his t-shirt instead of tracing the collar.

        "I know."

        "So, no gifts, then?"

        "No, no gifts," Jack promised, still smiling widely at me. I grinned back, using my grip on his t-shirt to pull his head towards me, his lips closing around mine effortlessly. His hands slid form my waist, traveling down across my butt to my thighs and then back up, his fingers brushing the hem of my own t-shirt up slightly before his arms wrapped around my torso, holding my body tightly to his. My hands moved up across Jack's neck, fingers twisting through the hair around his ears.

        When Jack pulled away some time later, giving us both a moment to steady our breathing he reached towards my face with his hand, brushing a few stray strands of hair back behind my ear. I felt myself smiling at his stable gaze, eyes never leaving mine. I looked away after a moment, feeling my neck warm up slightly at his staring.

        "You know what else I know?" Jack asked, causing me to look at him, hands moving back away from his neck, palms resting flat on his chest.

        "Nothing?" I joked, raising my eyebrows at him with a smirk as he rolled his eyes at me.

        "Close, but not right," he laughed. I moved my arms, bending my elbows in and resting my hand on top of my right in the middle of Jack's chest before settling my chin down on the back of my hands. My body rose and fell with Jack's as he took slow, even breaths, in and out.

        "You've made it one month with me," he said quietly, fingers trailing around my face.

        "Really, it doesn't feel like it's been that long," I murmured, letting my head fall to the side, my cheek resting against my arm.        

        "Relationships fly by, especially when you're happy," Jack muttered. "Are you happy?"

        "Of course I am," I responded immediately, staring at him with an earnest expression. "I'm way happier than I even imagined I would be in a relationship."

        "That's a damn good thing to hear," Jack smiled, voice soft but happy as he continued to hold my gaze, even with my head tilted to the side, still feeling tired. I moved my head slightly in a nod, just once, before I let my eyes close, sighing happily, one agreeing word sounding lazily from my mouth.

        "Yeah."