Half of My Heart ✔️

20 | little white lie

I want to say something, to make the whole situation seem better, but I can't. And I honestly can't decipher why I didn't tell him about Levi when I willingly tell him about every other friend of mine.

"If I'd just known about him — if you'd told me beforehand that he was your friend — I wouldn't have had an issue with any of this." He crosses his arms, choosing his words carefully. I understand that frantically trying to explain myself after being caught in a suspicious act doesn't come across as very convincing.

Jack looks at the door for a second, making sure we're still alone before continuing. "It just seems like you're trying really hard to keep me in the dark about him."

"I know. And I wish it didn't all look as bad as it did when you came to my dorm," I whisper guiltily. "And then you two started arguing and it all just got so out of control, and it didn't even cross my mind to tell you about him coming."

Despite his own desolation, Jack notices my guilty expression and his own emotions soften toward me. He walks over and stands in front of me, placing his hand on the top of my thigh comfortingly. "Scar, I'm sorry I lost it the other day. I shouldn't have—"

I shake my head. "No, don't apologize. You deserved to be mad. I don't know why I lied about the skateboard or why I didn't even let you know that Levi existed," I say, feeling terrible. "And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that he was coming this week. That was a fucked-up thing for me to do."

He laughs lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "It was definitely a surprise," he says, trying to lighten the tone of the conversation for me even though he was fuming over Levi's presence earlier.

"Nothing is going on between us, I swear. I was just trying to help him, but I think I ruined Thanksgiving Break. I made you two hate each other," I say defeatedly. Jack smiles and moves his hand up to my cheek.

"Scar, I don't want you to worry about it. If it'll make you feel better, I'll try to be civil with him. I'm sorry for how I acted on Tuesday, but I believe you if you say he's just a friend," he promises. He gently holds my chin and tilts my head up to look at him. "But I need you to talk to me. I want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

"I know, I know. I need to work on my communication skills," I admit, connecting eyes with him. "Jack, I've never felt like this with anyone else, and I want us to work more than anything. But I'm sorry that I've been doing a shitty job at making that happen."

He smiles down at me. "You make it really hard to stay upset at you, you know that?" He says. I laugh, and he looks happy knowing that his attempts to lift my mood are working. "No more secrets, okay?"

I nod, looking at his slightly curved lips. "No more secrets," I repeat. I stare into his eyes and finally let myself feel the happiness of having him here with me. Of having his face mere inches from mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him against me, burying my face in his shoulder. I smile when Jack wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him. A hug has never felt so good.

"I'm really happy you're here," I whisper. "I missed you."

Jack pulls away just enough to kiss the tip of my nose. "It's only been three days."

I laugh quietly. "Three days too long."

I put my hands on his jaw and pull his face down to mine. It's our first kiss in a few days, and it feels like our first in forever. It's slow and calming, as if we're memorizing each other's lips again after being apart for that short time. It's a forgiving kiss, and I sink deeper into it to savor the taste of him once more.