In Memoriam - An AJR Fic (Everything Clicks - Book 2)

Finale (⟔⋖⅃⊡)

It was him.

I sniffled as I tried to piece my words together. "Why...Why did you take so long?"

Jack's eyes filled with tears as he failed to stifle a sob. Before I could stop them, my eyes were teary, too. And before I knew it, I had fallen into Jack's arms. I sobbed into his shoulder for what felt like hours. I didn't care if people stared. I should've stopped caring a long time ago. 

Somehow, he was here.

Somehow, Jack came back to us.

I felt Jack's grip loosen slightly as he pulled Adam in. We stood there holding onto each other, not caring about what anyone else thought of us or anything else in the world.

It was the happiest I've felt in months.

****

Jack decided to join us at our table; I wouldn't have wanted anything else. I was still adjusting to the sight of him. He was here. He was alive. All of these months of believing he was gone...it was all wrong. 

"Your glasses..." Jack noted. "They're still broken."

I smiled lightly. "We just...didn't have the money to get them replaced. I've had to ask for tape at nearly every hotel we've been to just to keep them alive a little longer."

Jack frowned. "...I'm sorry..."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault."

Jack shrugged.

Adam scoffed. "I'm just...how is this even fucking possible?"

"I thought both of you guys were gone," Jack stared out into the distance. "I was so...lonely."

"We thought we lost you," I returned.

Under the table, there was a shrill whining noise. It sounded like...a dog?

"Oh, yeah," Jack chuckled to himself. He patted his hand on his leg, and a fluffy, white and brown dog emerged to his side.

"This is Shay," He introduced. "I found her in the town across the lake from here. Shay, this is Adam and Ryan...my brothers." He smirked.

Adam and I each patted her on the head.

"You just...found a dog?" I asked

"Basically."

"...Care to explain?"

Jack looked at me with sarcastic anger. "I saw her in an alley. She looked hungry and scared, and she needed help. So...here we are."

"Now we have a dog?" I teased.

"Yes."

"Neat."

"But...back to the topic at hand," Jack continued. "This is just...baffling me."

"How did you find us?" I asked.

He shook his head. "That's the thing. I didn't. I came here completely by chance."

I took a breath. "That's even freakier."

Adam interjected. "Why don't you just...tell us everything?"

Jack cocked his head. "That could take a while."

"You have anywhere else to be?" I joked.

"Well, I do have to return a boat at some point."

"...A boat?"

"Yeah, a boat."

"Is this part of the story?"