Object of Desire ; Eyeless Jack x Reader

Chapter 47

        We spent a few hours like that, just reading quietly. I peeked up from my book occasionally to stare at Jack but he was so concentrated on his book, he didn't even look back at me once. Somehow it bothered me. I wasn't sure what time it was but by the time I completely took my attention off my book, I noticed the sun was already about to set again. I knew we slept in quite a bit but I was still a bit shocked to see just how long we quietly sat next to each other like this, not even saying a single word. I put my book aside and looked at Jack, who still seemed invested in his book. However, as I was starting to stare at him longer again, he lifted up his head to meet my gaze. I expected him to give me a snarky comment about my staring like usual but surprisingly, he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his head to look out the window.

"I'll go out tonight and get some stuff." He said while turning back towards me. "Do you need anything?"

"Uh, I think I'm good." I thought about it for a bit, but nothing really came to my mind. Jack nodded before getting up and walking into the hallway. He came back with his mask in one hand and his scalpel in the other.

"I'll start walking in a bit then, when the sun went down a bit further." He placed his mask on the coffee table and stuffed his scalpel into the pocket of his hoodie before walking towards the kitchen and opening the fridge, probably to check his supplies of food. I watched him walk around the room and thought about last night again. We were really close but he also spent the entire day barely paying any attention to me. Even though it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward, I still felt a bit confused as to what he felt towards me. And I really didn't like that feeling. I wanted to know. I took a deep breath, trying to build up some courage before speaking up.

"Jack?" I called out to him. He didn't look up from the fridge as he just hummed a response, signaling that he heard me. "Can we talk for a second?" I timidly asked. Jack stopped rummaging around the fridge and turned towards me, looking at me with a confused expression.

"About what?"

"Uh-" I wasn't sure how to start a conversation like that. I never really had to before. I patted the space on the couch next to me. "Sit please?" Jack raised an eyebrow before closing the fridge and walking over to sit down next to me.

"What's up with you?" He slightly tilted his head at me. I stared at him for a bit, trying to figure out how to approach this conversation. Ultimately, I decided to just be direct. That was probably the best way to talk to him.

"How do you feel towards me?" I asked him, looking at him and trying to seem as confident as possible. Jack seemed taken aback for a moment. He then stared off into space, thinking about my question.

"I feel..." He thought for a few seconds before he continued. "...very indifferent towards people. I don't care much if they live or die. If they're happy or sad. However, I don't feel that indifference towards you. I'm surprised by how much influence you actually have on my emotions." He trailed off a bit at the end, staring off into space before fixing his gaze on me again. "I guess that's the best way to describe it." He then shrugged his shoulders and got up from the couch. "I'll be going now." He picked up his mask, pulling it over his face before throwing up his hood and stuffing all of his loose hair into the fabric of his hoodie until none of the brown strands were showing anymore. I stared after him as he left the house, closing the door behind him.

Well, that wasn't exactly the kind of answer I really wanted to hear. I felt conflicted for a bit, thinking about what he said. I suppose that was his way of saying he wants me alive and happy. He didn't exactly say the words but given that he was usually nothing but a sadistic, psychopathic killer, those were probably the nicest things he could really say about anyone. I started smiling slightly. Maybe that was exactly the answer I wanted from him after all. I was special to him. That was enough for me. Feeling happy to have a bit more closure about this topic, I returned to my book, waiting for Jack to return.

*~*

I seemed to have fallen asleep at some point during my wait. I woke up due to Jack shaking me lightly and repeatedly calling out my name. I opened my eyes and tried to fix my gaze on him. It was pretty dark in the room and my mind still felt groggy from my nap just now. I groaned and rubbed my eyes. "What do you want?" I asked with a still sleepy voice. Jack walked over to the standing lamp next to his armchair, turning on the light and causing me to squeeze my eyes shut momentarily.

"There's a problem." He said curtly, kneeling down next to the couch again and looking at me. He still had his mask on so I couldn't see his facial expression. I yawned.

"What do you mean?"

"I think we have to leave." He said in a serious tone. I looked at him in confusion, still trying to process what was happening.

"What? Leave where?" I asked again. Jack sighed.

"There are just police everywhere. They're almost surrounding the forest, patrolling all the streets. They're really up on my ass now. I mean, they already were for a while but right now it's really bad. It's not safe to stay here any longer. We need to leave, move away and find a new place far away." He explained. I stared at him blankly. Leave? Far away?

"But what about Alex?" I mumbled, more to myself. "I can't leave him easily like this."

"Staying here isn't really an option." His mask still covered his face but I could hear his voice change into an annoyed, maybe even jealous tone.

"But he's my best friend. He's like family to me." I looked down at my lap. I knew the police were after Jack and increasing all their safety measures lately. But I couldn't just leave everything behind. I at least wanted to see Alex again to make sure he was okay. Jack stood up, angrily taking a few steps away from me.

"You promised to stay with me." He said, crossing his arms. I gazed at him for a moment before returning to stare at my lap. I clenched my jaw in frustration. I knew I promised him that. But I just couldn't get Alex out of my mind. Jack sighed. "Alright. Fine. If you want to get back to him then go. I won't do anything to him or to you. Just go back to him. But I'll pack up my stuff and leave as soon as possible." With that Jack left the room to disappear into the hallway, leaving me alone in the living room. I looked after him in shock. He really made me choose between him and Alex? That was just cruel.

But did he really have a choice? I sighed. Jack was right. He had to leave. He didn't intend to make me feel bad by making me choose. He was trying to be nice. He wanted me to do what made me happy. He didn't want to force me to go with him. He gave me the option to stay with the people I loved. I felt like he just answered the question I asked him earlier once more. And he gave me the answer I wanted to hear once more. I rubbed my eyes. I was way too tired for decisions like that. But I didn't really have much time to contemplate.

Go back to live with Alex? Or come with Jack?