Time Bomb (All Time Low/Marianas Trench)

Chapter Nineteen

it is a little short, but here it is

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The Barakats were lovely people; Riley wasn't sure how to take the idea of Jack's mother inviting them for dinner at first, once they arrived things couldn't have been smoother. Any inkling of nerves or doubts that Riley had about the evening was squashed the second they walked in the door. Always helpful, Jack was more than willing to show Riley around and engage her in any conversation, keeping his PDA to a minimum, just because his mother suspected her son liked the girl didn't mean he had to prove her right.

Jack was in the kitchen with his mother, helping her clean up after dinner, it was the least he could do he so rarely insisted. Joyce knew it had everything to do with the pretty girl who sat at the dining room table chatting away with her husband. Bringing in the last few plates from dinner, Jack sat them down on the counter leaning next to them while his mother prepared the dirty dishes for the dish washer.

"Riley seems like a lovely girl." Joyce smirked and nudged her son. "Are you sure that she's only here because you took pity?"

"Mom, I agreed to let Riley come home with me because I know that I can help her. I've been where she is and it's not a good place."Jack said quietly handing his mother the empty plate to load into the dishwasher.

"Jack, are you sure you want to put this on yourself?" Joyce asked her eyes concerned as she watched her son.

Jack shrugged, shifting uneasily from one foot to the next. His mother worried too much, it was more or less her job, but Jack hated it. She would never doubt him, if it was something he truly believed he could do she'd only worry the entire time he did it. Bringing his self harm to an end hadn't been easy on Jack; he had managed with a lot of family support, a few therapist visits and a will to make himself a better person. He wanted to get better, Riley wanted to get better and he was going to help her.

"You worry too much." Jack grinned, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Riley's a nice girl, she just has some issues."

"I'm your mother; I'm supposed to worry about you." Joyce playfully hugged her youngest. "I'm also supposed to tell you when you are in over your head and when to brush your teeth."

Rolling his eyes, Jack chuckled. "I brush my teeth, almost, every night and I'm not in over my head."

"No, she's a very nice girl, but you have to make sure you're helping Riley because it is the right thing and not because you think she's pretty." Joyce reminded, closing the dishwasher door and turning it on.

"Riley doesn't think so." Jack replied with a soft sigh, running his hands through his perfectly styled mess of hair. "She has the worst self esteem of any girl I have ever met and I've met a lot of girls. I just wish she'd see what others can see."

Hugging her son tightly and kissing his cheek, Joyce smiled as Jack rolled his eyes. "Honey, keep working and I think you'll like the results."

His mother was right. Jack knew this, because naturally, most of the time his mother was always right. Jack didn't know how she did it; it had been something that baffled him since he was a little boy. There wasn't an issue in the world that his mom didn't have the answer or solution to. Maybe it just seemed that way, no Jack was sure she was always right. It didn't matter what the subject was or if she had experience or not, if his mom didn't have the answer she always found it.

It was rather on the late side when Jack and Riley finally left his parent's home. Their drive home was fairly silent except for the low volume of the radio. Annoyed with the silence, Jack grasped Riley's hand in his resting his arm on the center console.

"My parents seem to really like you." His voice broke the silence and drowned out the radio.

"Oh." Riley replied quietly, her hand still in Jack's. "They're really nice people, Jack. They don't have to like me if they don't want to. I won't be offended."

"What? No, they really like you. My mom thinks you're very nice and I can tell my dad likes you, he actually wanted to talk to you." Jack smirked.

In his years he had learned that if his father didn't like somebody, his conversation was forced, there was none of that with Riley.

"They're happy you're going to be with us over the holidays. My mom can't wait for you to meet Joe and May. They're going to like you too, I know it." Jack declared, turning his car into his driveway.

"It's not like I'm you girlfriend of something, when this is over I'm back home and they never have to see me again." Riley replied focusing on her feet.

"We could change that." Jack smiled, kissing her cheek and rocking their locked hands back and forth.

Did he just ask her to take this further?

Mentally, Jack slapped himself and hard! Just because he liked Riley, didn't mean Riley liked him in that way or any way for that matter. Why was he such an idiot? Now came the part where she laughed at him and then decided to never speak to him again, all because he got a bit ahead of himself.

"What I mean is, we could, you could...." Jack stammered as an amused Riley watched. "Forget I said anything." He hung his head playing with his car keys.

"Were you asking me to be your girlfriend, Jack?" Riley chuckled batting her eyelashes at him.

Swallowing the lump in his throat Jack only nodded.

"Uh, well." Riley continued.

This was crazy! Was Jack asking her this in all seriousness? Riley had no words to even begin describing what was going through her mind right now. Did Jack really want her to be his girlfriend? It was so childish, but the way he had said it was adorable and the look on his face had been priceless. Riley didn't deserve a guy half as great as Jack, but if he was offering she'd take it. Everybody deserved some good in life.

"You don't have to be really forget that I said anything. You probably don't want a guy like me anyway." Jack countered.

"If I were going to have a boyfriend, you're just the guy I'd want, Jack." Riley smiled kissing his cheek.

Dumbfounded, Jack tried to find his words, unable to do so a huge grin plastered his face. Laughing at his boyish and uncanny and rare shy behaviour, Riley tightened her grip on his hand. The last thing she needed right now was a boyfriend, not that she didn't want Jack. Oh she wanted Jack alright. Boyfriends never worked well for her, but Jack was Jack and unlike the past jerks she had dated, Jack wouldn't walk away or even think of giving up on her.

"Well, girlfriend, that went smoother than I thought." Jack joked kissing the tip of her nose and winking.