ENCHANTED -'๑'- JACK HUGHES

fifty-two

☄. *. ⋆ TAKE ME BACK TO THE NIGHT WE MET
lord huron

JACK

IT FELT like my lungs robbed my ability to breathe as I stood before her, staring at her like some unseen force. But I didn't dare to draw my eyes away, it felt like I was dreaming and I truly didn't want to wake up.

"SJ." Her name left my lips, feeling the tingle spread as the nickname was all too familiar.

"Rowdy." Stella blinked, her brows pulling together as her expression simulated a pout. Rowdy. I was still seventeen year old Jack to her.

I glanced down, spotting her phone on the floor between us. We both bent down, our fingers brushing together as I felt the spark prick my skin. She cleared her throat and straightened her back, her shaky palms flattening out her dress as I stood, holding her phone out for her.

"Thanks." She muttered, taking it from me rather quickly as she slid it back into her purse. "Funny, huh?"

"What?" I asked, eyeing her carefully as I waited on-edge.

Stella chuckled softly. I hadn't realized how much a person could miss a sound. But, fuck, I missed her laugh almost as much as I missed her.

"We met like this." Stella shrugged, her smile slowly fading. "Sorry."

"Hey." I stepped closer to her, watching her tense as her perfume invaded my nostrils in the most delicate sense. "I know. I remember, SJ."

Stella nodded with a short hum as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, me too. I, uh, I'm waiting for Matt."

I widened my eyes slightly, pursuing my lips. "Oh, right. Are you guys, like, you know..."

"No. Uh, no." Stella shook her head quickly, an awkward laugh leaving her tinted lips. "We're just friends. It's actually nice. I've spent this whole time thinking he hated my guts."

I glanced over to the bar, my eyes finding Matt as he clutched a glass. He lifted it towards me slightly followed by a gesture of his towards Stella. His smirk accompanying his lips and as well as a wink that seemed to pump confidence into me.

"Matt has a good heart." I cleared my throat, straightening out my suit jacket. "I guess my ego just didn't want to admit that."

"Hm." Stella hummed, rolling her lips into her mouth. "It is pretty high."

I rolled my eyes, feeling the playfulness surrounding us. But it still didn't feel right to me, I had so much I wanted to say to her but now that she was in front of me, it felt as if I knew nothing.

"I, uh, I saw a few of your games." Stella admitted, the corners of her lips lifting into a small smile. "You know, on the TV and stuff. I forgot how much some of the foreign countries feign for hockey."

It brought me a sense of peace knowing in all of this time, she had been thinking about me. That I wasn't just going crazy over her, maybe she had been too.

"I appreciate that." I tipped my chin towards her. "Rookie year sucked, though. I've slowly found my pace now."

"I told you, you could do it." Stella croaked slightly, her complexion falling pale the longer she stared at me.

I scratched the back of my neck, blinking. "So, how was it? You know, traveling the world and stuff?"

"It was a dream." Stella gawked, lighting up. "I'm really happy that I went through with it. You would've loved it."

I couldn't help but smile at her. I wished I had come too, Stella.

"Yeah." I nodded, that awkwardness slowly creeping back. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

Stella glanced around before nodding hesitantly towards me. "Um, sure. Doesn't this place have a balcony?"

I held my hand out for her to take, watching her eyes dart between my extended hand and my eyes. She placed her hand in mine, and I found myself wanting to clutch on and to never let go. Control yourself, Jack.

Stella stuck relatively close to me, her chest pressing against my elbow as I led us through the scattered people, the backdoor opening as I shut it behind us. My eyes followed Stella as her back faced me, her hands delicately lying over the cobble of the ledge.

I stood beside her, leaning over as I pressed jt forearms to the ledge, matching her height. "It's so nice out."

Stella chuckled, her big eyes staring at the landscape of the venue. "I forgot how much I missed Plymouth summers."

"Yeah." I darted my tongue out to swipe across my lips. "I heard you didn't come last summer. Is that true?"

Stella nodded, her lips pressed into a flat line as she blinked. "Yeah, it is. I just...I was finally starting to get a grasp of my life again that coming back was the last thing I wanted to do. I thought, uh, I thought if I saw you again, it would just make things go back how they were for me."

The pit of guilt that I carried along like a cloud over my head seemed to grow in size as Stella confirmed every thought that roamed my head.

"I'm sorry, Stella." I apologized. Even if it wasn't enough, she still needed to hear it. I would be paying for it forever. "I'm so fucking sorry."

my sweeties