California Gold

Chapter 14 // Paris

A/N // This chapter is short, but I wanted to give you guys a bit more fluff before we dive back into the drama!

Dawn light seeped in through the window, creeping up Ally's legs until her whole body was filled with warmth. With a soft moan, she reached out, but all that met her touch was cold, empty sheets. Abruptly, she sat up, whipping her head around the room. Had it all been a dream?

Finally, she saw him. Jack stood in the doorway, shirtless, arms folded as he studied her. Ally released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "I thought you'd left," she croaked.

Jack crossed the room and sat on the bed beside her. Auburn highlights glowed in the morning light, and flecks of gold shone in her eyes. He placed his hand against her cheek, and she rested her face against it, her eyes fluttering shut.

"What does this mean?"

Ally's eyes opened, and her eyes met his. Pain tainted his handsome face, and Ally pressed her lips against his.

"Ally..." Jack whispered.

"I love you," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him down on top of her. She kissed him again. "I've only ever love you."

They kissed for a long moment, and Ally tucked a strand of hair behind Jack's ear. "I want to start over. For real this time. I've been so busy being angry, I haven't taken the time to appreciate that you're here. You're alive. You're in my arms, breathing."

Ally caressed his face, and Jack's mouth contorted into a firm line. "I want to talk about last night."

A knot turned in Ally's stomach. "I know," she murmured, "but not right now. Please."

Jack looked her over, fury eating him alive whenever he saw the cut on her lip or the bruise on her cheek. He knew then that, for now, he needed to let it go. He squeezed her hip with one hand. "Well what do you wanna do instead?"

Ally grinned, leaning up so her nose touched his. "I might have an idea."

Her words were tantalizing, and Jack was unable to resist. "Oh, do you?" He slid his hand beneath her head and pulled her to him, kissing her firmly, pressing himself as close to her as he possibly could, but somehow he knew they could never be close enough to satiate his need for her.

xxx

A knock sounded at the door, startling Jack and Ally awake. "You expecting anybody?" Jack asked. Ally looked at him, wide-eyed and terrified, and shook her head. Jack pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she took off, hiding in the bathroom. Tentatively, Jack wrapped a blanket around his bare waist and made his way toward the door.

"Rez?"

"Um, hi," Rez stammered, caught off guard by Jack's state of undress. "Is... is Ally here?"

"Uh, yeah, um, she is."

"Ah good, good... It's good the two of you have, erm, reconnected, hopefully it reflects in the music video."

Jack's brows furrowed. "What?"

"You haven't been getting my emails? We've got a music video shoot- The End is going to be your last single before the album release, and we need a video for this one," Rez was flustered. "Filming begins in two hours- you are planning on attending, yes?"

"Yeah. Yeah! No, we'll be there, I must've just forgotten. Um, thanks Rez, we'll see you soon," Jack pressed the door shut and leaned against it, cursing. Of course, their first day reunited, and they were about to spend all of it at a music video shoot. "Al?" Jack called.

Ally creeped out of her hiding space. "Who was it?"

"Rez," Jack groaned, rubbing his beard. "We've got a shoot to get to."

xxx

The day was a whirlwind.

The production company had spared no expense when it came to this video- Jack and Ally had spent hours danced through the halls of the Palace of Versailles, dashed down vineyard rows, and now, as they stood atop the Eiffel Tower watching the city bustle in the brisk bite of dusk, he realized it hadn't been such a bad way to spend a day together after all. Ally stood in front of him, leaning against him, and he wrapped his arms around her, shrouding her in his jacket. A glass of wine was clutched between her hands, and she shivered as she put it to her lips.

"Almost done," Jack whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Not that today hasn't been fun, but I'm excited to get horizontal," Ally elbowed him gently, and he buried a kiss on her neck.

Ally's hair tickled his face, and he felt tears prickle his eyes. "I missed you so much, baby."

"I missed you more," she whispered, resting her head on his.

Ally was warm in Jack's embrace, and the wine only served to warm her further. She removed a hand from her glass and slid it down, feeling the familiar outline of the medicine pouch in her pocket.

It hadn't been what she'd anticipated. Being with Jack again had made her feel like a missing piece had fallen back into place. She wondered, then, why she still felt so empty. It had been months since she had felt so light, so full of love, so breathless yet steady. Life wasn't perfect, of course, but she'd always thought that once that hole was filled, she'd have no need for the little white pills that seemed to burn a hole in her pocket. Instead, she felt as if they had created a hole of her own, and she couldn't shake the memory of how good it felt to fill it.

"They did a good job covering the bruises," Jack murmured. "I feel like I need to see it, though. Promise me you'll wash your face when we get home?"

"Why?"

"As a reminder." Jack seemed to leave it at that, but Ally's eyes seemed to beg for clarification. "As a reminder of what happens when I fail you."

"Jack, you didn't-"

"I did," his voice was grave. "But I'm here now, and it won't happen again. Trust me."

Ally quieted, and sipped her wine. His hand stroked her cheek, but her hand was still buried deep in her pocket, eager for relief from an invisible suffering.