Seeing Jack's face through the crowd of festival-goers was like witnessing a doorway to Heaven opening and bathing the world in light. Your morning hadn't been what you had hoped, and getting to spend time with your new friend was a saving grace—something that had spurred you on when things had seemed bleak. It brought a smile to your lips as you waved in a bid to get his attention, calling out, 'Jack! Over here!'
His head snapped over to look at you, face breaking out into a grin, and he took several large strides over to where you were stood. When he was close enough, he gave you a quick hug before stepping away, hands burying themselves into the pockets of his waterproof jacket.
'Hey.'
'Hey.' You beamed. 'I didn't make you wait for too long, did I?'
He shook his head, saying, 'I only got here a few minutes ago, don't worry about it. So, what's the plan?'
'Well,' you began, fiddling with your phone case, 'I was thinking of just having a walk on the beach front? It's probably a lot quieter there. Is that alright with you?'
'Sure. I've got a brolly for if it rains.'
'I have a hood.' You pulled up the hood of your coat, watching it flop over your eyes. 'See?'
Chuckling, Jack moved the hood up so it sat just right, his fingers brushing against your forehead as he sat the hood above your eyebrows, only for it to fall right back over your eyes, obscuring your vision of Jack's frown. It was only when he moved the hood again, finding the spot that kept it firmly in place, that you saw the look on his face.
It was the sort of look you would expect to see on a caring partner, who was concerned about their beloved catching a cold from the rain, or worried about them tripping with the limited vision that came with an oversized hood. It was the type of look you would expect Socks to give you, not a friend—yet all the same, it made you feel just as warm as what you assumed a gesture from a truly romantic relationship would make you feel.
You didn't shake the thoughts out of your head.
'Thanks,' you said. 'That thing's been bothering me for ages.'
'No problem. Wanna get going?'
You nodded, humming in agreement of his proposal. Linking his arm with yours, you held back the laughter that bubbled up inside your chest upon seeing what a state you had put Jack in with such a simple thing.
<><><>
The beachfront was practically deserted.
A fine, yet overpowering fog had rolled in over the water, bringing a cold chill with it that made your eyes water at first. The dark, overcast sky threatened rain and storms, but it didn't deter you from having a nice fucking time.
'So,' Jack began, 'what kind of party are we going to?'
'From what I've been told, it's a semi-formal dress code in a hall the boss is renting out for the night. If I remember rightly, Annalise said that there's an open bar, so I'm pretty sure a lot of people are going to drink for the sake of drinking.'
'Semi-formal and full of drunkards. Got it.' He nodded with faux-seriousness. 'If anything happens, I'll protect you with my fancy clothes and the nearest glass of water.'
'Of course. We all know that drunkards are severely burnt by water,' you agreed, hardening your face as if drunkards were a real, grotesque creature that wrecked havoc amongst the town, instead of being a mild inconvenience if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
'So on top of bringing a bucket like I'm gonna fight the Wicked Witch of the West, do I need anything else?'
Humming in thought, you chewed lightly on your tongue, eventually saying: 'I don't think so? I don't remember being told to bring something...God, that's annoying. I'm sorry, I-I'll have to check once I get home.' Your eyes fell to the ground, feeling slightly ashamed that you couldn't remember something as easy as what was on the email from a few days ago.
Why am I forgetting things so easily?
The laugh of a child caught your attention, and you glanced across at a family of three that were making their way to the steps that connected the beach to the promenade. They had two, spritely young dogs who couldn't have been older than three, and they wandered around excitedly, tails constantly moving from side to side. The darker of the dogs (who must have been the more protective of the two) kept circling back to check on the young child, sniffing her clothes before walking off to explore some more.
The parents were desperately trying to get the smaller, lighter dog to leave the other dog's lead alone. Every now and then she would dart over to the lead and chew it, tail still wagging as any scolding fell onto selectively deaf ears.
'Don't worry about it.' Jack gave your arm a small squeeze. 'Let's change the topic, shall we? Do you like dogs?'
Turning your eyes back to him, you said, 'Yeah. I like all animals, mostly, but seeing pets being completely and utterly adored by their owners is something I will never stop loving. It's so wholesome.'
'They're multi-purpose, too. Have you seen the different types of emotional support animals? I read something not too long ago about a chap with a snake.'
'Wait, for real? That's so cool!'
'I know. There's just something about animals that can be really comforting.'
'Agreed. Did you have any pets growing up?'
Jack scoured his childhood memories for a second. 'Yes,' he answered slowly. 'A cat. He was called Clunk.'
'Clunk?' you echoed, blinking as your brain registered the name and tried to work out what kind of cat would have such an unexpected name.
'Yeah,' he said with an embarrassed laugh. 'My naming skills weren't very good back then.'
'Clunk is a pretty good name actually—better then the names some people give their pets. A girl at school used to have a dog called Beagle. It was a terrier.'
'That's pretty fucking stupid,' Jack said, a small laugh escaping his lips. 'Like calling a dog "Cat".'
'Exactly!' you exclaimed, 'though it is kind of funny. Would you want another pet once you've sorted everything out?'
'Definitely. Just to keep me company, if anything. Not sure if I'd have another cat, but I'll think about that once I'm ready.'
He had never considered adopting a pet. Living with you was enough for him, but if there was an animal that had been handpicked by you, then perhaps that would make it easier for when you were out for work or with friends. It would be like having a small piece of you with him at all times.
'Did things not go well with Clunk?' you questioned, suddenly worried that you had opened the wrong can of worms.
Jack shook his head, quickly reassuring you: 'Far from it. He was probably the one thing that kept me going through senior school, and I know I'll never be able to replace that.'
'Getting another cat doesn't mean you're replacing him,' you soothed, moving your hand so you could stroke the back of his hand. 'There's no reason for you to replace him. Just think of it as an entirely new cat, with a brand new personality, that you can give the same amount of love and attention to. You don't have to answer, but was senior school unpleasant for you?'
'Yeah,' he replied quietly. 'I never bothered with my classmates. I was too focused on getting the highest grades possible that I ignored their attempts at befriending me. I didn't let myself hang out with them at lunch or after school, and whenever they invited me out in the holidays I declined. I wanted to go, but I thought my grades would suffer. They got bored after a while, so they decided that mocking me was a better way to pass the time. They got to be quite horrible by year eight, but I put up with it until I got my A-Level results.'
Your heart broke into pieces in your chest, and you stopped walking, wrapping you arms around him in a tight embrace. 'Jack...,' you whispered. 'Why did you do that to yourself?'
'Parental expectations. They constantly complained at their lack of qualifications despite having good jobs, so child-me thought they would never be proud unless I got the best grades possible.'
'No child should have to go through that. I'm so sorry.'
'Hey, it's not your fault. I ended up with the highest grades out of everyone, so it wasn't too bad.'
'High grades shouldn't be at the expense of your happiness and teenage years. I hope you've learnt how to relax and let yourself have fun?'
He nodded. 'Greg would force me to play video games or go out.'
'Good. From now on, we're having a bi-weekly fun day. Every other Sunday we're either playing games, or going out somewhere. Does that sound good to you?'
He nodded again, overwhelmed by the sudden display of affection. The prospect of spending a dedicated day with you—even if it was every other Sunday—was the perfect opportunity to make you fall for him. He was hoping that, with you holding his arm, you were already starting to acknowledge your feelings towards him...not that he minded spending a few extra days charming you.
'Do you want to start this tradition next Sunday?' he asked, 'after the party?'
'Sure! I've got a few multiplayer games we can start?'
i have returned with yet another chapter after god knows how long !
apologies for taking so long in writing. i now have the next nine chapters planned, so things should hopefully be easier for me to write.
thank you so much for reading !
- k.