╰─ FOR YOU; jra

chapter thirty

FLEUR'S MIND WENT BLANK as she stood in his room. For a second everything she had thought of saying vanished at the sight of him. Jack was equally confused and had no idea what to say. The silence was unpleasant and they both knew it.

"Um... I just came here to tell you something-" Fleur mentally facepalmed herself for the choice of words. Could she be any more obvious?

Jack nodded, still unable to say anything as he was so stunned by her sudden appearence. His eyes flicked to his phone for a second out of nervousness, but Fleur didn't notice.

"I-I just wanted to tell you that... ever since that day you read my diary, and- and well, accepted me," her voice was shaking but she continued anyways, "I've always had this feeling, a sense of hope, that things may be ok again. You saved me. And you make me feel safe like nobody else has. I can't stop thinking about you and it's driving me crazy. I miss you, I miss us," she suddenly didn't know what to say again. She was hesitating. Fleur couldn't say the simple 8 letters that were on her mind.
"I wish you knew how much you meant to me, I wish I could've told you sooner..."

She made eye contact with him again. He looked shocked, she could tell that it was not in a good way. Her nerves started to eat her up again and she cursed herself for thinking she would be able to tell him her true feelings to his face. Fleur wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Her words suddenly seemed rushed and she cringed at what she had just said.

On the other hand, Jack was panicking, his blood had gone cold as he imagined what the person on the other end of the phone must be thinking. He didn't know what to say or do.

Fleur, however, couldn't stand there any longer, so she ran. She ran as if her life depended on it, making sure to jump down the stairs faster than ever. Her legs carried her out of the house past a worried Corby, who had no idea what was going on.

Jack looked at his phone and picked it up hurriedly.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." And with that he hung up and ran after Fleur.

By the time he caught up, they were in the middle of the street. The sky was dark, and the rain was still pouring down as if nothing had changed. A few grey clouds painted the sky lighter, making everything seem more melancholy.

"Fleur wait!" He called after the girl, who finally stopped to catch her breath. His hair was already wet, but to Fleur it still looked flawless.

She turned around and faced him, sadness evident in her eyes. She waited for him to say something, anything.

Jack finally realised that he had never only thought of her as a friend. The fear that built up inside of him as she ran away, or the pain he felt when she hugged Zach and not him, told him that. He made the mistake of letting her go but he didn't want it happen again. He couldn't let it happen again.

"Don't go." He finally said, "I missed you too."

The two of them just stood there in the rain, both wanting nothing more than to hold each other close. Why is love so complicated?

"I-I can't." Fleur didn't know exactly what she meant when she said that, but continued anyway, "you have someone. Someone that you can hold and give all of your love to. I love you but it hurts."

There it was. The words she had known she would one day have to tell him. Fleur didn't imagine that they would be under such dramatic circumstances, but she finally understood what her heart wanted. She wanted him.

She was about to turn away when Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. He stared in her eyes that told so many stories. He felt himself getting lost in them. Before she knew it, her lips were met with his soft ones. She closed her eyes and felt her body go weak. The affect he had on her was scary yet she loved it. Yet she pulled away.

"I broke up with Gabbie, if that's what you're thinking. I was actually on the phone with her when you came over." Jack explained.

Fleur turned red as she realised that Gabbie had probably heard her whole speech to Jack. She felt even more embarrassed than before. Why did Jack break up with her?

Jack found her tinted cheeks adorable. It reminded him of the times that she would laugh at Zach's dumb jokes in the tour bus when they didn't have anything better to do. The good old days.

"Fleur, I love you. Gabbie and I were both seeking for a rebound, that's why I broke up with her. After I saw you again, I knew I couldn't ever forget you. You really are something special. It took me a while to figure my feelings out and I wanted to make them go away because I didn't think you felt the same way."

The short girl stood there in disbelief as the rain continued to soak her skin. She shivered and didn't know what to do. Her heart suddenly filled with warmth and she felt whole again. She felt as if Jack had coloured her world that had been grey for so long. Everything suddenly felt right. She was overwhelmed with joy as she hugged him. His embrace made her feel safe and loved.

All her life she had never felt so loved before. And then, at that moment, she knew that he was the one.

Jack smiled and hugged back. He had been denying his feelings for so long, but it only made things worse. Now he was holding the girl he loved, but he knew she loved him back.

And that was the only thing they needed in that moment.