Kylie & Jack 1: Humble Beginnings

69. Misunderstanding

Monday 30th Sep, 5:58 PM

Is it truly madness to believe that fairy tales do exist? Or that happiness never cops a battering once in a while?

They had barely gotten home, with Kylie dragging her feet into the kitchen to make a cuppa and Jack rubbing his face with both hands. Although it was a pupil free day to kickstart term three, it had drained them exponentially.

Kylie turned to ask Jack if he wanted a coffee, knowing he wouldn't make it through the night without it, but he shook his head, checked his watch and said he had an appointment to get to.

"What? Since when? What sort of appointment?" Kylie asked him, frowning through her exhaustion and barely holding onto the mug in her hand.

"Just gotta see a man about a dog ... won't be long, promise." Jack yawned, forced a smirk at her and left.

Wednesday 2nd Oct, 6:37 PM

"I'm sorry Wombat – the fellas wanna catch up. It'll be the last time we're all together in a while."

"What – you're going out again?" Kylie gaped at Jack. It didn't bother her that he was going out, it was the fact he was being deliberately evasive about where he was going. Trying to assuage her suspicions, Jack wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead.

"Believe me, I'd rather stay in tonight with my Wombat ... but if were you and the girls having a last hurrah, I'd totally understand –"

"– but –"

"– I'll bring back some of that gelato you love to make it up to you. Promise. I won't be long."

Saturday 5th Oct, 11:02 AM

"Look, can we hurry this up a bit? Please? I don't wanna be here too long –" Jack groaned nervously, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds and running his fingers through his hair.

"Well you should have thought of that sooner." Loz snapped back at him. She was getting annoyed with Jack's incessant twitchiness now.

"Look, mate I just wanna get this all sorted sooner rather than later and before Kylz finds out –"

"Knowing Kylie, she's likely cottoned onto the fact that you're up to something already and trust me, sooner or later, she is going to ask you about it." Loz snapped at him again and this time with a dark smirk. Jack just nodded, pacing the room and continuing to run his fingers through his hair. Loz was right and it was something Jack was waiting for, even though he was far from having a prepared answer for her. With one last nod, they parted ways.

Sunday 6th Oct, 3:21 PM

Kylie was folding the washing at the dining table when she heard a phone ringing nearby behind her. She turned to answer it when Jack stampeded into the kitchen and grabbed his phone before Kylie could reach it. He smirked at her and took his still ringing phone into the study, closing the door behind him before answering the call.

Tuesday 8th Oct, 5:35 PM

It was the fourth time in a fortnight that Jack had offhandedly told Kylie he was going out after work, leaving an abyss of anxiety surrounding Kylie.

When they left work this afternoon, she silently handed Jack her keys and got into the car. Jack was perplexed to see Kylie so quiet and dejected. Even when she was exhausted, Kylie always tried, always did her best to keep going. The last time he saw her anywhere near to this was her Nan's birthday when her bastard ex got to her again.