❁ ~ J.H

Chapter 7

Jack stared at Elle for a few good seconds trying to find any signal of distaste but to no avail. Elle stared right back not having a problem with keeping eye contact, she's didn't exactly feel comfortable but she wasn't going to back down. As he broke eye contact Elle let her eyes wonder. Jack was wearing a navy blue shirt that said USA Hockey on it and some black sweatpants with white socks.

Jack gestured with his arm for her to come in as he made way for her. While looking where she was going Elle carefully stepped in and analyzed the boys dorm. It looked similar to hers but the windows were on the opposite side of hers. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but she kept turning in circles to have the perfect view of every corner of the room.

"Uh I'll go get my laptop in my room I'll be right back," Jack said interrupting Elle's trance. She nodded her head while walking towards the large windows. It was cloudy as of right now and Elle felt at ease, she loved this type of weather, the weather where you could just about smell the rain that was about to come. It was comforting for her to say the least. Jack eventually came back from his room with his laptop in hand.

"So where do you want to start off?"

After hours of Elle and Jack brainstorming ideas and trying to put the right words to make the perfect assignment they decided to take a break.

"I'm hungry," Elle said aloud, she didn't care if she seemed obnoxious at times she wasn't going to sugarcoat anything especially when she was hungry.

"Hi hungry," Jack hadn't even realized what he said until the words came out and he instantly regretted it. Elle in the other hand started to choke on her own saliva and then manged to let out a snort of laughter that made Jack laugh out loud. The two started laughing in the middle of the room for the absolute dumbest reason.

"You did not just say that," Elle held her stomach still laughing at the fact he really made a dad joke. After a few moments filled with laughter it eventually died down and they were left in a comfortable silence for the first time since Elle stepped into the apartment.

Jack had been in a far away land that was his thoughts. He'd never seen Elle laugh or even smile so it was all a new world to him. She had a nice smile and a pretty yet funny laugh. He was no stranger to having interactions with girls I mean they practically trailed behind him everywhere he went. Elle was one of the first girls to treat him like he was a nobody and it felt strange yet comforting at the same time. He wasn't going to say he enjoyed her presence just yet though. He couldn't help but let his thoughts wonder into what might happen if he asked questions he'd been curious of for days.

Elle had felt awkward at first, she was constantly surrounded by guys since a young age but it was never like that, the boys she was surrounded around were practically brothers. Jack was a stranger to her who'd she somehow ended up being partners with for a project. She wasn't used to having one on one time with the opposite gender but she was really good at hiding her nerves with confidence. Jack had been the first person who had made her genuinely laugh at this school, not that it held some type of emotional connection but it was a semi big deal since she had basically felt numb for the past months. The only people that made her laugh were her old teammates and immediate family.

Being consumed by their own thoughts wasn't a new sensation to the two teens. To them it was like an escape, some type of way to just relax. It was their own therapy. They didn't know how much they had in commons yet. Both would probably be way too awkward to even begin to speak about what was going on in their heads but they had to start somewhere.

"So, what do you wanna eat?" he had asked scrolling through his phone in search of any ideas.

"Anything to be honest," Elle had moved to the floor and laid on her back with a deep sigh.