invasion ↠ jackson avery ✓

37

[JACKSON AVERY]
London, England

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Jackson Avery's first time in England was definitely going to be memorable, and he knew that much from the first time the idea of him tagging along for the holidays came up between him and his best friend. It wasn't anything more than the two of them joking around, Bella telling him she'll save him from having to spend it with his mother and Richard, until it stuck and now, it was the farthest thing from a joke.

It was his reality.

Over four thousand miles away from the place he called home, he was due to attend an event, thrown by very influential people who had strong ties to the woman who caused his heart to act up. Never once in his life did he imagine he'd say anything of the sort, but then again, he didn't expect to meet anyone who'd make him feel this way.

Bella Ledford came into his life out of the blue. Fate worked in strange ways, that much he knew, but for it to give someone like her to him, at a time when he needed her the most, was unspoken. It had been over a year ago now that Jackson had lost his mentor, Mark Sloan, along with his ex-girlfriend, and very good friend, Lexie Grey. He didn't think about them as much as he should've, at least not to the extent he felt he should've been remembering them. Mark Sloan continued to whisper down his ear when he worked. He was there when Jackson felt stuck. But other than that, the man he felt to be of a fatherly figure throughout his residency, never crossed his mind. The Avery surgeon believed this was because of Bella.

Without the neurosurgeon knowing, she had helped him through a really difficult part of his life. Jackson refrained from speaking about it, mostly because he thought it was better for him to deal with this alone, and internally. Still, he couldn't take the credit from the woman and he never would've dared.

He wondered sometimes. Did he meet the love of his life at the age of thirty-three? It had only been a year of him knowing her but... could that have been possible? Especially during the lengthy flight from Seattle to London, he couldn't quit thinking about it. How else was he meant to make sense of his decision to fly across the world with her to meet her family? Being best friends no longer filled out the shoes they wore. The title felt too small for what and how he felt for Bella.

With the turn of his head, he caught her descending the stairs. He awaited the sound of her heels clicking against the floor but he had to realise she wasn't wearing them—she held them in her hands so she could skip down the staircase, jumping from the last step on to the rug. Along with it, her hair bounced. Endless shiny curls cascaded down the side of her flawlessly painted face. The only pop of colour on her appeared on her cushion soft lips. The perfect red.

Jackson's mouth went dry. He swallowed, his jugular bobbing forcefully, but it didn't benefit him at all. The heart in his chest, his damn poor heart, beat senselessly at the sight of her. Black dresses seemed to be Bella's go to pieces of clothing but Jackson never would've dared to complain. Not when the dress cupped her as though the material was sawn onto her. The swells of her breasts peeked through the mesh material that clawed across her chest and folded around the back of her neck. A bra of sorts held the dress up beneath it, but it was still one piece. Moulding against her shape, the dress reached just above her knees.