Jack & Destiny

Chapter 10: Jack

I ate dinner alone.

Jack lost his appetite and went to the bedroom to get ready for bed.

When I opened the box and saw that he ordered Hawaiian, it made me smile.

I like pineapples on pizza.

Jack wasn't keen on it but it was really nice of him to pay attention to the things I like.

As I sat on the dining table mulling what happened that night, I remembered the time he told me about Kate.

He sounded so happy on the phone and he couldn't stop gushing about this gorgeous woman whom he met at a baptism of all places.

Love at first sight.

Those was the exact words he said.

He reminded me of a giddy schoolboy who was tripping on his feet with excitement.

I was happy for him.

Despite the delicate nature of our relationship, the two of us were friends.

I told him what's going on with me.

Well, most of it really.

He does the same thing.

I could not explain how or why we get along so well.

It just is.

Jack was like a best friend I never knew I needed.

Save for the sex part, what we have would have been ideal.

After we had sex the night we met, I thought it was going to be one of those one-night stands where I leave before whomever I'm with wakes up.

That was not the case with Jack.

I woke up on an empty bed, the bedroom bathed in the bright sunlight streaming through the curtains.

I panicked when I realized I overslept.

When I went outside, he was sitting on the couch reading from his phone with a mug of coffee in hand.

He had also showered and changed into a dark blue Henley and jeans.

Jack was barefoot.

I don't normally stay after a tryst but when he asked if I wanted coffee, I said yes.

He got up and went to the kitchen to pour me a cup.

"How do you take it?"

"Black."

"Coming right up."

I sat on the couch and look around me.

His place was a mess.

There were books on the floor and on different corners of the house.

The bookshelves were brimming with both hardbound and paperback it appeared to be fighting for space in the crammed shelves.

The sink was filled with unwashed dishes and the garbage bin was overflowing.

It gave me the impression that he doesn't have time.

Or maybe it was because he lives alone?

Thankfully, the house smelled of air freshener.

But on the far side of the wall, a record player sat on a shelf atop the neatly stacked vinyl collection.

Above it was a long rectangular frame with pictures of various album covers the most prominent of which was Dizzy Up The Girl by The Goo Goo Dolls.

"Here you go," He handed me the mug before sitting down.