Untitled love song

Chapter 16

His lips were inches from mine.
"Jack..."
"What is it?" I felt his breath on my skin.
"I can't do this..."
"Why? What's changed?" He pulled away from me, his ego dented.
"It's not that I don't want to...and if things were different maybe, but too much has happened, and that means I can't."
"But what's changed?!" Jack snapped at me, the anger projecting from him.
He coughed, "I'm..I'm sorry Beaut.." he reached out to touch me and I flinched, Jack ignored this and pulled me towards him. I instantly relaxed as he embraced me with my head on his chest listening to his heart beat.
Jack kissed my forehead.
"I didn't mean to hurt you like this, if I could take it back I would. Everything I did to hurt you. I sometimes imagine what it would be like if we were still together...and it hurts that I don't have that anymore. You really were the one for me Scarlett."
I sighed, this was going to be harder than I thought.
"I loved you. And I guess a small part of me always will, but there's too much bad history that I can't and you can't take back. And as much as it pains me to say it, this is about here and now. The past is the past, so please, for me, can we live in the future together as friends? Because I love you too much to ever let you go."
I smiled at the length of my speech, and looked up at Jack once again. He didn't speak, he just bent down slightly, and kissed the top of my head, before breaking apart from me, holding me at arms length and looking into my eyes.
"This is going to be hard for me, you know that?" Jack finally spoke.
"What do you mean?"
"Well seeing you around all the time, especially when you look like this, and having to deny any feelings I have for you..."
"Jack you know there will be another girl for you! I'm not the only one"
Jack smiled, "I hate to say it, and I hope you're right, because right now I'm thinking you're the only one for me."
Unintentionally, I blushed.
"SCARLETT WILSON AND JACK BROWN GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE NOW!"
Jessie yelled up the stairs.
"We're coming!" Jack replied before taking one final look at me. "You really do look beautiful Scar."
I smiled, "You don't look too bad yourself."
He was in a white T-shirt and some black skinny jeans which I'd ripped last summer accidentally, and then had to turn into shorts last year. Thankfully, Jack preferred them as shorts.
"Why thank you Miss Wilson. Right come on, I honestly think Jessie's going to kill us if we don't get downstairs now..."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs.
~
"About time." Jess stood with her hands on her hips, "What was it this time then?"
"Well if you must know..." Jack spoke up, "Scar just blew me off."
I burst out laughing, Jess and Charlie joined in, thankfully Robby didn't hear him.
"Is that a euphemism for something?" Jess said wiping a tear from her eye.
"What, no?...OH SHIT NO IT WASN'T MEANT TO COME OUT LIKE THAT!" This statement then increased our laughter, Jack had dug himself in the hole where everything he said could now be turned interpreted in a wrong way...
"Look what I mean is, Scarlett rejected me."
Whilst the other two continued wetting themselves, I turned to Jack.
"It will be ok you know?" He was a lot taller than me so I had to look up at him whenever I spoke to him.
Jack ran his fingers through his hair, "It better be, why did I have to fall for you so hard Miss Wilson?"
"Oi! I loved you too remember?" I smiled.
"You did. But you 'loved' me, and I love you."
For the first time in a long time, I saw genuine pain and sorrow in Jack's eyes.
"Hey hey it will be ok, I mean it, you will never ever lose me, I'm always going to be here when you need me, and even if we're not as close, I will be here, always."
"How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Move on from someone your in love with."
"You never do fully, but I got over you because you hurt me badly."
"I know. But you'll never hurt me like I hurt you."
Little did Jack Brown know, I already was.