The Amazing Technicolor Love

Flights #15

Jack's POV

"Hey Jack, let's g-" Nate stopped mid sentence. He had popped his head out of the bus to tell me to come in. "Woah, Peyton?" He asked in shock. "Hi Nate," she smiled. "It's good to see you," Nate said, a genuine look of happiness on his face. "Hate to break the moment, but we gotta go," he told us. I nodded. "We'll be there in a minute," I told him. He smiled at me and then went back inside. I looked down at Peyton then, still trying to believe she was actually in front of me. She looked up at me shyly. Thousands of questions ran through my head but I didn't know where to begin. "So, uh, are you coming with?" I asked her, pointing to the bus. She exhaled and gave me a smile. "If you'll take me," she said. A huge smile spread across my face and I leaned down to pick her up. "Absolutely, now let's get you out of this rain!" I said while carrying her onto the bus. When we walked on, Johnson, Sam, Nate, and all our parents were hanging in the living area. They all turned to look at us, shock spreading across all of their faces. I set Peyton down. "Hi," she said quietly, intimidated by all the looks. I realized I was still shirtless and that Peyton and I were both soaking wet from the rain. "If you'll excuse us we're going to go clean up," I said, breaking the silence. Finally my mom spoke up. "Peyton, it is so good to see you." She said while walking over to give her a hug. "There are towels in the back!" She told us. Then, Johnson yelled, "Hell yes! Peyton Logan is back in the house!!" Everyone laughed and Sam started cheering. Peyton's cheeks flushed a light pink and she stepped closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her and led us through all the people to the back of the bus. Mrs. Wilkinson called after us, "We all have missed you!!!" Peyton chuckled and I closed the door behind us. I found us some towels and gave Peyton a sweatshirt of mine to borrow. Once we were finally all dry and clothed we sat on the bed. Peyton had been unusually quiet since she had arrived. She looked around the room as she sat on the bed. I watched her, waiting to see if she would begin to talk. After a few moments passed, I broke the silence. "What made you change your mind?" I asked gently. She sighed and turned to look at me. "I didn't want to come, Jack." She said. "I truly was done." Hearing her say that made my stomach drop. "But you're here?" I managed to ask. She nodded. "Last night, after you left, I called Nick. I was planning on getting over you." Everytime I heard Nick's name I cringed. The guy seemed like such a tool from what I heard and I hated how he treated Peyton. If she was planning on getting over me, I just wish it would've been with a better guy. "So we were driving to go see a movie when this awful car accident happened in front of our eyes. A car flipped over and landed upside down." Peyton looked straight ahead as she talked, no longer making eye contact with me. "Nick reacted immediately, he hopped out of the car and called 911 but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't move and all I could think about was you." I watched Peyton's profile, her hair was still wet and hung around her shoulders. My hoodie was big on her while her legs dangled off the bed. I sat next to her, my feet touched the ground, our height difference visible even now. The room was quiet while I waited for Peyton to continue. "That song, the one you left, it wasn't enough for me to come back to you but it was enough to make you be on my mind. And then that car accident happened and all I could think was that moment when I heard you were in a car accident." Peyton paused and swallowed hard. I studied the way her nose sloped and the earrings that were situated in her little ears. I could tell her blue eyes were sparkling even from the angle I was at. She bit her lip and continued. "I thought I had lost you forever. I didn't know how I was going to go on without you in my world. As I watched that scene unfold in front of me, I felt that feeling of fear I had when you were in a coma. I realized that it was stupid to push you out of my world when at one point you were almost taken away from me. We've been through too much Jack." She said quietly, beginning to play with her fingers that sat in her lap. I nodded. I didn't know what to say, all I felt was an overwhelming amount of relief that she had decided to come back. I brushed my finger across her cheek, moving a piece of hair behind her ear. She turned to look at me then. I looked into her eyes and my heart seemed to break. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with sadness, a sadness I had never seen before. "We've been through too much for me to give up, but that doesn't mean everything is okay," she whispered, her voice cracking. I swallowed hard, trying not to cry. "I'm here Jack, because I want to try." She said. I nodded and cupped her chin in my hands. "I will spend every single day of my life trying to make it up to you, Peyton Rose." I told her firmly. "I love you, okay?" I said. A single tear fell down her cheek while she nodded. I wiped it away with my thumb and then leaned in slowly. I pressed my lips to hers gently. My whole body hurt at the thought of how much pain I caused her. I was going to do whatever it took to prove to her I was sorry. She pulled away and laid her head against my shoulder. It wasn't much but it was enough. Peyton was finally back in my arms.

Peyton's POV

After I had explained my sudden reappearance to Jack, he pulled the covers back on the bed. He crawled under on his side and leaned back against the headrest. I stared at the empty spot next to him, the spot for me. I could tell he was watching me so I reluctantly laid down under the covers. It was late and Jack had a show the next day so I didn't want to create a problem but my stomach was in knots. It felt so strange to sleep next to Jack. I was nervous to feel his touch. It no longer felt like a touch just for me, maybe that was selfish but I couldn't help but feel that way. He turned off the light and rolled over, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against his chest. I tried to hide it but I knew he felt me tense up. He loosened his arms around me. "It's too soon, Jack." I said. I didn't want to tell him that but I also knew I couldn't have him hold me. He sighed and rolled over. "Goodnight P, I love you." I relaxed. "Night Jack, love you, too." I told him because I did love him, I always would. I was just hurt, a deep hurt though, one that would take time to heal. I knew I had done the right thing by coming back but I also knew it would take time to forgive Jack. When I looked at him, I no longer felt at home, he felt more like a stranger that I used to know. When Jack slept with those other girls, it broke a trust that we had. It seemed as though it had severed a connection between us. For years, it had been just Jack and I. I never once worried about other girls because he made me feel like his world. We had been to hell and back but it had always just been us. But now, it wasn't and I didn't know how to handle that. I was still trying to deal with the fact he could easily sleep with others the minute we got in a fight. That scared the hell out of me. I listened to Jack's steady breathing while we laid in the dark. In the beginning of the summer, I told myself I was in too deep and I proved myself right. Here I was, laying in bed with a guy who had, in a sense, cheated on me, because I couldn't live without him. A part of me was angry at myself but the bigger part of me wasn't because in the end he was my guy, he was always going to be my guy and I planned to stand next to him through it all.