J.A.C.I.E.'s World (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 29

"Is this weird?" Hazel questioned, breaking the silence in the room.

"No," I snorted as if we had just said the most outlandish thing ever.

But, at the same time, Jack answered, "a little."

"What do you mean, 'a little?'" I gasped and turned my head to look behind me.

The three of us were in the bed that Jack and I shared. Hazel was on what was usually my side, I was in the middle spooning her, and Jack was behind me, curled around my body. It was a tight fit, but it was possible with how big the bed was.

"Nothing," Jack quickly responded.

I dropped it and let my head rest back normally on the pillow. Jack shifted a little, his arm draping over my body. In the process, though, with how close Hazel was to me, there was no way for him to do without accidentally grazing her as well.

"That's my boob," Hazel deadpanned but added a chuckle.

"This is what I mean!" Jack pulled his arm back even though he was no longer touching her.

"I give you full permission to treat me as an extension of your wife."

"Her breasts are mine," I giggled and carefully let my own hand rest where Jack had accidentally briefly touched her earlier.

Hazel put her hand over mine, keeping it in place.

Jack pouted. "Why do I feel like a third wheel right now?"

"Because you are," I joked, taking my hands off Hazel and once again turning slightly to look at Jack.

I gave him a big smile and reached out to cup his check, guiding him down to me for a quick peck. Both the person to my left and the person to my right were incredibly important to me. If I ever had to choose between them, I knew I wouldn't be able to do so. Luckily, they got along great.

"Are you guys kissing right now?" Hazel mockingly groaned. "That's incredibly inappropriate."

I laughed again and planted a big kiss on her cheek as well. Once I got comfortable again, silence fell over us. It was late; around 2 am, probably a bit later. Hazel had come over for a sleepover, like the good old times, which meant we watched one too many movies and ate a bit too much junk food. The only difference was that I now had a husband who joined in.

It must have been a few minutes of only our breathing being audible. For a second, it seemed like we were actually going to go to sleep. But, then, Hazel spoke up again.

"Do you guys think you would have gotten together if you were the same age?" she pondered.

"What?" I asked, needing some clarification. "Like, if I was thirty? I can't look into the future."

"No, like, if you were both twenty-one when you met."

"Shit," Jack breathed out, running a hand through his hair. "That's a tough one."

I frowned a little. "Like, if Jack was miraculously twenty-one?"

"Yeah," Hazel confirmed.

"At twenty-one, I would have wanted to get together with her," Jack started. "But I would have thought she was way out of my league and be too afraid to ask her out."

I didn't believe him. "Really?"

"One-hundred percent. I would have chickened out."

"But you didn't hesitate to ask me after you'd known me for mere minutes."

"Ten years makes a difference."

I mean, it made sense. People did change over time. But I had a hard time imagining Jack as anybody other than the guy he was now. I knew him as the man that started chatting to me at the watercooler and approached me the next day at the club. There was never a moment that made him seem like anything other than a confident guy.