Echoing J.A.C.I.E. (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Chapter 8

My stomach was in knots. I kept switching my gaze between my watch and looking out my window. From my bedroom, I could look out over the street and every car that drove past made my heart skip a beat. I was extremely impatient.

Once a black car stopped on the side of the road, my heart started pounding. It wasn't long until I saw a familiar head full of toned bleached hair emerge. I was up in no time, rushing through the apartment and down the stairs. I couldn't get there any faster. The car was driving away once I exited the general entrance to the building.

As soon as he spotted me, his face lit up with a bright, genuine smile. I could hardly contain my own grin as I sprinted up to him. Once I was close enough, I threw my arms around his neck and jumped up. He let go of his suitcase and caught me. Immediately, our lips found each other, filled with all the emotions from the past six weeks.

"I missed you," I mumbled against his lips for a brief second before continuing our kiss.

Jack just held onto me tightly, careful not to drop me or squeeze too hard. It was a delicate balance. I was just so happy to have him physically there with me again. Six weeks had been so long. I'd missed every touch, every embrace, and every smile. It was all so much better than I could remember. I was so lucky that I had this man in my life.

Eventually, Jack was the one to pull away and frowned as he put me back down. "Are you crying right now?"

"Oh, fuck. Yes," I nodded, noticing it as well, quickly trying to wipe away the wetness on my cheeks. "It's my hormones. I cry when watching movies now!"

"While watching movies?!" He gasped, his hand going back to his suitcase.

"I know, right?"

I never cried during movies before. Jack had tried to break me with sad movies, but it never worked. I was just too aware that the characters and story were fictional. Now, though, I could cry at almost any movie. Something good happened to a character? Tears. A sad moment? Tears. Just overall emotions? Bawling. Hazel was just glad to have a crying buddy.

I took hold of his empty hand and guided him into the building. I was so excited to show him everything that had been a part of my life the last month and a half; the place I lived in, the little routines I had, and the memories I had created.

As we entered the apartment, I felt a mixture of happiness and relief, as if a missing piece in my life had been restored. The familiar scent of his cologne lingered in the air around him, evoking a feeling of finally coming home. His eyes zapped around the place, taking in his surroundings and translating everything I'd shown him over video calls into reality.

"This place is nice," he commented as he walked into the middle of the living room.

I chuckled softly. "Well, that's what you get when your best friend has a good job and brings in the big bucks."

"Says the person who's got writer's credits on last month's number one hit."

"I had a tiny role in that."

I showed him around a little more. There wasn't much more than our combined living, dining, and kitchen area. But I got to showcase the few things Hazel and I had collected since we first got to London. We had a little nook of records, gotten some art from local artists, and had souvenirs from the trips we had taken to different places outside of the city. He admired it all, taking in the stories as if I hadn't already told him them all.

Once we got back to the centre of the living room, Jack stopped me. "I got you something."

"You got me something?" I pointed at myself in shock. "You really shouldn't have."