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

Chapter 10

Turning my head to the side, I was met with the sight of Jack still in a peaceful slumber, his bleached hair tousled on the pillow. His one arm was stretched out, lying over my body, while the other held onto the pillow. I relished the warmth of his body next to mine, especially since this would feel like a fleeting moment soon.

As if he could sense my eyes on him, Jack started stirring, blinking away the remnants of his dreams. He gave me a sleepy look and leaned in to give me a sweet morning kiss. "Morning."

"Morning," I replied, my heart fluttering a little as I gave him a smile.

"What's the plan for today?" he asked with a yawn, rubbing his eyes.

"Adventure and exploration," I grinned with excitement.

Jack stretched with a groan and rolled onto his back, his eyes focused on me. "I'm ready for breakfast. How are you feeling?"

"I'm glad to announce... no morning sickness!"

Jack and I quickly got dressed, eager to start the day, but not before giving each other another affectionate kiss. It wasn't often that I didn't feel some kind of nausea in the morning. It could range anywhere from hugging the toilet bowl to just losing my appetite. But I woke up feeling normal for once. So, it was time to take advantage of that.

Together with Hazel, we went out to get breakfast at a nice little café. It was a charming place that Hazel and I had found during our first week in London with a cosy interior and big windows that allowed natural light to pour in. We found a table close by one of the windows, and I sat down next to Jack, with Hazel across from me.

"They have really good mimosas here," I informed Jack with a little nudge.

He raised an eyebrow at me, looking up from his menu.

"What!" I defended myself. "I didn't always know I was pregnant."

Jack chuckled, clearly amused by my enthusiasm. "Okay, no mimosas for you today, but I'm definitely trying one."

"I'm getting one too," Hazel raised her hand with a heavy nod. "I can use a break from work-related stress."

"Can I at least get some orange juice in a fancy glass then?" I pouted, wanting to feel included.

The waiter came over soon after and took our orders. Jack ordered the two mimosas, and specifically requested my orange juice come in the same glass as the other drinks. As for food, Hazel decided to go for a vegetarian omelette, and Jack ordered a classic English breakfast, while I opted for a stack of fluffy blueberry pancakes. After all, I was taking advantage of the lack of nausea.

"So, have you guys come up with any baby names?" Hazel asked after our drinks arrived.

I laughed softly and shook my head. "Not yet."

"There are a few other things we've had to figure out before that," Jack added with a cackle of his own.

Hazel grinned mischievously. "Can I suggest Hazel if it's a girl? And... Hazel if it's a boy?"

We all laughed at Hazel's suggestion, and I playfully rolled my eyes. "That would certainly make it easy to remember."

Hazel shrugged jokingly. "I'm just putting it out there. You can consider it a perk for all the support I've been offering."

Jack sipped his mimosa, his eyes filled with appreciation as he looked at Hazel. "You've been a lifesaver, Haze. Really, thank you."

"You know I'd do anything for Jacie," she brushed it off.

As we waited for our food to arrive, our light-hearted conversation continued. We talked about what the rest of the day held in store for us. Even though Hazel and I already explored the city, and Jack had been here numerous times before, we had planned a day full of tourist activities. As cliche as it sounded, we were going to go see and do the most stereotypical things we could think of.

My blueberry pancakes were some of the best things I had eaten in a while. The absence of morning sickness had made it a delightful morning. It was such a relief knowing that I could have normal mornings as well, ones where I could be myself and have fun with my husband and best friend.

"When's your due date again?" Hazel asked, a curious look on her face.

"Around Jack's birthday," I answered through a mouth full of pancakes.

She started giggling to herself, contemplating whether to say her thought out loud or not. She ended up doing it anyway. "That means you guys were boning around the same time Jack's parents were many years ago."

"Hazel!" I gasped.

"Gross!" Jack exclaimed as well, scrunching up his face and sticking out his tongue in disgust.

After Jack was the first to reach out for the bill and pay it, we made our way to our first stop: the Big Ben. With the weather being in our favour, we strolled along the busy streets of London, taking in the surrounding architecture. It was a mixture of stark modern shapes and quaint traditional buildings. I knew that if it had been completely up to me, I could have seen myself living there for the rest of my life.

It took a while for us to reach Westminster Bridge, but once we found the perfect spot amongst all the other tourists, we couldn't resist taking out our phones and snapping some pictures. I was taking a few photos of the tower and surrounding area when I noticed that Jack had his camera pointed at me.

"Oh, fuck off," I grumbled at him, but smiled, pushing him away.

Jack laughed and lowered his phone. "But you make such a great subject! You should see how beautiful you look with Big Ben in the background."

Hazel chimed in with a teasing grin. "He's right, Jacie. Strike a pose!"

I couldn't help but play along as I laughed. I struck a dramatic pose, pretending to be a model. They burst out into giggles as well, capturing the moment. Hazel jumped into frame and posed with me. We would purposely flip our hair and attempted different positions and expressions.

"Alright, let me get in there as well," Jack said after taking many different shots. He walked up to us and turned his phone on selfie mode.

Hazel and I made space for him as we all threw our arms around each other, squishing together as close as possible. Jack extended his arm, trying to get all three of us in as well as the tall tower in the background.

"Point it up a little higher," Hazel commented.

"I'm trying," Jack mumbled back.

"Now I'm not in it anymore!"

Jack strained his arm to capture the perfect shot, but it was difficult to get everything in frame. It ended up becoming a comical dance of shuffling around, trying different angles and poses, and seeing whether landscape or portrait was the way to go. Jack's laughter through it all was contagious, and we couldn't help but have fun while attempting to take our group selfie.

After multiple attempts, we finally managed to get a photo that included all three of us and the magnificent Big Ben. It wasn't a perfect shot, but it captured the joy and laughter of the moment. We reviewed it on Jack's phone and decided it was a keeper, a memory of our fun day together.

"And now it's time for the happy couple to get one as well," Hazel announced, snatching Jack's phone away from him and taking a few steps back.

She gestured for us to stand closer to each other. We huddled together, Jack wrapping his arm around my waist. I smiled up at him, the breeze of the River Thames ruffling my hair in the most subtle manner. Hazel took multiple pictures, capturing each fleeting moment as a still.

Jack ended up looking down at me when I shuffled a little closer, leading to us making eye contact. We smiled at each other, taking in the present. This was more than a photo. This was forever going to be a memento of the time we were officially starting our family. We were at the point that was going to lead to our future together.