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

Chapter 21

We were in the dressing room after a show. Jack was lying on the couch with his head on my lap while the others were still experiencing an adrenaline high. I watched the entire show from side stage, and my worry for Jack was still prominent. It wasn't like he was up there sulking, but he wasn't his normal self either. The jokes were more unnatural and Alex was often the one initiating it.

Out of nowhere, Alex spun around to face me and clapped his hands together. "Bar?"

I shrugged and gave a nod. "Sure, I'm down."

"Bar?" He pointed at Rian next.

"Yeah, man," Rian agreed, flashing a smile.

Alex continued his 'Bar?' questioning past the other people around. Almost everybody accepted the invitation, creating a nice little group to go out. Well, little. It wasn't really a small group. The support acts joined as well as quite a few of the crew members. If anything, it was a large group. Jack joined too, although he seemed to hate having to get up from the couch.

We ended up going to a bar not too far away from the venue. It was both a walkable distance and able to accommodate all of us. The whole group mixed with each other, leaving me towards the front of the crowd, with Alex walking next to me.

"So, Jace," he threw an arm around my shoulders, "you haven't told us much about your London adventure. How was it?"

"Oh, the usual," I laughed, knocking my body into him lightly, "fucking bitches, getting money."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "And how did that go?"

"I fucked zero bitches..."

"That's one down, but you have a chance to redeem yourself."

"Actually, I lost money. But I had a great time, so that's what counts," I grinned brightly.

He chuckled as he held open the door for the both of us to enter. The smell of warm beer hit me almost immediately. There were bursts of laughter coming from other patrons and muffled strains of music tied the air together. The group dispersed, finding their way to various tables and corners.

Alex and I joined a booth that didn't seem like it would completely fill up yet. I couldn't help but glance over at Jack, who had found a seat at the edge of the booth. His gaze seemed distant, lost in the swirl of activity around us.

"I'll go get us the first round," I announced to everybody sitting in front of me, tapping my hands against the table before pushing myself away.

I counted how many drinks I'd have to bring back with me, making sure to include myself. There were too many people here to offer it to everybody. I could hardly get around twenty drinks, but the least I could do was get them for the people I'd be sitting with in the beginning. Others from our entourage were also already up at the bar, requesting whatever they wanted.

One of the crew members moved away with three cups in his hands, making space for my turn. My heart skipped a beat when I made eye contact with the bartender. She could have possibly been the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on with her long dark brown locks and friendly smile.

"What can I get you?" She asked as she continued looking into my eyes.

"I was just going to go for eight beers," I told her and gestured towards the booth I just came from. "But make sure it's something that won't make these men hate me."

"That bad?" she chuckled, grabbing eight glasses.

"No," I smiled back as I shook my head, "they love me."

"I'll make sure they're just right for your fan club, then."

As she skillfully filled the glasses, I couldn't help but sneak a glance toward the booth. Jack's distant expression hadn't changed, but he was surrounded by friends, at least.

The bartender slid the glasses toward me, and I leaned in slightly. "Thanks. You might have just saved me from an angry mob."

She smirked, her gaze lingering. "Anytime. I'm here to make sure your fan club stays loyal."

My heart was racing when I took the tray of beers and turned around. Did I just have a flirty conversation with a girl? Did I actually do it? It blew my mind. The last time I had anything going on with a girl, I was twenty and extremely drunk. Now, though, I had playfully flirted with the bartender, out of all people.

"Holy fuck," I practically gasped as I put the tray of beers down and slipped into the booth next to Jack. "The bartender is hot."

"Huh?" Jack looked up and in the direction of the bar. His expression seemed very indifferent. "I guess."

Usually, Jack and I would share if we saw somebody attractive and would rave about them. Even if somebody walked past outside, we would slap each other and give each other a wide eyed look, our mouths agape. It was something we didn't hide at all. Often, we'd agree with each other. But now? Jack didn't seem into it.

Everybody at the table picked up one of the glasses, only interrupting their respective conversations to thank me.

"Seriously, Jack, she was gorgeous. And she flirted with me." I nudged him playfully, trying to elicit the usual banter. Instead, his response was lukewarm at best.

"Yeah? cool," he mumbled, taking a sip of his beer without much enthusiasm.

I pouted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry."

He gave me his best attempt at a smile to show that he wasn't mad at me. Instead, he intertwined our hands together and gave mine a squeeze. Maybe now wasn't the right time for our usual jokes. I just wanted to cheer him up a little.

The chatter in the bar continued, the clinking of glasses and laughter creating a lively ambiance. Over time, people came and went from our booth. More rounds of drinks were shared, the buzz making conversations grow louder and louder.

As the night progressed, Jack seemed to thaw, engaging more and more with the people around us. We had split off into different groups, but I would glance in his direction and see him laughing and chatting. I couldn't wish for anything more. The others here with us seemed to enjoy his presence as well. He was no longer sulking in the background, making everybody around him worried.

At some point, I broke away from a group of some of my old crew friends and decided to join him again. He was close to the bar, with his back towards me, sitting on a high barstool. I snuck up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, putting my chin on his right shoulder. He jumped the slightest bit as he listened to somebody else's story, but relaxed into my touch when he realised it was me.

A crew member tapped me on the arm and handed me a blue cocktail with a little paper umbrella.

"What's this?" I asked as I took hold of it.

He shrugged and looked back at me. "On the house, apparently."

I inspected the drink a little closer and saw a phone number scribbled on the wrinkled umbrella. My eyes widened at the unexpected gesture. There was only one person in the room that I could guess did it. And it made my heart nearly jump out of my chest.

Jack had spotted the drink in my hand as well and gasped, "hey, I want to be the one that's flirted with!"

I turned slightly to look towards the bar behind me, the same bartender still serving drinks. She was already looking back in my direction and gave me a smile. I was flustered, my body going into autopilot. I gave her the slightest nod back and took a sip of the drink.

"This is unacceptable!" Jack pouted, feigning offence. "Complete and utter betrayal!"

I chuckled, savouring the playful banter that felt like a return to the familiar rhythm Jack and I shared. "Don't worry, I won't trade you in for a free drink and a number."

"No, I'm hot too! I deserve a free drink!"

"Don't go ruining my lesbian love story."

He playfully stole the cocktail from my hand, taking a sip as if to assert his worthiness of free drinks. "See? I've still got it!"

I burst into laughter, loving the spark that seemed to have reignited in Jack, but wondering where it came from.