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

Chapter 16

I opened the front door with a big grin and a skip in my step. Two weeks after Jack had left to go on tour, Hazel had taken some time off work to come up to New York and spend some time with me. When Nash caught wind of the event, he decided to drop everything and hop on a plane as well, completing our original friend group from middle school.

"Jacie!" Hazel exclaimed, enveloping me in a tight hug as soon as I opened the door. "Fuck, I've missed you!"

"I missed you too!" I chuckled, returning her hug as well as I could with Meerkat in the way.

Nash stood there behind Hazel, still in the communal hallway, with a sheepish grin. "Hey, don't forget about me!"

I laughed as Hazel stood aside to let him in as well. "How can I forget about you, we literally work together."

"That's different," he argued with a playful glare.

"Look at you!" Hazel gushed before Nash and I could get carried away.

She forced her way in front of me and reached out for my bump, hesitating for a second before just going for it and putting her hands on it. I'd told her how annoying some people could be, thinking they were just allowed to touch me now that I was pregnant, but Hazel would always be an exception. There was nothing she wasn't allowed to do.

"You've gotten so big!" she exclaimed with astonishment, her hands moving over the bump.

"Well," I giggled at her awe, "that's what happens at thirty-six weeks pregnant."

"Shit, you're that far along already!" Nash gasped.

"Yep, just four more weeks to go."

"Shit!"

We all settled into the cosy living room, Hazel still occasionally shooting glances at my baby bump as if it held some sort of mystical power. Nash, on the other hand, plopped down on the couch and made himself at home.

"So, spill the details, how's the third trimester treating you?" Hazel asked, still super intrigued by this whole pregnancy thing. Back before I met Jack, we always assumed she'd be the first to get married and start a family.

I leaned back against the couch and sighed heavily. "Honestly? I'm ready for it to be over. If either of you share my bed with me tonight, you'll have to deal with both me and her tossing and turning."

"Like mother, like daughter," Hazel giggled. There was a time when we were teenagers when I always moved around in my sleep, and she'd seen it first hand.

"Jack must be losing his mind not being here for all of this," Nash pointed out.

"He is," I admitted, always feeling my heart drop at the idea of Jack really not being here. "I get multiple texts a day asking how I'm feeling. Other than that, we're just managing with daily video calls. It's all we can do, really."

Hazel grinned. "Well, we're here to keep you company and distract you"

Nash chimed in, "And to remind you that life outside of pregnancy exists."

I playfully rolled my eyes and shook my head. Of course that was what Nash was most worried about. "Enough about me, what's been up with you guys?"

"Well, work's been pretty much the same," Hazel started as she breathed out heavily. "Broke up with the guy I was seeing–"

"Wait, what?!" I interrupted, staring at her with wide eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"It happened two days ago, I figured I'd tell you in person."