.2.

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Hello, new chapter up! But I didn't have to tell you that.

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The aspirin must've been pretty strong stuff because I was starting to feel a little woozy. The pounding pain in my head had stopped but I had another headache now. It was more of a heartache. And it had everything to do with the small bit on metal around Jack's finger.

I was being a bad friend. I should smile and congratulate him. I should suggest to meet the other guy some time. But I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Alex," Jack called me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. I wasn't really but I couldn't tell him that.

"Do you wanna guess who gave it to me?" He asked. I think the teasing tone in his voice was a figment of my imagination.

"Dammit, Jack, I can't remember the last ten years of my life," I whined. "It could be anybody. Stop making fun of me."

He just laughed. "Alright, alright," he surrendered. I watched him as he shifted in his seat to slip a small plastic packet out of his pocket. I sat up slightly to see what it was but he did a good job of hiding the contents out of my sight. He opened the zip lock and tipped it over and something shiny fell out. He held it out in front of me. "This belongs to you," he said with a small smile on his lips but his eyes were solemn and serious.

I didn't take it from him immediately. I glanced at the ring he was holding up and the one on his finger. They were identical. It took me a second but it finally clicked. My eyes widened with realisation and Jack's smile grew in proportion.

"We're married?" I was in disbelief, I was in shock. He nodded his confirmation. "Well, lucky me," I mumbled and he laughed.

"Here," he said, taking my hand in his and slipping the silver band onto my finger. "Never thought I'd get to do that a second time in my life," he muttered mostly to himself.

I sank back into my pillow and admired at the ring on my finger. "Did I ask you out?" I asked.

"In a way, yes," he chuckled.

"When did I do that? How?"

He pulled a face as he tried to count back. "We were twenty one, you pretended to be drunk," he recounted. "I bought the drunk act until I wrestled the bottle out of your hand and found out that the vodka was actually tap water."

I groaned in embarrassment. I didn't remember any of it but I would trust myself to pull such cowardly moves. At least it worked. So maybe sleazy, cowardly moves weren't so bad. Jack was finding all of it quite humourous. The cheeky glint in his eye was a dead giveaway as he tried but failed to hold back his smile.

"How long since..." I lifted up my left hand, somehow unable to get the words out of my mouth and second time. It felt like a big joke and that I was making a fool of myself.

He understood me perfectly. "Just a few months," he replied. "The marriage laws were passed not too long ago and we got married shortly after. Had a typical, cliché honeymoon in Hawaii," he said casually as if he were just talking about the weather.

I accepted what he told me without question. I had so many questions but I was getting too groggy to sort out my thoughts enough to ask any of them. I decided to keep the conversation light and somewhat superficial. "Did I propose, or did you?"

"You did," he replied. "We went out for dinner and you drove us out to this field really far away. There were stars in the sky, it was quiet, and we laid on the roof of the car for hours," he continued, a distant smile playing on his lips. "We were just talking and you popped the question. It was quite sudden, even you didn't actually plan to do it. I said yes, and the next day you went and got a ring."

I nodded, my eyes heavy lidded because of the painkiller's effects. "How was the wedding?"

"It was simple," he said softly. "We just said our vows, signed the certificate, and had a few drinks with some friends."

"That sounds nice," I murmured, struggling to stay awake.

"You're tired, get some rest," Jack said.

I nodded but was still hesitant to close my eyes for fear that I would wake up and forget everything that has happened. Part of me was afraid that this was all a dream and that I would wake up in my room in my parent's house and that I haven't yet worked up the guts to tell Jack about my massive crush on him.

As if sensing my thoughts, Jack leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "Go to sleep."

That kiss felt real enough to me. My body went warm all over, which only served to send me further into the realms of sleep that were pulling me in so temptingly. I couldn't help smiling at the sensation of his soft lips and rough stubble on my cheek. Finally heeding his words, I let my eyelids close shut as I floated away into darkness.

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Aww, so cute. Like, comment, and share if you like the story so far! 



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