DIE ➳ JACK JOHNSON

XXIV. HOLD ME CLOSE

chapter twenty four - july 27

That night, she didn't stop crying until the sunrise occurred. She kept on crying in the car ride to his house, and continued to do so as they laid in bed together. He listened to her broken sobs for hours on end, but he didn't mind it one single bit. He didn't mind that he lost hours of sleeping because of her or felt super tired in the morning when she was finally able to go to sleep. No, he didn't mind at all, because he'd do anything to make sure she felt secured.

It had been a while since he saw her that vulnerable, and that terrified him to see her that way. He was used to her happy-go-lucky nature now, and to hear her talking about her past like that, her struggles - he could literally feel the pain through her voice. That hit him. 

As soon as she had fallen asleep, he carefully slipped out of his bed. He sat on the edge of his bed, distancing himself a bit from her presence, but not too far in case she needed him. He needed to clear his mind, because he could feel himself messing with his own head. 

He didn't know the difference between right and wrong, because being with Alaska felt so right to him, but everything's telling him how wrong it was to be with her. It's didn't take an absolute genius to figure out that she made him happy, but how did he make her feel? Could he still make her happy over the years? He didn't know.

"Jack?" her voice croaked from the bed.

He immediately turned to look at her with concern. "What is it, love?"

She attempted to sit up on the bed, but couldn't really keep her balance as her hands went to her pounding head. Jack didn't waste any time to rush to her side. He supported her by placing his hands on her back, and motioning for her to lean back against him.

"I'm not feeling too well," she whispered to him.

He gently placed his hand on her forehead, only to be surprised at the hotness radiating of it. "You're burning, love."

"Yeah, I feel it too," she said, laughing a bit in attempt to make herself feel better.

"I think you've got a cold or a fever or something like that," he informed her.

"Why thanks for being so specific Dr. Johnson," she replied sarcastically, chuckling a bit.

"Well, I'm not a doctor," he said, smiling a bit. "But I'll take care of you."

She shook her head. "No, I don't want to get you sick too."

"Then, we'll be sick together," he joked. "That's quite romantic, right?"

"Jack..." she groaned.

"Alaska..." he replied back in a a mocking tone. "Don't fight me on this."

"Jack, stop being so stubborn."

"That's all you, love. Just let me be a great boyfriend, and take care of my lovely girlfriend," he pleaded with huge eyes. 

She shut her eyes for a brief second while shaking her head with a light smile. "Sweet talking is going to get you nowhere."

"Honestly, I don't mind. I want to be here for you, so just let me," he begged softly.

She looked into his soft, beautiful eyes. She saw the worry and care in his eyes, and instantly felt loved. She honestly didn't want to spend the day with him in her groggy state which probably made her look so unattractive right now, but his pleading reeled her in. She always hoped and wished for a guy to show her these kind of emotions, to make her feel like she mattered, and Jack had been presenting that to her on a silver platter. How could she resist?