Chains: Eyeless Jack X Reader

Chapter 39

{Reader's POV}

            Steam rose from the pot as I stirred the homemade stew, turning off the stove and going to get a bowl from the cabinets. Jack sat on the couch watching TV, though I could see his head twisted slightly to look back at me, watching silently as I lifted the pot to pour the stew into the cool, ceramic blue bowl. It was funny how I'd gotten used to his constant staring so fast; when I first got here I'd probably have freaked out by now. Now I was able to just ignore him easily.

            Most of the time, anyway.

            "...Uh, Jack, can you please step back so I can move?" I shot him a pointed look as he stood behind me, unintentionally boxing me into a corner in the kitchen. Glancing at me for a moment, he stepped back, allowing me to walk away with the steaming bowl of stew. I made my way to the table slowly so as not to spill any, carefully setting the bowl down. As I moved to sit Jack abruptly pulled out the chair for me. I cast him a strange glance but sat down anyway, and he pushed it in before going around to sit across from me.

            About a week had passed since the operation. Ever since getting home, Jack had been closer than ever. Hovering near me at almost all times, he was always watching me. It wasn't a distrustful kind of staring and stalking, though. If it were, he'd have put the shackle on my ankle, but he didn't. He let me wander freely, citing that I was too weak to try to escape even though I was apparently recovering "exceptionally fast" and off the liquid diet. Honestly, I think he was underestimating my strength after the surgery, but I didn't complain.

            My goal was to raise his trust enough during this limited window of freedom so that he wouldn't feel like he ever had to put it back on me again. I really didn't have any intentions of escaping—I'd figured out I had no where else to go way back when I hit him with a rock—and now that it was an indisputable fact that he would never try to kill me, I had even less motive to leave. Our relationship was better than ever. Staying here was the happiest outcome I could see.

            At the same time, though, his hovering caused me a lot of problems. I felt like I walking on glass as I tried to avoid the subject of Buddy's account. Fact: Jack is an incredibly curious person. He hadn't exactly said that, but it was pretty obvious—especially when I got onto the laptop. Whenever I opened it, he'd suddenly appear behind me and watch closely. Thanks to his constant hovering, I couldn't delete the account or photos like I wanted.

            Every day he'd try to guess the password until he was locked out, at which point he'd pester me to tell him, but I always refused and he'd let the subject drop. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd figure it out or force it out of me. The more time that passed, the more dangerous this secret felt. I had seen things from Jack's past I shouldn't have, memories he would rather forget. If Jack found out what I'd seen, I had no idea how he'd react, what he'd do to me. All I knew was that I did not want to risk his wrath.

            I pushed this all out of my mind as I ate, ignoring Jack as he stared at me. Or trying to, anyway. Honestly, I'd been kind of hoping the strong scent of stew would push him away since he seemed to hate the smell of regular food. "Why're you watching me so closely?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, and he shrugged.

            "No reason. Just happy you're back." I glanced at him in surprise, recalling how he'd acted when he was drunk, begging and pleading not to hate him.