Jump. //Jai Courtney Fanfiction

twenty-one

Jai

March 18th:

"Honey, you look completely miserable. Why the long face?" Mum asked me.

"No, I'm fine. Just gonna be gone for a long time," I sigh. "That's it."

I was currently disecting my parents' grandfather clock behind the face. It's been in my mum's family for years, and every now and then It stops working. Since I was a teenager I've been tinkering with it, always getting it to start working again. Over the years I had bought replacement pieces for when it happens again.

Conveniently I happened to be at their house today when it stopped for the hundredth time. Mum wanted Ayla and I over for dinner tonight before my flight tomorrow evening. Ayla doesn't leave work until about 4:30 but mum talked me into to coming over here earlier just to 'spend time with her' as she put it. She's my mother, I can't say no.

I carefully re-screwed the tiny piece that held the gears in place before checking the front of the clock. It was working again.

"Thank you so much babe," mum siad, rubbing my arm while I put the clock tools and extra pieces in the bottom drawer of it's stand.

"No worries."

I stood back upright and she was glaring at me, arms crossed.

"You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Hmm," she began. "You look stressed."

"Well, of course I'm stressed. Nothing out of the ordinary though. Just about being away for a while and the wedding," I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans. "But mum really, I'm fine. I promise."

You liar.

"Well don't be worried one bit about the wedding. Nothing to stress over on that. And yeah you'll be gone a while but you're gonna have a great time and come back to a beautiful bride," she grinned and pinched my cheek causing me to shyly smile in return, looking down to my feet.

"Exactly."

Clare busted through the door at that exact moment carrying a cake box.

"Hey mum! Jai, my dear brother, I know it's a few days behind but since I wasn't able to see you this weekend, I made you a cake," Clare shined, her teeth showing proudly, holding the box out in front of her.

"You really shouldn't have. I'm dieting, remember?"

"Oh please. You lose weight faster than anyone on the planet. Besides, you're telling me you didn't go crazy I'm your birthday?"

"Not too crazy, but I still are a lot," I answered.

"Well, luckily this isn't too unhealthy. It's apple-walnut."

"Ooh, that sounds delicious," mum said, grabbing it out of Clare's hands. "You want me to refridgerate this?"

"Nah, leave it on the counter. Oh, and these go with it," she excitedly said, handing mum a 2 and an 8 candle from her pocket.

She tossed me a wink before reaching up for a hug.

"You excited about New Orleans?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean it's not like I'm gonna be sight-seeing too much. I'll be pretty busy. Distracted," I said to her, pulling out of her grip.

"Yeah, but you've never been. So that's cool," she shrugged encouragingly.

"True," I smiled.

"So, when is my little love muffin getting here?" Clare asked, clearly referring to Ayla.