Cognizant (Adopted By Alex Gaskarth: Book 2)✅

Chapter 20

Jack's finger gently jabbed me in the side. I hummed softly with my eyes still on the television, poking him back.

"Ad, did you hear me?"

"Huh?" I looked up and around. Alex stood next to the couch with his hands in his pockets, grinning amusedly.

"I'm heading to the store to pick up food. You'll be okay here with Jack?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, text me if you need anything." He swung his keys around his finger before spinning on his heels. I placed my head back down on Jack once I heard the door shut and lock with a click. I turned my head back to the television, the movie Matador still playing. I tensed suddenly as a particularly horrifying scene played through. A small squeak escaped my lips as I hid my face in Jack's shirt, keeping the arm around his torso tightly against him.

"It's okay, hey, relax," he told me calmly, rubbing one arms up and down my back soothingly. The girl's screams on the television suddenly stopped as I heard Jack change the channel. "Don't worry, it was just a movie."

I heard an episode of Gilmore Girls playing now on the television, and cautiously gazed back up.

"Also, yes. I may or may not have four jobs if you've been keeping track." I calmed down as the episode played. I relaxed against Jack with a small sigh, tears still pricking the corners of my eyes. Jack still moved his hand comfortingly up and down my back, swiping his thumb across my shoulder blade occasionally.

"You okay, Ad?"

I nodded silently and hid my face in the crook of my arm against his chest, exposing it just enough to see. Another small sigh left my mouth as I began falling asleep against the guitarist. The soft and slow bump bump thump of his heartbeat lulled me into a comfortable slumber.

.

"Ad, Adelpha, wake up."

I took a deep breath and exhaled, pushing away the hands that touched my sides. I smelled a familiar cologne. I recognized Jack's smell of his own cologne and strawberry vodka. I automatically knew I felt safe and gently stopped struggling in my half-awake state. My eyes slowly opened, and I saw Jack still sitting next to me on the couch.

"Good nap?" He giggled.

I hummed and shut my eyes again, hiding my face back in my arm against the man.

"Don't go back to sleep, your dad said dinner's ready, and your mom's home from work."

I hummed again, rubbing tiredly at my eyes. I rolled over off of Jack's side to stretch out before accidentally sliding off the floor.

.

I stepped carefully one foot in front of the other on the beam, my thin leather jacket flipping behind me in the cool wind. I could see the water under the bridge I stood below the deck of and carefully balanced on the beam that supported it. My left hand trailed on the underside of the deck just above me, feeling the vibrations as speeding cars bumped over the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I grinned as a flock of speckled white birds flew beneath my feet, squawking and making shrilly screams.

"We hit the elevator right up to the rooftop
The bass is pumping
Make me wanna screw the top off
Yeah, we'll be drinking, and nobody's gonna stop us-"

I took my phone from my back pocket as I heard Alex's ringtone echo against the metal of the bridge.

"Hey," I greeted with the phone to the side of my face, still gazing down at the beam I happily walked across.