2:1

Chapter 53 - love, brooks

The next day...

That morning Jack had strolled into Uni at a surprising time of 9.10am, making him feel as though he had accomplished his first achievement of the week. His lecture may have started 10 minutes ago but that didn't matter as the fact he hadn't missed the whole thing just yet was something worth celebrating.

As he was casually wandering through the hallways in no rush now that he was actually here, he caught sight of a certain someone in the distance who always managed to catch his eye. His previous plans of heading for his lecture hall were changed when he watched Jess make her way up the stairs, clearly heading to grab herself a drink. So following after her, Jack picked up his pace until they were walking side by side.

"Morning." He sang, causing Jess to turn in fright as she hadn't expected the sudden appearance.

"Oh my God, you scared me." Her hand was placed to her chest while Jack just began to chuckle.

"Did you have a good night?"

His question caused the memories of the fight to quickly flood back. The evening had been filled with so many mixed emotions spanning out from the start to the finish. The annoyance Jack had been trying to cause Corey was the first issue, followed by what he had said to her however, things had quickly looked up when Aaron had not only won the fight but proposed to Sophie in front of a large audience.

Jess felt exhausted just thinking about it all while also not knowing exactly how she would describe the night she had.

"Yeah, it was good." She nodded and went for the most simplistic answer possible.

She was uneasy about Jack's intentions due to him showing a large amount of annoyance over her situation with Corey. She didn't want any drama yet she knew it was likely to happen and he wasn't going to give up.

"I can't believe my best mate is actually engaged. It's fucking insane."

Jess wasn't able to hold back her own laughter at Jack's comment as she knew what was likely running through his head. This was full on panic for him as the idea of losing his friend to a 'serious' relationship probably felt more possible now.

"Don't worry, he still loves you just as much." Jess teased as she turned to see a now grinning Jack.

He looked relived by her comment, happy that she had actually responded in that particular manner and not just shrugged him off.

"I sure hope so. I was there first." He smirked while running a hand through his messy hair.

As they both approached the coffee shop, Jack waited off to the side while Jess ordered her drink. But just before she reached the till, he beat her to paying the guy standing behind it. Jack had done it so quickly that it had taken her a moment to process that he'd just paid for her drink.

"Jack! I had it." She insisted as she tried to pass him her money but he began jogging off with a grin over his face. He was like acting like a child but there was something extremely fun and refreshing about it.

Everything had been so tense between the two of them since Jess started dating Corey, so it felt good to finally be able to get along without the sly remarks or annoying comments.

"Seriously, take it!" She persisted as she followed after him but Jack continued to refuse.

"Forget the money, I have something I need to give you."

Jess watched Jack curiously as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. She couldn't tell what it was but she instantly noticed the scribbles on the front spelling out her name.

"You can say no but he would have been upset if I didn't give it to you."

Taking the piece of paper from Jack's hand, Jess began unfolding it to be faced with something that made her heart sink.

It was from Brooklyn...

Jess i ca
H a p p y birthDAY to me
Party at zoo
Please come
Love
Brooks

The scribbled writing had been written by copying the neater and clearer version which followed beneath it however, his own version made her heart burst so much more.

"It's his birthday next week and he insisted that you were invited. You made a good first impression." Jack laughed yet for once it was filled with slight nerves and uncertainty.

"He wants me to come to his party?" Jess clarified as the smile on her face was just getting bigger. "Really?"

"Yeah... at the Zoo."

Jess knew this situation wasn't exactly a great one to be agreeing to. Jack had been causing herself and Corey some trouble and the two friends were not exactly on good terms right now. However, Brooklyn had gone to this effort to write Jess an invitation due to genuinely wanting her there, so she didn't think she could say no to that.

"When is it?"

"Next Saturday."

The hope in Jack's eyes was becoming more and more obvious but he still looked slightly uneasy.

"I..." Jess began, debating in her head on what to do.

Did she agree and potentially make the whole situation even more messy? Or did she say no and stick to the safety of how things were.

She knew Jack wasn't trustworthy and he had done some bad things but this was about Brooklyn, not him. Therefore, it wouldn't seem fair to say no.

"Okay... yeah sure, I'll come." She replied with a smile, causing her own body to fill with nerves at the idea of it.

She knew that Brooklyn's birthday wasn't going to be held here and instead it would be back in Jack's home town. However, she wasn't sure how she felt about travelling back there with him.

She had met his older brother briefly but she didn't know any of his other family or who would be attending this party. She would just be turning up in this unknown place, surrounded by strangers when she still hadn't even known Jack for that long either.

"Are you serious?" Jack questioned, looking genuinely shocked. "Fuck, he's going to be happy!"

"I can't even remember the last time I went to the zoo." Jess chuckled as she tried to hold back the little bit of excitement now slipping through.

The nerves were evident but she couldn't help but also feel slightly excited about the idea of it all. She loved Brooklyn and getting to see him on his birthday, likely buzzing with happiness, made her already share his enthusiasm.

Spending the day with Jack may be slightly odd but she couldn't imagine it would be uncomfortable. Things may not have been all that great between the two of them for a while but he was already managing to make it feel like none of it had happened.

Therefore, a day spent together to celebrate his brother's birthday could be just what they needed to start a real friendship that they had never got to experience before.

💜