AN: Hey guys, long time no see! I'm sorry it's been so long, but I have no ideas for this book, so if you guys have any prompts you want to give me, feel free. This idea was given to me by the lovely snyderthespider (Wattpad won't let me tag you today, I apologize) so thanks to her! Also, I apologize for this one, because I did cry while writing it, which means it's probably very sad.
Their first 'I love you'
It had been about two months since the strike ended and Jack and Katherine had been seeing each other ever since. And, while Joseph Pulitzer didn't necessarily hate Jack, he certainly wouldn't want to know that his daughter was going around holding hands with a newsboy. So, the two of them had to resort to some interesting methods.
About a week after the strike, Katherine began visiting the Lodging House daily, telling her father that she was working on a follow up story on the strike, about how the boys were doing now that it was over.
Of course, that meant she had to get assigned that article (which was hard enough, her editor apparently thought it would be rather boring), and then she actually had to write it, so her interaction with Jack there was rather lacking in anything except for the relationship of a reporter interviewing a newsie, which wasn't ideal.
So, they'd been sneaking around, hiding in alleyways during Katherine's lunch break, sneaking onto the roof of the Lodging House at midnight, not doing anything, just talking and keeping each other company.
And now, here they were, during Jack's newest arrangement of sitting on the fire escape outside of Katherine's room, while Katherine leaned halfway out the window. Jack had tried to coax her all the way out, but she refused to do that until she was certain that her father was asleep. And there was no way she was inviting him inside. Maybe she was being a little paranoid, but her father had had her blacklisted before simply for expressing an opinion he didn't like, and she wasn't going to risk that again.
"When's he usually go to bed?" Jack asked her for the third time, impatiently tapping his fingers on the windowsill. He finally got a girl, and he didn't think it was that selfish to want to spent time with all of her, and not just half of her.
"I told you, usually around 10:30. He gets up early, so it's not that late."
"So what time is it now?"
Katherine gave him a look. "Do I look like a clock to you? I don't know what time it is."
"Okay, fine. Sorry." He raised his hands in surrender, and let his gaze wander to the building across from them, clearly not knowing what to do with himself now. Katherine sighed.
"Do you want me to go see if he's asleep yet?"
"Well, if that's something you wanna do, I wouldn't mind if - "
"Shut up." She lightly shoved his chest, and he laughed. "I'll be right back."
"I'll be here." He replied, leaning back against the railing, indicating that he wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. She smiled at him for a moment, thinking about how lucky she was to have him, and then turned to find out if they were free from her father's watchful eye.
She went carefully and quietly down the hall and made her way to her father's door, fully prepare to tell him some story about how she needed to ask him an important question about newspaper circulation if she was caught. His door was closed, and she pressed her ear to it, and was immediately greeted by the sounds of her father's snoring. She grinned and made her way back to the fire escape.
"We're good to go." She told Jack, climbing out of the window to join him.
"Finally." He murmured. He pushed himself off the railing and wrapped his arms around Katherine's waist, pulling her too him and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She was constantly surprised by how nice his lips felt on hers. She didn't think she'd ever get used to it.
