Giving In

Chapter 5

Kay walked into the bar and every eye was on her. She went up to the bartender and ordered a drink. The bartender was a very good-looking man, and Kay noticed that he had to be close to her age. She also noticed that he didn't charge her for her drinks. Maybe she would have a good night after all. After she had a few drinks in her, she made her way to the dance floor. It was her favorite place to be. When she was dancing, all the worry just fell away. She felt the music deep down in her soul and her body just knew how to listen to it and move the way the music seemed to want it to.

Kay danced and drank for what seemed like hours. Every drink she ordered was paid for by some guy that was hoping to take her home with him. With every song she danced to, a different man was dancing with her. At some point in the night, her high heels were stuffed into her purse, and she danced the night away barefoot. She wasn't even really seeing the men in front of her or hearing the words they spoke. She only heard the music. She felt the lyrics. All of her stress melted away as her body twisted to the beat.

At the end of the night, Kay found herself too drunk to drive herself home. She had intended on only having a couple drinks to take her mind off of Jackson, but with every drink she had, his memories flooded her head. It took her fourteen drinks before his face faded from her mind. When the lights brightened in the bar signaling bar close, Kay wandered up to the bar to find her belongings and call for a cab home. She turned the corner and was met by the handsome bartender.

"You are a gorgeous woman." The man said to her.

"Thank you, you are pretty hot yourself." She flirted.

"Do you need a ride home?" He smiled at her.

"I don't even know your name, and you don't know mine. Why would you offer to give me a ride?" Kay blurted out.

"Well, my name is Sam. I was hoping to give you a ride home in attempt to learning your name and get to know you better. Being with you would be a dream come true." He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Kay laughed at him before explaining to him that he didn't have a shot because she wasn't looking for a relationship. She did, however, accept his offer for that ride home. Something came over her on the way back to the house. She needed to push Jackson out of her mind completely. She knew that she was falling for him, and she needed to stop it. When the car came to a stop in front of the house, Kay leaned over and kissed Sam.

"Come in with me." She whispered in between kisses.

Sam put the car in park and helped Kay out of the car and up to the door. She told him that she didn't live alone so they needed to be quiet as they went in, but once they were in the basement, they were in the clear. She put her key in the door and pulled Sam into the house with her. She noticed a light on down the hall, which usually meant that the baby was awake and someone was tending to her needs. Kay placed her finger to her lips to signal for Sam to be quiet and she led him down the stairs, kissing him every chance she got.

Jackson had wandered out of Seth's room and ended up on the sofa in the downstairs living room. He had dozed off a few times, but was trying to stay awake to talk to Kay when she came home. He needed to get things straightened out with her once and for all. He was going to declare his love for her and demand that they try to have a relationship. He needed her to know that he didn't care what she had done in the past; all he cared about was what they did with their future.

His drunk brain told him that confessing his love for her was a good idea, because it would make her see that it didn't matter what she had done in her past. He would love her anyway because a past didn't make a person, the way they grew from it did. He knew that it was probably a gamble telling her how he felt when they didn't know each other for very long, but he knew that love wasn't something that needed years to exist. He knew the first time he met her that there was something special about her. Each day that he worked with her and laughed with her made his heart feel a little less cold. She seemed to bring him back to life in a way he wasn't sure he had ever felt before.

Jackson heard footsteps on the stairs and knew that any second, he would be faced with the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He was still pretty drunk, but he didn't care. He started to sit up on the couch to look back at her, when he realized that she wasn't alone. She was kissing a man and pulling him towards her bedroom. She didn't even notice that Jackson was laying there in the dark watching her. He felt like his heart had just dropped into the pit of his stomach. He had every intention of waiting for her to close her door before making his escape, but seeing her touching someone else caused him to throw up.

Kay was startled by a gagging noise and pulled back from Sam's grip. She looked around to see where the sound came from when she saw Jackson on the couch with a horrified look on his face. She directed Sam to her room and let him know that she would be right there. After the bedroom door was closed, she walked over to the couch.

"What the hell are you doing here Jackson? You can't keep stalking me and trying to convince me to be with you. Haven't I made it clear that I don't want you?" She said sternly. She noticed a tear rolling down his face.

"I drank too much and James refused to let me drive home, so they told me I could sleep down here. Don't worry, I get it. I won't be bothering you anymore." Jackson managed to choke out the words that seemed to sting his own heart.  "I'll leave you to your date."

Jackson stood up, trying to force his legs to work. He made his way to the stairs and practically had to crawl up them. Once he was in the living room upstairs, he pulled himself onto the sofa and allowed himself to cry. Jackson rarely ever showed his emotions, whether he was alone or not. He felt like his heart was just ripped out of his chest, torn to pieces, and thrown into an inferno. He didn't think he would ever be okay again.

Jackson finally fell asleep only to be woken up about an hour later to the noise of someone coming up the stairs. He stayed still, pretending to still be asleep when he watched Kay escort her friend out to his car. She walked back in, shut the door, and cursed to herself. Jackson watched as she went into the kitchen for a glass of water. Even if she just spent an hour of fun with someone else, he still thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Kay had made her way into her room after Jackson went up the steps, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything with Sam. She sat down next to him and decided to explain to him why she couldn't continue their activities. He actually understood, and they ended up talking for almost an hour before Kay saw him out. After she walked him out to the car, she went in to get a glass of water. She knew that Jackson was still somewhere in the house, but that didn't stop her from breaking down in tears right in the kitchen where anyone could find her. She allowed herself to slide down to the floor, and she sat there crying.

Jackson wasn't going to go to her; he was going to stay away from her for good. He didn't want to be the fool that wouldn't take a hint. She didn't feel the same was as he did, and he couldn't force her to. She wasn't the same person he thought she was, and he had to keep telling himself that. When he finally had himself convinced to stay away from her, he heard her cries. Something inside of Jackson snapped at the sounds of Kay's sobs.

"Did he hurt you?" Jackson choked out as he walked towards her, but she just shook her head no.

Jackson stepped around her, trying not to get too close, and grabbed the can of coffee out of the cupboard. He walked over the coffee pot and started brewing himself a pot. He knew that his sister-in-law would probably be up soon, and no one was going to get anymore sleep. He grabbed two coffee mugs out of the cabinet and started preparing coffee for both him and Kay.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her.

"Why are you being so nice to me Jackson?" It was all that she could bring herself to say.

"Because I think I love you."