Home || Enoch O'Connor

15 // Home

I cracked my eyes open.

I felt like I had been ran over by a truck.

I pushed myself up to a sitting position, groaning as my leg ached.

Throwing the blanket off me, I looked at the bandage around my thigh.

I looked up in a startle as the door creaked open.

"You're awake." Enoch stated.

Then he walked over to the wall beside my bed, leaning against it. He crossed his arms, staring at me.

I glanced down at my thigh.

"Did you, uh..." I gestured to the wound.

Enoch's expression was blank, before his eyes slowly widened, registering my words.

"No, no," He replied urgently, cheeks pink. "It was Emma."

"Oh."

Then I burst out laughing at his reaction.

"You're blushing." I told him, and

Enoch looked away, turning even redder.

"How long was I asleep for?" I questioned, swinging my legs off the bed.

Enoch shrugged, "A day."

My eyebrows shot up.

A day? That's an entire twenty-four hours.

Then something dawned on me.

That meant... The loop. It closed.

"Where's Jake?" I asked warily, though somehow already knowing the answer.

Enoch seemed taken off guard by my question, and he starting looking uncomfortable.

"Uh," He started. "He's gone."

I stared at him in horror.

Enoch sighed, grabbing a chair to sit down beside me.

"Jacqueline," He murmured, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "He wanted to go home, but he didn't want to leave you. It wasn't easy for him. He told me to tell you that he's sorry. That he didn't get to say goodbye."

I knew that there was no way Jake could've said goodbye, but I still felt that pang of disappointment.

Enoch looked down at his hands, smiling sadly.

"You meant the world to him, Jacqueline," He told me gently. "It broke his heart to leave, but he knew you'd want to stay."

I slowly smiled, a small smile, but I was grateful. To my best friend, and to the boy before me.

- N A R R A T O R -

Jacob Portman sprinted.

Along the sea, across the harbour.

His eyes were only on the vessel, about to leave.

He quickly grabbed the railings, pulling himself up the ship, running.

He made his way up to the deck, where his gaze fell upon blonde hair.

He smiled.

Emma Bloom was staring out ahead, at the waves, heart heavy. But she turned as footsteps sounded, and her eyes widened.

Jake stood before her, grinning widely.

She let out a laugh in disbelief.

"You have no idea how long it took me to get here," Jake started, panting. "First, I had to travel all the way to the California desert, then I used the loop there to get to the Tokyo one. From there, I got to the closest loop, all the way back in 1942, where I wound up in the navy. Don't ask. Then afterwards, I spent two months in London trying to—"