Love Triangle (Wilkinson vs. Gilinsky)

7. Stargazing

SHAY’S POV

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping and a cool spring breeze, making my window curtains flutter about.

Even though I passed out last night, I unfortunately recall every moment. I cringe as I remember slurring my words and sloppily admitting my feelings to Jack and Sam. 

Daisy knocks on my door twice before walking in. She holds two tiny pills and a glass of water. I smile at her gratefully and take the pain killers.

"So…" Daisy starts. "How was your night?"

I close my eyes and begin to speak, “I told Jack and Sam I like them and they told me they like me back.” I open my eyes and look at her.

Daisy looks at me alarmingly, “Both of them? You like both of them? And both of them like you back?!”

I glare at her. Daisy quickly adds, “It’s not that you aren’t great, Shay. But you’ve known them for what, 5 days?” 

"And I’ve spent time with them both all 5 days. But I know… It’s a little ridiculous."

"Well who do you like more?"

I shut my eyes again. Who did I like more? I take a moment to reevaluate all my memories with both Jack and Sam, particularly the one from last night in the car.

"I’m gonna do whatever it takes to have her. I hope you know that."

"So am I."

I sigh and open my eyes, “Daisy, that’s the issue. I don’t know.” I pause. “And they came up with this insane idea.” Daisy looks at me. “They told me they want me to date both of them. To make sure their feelings are legit or something.”

She opens her mouth like she’s going to say something and closes it. She does this several times before finally saying, “Shay, I don’t know how the hell that’s gonna work. But you are one lucky girl.” I smile at her sadly.

—

I lay in bed all day. The only movements I make are going to the bathroom and finding the remote control to the TV. The sky changes color from grey to light blue to pinkish orange to pitch black. I glance at my phone and read the time: 10:15 PM.

I struggle to get out of bed and throw on an old t-shirt over my sports bra. I walk downstairs into the kitchen and open the fridge. Daisy is laying on the couch and pays no attention to me.

There’s a knock on the door and Daisy immediately says, “You got it.”

I roll my eyes and walk to the front door. I peer out the window and see Jack looking down with his hands in his pockets. I smile to myself and open the door.

"Hi." I say, leaning against the door.

"Hi." He looks at me and gives me a no teeth smile.

"Do you wanna come in?" I open the door wider, but he shakes his head.

"Actually, do you think you could come out?"

"Uh, sure. Lemme just get dressed."

"You don’t need to. Just come outside." He turns around and walks down my front steps into my backyard.

I’m confused. I stare at his back for a moment and follow him anyways.

"Jack, where are you—" I stop midsentence and freeze. I see Jack looking at me and he smiles. I look down at his feet and see a huge, white blanket spread out in the grass. Piles of pillows fill the blanket’s borders and I stand there in awe.

"Did you—did you do all of this?"

He puts one arm behind his head and scratches his neck. “Uh, yeah. Omaha’s known for having the prettiest stars and I didn’t want you to miss out.”

I smile at him and take a seat on the blanket. I pat the cloth next to me, indicating I want him to join. He plops down next to me and slithers his arm around my waist. I lean my head against his shoulder and ask, “Is Omaha really known for having the prettiest stars?”

"Absolutely not. I definitely made that one up." He looks at me and I laugh.

After a minute of stargazing, I pick my head up off his shoulder and lay down on one of the pillows behind me. Laying down next to me, Jack removes his hand from behind my waist and places it under my head, wrapping it around my shoulder. I cuddle up next to him and inhale his sweet scent.

We lay there for a moment in silence. I hear the crickets chirping and the cars speeding past my house.

I suddenly sit up and Jack follows suit. I move my body so we’re facing each other and I say, “What was your first impression of me?”

He pulls me closer to him. I sit between his legs and have mine spread on top of his, straddling him. He thinks back for a moment and responds, “At first, I thought you were crazy. You kept mumbling to yourself and I was just thinking, ‘We got a schizo in aisle four.’”

I burst out laughing and hit him playfully. “I don’t even realize when I do that. I should work on it.”

He chuckles and continues, “But then you bumped into me and I had the chance to really look at you.” I think back to when there was three seconds of awkward staring. “And I was like, ‘daaaaamn.’”

I blush and look away. He places a finger under my chin and turns me towards him. 

"I thought, if you could look that good in sweatpants and a t-shirt, you’d look fucking bangin’ naked." He smirks at me.

I fake a look of disgust and pretend to get up. He grabs my hands and stops me from moving. He looks at me and we both start to laugh.

He holds my hands tightly and says, “But really, Shay. I looked at you and thought you were beautiful.” He pauses. “Then the next day I see you in my math class, lookin’ hot as hell may I add.” I smile at him. “And you were so confident and comfortable. You didn’t try to hide who you were.”

I look him in the eyes. I grab his face in my hands and press my lips to his. He pulls me in closer and I’m sitting on his lap, straddling him. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me back lovingly. His tongue licks my lips and I grant it permission to enter. I run my fingers through his hair and he tightens his grasp on my waist. As opposed to all the other times, our kiss isn’t fueled by sexual desire. It’s passionate and loving.

I pull away slowly, but keep my head close to his. I leave my hands around his neck and his arms remain around my waist. Breathing heavily, I say, “Do you wanna know my first impression of you, Jack Gilinsky?” 

He nods his head slowly, still catching his breath as well.

"I couldn’t get over your lips," I tap his lips with my pointer finger and he closes his eyes at my touch. "Or your teeth," Jack smiles wide and I giggle. "Or your eyes." I look into his eyes and he stares back.

He leans in and reconnects our lips. I kiss him back roughly, wanting to taste every bit of him.

"Shay! Shay?" I hear Daisy’s voice yell out a window. It takes everything in me to pull away from Jack. He continues to kiss down my neck and I croak back, "What?!"

"Mom’s home and wants to talk to you!"

I groan internally and Jack loosens his grip on my waist. I turn to him and say, “I’ve gotta go. Thank you for this.” I hug him tightly and kiss him on the cheek.