Promises (Jack Gilinsky)

Chapter 23

Charlotte's POV:

After drifting off for a while, I open my eyes realize that Jack and I are still in the tree. My head hurts a little bit, but I decide to ignore it.

I lift my head off of Jack's shoulder and look at him. "How long was I out?" I asked

"Only a couple of minutes. It's only ten forty five." Jack says showing me his watch. "We should probably go down soon."

"Yeah." I say. My head is slowly getting worse, but I don't want to tell Jack. He'll just worry.

We make our way down the tree and slowly start to walk towards the porch where most of the guys are.

We're not even ten feet away from the tree when I feel a sharp pain in my head. I know right away that I'm having a migraine. I've been getting migraines my entire life, but it's been a while since I've had one.

When I feel it, I stop in my tracks and put my head and my hands. I've never gotten used to this pain, even after all this time. Jack notices and is quick to make sure I'm alright. "Charlotte, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I'm just having a migraine." I say, my head still in my hands. I hate talking when I'm like this, but I can't just ignore Jack.

"Do you want me to take you home?" I nod at Jack's offer. I don't want to leave, but there's no way I can stay here like this.

Jack puts one arm around my shoulder and a hand on my arm to help me keep steady while walking. When we approach the porch, everyone gives us worried looks. The whole time, my head stays in my hands and I barely look at anyone. My eyes stay closed for the most part.

"Guys Charlotte's not feeling well, I'm going to take her home." Jack says.

"What's wrong?" Johnson asks, coming towards us.

"I just have a migraine guys, don't worry." I answer.

Johnson nods as we start walking around to the front of the house to the sidewalk. As we walk, I find it hard to stay balanced. "Charlotte, are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" Jack asks. I know he wants to take care of me, but I don't want him to stress too much.

"No, it's fine." I respond. Right as I do, I nearly trip over my own foot.

"That's it." Jack says, scooping me up in his arms, bridal style. I don't protest.

In a few minutes, we're at my front door. Jack takes the key we have hidden under the mat and unlocks the door, continuing to carry me upstairs into my bedroom.

My parents are both sleeping, so Jack helps me get situated. He lays me in my bed and takes off my shoes. He bends down and kisses my forehead. "Goodnight, Charlotte." He whispers as he turns to leave.

I don't want him to leave. I always feel so much better when he's around. I know we've only been dating for a day, but we're so much closer than most couples are at this point. "Wait, Jack." I say, grabbing his wrist.

"Yeah?" He turns around to face me with a hint of concern on his face.

"Will you stay with me?" I ask, feeling like a child when I do.

Jack gives me a small side smile. "Of course." He climbs into my bed and wraps his arms around my waist. I rest my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

When we settle down and I close my eyes, I hear Jack say one more thing. I'm not sure if I was meant to hear it or not, but I'm glad I did. Right as it's quiet, I hear Jack mutter the words, "I'm staying right here with you. I promise."

That's a promise I believe he'll keep.

Jack's POV:

"That's it." I say as I take Charlotte in my arms. I know that the only reason Charlotte objected to me carrying her the first time was because she doesn't like it when people do stuff like that for her. She likes to be independent.

I feel bad that she had to leave Sam's house. I've never had a migraine before, but I know that they suck. It was just really bad timing.

I really don't mind taking Charlotte home. She probably thinks that I do, but I want to make sure she gets there alright. As I approach her house, I realize that I'm going to need to take her up to her room, too.

I look at Charlotte as I make my way up her stairs. She hasn't taken her head out of her hands the whole time and her eyes are closed tightly. I hate seeing her in pain. Whenever she's hurt, I'm hurt. It's cheesy, I know, but it's the truth

When I find my way to Charlotte's room, I pull back the sheets on her bed and lay her down. I take her shoes off, but she's going go have to stay in those clothes tonight. I don't think that either of us are comfortable with the thought of me helping her change.

As I turn to leave, I feel Charlotte's hand on my wrist. "Wait, Jack." The look on her face is so filled with pain and I worry that I did something to hurt her.

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay with me?" I'm a little surprised that she asked me this, but I'm also happy. I love having her in my arms.

"Of course." I say, crawling under the covers with her. A minute later, we are both comfortable and ready to sleep. I can't tell if Charlotte's asleep or not, but I let the words slip out of my mouth anyways.

"I'm staying right here with you, I promise."

When I say this, I don't just mean that I'm staying with Charlotte tonight. This is me promising that I will stay with Charlotte no matter what. I know that I can keep this promise.

Even though I try, I can't sleep. I can't quit thinking about the girl that is resting her head on my chest. The girl that I have wrapped in my arms to protect her. The girl that I have put all of my faith in, and the girl that has done the same with me.

I think about our future once again, wondering what it has in store. I remember what Charlotte said about dating. She said she was scared because if you date someone, you two will either breakup or be together for the rest of your lives.

I've never really thought about it that way. But now that I do, I realize how scary it can be.

What about me and Charlotte? What will happen with us? I can't see myself ever breaking up with Charlotte. But, can we really be together for the rest of our lives? I know that a teenage boy shouldn't worry about this sort of thing, but I can't help it.

I ponder the subject for a long time before finally closing my eyes and letting the darkness overcome me.