serendipity ∣ jack avery

twelve

"wait so what movie are we even gonna see?" jonah questioned, looking to the rest of the group.

the seven of them were on their way to the movies, none of them sure of what it was they were going to see but we're basically already there anyways.

jack and rylee were being quite shy around one another, anyone could tell. but also, rylee wasn't exactly talking much to anyone. only a few smiles and nods here and there.

talking about which movie they would see for a few minutes, they easily decided, making their way inside. each person paid for their tickets, getting a small snack or drink in the process before waiting for the rest of the group and all heading in the theater.

rylee was seated next to jack, christina making that happen on purpose. they were basically the only people in the theater, talking to one another as the commercials played for a good twenty minutes when finally the lights dimmed down.

as the movie started, rylee found herself not paying much attention and just daydreaming. there was a few moments when jack had glanced towards her, trying to figure out what was wrong and why she was so quiet. he was worried it had something to do with what had happened the day before but shook his head because she was basically the one making the move.

he directed his attention back to the movie until he glanced down, seeing rylees hand resting on the arm rests between the two seats and mentally fighting himself on whether or not he should make a move.

eventually he went for it, moving slightly quickly but also slowly, not wanting to scare her.

as he intertwined his hand with hers, she looked over at him, seeing his attention directed ahead on the screen. smiling, she tightened her grip on his hand, directing her attention forward as well.

daniel was the first to notice this and immediately tapped christina, motioning towards the two.

as she looked at the two and what was taking place, she smiled to herself only wanting happiness for her two friends and feeling quite sure that what they needed was each other.

once the movie was over, the group made their way out, jack and rylee slightly trailing behind everyone while their hands were still intertwined.

none of their friends had made a comment towards it, not wanting to ruin the moment as they heard what had happened prior that day from christina.

"you okay?" jack asked, speaking quietly so the rest of the group couldn't hear him. although they were so loud he was sure that they wouldn't hear him even if he didn't speak quietly.

rylee looked at him for a moment and then looked back down, watching her feet as she walked. "yeah, just tired." she said.

he could tell she was lying because she never complained about being tired. he remembered her telling him all about her tiredness and when she slept and most of the issues she had related to that. but he decided not to pry and just frowned a little bit, worried about what's going on inside her head.

the group decided to get some food and hangout for a while, not including jack and rylee in the conversation.

jack rubbed his thumb against her hand in a comforting way, looking towards her every now and then to try and figure out what it is that's bothering her.

when they had arrived at a small restaurant, everyone went inside, christina pulling jack aside for a moment.

"has rylee really spoken to you?" she asked, looking to where the group was.

jack shook his head, frowning. "i asked what was wrong but she said she was tired."

christina sighed. "bullshit. she seemed a little insecure last night after i interrupted your little moment." she explained. "sorry about that by the way."

jack gave a small smile, telling her it's okay. "what do you mean she seemed insecure?" he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

christina looked towards rylee who was talking to corbyn, smiling a little. "it's not my business to tell. she'll tell you eventually. just talk to her as you would normally. she gets like this sometimes but she'll be okay."

jack nodded, following christina back towards the table and taking a seat beside rylee, giving her a small smile as she smiled back.

it wasn't that rylee was necessarily upset with anyone or about anything. sometimes, she just thought to much and overthought until she didn't really want to think anymore and tended to become somewhat quiet for a little bit.

ordering their food, the seven spoke, rylee not talking much, only every now and then when someone would ask her a question.

"you sure you feel okay?" jack questioned, speaking softly so that she was the only one who could hear him.

rylee looked up and at him before looking away once again, nodding. "yeah i'm okay." she smiled.

jack started a conversation, talking about the food, the movie and joining in on conversations with their friends.

eventually, when everyone decided to go their separate ways, they all exchanged goodbyes. jack embraced rylee in a hug, saying a quiet goodbye before kissing her cheek and pulling away from her, leaving with the rest of the boys and leaving rylee with a smile on her face and butterflies in her stomach.