Orphan (A Jack Gilinsky Fanfic)

6. Almost

KATHRYN'S POV

I speed home, staying vigilant for any sign of cops. It's past midnight. My shift at work ran late. The image of utter terror spread across Jamie's face invades my mind. My only coherent thought is to get home as soon as possible.

I spot the familiar black gate under the dimly lit street light about a mile down the road. I press my foot to the accelerator and turn into the opening within seconds. I slide the card Mrs. Finnegan gave me down the reader and impatiently wait for the machine to validate it. The small light turns from red to green and the doors slowly begin to unlock and open.

I lick my lips and press on the gas, causing my engine to roar through the silent night. I zoom down the long driveway and hastily park to the side. I take the keys out of the ignition and step out of the car in a rush, my only objective to get inside and apologize to Jamie.

I sprint across the rocky pavement and through the grass, eventually finding myself on the white bridge. I nimbly plunge the key into the lock of the guest house and unlock the door, instantly swinging it open. My eyes are wide and full of panic as I frantically scan the living room for Jamie. The room is completely empty.

I gulp hard and run up the stairs, tripping over my feet and thinking the worst. The door to our bedroom is just barely shut, a small crack emitting a line of bright light into the hall. I furrow my eyebrows and slowly creak open the door.

Upon entering the room, a small smile immediately pulls at my lips. I bite my bottom lip and cross my arms over my chest, admiring the adorable view. Jamie lays sound asleep, his head turned away from me and towards the window. Next to him, Jack sleeps with his right arm under Jamie's head and his mouth gaping slightly open.

I stare for a moment, determined to let my smile fade away before waking Jack. I let out a small scoff of adoration. The view in front of me is so damn cute, I'm tempted to take a picture.

After a moment, I uncross my arms and sit on the bed near Jack. Biting my lip, I lightly shake his shoulders until I see his eyes slowly flutter open. He squints at the brightness, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light. His eyes flicker around at his surroundings, trying to recall where he was.

Upon realization, he carefully slips his arm from under Jamie and sits up, directing his focus to me. He rubs one of his eyes and smiles, "Hi."

I bite my lip, "Hi."

He points towards Jamie behind his shoulder, "He uh, he fell asleep downstairs watching TV when we were hanging out. So I-I took him to bed." He scratches the back of his neck and looks at me. "I didn't mean to fall asleep, I just uh, wanted to make sure he wouldn't wake up and realize you weren't home yet. Sorry."

I smile at him for the first time since freshman year. "Thank you."

His smile widens and he licks his lips, "Anytime."

We stare at each other for a moment, our thighs touching on the bed. Pulling my bottom lip into my mouth, I look away and turn towards the door, "I'll um, walk you out."

He nods his head quickly and mutters under his breath, "Uh, yeah."

We gingerly step off the bed, making sure we don't wake Jamie. We walk down the stairs and into the living room in silence.

Jack follows me to the front door as I creak it open. He steps outside and turns around to face me, a smirk pulling at his lips. He stares at me cockily, "Do I get a goodnight kiss as a thank you?"

I roll my eyes. "Goodnight, Jack."

Showing off all his teeth, he smiles widely and mumbles, "It was a worth a shot." He looks at me once before turning around and walking across the bridge, his hands stuffed into his pant pockets.