A Condemned Haven

Chapter 31

As soon as school ended, Clarke was awaiting Jack to tell her to come over. They had never set a time and it made her a little uneasy to have their plans up in the air. She was worried that he would change his mind and not have her over at all. She hated to admit it, but she had been looking forward to this all day. She felt so normal. She didn't know what to wear or if she needed to bring anything. The uncertainty of it all was kind of nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time. She wanted to for sure bring her favorite popcorn, because she highly doubted he had marshmallow at his house.

As she was digging through the cabinet, she heard her phone ding and her heart practically gave out. It was Jack telling her to come over, explicitly telling her to wear sweatpants and a comfy sweater because that would be what he was wearing. She felt some of the pressure lift off of her. She had one less thing to worry about. She didn't walk over there this time, still feeling the dull ache in her stomach from where her bruises had pretty much healed.

She felt the jitters as she approached his door. She hadn't felt like that in a while. She didn't even know why she was so nervous. She wasn't even sure if this was anything. She was being stupid, she needed to relax. She knocked once and the door practically flew open with Jack looking like he was scattered. As soon as he turned towards her, he got this big beautiful smile on his face showing his pearly whites. It was the kind of smile that she couldn't help but to return.

"Hey, come on in. I have some popcorn in the microwave. I was just deciding what to watch first." Jack felt like he was all over the place. He had practically been going crazy all day about this but seeing her in her sweatpants and big hoodie was all worth it. She looked pretty even when she wasn't trying. Her hair was in a lazy bun and she held a bag of popcorn. He took it from her, setting it on the counter.

"What movie were you thinking?" Jack just laughed from the kitchen pulling out the popcorn. He was wearing his own pair of sweatpants and the same black V-neck from this morning. She could see his arms flex as he took the bowl for the popcorn out from the top shelf.

"I know it's silly, but I was thinking Atlantis. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid and I haven't seen it in forever."

"I've never seen it." Jack turned around and stopped what he was doing. He was looking at her like she had just told him she had never seen a cloud or something.

"Seriously? I love that movie. They literally discover Atlantis. Milo Thatch was my favorite lead character of all time. Its decided, we're definitely watching that one." He brought the popcorn over and Clarke smelled the familiar scent of marshmallow.

"What kind of popcorn is that?" Her mouth instantly started watering as he got closer.

"Marshmallow. I heard you say it was your favorite once, so I went and got some today. It will be my first time trying it, but it smells really good." How did he remember that? He went and got it just for her. She felt a little touched.

He plugged in the movie and they sat there eating popcorn. It was nice, it felt so normal. She could forget about the fact that they were hunting a killer for just a moment. Jack got up to get some water and when he came back, he handed it to her. She looked at him and took it, brushing her hand against his. They let it go and continued to watch the movie. She really liked the plot. Milo was searching for something just the way she was. In his journey he met a girl and found something he never thought he would. Of course, the bad guy was someone he thought he could trust. It was so predictable in that way, but he did seem shady even in the beginning of the movie. She liked the idea of finding something that no one thought existed. She had always really liked the ocean, so it was a honestly cool concept.

"Hey, you mind if I lay my head in your lap. I really need to stretch my legs." Jack had this cute little pout on his face that made it impossible for her to say no.