Ghost Of You (Jalex)

VIV

Jack's POV:

"Alex?" I whisper in reply. We stare at each other, unsure of what to think for a few moments. Then, he rushes to me and throws his arms around me, squeezing me so tightly that I feel like I might explode. I hug him back, so beyond thankful that he was alive and didn't hate me after everything.

"You're alive," we say at the same time. I pull us into my room more, shutting the door behind us. We don't let go of each other for at least ten minutes.

For eight years, I was separated from him. For eight years, I lived with no motivation to wake up. For eight years, I regretted my decision to leave Alex. For eight years, I convinced myself Alex would never want me back. For eight years, I longed for his touch once more. For eight years, I could only be with him in my dreams.

In this moment, those eight years of heartbreak vanished into thin air.

My shoulder is damp with his tears, but I don't mind it. He was here. The day I never thought would come was finally happening.

I don't wait another second before pressing my lips to his, feeling my entire body light up with the contact. I missed this more than words will ever begin to describe. His soft lips move in perfect sync with mine, like we were made for each other. Fuck it; of course we were made for each other.

He pulls away, breathless, but he still stays as close to me as possible. His lips hover less than an inch away from mine as he whispers, "Don't you dare leave me again." You could hear the pain that bleeds from every syllable in his statement, and it shatters my heart into a million pieces. I hurt him so, so much.

"Alexander William Gaskarth, I'll never do that to you ever again. I swear on everything," I murmur. He kisses me again, and all the years he'd been waiting for this were explained in just that one kiss.

I pull back eventually because as much as I wish I could, I can't kiss him all day. "You're wearing my sweatshirt," I say, smiling at him.

"Yeah- holy shit! You're wearing mine!" I look down to see that I was, in fact, wearing his sweatshirt still. I chuckle, pulling Alex into my arms again.

"I'll explain everything later, okay? It's not a valid reason and I'm so sorry, but you deserve an explanation." He nods into my chest and I just hold him here, admiring him. "I'm never going to make you feel unloved anymore, okay? You never did, and now it's my turn to return the favor." His arms wrap tighter around me, and I press gentle kisses to his cheek.

"Dinner!" Zack calls through the door.

"You can come in," I say.

"Okay, just wanted to make sure you two weren't fucking or something because I really don't need to see that," he teases once he opens the door.

"Shut up, fucker," I reply as Alex pushes his head further into my shoulder. He was just too precious for this cruel, cruel world. I wanted to hold him there forever and protect him from all the heartache that the world has to offer.

"Never," Zack shoots back, smirking as he disappears down the hallway.

"Does this mean we're back together?" Alex asks quietly.

"We never broke up to begin with, baby," I murmur, kissing his forehead. I intertwine my fingers with his as we walk downstairs on such an emotional high that I felt like nothing could ever bring me down again.

Alex's POV:

I drive home beside the one and only Jack Barakat, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his hand. He gives my hand an occasional squeeze as we cruise down the road, Christmas lights illuminating the December night sky.

All the heartache and all the pain came to this moment. The world can throw whatever they'd like at us, but... Jalex... will always come out stronger. We'll never surrender. If we have a love like war, then we'll fight side-by-side until the end. This ride has been a wild one, but we've clung on, and it all turned out well.

So, here's something I never once thought I'd be able to say ever again- we enter our house hand-in-hand, walking upstairs into our bedroom. We change clothes and lay down in our bed, staring into each other's eyes as the room is dimly lit due to the neighboring houses who still have their Christmas lights on.

I pull Jack against my chest, draping an arm loosely around him as I press my lips into his forehead repeatedly. He smiles and nuzzles closer to me, tangling our legs beneath the comforter to conserve warmth.

"I love you, Jack Bassam Barakat," I whisper.

"I love you too, Alexander William Gaskarth," he replies.

He leans up and kisses me softly, and everything is okay again.

No longer do I have to dance with his ghost.

I have the real one in my arms.