Here I Am, There You Are (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Here I Am, There You Are Pt. 14

I always missed the winters back in Baltimore. They were always perfect for nice and cozy moments. The perks of being LA was that it was always relatively warm, there was no snow on the roads, and the sun was usually shining. But how was that supposed to feel normal? No matter how long I lived in that warmer climate, I grew up in the freezing cold, smashing the ice on my car windows. Luckily, I still had my parents who lived on the east coast and who gladly wanted me over for the festive period.

I was wearing a nice large comfortable knitted sweater, some nice warm white socks, and to combat how warm I was making myself, shorts. We were inside anyway, shorts were fully acceptable. Especially since I was sitting on the floor with Jack right next to the fireplace that was radiating heat. I was sitting in between his legs, which he had up, his arms wrapped around my body as I leaned into his chest.

My entire family was here. Ethan was to our left, also on the floor, but on a pillow and resting against the couch instead of a wall like Jack. My parents were sitting up on the couch, both with a glass of wine in their hands. Even Anna and her husband, Chris, were here, also sitting on the couch, but the other section. It really was a full house. We rarely got that anymore. It was something to celebrate, which was exactly what we were doing that evening. Ethan had come back for his Christmas break a week ago, Chris and Anna had arrived a few days ago, and now Jack and I were here as well.

I felt so content sitting there. Everything was just going well recently. Jack and I had not had a single regret about getting married. If anything, it made us even more affectionate. And we also got some great nights out of it. I had also gone through the process of changing my name, so I was now officially Rachel Barakat. It was on all my IDs as proof.

"Guys, we've got something we want to tell you," Anna spoke up after there had been some silence.

She waited until she got all of us to look at her and was certain that she had everybody's attention. Once she knew, she shared a look with Chris and smiled. I was fully expecting her to tell us that they were getting a dog or moving or something. Anna did like making things just a tad dramatic. It was just how she was and I had had my entire life to adapt to it.

But then she announced, "I'm pregnant!"

My eyes went wide and Jack shifted to sit up straighter. That definitely was a shock. Not because it was strange, just because I would have thought she would want to turn that into an entire spectacle and not just tell us with the use of some simple words. My mom gasped in excitement and started shedding a few tears. My dad was grinning brightly as well, not getting as emotional, but also definitely ecstatic.

"No way!" Jack was the first of us to respond.

"Congrats," I added with a smile. But it felt different. I couldn't really match the happiness at that moment. Not now, at least.

"That's such a co–" Jack started, but I quickly slapped my hand over his mouth to stop him from finishing his thought.

Instead, I finally got over the hump and continued to gush over Anna and her news. "This is so exciting!"

Everybody only gave us a few confused looks. They were judgemental enough for me to drop my hand from Jack's face, but not disgusted enough for me to try to play it off any further. Luckily nobody stopped to wonder what I was doing and kept congratulating Anna and fussing over her. That was the important part, making this moment about Anna.

But Jack had to ruin it.

"Rachel's pregnant as well," he blurted out, making all the eyes shift to us again.

"Jack!" I yelped and shifted to glare at him, forcing his arms off me.

"What?" He defended himself. "When else were you thinking of telling them now?"