𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 - 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡

𝚜𝚒𝚡

warning: mentions of aggression and an aggressive confrontation between a man and a woman. more mentions of sexual harassment. this scene is very mild but please read at your own discretion.

Joelle sat on a stool on the small stage inside the local pub with her guitar in her arms. It was the same crowd of twelve people as it always was, none of them being particularly interested in what she was doing or singing but still, she persisted.

She thought that she was crazy for thinking it but Joelle always thought that one day, a man from a big record label would walk in after a hard day at work and when he heard her voice and her songs, he would immediately want to sign her. Phil and Marie had told her that it was never going to happen like that and that she needed to put herself 'out there' more but Joelle was confident that this 'plan' would work.

Jack had promised Joelle that he would be there to watch her perform to the crowd of elderly, drunk men but she was nearing the end of her set and he still hadn't shown up. This was a good enough sign for Joelle. It meant that she shouldn't try and talk to him.

"This song was written from personal experience. A boy I loved broke my heart and I never got to ask him this one question. This one is called, 'Out of Love'." Her voice echoed throughout the pub due to the microphone that she was using but not a single person looked up from their conversations.

Moving over to the piano that was set up in the centre of the stage, Joelle pressed down on the keys, letting the pub fill up with the sound of music.

Joelle was so invested in singing the song that she wrote a few years ago that she didn't notice Jack grealish entering the pub.

"Oh, when did you fall out of love? Out of love. Oh, when did you fall out of love, with me?" Joelle ended the song and her set and when she looked up, she realised that Jack had heard her spill her heart out in a song.

"Thank you." The curly haired girl rushed out before leaving the stage and leaving the pub by the back door.

Once out in the fresh air, Joelle took a few deep breaths and a few minutes to try and collect her thoughts. She couldn't believe that her ex best friend had heard that song. It was so obviously about him and she dreaded the moment that he asked her about it because he would. Jack was nosy like that.

"Good music in there." A middle aged men emerged from the back door of the pub and walked over to the singer. She could tell that he was slightly tipsy and being in a dark alleyway with him made Joelle uneasy.

"Thank you." She gave him a polite smile, hoping to avoid any sort of confrontation with him.

"Shame about the boy who broke your heart, you could do so much better." The man walked closer to Joelle and for every step he took forward, she took a step back until her back was pressed against the cold brick wall.

"You're so pretty." The man mumbled, one hand gripping her waist tightly so that she couldn't move and the other one resting on her face and removing the fallen curls from her face. He stroked her cheek and Joelle shuddered, not appreciating what he was doing whatsoever. 

"Sorry but I would appreciate it if you didn't. I just want to get home." Joelle tried to talk calmly and tried to get the man to stop what he was doing but he was having none of it.

"No! You'll do as I say." She could feel his rough hand gripping onto her waist tightly and Joelle whimpered from the pain, knowing that it would most likely leave a bruise on her waist. She considered herself lucky that the man was getting aggressive and that nothing more serious was happening.

"Get away from her. Now." The tears started to fall Joelle's eyes and she immediately tried to stop them, not wanting Jack to see her in a moment of weakness.

"Who are you? Her boyfriend?" The man scoffed but he was visibly intimidated by Jack's strong build.

"Something like that, yeah." Joelle looked to Jack's hand and she saw that he had her beloved guitar. She sighed a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't have to go back inside after this ordeal.

"Fine." The man backed off after an intense stare down with the Brummie boy and as soon as he left, Jack rushed over to make sure that Joelle was alright.

Joelle was silent. She didn't know what to say and was still trying to process the situation. She faced confrontation often at the nightclub but she always had security and other people nearby to help her if she needed it but this time, she was all on her own. If Jack hadn't shown up, who knows what would have happened to her.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." The brunette boy pointed to his car as the pair stood outside it and Joelle shook her head.

"You can't tell me what to do." She retaliated and jack rolled his eyes at her stubborness.

"Please, Jay. I want to know that you're safe." The brunette girl only sighed as she got into the passenger side of his car, knowing that he would have to drive her back the following day to pick up her car.

The car ride back to the Jarrett household was silent. Jack was worried about Joelle but she was lost in her thoughts.

The sports car pulled up in the driveway but Joelle made no moves to get out.

"Jay, you okay?" His voice was soft but the question is what finally broke the brunette girl. She broke down in tears, sobs escaping her mouth and tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's okay, let it all out." Without a second thought, Jack pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I've got you." Joelle felt him press a kiss to her head. She had missed being in his arms. She had missed how comforting he was but most of all, she missed him.

a/n: jack is trying so hard to prove to her that he's changed :(

if you were triggered by what was mentioned in this chapter, please feel free to contact me. i am not trying to romanticise assault or harassment in any way, shape or form as it's just not right and is a very real issue. my inbox is open to you all. ❤️

tell me something from your childhood that you look back on fondly. for me, it was going to these gardens in edinburgh that my grandad founded and helped create. it was so special for me and once lockdown is over, i can't wait to go back and visit his bench.

enjoy and stay safe!

lots of love, e x