He just nodded, as he held her against him. For the first time in days he feels whole again. She’s been so busy, so distant, always away from him it felt as if he never saw her any more and couple that with the worry he’d been feeling these past few days… it makes the fact he’s holding her in his arms now all the more comforting. All the more wonderful.
“I love you.” is all he can say. “I love you, I love you…”
She smiled, allowing him to hold her and in turn holding him back before leading him into the bedroom, leading him to the bed and cuddle with him, to enjoy being in his arms as she rested against him, feeling a slight peace in her soul now, feeling this was where she belonged.
Because it was where she wanted to be, the only place she wanted to forever.
Tag: Facing the Music
Facing the Music
His arms finally, slowly, wrapped around her and pulled Katelynn against his chest as he stared at the wall, resting his chin against her head gently. “I just… just w-want you to be careful.. an-and never do this again. It… it’s good to care, it’s wonderful t-that you have such a big heart but you need to k-know when to step back… a-and come back tome. Because I love you, so much…”
She nodded against his chest, taking all of his words into deep consideration and shuddering against him as she tried to allow the anxious feelings to slip away from her body. She was barely 5 feet tall and yet he had managed to make her feel slightly smaller in his concern, his form towering over her.
Now she felt like she fit again, molded against his shape. “I love you too Jack..so much more than anyone can love someone..I hope you believe that..I really do..if I didn’t I wouldn’t have said yes to you so much..dating, marriage..I wouldn’t but I did because I care about you..I love you..okay?”
He just nodded, as he held her against him. For the first time in days he feels whole again. She’s been so busy, so distant, always away from him it felt as if he never saw her any more and couple that with the worry he’d been feeling these past few days… it makes the fact he’s holding her in his arms now all the more comforting. All the more wonderful.
“I love you.” is all he can say. “I love you, I love you…”
Facing the Music
“I d-didn’t tell you because I d-didn’t want to upset you, t-to show you I didn’t like w-what you did.” he said.
“But d-don’t turn this on me.” Jack said quietly, eyes still tightly shut. “Don’t… don’t make this into something t-that’s my fault. You sh-should have felt it. Should h-have realized..” he pulled away from her, slowly, opening his eyes as he did.
“Wh-what if I did what y-you did? V-vanish all night. N-no reason. No ex-explanation. Then I g-get home with so-someone else. A-as soon as I wake up I g-go after them. What… what would that do to you?”
She bit her lip, putting herself in his shoes for a moment and realizing she did not like that at all. It wasn’t even a question; she knew without a doubt.
“I would wonder where you were and why..” she supplied him, beginning to see how much she had really hurt him. “Worried you didn’t want to be around me..o-or…feeling useless..”
A feeling she hated, wondering if this was how he had felt. She let her arms drop a bit to grab onto the material of his shirt, to pull him in closer to her and move into his arms.
“It’s all my fault..I know this..I’m sorry..I deserve every word you tell me..”
His arms finally, slowly, wrapped around her and pulled Katelynn against his chest as he stared at the wall, resting his chin against her head gently. “I just… just w-want you to be careful.. an-and never do this again. It… it’s good to care, it’s wonderful t-that you have such a big heart but you need to k-know when to step back… a-and come back tome. Because I love you, so much…”
Facing the Music
“I just d-don’t want to lose you.” Jack said, moving to her now, reaching out and touching her face with his hands. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes as he touched her cheeks with his fingers. “T-the thought o-of you ne-never coming back here scares me s-so much sometimes…” he leans down and presses his forehead to hers, eyes tightly shut.
“I. I’m not s-saying to never g-go outside again b-but you… please.. be careful…”
The breath hitched in her throat, hands coming up slowly to rest against his forearms as she looked at his face, hating that she had been the cause for his tears.
“I will..I’m sorry..I’m so sorry Jack…” she breathed, her own lashes wet in reaction to seeing him like this. “I didn’t..I thought you were fine..with how things were..you didn’t tell me this..you keep things back sometimes..why did you let it build up until now..?”
"I d-didn’t tell you because I d-didn’t want to upset you, t-to show you I didn’t like w-what you did.” he said.
“But d-don’t turn this on me.” Jack said quietly, eyes still tightly shut. “Don’t… don’t make this into something t-that’s my fault. You sh-should have felt it. Should h-have realized..” he pulled away from her, slowly, opening his eyes as he did.
“Wh-what if I did what y-you did? V-vanish all night. N-no reason. No ex-explanation. Then I g-get home with so-someone else. A-as soon as I wake up I g-go after them. What… what would that do to you?”
Facing the Music
“W-what can you—what can you do to apologize to me!” Jack said, quickly. “D-do you have any idea ho-how scared I’ve been? How worried? I was, I was about to call the police about you an-and being kept out of the loop of everything y-you do! How d-do you think that feels? T-to come home and not find you here, to s-see you go out and pro-promise me to be back and you don’t?”
He gestures to a window. “A-and these streets aren’t safe a-any more yet you c-continue to go out there on th-these missions or-or whatever it is you cal-call them and I j-just sit there. Waiting. Worrying.” Jack puts his hands to his chest.
“I’m y-your friend, aren’t I? I’m your b-boyfriend, I’m your fiance. D-don’t I matter?”
Was this everything he had been holding back? It shook her a bit to the core, gasping more as she took another step back, pressing her back against the door, her stomach twisting into knots.
“O-Of course you matter Jack…” she whispered, trembling. “Y-You matter the most to me…I just…”
What could she say to him? Another person she cared about and she was screwing it all up. It shook her to the core to see it happen all over again, even though this time it was just worry.
“I swear I won’t do it again..I’m tired of screwing up..of being so reckless…and I don’t want to lose you…I don’t want to cause you pain..”
“I just d-don’t want to lose you.” Jack said, moving to her now, reaching out and touching her face with his hands. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes as he touched her cheeks with his fingers. “T-the thought o-of you ne-never coming back here scares me s-so much sometimes…” he leans down and presses his forehead to hers, eyes tightly shut.
“I. I’m not s-saying to never g-go outside again b-but you… please.. be careful…”
Facing the Music
He stared at her for a moment, wanting to accept the apology, to take her into his arms and say he forgives her and all’s forgotten but would that stop it from happening again? She went out so much, working hard, but also to meet up with these supers and villains. He’s not interesting to her, is he? He may be her fiance, her future husband, but he wasn’t a hero… he wasn’t..
“This… this not being able to t-tell me… is this, is it g-going to be a recurring thing…?” he asks quietly, bringing his hands up to pick at his nails while resting his hands against his chest. “It j-just. I know you w-want to help everyone b-but some things.. sometimes y-you just have to le-leave them to work things out f-for themselves. I’m not s-saying to be m-mean because it’s not be-being mean it’s just l… letting people work th-things out alone…”
“I hate being useless is all,” she whispered, tugging on some of her hair. “To see everyone fighting and standing back and just watching? What if they get hurt..? What if I could have done something to stop it from happening?”
To imagine her friends, one of them dead, she didn’t want to. It hurt her heart too much to think about.
“But after this experience..I know I can’t do it all..I just make it worse otherwise. I hurt my friend and now I don’t know how to fix it.. What can I do to apologize to him?”
“W-what can you–what can you do to apologize to me!” Jack said, quickly. “D-do you have any idea ho-how scared I’ve been? How worried? I was, I was about to call the police about you an-and being kept out of the loop of everything y-you do! How d-do you think that feels? T-to come home and not find you here, to s-see you go out and pro-promise me to be back and you don’t?”
He gestures to a window. “A-and these streets aren’t safe a-any more yet you c-continue to go out there on th-these missions or-or whatever it is you cal-call them and I j-just sit there. Waiting. Worrying.” Jack puts his hands to his chest.
“I’m y-your friend, aren’t I? I’m your b-boyfriend, I’m your fiance. D-don’t I matter?”
Facing the Music
A part of Jack felt anger at having just overheard her whispered apology to Six. The fact the man took precedence over her like that, apologizing to him first whether he was here or not, first, stung. He didn’t frown, though. His expression one of concern, not of anger, or anything.
“So…” he said slowly, “G-going to… to haunted places n-now. Go-going back despite o-orders and getting stuck down there… n-now you li-literally run away f-from me for a day…” Jack went on, hands hanging down by his sides, fingers twitching against him.
“I-is this what being engaged is n-normally like? Doing t-things without te-telling the other? I thought w-we agreed no more s-secrets between us? O-or was that a lie to-to keep me complacent and o-obedient?”
She gulped a bit, stepping back from him. “No…” she replied, blood running cold in her veins. “It wasn’t a secret really..I just couldn’t tell..I told you..it wasn’t my place to tell..”
Why wasn’t he understanding this? She took a deep breath to calm down a bit as his words had stung a bit. She knew she deserved it though, staring him square in the eye. “I just wanted to help Six..but I realize what a mistake it was because I only made it worse..I was foolish and I’m sorry..”
He stared at her for a moment, wanting to accept the apology, to take her into his arms and say he forgives her and all’s forgotten but would that stop it from happening again? She went out so much, working hard, but also to meet up with these supers and villains. He’s not interesting to her, is he? He may be her fiance, her future husband, but he wasn’t a hero… he wasn’t..
“This… this not being able to t-tell me… is this, is it g-going to be a recurring thing…?” he asks quietly, bringing his hands up to pick at his nails while resting his hands against his chest. “It j-just. I know you w-want to help everyone b-but some things.. sometimes y-you just have to le-leave them to work things out f-for themselves. I’m not s-saying to be m-mean because it’s not be-being mean it’s just l… letting people work th-things out alone…”
Facing the Music
She watched the door close, watched the girl’s leave and still a part of her had wished she could have gone with them. She wanted to know where he was, talk to him, beg for his forgiveness.
But she sighed, imagining the angry look on his face if he saw her there, setting him off more. Her presence wouldn’t help at all and that only served to further break her heart. How would she ever get him to forgive her, to trust her again? What could she do?
“I’m so sorry Six..” she whispered so softly, pressing her free hand to the door.
Part of her heart was out there with him while part of her heart was here with Jack, remembering why she had stayed.
She had worried the poor man, been gone for almost two days without much word, ignoring phone calls from him while out today. But he knew the truth now, didn’t he? Violet had gotten out of her what she hadn’t dared share for Six’s privacy.
No, it’s not just about Six though and what happened..there seems to be more to it now than that. Probably about how stupid I was in doing this. I have to face this like an adult. Stop being a child Katelynn. Grow up!
Hand clenching into a fist at the door, she turned to look at Jack with cheeks stained red, worry laced in her face.
Yet she found that her mouth couldn’t form any words, waiting instead for what he wanted to say.
A part of Jack felt anger at having just overheard her whispered apology to Six. The fact the man took precedence over her like that, apologizing to him first whether he was here or not, first, stung. He didn’t frown, though. His expression one of concern, not of anger, or anything.
“So…” he said slowly, “G-going to… to haunted places n-now. Go-going back despite o-orders and getting stuck down there… n-now you li-literally run away f-from me for a day…” Jack went on, hands hanging down by his sides, fingers twitching against him.
“I-is this what being engaged is n-normally like? Doing t-things without te-telling the other? I thought w-we agreed no more s-secrets between us? O-or was that a lie to-to keep me complacent and o-obedient?"
Jack Maple 