calm before the storm
By Forgotten Moments
Summary: "I'm not going to be that idiot who loses the only girl who he's ever loved because he was just too stupid to know right from wrong. I'll make you happy, Kim. I'll make you happy, even if it kills me. I've let you slip through my fingers before and I'm not going to do it again. I love you, Kimberly Crawford, so goddamn much."
She sits across from him at the ridiculously long table in their dining room. Her legs are crossed as she plays with the wine swirling around in her glass, watching it leave behind a trail of faint purple. Her once bright doe eyes are hardened and dark as she glares up at him through her lashes. A perfectly manicure nail drags slowly across the table, tracing the patterns on the table cloth.
He sits, equally as stoic, all the way on the other side of the table. His eyes are closed, hiding the dark hazel irises she has come to hate and love. Seconds, minutes tick by and he continues to breathe heavily, fighting to keep himself and his thoughts under control. He remains still; the only thing showing he is still awake is his hands. They are nimble, quick, as he plays with the deck of cards in his hands, performing tricks, magic, with practiced ease.
Everything is silent, except for the wine in her glass, the rustle of clothes, and his constant shuffling. The air is tense, just like their relationship. They've lost the romance and intimacy they've once had. Now, everything is fragile, one wrong move and everything they've tried to keep balanced will come crashing down. So, they walk eggshells around each other. And that's why everything's bent.
She knows not to provoke him. He was dangerous. A flick of the wrist, a snap of a finger from him and she would be a goner. It wouldn't matter if he loved her or not. He would destroy her without a second thought, he wouldn't hesitate. And that's what scares her.
He knows she's scared because no matter how hard she tries to hide it, he can always see it in her eyes. He hates that he can instill this fear in her. It even scares him. So, he controls himself. At least, he tries to. Sometimes, his control breaks. He doesn't mean for it to, it just does. And sometimes, she'll get hurt because he was too weak to keep everything together. He hates himself for that.
She's had enough of just sitting and staring and gets up. Her sudden movement jolts him from his thoughts. Half startled, a card shoots out unintentionally and barely grazes her cheek before hitting the wall behind her and falling to the ground. Her eyes are wide and fear is evident in her honey eyes. He pretends not to notice.
"Please stay," he whispers, his hands shuffling the deck of now fifty-one cards. He slowly opens his eyes to stare up into hers He's instantly hit with guilt when he sees the small scratch on her cheekbone. He should apologize for disturbing her porcelain skin, but he doesn't. He's too proud to.
She stares at him, carefully analyzing everything because that's what her life's become, some overcomplicated math problem that doesn't really matter in the long run. As each second ticks by, the silence only seems so much louder. The air grows heavy and the electricity crackles. She stares then sighs.
"I'm tired, Jack," she mutters. It's the first time she's said anything to him in a long time and it leaves him stunned. It's also probably due to the fact it's the first time she's defied him in a long time. Before he can say anything, though, she sweeps out of the room, leaving her glass of wine behind.
A few heartbeats later, he gets up and follows, hastily shoving the deck of cards into his back pocket. He doesn't know what compels him to do so, but he navigates through the winding corridors of the large mansion in search of the blonde. He soon arrives in front of their bedroom door. Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly opens the door and walks in.
She sees him enter from the mirror of her vanity where she was brushing her long golden hair. Confusion flashes through her eyes, but that disappears as fast as it came. She places her brush down, her hands folded on her lap, and just stares at him through the mirror.
"Kim," he breathes, taking a cautious step towards her. His fingers twitch, and his hand raises slightly before settling back at his side.
"Jack," she acknowledges, her gaze flickers towards her hands before returning to staring at him. He takes another step forward. And another. And another. And another. Before long, he stands directly behind her.
He offers her a hand to help her stand and she takes it. He slowly leads her towards their California king. Their steps are slow and deliberate, careful not to make any sudden movements. This was the first time in a long time they've acknowledged and touched each other. They weren't going to ruin the moment.
He flips back the covers for her to slip in, he follows suit, not bothering to change out of his dress shirt and jeans. She was more prepared, dressed in silk pajama pants and a white v-neck. He thinks she looks more stunning now than she does all dressed up.
They don't know how long they've lain there, but it doesn't matter. She tucks herself into his side, her head on his chest. She listens to the rhythmic beating of his heart and his steady breathing. She fights the urge to fall asleep. She refuses to waste this moment by falling asleep; who knows when they'll get another.
She feels him begin to shift and slowly rise out of bed. Her heart drops a little, thinking he was going to leave her. She expects to her the opening and closing of the bedroom door, but instead, she hears the shuffling of clothes and the opening and closing of drawers. He crawls back into bed next to her, now clad only in pajama pants, his torso bare.
She presses herself closer to him and breathes in the familiar scent that was just so him. He slowly wraps an arm around her petite waist and rubs the strip of bare skin under her shirt. His other hand soothingly runs through her blonde locks, the strands falling between his fingers. Her hand rests on his torso, the other one under her head.
"Kim?" He whispers. His chest rumbles slightly when he talks and she has to suppress the smile that was threatening to break through. Instead, she simply hums, telling him she was listening. He breathes deeply. "I love you," he mumbles into her ear. His breath tickles her and she lets out a breathy giggle.
"I love you, too, Jack," she whispers without hesitation. She tilts her head up to look him in the eyes. She's slightly stunned at his sudden declaration, but that doesn't mean she doesn't love it.
"I know we fight a lot and maybe it's not healthy, but it works. I'm not saying I like fighting with you because I don't, but I think it's what's keeping us together. I hate that we have to tiptoe around each other afterwards, but when all that passes, everything's suddenly perfect again," he rambles, almost embarrassed. She doesn't stop him thought. Instead, she takes the hand that was on her waist, intertwining their fingers, and gives him an encouraging squeeze.
"I wish we didn't have to constantly fight, for both of us to realize this, but that's okay. We'll probably fall without these fights. Kim, every time, I feel so alive and less numb during and after our fights. And I hope you know I don't actually mean all the hurtful things I say to you. I wish I could take back all those things I've said to you that have hurt and made you cry, but I can't. All we can do is push those words aside because they'll forever linger in the air. And there's nothing we can do about that except and emerge stronger each time.
"And, I don't know how to word this all right and make it perfect and romantic and everything, but I need to say this. I love you, Kim. I love you so, so much it hurts. You mean so much to me and I wouldn't be able to imagine life without you. You're like that last puzzle piece that completes everything or that link that holds everything together," he proclaims. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears of just pure happiness. She places her free hand on his cheek.
"Jack," she gasps.
"Wait, Kim, there's more," he takes another breath before spilling his heart out to her again. "I can't promise you we'll never fight. I can't promise you I'll never hurt you again, but I'll try, Kim. I'll try so goddamn hard not to hurt you again. I'm not going to be that idiot who loses the only girl who he's ever loved because he was just too stupid to know right from wrong. I'll make you happy, Kim. I'll make you happy, even if it kills me. I've let you slip through my fingers before and I'm not going to do it again. I love you, Kimberly Crawford, so goddamn much," he whispers. She tries to blink back her tears, but one manages to escape and roll down her cheek, stinging the small cut slightly. He catches the tear with the pad of him thumb and gently wipes it away. He continues to whisper sweet nothings into her ear.
And that's how they stay the rest of the night. Their legs tangled under the covers, their fingers intertwined, and him telling her how much he loves her. At that thought, she almost wants to cry again.
She doesn't doubt his words, far from it actually. She knows how much he loves her and she loves him just as much, if not more. The only thing that's killing her is, knowing that they'll be back to fighting and ignoring each other in no time. He was right, that was just how they work. Because right now, this picture perfect moment they were having.
It was only the calm before the storm.
Ta da? I don't know what compelled me to write these 1,676 words of crap, but I wrote it! I hope I didn't confuse you guys too much, thought. This one-shot actually portrays Jack and Kim's relationship as a little bit rocky and how they constantly fight, but manage to get through it. And all their picture perfect movie moments are really the calm before the storm.
I'm actually in a bit of a slump right now and have hit a road block in my writing, but there's nothing to fear! It's only the beginning of my summer vacation, so I'll have plenty of time to get over it!
By the way, I know someone's probably going to mention this in a review, but, yes, I purposely did the whole title in lowercase. It just didn't feel write to put it in caps, you know?
On a different note, how many of you saw Now You See Me? It was horribly amazing! I absolutely loved that hour long crap of a film. I don't know, I could watch it again and again and I really hope there's a sequel and everything, but… I just feel it didn't reach its full potential you know? And some of the dialogue was a bit weird. All that aside, it was definitely something I'd go back and pay $11 to see. I mean, have you seen the actors? Jessie Eisenberg and Dave Franco were both amazing, not to mention hot. Woody Harrelson portrayed his character perfectly (in my opinion) and Isla Fisher was really beautiful and talented.
Rambling aside, I have nothing else to say. I love all you guys so much and I really appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and follows you give me and my stories. Thank you.
'Cause life ain't nothing but a big dance floor….
-Forgotten Moments