"Karen pleeeeease?!" Jack whined loudly into the phone as he sat in front of his bedroom window watching the rain fall. "It's raining and I'm bored! Just come over and we can have a sleepover and a movie night!" He had done absolutely nothing all day long and it was starting to get to him, and for some reason he was craving time with Karen.
"Jack it's already six o'clock and it's raining outside! Why don't we just do it tomorrow?" Karen rubbed her forehead as she too watched the rain fall onto her balcony outside of her bedroom doors. She had also been cooped up all day long, along with every day for the past week. It had been a little over a month since Stan's funeral and for some reason this week had been especially hard. She hadn't gone into work but two times, both of which she left much earlier than usual; she would just rather stay at home.
"Come on Kare I miss you.. I haven't seen you in like a week and I'm starting to worry." Jack nervously wrapped the phone cord around his finger as he awaited her response. He held his breath as he heard a sigh on the other end.
Karen bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes brimming with tears. She really had missed Jack, but she knew that if he saw how upset she had been that he would start to ask questions; she just wasn't ready to talk about her feelings. But she was beginning to feel guilty for keeping him in the dark, knowing that he only wanted to spend time with her and check on her.
"Oh I don't know, Jackie.." Karen's voice faltered as her eyes began to burn.
"I'll have wine!" Jack whispered excitedly, hoping that would tempt her enough into saying yes.
Her brows furrowed as she considered his offer. She hadn't had a single drink since she had gotten the news; maybe it would be nice to indulge..
"Alright alright, you got me." She forced a laugh as she wiped a tear away before it could escape. "I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Yay!" Jack bounced up and down as he hung up the phone. Tossing it onto the bed, he stood up and began tidying his apartment. He ran into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of red wine and two glasses, setting them on the counter before popping a few bags of popcorn.
The second Karen had walked through the door Jack hadn't let go of her. He greeted her with a crushing hug and planted a hard kiss on her unsuspecting lips. Pulling her to the couch, he had handed her a glass of wine and her own bag of popcorn as they settled down to watch a movie.
Karen had kept her emotions under control until she'd seen his face. His back-breaking hug had squeezed a whimper out of her which was quickly swallowed by his kiss. She could feel the tears spring forward as she sighed into his embrace. He had given her such a warm smile as he searched her eyes for any sign of why she had been avoiding him. She was almost positive he could read her, but if he could he didn't show it as he drug her into the living room.
The first movie had ended and Karen stood up to stretch her legs. "More wine, Jackie?" She purred as she picked her glass and held out her hand for his. He was doing it again; ignoring her question and looking into her eyes.
"Um.. Sure Kare." He said with a soft smile as he handed her his glass. "Hey let's watch one of those sappy romance movies next! I like to make fun of them," Jack giggle as his eyes followed her every move.
"Well I guess one more won't hurt." Karen smiled as she filled the glasses. "But honey, I can't stay in these clothes much longer. Do you have something I could wear?" Her voice seemed to drift off as she focused her attention on her task.
"Why? Didn't you bring that big white gown you usually wear?" Jack's question was laced with a bit of caution.
"No, honey. That was one of Stan's undershirts.." She offered up an uncomfortable smile as she made her way back to the couch.
"Oh.." Jack bit his lip, kicking himself for asking such a stupid question. He knew that's why she had been avoiding him. "Well don't worry about it, I'll be right back!" Jack patted her knee before jumping off the couch and heading for his bedroom.
Karen dipped her wine as she watched him dig through his drawers; finally pulling out a soft blue button up nightshirt and a pair of socks.
"Here you go, Bear." His voice was soft as he handed the garments to her. "You can change in my room if you want." He said as he smiled at her.
"Thanks, sweetie. I'll be right back." Karen reached out and squeezed Jack's hand before heading to his bedroom. She walked in not bothering to close the door as she walked to the car corner seemingly out of sight.
Jack looked towards his room as he caught her reflection in his full body mirror. He watched as she shed her clothes, turning away from the mirror as she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor. She picked up the night shirt and buttoned it up to the middle of her chest; a bit of cleavage still visible. He admired her toned legs and the way the shirt clung perfectly in all the right places as she leaned down to pull his socks on. It was barely long enough to cover her underwear—simple, silky black with lace detailing around the edges.
He jerked his head away as she looked towards the mirror. His eyes slowly turned back towards her only to find her standing in front of the mirror rubbing at her cheeks. He saw her back moving quickly with silent sniffles as she shook her head and messed with her hair. He pulled his eyes away as he felt sadness creep into his stomach.
Karen walked back out to see the lights had been turned off, the only thing lighting the room was the soft glow of the television set. Jack was sitting sideways on the couch with his feet touching the other armrest. He turned his head and smiled, patting the space between his legs.
Karen grinned as she walked towards him, laying down between his knees as she pressed her chest into his and wrapped her arms around his waist. She gave a content hum against his chest as Jack pulled her closer by her shoulders. He pressed her cheek into him, his heartbeat calming her almost immediately.
"Thank you for inviting me over Jackie. I'm sorry I haven't been very social lately." She sniffed as she squeezed him a little tighter.
"Don't worry about it, I just missed you." Jack lifted his hands and ran his fingers lightly up and down her spine. Karen turned her head towards his, her chin coming to rest on his chest as she finally made eye contact. "I missed you too, honey."
Jack smiled softly as he leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. Karen's eyes slid shut as she reveled in the feeling of his lips against her skin. She had missed this, too.
Her thoughts were cut short as she felt his lips trailing over her temple and across her cheek. Her eyes opened to see ocean blue only inches from her. They looked into each other's eyes for a few minutes, comforted by the presence of each other again. Jack leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Karen's before his lips brushed over hers. Her eyes fluttered as she lifted her chin, touching her lips lightly to his. Their eyes slipped closed as Jack gently took her bottom lip between his. He felt a sigh as Karen's grip on his waist relaxed. They pulled apart with a light pop before finding a different angle, their tongues tapping. Jack's fingers found her hair, tangling gently as he pulled her deeper into their kiss. Karen's hands gripped handfuls of his t-shirt, her nails scraping his back as she pulled him closer as well.
Her emotions began to seep through as Jack seemly kissed her barriers away. Karen fought back an emotional whimper as she shoved her tongue between his lips, a tear escaping her eyes.
Jack tasted salt as he pulled away, Karen following him until he opened his eyes and looked into hers. When her hazel finally settled onto his gaze her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Oh Karen, I love you so much. I hope you know that." Jack whispered as his hands cupped her face.
"Of course I do, Jack." Karen's voice trembled before she reached up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before burying her face into his neck. He felt warm tears trickle down his neck onto his t-shirt as he pulled her into another tight embrace. His lips found the shell of her ear, pressing lightly against it as he hummed softly. He felt Karen's body relax completely after a few minutes, her heartbeat steady against his. His palms ran slowly up and down her sides, the bottom of the night shirt riding up past her hips and exposing the skin above her underwear.
Jack grazed his finger tips across the soft porcelain skin of her lower back, smiling as he felt hums against his neck. His hands made their way under the shirt and continued their work along her sides, the heels of his palms brushing the sides of her breasts on every other pass. She pressed herself closer as she placed light kisses just below his ear.
Karen lifted her head and met Jack's gaze once more before whispering, "Can we go to bed now?" Her eyes had begun to look puffy, irritation turning the skin around them red. Jack fought back a smile as he noticed her slightly swollen lips.
Jack turned her tired body sideways and sat her across his lap before hooking one arm under her knees and the other around her waist. Karen draped her arms around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder as he carried her to his bed.
"I'll be right back, Kare." Jack whispered as he set her down gently on the bed and made his way to the bathroom. Karen looked around the room and sighed as she felt tears threatening to fall. But this time a smile was playing at her lips as she noticed it was much cleaner than it usually is. She crawled under the covers and laid on her back, pulling them up under her arms as she felt the tears trail over her temples
Jack quietly made his way back into his room, turning the lights off as he walked towards the bed. He moved to lay next to her until he saw shiny tracks on either side of Karen's face, the moonlight catching on them as it illuminated her soft features.
He sat on his knees facing her as he reached down and wiped one of the streams away, holding his hand against her cheek. "I'm so sorry Kare.." Jack's voice caught in his throat as she looked back at him, her eyes searching his this time.
"Oh come here, Jackie." Karen opened her arms as he made his way under the covers and snuggled into her side, laying his head on her chest. Her arm wrapped around his shoulder as his draped across her stomach, his hand tucking itself below her hip and pulling her closer. "Look at me, honey." Karen said softly as she placed her hand on his cheek. Jack tilted his head up towards her and met her eyes. Karen wiped a tear from his cheek before placing another soft kiss against his lips.
"I love you, Jack. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you here. I know I was a little distant for a while, but I knew that once I was ready you would be there." Her thumb brushed delicately over his cheekbone as she continued, "You are the only person I've always known I could count on, even when my marriage was rocky. You.. Are the best thing that I could have in my life right now."
Jack smiled as the truth behind her words went straight to his heart. He leaned up and pecked her lips, only to be met again by a slightly harder kiss. His hand found its way below the fabric at her waist and cupped the side of her ribcage, pulling her closer as his thumb brushed across the bottom of her breast. Karen sighed into his mouth and tugged the hair at the base of his neck as their tongues tangled for the first time in over a month. Jack's hand settled back onto her stomach before his fingers slowly brushed up her sternum and over her cleavage before stopping at the skin above her chest.
He laid his palm flat over her heart as he pulled back from the kiss with a soft smack. His eyes locked with hers as her breathing began to slow, her lips slightly parted and turning red. "This.. is all I need from you." Jack whispered as he put a little pressure on her chest, her heartbeat steady beneath his palm. Karen smiled as she let out a strained huff, leaning in for one more kiss before laying her head down; pulling his until it was pressed onto her chest once again. Jacks hand slid slowly back down to her waist as he nestled into her side, snaking his leg in between hers. Their breathing eventually evened out, both of them falling asleep quickly.