Thinking about talking to Jack was alot easier than actually doing it, Kate realized. Everytime she saw him, she urged herself to come clean, but her insecurites won out in the end.
It had been three days since talking to Juliet, and Kate was aware the woman was becoming frusterated with her.
"He's miserable, Kate. He feels like the rescue boat not coming is his fault, and he could use someone to talk to," she told her.
"Why can't he talk to you?" asked Kate stubbornly.
"Let me re-phrase this. He needs to talk to you." Juliet gave her a skeptical look. "You said you loved him, Kate. Well, he loves you too, but he's not going to wait forever."
If their first conversation had been unexpected, this urging of her to talk to Jack was even more so.
"Tonight," Kate told her. "I'll tell him tonight."
When darkness fell, Kate knew she couldn't go back on her word. She couldn't, and she didn't want to. Bracing herself for rejection, she walked over to Jack, who was sitting across the fire.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked softly. She saw Juliet, who was sitting next to him, give her the smallest of smiles.
"Yeah, what's the matter?" he asked.
"Alone", she clarified.
"Kate, anything you can say to me," he began, and Kate had a flashback to when she was telling him about Naomi.
"Jack," she interupted, "please."
"Just go," Juliet told him. "I was about to go to bed anyway." With that, she stood up, and headed back to her tent.
"I trust her, Jack" Kate told him, seeing his gaze follow Juliet and feeling a pang. "I just need to talk to you alone."
"Okay", he replied, looking up at her expectantly.
"Do you mind if we move down the beach?" she asked, eyeing the other survivors wearily.
A look of confusion flashed through his eyes, but he nodded. "Sure."
When they were a good distance away, she stopped him. "Here's good."
He looked at her with concern. "Kate, is everything okay?"
"Yeah", she said, then shook her head. "No, actually, it's not."
He held her gaze, waiting for her to elaborate. She took a deep breath, and then the words came pouring out.
"I run, Jack. It's what I do. I don't stick around and wait to get hurt, I avoid it." She saw him run a hand through his closely cropped hair. "I run from what I don't understand."
"Kate, I don't know-" He began, but she silenced him.
"I thought when we crashed on this island, the running would stop. The marshall was dead, and I was free. For a while at least."
"Why are you telling me this?" Jack asked.
She gave him a sad smile. "There was still something to run from, Jack. You."
His eyes widened. "Me? What did I ever do to you?" he asked in shock.
She laughed lightly. "You made me fall in love with you."
He stood, silent and still in shock, so she decided to continue. "Trust me, I didn't plan on it. Commitment is one of the main things I run from," she told him, thinking of Kevin. "I kissed you, Jack, and that's when I realized it. I'm in love with you. So I ran."
He nodded, still absorbing what she was saying. She noticed that as confused as he looked, his gaze never left hers.
"I ran and ran. I know I hurt you, and you didn't deserve it. I understand if you never want to talk to me again. But, Jack?" Her voice lowered, and he strained to hear her. "I don't want to run from you anymore."
He looked at her for a few seconds before asking. "So, all of this, the running, the anger, Sawyer? It was because you love me?"
She nodded, biting her lip. "You've got a pretty messed up way of showing it", he told her.
"I know," she sighed. "You probably hate me. I don't blame you."
He laughed, suprising her. "I don't hate you. God, Kate, I could never hate you." His words caused her heart to skip a few beats.
"You.. you don't?" she asked timidly.
"If I hated you, would I do this?" he asked.
"Do wha-" she started to ask, before she felt his lips crashing into hers. A tingle went through her body, and she almost had to pinch herself. She realized how cliche that was, but it didn't matter, because Jack was kissing her. And he wasn't stopping.
They finally had to break for air, and Kate smiled shyly.
"I guess you don't hate me, huh?"
Jack grinned. "No, I guess not."
"If I stop running, will you give me another chance?" Kate proposed. "I'll try not to screw this one up."
"Promise me. Promise that you'll talk to me, not run away," Jack begged. He was so close to having her, but he needed to know he wouldn't get hurt again.
"I promise," Kate told him sincerely.
As they walked back to the camp, Kate saw Juliet leaning against a pole of her tent, arms crossed. Upon seeing Jack and Kate's joined hands, the blonde flashed her a small smile.
Finally.