Chapter Four
The sound of the door closing behind her sent a shiver down her spine. Sage could feel Jack's looming presence right behind her. Even before he cleared his throat, his very existence was the kind that demanded your full attention. She tried to navigate her bare feet through the chaos of his apartment, trying not to step on anything pointed. Clothes were strewn everywhere, letters scattered the floor, but what surprised Sage the most was the sheer number of books piling up everywhere, the carpet disappearing beneath the hardbacks. What also caught her attention was the book shelf which seemed to have been thrown across the room, explaining the sudden bang she had heard earlier.
"Sorry about the mess, doll, it's been a, uh…interesting night." Jack apologised, dancing his way around the mess and heading towards the kitchen counter. His apartment mirrored the structure of her own but in terms of interior design, it was rougher around the edges than Sage's wet-wiped apartment. Mess just wasn't tolerated in her Aunt's apartment growing up, a lesson that clearly wasn't instilled in Jack.
"It's fine," Sage murmured, looking for somewhere to sit, "I mean, it's not like you prepared for me to come over."
"Wellll," Jack drawled out, slamming two mugs on the counter heavy-handedly, "That's just the kinda guy I am. I don't like making plans all that much, it's, uh, better to do things… impulsive-ly."
As the kettle started boiling, Sage slowly pulled out a stool from under the countertop and eased herself onto it. She wondered why Jack always spoke as though he was implying something else, though she could just be reading too much into it. She looked at the books for a moment and tried to imagine Jack reading one. Whenever Sage read something, she'd always brew herbal tea and play some soft music.
Somehow, she just couldn't imagine Jack in that scenario. From the look of the overflowing ash-trays and beer bottles by the couch, he clearly preferred something stronger. For a moment, Sage's mind was transported back to her dorm in California. The tobacco, the booze…it rang a little too close to home.
Sage tried not to look at the mess for too long. She turned her attention to Jack, who was going through his cabinets, urgently, until he found what he was looking for.
"So, sweet-cheeks," Jack grinned, holding out two tins of coffee, "decaf or Italian blend?"
She couldn't help but laugh, suddenly, causing Jack to cast her a curious glance.
"Um, sure, either are fine," Sage chuckled. "Sorry it's just… I'm Italian."
She realised how ridiculous it seemed for her to laugh at such a thing, but it was early in the morning and she found the coincidence amusing. Besides, their entire encounter felt utterly ridiculous. Only moments ago, this man had been yelling at his wife and now he was making her… artisanal coffee?
"Ah," Jack smiled, "Thought I detected a touch of an accent." He began spooning the coffee into the cups as the kettle settled down.
"Yeah," Sage grimaced, "Living in California, it kinda wore off."
"Well, Gotham has a lot of Italians," Jack said, smirking to himself, "I'm sure you'll, uh, find yourself."
Sage tried her hardest not to take offence. She knew exactly what he meant by Italians.
"Your, uh, Dad's side, or your Mom's?" Jack questioned, curiously.
"Dad's side," Sage said, "My mom grew up in Texas."
"And she moved to Gotham?" Jack laughed, as though it was insane for someone to move states. Sage shrugged. "Well, that explains you…"
"What do you mean?" Sage questioned, bluntly, as Jack poured the water.
"You coulda lived in Hollywood for chrissakes," Jack chuckled, "But you and mommy both prefer Gotham to somewhere more… civilised? Why is that?"
Sage hadn't thought about that before. Granted, she'd loathed Gotham growing up. Then again, even California, for all its beauty, didn't felt like home either. She pondered over the idea for a moment, unsure of how to answer Jack's question.
"I don't know," Sage replied, "I mean, my mom came here for college. She met my dad and they just kinda…settled down. I don't know why. I lived with my aunt growing up, so…"
Sage felt a little strange talking about her parents. She was telling Jack the truth, partially. Her mother had moved to Gotham and married her father, an Italian, and settled down. But then, once Sage turned seven, her aunt had moved to Gotham to take care of her.
Pam was the only other person who knew the full story and Sage was satisfied with that. She wondered if Jack could tell she was holding back but he simply stirred hot water into the mugs.
"Mhm," Jack hummed, bringing over the coffee, "So, whattabout you, hm? What brings you back to big bad Gotham?"
Sage felt a little uncomfortable as he handed her the coffee, though she was thankful the conversation had strayed from her family history. Leaning over the counter, Jack's eyes didn't leave hers for a second. She wondered why he was so interested in her when she hadn't even asked about him.
"I'm doing my masters at Gotham U," Sage said, truthfully, "My aunt moved back to Texas to take care of some family stuff so I'm renting out the apartment."
Jack took a long sip of his coffee and made a show of giving a sigh of contentment.
"And what? You couldn't do a masters in California?" Jack asked. Sage swallowed her coffee, nervously. She didn't have to tell him everything – hell she barely knew the guy. She'd probably learned more about him from his screaming wife than she had from this entire conversation. Who was he to interrogate her?
"Why are you so concerned?" Sage asked, voicing her annoyance. "Worried you might be living next to a…a serial killer?"
Jack, taken by surprise, almost choked on his coffee. His laughter boomed through-out the room, making Sage jump.
"A serial killer?" Jack laughed. "You? No…no, no, no, no."
He placed his empty mug down on the table with a thud.
"I just wanna get ta know ya better, doll-face."Jack replied, giving a shrug, "That a crime?"
Sage was silent for a second. She gritted her teeth in irritation. Was he being serious? Did he genuinely just want to know more about her? If Sage had been the same girl she was when she first lived in this building, she would have believed this. She would have been drawn in by Jack immediately, no questions asked, she even might have invited him in for coffee…
But she was not that girl anymore. She was not naïve. She wouldn't let anyone get the best of her, not now. Not after rehab.
Not after the accident.
"I chose to come back here," Sage insisted. "Besides, why did you move here? To the Narrows?"
Jack looked at her, intently.
"My, uh, other half, quit her job," Jack replied, "She thought working as a stripper was a li-ttle too…stressful. But she just kept spendin' even though we had nothin' and…we got evicted."
"Oh," Sage uttered, at a loss for words, "I'm sorry. And you? What do you do?"
Jack grinned, then shook his head.
"Now whose askin' questions," He chuckled, "Let's just say, I don't make enough money to pay rent anywhere but here."
Sage was silent.
"At least… not yet." Jack added, giving her a wink.
"But what is it you do?" Sage pried.
"I'm a, uh, body-guard," Jack drawled out, no longer smiling, "I… guard bodies."
"What bodies?" Sage inquired. "Like, celebrities, or something?" Jack snorted.
"VIPs…yes." Jack said. "Celebrities, nah. But, I'm afraid, that's about all I can say on the sub-ject."
The more he spoke, the more he confirmed just how sketchy Sage already believed him to be. A body-guard… was that code for beating people up? Is that what his wife was screaming about? Was he one of Falcone's henchmen, or whoever was running the mob these days?
"I'm looking for a job actually," Sage added, off-topic, "I mean, I start college next week and the books are expensive. I've tried applying online but… there's nothing."
Jack gave her a thoughtful look.
"That's it, isn't it?" Jack murmured, "That's the big joke. Got people like Bruce Wayne livin' like royal-ty while the rest of us gotta worry if we're overspendin' on milk!"
His voice took a darker tone, suddenly, causing Sage to squirm in her seat.
"You'll find something, sweet-cheeks," Jack added, a lot less passionately, "I mean, you're a girl, after all! And a pretty one at that…"
Sage felt her cheeks go slightly warm but she tried not to dwell on it.
"Not like me," Jack added, "Ain't nothin' pretty about me, aha."
He looked down at his empty coffee cup for a moment, his dirty hands clasping it tightly. For a moment, Sage felt entirely empathetic toward the scarred man in front of her. Despite his constant prying and, at times, unnerving characteristics… he was just a person.
"I'm sorry for sounding snappy," Sage said, softly. "I've just had a really hard summer and there's not many people I feel I can talk to about it, yet. I'm not used to other people asking me about…my life."
Slowly, Jack's gaze found hers, his expression urging her to continue.
"I mean, besides my family and friends-" (she hesitated on the word friends, knowing that the plural itself was a lie) "-I haven't been around people in a while. My socialising skills are a little…stunted."
"You've got your reasons for comin' back here," Jack said, understandingly, "You're allowed to have secrets, doll. You might be a little young but you're still an adult. And all adults have secrets."
As he spoke, he looked Sage up and down. The way his dark eyes ran over her felt as sensual as it did psychotic.
"Pretty and mysterious," Jack beamed, "I like that."
His proximity was so close to her that she was paralyzed. There were so many things she wanted to say but she couldn't get herself to talk. I'm not pretty at all, Jack. Sage wanted to scream. You might not see that but…it's true. I'm an ugly person on the inside. And I've done …uglier things.
Sage stopped herself from saying this and, instead, changed the subject.
"So, your wife," Sage began, "Why was she so angry at you?"
Jack's smile faltered slightly.
"You didn't hear that part through the wall?" Jack asked. Sage shook her head. She could try to put two and two together but she wanted to know the truth. As much as she wished he didn't, her new neighbour intrigued her more than anyone she had ever met.
"I heard something about money but…that's not all it is, right?" Sage's voice trailed off. She wondered if she'd overstepped, but tried her hardest not to look nervous.
"I can't tell you that, doll-face." He stated, plainly. "I've, uh, got my own secrets to keep, you know?"
Sage nodded, knowing it was stupid to pry further than he had. Jack had a line just like she did. It was no point in trying to cross it tonight.
"But heeeey," Jack drawled out, "Maybe we'll become so, umm, so close someday, that we'll know eve-ry-thing about each other. Hmm?"
"What do you mean?" Sage asked. "You want us to become…close?"
Jack laughed.
"May-be," He murmured, "Say, why don't we do this…regular-ly? I mean, I enjoy your company and…I think you enjoy mine…"
Sage raised a brow as he stepped around the counter, inching towards her.
"Why don't you come over more, hmm?" He said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Let's say…once a week? We can get to know each other better."
Sage hadn't realised just how close he'd gotten as she opened her mouth.
"S...Sure." She muttered, knowing any other answer would probably not have satisfied him, "But…your wife…"
"My wife," Jack groaned, rolling his eyes, "You're worried about my wife?"
Sage shrugged, feeling uncomfortable.
"You, uh, ya think I'm after a… a romantic thing?!" Jack exclaimed, smiling wide. Sage felt her entire face heat up as he shook with laughter.
"N-No…" She stammered, getting to her feet, "Yes? No. I don't know! What do you want, then?"
Jack ran a hand through his matted blonde curls. He continued to laugh as she gawked at him, entirely confused.
"Don't get me wrong, doll, I'm flattered…tru-ly."
As he took a step closer, Sage realised there was nothing but his breath between them. She could feel her heart beating quickly as he licked at his scars.
"What I want, Sage…" He grinned, deviously, "Is to be friends."
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Thanks for the reviews so far guys, it's really keepin me goin :) I know this chapter didn't have the same multi-narrative as the others but I thought it might be a good opportunity to establish Jack and Sage's early relationship before the plot thickens.
Now, I know there's still a lot of Sage's backstory missing but I promise you we'll get to that soon!
Let me know what you think and have a lovely evening xo
P.S.
I've put a small playlist together for each character bc I'm suuuuper bored as I've been really ill, so let me know if you want me to put it in the next author's note xxx