Ch 11
After the suggestive flirting incident on my birthday I didn't hear or see Jack or Emma until a few days, or so, before the Christmas play. Rehearsals were going just as Anna wanted them, and she was beside herself with excitement. All the men, women, and children had their lines down to an art. She constantly bragged on them.
Koz and Sandy had announced their engagement as well. North was extremely vocal about his congratulations. He had grabbed up both men and twirled them around, all the while boisterously complaining how it was about time. I joined in with that. It was nice to have them back. I needed something else to fill my mind other than the alluringly captivating boy I had come to know.
"Still pining away, I see." Koz sighed as he walked into my office; plucking a sprig of green and white from the top of my door frame.
"Rack off. 'm not in the mood." I snapped. My head was in my hands, elbows propping them up. I was sorely starting to hate the Christmas season. If North hung anymore mistletoe in the hallways or entrances I was gonna kill 'im. "And I'm not pining." I added. Koz slid into the chair by the bookshelf and huffed.
"You know it's finals week at the university. We'll probably hear from them soon. He and Emma finally have enough in savings to get their own apartment here in town, and I'm sure they would want to spend their birthday with the people they love to annoy." Koz smirked as I raised my head.
"The twins are turnin' twenty-one already? I bet North already has something planned." I scoffed. North was like a stand in father for those two. Apparently Jack talked to North about as often as he and I did. That was news for me when I found out. Jack had laughed at me that day. But it did explain a few of the glares I'd gotten the past month.
"You are correct. He wants to throw them a party. At first he suggested having something here, but Emma shot him down; saying something along the lines of 'We're having it at our new place so we can get sloshed and not have to worry about going home'."
"Sounds like her, yeah." I laughed.
"So if Jack is too skittish to give you a proper invitation, expect on from Emma within the next two days." He said standing and gliding out the door.
That night at the library I was in a fog as I shelved book after book. I had been in this haze all day. The wheels to the trolley wobbled and squeaked as I rolled it down the aisle. I sighed for the umpteenth time. "Koz is right. I am pining." I said to the darkness. I ran a hand over my face, the stubble that I decided to keep scratching lightly. My phone read '9:53', and I still had two more carts.
Light knocking drew my attention to the door and, gratefully, out of my thoughts. I was hoping it was Jack, but Emma stood peering in instead. I opened the door and stood to the side.
"Hi Mister Bunnymund." She said.
"Evenin' sheila. What can I do ya for?"
"I actually want to talk to you about Jack." She said; her eyes downcast.
"Everything alright? He's not in trouble again is he?" Instantly worried. She waved her hand and smiled, obviously amused.
"No, nothing like that. I was just making sure you knew about the party we're having. We're turning twenty-one and North wants to do something for us. I just wanted you to know that you have to come. Jack's too nervous to ask you himself, so I thought I would."
"Koz told me this morning, yeah. Sure, I'll be there. Do I need to bring anything?"
"Nah. North said he's supply the booze. Amy, my roommate, her mom is supplying the food; mostly finger stuff. But I'll let you off the hook if you can help us move our stuff from the dorms. My friends are great, but we all lack arm strength, and if you can carry Jack down a hill… We'd really appreciate it if you would be our pack mule." Emma said, the silly girl was grinning like the cat that ate the canary by the end of her rambling. I nodded with a smile and she clapped her hands.
"Now, about Jack." She said; her tone serious. "He really likes you. Like a lot."
"I kind of figured." I nodded.
"Okay. Good. Um. Do you, by chance, like him back?" She hesitated.
"I do."
"Great! So, um. I'm gonna get Jack as hammered as I can tomorrow night at the apartment. Maybe one of you, maybe you, could make a move?"
I laughed. Crikey, this girl. "Make a move? You want me to molest your drunk brother?"
"It's not molestation if it's mutual. Mutual molestation."
"I'm not gonna take advantage of him when he's not thinkin' straight." I told her in a firm tone. I had already decided that I would not be doing any drinking for that very reason. I liked Jack; cared about him as a person and a potential partner.
"Good answer." She paused, looking me up and down before turning and placing a hand on the door. "You make him happy. He smiles more now. Ever since what happened with Allen in school… That hurt him. I knew you two would be good together, and I was right." She paused and offered a smile. "Anyways- Anna has our address; if it's okay, we were planning on starting the move tomorrow. The dorms close the day after."
"Sure thing. I'll meet you all here around nine?" I asked.
"Cool beans. Thanks again. For being so cool about this. See ya tomorrow!"
"Emma? What are you doing here?"
I whipped my head to the door. Jack was standing in front of his sister, hood pulled up and hands stuffed in his pockets.
"I just needed to ask him something. He's going to help us move tomorrow." She answered nonchalantly. "Be up before nine, 'kay? Me and Amy are gonna go harass the Walmart workers. Bye!"
"Okay." He answered and we both watched her skip away.
Jack walked in and slipped his hood down. I motioned for him to follow me to the abandoned cart to start sorting again.
"I guess she told you about the party, huh?" He asked with a sheepish grin.
"She did. Told me my attendance was mandatory."
"Cool. What are you doing after the move is finished?"
"Nothin' that I know of. I was plannin' on callin' in tomorrow. I don't think Anna'd be too mad. Why?" I looked over at him. He was stretched up onto his toes to slide a book into its place. I openly stared.
"Well I've been saving up a little here and there, aside from the Apartment Fund, to get a tattoo. Wanna come with me to get it tomorrow? I'll buy lunch?"
"I'll go with ya, but I'll get lunch. It will be your birthday, after all." I smirked. He stuck his tongue out at me. "Keep that in your head unless you're makin' use of it." I told him. Jack blushed a pretty pink and slid it back into his mouth. I laughed.
"What do you want to get?" I asked, switching the subject.
"A snowflake in white ink, on my hip. The one I have picked out has Claddagh around the inner circle." He pulled out his phone and swiped to a picture. I hummed.
"Why a Claddagh?"
"Our family has pretty deep Irish roots. Me and Em can even speak a bit of Gaelic. Not much though." He said proudly. I was impressed, and told him I would.
We talked for the remainder of my shift. He told me about the new apartment, all the extra room they'd have and the fact that he was most happy about: not having to go back to his parents. He told me that his and Emma's parents were less than hospitable. The twins had guessed that their mother and father weren't even close to being ready for kids by the way they never showed much interest, not that they weren't cared for. But the basics were all they offered to them. He explained that he and Emma learned to be independent early in their lives, and now that they were in college they barely heard from their parents. He didn't seem upset about it, so I didn't pry. I blurted he was better off here anyway. He looked at me with a small smile and said 'I think so too'.
The next day I called Anna and told her the plans.
"Oh, that's nice of you. North's going too, he said he'd pick you up on the way. Apparently Emma has a lot of stuff." She laughed.
"Don't tell Koz where I'm at. I swear if he makes one more joke I'll punch 'im."
"I won't. They won't even be here. Sandy said something about venue scouting. It's just going to be me today."
I instantly felt guilty. Anna noticed and clucked her tongue. "Don't start pouting, Bunny. I'll be fine. I like the busy work, you know." We laughed it off then hung up.
I had already dressed in comfortable clothes and grabbed an extra band for my hair, just in case, then headed for the parking lot.
Emma was waiting outside on the steps when we arrived. She waved and came to meet us.
"Morning!" She exclaimed. Her excitement was spirit-lifting. She went over the game plan of what would happen: North would be the main mover, as his vehicle was enormous. Jack and I would be the pack mules, as she called us, to move stuff to North's behemoth of a vehicle, and Emma was going to be sorting and unpacking at the new apartment. I nodded and she led me to her dorm.
I met her roommate, and best friend, Amy. The ginger was overly flirtatious, and quite handsy.
"Wow, hi. I'm Amy." She said and looked me over; eyes lingering a bit too long in certain places. I nodded and offered a smile before turning my attention to a large yellow tote.
The morning progressed and Jack finally showed up. Emma sent him straight to work and before we knew it he and I were making piles for each other. Heavier things went to me, and Jack took all the sentimental, important stuff. Amy sat and watched us the entire time, making comments here and there.
"Gee, that was impressive, Mister Bunnymund."
"You must work out."
"Can I play with your hair?"
"Those are a great pair of jeans, don't you think Jack?"
"What cologne do you use? It smells great."
Jack and I had finally gotten the last two totes out of the room when I noticed how tense he looked. His eyes were locked forward, and I could see the muscle in his jaw.
"Whassa matter, frostbite?"
"Could she be any more obvious?" He hissed.
"Ah. Don't be jealous, mate. She knows I bat for the other team." I chuckled. He glared at me and kept walking.
We loaded the last two into back seat of North's truck, as Emma and Amy came down. North grinned at me and opened the door. Emma climbed in and slid into the middle and Amy slipped into the passenger seat. I arched an eyebrow at him.
"Well, come on slow pokes. You still need to do the unpacking." North told us.
"There's not enough room for us, Santa." Jack said.
"Just share a seat." Amy smirked at Jack. He flipped her off and pushed at my shoulder.
"Get in. You're not sitting on me."
Inside the cab was cramped. The boxes and totes we had shoved into the back barely gave us any room. Jack was on my lap, facing forward, gripping the head rest. I was keeping my hands on the door, and the boxes to keep from making him uncomfortable, as much as I wanted to grab him. The drive shouldn't be too long, I thought, it was just a few miles from campus.
"Crap!" Emma moaned. "Construction."
Construction? What the hell? I looked around Jack and sure enough there were bright yellow flashing lights and a sign stating 'Road Work Ahead' and 'Rough Road'; a road crew with shovels followed a giant machine feeding a black seedy mess to the workers. To make matters worse, they had torn up the entire road.
The truck lurched and bounced as North slowed his speed. Jack grabbed at the window, covering one my own, to steady himself. I was cursing North, Emma, and Amy in my head. This was fuckin' ridiculous. What the hell was I gonna do now? He was in my lap, the friction from the ride was awful, and soon enough I found myself fighting a rapidly growing hard on.
A particularly jagged piece of loose road jarred the vehicle, making Jack bounce. I bit back a groan and thudded my head against the back window. The back of his neck was beet red. God I was so embarrassed. Then Jack shifted, pressing back onto me, making my breath hitch. The hand on the totes flew to his hip in an effort to still him. It didn't work as the truck lurched up again, and Jack moved again, lifting up and then back down directly onto my groin. I slouched down into the seat and couldn't help but roll my hips slightly. His hand tightened on mine and in my haze I did it again. Jack pressed back to meet me and I stifled a quiet groan into his back. I could feel his heartbeat hammering through his thin hoodie. The willpower I exuded pained me. I wanted so badly to slide my hand over his hip to see if he was as aroused as I was. He lifted again, after another bump, and repositioned himself on me. The grip I had on him was like a vice.
"Jackie, ya need to stop doin' that." I mumbled into a shoulder. Thankfully I didn't have to worry about anyone hearing. Amy had turned up some pop station, and she and Emma were loudly singing along.
"Why?" He whispered.
"'cause I really need you to."
"Doesn't feel like you want me to stop." He looked over his shoulder at me. The truck wobbled again and Jack swiveled his hips, swaying them from side to side. Deliberately. If he wanted to tease, then so would I.
"Fine then. Don't." I growled and rocked my hips against him, pulling him into me by his hip. I noticed his head fall forward as he gasped. The hand on top of mine gripped it and moved to place it on his waist. I started a slow rhythm, and he met it. Soon we were slowly rocking against each other. It felt amazing, but part of me worried about the line we had just crossed. It didn't worry me enough to stop, the cloud of lust saw to that, but it still nagged at the back of my mind.
A sudden stop flung us forward and into the seat in front of us. Jack cursed and rubbed the side of his face.
"Sorry about that, my friends." North winced. "Idiot drivers." He rumbled.
"There's the turn!" Emma pointed excitedly.
North made a left and the road smoothed out. I thanked every deity I could think of, both happy and sad that the mood was killed. Jack had settled back onto me, but stayed sitting on my knees.
We got everything moved for both Emma and her brother and help them set up the bigger items before North made an excuse to leave. I was grateful. Part of me wanted to talk to Jack about what happened but another wanted some time to think.
"You know we will be coming back in a few hours?" North pointed out. I groaned. "You will be fine, Aster. Maybe even get some more touchy this time." He laughed.
"It's not like I meant for that to happen! Ya think I like grindin' against someone in my mate's car? God, I am not havin' this conversation with you."
We were almost to North and Anna's place to grab the liquor when a thought struck me. I told Jack I'd go with him to get his tattoo. I scrambled for my phone to call but noticed a text from him.
From: Frostbite
'Hey roo, amy and em are gonna go with me to get the tat… em wants one to so ill see u later'
I deflated a bit, but was relieved. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and followed the Russian into his own private store. We loaded up all the bottles into crates to keep them safe on the drive, and made a stop at a grocery store. We needed multiple types of juice to easy the consumption before heading to the twins.
The apartment was lit up with string lights when we arrived. Anna's car was parked outside, and Koz and Sandy were there. North grabbed the case of alcohol and walked inside while I gathered up bags of juice.
"It's about time you got here." Koz griped, taking a few bags from me.
"Shut it and help me with these things." I growled at him. He stopped.
"What happened?" He asked. Concern laced his words.
"Construction and horrible seating arrangements. I don't want to talk about it, Kozmotis."
He sighed and took the bags from me. "Well whatever it was, it has young Jack drinking like a fish. So fix it."
Koz and I dropped of the bags to North and Anna, who immediately started mixing drinks for the girls. Amy was still there, but two more had shown up. They were giggling and jumping around in an attempt to dance to the music. I spied Jack sitting on a stool nursing a shot glass. North saw my gaze and handed me one, which I raised to him and swallowed down, grimacing at the burn. I walked to the birthday boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Jack, can we talk, mate?" I asked. He nodded, standing, and grabbed my hand walking us down the hallway. The end of it had three doors; no doubt a room for each of them and a bathroom. He stopped and leaned against one of the doors.
"About what happened earlier… I'm sorry. I don't want to make you- " I mumbled, but he interrupted.
"Don'. I like it. Lots. I like you lots too. S'why I did it." He slurred.
"I gathered. But- "
"No buts. It's my birthday, I'm twenty-one now. Totally grown up. And I want a present."
I laughed at his jumbled state of mind. "Alright then. What do you want as a present?"
Jack pushed off the door and gripped my arms. "I want you to kiss me."
Here's a long one for y'all. Hope you enjoyed! R&R please!