Jack flopped down onto his bed, showered and worn out between stuffing his face with italian and Mush kicking his ass from working out and learning new moves...but he was far from sleeping.
He sat up and leaned his back against the cool wall. David had understood his need for privacy, and he was alone in their room, door closed. There was nothing but the sound of car horns and sirens, the occasional noises from the living room where the guys were playing a Marvel movie, their laughter breaking through softly at intervals.
It was after midnight, it must be after nine her time...
He let out a huff and took out his phone, dialed the last number…his mouth felt dry.
"Hi, Cowboy."
Her voice was warm and low in his ear. "Hope I didn't wake ya."
"No, we've been eating junk food and watching movies...right now I'm out on the balcony, listening to the ocean."
"That's where I'd sleep."
"It is where I sleep," she laughed. "Hang on a second -"
He looked at his phone, confused...she'd hung up on him. Then she called back in the same moment - on "FaceTime". He hit the green icon, and he was shocked to see her face - and his, in a smaller square in the corner of the screen. He laughed in spite of himself - he was only wearing black sweatpants.
"Well hello there." She smiled big, her eyes smiling too. Thank God he and Mush used their dumbbell set regularly...
"I feel positively indecent," Jack joked, loving the sound of her laugh and the sight of her. On his phone. God she was stunning, despite the lower quality of his older iPhone.
She was in a t-shirt, wrapped in a thick knit blanket, her wet hair fanned out on the pillow under her head. It was shadowed and dark, but he could see her face from the glow of her phone, the same colors as the city lights in his room. Her blue eyes gleamed, pleased.
"I find you positively enticing," she said huskily. "Sorry to disappoint with my outfit."
His brows furrowed; her and 'disappointment' didn't belong in the same sentence.
"Never."
She bit her lip, grinning. "It's nice being the viewer for once."
He gave a hard laugh. "Look all you like," he said before he could think twice about it.
He couldn't help it - he wanted her to keep biting her lip and smiling. He felt like he was dancing with a flame.
"Jus' glad ya can't see the 5 pounds of Italian food I inhaled earlier."
She laughed. "Which restaurant?"
"Homemade, actually."
"Ah," she stretched a little, turning over onto her back, a dreamy smile on her lips. "Even better. Other than the ocean, I've missed the food here - my friends will tell you the first thing I make them do when we get off the plane is find the nearest street tacos."
"Tacos, huh?" he was happily lost in watching her, listening to her...pleasantly surprised at how easy this was...
"So many tacos," she said with sleepy excitement. "They make fun of me for all the food I eat all the time. I eat everything in sight."
"'s no surprise; you're burnin' energy all the time."
"Got to," she said matter-of-fact, twirling a strand of her hair in between her fingers as if to prove her point: constant movement. "My mother learned early on what happens when my energy has nowhere to go...so she gave me dance."
She paused, her face dropping a little. Her eyes quickly became glassy before the phone moved suddenly - and all he could see was white paneling of the deck's roof, a fan rotating slowly above. He heard the distant waves.
A moment passed, and then the phone moved back to show her face - she was sitting up now, her oversized t-shirt hanging off one shoulder, and her eyes were slightly puffy, her cheeks rosy. She pulled her damp hair over one shoulder, trying to hide her eyes. She looked embarrassed. He didn't want her to be.
"Sorry," she sniffed, her free hand busy with the blanket as she covered her lap.
"Don't be."
She looked up, reading his face. Her eyes scanned over him a few times before she spoke.
"You should know-" she paused, regarding him, thinking. She made a decision - he could see it in her eyes - and her voice was deliberate, fast, and clear. "I lost my mother last year. And now I'm preparing to sell this house, my childhood home."
Her eyes swam in oceans of their own but she kept them from spilling over, her face fighting the hurt underneath.
"That's all I'm going to say about it. I don't like talking about it, and I'm not good with emotions, with sharing personal things...and to be honest, I don't have much experience in dating because I think it's unfair to expect trust and honesty from my partner when I can't give it myself…"
His face was still as he listened, as she watched him.
"I'm not talking about dancing in a club. It's...more personal than that."
She took a deep breath, like she was holding back a secret she wanted to tell. But her instinct told her not to.
"Dance is as personal as most people get with me. And when I can't give more, it pisses guys off." She smiled a little shyly. "Not that I've given many a chance...I'm usually too busy, and way more reserved than this...especially since we don't know each other. But you should know: I'm in a process of piecing my heart back together, and some days are messier than others.
"I wanted to tell you because...you're different. And I like you."
His heart soared at her words but the heaviness of the heartbreak in her eyes held his attention. He waited before speaking gently. "'s alright. I'm happy ta be a distraction."
Her smile touched her eyes, "I was hoping you'd do more than just distract me."
He laughed, turning his face away and falling into his pillow. She laughed with him, the noise filling his room, breaking the seriousness. He laid on his side and raised his phone back up, seeing she was lying down too. He pushed his fingers through his hair and propped his head up in his hand.
"I'm not good at datin' either," he admitted. "I've never really had a... relationship ta speak of."
He felt bad for lying. But it was the truth...for this lifetime. 'Dating' then and now were two completely different beasts...and he and Ira -
"I think you're an old soul, like me," she said with a grin. "Am I right?"
"...yeah." His heart was beating fast again. But her grin put him at ease.
"Guys in New York are mostly misses instead of catches," she said, her eyes reflecting on her experiences... "It's just nice to meet some guys who aren't old, rich, assholes, tools, or all of the above...and maybe that's why my body wants to move faster than my head."
She seemed a little surprised at herself once the words were spoken, but she smiled and giggled, and Jack turned his face away for a moment to compose himself, both of them laughing again.
"Think I know what ya mean."
She didn't say anything, just smiled and watched him.
He cleared his throat a little, looking away. "'s jus' hard connectin' with people nowa days...I don't pretend ta understand a whole lot about what's cool, but I always prefer face-ta-face."
God he hoped he didn't sound like an old man. He felt like it.
"It's always better," she agreed. "At least this is a step up from just a phone call."
"An' way bettah than textin'," he said with a slight annoyance in his tone.
She laughed. "Unless you're texting correctly…" She grinned deviously.
He returned the grin, his eyes on her lips. "Well you'll have ta teach me on that," he murmured.
"With pleasure." She giggled. "I gotta say I was a little surprised, when we first met...there were several girls talking about you in the back rooms at the club...they still hope you'll come in and make your rounds, like the other patrons. It's rare when we get guys our age in there, unless they're sons."
She stuck out her tongue in disgust and he laughed. His eyes glanced down at his own face on the phone screen, seeing a smile he hadn't seen in a while - he couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed and smiled so much.
"I'm a hard guy ta distract..." as he said it he watched her curl up on her side, hugging her pillow. "...when I want somethin'...someone."
His mouth ran away from him...but she did that lip bite and smiled into her pillow, melting him.
"The guys will tell ya how stubborn I can be. I've put 'em through the ringer a time 'a two."
"I'm stubborn too." She stifled a yawn, smiling with her eyes closed, her long lashes soft on her high cheekbones.
"Ya don't say," he teased. "Good ta know."
"My face hurts from smiling so much," she said sleepily, still smiling at him, like he was more interesting than the ocean in front of her. He still couldn't fathom it.
"Busy day tomorrow?"
"Some meetings to attend, some shopping therapy, lots of tacos to eat…"
He laughed, "sounds exhausting."
"Five girls shopping? Absolutely."
He chuckled and rolled onto his back, throwing his arm up over his pillow. Her eyes drank him in.
"I'll be wide awake tomorrow night though…"
Her blue eyes were tired but they sparkled from the dim lighting...she blushed, and something told him she was telling him the truth: she wasn't normally like this. She could easily be one of those girls, too good for anyone and everyone. And here she was, excited to talk to him, a nobody newsie.
"Same time?" he asked.
"Can't wait," her eyes roamed over him once more. "Good night...Jack."
God he loved the sound of his name on her lips.
"G'night, Tiffany."
Her smile fell a little and it touched her eyes, a glimmer of disappointment swimming in them. It happened so quickly, she wouldn't know he saw it; she gave him a sleepy smile before she hung up.
His phone fell from his hand and he laid there on his back, exhaling the mental breath he'd been holding.
He wondered what her real name was. He wondered until he fell into an easy sleep, thinking of all the girl names he knew...none of them fit her. Not even Ira.
