A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this fic. It's been a busy weekend
and such. But here it is - the seventh chapter for all you faithful fans.
Thank much for your positive comments, it just fuels me on!
Chapter Seven - Jay, Enter Stage Right
The apartment was quiet and still. Very quiet. Too quiet for Janet's liking. She nervously fidgeted with her hands as she waited for Jay to pick her up so they could go to lunch. She got up off the couch and started pacing, although it didn't help her racing mind any.
Since that kiss with Jack two nights earlier, it seemed that that was all she could think about. Her thoughts were consumed by the feel of his lips. And nothing she did helped it any. It was like an aching for chocolate when you were on a diet, once you take a bite it's nearly impossible not to stop yourself from having - wanting - more. And Jay was like white chocolate, sweet, but definitely not the real thing.
"Ugh!" Janet cried and once again sat down. This wasn't helping her any, she was trying to convince her heart that Jay was the one she wanted, that he was her fiancée. The real thing. Why couldn't anything be clear in her life? Black and White. Good and Evil.
"Janet?" A male voice asked her, startling her out of her thoughts of the night before and her own blind confusion. She turned and grinned sadly up at Jay who was watching her in amusement.
"What'cha thinking about?" He asked as he lead her down to his car which was parked just outside of the apartment complex.
"Oh, just some things. . . nothing important," She said, while in her mind she was screaming and causing holy hell. All she really wanted to do was go back to the apartment and sleep the rest of the day away - or think.
"Oh. Okay," Jay said, climbing into the drivers seat while Janet at stiffly beside him. Something was definitely wrong, but he decided not to comment on it. She would tell him when she felt fit too.
"So where are we going for lunch today?" She asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, trying to change the subject and get Jay to start talking.
"Oh, it's this great Italian place down on -
But she stopped listening almost at the same time he opened his mouth. She went right back to the night before and the way it had all played out, going over every little detail in her mind. Was the reason Jack had kissed her the way he had? Or was he being his normal playful self? She couldn't be sure when it came to him. But she found herself wishing as the day went on that it was serious this time.
Sure a long time ago she had had a crush on Jack. Who couldn't? He was handsome, funny, smart and the greatest friend anyone could ever have. But her crush had eventually faded into a strong bond of friendship. In the back of her mind she never really let any of the aforementioned attributes about him slip away, but she kept them locked away, for safe keeping maybe. Never to be revisited in all the time they had lived together.
But not anymore.
No now, they were all back with a vengeance, pounding in her head giving her headache after headache. She wanted to let it go, say forget it and just move on with Jay and her soon to be married life. She wanted it like she wanted. . . Jack.
And that was the last thing she remembered thinking before Jay led her into a dimly lit Italian restaurant.
* * *
Jack fell into bed sighing into his pillow. It had been a long day. A very long, painful, and difficult day. Something he didn't want to have to go through again in a long time. Although he knew that he would be experiencing a day similar to this one for at least a few weeks.
Of course, it hadn't helped that Janet hadn't talked, looked, or even gone near him in the morning. Totally ignoring him, she didn't even raise her eyes to look at him when he asked her what was wrong, she had just shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat her oatmeal.
Terri, on the other hand, had been grinning like a six year old in a toy store the whole time. Darting her eyes between Janet and Jack and talking all through breakfast, perhaps making up for Janet's silence. He had no idea what she had happened to make her so damned happy, but it got on Jack's nerves. When he was down in the dumps, perky people always angered him. And this morning with Terri had been no different.
His thoughts wondered back to Janet as he turned over on his bed to face the ceiling. As if the answers were written there above his head. He wondered what she was thinking, what she was feeling and why she couldn't bring herself to even look at him afterwards. Had that kiss really been that wrong of an idea?
He sighed again and closed his eyes, replaying the previous night in his mind. Everything from Janet's announcement, to their brief talk and what followed. When he kissed her he knew she wasn't going to jump right into his arms and love him. He hadn't expected it, but he still felt disappointed when it didn't happen. And for some reason, he had always imagined the morning after would play out a little better. But small miracles were hard to come by anymore. So he dealt.
A small knock came on his door and Terri ventured in, she watched him briefly as he looked up at the dark ceiling then closed the door behind her and walked over to sit with him on the bed.
"Hey Jack," She said, surprising him out of the trance he had been in. He looked at her and grabbed his chest as if to tell her that she almost gave her a heart attack.
"Good thing you're a nurse," He muttered and smiled sadly at his own little joke.
"You okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
"No."
"Then I guess I'm not, huh?"
Terri frowned and bit her lip thoughtfully while she tried to think of a way to word what she wanted to ask. "She hasn't talked to you yet has she?"
Jack tensed, then shook his head in obvious defeat. "I don't get it Terri. Really I do, I didn't expect open arms, but I didn't expect totally ignoring either."
She nodded. "She's confused Jack, I mean almost seven years of living with a guy and he suddenly kisses her - after she says she's engaged - it would screw up in the best woman's mind."
Jack opened his mouth to speak, then realizing that Terri actually knew about the kiss, he looked at her, questions in his eyes.
"How did you know?"
"I have my ways," She grinned slyly then gripped Jack's hand in a friendly reassuring gesture.
"You need to tell her."
Jack thought about that statement and knew Terri was right. He did need to tell her, it had been playing on his mind and heart for way to long. (Even if he didn't discovery it until only recently) But could he really do that to Janet? Tell her right before she was to get married? He glanced over at Terri and realized he had too. Or he would never know.
And that alone would drive him more insane then he already was.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell her tomorrow night, ok?" He said under his breath. Softly. But Terri still heard.
"Good for you. You'll see Jack, everything will turn out right in the end. I know it will," She smiled at him again then got up and left him alone in his room. Back with the shadows, ghosts and his lonely thoughts.
Yeah, everything will turn out right in the end.
Yeah, right.
Chapter Seven - Jay, Enter Stage Right
The apartment was quiet and still. Very quiet. Too quiet for Janet's liking. She nervously fidgeted with her hands as she waited for Jay to pick her up so they could go to lunch. She got up off the couch and started pacing, although it didn't help her racing mind any.
Since that kiss with Jack two nights earlier, it seemed that that was all she could think about. Her thoughts were consumed by the feel of his lips. And nothing she did helped it any. It was like an aching for chocolate when you were on a diet, once you take a bite it's nearly impossible not to stop yourself from having - wanting - more. And Jay was like white chocolate, sweet, but definitely not the real thing.
"Ugh!" Janet cried and once again sat down. This wasn't helping her any, she was trying to convince her heart that Jay was the one she wanted, that he was her fiancée. The real thing. Why couldn't anything be clear in her life? Black and White. Good and Evil.
"Janet?" A male voice asked her, startling her out of her thoughts of the night before and her own blind confusion. She turned and grinned sadly up at Jay who was watching her in amusement.
"What'cha thinking about?" He asked as he lead her down to his car which was parked just outside of the apartment complex.
"Oh, just some things. . . nothing important," She said, while in her mind she was screaming and causing holy hell. All she really wanted to do was go back to the apartment and sleep the rest of the day away - or think.
"Oh. Okay," Jay said, climbing into the drivers seat while Janet at stiffly beside him. Something was definitely wrong, but he decided not to comment on it. She would tell him when she felt fit too.
"So where are we going for lunch today?" She asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, trying to change the subject and get Jay to start talking.
"Oh, it's this great Italian place down on -
But she stopped listening almost at the same time he opened his mouth. She went right back to the night before and the way it had all played out, going over every little detail in her mind. Was the reason Jack had kissed her the way he had? Or was he being his normal playful self? She couldn't be sure when it came to him. But she found herself wishing as the day went on that it was serious this time.
Sure a long time ago she had had a crush on Jack. Who couldn't? He was handsome, funny, smart and the greatest friend anyone could ever have. But her crush had eventually faded into a strong bond of friendship. In the back of her mind she never really let any of the aforementioned attributes about him slip away, but she kept them locked away, for safe keeping maybe. Never to be revisited in all the time they had lived together.
But not anymore.
No now, they were all back with a vengeance, pounding in her head giving her headache after headache. She wanted to let it go, say forget it and just move on with Jay and her soon to be married life. She wanted it like she wanted. . . Jack.
And that was the last thing she remembered thinking before Jay led her into a dimly lit Italian restaurant.
* * *
Jack fell into bed sighing into his pillow. It had been a long day. A very long, painful, and difficult day. Something he didn't want to have to go through again in a long time. Although he knew that he would be experiencing a day similar to this one for at least a few weeks.
Of course, it hadn't helped that Janet hadn't talked, looked, or even gone near him in the morning. Totally ignoring him, she didn't even raise her eyes to look at him when he asked her what was wrong, she had just shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat her oatmeal.
Terri, on the other hand, had been grinning like a six year old in a toy store the whole time. Darting her eyes between Janet and Jack and talking all through breakfast, perhaps making up for Janet's silence. He had no idea what she had happened to make her so damned happy, but it got on Jack's nerves. When he was down in the dumps, perky people always angered him. And this morning with Terri had been no different.
His thoughts wondered back to Janet as he turned over on his bed to face the ceiling. As if the answers were written there above his head. He wondered what she was thinking, what she was feeling and why she couldn't bring herself to even look at him afterwards. Had that kiss really been that wrong of an idea?
He sighed again and closed his eyes, replaying the previous night in his mind. Everything from Janet's announcement, to their brief talk and what followed. When he kissed her he knew she wasn't going to jump right into his arms and love him. He hadn't expected it, but he still felt disappointed when it didn't happen. And for some reason, he had always imagined the morning after would play out a little better. But small miracles were hard to come by anymore. So he dealt.
A small knock came on his door and Terri ventured in, she watched him briefly as he looked up at the dark ceiling then closed the door behind her and walked over to sit with him on the bed.
"Hey Jack," She said, surprising him out of the trance he had been in. He looked at her and grabbed his chest as if to tell her that she almost gave her a heart attack.
"Good thing you're a nurse," He muttered and smiled sadly at his own little joke.
"You okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
"No."
"Then I guess I'm not, huh?"
Terri frowned and bit her lip thoughtfully while she tried to think of a way to word what she wanted to ask. "She hasn't talked to you yet has she?"
Jack tensed, then shook his head in obvious defeat. "I don't get it Terri. Really I do, I didn't expect open arms, but I didn't expect totally ignoring either."
She nodded. "She's confused Jack, I mean almost seven years of living with a guy and he suddenly kisses her - after she says she's engaged - it would screw up in the best woman's mind."
Jack opened his mouth to speak, then realizing that Terri actually knew about the kiss, he looked at her, questions in his eyes.
"How did you know?"
"I have my ways," She grinned slyly then gripped Jack's hand in a friendly reassuring gesture.
"You need to tell her."
Jack thought about that statement and knew Terri was right. He did need to tell her, it had been playing on his mind and heart for way to long. (Even if he didn't discovery it until only recently) But could he really do that to Janet? Tell her right before she was to get married? He glanced over at Terri and realized he had too. Or he would never know.
And that alone would drive him more insane then he already was.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell her tomorrow night, ok?" He said under his breath. Softly. But Terri still heard.
"Good for you. You'll see Jack, everything will turn out right in the end. I know it will," She smiled at him again then got up and left him alone in his room. Back with the shadows, ghosts and his lonely thoughts.
Yeah, everything will turn out right in the end.
Yeah, right.