Chapter 6
"Jefe! What are you doing??!!" Felipe asked, his voice laced with concern. "What's the matter with you today? First you forgot to turn off the alarm when you .."
"I didn't!" Jack interrupted. "I just wanted to make sure it was still working!"
Felipe rolled his eyes as he continued, ".and then you took out the meat from the freezer to put it in the refrigerator, and NOW you are putting the potatoes in the fruit salad, instead of the apples I left next to you!"
"Ummm.well I am just trying some recipes. They're new. " As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jack knew Felipe wouldn't buy it. It was the lamest lie he had ever told. They both knew that the reason he wasn't concentrating was because he couldn't get Janet off his mind.
"C'mon Jefe, you can trust me. Are you having girl problems?" Felipe asked.
Jack looked at Felipe and sighed. He didn't have anyone else to talk to. Larry would probably laugh in his face if he knew that his friend was falling in love with Janet, and he could never tell RF anything. Felipe was his only option. Jack let go of the knife, and took a napkin to wipe his hand. He took a deep breath before turning around to face Felipe, "Janet...she's my best friend in the world. You know that. But all of a sudden I can't stop thinking about her, and I don't know why."
Felipe gave Jack a sneaky smile, "I told you, Jefe; you and Janet had a thing."
"Felipe! We don't have a thing. well not at this moment. Maybe later," Jack responded with a devilish smile.
"That's what you told me last time!"
"Did I?"
"Yes, you did, " Felipe said in a fatherly tone. "Jack, if you like Janet.you should tell her. Take a chance. She might even feel the same way."
Jack pondered for a moment, wondering if he should tell Felipe about the letter he had read that morning. True, the way he had come about this knowledge was under questionable circumstances, but it didn't matter to him. Janet had all but admitted that she loved him too. But if she had had these feelings for a while, for as long as she said she had, how did he not notice? Why didn't she ever say anything? She had never acted differently around him.
"Has she said anything or acted any different around you?" Felipe asked, breaking Jack out of his reverie.
"Well, no not really."
"How about yesterday? When I went upstairs, you two looked like you were really enjoying yourselves. Not to mention that both of you sounded too much out of breath."
"Nothing was going on in there.we were fighting over the remote. That was all," he said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice as he finished the sentence. "But." He started to say, but stopped before mentioning their kiss. "But.but nothing happened."
*~*
All through out the day, Jack couldn't do anything but think about Janet. About their relationship. The day they first met. The dance they shared after Michael had crushed her dream. Their "first date". That night she was in trouble. The moment they slept together. And the kiss they shared last night. Janet arrived just in time to see Jack trip over a chair and slip on the fruit salad some customers had ordered. She couldn't help but smile as she walked over to him. He was so adorable. "Having fun?" she asked him.
"Janet! Hi!" he said, a little embarrassed that she had just seen him fall. "What are you doing here this early?"
"Well, we were done with our orders early, and Mr. Compton said that I could leave early, since I had came in before I was supposed to," she said, as she helped Jack pick up the broken bowls.
After Jack was somewhat cleaned up, and Janet had helped him clean the floor, Jack asked her if she wanted anything to eat. "No thanks. I am not very hungry," she answered, wiping some fruit from his cheek with a wet white napkin. "Well Jack I am going to head upstairs, alright? If you need any more help just let me know. I'm already here, so I can help with whatever. There must be some sort of food I can't ruin." she said, not noticing that Felipe was watching them.
"I'll keep that in mind," Jack laughed, before leaning over to give her a kiss.
*~*
After all the customers had left, Jack and Felipe were cleaning up. "I saw the way you were looking at Janet." Felipe said. "I also saw the way she was looking at you. I may not be very smart, but love is love. I think you should tell her what you feel."
Jack stood thinking for a moment. "You really do?" he asked. "You think she likes me too?"
"Of course she does" Felipe answered.
Jack thought about the letter. He had kept it in his pocket all day long. He lifted his hand to his chest to make sure was still there. "Okay, Felipe. I am going to do it. I'll tell Janet exactly how I feel about her."
"Ole, Ole, Ole!" Felipe exclaimed. "Oh, one more question, Jefe.. do you two always kiss like that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
*~*
As Jack walked up the stairs, he couldn't stop the nervousness from setting in. "You HAVE to tell her. You HAVE to tell her. YOU HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO TELL HER" he coached himself before talking a deep breath and turning the doorknob.
When Jack entered the room, Janet was laying on the bed, reading Dr. Zhivago. "Hey, Jack!" she said, looking up at him with a bright smile. "Are you ready to go?" she asked reluctantly, as she got up from the cozy bed and made her way to the chair next to the door.
"Janet." he started to say, suddenly sounding eager to say what was in his heart. He put his hands on each of Janet's shoulders. Janet felt the butterflies in her stomach going wild again. "Janet, I.I have to tell you something very important..something I have been feeling for a while now.something that I know you have been feeling too."
Janet felt her body tense up. He couldn't know! He just couldn't! "Something that I have been feeling too."
"Janet, look, I know we've been living together for a really long time, and we agreed that as long as we were living together, that we'd just be friends. But I.I can't do that. I can't be your friend anymore."
Janet's heart dropped. "Jack.why? Is it something I did? What's wrong?"
"Oh, sweetie, no!" Jack assured her, now playing with her hair. "You didn't do anything. That came out.totally not how I wanted it to. Janet.I can't, okay? We can't be just friends anymore. I don't really know how or when, but I fell in love with you. I fell for you. My love for you went from the love you feel for a sister to the love you feel for the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with."
"Jack." Janet whispered softly, turning to face him and trying as hard as she could to keep her tears at bay.
"Please, Janet.let me finish," he requested, placing his index finger on her soft lips. "I know you think this is all happening because of what happened last Friday," he said, caressing her cheek.
Janet's eyes grew wide as the thought of him reading her letter ran through her mind. "But I promise, hon, that this has nothing to do with that. As I was about to put your letter in the mail today, it fell out. Honestly by accident." Janet's heart seemed to be pounding so hard, she was surprised Jack couldn't hear. "When I picked it up, and saw my name in it more than a couple of times. I read it."
Janet quickly stopped Jack's speech and snatched his hand off her face. "Jack Tripper, you had no business whatsoever reading my letter! That was none of your business! It was something personal. Something .." She couldn't continue anymore. Her throat felt like a gigantic rock was stuck in it. She buried her face into her hands as she started to cry. "Oh, god!"
"Janet, honey, I'm sorry if I invaded your privacy or whatever you're crying about, but I'm not sorry I read that letter." Jack said as he took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her back. "Come on, now you've got nowhere to hide. Talk to me."
Janet stepped away from him, walking closer to the mirror without realizing it. "Look.Jack, forget what that letter says. Please. I wasn't thinking.I was emotional, okay?"
"Oh, so you weren't thinking when you said that you were in love with me?" Jack retorted. He loved her more than anything, but she really got on his nerves sometimes. "Janet.you can't deny this forever!"
"I can try, can't I?"
Jack shook his head. "I don't understand you. You've liked me for what seems like a while. I love you and you love me. This can work, Janet! You know I feel the same way.but now you're running scared. Maybe I'm just being a guy, but I don't get it."
"You don't understand Jack! You just don't understand!!" Janet cried, tears in her eyes as she turned to leave, but Jack pulled her back by the arm, and soon they were both facing each other.
"Then make me understand!" he demanded.
"This isn't fair! It just isn't, okay? You and I are friends. Friends. Friends don't fall in love with each other." She said as she cried even harder. "Life doesn't work that way."
"Why not? God damn it, woman, I love you! Okay?? I LOVE YOU!! Have you ever heard me say that to anyone else?"
Janet recoiled almost immediately, as if being slapped. Jack had never talked to her that way before. Never. "Is this supposed to make me like you more or something?"
Jack took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Janet. I really am. I shouldn't have yelled. But you make me so mad sometimes. Janet, I.why can't you just take a chance? Take a chance on us. Stop lying to yourself."
"OKAY!!!" she finally yelled, tears streaming down her face. "You're right! I'm in love with you! I admit it! Jack.I've loved you since God knows when! But this is ridiculous! We are best friends; it will never work."
"There you go again with the negativity. Enlighten me, Janet, why won't it work?"
"Because! Jack.don't you see? We've built our relationship on the fact that we'd always be friends, and we both swore we'd never cross that line."
"I remember no such promise," he interrupted.
Janet glared at him, and he shut up immediately. "By being friends, we were able to have a solid relationship that would hopefully never break. I don't want us to break. I don't want to lose that, Jack. I don't want to lose that thing that makes us 'us'. and I feel like if we do start dating, and give into what we feel for each other, then we crossed the point of no return. We can't go back if we mess this up, Jack. If this doesn't end up working out the way we want or expect it to, our friendship will be down the drain. Do you want that to happen?" she asked, staring him straight in the eye.
"Of course not, Janet. You know I wouldn't want our friendship to disappear. But that wouldn't happen. You and I will always be friends."
"Yeah.you say that now, but it won't end up like that. We'll be in love for a while, then you'll find someone prettier or sexier or find some reason to get rid of me, and we'll have a big fight, break up, and vow never to speak to each other again. All of our years of friendship won't mean a thing. I've seen it all before."
"Janet, honey." he said softly as he pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Baby, look.do you believe in fate? That everything happens for a reason?"
She sniffled. "Sometimes."
"So do I. And whatever destiny chooses to happen between you and me.that's okay. You know? Because no matter what, we can feel good about the future, knowing that we gave our relationship a chance." He said, wiping away her tears gently with his thumb.
"Jack.I get what you're saying and it sounds good in theory, but.I'm scared to death," she told him softly. "I really do love you more than anything. But if being with you means giving up all that we have now, I can't take that chance. I can't risk it again." She looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath before continuing. "You want to know why I'm so hesitant?"
"That would be nice."
"I'm not good at risk - taking. I've only put my heart on the line once, and that was a disaster. It was high school, and pretty much the same situation. We went out a couple of times, but then he dumped me for Nicole Faith Sampson, the school slut. We never spoke to each other again. I love you too much for that to happen. So.I would rather we be a "you" and "I," not an "US".
Jack let go of her slightly and with his thumb lifted her face to his so that he could look at the woman he had grown to love more then his life. "Janet.I can't guarantee that we won't end up the same way. Well, except for the school slut part." Janet smiled. A little one, mind you, but it was a start. Jack nodded. "There's the Janet I know and love. No, seriously, baby, we can't guarantee anything. But what I can guarantee is what I feel now, and most likely that'll never change. No matter what happens between you and me. Even if you don't want us to be together, I'll always love you. If you say you don't want us to be together as a couple, that's okay. I'll move on. I may even fall in love with someone else, but I can assure you, no one, absolutely NO ONE can, and would ever be able to take your place. You will always be my biggest love and my biggest success."
Janet's eyes started to tear up again, but she didn't care anymore. She knew perfectly well that she may end up regretting this tomorrow, but she was starting to understand what Jack was teaching her. Seize the moment, because you never know when it will be your last. Forget about tomorrow and live for today. Go for it. She knew that it would be hard to keep their newfound feelings from Furley, but she didn't care about anything anymore, now that she knew that Jack loved her. She shakily took her hand and lifted it to Jack's face as they captured the love and passion that they were both definitely feeling in a heart-warming kiss.
"Jefe! What are you doing??!!" Felipe asked, his voice laced with concern. "What's the matter with you today? First you forgot to turn off the alarm when you .."
"I didn't!" Jack interrupted. "I just wanted to make sure it was still working!"
Felipe rolled his eyes as he continued, ".and then you took out the meat from the freezer to put it in the refrigerator, and NOW you are putting the potatoes in the fruit salad, instead of the apples I left next to you!"
"Ummm.well I am just trying some recipes. They're new. " As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jack knew Felipe wouldn't buy it. It was the lamest lie he had ever told. They both knew that the reason he wasn't concentrating was because he couldn't get Janet off his mind.
"C'mon Jefe, you can trust me. Are you having girl problems?" Felipe asked.
Jack looked at Felipe and sighed. He didn't have anyone else to talk to. Larry would probably laugh in his face if he knew that his friend was falling in love with Janet, and he could never tell RF anything. Felipe was his only option. Jack let go of the knife, and took a napkin to wipe his hand. He took a deep breath before turning around to face Felipe, "Janet...she's my best friend in the world. You know that. But all of a sudden I can't stop thinking about her, and I don't know why."
Felipe gave Jack a sneaky smile, "I told you, Jefe; you and Janet had a thing."
"Felipe! We don't have a thing. well not at this moment. Maybe later," Jack responded with a devilish smile.
"That's what you told me last time!"
"Did I?"
"Yes, you did, " Felipe said in a fatherly tone. "Jack, if you like Janet.you should tell her. Take a chance. She might even feel the same way."
Jack pondered for a moment, wondering if he should tell Felipe about the letter he had read that morning. True, the way he had come about this knowledge was under questionable circumstances, but it didn't matter to him. Janet had all but admitted that she loved him too. But if she had had these feelings for a while, for as long as she said she had, how did he not notice? Why didn't she ever say anything? She had never acted differently around him.
"Has she said anything or acted any different around you?" Felipe asked, breaking Jack out of his reverie.
"Well, no not really."
"How about yesterday? When I went upstairs, you two looked like you were really enjoying yourselves. Not to mention that both of you sounded too much out of breath."
"Nothing was going on in there.we were fighting over the remote. That was all," he said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice as he finished the sentence. "But." He started to say, but stopped before mentioning their kiss. "But.but nothing happened."
*~*
All through out the day, Jack couldn't do anything but think about Janet. About their relationship. The day they first met. The dance they shared after Michael had crushed her dream. Their "first date". That night she was in trouble. The moment they slept together. And the kiss they shared last night. Janet arrived just in time to see Jack trip over a chair and slip on the fruit salad some customers had ordered. She couldn't help but smile as she walked over to him. He was so adorable. "Having fun?" she asked him.
"Janet! Hi!" he said, a little embarrassed that she had just seen him fall. "What are you doing here this early?"
"Well, we were done with our orders early, and Mr. Compton said that I could leave early, since I had came in before I was supposed to," she said, as she helped Jack pick up the broken bowls.
After Jack was somewhat cleaned up, and Janet had helped him clean the floor, Jack asked her if she wanted anything to eat. "No thanks. I am not very hungry," she answered, wiping some fruit from his cheek with a wet white napkin. "Well Jack I am going to head upstairs, alright? If you need any more help just let me know. I'm already here, so I can help with whatever. There must be some sort of food I can't ruin." she said, not noticing that Felipe was watching them.
"I'll keep that in mind," Jack laughed, before leaning over to give her a kiss.
*~*
After all the customers had left, Jack and Felipe were cleaning up. "I saw the way you were looking at Janet." Felipe said. "I also saw the way she was looking at you. I may not be very smart, but love is love. I think you should tell her what you feel."
Jack stood thinking for a moment. "You really do?" he asked. "You think she likes me too?"
"Of course she does" Felipe answered.
Jack thought about the letter. He had kept it in his pocket all day long. He lifted his hand to his chest to make sure was still there. "Okay, Felipe. I am going to do it. I'll tell Janet exactly how I feel about her."
"Ole, Ole, Ole!" Felipe exclaimed. "Oh, one more question, Jefe.. do you two always kiss like that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
*~*
As Jack walked up the stairs, he couldn't stop the nervousness from setting in. "You HAVE to tell her. You HAVE to tell her. YOU HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO TELL HER" he coached himself before talking a deep breath and turning the doorknob.
When Jack entered the room, Janet was laying on the bed, reading Dr. Zhivago. "Hey, Jack!" she said, looking up at him with a bright smile. "Are you ready to go?" she asked reluctantly, as she got up from the cozy bed and made her way to the chair next to the door.
"Janet." he started to say, suddenly sounding eager to say what was in his heart. He put his hands on each of Janet's shoulders. Janet felt the butterflies in her stomach going wild again. "Janet, I.I have to tell you something very important..something I have been feeling for a while now.something that I know you have been feeling too."
Janet felt her body tense up. He couldn't know! He just couldn't! "Something that I have been feeling too."
"Janet, look, I know we've been living together for a really long time, and we agreed that as long as we were living together, that we'd just be friends. But I.I can't do that. I can't be your friend anymore."
Janet's heart dropped. "Jack.why? Is it something I did? What's wrong?"
"Oh, sweetie, no!" Jack assured her, now playing with her hair. "You didn't do anything. That came out.totally not how I wanted it to. Janet.I can't, okay? We can't be just friends anymore. I don't really know how or when, but I fell in love with you. I fell for you. My love for you went from the love you feel for a sister to the love you feel for the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with."
"Jack." Janet whispered softly, turning to face him and trying as hard as she could to keep her tears at bay.
"Please, Janet.let me finish," he requested, placing his index finger on her soft lips. "I know you think this is all happening because of what happened last Friday," he said, caressing her cheek.
Janet's eyes grew wide as the thought of him reading her letter ran through her mind. "But I promise, hon, that this has nothing to do with that. As I was about to put your letter in the mail today, it fell out. Honestly by accident." Janet's heart seemed to be pounding so hard, she was surprised Jack couldn't hear. "When I picked it up, and saw my name in it more than a couple of times. I read it."
Janet quickly stopped Jack's speech and snatched his hand off her face. "Jack Tripper, you had no business whatsoever reading my letter! That was none of your business! It was something personal. Something .." She couldn't continue anymore. Her throat felt like a gigantic rock was stuck in it. She buried her face into her hands as she started to cry. "Oh, god!"
"Janet, honey, I'm sorry if I invaded your privacy or whatever you're crying about, but I'm not sorry I read that letter." Jack said as he took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her back. "Come on, now you've got nowhere to hide. Talk to me."
Janet stepped away from him, walking closer to the mirror without realizing it. "Look.Jack, forget what that letter says. Please. I wasn't thinking.I was emotional, okay?"
"Oh, so you weren't thinking when you said that you were in love with me?" Jack retorted. He loved her more than anything, but she really got on his nerves sometimes. "Janet.you can't deny this forever!"
"I can try, can't I?"
Jack shook his head. "I don't understand you. You've liked me for what seems like a while. I love you and you love me. This can work, Janet! You know I feel the same way.but now you're running scared. Maybe I'm just being a guy, but I don't get it."
"You don't understand Jack! You just don't understand!!" Janet cried, tears in her eyes as she turned to leave, but Jack pulled her back by the arm, and soon they were both facing each other.
"Then make me understand!" he demanded.
"This isn't fair! It just isn't, okay? You and I are friends. Friends. Friends don't fall in love with each other." She said as she cried even harder. "Life doesn't work that way."
"Why not? God damn it, woman, I love you! Okay?? I LOVE YOU!! Have you ever heard me say that to anyone else?"
Janet recoiled almost immediately, as if being slapped. Jack had never talked to her that way before. Never. "Is this supposed to make me like you more or something?"
Jack took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Janet. I really am. I shouldn't have yelled. But you make me so mad sometimes. Janet, I.why can't you just take a chance? Take a chance on us. Stop lying to yourself."
"OKAY!!!" she finally yelled, tears streaming down her face. "You're right! I'm in love with you! I admit it! Jack.I've loved you since God knows when! But this is ridiculous! We are best friends; it will never work."
"There you go again with the negativity. Enlighten me, Janet, why won't it work?"
"Because! Jack.don't you see? We've built our relationship on the fact that we'd always be friends, and we both swore we'd never cross that line."
"I remember no such promise," he interrupted.
Janet glared at him, and he shut up immediately. "By being friends, we were able to have a solid relationship that would hopefully never break. I don't want us to break. I don't want to lose that, Jack. I don't want to lose that thing that makes us 'us'. and I feel like if we do start dating, and give into what we feel for each other, then we crossed the point of no return. We can't go back if we mess this up, Jack. If this doesn't end up working out the way we want or expect it to, our friendship will be down the drain. Do you want that to happen?" she asked, staring him straight in the eye.
"Of course not, Janet. You know I wouldn't want our friendship to disappear. But that wouldn't happen. You and I will always be friends."
"Yeah.you say that now, but it won't end up like that. We'll be in love for a while, then you'll find someone prettier or sexier or find some reason to get rid of me, and we'll have a big fight, break up, and vow never to speak to each other again. All of our years of friendship won't mean a thing. I've seen it all before."
"Janet, honey." he said softly as he pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Baby, look.do you believe in fate? That everything happens for a reason?"
She sniffled. "Sometimes."
"So do I. And whatever destiny chooses to happen between you and me.that's okay. You know? Because no matter what, we can feel good about the future, knowing that we gave our relationship a chance." He said, wiping away her tears gently with his thumb.
"Jack.I get what you're saying and it sounds good in theory, but.I'm scared to death," she told him softly. "I really do love you more than anything. But if being with you means giving up all that we have now, I can't take that chance. I can't risk it again." She looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath before continuing. "You want to know why I'm so hesitant?"
"That would be nice."
"I'm not good at risk - taking. I've only put my heart on the line once, and that was a disaster. It was high school, and pretty much the same situation. We went out a couple of times, but then he dumped me for Nicole Faith Sampson, the school slut. We never spoke to each other again. I love you too much for that to happen. So.I would rather we be a "you" and "I," not an "US".
Jack let go of her slightly and with his thumb lifted her face to his so that he could look at the woman he had grown to love more then his life. "Janet.I can't guarantee that we won't end up the same way. Well, except for the school slut part." Janet smiled. A little one, mind you, but it was a start. Jack nodded. "There's the Janet I know and love. No, seriously, baby, we can't guarantee anything. But what I can guarantee is what I feel now, and most likely that'll never change. No matter what happens between you and me. Even if you don't want us to be together, I'll always love you. If you say you don't want us to be together as a couple, that's okay. I'll move on. I may even fall in love with someone else, but I can assure you, no one, absolutely NO ONE can, and would ever be able to take your place. You will always be my biggest love and my biggest success."
Janet's eyes started to tear up again, but she didn't care anymore. She knew perfectly well that she may end up regretting this tomorrow, but she was starting to understand what Jack was teaching her. Seize the moment, because you never know when it will be your last. Forget about tomorrow and live for today. Go for it. She knew that it would be hard to keep their newfound feelings from Furley, but she didn't care about anything anymore, now that she knew that Jack loved her. She shakily took her hand and lifted it to Jack's face as they captured the love and passion that they were both definitely feeling in a heart-warming kiss.