Chapter 7- "I love you too, Jack."
Lily awoke the next morning to someone gently stroking her long black hair. She looked up to see Jack staring at her. He started to nudge her as if telling her to get out of the bed. Lily wouldn't have any of it. She just wanted to go back to sleep. Jack prodded her further.
"C'mon, luv, back to me quarters now. Up ye go." Jack said with a mischevious smile. Lily didn't like the looks of it. She figured he'd get her out sooner or later, and with a nice satin bed waiting in his room, sooner looked like the better option.
Lily forced herself out of AnnaMaria's bunk and proceeded toward the door, almost tripping over some clothes strewn on the floor. Jack half-walked/half-dragged her still asleep body back to his quarters. Why hadn't he come back for her sooner? He had left her with AnnaMaria all night! I'm not important anyway... I'm a... just exactly what am I? Lily was rudely jolted out of her own thought processes by Jack's half-drunken slurs.
"Sorry, luv, I didn't mean ta leave ye down there all night, but Ol' Jack 'ere got 'imself quite drunk. I sorta forgot about ye."
Lily snorted in disguest. Gee, I must be a really important person for him to forget about me like that... She didn't know what to think of Jack's actions right at the moment, but she now knew that the pirate had no feelings for her whatsoever. He had completely forgotten about her! She sighed and looked up at the captain.
"Don't worry about it, Jack. I didn't expect a royal treatment."
Jack opened his mouth to protest but didn't get far. Lily didn't want to hear anymore from Jack. She just wanted to be alone. Away from Jack, who she now realized was the object of her affections, and away from the Black Pearl as well. Everything on this ship had brought back memories of Ben. And of her father. How she missed them dearly. Tears came to her eyes as she tried to swallow her feelings and get the hell out of there.
"Jack just leave me alone. I want to be alone."
Jack saw right through her. He knew she wanted to be with someone, he knew she wanted someone to hold her and to make her feel alright again. But he also knew he wasn't the man for the job. Or was he? I'm as good as any man! Jack reached down and held Lily's hand as he spoke to her softly. To Lily's great surprise his drunken slur had all but disappeared.
"Ye don' wan' ta be alone. I know ye don'."
Jack looked down at the ground as if he was trying to think of something else to say, something that was hard to say. Jack looked straight into Lily's eyes, and Lily could feel him see her soul. Lily looked deep into his eyes in return, and she saw the same compassion and love that she had seen the very first time they met. Jack began to speak.
"Lily, I 'ave a confession ta be makin'. I've been watchin' ye since ye came on board me ship, an' I 'ave ta say, I like what I see. Lily, I think I'm fallin' in love wit ye."
Jack placed his other hand on top of Lily's and tried to continue. He looked up at her, as if looking for some form of reassurance. She smiled at him, not sure of anything herself. He found the courage and continued.
"I've only known ye fer a few days, but I feel like I've known ye for a lifetime. The way I can look into yer eyes an' know what ye are feelin' is somethin' I've never done before. I don' know if it's love, Lily, but I do know tha' I don' wan' to lose ye. Please stay."
Lily was astounded. The pirate had fallen in love with her? She looked around the room as if a magic genie would come and tell her what she should do. Of course she loved Jack, but could Jack love her the way she needed it? Or would he 'love' her the way a pirate did?
Lily looked back into Jack's eyes. This time, the compassion was gone. But instead it was filled with a sort of adoration for her. Love and adoration. There was something else as well. Pain? He had been hurt before, she could tell. She couldn't stand to be hurt anymore herself, and she didn't have it in her to hurt others either. So, Lily decided to give it a shot. Why not?
"I love you too, Jack."