One Night- Chapter Five
Jack continued to stare at her, unaware that he was doing so until Chloe blushed and turned away.
"It's nothing drastic," she continued hastily, sensing that he wanted an answer, and wouldn't look away until he got it. The last of the coffee collected in her hand, Chloe stood and brushed the mess into the sink. Jack did the same, still trying to keep his emotions in check after he'd almost slipped up.
"Most of the time I'm just not tired. Or I'm cold." She hoped he couldn't tell she was babbling, or worse, lying.
"Well, I guess you have got a draught coming in under the front door. You should get that sorted out." Jack was deliberately avoiding her eyes, fearing they would betray him once more.
"Yeah… so, uh, now that the coffee's gone, did you want anything else? Some water?"
"I'm good, thanks."
"Maybe I should set the sofa up for you. I mean, I know it's not late, but if I do it now…"
Again, Jack couldn't help but feel that he wasn't wanted there. She had seen him staring and probably now felt embarrassed, or even sorry for him. He wasn't sure which was worse.
"I'll help you," he spoke up, startling them both. "With the sofa." Might as well get it over with, he thought bitterly.
"Oh, okay."
If Chloe was shocked, she didn't show it. She led the way somewhat nervously up the stairs, occasionally glancing over her shoulder as though to make sure he was still there.
Her bedroom was two doors down from the bathroom. The entire upper floor consisted of these two rooms, with a storage closet nestled in between, and a small linen closet tucked into a niche at the end of the hall. Chloe stopped before it, and tugged gently on the door before it opened to reveal a modest display of her freshly ironed clothes.
"I've got a spare quilt in here somewhere." Chloe ducked her head under one of the shelves and began rummaging. "And a pillow," she added, her voice muffled. "Here, catch."
She threw the pillow out behind her, which Jack caught in both hands. The quilt didn't come so easily. A pile of clothes collapsed onto the floor, followed by another as Chloe tugged on the offending item.
"It won't budge! I think it's stuck," she muttered, peering back into the closet. "Although I can't see how…"
Jack put the pillow down on the floor and took hold of the edge of the quilt that Chloe had managed to pull free. "Let me try," he offered. Chloe nodded, but maintained her grip. "Okay, one, two-"
The quilt finally dislodged itself and came flying out at them with such force that Chloe was knocked off her feet, landing on the carpeted floor in a tangle of quilt and clothes.
"Hey, you alright?" Jack was knelt at her side, helping her to sit up. He checked her head for any bumps, his hands on her skin causing her face to fire up. She pushed him away gently, but he remained beside her.
"I'm okay," Chloe reassured him, willing herself to calm down. She wasn't hurt, just dazed and a little bit embarrassed, but there he was, fussing over her like she'd fallen down the stairs. In spite of herself, Chloe found that she actually liked it; she realised with a pang that she'd missed having someone to take care of her.
"Are you sure?" His eyes were searching hers, his concern evident.
"Yes, Jack, I'm sure. Now help me get up." She held out her hand. She hadn't meant to be abrupt with him, but knew that if she stayed there much longer she wouldn't be responsible for the words that came out of her mouth.
Jack stood and took her hand, gripping it tightly. He picked the quilt up from the floor and was about to tidy her clothes away when he paused. "Sorry, I shouldn't be doing that," he said quietly, moving away while Chloe hastily shoved the garments back onto their rightful shelves. She smiled at him as she closed the closet. "It's okay."
She picked up the pillow and turned to follow Jack down the stairs. To her surprise, he was holding his hand out for her. Tentatively, Chloe took it, smiling to herself as his fingers closed around hers.
Jack didn't let go until they had returned to the lounge. Slowly, he disentangled his hand from hers, his fingers brushing against her palm. He knew it to be entirely inappropriate, but couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. His brain was being ignored completely.
Chloe felt her skin tingle at his touch, although all too soon he had returned his arm to his side and was offloading the cushions onto the floor. He seemed suddenly preoccupied and was again avoiding her eyes.
They didn't speak as together they set the quilt and the pillow onto the couch. Chloe added an extra cushion for comfort, and then stood back.
"It's not much," she said apologetically.
Jack sat down and patted the seat next to him. "It's fine."
Frowning, she settled next to him, drawing her knees up under her chin. "I hope it's warm enough."
"It is. Now stop worrying about it."
"I guess it's only for one night," she sighed.
Jack looked away. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"I don't know what time you want to, uh, sleep… I normally leave it a couple more hours but if you're tired, just let me know. Feel free to kick me out." Chloe managed a small smile.
"I'll bear that in mind," he smiled back.
There was now a noticeable drop in temperature, accentuated by the wind that was howling against the windows. In spite of herself, Chloe rubbed her arms and shivered.
"You're cold," Jack repeated.
"No."
"Yes, you are. Get in." He stood up and peeled back the quilt.
"What?" Chloe's voice raised a few notches, although she managed to refrain from squealing.
"Get under the quilt. It will keep you warm."
"What about you?" she countered, stalling.
"I'll be fine, quit arguing and move," he grinned, knowing exactly what she was doing.
Sighing, Chloe realised that this was one argument she wasn't going to win. She obeyed and moved to the opposite end of the couch, which, she couldn't help but notice, was still warm from where he'd been sitting. She sat back defiantly and covered her legs with the quilt, determined not to give in completely by curling up in a ball and closing her eyes.
Jack settled on the floor, resting back against the sofa. "Warm now?" he asked, his voice gentle. Chloe again felt the pang of needing to be taken care of. If she wasn't careful, she was going to lose herself in this current fantasy, the one where Jack actually gave a damn. It was a dream she knew all to well, and it had to remain like that. As a dream.
Chloe scowled at him. "Yeah, thank you. You're not though."
"Don't argue."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are, and I'm not moving so get used to it."
Lost for a retort, Chloe shot what she hoped was a glare in his direction and pulled the quilt tighter around her.
"I expect people will talk about this," she mused after a few minutes of silence, causing Jack to stare at her sharply.
"About what?"
"About u- about you staying here," she corrected herself.
"Let them talk," Jack muttered. "I don't care. Do you?" His tone was almost accusatory, and Chloe felt herself shrink back into the comfort of the sofa.
"No," she told him honestly, her eyes not leaving his, needing to assure him. "I won't say anything," she added.
"Why? We're not doing anything to be ashamed of!"
"I know… Jack… please don't shout," she whispered, shocked at this outburst of emotion. She desperately wished she hadn't said anything, but it was too late now to take it back. Slowly but surely, she was undoing whatever semblance of calm had started to fall over the evening.
Something in her voice got to him. He twisted round so that he was crouching before her and took her hand in his.
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Just…"
"I know." Jack closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. All traces of anger had left his face, to be replaced by a sadness that almost tore Chloe's heart in two.
"Let's forget I even said that," Chloe offered, knowing deep down that he wouldn't forget, would keep playing it over in his mind, looking for some way to blame himself over the rumours that would surely abound through CTU by the next day. She could almost feel the guilt radiating from him as he finally turned and sat back down.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop it, Jack."
In his head, he knew this was around about the time that he would snatch up his car keys and start driving, trying to get away from himself, from the anger and the guilt that he'd learnt to carry throughout the years. But tonight there would be no driving, and he'd promised Chloe that he wouldn't go out walking. He'd given her his word, and he wouldn't break that. Not to her. As he watched her fight back a yawn, he knew he couldn't have left her, not even if he'd tried.
"You're not going anywhere," she told him warningly.
"I gave you my word," he told her, needing her to understand how important that was.
"And I trust you," she replied, knowing how much he needed to hear that.
It was a while before she noticed that he was still holding her hand, his body angled towards her ever so slightly and his head resting on the arm of the sofa. His eyes remained open, blinking back sleep and focussing solely on her. Chloe momentarily allowed herself to drown in his gaze, but pulled back before she got in too deep. He's tired, probably doesn't even realise what he's doing.
Chloe tried to pull her hand away, not wanting to break their connection but needing to maintain some sort of control on the situation. Jack tightened his grip, forcing Chloe's mind to back down and reconsider its argument.
"Where are you going?"
"N-nowhere," Chloe stammered, her heart pounding. "I… I just…" she looked down at her lap, where his hand was intertwined with hers.
Jack's eyes followed hers, panic setting is as he saw how uncomfortable she felt. He hadn't meant to hold on for as long as he had, and silently cursed himself for his weakness. He slowly pulled his hand away, reluctant to give up her touch no matter how unwittingly she had given it.
"Don't say it," she told him, before he could begin apologising.
Jack merely nodded, his hand still resting on the edge of the sofa.
"I think… I'm going to go to bed." A yawn escaped her lips. "If that's okay. You can watch TV or something, if you want."
"Of course it's okay. It's your house. I might try and get some sleep too."
Chloe pushed back the quilt and stood up, stretching her tired muscles. "There you go," she said, rearranging the sofa, "all yours."
"Thanks." Jack got to his feet. "I'll just use the bathroom, if that's okay?"
"You don't have to ask."
As he left the room, Chloe busied herself with locking up, triple checking that she'd put the latch on the front door. In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water for the night. She heard Jack coming back down the stairs and walked back out into the hall to find him checking the front door just as she had minutes earlier.
"It's locked," she informed him, suppressing a smile.
"Just have to be sure," he replied, satisfying himself that the door really was locked before turning to face her.
"Thank you."
They hovered at the foot of the stairs, neither having thought this far ahead into the evening. Chloe placed one hand on the banister, unsure.
"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning," she improvised, certain that that was the required spiel for the circumstances.
"I guess so."
"Goodnight then."
"Goodnight, Chloe. Sleep well," he added softly, watching as she turned and made her way up the stairs. At the top she paused, looked back, a frown on her face.
"You too, Jack."
She disappeared from view and he heard a door creak open, presumably into her bedroom. Jack lingered at the bottom of the stairs a moment longer, and then returned to the sitting room, leaving the door wide open behind him. He eyed the couch sadly, the pillow still indented where she had leant against it. Not bothering to undress, he switched off the light and climbed onto the sofa. The bedding smelled of her, and Jack wrapped the quilt around him tightly, trying to block out the sound of her footsteps on the floor above.