Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own LOST.

A/N: Wow guys, I am so sorry for abandoning all my stories. Life got in the way. But I noticed someone had recently reviewed this story and it made me come back and read some stories again and made me want to write again. I was looking over my notes for this story and I realized that I had a whole chapter ready to go that I had never posted. So here you guys go. I hope it was worth the wait and I will update as soon as I can. I have some ideas up my sleeve. :) Please let me know that you are reading!!

Kate watched Jack carefully during the next few weeks. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. He was always trying to hold himself back. He really cared about her. She realized that they were practically a couple already. They ate together, worked out together, talked all the time, and they'd even fallen asleep while sitting next to each other on the couch a couple times. That had been interesting. It had been a long day at school, and they were both exhausted. But Kate's favorite tv show was on, and she always made Jack sit and watch it with her.

Minutes later they had fallen asleep. Sometime during the night Jack's arm made its way around Kate, and Kate's head just innocently rested on Jack's shoulder. They woke up the next morning in the most awkward position, but they just got up and didn't think twice about it.

It became a habit for them. Every Friday night they started having movie nights. They would curl up on the couch together and each week they would take turns picking movies. This week it was Kate's turn.

Every week Kate chose romantic movies on purpose. Some weeks it was a comedy, and others were drama. This week, she chose A Walk to Remember. Jack still hadn't stopped complaining about it. But secretly he had enjoyed it because he liked watching Kate cry. He found it interesting. She rarely cried, and when she did, she let him comfort her. That was his favorite part.

Kate was leaning in towards the tv, sniffing quietly as it neared the end. Jack was silent, though throughout the movie he had been whispering some of the more romantic lines in her ear, just for fun of course. Now he was watching her curiously. Why did he feel like he needed to comfort her so strongly? They were just friends, but he loved her so much. He found himself lifting his hand, then dropping it again. He went through this agony for a minute, before he touched her hair. That was all Kate needed. She leaned back into him, and he put his arm around her.

Soon the end credits were rolling, and Kate was staring thoughtfully at the screen.

"Jack,"

"What?"

"What would you do if you knew I was going to die?" She asked quietly.

Jack just stared at her. The thought of it was unbearable. "Kate, we shouldn't talk about that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's depressing."

"So you would miss me, if I died."

"Of course. Kate I know we haven't known each other that long, but I don't know how I ever got around without you."

"Me too." Kate smiled. She was satisfied with that answer, and didn't press him anymore on the subject.

Kate was really starting to want more from Jack though. She loved their close friendship. But she wanted a relationship now. She wanted to know everything she could about Jack.

So she started dropping hints. Very subtly at first, but then she got impatient.

She got really desperate about a week ago. It had sort of worked. At least she thought it had.

She had gotten out of the shower and was brushing her hair when she had an idea. Jack had never seen her in her towel before. She wrapped her towel even tighter around herself and stepped outside of the bathroom. Usually at this point she would call out that she was heading from the bathroom to her room and then Jack would know not to walk in the hallway for a few minutes, but today she didn't do that. She just walked into the kitchen like everything was normal.

Jack was sitting on a barstool reading a book while snacking on some pretzels. Jack was always eating.

"I was thinking." Kate said, but Jack didn't even look up.

"Uh huh." He said absentmindedly.

"I think we're out of shampoo." She said louder, and Jack glanced at her briefly, before giving her a second look, this time he lingered longer at her. His jaw dropped as he gave her a once over.

Kate hid the grin spreading across her face.

"You're, you're getting water all over the floor." Jack stammered, as his face became hot with embarrassment.

"So?" she walked over to him, and he leaned back a little.

"What? You've never seen a girl in a towel before?" She grinned at him.

"Just, just my mom."

Kate laughed at that and purposely flung her hair in his direction, getting him wet as well.

"Hey!" Jack jumped up. He went to the sink, where they had a facet that they could detach from the sink. He pointed it at her and reached for the knob to turn it on.

"You wouldn't." Kate backed away.

"Oh yes I would." Jack turned it on and soon Kate was shrieking and laughing at the same time.

She went straight for Jack, holding her towel against her with one hand, and fighting with Jack for the facet.

She quickly gave that up and just lunged herself at him. Soon they were on the floor, both of them soaking wet as the water got all over the floor. They were both laughing now. Kate was on top of Jack, her hair in his face so that he couldn't see.

Jack looked up into Kate's eyes as he brushed her wet hair out of his face. They stared at each other, Kate holding onto his wet shirt with one hand, and her other hand still trying to keep her towel covering herself.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

Jack quickly jumped up. "I'll, I'll get it."

He hurried towards the door, while Kate stayed in the kitchen. It was seven in the morning, who could it possibly be?

As he jogged to the door, he realized that it was going to look weird that he was wet with his clothes on, so in a split second decision he took his shirt off before going to the door. He opened it, and Juliet stood on the other side.

"Juliet, what's going on?"

"I was just checking in on you." Juliet stared at him.

"Oh sorry, I just got out of the shower." He lied.

Kate heard Juliet's voice, and without thinking, she went to the door as well. "Hey Juliet."

"Kate?" Her eyes widened slightly. "Well, I'm sorry that I interrupted you, you're obviously busy."

""Yeah, we are." Kate said rather harshly.

"Kate." Jack said softly.

Juliet nodded. "I"ll catch up with you later."

"Bye, nice seeing you." Kate called out to her as she walked away.

"What was that about?" Jack asked.

"Did you see her, she's all over you!"

"So?"

"I thought you said that you and her were over."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"It doesn't." Kate said. "Why did you take off your shirt?" Kate tried not to look at his glistening wet chest, but she couldn't help it.

Jack shrugged and put his shirt back on. "I thought it would look weird for me to be wet with clothes on." Honestly he didn't know why he did it, just like Kate didn't know why she had gone to the door. The truth was that they were both insanely possessive of each other.

"I should get some clothes on." Kate murmured and left the room.

"Are you mad at me?" Jack asked incredously.

"No." Kate said in a way that meant that she was mad.

But she wasn't mad at him. If only she could tell him how she felt.