(no subject)
“Your boyfriend stopped by.” Jason announced when Jack stepped back in their bedroom after his shower. Jack didn’t react to his statement. His boyfriend would never stop by the Otium. He couldn’t go anywhere anymore. With a quiet sigh, he walked to the head of his bed to hang the wet towel. That’s when he noticed a piece of paper laying on his pillow. A light frown appeared on his features as he picked it up. It looked like a kid’s scribbled, messy and insecure. Jack didn’t recognize the handwriting but he knew whom it came from.
Just you.
A smile crept on Jack’s lips. The words didn’t make much sense to him right now but it was a big step. He didn’t ask for it, did nothing for push it. It came from Zack and Zack only. He folded the paper and put it in the back pocket of his jeans.
“I think I’m not welcome in your hang-out session anymore. He doesn’t want to be with anyone but you; that’s what he means by ‘Just you’. It had to be expected though. I mean, the guy doesn’t like me all that much but I don’t take it personally because it doesn’t like anyone. Except you, apparently.” Jason talked too fast again and Jack could hardly comprehend him. He didn’t care all that much anyway because all he could think about right now was Zack. If he had taken time to think about it he’d have realized that he hadn’t felt that way for a guy in a very long time but he was just too busy feeling to think about anything.
“I can’t believe you read it.” Jack muttered as he walked out of their bedroom to head to the cafeteria. No matter how mad he tried to be, he just couldn’t shake the grin off of his face. Zack didn’t mind his presence. He pretty much requested it. The only thing that’d make the day perfect would be if Alex came back but Alex would never come back. Jack knew that much. A smile crept on his face when he spotted Zack, sitting at his usual table. Jack had noticed that Zack lived by habits. He always sat at the same table or on the same chair in the common room. He always came first and left last on breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jack didn’t know if any of this was relevant but he noted it all anyway because, to him, everything related to Zack Merrick was highly relevant.
“You have the hot for him, don’t you?” Jason asked as he caught Jack staring at Zack once again. Jack could have told him that his heart was broken in too many pieces for him to feel anything remotely close to a crush on someone but he didn’t say anything because frankly, he started to think that maybe, just maybe, his heart was on the mending path. Jack just took a bowl of cereals, the ones covered with honey, and walked to Zack’s table.
“I think that’s your favorite.” Jack said as he put the bowl down in front of Zack. The older guy looked up and beamed at the brunette. Jack smiled back but didn’t sit down. He felt like he had to wait a sign from Zack that he didn’t get the wrong impression or something along those lines. A confused frown appeared on Zack’s face, silently asking Jack why he didn’t just take the seat in front of him. When no answer came, Zack just pushed the chair with his foot and nodded for Jack to sit. Jack’s smile widened as he settled on what would become his designed spot, at Zack’s table.
It wasn’t that Jack was suddenly happy to go to his therapy session with Emma Stevenson but more that he wanted to talk about Zack with someone who wasn’t Jason. He realized that she disapproved of his intention just as much as his roommate but, unlike him, she didn’t show it. She couldn’t judge her patients, not openly at least. She could only help them to understand what was happening in their life, what they were feelings and why. With that in mind, Jack wondered if it was such a good idea to tell her about Zack’s note. She could easily make him realize something that he didn’t want to admit just yet. If only he didn’t want to share his happiness so badly.
“Zack left a note on my pillow this morning. It wasn’t anything big, not even a sentence, and I didn’t realize what it meant at first but then he pushed the chair for me to sit with him. It’s only baby steps but well, it’s something.” Jack declared once comfortably sitting on Dr. Stevenson’s couch. He didn’t even give her time to ask her famous question. It wouldn’t last though; he knew that much.
“How do you feel about it?” Emma asked. Jack knew it was coming. He knew she’d questioned his feelings at some point. He just didn’t expect her to do it so soon in the conversation. Truth was that he wasn’t sure to know how he felt. He was ecstatic, of course he was, but there was something else. Something he couldn’t quite describe.
“Honestly, I’m surprised. I expected him to fight me or something to make it harder for me to get into his bubble.” Jack admitted after a few minutes of silence and thought. As happy as he was to realize that Zack could trust him someday, he continually wondered why him. From what he’d heard, Zack never grew attached to anyone and he never let anyone grew attached to him. Yet, here he was, welcoming Jack into his world.
“Did you want it to be harder?” Emma questioned, staring at Jack with a light frown. Jack smiled weakly as he thought of how Alex would have turned her words into some dirty talk. But then, he realized what she was insinuating. It had nothing to do with dirty talk but it was just as bad.
“Do you think I’m in it for the chase; that I’m going to get him to talk to me and just give up on him afterwards? Why won’t you tell me everything you know about him, just to see if I lose all interest?” Jack spitted through gritted teeth. He was angry at the psychiatrist, angry that she could think it was all a joke to him. But mostly, he felt good. He was angry and it was good. He was feeling something that wasn’t curiosity. He was feeling for someone who wasn’t Zack.
“I can’t talk about other patients, Jack.” Emma reminded him, as calm as ever. Jack didn’t go further than high school, he didn’t need a degree to start a clothing line with Mark, but he wasn’t stupid either. He knew that medical files weren’t supposed to be shared with anyone but he also knew that information could be given if it was in the patient best interest. All he had to do was convince Emma that it was, indeed, for the best.
“I could help you with him. He’s opening up to me, not in so many words but still and I know that I’m the first to get result with him.” Jack pleaded quietly. He was still mad at the young woman but yelling at him would prove to be useless.
“You’ll just have to be patient.
Just you.
A smile crept on Jack’s lips. The words didn’t make much sense to him right now but it was a big step. He didn’t ask for it, did nothing for push it. It came from Zack and Zack only. He folded the paper and put it in the back pocket of his jeans.
“I think I’m not welcome in your hang-out session anymore. He doesn’t want to be with anyone but you; that’s what he means by ‘Just you’. It had to be expected though. I mean, the guy doesn’t like me all that much but I don’t take it personally because it doesn’t like anyone. Except you, apparently.” Jason talked too fast again and Jack could hardly comprehend him. He didn’t care all that much anyway because all he could think about right now was Zack. If he had taken time to think about it he’d have realized that he hadn’t felt that way for a guy in a very long time but he was just too busy feeling to think about anything.
“I can’t believe you read it.” Jack muttered as he walked out of their bedroom to head to the cafeteria. No matter how mad he tried to be, he just couldn’t shake the grin off of his face. Zack didn’t mind his presence. He pretty much requested it. The only thing that’d make the day perfect would be if Alex came back but Alex would never come back. Jack knew that much. A smile crept on his face when he spotted Zack, sitting at his usual table. Jack had noticed that Zack lived by habits. He always sat at the same table or on the same chair in the common room. He always came first and left last on breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jack didn’t know if any of this was relevant but he noted it all anyway because, to him, everything related to Zack Merrick was highly relevant.
“You have the hot for him, don’t you?” Jason asked as he caught Jack staring at Zack once again. Jack could have told him that his heart was broken in too many pieces for him to feel anything remotely close to a crush on someone but he didn’t say anything because frankly, he started to think that maybe, just maybe, his heart was on the mending path. Jack just took a bowl of cereals, the ones covered with honey, and walked to Zack’s table.
“I think that’s your favorite.” Jack said as he put the bowl down in front of Zack. The older guy looked up and beamed at the brunette. Jack smiled back but didn’t sit down. He felt like he had to wait a sign from Zack that he didn’t get the wrong impression or something along those lines. A confused frown appeared on Zack’s face, silently asking Jack why he didn’t just take the seat in front of him. When no answer came, Zack just pushed the chair with his foot and nodded for Jack to sit. Jack’s smile widened as he settled on what would become his designed spot, at Zack’s table.
It wasn’t that Jack was suddenly happy to go to his therapy session with Emma Stevenson but more that he wanted to talk about Zack with someone who wasn’t Jason. He realized that she disapproved of his intention just as much as his roommate but, unlike him, she didn’t show it. She couldn’t judge her patients, not openly at least. She could only help them to understand what was happening in their life, what they were feelings and why. With that in mind, Jack wondered if it was such a good idea to tell her about Zack’s note. She could easily make him realize something that he didn’t want to admit just yet. If only he didn’t want to share his happiness so badly.
“Zack left a note on my pillow this morning. It wasn’t anything big, not even a sentence, and I didn’t realize what it meant at first but then he pushed the chair for me to sit with him. It’s only baby steps but well, it’s something.” Jack declared once comfortably sitting on Dr. Stevenson’s couch. He didn’t even give her time to ask her famous question. It wouldn’t last though; he knew that much.
“How do you feel about it?” Emma asked. Jack knew it was coming. He knew she’d questioned his feelings at some point. He just didn’t expect her to do it so soon in the conversation. Truth was that he wasn’t sure to know how he felt. He was ecstatic, of course he was, but there was something else. Something he couldn’t quite describe.
“Honestly, I’m surprised. I expected him to fight me or something to make it harder for me to get into his bubble.” Jack admitted after a few minutes of silence and thought. As happy as he was to realize that Zack could trust him someday, he continually wondered why him. From what he’d heard, Zack never grew attached to anyone and he never let anyone grew attached to him. Yet, here he was, welcoming Jack into his world.
“Did you want it to be harder?” Emma questioned, staring at Jack with a light frown. Jack smiled weakly as he thought of how Alex would have turned her words into some dirty talk. But then, he realized what she was insinuating. It had nothing to do with dirty talk but it was just as bad.
“Do you think I’m in it for the chase; that I’m going to get him to talk to me and just give up on him afterwards? Why won’t you tell me everything you know about him, just to see if I lose all interest?” Jack spitted through gritted teeth. He was angry at the psychiatrist, angry that she could think it was all a joke to him. But mostly, he felt good. He was angry and it was good. He was feeling something that wasn’t curiosity. He was feeling for someone who wasn’t Zack.
“I can’t talk about other patients, Jack.” Emma reminded him, as calm as ever. Jack didn’t go further than high school, he didn’t need a degree to start a clothing line with Mark, but he wasn’t stupid either. He knew that medical files weren’t supposed to be shared with anyone but he also knew that information could be given if it was in the patient best interest. All he had to do was convince Emma that it was, indeed, for the best.
“I could help you with him. He’s opening up to me, not in so many words but still and I know that I’m the first to get result with him.” Jack pleaded quietly. He was still mad at the young woman but yelling at him would prove to be useless.
“You’ll just have to be patient.