“So you’re not famous?” I refused to let it go without a direct answer.
“I can assure you that I’m not famous,” Jack smiled broadly. This one thing I would say about him; he had to have one of the greatest smiles of all time. It wasn’t particularly sexy or anything like that. It was just so natural and carefree, as if his face had been made to do only that.
“You just look so familiar to me,” I admitted, growing exasperated. As soon as I said that, I knew that wasn’t exactly it either. I could almost guarantee that I’d never seen him before, but there was something undeniably familiar about him.
“I know, right?” Jack gave me a perplexed look that I’m sure mirrored my own.
“So do I know you from somewhere?” It didn’t sound right to me, but I couldn’t think of anything else. There was this strange non-sexual intimacy with him, so I had to know him, right?
“That’s not possible,” Jack said simply, shaking his head.
“How is it not possible?” I asked incredulously. “Did you just move here or something?”
“It’s complicated.” He touched his coffee cup and made like he was going to drink it, but he never even lifted it off the table. Jane, for her part, seemed to have resigned herself to drinking her coffee and watching us talk. She finished one cup and poured herself another.
“How is it complicated?” The whole issue of whether he was from the Twin Cities seemed like a very simple yes or no question, but he was hesitant to answer it, and I couldn’t imagine why.
“It just is,” Jack replied, flashing me another one of his amazing smiles.
“How old are you?” I asked pointedly. This would have to be a simple question, even though it was one that I couldn’t really decipher. Somehow, he managed to look very young, like he was fifteen or even younger, while simultaneously looking older than me. It was something about his eyes. They were very young and very old, at the same time.
To my surprise, Jack laughed in response, and I found something even more incredible than his smile. Hands down, he had the greatest laugh in the universe. It was this completely perfect sound that I can’t even explain. When he laughed, it sounded so clear and perfect and hearty, and he laughed with everything in him. Somehow, it warmed me through and through, and I realized that I would trust him with anything.
“How old are you?” Jack countered, grinning at me.
“I asked you first.” I had finished my cup of coffee, so I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest, and for some reason, that made Jack laugh again.
“Why does that even matter?” Jack wondered aloud. “You want to know more.”
“I’m seventeen,” I sighed. Jane cast me a look, and I knew that she was hoping I would lie about my age. Most of the time, she’d tell people she was nineteen or twenty, but unfortunately, I knew I could never pass for nineteen.
Besides, I didn’t really want to lie to Jack.
“Twenty-four,” Jack replied with a wry smirk.
“Don’t you feel a little odd running around with two seventeen year old girls?” I don’t even know why I asked that. In some part of my mind, it did logically seem wrong for a twenty-four-year-old to be picking up two random teenage girls. But sitting here, in the booth with him, nothing had ever felt more natural or safe. This was where I was supposed to be.
“I’m mature for my age!” Jane suddenly spouted, but Jack didn’t even glance in her direction.
“As I recall, if I hadn’t been around, you would’ve gotten yourself killed.”
He rested his arms on the table, leaning more towards me. “What did you think you were doing anyway? Walking around in a parking garage in the middle of the night?” He trailed off, but there was genuine concern and almost a protective edge to his voice.
“We were trying to get into a club, but my feet were killing me and I just wanted to get home,” I explained. He looked at me for a minute, the serious expression looking out of place on him, and then shook his head and refilled my cup of coffee.
“Well, don’t do that again,” he said finally, and added the cream and sugar to my drink. I noticed that he had yet to touch his own cup, but I decided not to say anything. As it was, I’d probably annoyed him with my game of twenty questions.
“Yes, sir.” I saluted him, and he laughed at me, breaking the uneasy moment of gravity. His laugh was so easy and contagious that I couldn’t help but joining in.
“What club were you trying to get into?” Jack inquired.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. Honestly, I hadn’t even really been paying attention. I just let Jane drag me wherever she wanted to go, and hoped that by the end of the night, I managed to make it home in one piece. “Hey, what were you doing downtown? Clubbing it up?”
“Hardly,” Jack snorted. “I was… getting something to eat.”
“At midnight?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’m kind of a night owl.” Time must’ve just occurred to him, because he glanced over at a clock hanging on the wall and exhaled deeply. “It’s getting really late. I should probably get you home.”
“I’m wide awake,” Jane chirped, but unlucky for her, I didn’t feel the same way. Even with the coffee and the adrenaline rush from earlier (or maybe because of that), I suddenly felt very tired. Admittedly, I wanted to continue hanging out with Jack (although, not for the same reasons as everyone else), but my whole body had started to ache, especially my legs and ankles.
“I’m starting to drag.” As if to punctuate the statement, I yawned loudly.
“Yeah, we should get going.” No sooner had the words left Jack’s mouth than the waitress appeared with the check. She smiled coyly at him, making another comment rife with innuendo, which Jack ignored. I made some kind of tired play to pay for the check, but he wouldn’t have any of it. I knew it was only like a three dollar tab, but considering he’d saved my life, it was the least I could do.
When I stood up, my legs fought to give out underneath me, but I managed to stay up on my feet. For a second, though, I thought Jack was going to pick me up and carry me out to the car. Jane must’ve gotten the same idea, because she inserted herself between us so he couldn’t reach for me. I had stabilized myself enough, otherwise he probably would’ve pushed her out of the way. For the first time ever, a guy preferred me to Jane, and I couldn’t help but feel a smug satisfaction about it.
Almost the instant I sat in his car, I fell asleep. I remember a brief discussion about who he was going to take home first, with Jane insisting on me and Jack leaning towards her first. Before I could find out how it turned out, I fell asleep. It was probably for the best because then I got to miss out on Jane’s whining.
I woke up just as Jack pulled up in front of my apartment building. Jane was already gone, so I guess that he had won. I’m not sure how he knew where I lived, but it didn’t seem important then. He got out of the car first so he could open my door and help me out. Sure, I was tired, but more than that, my legs felt stiff and uncooperative. This time, he actually did offer to carry me inside, but I knew how that would look to my mother, who would most likely just be getting off her shift from work.
So I left Jack standing outside the entryway of my brownstone, and I waved forlornly at him. Part of me instantly regretted going inside. We had obviously made some kind of connection, but I would probably never see him again. That definitely made the most sense, considering he was older and everyone randomly seemed to be in love with him except for me, but it still saddened me.
Fortunately, my mom wasn’t home yet so I wouldn’t have to deal with any of her questions, and my younger brother Milo was already asleep in his room.
Painfully, I stripped off the ridiculous short-skirt get up that Jane had dressed me in, and pulled on an oversized tee shirt. I normally would’ve opted for sweats, but my legs felt too sore to push through pant legs. Then I pulled my cell phone out of my skirt pocket with the full intention of plugging it in, but I collapsed onto my bed with my phone in my hand before I had the chance.
Just as I started passing out, I felt the phone vibrate in my hand, startling me awake. I assumed it was Jane, but I knew that I should put it on silent and plug it in so I could sleep undisturbed.
Sweet dreams:) — Jack The text message was from Jack, and I felt my heart beat faster.
Somehow, when I had been sleeping, Jack had gotten my phone number from my cell and programmed his number into my phone, under the name “Jack the Magnificent.” Under other circumstances, that might have been a little creepy, but in this case, it just made me feel happy and relieved. Clicking off my phone, I set it on my bedside table and promptly fell asleep.
