CHAPTER VIII

The sun shining through the window announces it’s already morning, and Jack has been turning over on his bed for hours now. He couldn’t make himself fall asleep last night.

He feels tired, ridiculously so – but his mind is too loud. He can’t quiet down his thoughts of everything that happened.

The image of Vince’s mother crying under the doctor’s sympathetic but still cold stare. The image of his best friend, always willing to go out of his way to help anyone with anything, looking like he was in agony watching the entire thing developing before his eyes, unable to do anything about it.

Vince. How weak he looked lying down on that bed. How lonely he seemed in that white room. How out of place the bruise on his neck seemed.

How breathtakingly beautiful he managed to look, even in the cold, lifeless picture he was inserted in.

How soft his skin felt under Jack’s touch.

It all keeps replaying on his mind.

Jack’s phone starts buzzing, scaring him out of his thoughts. What is he even thinking? He gets up hurriedly and shakes his head, putting his insane thoughts to the back of his head.

It’s Theo.

《Jack > Theo 》

》 Jack? 》

《 Hey.

》Are you skipping class?

《 What?

Jack checks the time on his phone and gasps, sitting up.

《 Oh shit

《 I didn’t sleep at all and lost track of time.

《 I’ll be there soon.

》Oh

》Okay.

》Everything alright?

《 Sure.

《 Why wouldn’t it be?

》You seemed a bit off yesterday at the hospital.

《 Well

《 It was a hospital.

》Right…

《 You’re going today?

》Where?

《To see Vin

》 Oh? Why, are you?

《 Yeah

《 After class.

Jack bites his lip anxiously, knowing by the amount of questions he's making, Theo probably already noticed something is up with him. He hopes he doesn’t say anything. How can he explain it to him, when he, himself, doesn’t even know what’s going on?

He continues texting.

《 Wish I could go first thing in the morning

《 but I have this stupid calculus test.

》 Sure, I guess I could go

》 I’ll drop by later.

《 Good.

》Hey… You know you can still talk to me, right?

》We know each other since before all the crap happened.

》And I know you.

《 I gotta go, I’m late. I’ll see you later.

Jack locks his phone and throws it on the bed, not letting himself think about the conversation he just had.

|||

When Vince wakes up it's almost one in the afternoon. He's thankful he got to sleep through the entire night.

He sits up on the bed and feels safe enough to take off the oxygen mask without any help. He's done it enough times.

He feels something on his right hand.

It's a piece of paper. He opens and reads it.

Jack.

He really was here last night. Vince thought it had been a dream. He stares at the note and smiles, his chest starting to fill with warmth with the thought of Jack thinking about him.

A nurse comes in and calls the doctor once she sees he's awake.

They explain to Vince everything that was decided, about him staying for two nights and how they already talked to his mother. Vince only nods.

It's finally happening then, Vince thinks. He's finally at the end.

He always knew this would be it. One day they would have to put him on a hospital bed and wait for him to lose his breath for good.

He just didn't think it was gonna happen so soon.

Vince wished he would at least be able to finish college. Give his mom something to be proud about. She's been through so much. He thought he would have the chance to look at his soulmate's eyes at least once in this life. His eyes start filling with tears, but he blinks them away.

The nurse says she'll bring him lunch soon and he smiles thankful at her as she leaves the room with the doctor.

Vince brushes his fingertips on his neck. It still hurts.

He wonders if Jack saw it.

He grabs the small bag next to his feet on the bed, probably left by his mother, and takes a scarf from inside. He wraps it loosely around his neck. When he was ready to lie back down and try to sleep again, out of boredom, someone bursts into the room.

"Vince!” The boy with the easy smile hurries closer, "The doctor said you were awake."

Vince smiles widely without even noticing. "Hi, Jack Arthur!"

Jack smiles sweetly between pants. He must've ran here.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asks, pulling a chair closer to Vince's bed and sitting down. "Better?"

Vince nods, still smiling. Jack can't look away.

"Thank you for being here. Last night, also."

"I said I would, didn't I?" Jack says, furrowing his eyebrows.

Vince laughs weakly at the other. He couldn't get over how cute he was. His big doe-y eyes, the way he wrinkles his nose, how he smiles showing his teeth. His pout when he furrows his brows pretending to be angry. For some reason, every little thing is endearing in Vince’s eyes.

"Sorry I couldn't come sooner. I had this test today." Jack sighs. "But I'm pretty sure I failed anyway so I should've just come anyway."

"Why do you think you failed?" Vince asks him, adjusting himself on the bed, making himself more comfortable.

"Cause, uh..." Jack scratches his neck, feeling his face heat up. "I was worried. Wanted to see you." he says softly.

Vince isn't sure he heard it right. He felt like running away from there, suddenly overwhelmed by an unfamiliar emotion.

Jack slowly looks back at him.

"Sorry I made you so worried." Vince blurts out, not sure he could think of anything else to say.

"It's not that." Jack shakes his head, "I like being with you." And I like who I am when I'm with you, He thinks to himself.

Vince smiles. "Me too, Jackie."

"Jackie?" The boy stutters.

"Yeah. You're cute, so you need a cute nickname." Vince says still smiling, ignoring his own cheeks heating up.

Jack can't help the growing smile on his face.

He's never let himself be this honest, this vulnerable, to anyone. And yet, when he's with Vince, he feels like there's nothing the other would judge him for. He’s only known the other for days, and yet he feels something when he’s with him that he’s never felt with anyone he’s ever known. He feels safe.

He hopes he makes Vince feel this way too.