Dancing on my own
Jack Abbot x Fem!Reader
summary: Storming out on a cheating ex-situationship—screaming the chorus to Robyn‘s „Dancing On My Own“ in a short black dress—accidentally hypnotizing a handsome, broad-shouldered doctor named Jack from across the bar.
tags: ex situationship, cheating mentioned, heavy flirting, alcohol consumption, implied erection/ mild NSFW undertones, angst to comfort, age gap,
word count: 2.4k
a/n: I recently watched „Voicemails for Isabelle“ and ever since I fell in love with the song. So I had to use it for an excuse to write a story about it somehow! And let me tell you how much fun writing this was, especially while listening to this song on repeat :p
„I‘m in the corner watching you kiss her, oh,“ you sing, screaming your lungs out while dancing to the chorus. You sway your hips effortlessly, maintaining a steady rhythm to the beat.
You had ended up in this random bar that you just happened to find on your way after storming out of the apartment, running from your ex-situationship.
The guy you thought could have been the one. This time, you really believed there could have been something. You felt understood and comfortable with him—well, that was the case before you found out he brought another girl home, kissing her, leaving you with no explanation other than suggesting you should go.
And that’s how you simply end up right here on the dance floor. Alone but free. Dancing your heart out on your favorite song, that fits perfectly to your situation. The song that keeps you from wasting any tears on him.
The alcohol really must have settled into your system because you aren’t very aware of your surroundings anymore. The bright neon lights of the bar taunt in every direction across the dance floor, keeping you distracted. You don’t know how long you’ve been here.
But you keep on dancing to the loud music that’s been playing for a while now.
From afar, Jack Abbot is sitting with his friend Michael Robinavitch—Robby, as he prefers to be called—on the barstools at the end of the counter. They are both holding a cold beer in their hands while Jack’s eyes linger on your moving body, which is covered in a short black dress. He’s been watching you for quite some time, noticing the way your hips move in such a precise manner as you let yourself be driven by the music.
He notices the big smile you put on as soon as the song you’ve been yelling your heart out to comes up. A smirk appears on his lips, seeing you dance so freely, without a care in the world. It reminds him of the old days, back when he used to be young just like you.
What he doesn't know is the reason you are even here in the first place…
Robby’s eyes trail from Jack’s intense gaze to your carefree body on the dance floor. A teasing grin appears on his lips as he nudges Jack with his elbow.
„You‘ve been staring at her since they started playing songs!” he yells over the loud music, raising a brow while waiting for an answer.
Jack‘s head snaps instantly back to his friend. „Wh-what did you just say?“ he clearly sounds distracted, like he’s been somewhere else in his mind.
Robby shakes his head, laughing. „Jack, you‘re not really here with me anymore, right?“
„No, I am,“ he lied, trying his best to sound firm. His eyes are now locked directly onto Robby‘s, demonstrating in a way that he is fully listening to whatever his friend has to say.
„I just said that you‘ve been staring at her for too long,” he tries teasing him once again. This time, Jack registers his words instantly. His cheeks turn a slight shade of pink that he hopes Robby won’t notice, and he tries covering his face by adjusting the collar of the black leather jacket he is wearing.
Too bad. He already does.
„Wow, no reason to get all blushed over a simple observation,” Robby says, his tongue poking against the inside of his cheek while his lips firm into a smile.
Jack slaps him on the shoulder, refusing to tolerate his teasing behavior. He takes a big sip of his cold beer, his eyes flickering for a frantic moment back to the dance floor.
You leave the dance floor after the last tune of your favorite song chimes out. Heading directly to the barstools at the counter, you sit down on one of the tall, black stools. Ordering a glass of water, the singing—which was actually more like screaming—has made you thirsty. As soon as the bartender hands you your drink, you take a big sip, the cooling water refreshing your aching, dry throat.
It‘s just what you‘ve been needing.
Only three stools separate you from them, and as you turn your head to scan the sea of unfamiliar faces in this strange place, your gaze snaps back and suddenly locks onto Jack‘s. He has been staring at you the entire time, and this time his intense gaze lingers directly into your glazed, heavy eyes, holding you suspended in the heavy air of the bar.
You don‘t even try to break the eye contact, and it seems like Jack’s been having the same idea.
But it‘s not in a creepy way—where you would immediately look away—it feels intriguing. You blame the slight drunkenness in your body.
You notice the brown-haired guy with a thick beard, sitting right next to the salt-and-peppered curly head—which you have been eyeing since turning your head to make out the unfamiliar faces around you—and he leans in to whisper something in his ear.
Your eyes grow slightly wide as you see the silver fox guy walking toward you, after putting down his half-empty bottle of beer. You hadn‘t really thought he would make a move; you figured it would just be some silly eye contact in a bar, nothing worth addressing.
Your cheeks flush as his broad-shouldered frame grows taller and taller the closer he gets, until he stands right in front of you. The cedarwood scent of his perfume hugs your nostrils in an instant, spreading an unfamiliar warmth.
He leans on the counter with one arm, steadying himself on his better leg. His eyes wrinkle in a genuine smile as he holds his hand toward you, saying, „Hey, I’m Jack,“ while biting on his bottom lip.
You sobered up a bit, hesitating to shake his hand at first. But seeing the comforting gaze in his eyes, you extended your hand to his. The touch sent a jolt down your spine, and with a fast motion, you quickly backed away, mumbling your name to him.
He looks surprised at your sudden movement, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he processes how quickly you snapped your hand away. But then a soft, understanding smile plays on his lips, realizing just how much his presence affects you.
He chuckles, thinking about how to prevent this from turning into an awkward conversation. „I—I saw you on the dance floor. You seemed to have fun,“ he says, a hand settling on the back of his neck as he looks at you nervously.
Well, I needed the distraction today,“ your voice shifts slightly, your face falling into a frown at the memory of earlier at the apartment, when you were so happy to see your—now ex—situationship. You had wanted to surprise him. It seemed like you weren’t the only one who got surprised.
Jack noticed the sudden shift in your face. Your brows furrowed, and a small crease appeared between them. But since you told yourself earlier that he isn‘t worth thinking about, or what happened, you shook your head. You turned to face Jack fully now, taking in his gorgeous face, even as you noticed a slight exhaustion in it.
You trace the faint lines around his eyes, taking a slow sip of your water. „You look like you needed a distraction tonight, too,“ you say softly. Jack blinks, surprised that you caught it, before letting out a soft, tired laugh. He slides onto the empty stool right next to you, finally resting his bad leg. „Rough shift,“ he admits, his voice dropping into a quiet, raspy tone. „But looking at you out there... it was the first time my brain actually went quiet all day.“
You take in the compliment, blushing visibly at his words. Damn, you really are easy. But what harm could it do when you focus on the man in front of you, instead of the idiot who clearly didn‘t show enough interest in you?
„Is that your usual pickup line, Jack?“ you tease, leaning your elbow on the counter and resting your chin in your hand. „Blaming a rough shift just to get close to a stranger?“
Jack lets out a low rumble of a laugh, his crinkled eyes dancing with amusement. „Only when the stranger is worth the walk down the counter.“
Down at the other end of the bar, Robby is enjoying the view. He hooks a finger toward the bartender, pointing at a small glass jar on the back shelf. When a bowl of salted peanuts is slid his way, Robby pops one into his mouth and leans back with a massive smirk, watching the two of you like it’s a good movie playing out in real-time.
„I feel charmed now,“ you say blinking your lashes playfully. Jack laughs at your reaction.
Your conversation turned from small talk into a heavy, electric flirtation between the two of you. You had learned that he was a doctor who worked the brutal night shifts at the city hospital, but not much more than that. He carried himself with the quiet authority of someone used to handling high-stakes chaos, which only made him more attractive.
„So, Doc,“ you tease, resting your chin in your hand. „What about you? Let me guess... you stitch up broken bones by day and break hearts by night?“
Jack lets out a low rumble of a laugh, the corners of his eyes crinkling even deeper. „Not quite. Mostly just trying to fix people up when the rest of the city is asleep. But what about you? You don’t look like you spend your days in a sterile hospital room.“
„No,“ you smile, taking a small sip of your water. „I work in a creative studio. Graphic design and brand concepts. I spend my days staring at colors, shapes, and creating something beautiful out of nothing.“
Jack leans a fraction closer, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the noisy bar. The cedarwood scent of his perfume hugs your nostrils again. „That explains it,“ he murmurs, his gaze dropping to your lips for a split second before locking back onto your eyes. „The way you move on the dance floor... it looked like art. Precise, but full of feeling.“
You giggle at his compliment, blaming it on the remaining alcohol streaming through your system.
As the bar begins to quiet down and the night winds to a close, Jack shifts his weight off his bad leg and looks down at you gently. „It‘s getting late. Let me drive you home. The streets are a little rough around here this time of night.
You look up at his gorgeous face, feeling the intense pull of his presence. You hesitate for a second, but then you smile softly and shake your head, declining in a friendly but firm tone.
„Thank you, Jack. But I think I‘ll walk,“ you say, your voice dropping into a serious, intimate register. You reach out, your fingers tracing a slow, lingering path along his warm jawline. „Taking a ride with you would defeat the entire purpose of the song I just danced my heart out to.“
Before he can process your words, you press a brief, breathless kiss close to the edge of his lips, leaving the vibrant mark of your red lipstick on his skin.
„I’m not the girl you’re taking home,“ you whisper in a teasing way, before spinning around to walk away, heading straight for the exit.
Leaving him behind, his mouth was left slightly open, his eyes widening as he took your words in. It wasn’t like he had planned to take you home tonight, but your fierce reaction had caused an erection in his denim jeans, growing slightly visible with each thought he still had about your sexy exit. The sheer confidence in the way you walked away captivated him. And gosh, that brief kiss—your red-tinted lips brushing against his own. Even after you left, he could still feel your touch on him, grazing his index and middle fingers along the prickling feeling left behind on his lips.
Robby made his way to Jack now. With an amused and slightly surprised smile, he sat down on the barstool you had occupied not long ago. „What just happened?“ he asked, his voice practically drowning in curiosity as he set his almost empty bottle of beer down on the counter, pointing a finger at Jack‘s lips, which still had your lipstick printed on them.
Jack didn‘t even blink. He just kept his eyes locked on the door, completely mesmerized by your exit as if he could still see your shadow disappearing into the night. Robby sat there, finger still pointed, waiting for an explanation, but Jack had absolutely no words for him. The sharp sting of the prickling feeling on his lips and the tight heat in his jeans were the only things that felt real, leaving him completely silent in the middle of the crowded bar.
Jack is now back to working his night shift, but his thoughts keep spinning back to the evening—back to you, and the way you left him mesmerized and clearly affected by your presence and touch.
The Pitt was drowning in its usual nighttime chaos. The harsh fluorescent lights did nothing to ease the exhaustion heavy in Jack‘s eyes as he stood by the central desk, charting a file.
Suddenly, through the sea of monitors and shouting residents, a familiar rhythm chimed out from a phone near the entrance desk. It was just a ringtone, or maybe a background video someone was watching, but the melody was unmistakable.
,,I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh…“, Jack froze. His pen hovered over the paper as the prickling sensation on his lips instantly flared back to life. He didn't even process Robby trying to ask him a question next to him. Jack‘s head snapped up, his gaze cutting through the glass doors of the lobby.
There you were. You had just walked in to drop a forgotten bag for Trinity, completely unaware that this was Jack‘s territory. As you hand the bag over, you turn your head to scan the busy room—and your gaze locks right back onto his.
The exact same three—stool distance separates you across the emergency room floor. Jack’s mouth doesn‘t open this time. Instead, a slow genuine smile wrinkles the corner of his eyes.
He drops the pen, shifts his weight off his bad leg, and takes his first step forward you.
tags: @sillybillydillywilly <3
Ps: this is my first written fanfic about Jack Abbot!!
reblogs and comments are welcomed and much appreciated <33
