in which jack falls for his cute neighbor
sorry this took so long to come out 😭 i hope you like it!
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jack's dinner slowly grows cold as he listens to the soft thuds and bangs from next door. his brother luke sits beside him, slurping up the food they bought from the local chinese place down the road.
"are you gonna eat or no?" luke asks, setting his fork in his empty bowl and getting up, placing the dirty dishes in the sink. "your foods gonna be cold."
jack sighs, looking down at the room temperature chicken. "i'm just trying to figure out what's going on over there...did mrs. morgan move out?"
luke hums, thinking about it. "i think so. i saw her son moving some boxes the other day." he moves to sit back down across jack, picking up his phone. "you should go see if they need help. sounds like they're struggling to do whatever it is they're doing. maybe they need help?" luke suggests, referring to the thuds against the wall and every so often the sound of something hitting the floor.
jack gets up to store his leftovers in the fridge, deciding to do what luke suggested, and go see whats going on next door. he slides on his sneakers, grabbing his keys and walking out of the door without a word.
the door to the neighbors apartment is open and he frowns, knocking on the open door. his heart pounds as he waits for a response, looking at all the empty boxes that are scattered across the apartment. the sound of rushing feet coming down the hallway catches his attention, and he looks to the left.
there she is, a girl in shorts and a tshirt, looking messy but somehow, still beautiful. shes breathing a little heavy, but walks over with a smile. "can i help you?" she asks, her voice kind and welcoming.
he stays in awed silent for so long that she raises her eyebrows, waving her hand infront of his face. he snaps out of it eventually, "oh uh, im jack. i live next door."
she smiles softly, her eyes warm with a hint of amusement as she sticks out her hand and tells him her name. "im just moving in. sorry for all the clatter, some of this stuff is not as easy to put up as they make it look on youtube..." she laughs akwardly.
"no, its alright. uh...do you need any help?" jack asks, his voice shaky.
"oh, no no. i couldnt bother you." she waves her hands dismissively, "im sure youre busy with something."
"no!" jack answers, almost too quickly. "ah, sorry. i mean, no, im not busy at all. unless you just don't want help?"
"well, i guess if youre not busy..." she steps aside, gesturing for him to come inside. "i was just in my bedroom trying to put together this bedframe. its decently easy, so if you want to start putting together my dresser, that would be such a big help."
he follows her to her bedroom, looking around the messy apartment. "yeah, i can do that. also, my brother isn't busy so if you want an extra set of hands, i can make him help us."
"actually...that would probably be great. i have an entertainment center in my living room that also needs to be put together." she smiles, sitting back down on the floor.
jack pulls out his phone to text luke, telling him to come over. in the meantime, he sits down on the floor and opens up the box of parts for the dresser. he hears the sound of footsteps a few minutes later, then lukes voice calling out his name.
he walks into the bedroom after a little direction, stopping in his tracks when he sees our new neighbor. "uh, hey. im luke." he says, shoving his hands in his pockets, "my brother said you needed my help?"
she nods, getting up and leading him back to the living room, the sound of laughter fills the hallway as she walks back a few minutes later. she sits back down, picking up the instruction manual for the bedframe shes almost done with.
jack tries to focus on the dresser, but his eyes cant help but wander over to her often. he breaks the silence, "so, where are you from?" his voice fills the quiet room.
"a small town in georgia, atlanta area. got a job here, so i kinda had to move..." she answers, screwing in some screws to the frame. "long drive, but i think it'll be worth it."
"what kind of job?" his tone is full of interest, "are you in college?
she laughs softly, "im in online school. but i got a job as a sports photographer for a hockey team. the...devils? i don't know much about hockey so this will surely be interesting."
jacks heart skips a beat at the mention of his team, his head lifting to look at her. "the new jersey devils? the nhl team?" he asks, voice full of disbelief.
"yeah, you a fan? maybe you can tell me about them. i was gonna start researching tonight but maybe you can tell me all i need to know!" she smiles, looking back up at jack. she stands, walking over and sitting down beside him. "i finished the bedframe. need some help with this?"
"yeah, sure." he scoots the instruction manual towards her. "well, the devils are...an interesting team. they've got an amazing captain, his name is nico. they also great goaltending and coaching." he begins, wondering how to tell her he plays for them. "when do you start?"
"taking photos? well, tomorrow after i meet the team. the coach said they have a practice tomorrow morning so i can start then." she says, picking up some boards.
tomorrow? oh, he's done for. it's not like jack can keep his job a secret forever. he sits in silence as they work together on the dresser, trying to calm his racing nerves. her voice cuts through the silence, "what kind of job do you have?' she asks curiosly. if she told him her job, why can't she know his?
jack swears he stopped breathing, looking over at her. she's completely oblivious, screwing some boards together. "i uh...i play hockey." jack answers, hoping she wont dig any deeper.
except she does. her eyes widen and her head lifts to look at him, "really? who for?" she asks excitedly.
jack swallows, "the devils..." he answers, hoping she won't put two and two together. and yet again, she does.
a smile graces her face, "are you serious? why didn't you say anything sooner?" she shifts to sit facing his direction more, turning her attention to him. "i would've found out eventually, you know."
jack laughs awkwardly, also turning to face her. "well, i didn't know if you'd believe me." he smiles.
"why wouldn't i believe you?" she tilts her head in question, "well, i guess its common sense to not believe everything someone says, especially if you've first met them."
jack laughs a little more casually, visibly relaxing at how casual she is about all this. "well, luke plays for the devils too." he says, pulling out his phone and showing her some pictures.
"wow!" her eyes widen in excitement, "that's a lot of players. its hard to tell who is who because of the helmets, though. is that one you?" she asks, pointing to a player. jack nods, smiling.
"if you want, i can give you a basic rundown of all my teammates?" jack suggests, beginning to point out players and tell her about them after she nods. he gives her a basic rundown of positions and rules, then about different teams.
the furniture sits for a while, still in pieces. luke walks in on them talking, but doesn't say anything. he watches them discuss hockey, noticing how comfortable jack seems with her. he stays quiet, amused at how easily they get along.
-
time passes by and soon days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months. jack and y/n haven't stopped talking once, always having something to discuss.
whether it be hockey, basketball, golf, food, work, whatever they can think of, they talk about. the words flow easily out of their mouths, and their actions are the same.
they hug, hold hands and even hold each other sometimes when the other has a rough day. nothing seemed any different, just the fact that they've both been holding back on their feelings.
jack knew from the moment y/n walked up to the open door and smiled at him. the way her eyes glistened and her cheeks chubbed from how happy she seemed to have the opportunity to make a new friend. her personality beamed with joy and pure, untamed rowdiness, like something he could definitely get along easily with.
y/n knew from the moment she walked up to the open door to she jack standing there awkwardly, his words coming out in stutters but his eyes full of kindness and warmth. the kind of warmth she had a deep longing for, the kind only one person sees.
neither of them knew it, but the flame lit right then and there, the flame of a candle untouched and left unopened. when it burns, it's unmanageable, filling the air with the scent of long awaited love.
and it stayed that way for months.
until luke had to open his stupid mouth.
jack was sent into a spiral, overthinking every action and word exchanged between the two of them.
every time she held his hand, was that a sign?
all the cuddles and late night conversations, was that a sign?
all the times they had comforted each other, was that a sign?
was it all a sign?
indeed it was.
jacks knuckles hit the wood of her apartment door, his heart beating and his mind racing with thoughts of what could possibly be happening. he's interrupted by the door swinging open, and the sweet sound of her voice.
"jack? it's 2:34 in the morning...what's the matter?" she asks, her eyes sleep ridden as she stands there awkwardly in her favorite pajamas. theres a line on her cheek from the pillow, must've been sleeping hard.
he pushes past her and into her apartment, turning around to look at her. "i don't know why i'm here. all i know is that i need you in my life. in more ways than just friends. i didn't even realize it until luke said something to me earlier, and i know it's early but y/n, i love you."
"jack, it's too late for this-" she begins, only to be cut off.
"no, it's not. because i haven't slept. and i know you were sleeping, but i need you to know this. every moment with you is one i won't ever forget. you're amazing. everything you do inspires me to be a better person and you are the person i want by side. i want to be with you, and i want to spend the rest of my life with you."
jacks words hang in the air, silent and tense. she takes a step forward, eyes wide and any traces of sleepiness gone. her words are soft,
"i love you too, jack." she says, having felt a little spark at the beginning, but having pushed it down in fear he didn't feel the same.
and the dam of jacks eyes breaks loose, tears flowing down his cheeks like they never have before. the weight of finding the one missing piece of the puzzle finally found, the complicated jigsaw puzzle of his life completed. he takes another step forward, wrapping his arms around her and holding onto her like his life depends on it.
and the two stayed inseparable forever, with their children becoming the same way with their future loved ones too. having learned from their parents that sometimes you have to put yourself out there to find someone. even if they only turn out to be a friend, it's likely someone you'll have for life.
