🍻+ “ is there someone you have a crush on ?” // TELL HER JACK // @valkyrel
FEIGNED IGNORANCE loses desired effect with the way color FLOODS his face ,
pink-stained cheeks not made so by the ALCOHOL.
SUCH A JUVENILE WORDfor how deep his emotions run---
taking a seat beside angela , DELICATELY to remain steady --- how many drinks had he downed in the past hour ? --- jack brings his glass beneath his chin & slouches over it, features PINCHING as his heart TWISTS---
“ there’s---admiration. & there’s RESPECT , but...
there’s no CRUSH, angela. ”
when his head lifts , his countenance is colored in BITTERSWEET tones---
eventually he swallows , tucking his chin again , fingertips drawing up along the condensation of his glass . a crush , yeah , the only thing GETTING CRUSHED is his HEART---
he’s had a lot of time to THINK about it , YEARS to sort out his feelings for one GABRIEL REYES - but there wasn’t an option to DO anything about it - they had more important things to focus on than jack’s heart going WILD any time gabe entered the room. ...it’s not FEAR that keeps him quiet , it’s DUTY---jack knows from EXPERIENCE that he’s not capable of juggling romance alongside his DEDICATION to his WORK - pursuing a relationship wouldn’t be fair to ANYONE , not to mention he doubts gabe bears INTEREST---
a CLOSE relationship , though they have , there’s always been some sort of BARRIER between them - jack trusts gabriel more than anything , gabriel KNOWS HIM better than ANYONE---& maybe it’s for THAT that he won’t speak up ; gabe’s GOTTA know jack’s feelings for him , he doesn’t do well at HIDING THEM , & just... it’s never been addressed . it’s a topic they’ve danced around , & if jack’s the only one with something to lose , well---than he’s not so eager to broach the conversation.
A CRUSH . shaking his head, jack exhales a breath of laughter .
tipping back in his seat , he draws his glass up for a long pull ,
but not before admitting with a pained smile :
“ i’m in love with him. ”