Breaking J.A.C.I.E. (All Time Low Fanfiction | Jack Barakat)

Epilogue

I leaned towards the mirror as I tried to keep my hand steady to draw a line on my eyelid with eyeliner. The black liquid smoothly applied and I attempted to match the wing I had already done on my other eye. I had to elongate it a bit, but otherwise it looked pretty good. Satisfied, I put the tool back down on the counter next to the sink.

Almost immediately, my heart started racing and a surge of adrenaline shot through me.

"Jack!" I shouted, my voice breaking.

My hands were trembling and I started to feel a little dizzy. I steadied myself on the counter, my eyes fixated on the jumble of belongings I had in a group.

"Jack!" I yelled again with more urgency when it took too long for him to respond.

"I'm coming!" he finally answered, the bathroom door flinging open a second later.

I quickly grabbed something off the counter and turned around. He was already ready to go out, wearing a white shirt and a black denim jacket. We made eye contact and he looked confused about why I called him in so hastily.

"Happy birthday," I breathed out, holding out the gift in front of my body.

His eyes travelled down and landed on what I had called him in for. He immediately went silent, taking in what I was gifting him. I waited nervously to see his reaction – it was the best birthday gift after all.

He breathed out slowly. "Holy shit."

I bit back my smile, rocking onto the tips of my toes and back down in excitement.

"Holy shit!" he repeated louder and closed the distance between us.

I didn't even get to say another word before his lips were firmly planted on mine. He kissed me deeply, his hand on my upper arm. I kissed him right back, feeling unbelievably happy. It was his thirty-sixth birthday, we were about to meet up with his friends and family for dinner, and I just got to give him an extra surprise.

We pulled away and he looked down again, gently taking the pregnancy test out of my hand.

He held it up so we could both read the small screen. "Pregnant..."

"I know," I confirmed.

"Did you just take this?"

I nodded, feeling extra sneaky for doing so. "I felt dizzy all day. And my boobs... they fucking hurt."

He snorted, unable to hold back a chuckle, and kissed me again. This time, I wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer. We hadn't been waiting for this moment for all too long, and it was already here. There was nothing better I could have wished to share with Jack that day.

"What am I going to do tonight?" I asked when I broke away. "I obviously can't drink, but it will be suspicious."

He shrugged, an arm still around my waist. "You've had times you didn't drink before."

"Well, yeah, but I don't like lying about my mental health. And I'm pretty happy right now. Plus, it's your birthday, it will be strange!"

"What if we both don't drink?"

I raised my eyebrows. "On your birthday? Yeah, right."

"Hey, new year, new me, New York." he winked and pecked me again.

I nearly rolled my eyes at him. For a while now, we'd been living in both New York and LA, spending half of our time in each place. It was usually three months in one place, three months in the other. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Hazel now permanently lived in D.C.. I had my own studio here, but also still worked in LA. It worked out for us. We had family in both places, and it was nice to see all of them more frequently. We were spending Jack's birthday that year in New York.

"Seriously though," I gave him a sterner look, "I don't want them to know yet, and they've all seen me drink the past month."

"Then we'll just get you a glass of wine which you just won't touch all night," he suggested.

I squinted and shook my head. "May likes drinking wine with me, she'll notice something's up."

"Jacie," he sighed with a whine, "can we just enjoy this moment for a bit?"

"Okay... but don't get your hopes up too much yet..."

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him. I returned the embrace and hugged him back tightly. This gesture conveyed more than excitement. It also held our hopes that everything would be fine this time. It was loving and happy, but also a moment of silence for what had happened a year and a half earlier.

We'd discussed the possibility of it happening again before we decided to go down this path. There was a game plan for if it did: we'd grieve together and lay everything out in the open for each other. We felt ready, but it would always still be a fear.

"Oh, I know!" I let go of Jack as an idea popped in my head. "I'll just tell them I'm on my period and not feeling great."

He chuckled at my persistence to come up with an excuse. "You think they'll believe that?"

"They'll have to. Otherwise I'll go on a rant about it all."

Jack grinned, clearly amused by my determination to keep our secret for a little longer. "Well, if anyone can pull off a period rant, it's you."

I nudged him playfully. "Oh, they know I can. May has been a victim too many times."

He pulled me into his arms, his hands resting on my stomach as if already embracing the tiny life growing within.

"This is the best birthday gift I could ever ask for," he whispered, his voice filled with gratitude.