Drugs & Candy

Chapter Twenty Three

February 16th 2014

It's so hot today for February. It's perfect for our party. I don't have the whole team over, and Jack doesn't have all of his golfing buddies over, just the ones we're closest to.
Jacob is helping me out on the grill while Adam, Scott and Jack's friends Tyler and Sam are in the pool playing some drinking game they made up with one of the beach balls. The wives and girlfriends are lounging in my pool chairs or on towels in the grass chattering about things I can't make out.
Jack is being as helpful as he can be, getting fruit trays refilled, bringing out more drinks and putting them in the cooler and picking up after people because he can't stand a mess. It makes me chuckle to myself a little, wishing he'd just relax.

Jacob looks around, "This is really cool dude. You really do have a nice place. I'm jealous of this backyard, how much did it cost to get all of this done?" He asks, flipping the sausages he's grilling as I tend to the tri-tip and burger patties.
"It came with the house mostly. All I really did was get better grass and I had the hot tub built in next to the swimming pool. I changed the pool tiles too, the original ones were blue and had some ugly dolphin pattern on them. My wife hated it. A majority of this yard I did for her, like the hedges and the palm tree in the corner over there by the gazebo. The only thing I truly did for myself here was this grill and bar station." I gesture to my little area.
 I can see the confusion playing out on Jacob's face, "Wait wait wait, forget your yard for a second. Wife?" He asks, and I have to smirk. Guess I never mentioned her before.
I nod, flipping over a burger "Yeah, I was married for a while to a woman named Elaina. Nice girl and all, but for a too large to count number of reasons, we didn't work out. The biggest one was my addiction problem, and I'm genuinely surprised that she put up with me for as long as she did with that. She deserved so much better. I hope she's doing better now." I shrug, not really overthinking it too much. If I do, I'll get sad. Not because I miss her, and not because I want anything to really do with her. I think I'd feel sad knowing how much I hurt her, and I imagine ever doing that to Jack. I never loved Elaina the way I love Jack, but I know that at some point, Elaina loved me as much as Jack loves me, and to think of putting my love in that much pain would kill me. 

I space out a bit thinking about it, making myself sad without meaning to.
"I had no idea." I came back to reality when Jacob responded to what I'd said, "I figured you and Jack had been together for a long time." 
I shake my head, "Not too long actually. We met in December of 2012 but we didn't get together then. I mean, we messed around a little in 2013 after the new year but we officially called ourselves a couple right around March of last year when I had to go back to rehab a second time. Of course, he wouldn't let me officially call him mine then. I had to be one hundred percent sober first before he'd even think about being serious with me. May is when we were official." I smile, glad that I could actually manage to recall all of that without any slip ups. Then again, it is Jack I'm talking about. He's pretty damn hard to forget.
Jacob smiles back at me, "Wow, you guys don't act like you've only been together nine months. You act like you've been together for like. Ten years." 

After we all ate, I joined the guys in the pool, setting up the volleyball net and playing in the pool, Jack on the opposite team while his friends were on my team. Honestly, Jack kind of sucks at volleyball. His team lost and my guys who were on his team gave him shit for it, which he responded to by splashing them.
 I'm sitting on a towel in the grass talking to Tyler, Jack's closest friend between the two he hangs out with most often, getting to know him. He's got a girlfriend, lives up in Bel Air and has three dogs, he breeds two of them together, the other is one of their pups. He's trying to interest me, and honestly I'm considering it. I love dogs. They're purebred Dalmatians and the pictures he's showing me are to die for. I'll have to bug Jack about it. Tyler told me that Jack's said no a thousand times, but can he really say no to me? Maybe. Probably. I'll try anyway.

Our little party carries on well into the night, drinking, apart from me. I had two earlier, but I don't want to go crazy. I don't need another substance to get hooked on because it makes the bad thoughts go away, so I limit myself. 
We all danced to some music, well I should say I danced with the girls while the guys watched. Typical. The girls and I had fun though, Lauren was the most fun. She and I danced on the table to Barbie Girl, and Adam's wife Shanna dances like she's in a strip club, which was awesome.
We played more games like darts on the dartboard and pool that I have in the garage. When the breeze picked up I set the fire pit up where we all sat around the fire and talked, winding down and mellowing out. 

By 11 everyone's gone home and I'm spent. Jack handles the clean up which I appreciate.
I'm in bed watching Grey's Anatomy when he finally comes up fifteen minutes past midnight.
He strips down to his boxer briefs and slides into bed behind me, his chest pressed up against my back, his arm around my waist.
He kisses the back of my neck, "I love you." He murmurs in my ear.
I smile, his breath tickling my neck. "I love you too." I respond quietly, turning my head to see him.
He lifts his head to capture my lips in a sweet kiss, "Tonight was really fun. We should do it again sometime." He kisses me again, and I simply hum in response in order to shut up and get to kissing my man.
He turns me over so I'm facing him just so he can kiss me a little better.
We lay there in bed, enjoying our soft and slow make out session, my hand running through his hair before he leans back a bit. 
"I'm going to marry you one day, I swear I am." He says quietly, and my heart drops, starts pounding, and I think it may have even stopped a little bit before kickstarting and running a hundred miles per hour.
"You are?" I ask, the shakiness in my voice isn't fear and I hope he doesn't take it that way. It's excitement. It's love.
Jack chuckles at me, nodding his head. "Maybe not now," He kisses my nose, "Maybe not even in five years, or even ten, but yeah. I am going to marry you. I decided that tonight when I was watching you at the grill, and socializing with everyone. I finally got to see you in an element where you're totally relaxed around other people, not just me, and you weren't trying to overcompensate for anything, and you weren't struggling...You were just having fun, just being you, and I swear I think I fell even more in love with you than I already was. It was so nice seeing you in such a happy, healthy environment. You know, with friends, not just talking to me and your therapist, and getting together with my friends...I really liked it a lot, and how well you got on with my friends, and how easily I got along with yours. You're happy, and you're healthy, you're sober and you're doing so well. It's amazing. All of tonight just got me thinking that I'd like to be here forever with you. You know? If you'd have me of course." He smiles.
I shake my head at his rambling, the most excited grin on my face as I press a kiss to his lips, "Of course I'll have you. In five years. Or maybe ten." I smirk at him.
Jack laughs, "Shut up." 
"Yes sir." I grin and he shuts me up officially, attacking me in kisses again.
Forever sounds pretty damn nice. 



(AN:// This may be the end? I think it just might be! This may be another one that I want to sequel :) Would anyone want to see more of this story?)