a chuisle mo chroí ♡ JFK ✔️

𝐗𝐈𝐗; 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐡 🎀

In that same second that the door opened, the echoing in Jack's mind, the same one that had tried to warn him beforehand of what would happen if he were to succumb to Rosita's spell, returned. Although this time he expected to hear José's voice for real. But a fist to the nose was much more likely.

"Jesus Christ!" A voice exclaimed. Not José's. Phew. Nonetheless, it sounded not only disturbed but angry.

Already on edge, both Jack and Alice jumped like scared prey, trying to untangle themselves from the mess they were in.

When Alice peered over Jack's shoulder, she was mildly relieved. It could have been way worse if someone else had walked through that door. Way worse.

Bobby stood there, crossing his arms over his chest, understandably shocked. His eyebrows all the way up on his wrinkled forehead showing disbelief as he tried to let what he'd just witnessed sink in. He looked away for a moment, blinking twice quickly.

When Jack turned around to find his brother's disappointed face, he pressed a finger to his temple. He decided that looking at the carpet on the office floor was way preferable to looking at Bobby at that moment.

Bobby wasn't purely certain of who the other person was, but judging by the head of shiny red hair poking from behind Jack, he made the dreaded assumption, hoping it really wouldn't be her.

He closed his eyes and prayed silently.

"Alice?" Bobby inquired. Alice stepped forward from behind the President as she straightened down her dress and brushed a finger over her plump lips. Hands behind her back, mimicking Jack by looking at the floor embarrassedly as well. Like two naughty children, Jack and Alice avoided Bobby's judgment as he began to shake his head. "Goddammit, Jack. It just never ends with you, does it? You've crossed the line this time."

Alice didn't like that Bobby was assuming that Jack was in some way taking advantage of her, so she faced him and stepped forward.

But when it came to it, she didn't know where or how to start, so a rather generic and cliché excuse was the only phrase she could manage. "Bobby, it's not what you think." She told him, trying not to raise her voice.

"It's not? Because to me, it looks like my brother was all over his pal's daughter." Bobby's eyes shot abruptly with unmatched intensity toward Jack.

"Listen..." The President began to say.

Bobby cut him off impatiently. "I am tired of cleaning up after you, Jack. You're on your own on this one."

"Bobby! Listen to me, It's not like that." Alice emphasized, frustrated and begging for Bobby to understand what she meant.

Bobby admitted to himself that if she was standing up to Jack in such a way, she likely had a point that he had to listen to. It had to mean that something else was going on. "When did all this start, then?" He inquired after a long breath that was meant to calm himself down.

"Around Christmas last year," Alice explained.

The answer seemed to surprise the younger brother, who pondered silently for a while. He pushed a disheveled strand of hair away from his forehead. "That means the secret service must know already," Bobby concluded.

"Only a couple of them. We are careful." Jack added, in hopes of reassuring Bobby. But he didn't take it well.

"Careful? Just because you close the curtains?" He laughed sarcastically. "For God's sake. You're twenty-five years older than her! How do you think José would feel about this? He's right next door, he could have easily been the one to walk in on you."