Rose Petals - Eyeless Jack x Reader

Chapter 5

[05— Getting Drunk and Being Normal]

|| Jack's POV ||

   Your friends took a car to themselves, leaving him to ride with you to the party. He sat back against the passenger seat, hands entwined together in his lap. Somehow, it felt as if he had sat there next to you a thousand times before. What bothered him was that he wouldn't mind a thousand times more.

   Jack could not see what you had dressed up as, but he had no doubt you looked good in it. He considering telling you as much, but he could tell you had figured out he was blind. He could have told you as much, but the last thing he was planning was talking to you again. It had tempted him, but the only thing he intended tonight was to watch you from afar. He wished to blend into the crowd and be an indistinguishable figure, but he was coming to find that, once again, you were quite the surprise.

   It was dangerous being out in the open, Halloween or not. It was even more dangerous to be around you for so long, or even your friends. Once you realised his skin wasn't painted grey, or that he had no eyes, or anything that made him not human, it was all over.

   He knew he should have declined the offer to join you and your friends to the party, but there was no resisting once you had gotten so close to him again. Even your scent was different— so special, compared to others.

   "So..." your nonchalant voice broke him out of his thoughts. He heard your thumbs tap rhythmically on the steering wheel as you focused on the road. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight. I mean, I already said that earlier, but... I just mean that the last thing I expected was me driving you to some dumb party with my friends."

   He could sense the discomfort, but there was little to nothing he could do about it. He was not even sure if you were expecting a response or not.

   You went on. "The party's just down this road, by the way. But, um..." You trailed off, tapping your thumbs again in the same pattern.

   Ah. It was a nervous response. Wasn't it?

   Jack shifted in his seat, rose his hands to the dash of the car and repeated the motion with his own thumbs, and then looked at you.

   "Wh—" Your head whipped in his direction at the sound of it. He could hear the smile in your voice behind the uneasiness. "Hey, come on... it's just something I do when I'm nervous."

   A smile of his own crept up under his mask. At least he could read something about you. The rest of you would take more time to figure out.

   He did it again.

   "Stop," you giggled, "I know it's stupid."

   Jack didn't notice, but his smile widened.

   The car pulled down a new street a few meters before rolling to a stop. Even in the car, Jack could make out loud, muffled music blasting from the building. His heart sank. It would have been much more preferable to stay in the car with you than brace the chaos that waited for him inside.

   A sigh escaped you as you killed the engine. You fiddled with your car keys. "Ever been to one of these?"

   He nodded. A few times, back when he was in college.

   "Ah. Well, then, are you ready?"

   Jack took the initiative, opening the car door and slipping out. You followed suit, and the both of you hurried over to your friends waiting at the entrance. Everyone went inside, and Jack refrained from cringing at all of the noise and unfamiliar sensations. The wound on his arm was beginning to itch, but he ignored that as well as he kept close behind you. Countless amounts of people bustled about the building. Screams, chatter, and the booming music filling the air, blaring against his eardrums. He could sense people dancing and moving all around him. It really was the last place he wanted to be. He thought back to his own situation. Well, second last place I want to be.