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

Chapter 11

In any normal circumstances, I would have been excited to be in New York. It was all the way on the other side of the country and seemed so unreal. Although I grew up in most people's dream city, LA, New York seemed like a mythical land to me. We had passed through on the last All Time Low tour, but I didn't have much time to go out and explore.

This time, things were a little different. First, I didn't have to do anything but be there for my performance. Second, Jack and I were now married. And third of all, Jack had told his sister about said marriage. This meant that his sister now really wanted to meet me. She wanted to before, but now it was a necessity.

So that was what Jack and I were going to do in New York. We didn't have an unlimited amount of time, but we were going out to meet her for lunch. She had chosen the location and I had no clue what to expect. With the weather mild, but still nice, I decided to wear a sundress. It was something I never got to wear on stage, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to put it on.

Our rings also made an appearance again. This time, however, the chain came out of Jack's pocket once we had left everybody on the tour behind. The dress I was wearing was too low cut for me to be the owner of the chain before then. However, as soon as the car left the street, our rings were back on our fingers and the empty chain was around my neck.

As we walked the last distance to the restaurant, Jack took hold of my hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"You ready?" he asked just before we turned the corner, knowing his sister would be sitting somewhere in the outdoor seating area.

I was terrified, but I nodded. There were so many thoughts going through my mind leading up to this meet up. Of course, I had the classic wonders about whether she'd like me or not. But the biggest recurring theme was my fear that his family would think that he was going through an early midlife crisis. Which then made me question whether he was going through an early midlife crisis. After all, we randomly and drunkenly got married.

We turned the corner and Jack's sister, May, immediately spotted him. She stood up, waving a little to call him over. The way her mouth turned up into a grin when her eyes fell on him made me hope that my relationship with Ben would stand the test against time as well.

She couldn't have been much younger than my dad, making me feel so young and irrelevant. I knew Jack was like the Ben of their family. But it seemed I still hadn't been prepared enough. I couldn't even imagine what we could possibly talk about. Still, she was technically family now, and I was determined to push through all my insecurities.

"Jack!" She smiled brightly and held her arms out for him.

Jack let go of my hand and enveloped her into a hug. They swayed back and forth a bit as I watched, feeling like I was imposing on an intimate moment. They hadn't seen each other in a while, so that hug had to make up for all the lost time. Eventually, they both pulled away, looking delighted to be in each other's presence again.

She then moved on to me. "Jacie, nice to meet you."

I fully expected just to get a nod, or, at most extreme, get a handshake. But she pulled me into a hug as well. I was caught off guard. Not in a bad way. I just hadn't expected her to be so affectionate from the get go. Luckily, I managed to get over my initial shock and hugged her back in an instant.

"How are you guys doing? How's the tour?" She asked with a lot of enthusiasm as we sat down.

"It's been amazing so far," Jack replied first, crossing his legs under the table. "It feels like the crowds are even more insane than they usually are."

I nodded in agreement. "This is the first time I've performed for crowds this big. I've done small things, but this is a whole new territory."

"They really like you, though."

I laughed a little. "They like it when I pull you onto stage."

Jack gave me a look that once again told me to stop being so humble. "They like you."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to May. She was just watching me and Jack with a little smile on her face.

"What about you, how are you doing?" I returned the question despite not knowing her.

"You know, same old same old," she shrugged, her eyes still flickering between me and Jack. They eventually landed on just Jack. "Solo misses you." She then added for me, "Solo's my dog."

I nodded to show that I understood. Before we could continue our small talk, the waiter came to ask us for our drink orders. Jack made it easy and just ordered a bottle of white wine. Well, easy. Easy might have been an overstatement. It was easy because it meant I didn't have to make my own choice of drink. What didn't make it easy was that I had to show my ID again. As if I wasn't self-conscious enough about my age already.

It did, however, move the conversation along.

"So," May started again, "should we just immediately address the elephant in the room?"

"What do you want to know?" Jack returned, coming over as an open book.

She gestured towards the air. "Everything."

"A bit more specific?"

"Jack," I chuckled and put my hand on his knee. We would have to tell her the story, we couldn't just hope she'd ask the right questions.

"Right." His eyes met mine and then all his attention went back to his sister. "Well, where do we start?"

May leaned back in her chair, ready to hear the whole story. "Let's begin with how you two ended up getting married? I've been dying to hear the whole story."

So, Jack recounted everything that had happened that night. Well, everything we remembered. From how we were celebrating our anniversary, the rooftop bar we started out at, the dancing, the laughter, the alcohol that flowed freely. He even didn't forget to mention the cheese fries. I occasionally interjected to add some more details, but he mainly took the lead.

May listened attentively, listening to each word with amusement. "Sounds like a wild night. But what about the actual marriage?"

I shook my head, nervous about this part. "We don't remember. We've been trying to remember ever since, but nothing's come back."

"Really? Nothing at all? Neither of you?"

Jack chuckled, a sheepish grin across his face. "Not a single detail. A black hole in our memories."

"So you might not even actually be married?"

I snorted a little. "I've got the proof in my email."

"Huh," her face looked thoughtful, "that's certainly a... unique... way to get married."

"We thought so too," Jack agreed, raising his shoulders, "which is why we've been keeping it a secret. Only you and Jacie's best friend know."

"How's that been for the both of you, then?" May's gaze shifted between the two of us. She already knew Jack's side, but now she was interested in us as a couple.

Jack responded before I could explain our reasoning, "considering we already rushed into this when drunk, we didn't also want to rush into it when sober. We needed time to figure out what it meant to us without others convincing us it was a reckless decision."

I added a bit of my own input. "Just no unnecessary pressure. We want to make sure we're on the right path."

She raised an eyebrow, her expression inquisitive. "And do you think you're on the right path?"

Jack and I shared another look, searching each other's eyes for an answer. We started off uncertain about what the other was thinking, but it melted away with our eye contact. There wasn't necessarily anything unspoken happening. But at the same time it was like we had a silent agreement.

May's smile was already growing before we turned back to her and both said 'Yes' at the same.