Ricky And Jackie

15. Ricky

I drive to her house - alone. I know how to drive, but I never got a driver's license. In Hispaniola, nobody drives well anyway. Which is why I didn't warn my sister I was taking her car to get to Jackie's place. I doubt she would like to get wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning.

I haven't slept in ages. I keep falling asleep whenever I'm out with my family but when the night comes, I am too troubled to sleep. Maybe that's why I am going to her house. Maybe she is not sleeping too.

I park the car in front the lawn and I jump out. All the lights are off, meaning the entire family is sleeping. I walk over to the window opening to her room and I kneel down - she sleeps in the basement.

At first it is too dark for me to be able to see her or anything else for that matter, but I finally grow accustomed to the darkness. I can see her laying on her bed, under the messy sheets. I focus my gaze even more and I realize she keeps turning around in her bed.

Nightmare. She's having one for sure.

I push the window open and slide myself in her bedroom. In three steps I'm right next to her. The moonlight helps me see better and I notice the tears running down her cheeks. I almost skip a beat when she curls her fingers into fists, her long nails digging into her flesh. I quickly grab her wrists and stop her from hurting herself but she wrestles and injures me with her nails.
"You gotta wake her up." mumbles someone behind me.

I turn around, surprised, only to recognize her older sister.
"She's like that all the time?" I wonder.
"When Mom and Dad passed away, yes. But she's been doing it again even since your dad put an end to your relationship."

It's all my fault. Perhaps I'm not the only one who got hurt in the process.
I turn back to Jackie. She is weeping now. Her sister touches my shoulder.
"Maybe it's time for you to leave."
"No, go get some sleep. You're working tomorrow."
"It doesn't matter, my baby sister is not okay !"
" Please."
She sighs. "Fine. But there's only two things you can do for her."
"What?"
"Either get married to that rich girl and never see Jackie again, or you marry her."
And she leaves, closing the door behind her.

As soon as her sister's out, I sit down and pull Jackie into my arms. When I feel her tense under my embrace, I look down to her and meet her gorgeous dark eyes. Her hand reaches for my face.
"You're here." She whispers, almost relieved.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't think so."
I nod. "You hurt yourself with your nails while you were sleeping."
She takes a look at her palms and shrugs. "I guess it's time for me to cut them." She frowns her brows and add: "Wait, what are you doing here?"
"I can't sleep anymore. I want you."
She shakes her head. "But you can't. You're a prince. Your country needs you."
"I want you." I say again, leaning for a kiss.
"No..." she averts my lips, wiping the tears from her face. "You're torturing me! Leave me alone!" she screams, hiding under her sheets.

I don't move. I can't move.
"Jackie please... Don't push me away." I'm at the verge of crying too. It breaks my heart to see her like this, so frail and broken. Because of a stupid wedding to satisfy my parents' business partner.

I hug her again and this time, she doesn't protest. I bury my nose in her messy curls, overwhelmed by the scent of coconut. I feel my eyelids getting heavy and before I know it I'm fast asleep against her body.

"Ricky! Ricky! Wake up!"
Somebody keeps shaking my shoulders, but I still wanna sleep.
"Ricky!"
This time I open my eyes and almost jump when I see Alex's angry stare. I don't remember driving back to the hotel.
"Where am I?" I mutter.
"In your hotel room, idiot! Hurry, your wife-to-be is gonna be here any minute now!"
I don't feel like waking up nonetheless. I haven't slept in so long... All I needed was Jackie. I don't know much about insomnia, but I'm pretty sure no one can keep up like that for long. I couldn't even stand Ella, nor spend the rest of my life with her? I'd die of despair before that. And so would Jackie, unfortunately.

God don't lemme get married to someone I don't want to.

"How did I make it to my bed?" I ask my sister.
"What do you mean? You were somewhere else last night?"
I nod. Her green eyes flash understanding.
"You went to Jackie's didn't you?"
I nod again. Alexandra sighs.
"Ricky, you just can't!"
"I have to. I just cannot move on. And neither can she, no matter how hard I know she tried."
"Ricky, I know all of this. But you're sending the entire family's credibility in jeopardy. Jackie is being followed everywhere she goes by paparazzis, and the Internet is slut-shaming her."
"Really?"
"Yes, really! Why do you think she's not working here anymore?"
"But you're asking me the impossible! I'm telling you, I can't even rest because she's always on my mind!"
"Didn't you sleep last night?"
My eyes widens.
"Alex, I slept at her place. She must have brought me here..."
I ignore my sister's gasp and reach for my phone. I knew it, she sent me a message.

Jackie😍💘👌: I drove u home this morning
Jackie😍💘👌: pls don't try to C me again or else we'll get in trouble again. Sent 5:49 a.m.

I text her back.
Me: I don't care. Can't make it without u hun.
Read 7:16 a.m.
Jackie😍💘👌: ull have to. U can't play with me like that, we both know we're going nowhere.
Me: at least tell me u found another job.
Jackie😍💘👌: I did.
Me: Where?
Jackie😍💘👌: I can't tell u, u gonna ruin evrth once again.

At this point, I'm totally awake and I call her. She answers after the third ring.
"I told you to leave me alone! Go back to sleep!"
"How did you sleep?" I ask her out of the blue.
"Amazing-", she stops herself but it's already out.
"Me too." I admit.
"It's not okay-"
"Jackie you love me right?"
"Ricky..."
"And I love you too."
"We have known each other for less than a month!"
"All I needed was a look at you and I knew you were the one. Love isn't supposed to be reasonable. I fell for you and that is it."
I can hear her breathing but she isn't saying anything.
"What are we gonna do about it? For goodness sake, why did I fall for a prince? Why are you outta reach?" She screamed the last sentence before breaking into tears. I hear someone rushing and the voice of her brother telling me :
"Leave my baby sister alone. You're sucking the life out of her with your stupid games."
And he ended the call.
"Is she okay?" asks Alex. I had forgotten about her.
"No." I let myself fall on the bed. "Neither of us is."