This Is The Beat Of My Heart | A Star Is Born ✔️

2.

"I don't need to live by your rules, you don't control me."
-Ariana Grande, "You Don't Know Me"

XX

When Ally woke up, her hand immediately reached out towards Jackson, realizing that he wasn't there.

She shot up, anxiety clenching at her heart. After what Jackson had nearly done yesterday, she didn't know how she felt about not knowing where he was.

"Jack? Jack?! Jackson!"

She ran into the kitchen, where she found her husband cooking something in a pan above the stove.

"Hey." He said, turning to her and smiling.

She smiled back. Thank god he was okay. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but even if he did make a promise last night, she was still worried about him, and didn't want him to ever go back to the place and mindset that he was in yesterday. She didn't want to be overbearing or seem like she couldn't trust him, she was just scared. "Hey, honey. Didn't expect you to be up so early." She walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. "It's nice to see you like this."

"I was going to wake you up with this... but I guess I can't do that anymore." He said to her, smiling and chuckling.

"Where's Charlie?"

"I let him out. He was scratching at the door."

"I was just wondering because it seems so quiet without him, isn't it? I'll go let him in."

She opened the door to the backyard, the breeze blowing in, and immediately the dog came running up to her, jumping and practically begging for attention.

"Hi, sweetheart." She cooed, crouching down and petting him while he licked her face. After a few seconds, she got up and shut the door, walking back into the kitchen, Charlie following close behind.

He ran once he saw Jackson, and began to jump at his legs, and he had no idea if it was about attention, or the fact that Jackson was setting up food.

"Hey, this isn't for ya." He said, laughing at the dog's attempts to jump high enough to get to the food.

Ally pulled her chair out, and took a seat, smiling at her husband as he pushed a plate of food towards her. She loved seeing him happy and full of life like he was at this very moment, it was what he deserved. It broke her heart to think that last night he felt like he had to die because he felt that he wasn't enough.

"I still don't get it." She said, not meaning to say it out loud, but the words slipped out of her.

Jackson cocked a brow as he sat down across from her at the table. "Get what?"

"Nothing." She tried to turn the conversation in another direction, but of course it didn't.

"Tell me." He said, taking a bite of his eggs. "You can't just say somethin' like that and not expect me to ask."

She sighed. "I just don't get why you would ever think you weren't good enough for me. You mean so much to me, Jack."

"You can't deny that what I did embarrassed you. Hell, everyone was talking about it for the longest time. Still are, actually."

"I'm not embarassed of you, I never could be. People look at everything too deeply when you're in spotlight, and we are."

"You are. I'm washed up."

"People still love you, trust me. That's why I wanted to bring you out yesterday. Your mistakes don't define you."

"I know... it's just with having to hear about that all of the time, plus what your manager said, it just all made me realize..."