jack
i grabbed a cocktail from the bar and continued my conversation with an investor from new york. i saw talia chatting it up at the bar with some people from london so i knew she was okay. i was more interested in talia than what i had to do at the banquet. i wanted to talk to her, not these snobby rich people who were hoping to take over my business one day.
"will you excuse me for a minute?" i told her, she nodded her head. i made my way over to an employee of the venue and requested a song. i approached talia and popped my head in between her and whoever she was talking to.
"mind if i steal this lovely girl for a minute." i smiled.
"no, of course." they responded.
i held out my hand for tals, the music already starting.
i lead her to the middle of the dance floor, i put one hand on her waist. she locked hands with the other, we were dancing.
"this is so corny." she laughed, throwing her head back a little.
"they love corny." i pointed, watching the others also join in with us.
"i'm not gonna lie, i'm a bit tipsy right now. the english business woman kept ordering me martinis." she laughed, shaking her head this time.
i pulled her closer and she rested her head on my chest, "did you drive here?"
"i did but i got a hotel for the night, it's a few blocks down." she explained.
"i think i'm staying at the same one, i'll walk you there."
"thank you jack." she murmured into my chest, i kissed the top of her head.
the song ended and already i had hyenas wanting to steal me away for more business talk. i told talia i wouldn't be long, parting ways with her once again.
i know i hosted this intended for business, but now i really want to spend time with talia. she's finally warming up to me and she looks gorgeous right now. i kept a close eye on her whilst talking to some people, she found her way to derek so i didn't have to worry any longer.
"i feel like you're gonna leave me behind." her eyes getting glossy, i pulled her in for a tight hug.
"no girl is ever gonna replace you. i mean it, you're all that matters to me lia. girlfriend, no girlfriend. you're my special girl."
"you promise?" she stuck out her pinky.
"i promise." interlocking mine with hers.
tali and i were inseparable, even more than her and sammy.
she hated whenever i had a girlfriend because she'd always get worried about getting replaced but i'd never put anyone above her. well, maybe my mom but that's it.
even if my past girlfriends ever brought up a problem with tali, i'd choose her over them. no matter what.
hours past and the night was already almost over, i was eager to spend more time with tals. i'm pretty sure she was with derek, so she's okay. i had people either telling me about their kids, giving me sob stories, or trying to rather convince me to work with them. i'm pretty sure i blanked out for most of the conversations i had today. i'll reach back with emails regarding who i want to partner up with, later.
i went over to one of the employees and asked for a mic, they scurried to find one.
the lights no longer dim, i was given the mic and cleared my throat before speaking.
"i'd like to personally thank everyone for coming. please make sure to grab a bag on your way out, i will also be personally reaching out to everyone who i've spoken to tonight in the next following weeks. this is one of many firsts, but i loved this tonight! thank you all, get home safely and goodnight."
i heard lots of cheers and applause, i handed the mic back to the employee. making my way over to find tals, i'm honestly not that tipsy but i am buzzed to say the least. hoping that talia wasn't blackout drunk.
after rummaging through the crowd, i found her sitting with derek and his girlfriend.
"oh look there's jack!" derek pointed towards me, tali's head shooting up. i smiled at her, she still looked so beautiful.
"i'm here to take you home." i cooed, standing in front of tals.
"she's kinda drunk. not that much but you can tell just slightly." derek leaned over and whispered in my ear, i took lia's hand leading her out the venue.
maybe i lied, i'm actually not staying in the same hotel as tals. i only said that to be able to make sure she gets back safely.
"jack?" i nodded, "i missed us." she said.
it warmed my heart, but i knew if she was sober those words wouldn't come out of her mouth. of course i loved our dynamic, but i always have. before the dating duo, we were a best friend duo.
we were walking the last few blocks up before reaching the hotel. i was holding her purse for her, she was already walking on heels this far i felt bad enough. we were greeted upon walking into the hotel, heading straight towards the elevators.
"what floor lia?" i asked, she grinned ear to ear.
"fifth." she whispered.
the doors dinged and we walked in, i pressed the 'five' button. our hands still interlocked, i rested my head on hers. i could feel my heart racing and the elevator doors opened.
"it's down here." i followed her.
she stopped me, grabbing the room key out of her purse. once she had it in her hand, she eagerly made her way down the hall. i watched her open the door, looking back at me and smiling. she cheered and immediately took off her heels, "those things were killing me!"
"do you want me to run you a bath?" i asked, she shook her head.
"i'm just gonna get ready for bed, can you unzip me?" talia turned her back to me, moving her head to the side to reveal the zipper.
"there we go." i unzipped it only halfway, so she could remove it in the bathroom. i took off my blazer, setting it on a chair. i kicked off my shoes and rested up on the bed. i heard the shower running, i patiently waited for her to be finished. i didn't check my phone or anything, wanting to wait until tals was done. i heard the shower stop and then rustling, i think she was going through her things. she took maybe another ten minutes or so before coming out. she was fresh faced, wearing a nightgown and had the biggest smile on her face. i motioned for her to come lay with me, she eagerly made her way over. instantly, wrapping her arms around me and rested her head on my chest.
"jack, your heart is pounding." she whispered.
"you make me nervous." i smiled, she rolled her eyes. my hands found their way to her hair, lightly scratching and playing with the top of her head. hers were playing with the buttons on my shirt, unbuttoning a few. a few turned into a lot, which then turned into all.
"oops." she giggled.
"shut up." i playfully and softly, pushed her head away.
i could tell she wasn't as drunk anymore, which was good. i couldn't tell if she was getting more comfortable with me or flirting with me.
"did you talk to a lot of people today jack?"
"i did actually, but i really only wanted to be around one person tonight." she furrowed her brows, trying to actually think about who.
"you! dummy." i cheered, wrapping my arms around her.
"hey that's mean."
she buried her head into my chest, i could feel her smiling. tals is a shy person and she's the type to only have comfort people. back then she'd be comfortable around the guys and i, but try introducing her to new people and she's mouth shut.
talia
hearing those words come out of jack's mouth brought an instant smile to my face. over these past two weeks, i've been seeing the jack i missed and was so deeply connected to over the years. "it feels good to be like this again." i cooed, looking up at jack who had a smile plastered on his face. i could feel myself blushing, i was trying my best to hide it.
"thank you lia," he whispered. "thank you for allowing me to come back into your life."
"of course, you deserved a second chance." i smiled, resting my head back on his chest. my eyes were already feeling very heavy. i shut them closed and wrapped my arms around him.
