CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Cross-legged on the hardwood floor, Jack and Reagan were sat across from each other with a record player in between them and piles and piles of records surrounding them.

"This your Monday?" Jack asked, "Sorting through your father's record collection?"

"Well," She drew out in response, "Not exactly. I mostly just listen."

Jack glanced up at her, pausing from looking over the Nat King Cole disc he held in his hand, and looked impressed.

They've been in the attic since they finished lunch. All the boys were there at some point to admire the music their own fathers have been listening to but by three in the afternoon, Jack and Reagan were the only two souls left on the top floor.

"I think you'll know this song," He said at some point, turning away for a second to pull his guitar from the wall it was resting on before cradling it in his lap.

He then picked up an album that's been resting by his side and handed it to her, "Track 3."

It was then that she realized he was holding a Beatles playlist and it made a shy smile instantly grow on her lips. She pulled the record out and replaced it with the Carpenters album they've been listening to idly. She didn't read the track list but the moment the first few chords played, crackling through the old player's needle, Reagan's eyes widened in amazement.

"You know this song?"

Jack didn't have to answer because his fingers were already playing along to the guitar instrumentals and Reagan felt something leap in her chest.

"There were bells on a hill but I never heard them ringing," The timeless voice of Paul McCartney played through the turntable and Reagan felt like she was twelve again. On weekend afternoons, she'd spend hours on end listening to old vinyl discs in her father's record player that worked two out of three times because she had nothing better to do. The mellow Beatles  songs have always been her favorite and having Jack in front of her now changed everything.

She placed her chin over her hand as she watched Jack strumming the strings as if it was second nature, fingers moving over the fret board as if he had every note memorized by heart.

"You're supposed to sing," She whispered and Jack looked up, giving a small smile in return while he rolled his eyes.

"They tell me sweet, fragrant meadows  of dawn and dew," He sang along and for a few seconds, Reagan couldn't catch her breath, "There was love all around but I never heard it singing. No I never heard it at all, 'til there was you."

By the time the last chorus was playing, Reagan and Jack were stood by the only window in the room, her arms around his neck and his on her waist while they danced slowly in a small circle. The record was still playing faintly in the background, almost drowned out when they laughed, and Reagan guessed that must be was what it must feel like to be in love.

+

After having another feast for dinner that Ronald absolutely overcompensated for since he was guilty for being absent the day prior, they all grouped together for their own activities. While the three fathers (Ronald, Greg and Jonah) went on a short trip to town to look for new locks, The rest were in the highway.

Logan was taking videos, walking around the expanse and talking to himself like a crazy person while Corbyn and Daniel were taking turns doing tricks on the skateboard.

Zach, Jack and Reagan were sat at the back of the truck talking about music like the nerds they were.

"You could sell that for a fortune," Zach said, "A limited edition Nirvana album, oh God."

"You could pay for college with your father's record collection," Jack agreed, "You could live in the city if you wanted to."

Reagan pursed her lips and shrugged, "Maybe."

"You don't want to move to the city, do you?" Zach mumbled back in response and Reagan could only shrug again.

"I do," She sighed, "God know's I do. But it's not like I can leave dad here alone. Wouldn't trade him for anything in the world."

Jack only smiled meekly in response.

"Tired of this place," She admitted, shaking her head, "Tired of seeing the same things over and over again. Never getting the chance to actually see the world."

Zach leaned back in his seat, "Well I've been all over the world and trust me when I say this. Growing up here with these people? You're one of the lucky ones."

+

By the time it was past midnight, Ronald, Greg and Jonah were home. Everyone was in their sleeping assignments with the boys in the living room and Reagan was in her own room, staring up at her ceiling, waiting for the sleepiness to settle in.

It didn't, of course, because she's been developing a shit sleeping schedule over the past week and by the time it was one in the morning, a knock came from her door.

She didn't even need to guess. Jack's head was poking in a second after.

"Hey," He whispered, stepping inside, "Couldn't sleep either?"

She chuckled, "I think I've heard that line over a hundred times since you've been here."

Jack grinned in response.

He sat on the side of her bed to take off his jacket and shoes then took his spot right next to her, hooking an arm around her shoulders and rested the palm of his hand at the top of her head.

Having Jack stroking her hair while humming something under his breath, their only light coming from the dim lighting outside her window, was a sight that felt too familiar and Reagan's heart warmed.

"What are you doing here?" She teased, wrapping her own hand around his waist and bringing the blanket over both of them.

"Wanted to see you," He breathed out, "Couldn't sleep properly without you lately."

"Don't get too dependent," She rolled her eyes, "You've had me for a week."

Jack just shrugged back in response, "Have you for one more, just let me have it."

Reagan  chuckled and reached over the space between them to kiss his nose.

Jack's eyes fluttered slowly and smiled at her.

After a few seconds of him mapping out every feature and flaw on her face, he reached over behind his pocket and Reagan realized he was pulling his phone out.

"What are you doing?"

Jack didn't answer. He pushed himself onto one elbow while the other hand was tapping on his phone. Reagan's eyelids felt heavy, mouth slightly parted, and she was caught off guard when she heard the synthetic sound of a camera shutter coming from his phone.

"You did not," Reagan gasped, reaching over to take ahold of it and Jack only laughed, outstretching his hand until it was out of her reach, "Jack!"

Reagan already hated having her picture taken and having it taken while she was vulnerable made it fractionally worse.

"Relax," Jack laughed, kissing her forehead to appease her and took his phone back to eye level. Reagan looked over his shoulder to see the picture he took.

It was hazy in the lowlight and blurry in one corner but the shadows on her face looked crisp as day. Jack smiled down in the picture and Reagan realized he set it as his homescreen.

"I look high," She sighed, looking at herself through the screen, and Jack laughed.

"I was gonna say you look beautiful," He said and kissed her cheek swiftly, "But I know you'll just roll your eyes."

True to his word, she did, and Jack just chuckled.

Reagan took the phone out of his hand and took his position of hovering over the other. In the rare second she felt bold, Reagan pushed herself of the bed and threw one leg on the other side of Jack, straddling him.

The action left him grinning up at her from under him and she took it as the opportunity to raise his phone over his face and take a picture.

With his hands reaching over the exposed skin of her thighs, rubbing small circles with his thumbs, Reagan took the opportunity to stare at the picture she took. Jack was smiling wide, eyes glinting from the reflection of the moonlight, and all she could think about was printing it out and putting it in her own wallet or anything she carried with her daily.

Jack looked beautiful, too, for the lack of a better word. Even his eyelashes cast long shadows over her cheekbones from how long they were and while she was staring down at the phone, a soundless notification banner popped up from the top of the screen.

Em
you up?

Reagan was about to hand the phone back to Jack to tell him, not wanting to invade his privacy, but another notification followed straight after and she read it before she could stop herself.

Em
my calls aren't sending through :(( call me when u can baby i miss you. take care!!

Reagan's blood went cold.

ooPs i feel like this is cliche but ill try my best to not make it /that/ predictable

ok theres probably 8 (more or less) chapters left before this story ends and ahhh i dont want this story to end yet but i also do???? i want to work on other projects adknsd if uve read my ideas book and any of them sound appealing enough to read i'll consider writing them once this is done

thank you for the kindness ive been receiving (: im purposely saving reading the comments for a sad day where i need cheering up and thank u for never falling short. u guys are so kind. i'll try my best to find a way to return ur kindness before this story ends thank you to everyone who took the time to tell me what they feel/think about this story it means more to me than i could tell you