All of the blood rushed to Jack"s face as Rose"s tongue flicked gently between his lips. Her mouth was hot, the temperature radiating from her lips and face setting all of the nerves on his skin alight as she she pressed her mouth more firmly into his and threw her arms around him. He froze for a moment, so taken off guard by what was happening that he didn"t know how to react.He still wasn"t used to being kissed by girls who actually wanted to kiss him. Well, I mean, besides being kissed by his mom. But that was different. And not on the mouth either, thank G.o.d.
He returned her advance, leaning down into her and pulling her tighter in his arms. His head felt light, and his heart pounded in his chest as she kissed him even more deeply than before, running her hand across his chest as she gently licked the edge of his lips.
After a moment, she pulled away and looked at him, before suddenly becoming bashful and turning away.
"Sorry... I just... had to. I hope that was okay."
Jack looked at her in bewilderment.
"Why would that not be okay?"
Rose looked down, chewing on her lower lip anxiously.
"I don"t know... I just know you and Ellie have feelings for each other, and I don"t want to get in the way of that. But...."
She trailed off for a moment, staring into the fire, before continuing.
"I wasn"t sure of you at first. But you"re kind, and courageous, and are constantly trying to get better, and somehow, in the midst of all of this, you"ve done everything you can to take care of Maddy and I, and to save our sister, and that means a lot. And I don"t want to go another day without telling you how I feel. I don"t expect you to choose between us, or to pick me over her if you do. But...."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she looked at him again, her golden eyes were lined with tears.
"I really like you, Jack. Like, a lot. And I want you to like me in the same way. I know I"m not pretty or clever like Ellie is, but I can help keep you safe, and I can learn to be the other things a man wants a woman to be if that"s what you want from me. I just...."
"Stop." Jack said.
Rose stopped short and looked at him, uncertain. Jack took a deep breath, and continued.
"I don"t want those things from you, Rose. I want you to be you."
"But...." She protested.
Jack raised his hand.
"I... like you too, okay? Exactly as you are. You"re strong and brave and funny and sensitive and a really great kisser. I don"t want you to be anything different, or else you wouldn"t be the you I like."
Rose laughed gently, causing a couple tears to fall.
"And yes, it"s true that I have feelings for Ellie. But those don"t change the way I feel about you either. You"re both special to me in your own ways."
He paused.
"The truth is, Rose, I don"t want to have to pick between you. I don"t want to pick between you because if I do, I know I will lose one of you. I want to be selfish and have both of you because the thought of losing either one of you terrifies me. I don"t want to give either one of you up. I like you both too much. You"re honestly probably the best friends I"ve ever had, and you"re the only girls to ever like me in any way whatsoever."
Jack sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"I don"t know what to do, because I know eventually one of you or both of you are going to want me to choose between you, and I just can"t. The thought of losing one of you makes me...."
He trailed off as his voice broke. He didn"t want to let his emotions get the better of him, but despite his best efforts, he felt tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. He cleared his throat and wiped them away with his fingers.
"Sorry." He said.
Rose reached out and rested her hand gently against his cheek. Her golden eyes were soft.
"I don"t know what the future holds, but I promise you will never lose me, no matter what happens, alright? I care about you as a person more than I want something more, and I am sure Ellie feels the same way too."
"But what if...." Jack started, but Rose rested a finger on his lips.
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"Ellie and I will have our own feelings to deal with, no matter what. But there is nothing you can do that will make us care about you less, even if we can"t have what we really want from you. So be here with us, and let things be as they are. Who knows? Maybe the future has something planned for us that we can"t imagine yet." She said.
She smiled.
"Just knowing you feel the same way about me is enough. ...For now at least." She said, adding a wink at the end.
She leaned in, and gently kissed him on the cheek. Jack felt his face flush.
"Thank you for being honest with me, Jack. I know saying all of that wasn"t easy, but I"m glad you did."
She pulled back and looked at him.
"Promise me you will still be the same person you have been with me, and not let things get awkward between us. And that you will be the same person you have been with Eleanor too. Don"t feel like you have to guard yourself around either of us just because you"re afraid of hurting us. Ellie and I are big girls. We can handle our own feelings. And we are strong enough to tell you the truth if we need to. Okay?"
"But, are you sure?" Jack asked.
Rose looked at him more intensely.
"Promise me, Jack."
Jack swallowed hard, and nodded.
"I promise."
"Good." Rose said, leaning in and pressing her lips to his again.