Chapter Text
Danny called me on the road.
I had to pick Jackie up for him.
Perfect.
A chance to move things forward with her, too.
I called her, using her nickname for the first time in… too long.
Trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal.
Except we were both a little too aware of what it meant to be stuck together in a small space.
She didn’t make it easy, but I stayed focused on my goal: easing the tension.
I talked about my truck; she talked about Alex.
I tried not to make a big deal out of it, but she kept insisting.
What would Alex say?
Okay. I had to reassure her.
Alex and I had talked. About everything.
She was skeptical… but finally got into the truck, a determined look on her face.
Then she just sat there, perfectly straight, contained, silent.
She was going to… ignore me, if I let her.
Right.
It was still hard being that close to her in such a small space.
And I was nervous.
Talking honestly sounded perfect in theory.
Actually doing it… yeah. Complicated.
Still, I had to try.
Of course, she chose to talk about Alex.
Hm. Message received -again.
It stung, but I couldn’t blame her.
I played along.
I wasn’t going to try to come between them anymore.
I hoped she could see my good intentions.
The air inside the cab had barely started to feel breathable…
when the truck broke down.
Oh no.
The worst possible timing.
I’d have to call Will for a tow -I didn’t have my tools.
I’d only made the detour to pick Jackie up.
I didn’t think my words would sound like a reproach.
I truly didn’t mean to hurt her.
But that’s exactly how she heard them.
“I bet you really wish I'd never moved here now—then you wouldn't be stuck with me, in the middle of nowhere!”
The anger in her voice… the assumption must have been even deeper than I’d imagined.
After that, Jackie went back into the truck.
Closed herself off.
Got it.
I had zero chance of talking to her again.
I stayed outside.
I could only blame myself.
Sitting on the hood, I replayed our entire story in my head -everything that had led us here, to this day, to this breaking point.
Our relationship was… damaged.
So many things could have -should have- happened differently.
But the awards night…
I had truly destroyed everything.
The worst part was that she thought I didn’t demonstrated to want her.
Such a mistake, saying it like that.
I hadn’t lied -but there were so many other words missing for it to make sense.
It was about hope.
About love.
Not rejection.
And all of that… I hadn’t managed to tell her.
Night had fallen, and the cold was settling in.
Jackie needed warmth -and I needed an excuse to talk to her.
She accepted the blanket... But nothing more.
She preferred the cold and distance inside
to the warmth of the engine and my closeness outside.
Her choice. And even if I’d hoped she’d accept my peace offering, I couldn’t force her.
I stayed outside.
She stayed inside.
Total failure.
And then…
After a while, she finally decided to come join me. At last.
Had the cold gotten to her?
Did she think she’d been too harsh?
For once, I hadn’t pushed.
And maybe… maybe that was exactly what she needed.
One more chance to talk.
I had to try. Again.
I truly wanted to tell her what was in my heart…
but right now, it was too fragile.
I was scared.
And I was scared she’d just go straight back inside.
So I asked about her interview.
A safe topic.
And I genuinely wanted to know.
I hadn’t expected that answer -or that look of defeat on her face.
I listened as she explained.
I was struck by how smart she was, how clearly she expressed things.
She blamed herself for getting distracted.
Whenever emotion took over, she felt overwhelmed.
Unable to function.
Calm and focused, she understood everything.
So… this was my best chance.
The moment to explain.
“I hate that you think I wish you never moved here.”
There. No going back now.
“You said you didn’t remember”
I just… didn’t tell the whole truth, Jackie.
It was a long conversation to have.
And you were really angry.
You weren’t ready to listen.
I chose my words carefully.
No way she’d misunderstand this time.
No half-truths.
“Look… things were bad between me and Alex, long before you got here. Okay? And I was trying to fix it.
But then... you showed up and made that impossible.”
My gaze carried everything I couldn’t say aloud.
Begging her to understand.
“But didn't you say that you and Alex did fix it?”
She was wary.
“Yeah. Finally.
It doesn’t mean it’s not still complicated.”
I had to keep going.
All the way this time.
Perfectly clear.
She needed to understand what she meant to me -that this had nothing to do with Alex, and everything to do with her.
It was… so hard to admit my feelings like that.
I forced myself to hold her gaze.
The whole time.
My heart was racing.
“I won't break my brother’s heart again, but…
I can’t not want you.”
You have to understand, Jackie.
I love you. And nothing will ever change that.
She watched me closely, questions in her eyes.
Trying to see if I was sincere.
And I think… she was quietly stunned by my confession.
I was calm. Grounded. No mask. Vulnerable.
The complete opposite of the guy who teased her endlessly or let his anger explode.
It was just me... and my love for her.
And this time, she saw it.
Of course, that’s when Will arrived.
With Alex.
I helped Jackie out of the truck, and she went straight back to him.
I hadn’t imagined anything else.
I just wish we’d had a little more time before our moment ended.
I knew it was probably the last time I’d have her even a little to myself.
At least I’d found the courage to tell the truth -without asking her to choose, without forcing anything, without expectations.
Just the truth.
That was already a lot.
As if on cue, Will announced their engagement.
And I was so, so happy for them.
After everything they’d been through with Hayley,
finally...finally... their love had won.
I looked at Jackie.
And she looked at me.
…Maybe I was wrong to feel that way, but I couldn’t help hoping for the same thing for us.