Writers Note: This is the concluding chapter in the Jack and Abbey trilogy - that began with "Don't Think, Breath...", and continued into "Can You Hear Me?" It's highly recommended that you read the full trilogy in order.
I want to thank all those who have followed along, and given me wonderful feedback on this odd little tale. I hope Jack and Abbey's fans enjoy the conclusion as much as they've enjoyed rest.
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The trees in the plaza were covered in bright strings of lights; the colors bold and magical, painting the area like a fairy kingdom. It didn't fully distract from the neon signs, advertising various beers served at the bars and night clubs surrounding the square. But it lent some charm to the area. Abbey was better able to appreciate the mystique, because Jack's mind was as quiet as he'd been, since they'd left the house. He led her through the people, who were milling around on the pleasant spring night, without a word. Abbey found it more than a little unnerving, even if she knew the reason behind it.
It was hard for Abbey to believe it had been three months since they'd first met. But it was almost harder to believe it had lasted this long at all. Most of her relationships had been lucky to make it to the second date, much less any kind of anniversary. Though, even as she formed that thought, another slipped into her consciousness. Would this be their first and last anniversary celebration? She almost hated herself for thinking that. It wasn't fair to Jack. He deserved more trust than that. But after the last three weeks, Abbey had really begun to fear their relationship was coming to its close.
It was barely noticeable at first; just random little moments, where he seemed to be deliberately blocking his mind away from her. It's hard to hide anything from a girlfriend who can hear and see what's in people's heads. Jack had learned fairly early on, how to do it, by sheer virtue of keeping his thoughts scattered or blocking one image with another. Sometimes he would sing songs, tell jokes, or (like their second date) he would read book passages, in his head. Usually when he did it, the reasoning became obvious pretty quickly. He'd be trying to make sure she couldn't hear him considering between sweeping her into his arms and carrying her into the bedroom, or slipping down in front of her, pushing her head back against the couch, and tasting every inch of her. She liked that he tried to find ways to still surprise her. But lately, the reasons behind the blocks hadn't been so obvious, and it had been making her nervous. And then there was the request.
Since the first night he'd met her, and she'd unintentionally revealed her unusual talent, he'd only ever asked her to turn the ability off twice before. The first night, he'd requested it when one of his stray thoughts had hurt her feelings. But it would've required a moment to concentrate, which she hadn't had that night. By the time she'd been able to explain that to him, he'd basically forgotten about asking all together. The second time, she'd totally understood. He'd been out the night before, at a friend's bachelor party. He'd had just one flash in his mind, of a hot little blonde stripper, squirming on his lap. When the surprise caused Abbey to comically spit out the drink she'd been taking, he'd asked for a night with his mind to himself. Abbey had chuckled and agreed, though she assured him she was only surprised, and certainly not mad, at what she'd seen. He'd made a cute comment (which went well with his blush) about that being good information to have, and turned the entire evening into a flurry of hints and cajoling, that led Abbey to doing a little dancing herself.
But this time, he'd asked for a whole week, and that made Abbey very nervous. She'd acted like it was fine. After all, he'd told her that he was trying to make plans for their anniversary. He was sure he'd let something slip, if she didn't pull the psychic curtain closed, and give him some privacy. It was a reasonable request, and it certainly made sense, but by then Abbey was already getting skittish. Two weeks of increasing blocks from him, of spending large chunks of time not having the first clue what was on his mind, had already put the wheels in her head spinning fast. She hated doubting him, especially when he'd never given her a moment that warranted it. But it was so hard not to wonder, not to worry. She'd had too many relationships destroyed by what she could hear in a man's thoughts. Suddenly, it was the quiet that was terrifying her. She didn't want this to end, ever - but she wasn't sure anymore, that Jack felt the same.
With the exception of a few random events, Jack seemed to cherish Abbey's ability as a gift, not the curse she'd often considered it to be. He always said that he loved that he couldn't hide anything from her, that his mind and heart were laid bare for her. Even the night he'd first realized he was in love with her, and then immediately heard a crash as the glass she'd been bringing back from the kitchen fell to the floor, he hadn't been upset. He'd known instantly, as if he could read
her
mind, that she'd heard him. He walked into the kitchen, took one look at the tears welling in her eyes, and kissed her until she couldn't breathe. He'd helped her clean up the glass a few hours later, after he'd carried her into the bedroom, and made love to her. It had been slow, tender, excruciatingly gentle. He'd brought her to gasping climax so many times; she'd barely been able to stay upright when they went for rejuvenating snacks; her equilibrium all out of whack.
As Abbey thought of that night now, with them quickly moving toward the empty bandstand at the end of the plaza, she quickly dashed a tear from her eye. She was glad he wasn't looking at her, but reasoned she could blame the tear on the brisk breeze if she had to. It had been such a wonderful night so far, and she cursed herself again for being so unsettled. He'd taken her to a lovely little bistro, where he'd ignored the sexy waitress and hostess, eyes only for her. They'd talked, and laughed, and she almost forgot her fears. But when he excused himself to the men's room, and she'd been alone with her thoughts again, she saw him smile at the waitress as he passed her. There was nothing untoward in that smile, no hint of mischief at all, but her mind had gone in its own direction anyway. And now, she found herself watching his eyes, wondering how much attention he was paying to some of the scantily clad club girls, who were out in packs tonight. She tried to stop herself, to tell herself she was being stupid. But between the mind block, and the fact that Jack had been particularly agitated all week too, she just couldn't shake this ominous feeling.
It wasn't the first time this week that she'd considered peeking. It would only take a couple of minutes, when he was in one of his agitated states, to figure out what was going on. But she knew she couldn't do that. She was hard enough on herself, for the way she'd used her ability with men she'd dated before Jack. She always felt slightly guilty for listening to them; looking for anything in their minds that would make her wonder if they were trustworthy, both with her secret and her heart. Jack told her (repeatedly) she shouldn't feel bad - that a woman did have to be smart and safe, and use every advantage she had to protect herself from truly dangerous types. But she never felt completely right about it, and there was no way she was going to do that to Jack, when he'd specifically asked her not to look. Having her trust in him waver was one thing, betraying his trust was another.
Abbey tried to put it all out of her mind, as Jack continued toward the bandstand. She wondered where he was going, since there were no clubs on that end of the plaza, just coffee shops that were closed this late at night. She also realized that there were less and less people around, until the crowds were all several feet away. She was just about to say something, when Jack's speed picked up. His arm around her waist forced her to escalate up with him, and their breaths were both a little rapid, as he continued up the stairs to the center of the bandstand. It had always been a favorite spot of hers. Metal pipes were erected around the stone stage, at different heights, and taut grey material woven around the poles, caused a look of castle towers around the top of the structure. It also was at just the right elevation to catch any stray breeze wafting through the square. She'd always wondered if that was a blessing to bands that played there some weekends, with all the hot lights they would surround the area with.
Jack let go of Abbey's waist, and took a few steps away from her. He stared up, past the edge of the taut awning, at the night sky. Abbey's heart started racing, and her breathing got even faster. Whatever had been distracting him all week, it was going through his mind right now. She should just ask him, confront him with her feelings, and find out what was going on. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than this wondering and worrying, could it? Abbey shivered, though the air wasn't nearly chilly enough to warrant it, and wondered if it would be worse. She had just steeled herself, and opened her mouth to find out how bad it was, when he spun around suddenly. Abbey stared at him in shock.
His face was lit up, his eyes excited and eager, and he looked at her which such joy that she was stunned. She remembered the look in his eyes, the first night they'd met. When he finally understood exactly what her mind could see, he'd looked a lot like this. He was excited at the possibilities, enchanted at her embarrassment, alive with the joy that she'd been so comfortable with him, she'd revealed herself. She surmised that was the moment she had first fallen in love with him, though she hadn't formed the thought fully in her mind, until a couple of days before he had. She'd been trying to figure out how to tell him that very night, when he'd shown his own heart. And when she'd told him that later, curled up against his side, nestled under the covers, his face had lit up like this too. She'd been as speechless then as she was now.
He stared into her eyes for a moment, and then stepped back towards her. He held out his hand, she gave hers, and he pulled her close. She expected him to kiss her, when she was against his body, so she put her arms around his neck. But instead he just wrapped his arms around her waist, and stared into her eyes again. "Abbey, some of the most important things I've ever said to you, have never passed through my lips." She smiled and giggled lightly, and his eyes softened even more. "But there are some things I have to say out loud."
Abbey tried to hide the flash of worry that passed through her, but she knew instantly, that she'd failed. He frowned at her, and kissed the tip of her nose. "Silly girl. I know this week, hell these last few weeks, have been hard on you."
Her eyes widened in shock and guilt, "Jack, how..."
He laughed loudly, and there was no mocking in it. It was laughter of joy, and it made Abbey's heart sing. "I may not be able to read your mind sweetheart, but I can read your face pretty well." She blushed, and he pulled her tighter. "I know how difficult it's been. You're so used to knowing almost every thought that passes through my mind, and I've been working double time to keep something from getting through. I'm sorry I had to be so secretive, but like I said, I needed to use my voice this time."
Abbey closed her eyes, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Jack frowned at it, and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I've been so worried. You've damn well earned my trust by now. I should never have doubted there was a good reason you were holding something back."
"Baby, it's ok. The last few months, I've practically conditioned you to expect to know everything I'm thinking. Most of the time, I want to have that certainty. I love that you never doubt how much I love you, how much you mean to me, and especially how much I want you." He kissed the side of her neck, and molded their bodies even tighter. Abbey felt the tension begin to build between her thighs, and gasped at the feel of how Jack was beginning to harden between them.
Jack chuckled, and pulled back a bit, to look down at her. "Not quite ready for that love; first things first." She blushed, and he gave her a quick but sensuous kiss, before staring into her eyes again. "Abbey, I love you so much. These months have been the best of my entire life. I have never been so sure of myself and where I want to be, than when I'm in your arms."
Abbey's eyes began to water again, "I love you too." She leaned up and passed her lips briefly over his. He sighed.
Then he took a step back. He held one of her hands in his, reached into his jacket pocket with the other, and got down on one knee. Abbey's eyes went impossibly wide, and she stopped breathing. When his hand came out of his jacket, Abbey expected a small black velvet covered box. But instead, his hand was just closed around something very small. He swiftly dropped her hand, put both of his behind his back, and after a second, put them both out in front of her. His fists were closed, with his palms facing the ground, "Pick one."
Abbey started laughing so hard, she had to clutch her stomach for a moment. It took a moment to recover, but when she looked back at Jack's face, it was so alight with happiness; she stopped breathing again.
