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I force myself to press the buzzer and let Jack into my small apartment room. He still hasn't fully explained himself since last night. All he did was state that it was not the proper time for any sort of explanation, but that he would come meet me today.

He wasn't at school earlier, which must mean he wasn't much for an awkward interaction either...

I wish I could've done that. I felt like shit the entire day, especially since I had to deal with Astrix and her drunken self. Maybe I should have looked out for her last night instead of spoken to Noah, that would have made things a lot less complicated.

I ponder on this for a moment, vigorously shaking out my head and snapping my wristband. My pulse quickens when I hear the door squeak open and see Jack materialize before me.

He purses his lips without a greeting, sliding into a seat on the edge of my couch, the one with plastic upholstery and fraying placemat pillows.

I sit opposite him and fold my hands together over my knees.

"Let's cut the niceties and get to the root of the problem. Talk. I'll listen."

I cross my legs and raise an eyebrow at him imploringly. He rolls his eyes and sighs.

"My Dad doesn't know I'm here, and if he finds out anything, you're in danger."

"But why?"

He clears his throat. "Remember that night before yesterday? You came over and we came to the conclusion of telling the court about the, well, family ties."

"The night of the almost kiss?"

As soon as the words leave my lips, I mentally slap myself. Why the hell did I say that out loud?

Jack stiffens and his face goes red, the same way I imagine myself looking. He opens and closes his mouth.

"Well...I-uh..."

I shake my head. "Yes, I remember that night," I say, pushing him forward.

He nods. "Yeah, well, my Dad was at home the whole time. He listened to our entire conversation and he told me if we opened our mouths about the tie, he would see to it that...."

Jack doesn't continue. He ducks his head and keeps his gaze focused on the floor. I nudge his shoulder.

"See to it that.....?"

"That you would get hurt. And I couldn't let that happen, so I've been avoiding you to make sure it was an impossibility. I wanted to speak to you, privately, as soon as possible."

I nod and now it's my turn to duck my head and his turn to nudge my shoulder.

"Are you...Are you okay?"

I laugh harshly. "That's a pretty generic question. And you should know the answer to that."

He nods and then claps his hands together, startling me.

"I guess that's that. There's no way we can win this case anymore."

I shake my head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, even if we tell court that my father and Delilah are brother and sister, and that it's an unfair verdict, my dad will try to get revenge by getting someone to...Dispose of you."

"I really don't care. All that matters to me is keeping Delilah in jail. Do you know what she did to my family?"

Jack nods and rubs my shoulder comfortingly, lowering his voice as if he was speaking to a small child.

"I do know. And I'm sorry. But I'm not letting you put yourself in such a position."

I shake my head. "That's not for you to decide. I'm going to court when they have the trial and there's nothing you can do about it."

Jack widens his eyes. "You don't know what my Dad is capable of! Even if they lock him up, he'll have a back-up man to finish you off."

"So? I don't care."

I stubbornly cross my arms and turn in the opposite direction. Jack gapes at me, and then seemingly collects himself for a response.

He surprises me by savagely getting to his feet and grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Are you insane!?"

I shake him off. "Maybe...What's it to you?"

He studies me with raised eyebrows, his eyes moving all over my face.

"What's it to me? Do you think I want to watch someone I've grown to care about over these past few months throw herself under the bus if it gets her access to revenge?"

I pinch my lips together. "Maybe not, but it's none of your business and it doesn't concern you."

He lowers his hands and drops them onto my waist, sending shivers down my spine and making me forget what we were talking about.

"I've made it my business."

Before I can say a word or move, he advances, moving forward to press a soft kiss to my mouth. His tongue trails down my bottom lip before he quickly retracts, seemingly deciding it was inappropriate given the circumstances.

I sit there in shock, my arms draping over the couch. He gets up to leave, giving me one last look as he passes the door. His eyes betray nothing, giving me nothing...As always an unreadable mass...