Three days (java)

[jack edward riley]

It had been three days, three days since Scott died. Two days...
Scott died and even though he knew it would happen soon, it was sudden. An aneurysm took him in the middle of the night. There was to much, to much pressure now. There was no way he could do this alone, he couldn't help feeling selfish. He never buried anyone before. The hospital took care of everything when it was his mother but now he wasn't a minor. He didn't know what to do with the body- what would he do with bills- the pub and a diner, how would he manage that.

His phone kept ringing but he ignored it. He ignored the fact that there could have been someone else who cared for him like Scott had. It was going to be hard not to run, not to pack a bag and just get as far from town as possible. He just sat there, didn't open his eyes, move, make a sound..keeping his eyes closed was the only thing to stop anything from progressing forward or tears from coming. The only thing that kept him from breaking. Until now he had no idea how dependant he was on Scott, how much he needed the guy around. Jack got up and headed out front.

Three days....The bar was closed tonight- as it had been every night this week- the windows wide open letting in the breeze from the ocean in. He had the funeral tomorrow- no wake, just a small funeral. He headed around the bar and made himself a jack on the rocks. He stood there swishing it around the glass, chilling it slightly. Nowadays he rather just hold the glass then drink it down.

[ava louise riley]

It had been three days. Three days since she'd last heard from Jack and she was getting worried. She'd been contacted by the hospital and informed that Scott had passed (apparently he'd known Jack well enough to know he'd need someone to turn to) and was getting more and more worried as time went on. She'd found herself waiting by the phone, hoping and praying he would call until finally, nothing. Maybe he needed space, so she'd given him time, but three days seemed long. Three days..72 hours...many minutes too long.

But then, maybe he didn't need her. Didn't want her there. She was torn. She wanted him to turn to her when he was hurting, but in typical Jack style, he never opened up to her. Maybe it was why it never worked for them to be together.

She knew where he was. The Orchid. It was his safe place...and also his place of danger with alcohol lining the walls and his past of drug use in the back room. And..because she loved him, there she was.

The place was closed and the door locked, but she used her key and quietly opened the door to see him at the bar, holding a glass of amber colored alcohol that she guessed was whiskey. Unsure of what to say, she walked inside and shut the door behind her. "Hey.." she said, not bothering to ask if he was okay. She could see in his eyes that he wasn't.

[jack edward riley]

He moved slightly at the sound of her voice, though not responding or taking his eyes off the liquid in the glass in front of him. He had been waiting to hear that voice for 72 hours, the voice that would be able to make this better, or at least try. " I just like how it looks, It's whiskey, thats all. It's nothing it isn't, nothing that could be changed," He rambled on without thinking about his words or even if they made sense," You can make a drink with it but it wont change the fact that it's just whiskey- you still got the same shit you started with, you can't fix it." He said before putting the glass down.

He rubbed his cheek's few days worth of growth. The thought of shaving didn't even cross his mind. He got off the stool slowly, he had been sitting so long he didn't know if his legs would hold he weight or not. He wrapped his arms around him and looked over at her. He just breathed, didn't say anything else to her and could barely even look at her. "So how was your day?" He asked with a sarcastic grin.

[ava louise riley]

She watched him listening as he rambled on about the drink like some therapist at a rehab center. Not that she understood until he reached the end and said 'You can make a drink with it but it wont change the fact that it's just whiskey- you still got the same shit you started with, you can't fix it.' She understood that part and nodded, getting a glimpse into his mind. Her eyes were filled with empathy and she just wanted to make this all better for him, though she knew she couldn't.

When he asked her about her day she could hear the sarcasm and frowned. "This isn't about me..This is about you." she said seriously in a gentle tone as she looked at him. "And don't try to say you're fine because you aren't. I know you aren't."

[jack edward riley]

He went to say something but couldn't. He wanted to say something about Scott and tried to speak again but only ended up swallowing his own thoughts. He rubbed his eyes angrily, mostly at himself as the moisture grew into full fledged tears. He wiped them away so there were no trace of them. He fell back and sat on the stool and stared past her and at the wall. If there were ever a time to rid of awkward silence it would be now, but there was no way to at this point. "I'm not okay." He repeated almost immediately after she brought it up and he looked over at her bitting his lip.

[ava louise riley]

She hadn't expected him to say that..or cry. She didn't think she'd ever seen him cry before and as much as he'd claimed to hate Scott, she could tell he'd also really loved him. He'd been the father that Jack had never really had in his life. She looked back at him, still so lost. She wanted to be there for him, but she didn't know how.

She walked over to him and stood so there was only the counter between them now and barely a few feet. "What can I do?" she asked in a sincere tone, looking at him still as she put her hand on his own.

[jack edward riley]

He grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. that small amount of contact made him loose it. He wanted to be anywhere or anyone right at that moment that wasn't here. He stood up and let her hand go, in some way he had always been doing this, always pulling away even though in some way he was calling out. He moved around the counter to where she was. He grabbed his jacket from the counter and slipped it on. " I can't stay here, I uh need air." He said looking from her to the front door. He knew nothing would change once he stepped outside the door, but atleast he was less tempted to down a bottle of Jack out there.

[ava louise riley]

When he pulled away, she felt a small piece of her heart ache. She just wanted him to let her in and he couldn't. She watched as he went to the door, unsure if she was supposed to follow or if he needed space. More space. Lately she'd felt so far away from him it had seemed like they were on separate parts of the world. She didn't want it to be like this. It killed her to see him breaking.

She finally followed him out, leaning against the wall when they got there and waiting for him to speak first. She'd never lost anyone before, she didn't know what he needed to hear or anything going through his mind.

[jack edward riley]

He looked out from the pier to the water and stood as still as possible. It didnt feel like anything was missing reallly, it never hit jack right away...it was just that he really wanted it to. It was like looking into a barrel of a gun that was about to fire at you and not knowing when to expect it.He just needed to fill the void with something, something just enough to make him feel whole. He turned and moved closer to her filling the gap and closing it with a kiss. Something just enough, she could make him whole.

[ava louise riley]

She hadn't expected him to kiss her and maybe, like her, he couldn't express what he was feeling in words so she just let it continue. Not wanting to be the one to pull away first. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, holding him close and letting him know she wasn't going anywhere.

[jack edward riley]

He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers lightly."It's just to much, everything is to much." He didn't cry, told himself if he did it was over and he'd leave, and that wasn't something he was willing to do. For the first time, something bad happened and Jack didn't want to run, it didn't even cross his mind until now."I'm really gonna need you around on this, I don't know what i'm gonna do." He told her.

[ava louise riley]

Ava smiled a little as he rested her forehead against hers and spoke. "That's good..because I'm not going anywhere." she replied when he said he needed her. "Whatever you need..whatever you want me to do, I'm here for you. Now and always."

[jack edward riley]

" I'm probably gonna turn into a real jerk. The diner, pub, bills, the apartment...it's alot." He said making sure she knew that if she wanted out now was the time. He was in love with her, wouldn't say it right now but everything he was belonged to Ava. He knew now that they were really going to get their chance to have their middle.

[ava louise riley]

Ava nodded. She knew what she was getting into and she'd seen the stressed side of him before. "I know...but if at the end of the day you're still there to kiss me, it'll be worth it." She smiled sweetly at him. She wanted this..them and was willing to do whatever she needed to to make it work out.

[jack edward riley]

He kissed her lightly,"Good to hear." He smiled and leaned back a bit wrapping his arms around her waist. He didn't want to think anymore, he wanted to be the guy who just got things done, and for the most part he was, but even that guy would have a problem with this. " The funeral's saturday..Before sunday I have to come up with an idea of what to do with all this...I mean i'm not even thirty and I have a pub and now a diner?" He said feeling like he was outside looking in on all of this.