Chapter Text
My hands were shaking as I tried to tie my boyfriend's tie for dinner tonight. Well, it’s not technically his tie, it’s my older brother's tie that I stole from his dresser drawer early this morning.
“Fucking Christ Y/N,” Jack said to me as I threw my hands to my sides out of frustration causing my outfit for tonight's supper to wrinkle and crumple at the sides under the sudden weight. “I should be da one worried ‘bout tonight, not you.”
I stared at the boy—no, the man—standing before me as the hustle and bustle of the Newsboys Lodging echoed in the back of my mind. The only thing I could pay attention to was Jack Kelly. My eyes started to water and I tried to blink back the salty mist of tears edging their way out of the inner corner of my eyelids.
Being the youngest of four children to the Mayor of Manhattan was pressure in and of itself. “Be a proper lady,” Mother would say. “Marry rich,” she prattled on. However, that’s not what I wanted. I wanted Jack Kelly. I wanted danger and adventure and our own little ranch in Santa Fe.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jack said with a worried undertone to his voice. I looked at him, tears streaming down my blushed, warm cheeks. “What if they don’t love you like I do Jackie?” I cried. Some of the boys popped their heads in, I know this because Jackie raised a furious eyebrow while looking over my shoulder at the doorway. “It don’t matter to me if they love me. What does matter is that you love me. Ya?” I looked at him through the foggy lens my tears had created. He’s right, I wish he wasn’t, but he’s right. He put his hand under my chin, lifted my head up and gave me a quick peck on the nose. Why’s he such a tease at the worst times?
I pulled myself together like my mother had taught me and went back to tying the limp, crinkled tie around my Jackie’s neck. Occasionally he’d let out a little giggle, which I can only assume he did because I had accidentally grazed his neck or chin with my fingers or thwacked him in the nose with the tie.
Minutes turned into hours and the tie was finally tied correctly. Since there were a couple of hours to spare before we had to be at my home for supper, we went onto the roof of the lodge and just stood there. “Ya look nice,” Jackie said with a flirtatious undertone. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told ya that today already but, ya do look nice.” He came up behind me and put his arms around my neck, laying loose and limp at the shoulders. I turned around to face him and stood on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his soft lips. Yes, tonight was going to be perfect. It just had to be.