Jack and Grace 01

Hello everyone! This is my first submission. I wrote it in one sitting. Don't be kind with it. Be truthful in your opinion without resorting to bashing. Please feel free to rate and comment. This is not a stand alone story. Other parts will follow soon. And yes i have no editor. Your patience will be rewarded.

This is a work of fiction. This is my original story.

"Jack!" shouted an exasperated Grace, "Stop it."

The room became silent if not for their heavy breathing. It was too loud for warmth and familiarity. They could only stare at each other. Jack's was one of anger and frustration, whereas Grace's was one of helplessness instead of anger.

"Honey," Grace began as she move forward and gently caress Jack's face with her palm, "You know I love only you, and I would never do anything to hurt you. I got carried away. It was just a dance."

Jack numbly nodded, still seething with frustration. He refused to meet her eyes.

"What I did tonight was wrong," Grace continued in a sweet and caring tone, almost in a hushed whisper that belies her own frustration.

"Why do you have to flirt with guys all the time?" Jack simply spat back. He wasn't letting it g

Grace remained composed and gently replied, "No honey, I don't flirt with guys all the time" emphasising all the time, "besides, I know all of them, they are not random men."

Jack removing her hands, stared hard at her, his mouth twitching to the point of frothing, and in a resigned grunting voice that carries all his anger and frustration said, "Grace just because you know them doesn't meant its alright to flirt with them, besides, you have already fucked one of them."

Grace simply looked on as Jack walked away.

——————————————

Jack couldn't believe what he saw when he walked in. For a while there, he simply stared at the scene hardly able to contain his anger.

The crowd was alive and everyone seemed to be high on party spirit, especially his girlfriend, he noticed, horrified at his own thoughts. Grace look beautiful as always, and as always she look radiant in her dancing shoe. She was dancing withhimtoo.

He could have walked away, but he simply stood there waiting for what could have happened. It was almost as if he wanted his thoughts to be true. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. His feet remained fixed to where it was, and his mind ran the same thoughts over and over again.

Why, and How, on earth washehere?

Minutes passed. He saw that Grace had plonked down on one of the couch to catch her breath.Hewas standing close by, talking to some guy. She with another woman.

"Hey Jack!!!"

He felt someone's hand on his back. Jack turn around to face a grinning, drunk Marilyn, looking like she had just gotten fucked. And it turned out to be true. A guy, he didn't know, followed her, and embraced her from behind.

If they weren't drunk they would have noticed they were talking rather loud for a close whisper.

"You are fabulous," he said, "an amazing woman, a woman after my own heart"

"Oh really!" Marilyn cooed back with a salacious grin.

Any other time their kiss would have been sweet, but in their drunken state it was sloppy and slightly horrendous to be a spectacle of.

"You are a great fuck too," the man remarked with a satisfied smugness.

At that, they giggle much to the astonishment of Jack, who was feeling uncomfortable and slightly amuse at the exchange of 'pleasantries'.

It was a few seconds later, Marilyn turned to look at Jack

"This is Jack, Grace's boyfriend", She said to the man.

"Alfred." The man said as he extend his right hand for a hand shake.

"Your boyfriend?" Jack asked after the man had gone off to fetch them drinks.

"God No!" Marilyn replied, looking rather incredulously at the suggestion that Alfred could be his boyfriend.

"Some of the girls in the office talked about his penis and i had to find it out for myself it was just a rumour or truth."

"And?"

"Truth." Marilyn said with a satisfied smile as he looked on at Alfred bringing them their drinks.

"Too much of a player for a boyfriend," whispered Marilyn as Alfred reached them.

"Thanks man" Jack said as he took his drink.

"Grace is over there" Marilyn slurring and pointing to where his girlfriend is, took Alfred's hand and off they went to the dance floor. It was a mosh pit of well dressed sweaty bodies humping and gyrating off the weekday blues.

Jack looked on and knew Marilyn was taking him home tonight. She wasn't one to waste a good lay.

———————————————

"Babe!" He heard someone called, and saw Grace happily coming to him.

"I didn't know you were gonna be here, why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I'll surprised you." Jack's voice came out a little tight.

"Oh! I love that" Grace leaned forward to gave him a kiss, obviously missing Jack's tone.

He could smelled vodka on her breath. It was no surprise.

"Come on meet the guys." Grace hooked her left arm to his right and walked to where everyone else was seated.

Jack swallowed his anger, forced on a smile as Grace introduced him to the group.

It was a group of Grace's office friends, and he couldn't afford to give them something to gossip about in the office. Politeness dictates that he is a good boyfriend and a gentleman to everyone, includinghim. Social dictum be dammed, he wanted to vent his anger. He had no choice but to mask it.

Everyone bought his mask, including Grace.

After the introduction, the guys had asked him what he did, which was followed by the usual social graces of admiration and interest that lasted a whole minute. Once the social perfunctory with regards to a guest was over, the conversations pick up from where it ended before he was introduced.

Conversations flowed, so do the spirit, literal and in liquid form.

Quietly, Jack asked her, "Why is Ricky here?"

"A couple of guys from the office brought him here. Apparently, they went to high school together" Grace replied rather nonchalantly.

"How was work? When did you land?" Grace asked him hurriedly, studying his face.

"Work isn't going as expected. I landed two hours ago. I came straight after dropping my bags off." Jack looked at her direction but wasn't meeting her eyes.

"I love you," Grace whispered as she caressed up to Jack's neck, "Lets stay for a while, then say our goodbyes. You must be dead tired. I had a tiring day too."

Grace was still studying his face.

If you are tired, Why don't you stay at home and rest. Jack was saying in his head. He already knew her answer too. But it's fun out here, besides it's only once a week. And it's only when you are not home. I get lonely.

Jack simply nodded his head once.

Any other day, Jack would have been a good listener or an okay conversationalist but, tonight he was too wound up to be any. He just sat there with his drink and looked on at the group while lost in his own thought. Grace sat to his left leaning on his shoulder, very much a part of the ongoing laughter and cheering.

A few moments later, he felt a nudge to his side. He turn to see Grace looking at him with a look that said, "What's bothering you?"

Jack shook his head a little. "Nothing." He wasn't even looking at her.

Grace knew Ricky's presence was a bother. The two hated each other. After their polite acknowledgment, Ricky had lost himself among his friends. And Grace didn't bother with him anymore. She was equally surprised as Jack to see him tonight.

Right now, she need to talk with her boyfriend. Words of assurance and love, a relay of the night's event specifically to Ricky's presence, which means pulling themselves away from the group.

Seconds later, Grace asked him to dance. She had his left in her right hand and was ready to get up. Jack was about to say no, when some girl nearby clapped her hands and shouted, "yay! couple dance. I love that." That caught the group's attention.

Soon everyone cheered on, and Grace was all smiles.

Of all the nights and upcoming nights, Jack thought, tonight had to be that night where he needs to exert his will to control most. The mood he was in and the long flight he had, he was ready to pissed on all forms of mannerisms. Still, he just couldn't.

"Guys," Jack started off with a forced self deprecating smile, "I am a wonderfully terrible dancer who has no business ever on the dance floor. I am, forever, relegated to the woes of being a partially fulfilled gentleman. I begged you guys to call off the cheering in lieu of buying you all a round."

At that, everyone had a look of astonishment on their faces. Grace knew the looks.

Her boyfriend, the ever articulated gentleman, be it anywhere, even in a club. She was so proud of him. The cheering did not die down, instead it escalated much to the annoyance of Jack. Of course, he smiled as a good sport should.

Everyone bought his mask, including Grace.

It was then someone revealed the ghost of Jack's troubled mind. It wasn't subtle either. It went straight for the flesh.

"Grace is a terrific dancer, she gave quite a show before you came."

"She's got grooves", someone followed immediately.

"Your girl knows how to jive."

"Man! she's got the moves."

"She's got a killer body to shake"... followed the comments

They both were smiling and laughing at this point. Jack couldn't help.

Until ... "It was hot seeing Grace and Ricky dance," some guy blurted out.

Others simply followed on with whistles and catcalls.

To the rest, it was an innocuous statement from a drunk guy who slurred it out in jest. But, to the three who knew each other from college, it meant much more.

Jack still wore a fake smile on his face. It was getting harder to go through with his charade. Feigning interest never had been hard. His line of work had taught him the necessity of a feign interest years ago, and over the years he had mastered the art of feigning interest to make the client feel they know what they want.

Butthis, this right here presents the oddity of his life he never quite mastered.

It took all his will power not to lashed out. For a man of his ways, this was the utmost challenge. A dance, a social ritual with borders, was threatening his composed self.

Ricky heaped it on by asking Grace to dance with him if Jack wasn't feeling up for it. The drunk crowd missed the non verbatim tension and egged on Grace to go ahead and show them the show they had put up before.

Jack was on the precipice. Grace could feel that Jack was struggling to contain his anger. She had to put an end to this, and rightly did so by pointing out that she danced only with 'strangers' once to see how good they are and does a repeat only if they matched her standards, and that Ricky was nowhere near a repeat. The crowd at that booed her, and then some more, and soon simmer down.

Eventually, soon, the din of the crowd was on something else.

The three knew they were not 'strangers'.

The three knew Jack couldn't dance to save his life, and Ricky was a charmer on the dance floor.

The three knew Grace and Ricky always looked hot together'on the dance floor.

——————————————

Jack did bought a round for everyone, after which they said their goodbyes.

He was literally sprinting for the door. Grace had latched on to his left hand and had to skip to match his steps.

Once they hit the sidewalks, Jack couldn't contain his anger any longer. He pried himself away from Grace and simply barked, "Fuck you! Grace."

Now that the floodgates were happened, Jack let everything poured out. Over an hour of controlled annoyance, anger, frustration marred with their history with Ricky, it was an avalanche of emotions. It was simply too much.

Jack in times of extreme anger is usually lost for words. Now was one of those moments. He was emotionally tired and physically exhausted, and his body was shaking. He crouched down on the sidewalk, his hands on his head, and he forced himself to calm down. After calming enough to stop his body from shaking, he stood up and called a taxi. He never spared a glance at her.

Grace simply stood there sobbing not knowing what else to do, only knowing that she was the caused. She was stunned to see Jack go from his calm demeanour inside the club to a crouching man on the sidewalk who was visibly shaking. Her hand reached out, but were of no use. Her heart was pained to see what she had caused to the man she love. She kneeled down and hugged him tight muttering "I'm sorry" over and over, but wasn't acknowledged. As Jack stood up and called for a taxi, she was still kneeling on the sidewalk sobbing.

A taxi stopped. Jack opened the door and turning saw Grace still kneeling on the sidewalk crying. He went over and pulled her to her feet.

Inside the taxi, Grace who was now crying softly hold him close and tight, and softly mutter, "I'm sorry, I love you" over and over again.

Soon they reached their address. By now, grace was all cried out but Jack's inside was eating him alive.

On their way up, Grace softly told him "Jack, I swear I had no idea Ricky was gonna be there tonight. I was equally surprised as you were to see him."

"Of all the guys, you had to dance with him?" Jack retorted angrily.

"I did not dance only with him." Was Grace immediate reply. It was true, although it did not help the situation. It only further escalate.

They looked at each other. Jack of utter amazement and pure horror, Grace of helplessness, and pain. They only broke their gaze when the sound of the elevator "ding" told them they had reached their 6th floor apartment.

Once Inside their apartment, Jack vented out his anger.

"Grace, even after together for 4 year, I still don't get why dancing with random guys doesn't bother you at all, when you know it bothers me a lot."

Grace knew he wouldn't like the answer. She actually loved the mild flirtation she shared with guys in the office. It was harmless and in good fun. She shouldn't have danced with Ricky. That was a no go area and she had trespassed.

"I am sorry," Grace began. She knew she had to tell the truth.

"We were drinking," Grace looked away, afraid to meet Jack's eyes, "and before long, we were engaged in mild flirtation and teasing. It was all in fun. It wasn't just me and the guys. It was all of us. Marilyn at one point walked up to Alfred and kissed him on the mouth and asked him to dance. They did. Someone asked me to dance too, and like that, soon we all find ourselves dancing. You know how i love dancing. I know I should have stopped, but when Ricky asked me, i told myself just one dance wouldn't hurt. It felt like old times like we never stopped dancing together. It just felt good."

Hearing those words, Jack never had been this angry in his entire life.

"A selfish bitch is what you are," Jack hissed, "It doesn't matter to you as long as you have fun and your conscience is clear."

He didn't realised but he was already beginning to shout.

"You miss dancing with Ricky, you missed him. You missed the fucking he gave you. Go back to him, Run..."

Jack felt a slap to his face. Another slap. They both stare at each other in anger.

"Don't you know our fucking history Grace."