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Today has been a miserable day so far. I’ve been throwing up for a while, and my head and nose are clogged up to a point that it hurts to breathe. Jerry promised to make chicken soup when he got back from getting rid of the raccoons again but he’s been gone a while now. I hope Rocco didn’t stab him with the knife he stole from Benji last week.
Jerry’s back and as promised, made soup. He’s trying to convince me to cuddle with him on the couch and watch horrible movies. “I’m just gonna get you sick. There’s no point.” Jerry chuckled. “Dude, don’t even worry about it. I’ve got an immune system of steel.” It’s not that I don’t want to, because I do, but then I might have to think about the fact that I have feelings for him. Eventually, he won me over. What can I say? Misery loves company. He wrapped me up in blankets and pulled me into his arms. I curled up against him and tried to relax and ignore my headache.
He rested his chin on top of my head. “You’re warm to like, a concerning level, but it makes you the best cuddle buddy ever.” I laughed and leaned into his side. Oddly enough, I was feeling tired and like I might even sleep. This was confirmed when I woke up three hours later to Jerry snoring softly in my ear and our bodies pressed together, chest to chest. I still felt pretty sick, but this made it so much better. I was, however, slightly concerned. This was the most I’d slept in one sitting in years. Jerry mumbled incoherently when I shifted to lay my head on his chest before slowly opening his eyes.
“Hey.” he said, smiling at me. “Hey.” “Do you feel any better?” I shrugged. “I slept 3 hours. Either I’m better or I’m worse.” “You sound better. Your voice isn’t as scratchy.” He started playing with my hair, running his fingers through the curls. I let out a small involuntary noise at that, but luckily he seems not to have heard it. “Jack? I think there’s something I should tell you…” I sighed. “Jerry, if it’s about the possum in the vents, I already know.” He frowned in confusion. “First of all, how’d you figure it out? Second, no, it’s way more important than that.” “Jerry, it was wearing a glittery pink collar. Who else would do that?” His face held the serious look and now I was worried about what he could possibly have to say. “Jack, I’m in love with you.”
I’m pretty sure I felt my heart stop at that. How do I even respond to something like that? Seeing the look of shock on my face, he quickly backtracked. “But it’s fine, we can just be friends and nothing has to be awkward.” He untangled himself from me and started to get up from the couch. Without thinking, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him. He let out a short yelp but quickly returned the kiss, taking my face in his hands. He grinned. “Does this mean you love me too, then?”
I smiled back. “For a while now. I kept telling myself I’d tell you eventually, but I always found some excuse why it wasn’t the right time.” He laid down next to me again and pulled me against his chest. “Well, you got me now, Jackalope. You should probably go back to sleep if you can.” He kissed my forehead and I decided to ignore the nickname for now. He fell asleep within minutes, and when I was sure I wouldn’t wake him up by moving, I grabbed my book and used one of his arms to rest it on while I read.