Title from: "Favorite Place" -All Time Low.

It's been about three months since that night. I have to admit: hiding Jack and I's relationship from everyone has been very hard on both of us, but we're stronger than ever. Zack and Rian have found out about us. It was bound to happen considering we hold hands under the table whenever possible.

My mom never showed up after that one day. At least I haven't seen her. My dad has been taking a lot more calls recently, but I'm not entirely sure who he's talking to. I'm not complaining, though, since it gets his mind off of me a lot more. I'm scared to say it since things will probably go downhill once it's out in the world, but... things are going pretty well.

It's already November, and we have this week off of school for Thanksgiving. I'm staying the night at Jack's house, but I'm going home tomorrow for Thanksgiving- as if my dad will invite family over. The last time we actually had a real Thanksgiving was before mom left.

I focus back on reality when Jack plops into bed beside me, pulling the sheets over him as he does so. He faces the ceiling, so he's almost mirroring me. "What are you thinking about?" he asks, covering my hand with his.

"Tomorrow," I say with a sigh.

"It's going to be okay, Lex," he murmurs, turning on his side so he's facing me. "If something goes wrong-"

"I won't call you," I interrupt. I turn my head to see him giving me a baffled look, proceeding to turn my entire body toward him before continuing. "You need to spend time with your family, away from me for a bit. You can't always be my knight in shining armor."

"But I want to be."

"But you can't."

"Please just-"

"Jack, I'm not calling you and that's final."

"Call me at 10 though, okay?"

"Fine," I sigh in defeat. "Only because it'll make you feel better."

"Thank you," he says with a smile, wrapping an arm around me and kissing my forehead gently. I smile back, placing a quick kiss on his lips before snuggling into him.

"Jack?" I ask after a moment or two of silence.

"Yeah?"

"I love you," I whisper. That's the first time I've said it, and I feel my heart rate pick up as more seconds pass without a reply. Probably not whole seconds, but in my head, time dragged on. I feel his arm tighten around me, and my heart rate slows a bit.

"I love you too, Alex," he replies, a smile spreading across my face. "I love you more than you know."

I feel heat spread across my cheeks, breathing out in relief. "I've been wanting to say that forever."

"Oh, trust me, I have, too. I'm glad it's finally out there," he murmurs.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want to thank you, I guess. Thank you for being here for me through everything, with the family drama and having to hide our relationship at school and everything in between. I just really appreciate you, and I want you to know that. Every little thing you do for me, like driving over to my house at random hours and holding me when I'm sad, making me smile every day and showing me what happiness is... I love you so much for it all."

"Alex, you never have to thank me for that, ever. You're welcome, of course, but the pleasure is all mine. There's nothing else I'd rather do than help you and be here for you. You deserve nothing less."

"I love you so much," I whisper, kissing him softly.

"And I love you, too," he replies as I pull away. Just like that, I fall asleep with a small smile playing on my lips.

-=+=-

I wake up the next morning, frowning as I realize it's Thanksgiving- which means I have to go home. I don't want to go home when my favorite place is here... with Jack. I cuddle into him further, closing my eyes to attempt to go back to sleep, but fail. My mind is too consumed with thoughts of what will happen later. What if my dad has people over? What if the person he keeps calling is someone he's dating? Will we even celebrate? Will he expect me to make a Thanksgiving dinner like last year? What if Mom is back this year?

I feel myself getting shaky and carefully untangle myself from Jack's arms. I get up and walk a little down the hall into the nearest bathroom and close the door, sliding down against it. I manage to stop myself from having a full attack, but I'm still very shaky and anxious. I stand up and splash cold water on my face in hopes to distract myself, but it doesn't really work much for me. I sigh and open the door, wandering back to Jack's room.

He had just woken up and is rubbing the sleep from his eyes as I approach him. He stretches his legs and yawns, his eyes still closed. I sit on the bed beside him, causing him to fling his eyes open. I laugh as his eyes soften with recognition.

"Jesus, I thought you were still in bed," he complains, pulling me down to him. I smile and wrap my arms around him, nuzzling my head into is chest. "Happy Thanksgiving," he mumbles.

"Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving," I reply as I feel him thread his fingers through my hair.

Let's hope this Thanksgiving is happy.