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Kim’s not entirely sure when she starts to notice it.
Jack’s never been one to wear any sort of accessory, especially considering it’s difficult to do so and do karate (not that it’s ever stopped Kim herself, though. She can take down anyone and wear hoop earrings any day). But then one day he starts wearing this necklace, and suddenly Kim can’t imagine him without it.
It looks to be made of some dark twine; flexible but durable. The main part of his necklace is just a simple silver circle, fitting perfectly at the hollow of his throat in a way that forces Kim to stare at it, and by association, his Adam’s apple, every time he wears it. It’s mildly distracting (it’s very distracting).
So is she obsessed with his necklace? Yes, she is. Embarrassingly and proudly so.
She’s never told him to his face, but Kim’s sure Jack’s figured it out. She’s also pretty sure he’s obsessed with her obsession with his necklace, considering he’s been there the numerous times she’s traced the metal of the circle.
It’s not really a surprise anymore to either her or Jack when she gets caught staring at it again. This time they’re at the beach, with their friends. Milton and Rudy are trying to build a sandcastle (they’re forgetting they need water to pack the sand together, but Kim can’t bring herself to remind them), Jerry’s flirting with a redhead by the hot dog stand, and Jack’s been trying to get onto a wave for the past half an hour.
“It’s literally like skateboarding, but just on water, right?” Jack asks.
“Oh, hon. Not really,” Kim supplies, making sure to get sunscreen onto the upper part of his back, near the nape of his neck. She applies slightly more, her hand trailing up towards his necklace, before she catches herself. I’m not about to give in to him in public, on a beach.
Jack turns around when she’s done, smiling down at her. “C’mon, Kim. I can do anything. It can’t be that hard.”
Kim resists the urge to roll her eyes. “Nothing like Jack Brewer modesty to set your beach day off right.”
With that, Jack plants a dramatic kiss on Kim’s cheek and leaves for the ocean.
“Kim! I did it!”
Kim looks up from her book, and smiles when she sees Jack on a surfboard, on top of a wave. It’s a low one, sure, but he’s so proud of himself that Kim can’t help but smile. “I’m so proud of you!” she yells back, as Jack puts his arms out like a dramatic surfer.
Once the wave settles and Jack’s feet plant back on the sand, he tosses the surfboard aside and heads over towards her.
And ohhhhhh……. fuck.
Kim’s seen Jack thousands of times. She’s seen him hair up, hair down, wet hair, dry hair, ponytail. She’s seen him in a gi, in a shirt, in a henley, in a tank top, shirtless, all of the above.
But this? Whatever she’s seeing in front of her? Holy shit.
She’s well aware that there’s a handful of girls absolutely staring Jack down like he’s a prize to be won, and Kim cannot be any prouder that he’s hers, and has been for years. Besides, what she’s seeing right now? Oh. That’s all hers. It’s like a movie, with Jack walking towards her, hair wet but quickly drying under the hot sun. His hair is curling up slightly with the humidity, and water droplets from the ocean are catching at the ends of his hair and on the surface of his skin. But it’s that fucking necklace that catches Kim’s attention.
The necklace is still on Jack’s neck, tied around his throat securely. It bounces as Jack picks up his pace and hurries towards her, and it reflects off the sun, and Kim wants to pull Jack in by that stupid necklace and kiss him senseless in front of everyone. Maybe even do worse. That fucking necklace is going to be the end of her, and she knows Jack knows it too.
Jack grows close enough for her to spring forward and hop into his waiting arms. Her legs lock around him tightly as he spins her around (god, it’s been almost three years and she still can’t get enough of his spinning hugs). As soon as he places her on the ground she’s suddenly engulfed in a signature Jack hug; one of those hugs she gets almost on a daily basis but still could drown in. “Did you see that? I told you I could do it,” Jack says, pulling away slightly, just enough to hold her by the waist and brush his hair out of his eyes.
Kim nods, smiling. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Her fingers draw closer to the necklace Jack’s wearing.
“You really like this necklace, huh?” Jack asks. He follows her movements and wraps his fingers around the pendant as well.
“It’s cute,” is all Kim says. She’s not about to confess that she might have a thing for that necklace.
Jack nods, pretending he doesn’t know that she’s absolutely obsessed with it. “Well, I don’t think Milton or Rudy will be done for a bit, and Jerry’s definitely about to take that girl out, so…” He takes Kim’s hands in his. “Wanna head out for a lunch date?”
Kim smiles at that, and only pretends to be absolutely annoyed when Jack starts shaking his head to dry his hair like a dog. She may be covered with a mild spray of ocean air, but the smell of salt water, sand, and sweat might be Kim’s favorite of Jack’s scents.
“You can just tell me you’re obsessed with my necklace,” Jack randomly says, during lunch. He points at her with his fork, and tilts his head in the most stupid and attractive movement. “I’ve seen you staring at it. For years, Kim.”
Kim rolls her eyes, tossing her braid over her shoulder and pointing back at Jack with her fork. “I am not obsessed with your necklace. Don’t get so full of yourself.” She stabs at the salad in the middle of the two of them. The other plate in between them is a shrimp platter that the two of them have been working on for the past half hour. Every time they eat together, they end up eating food off of each other’s plate anyway; after a month of this happening, Kim and Jack decided to just put both in the middle. It’s been a fantastic compromise.
Jack gives Kim a cocky smile, and picks up a shrimp. “Okay. So if you’re not obsessed with my necklace, then that means…” He nudges her foot under the table. “You’re obsessed with me!”
Kim steals Jack’s strawberry lemonade and takes a sip. “What gave you that idea? It’s not like I’ve been dating you for the past three years,” she says sarcastically.
“So you are obsessed with me,” Jack replies, running a hand through his awfully messy hair. It’s dry now, but not styled, and Jack looks like he just woke up. Kim wants to touch it, pull it back for him, run her fingers through it. “I knew it.”
“You’re so dumb,” Kim says, hiding her smile.
Jack gives her a winning smile. “But you’re definitely obsessed with my necklace too.”
Kim flips her fork around to point at him again. “Jack.”
“Love you too, Kim.” Jack dips his shrimp into the cocktail sauce, and props his elbow up on the table. “Say ‘ah?’”
Kim rolls her eyes, but opens her mouth anyway.
“Oh, you’re definitely obsessed with my-”
Kim wraps her index finger under the wire and pulls Jack closer to her. “Shut up.”
“Gladly,” Jack replies. They fall onto his bed silently, fitting their bodies together to match the beats of their hearts.
The pendant moves at the same pace Jack does, hovering above Kim as she curls her fingers in his sheets. It’s mesmerizing. So much so that she has to reach up and catch it in her mouth so that it’ll stop hypnotizing her into oblivion.
“Fuck,” Jack mumbles, as Kim pulls him closer to her. “You are obsessed.”
Kim digs her heel into Jack’s leg in response.
“Kimberly Crawford!” Jack calls, walking into the living room. It’s early afternoon now, the two of them having slept in until nearly noon. After a few rounds, Kim finally managed to crawl out of the heaven that is Jack’s arms so she could at least get some kind of food to fuel herself.
Kim turns around, smiling as she watches Jack stride into the kitchen with purpose, motive. He’s in a pair of sweatpants, and his hair is tousled as if they just had sex (well…..). And his eyes are roaring. “Hm?”
“Where’s my-” Jack blinks again, seeing her clearly, and sighs. “Jesus Christ.”
“What?” Kim asks, innocently. She smiles as Jack eyes her, in her wrinkled satin nightgown. This nightgown is Kim’s favorite thing to wear, and it’s Jack’s favorite to see her in. The white is soft, the neck dips low, and it slips off perfectly.
He walks towards her, and cups her face in one hand while the other wraps around her waist. “Fuck, now I know why you’re so obsessed with this.” Jack hooks his finger inside the circle on the necklace around Kim’s neck. “I bet I also look fucking hot with this on.”
Kim laughs. “Yeah, well…” she wraps her hands around his neck. “I’m not going to fight you on that.”
Jack gives her an identical necklace, with a gold instead of silver circle, as a moving-into-college gift. Kim still prefers his.