[Dunphy house]
July 1st rolled in hot and lazy, the kind of summer afternoon where the air conditioner hummed nonstop.
Phil was out at work, and Claire took Luke to basketball practice. Only Alex and Haley were at home when Jack arrived 30 minutes ago.
Haley sat cross-legged on the couch, while Jack sat beside her with his arm draped casually along the backrest. She had been poking at him for the last ten minutes straight, trying every angle to crack the secret he kept dangling just out of reach.
"Come on, just tell me already," she said for what felt like the hundredth time.
Jack said. "No."
Haley groaned loudly and dropped her head on his shoulder.
"You have been teasing me about this surprise date for three days," she complained. "Three whole days. That is basically psychological torture."
Jack tilted his head and let his grin widen slowly. "If I tell you now, it stops being a surprise. That is the whole point of surprises, Haley. They surprise you."
She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the ribs. "You are the worst. I hate surprises when I have to wait for them."
He caught her hand before she could poke him again and tugged her a little closer. "Okay, fine. I might be convinced to spill early. But only if you pay the toll first."
Her eyebrows shot up. "The toll?"
"Yep." He leaned closer to her face. "A couple of kisses ought to do it. Fair trade."
Haley smirked, "You just needed an excuse to kiss me." She was already shifting forward.
"Maybe," He shrugged. "Is it working?"
She cupped his face with both hands and kissed him once, soft and quick, then pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. "That is one."
"Oh, it is working," He whispered. "And are we counting kisses now?
"You said a couple. That means two." She kissed him again, slower this time, lingering until his hand slid to the small of her back and pulled her in tighter. When they finally separated, both of them were breathing a little harder and smiling like idiots.
Jack reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet. He took two tickets out and held them up between two fingers so she could read the bold print across the top.
"What is th—" Haley stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened.
She stared at the tickets for several seconds like her brain needed time to process what she was seeing.
Then she looked back at Jack.
Then back at the tickets.
"Jack…" she whispered.
Her eyes locked on the words Beyoncé, July 13th, front row center section. The date, the venue, the seat numbers. Everything is real and impossible at the same time.
She blinked once, twice. "Those are sold out. Like, completely sold out. People were camping online for hours and still got nothing. And the scalpers are selling them for thousands. How did you even..."
Jack shrugged one shoulder, trying to play it cool even though the corner of his mouth kept twitching upward. "I have my ways. Pulled a couple of strings. Called in a favor from someone who knows someone. Figured you deserved something big after putting up with me and my busted ankle for weeks."
Haley stared at the tickets another second longer, then launched herself at him. She wrapped both arms around his neck and crashed into his chest hard enough to knock a surprised laugh out of him. Before he could steady them both, she started kissing him again, fast and giddy, peppering his cheeks, his jaw, his mouth, anywhere she could reach.
His wallet dropped on the couch.
"You are insane," she said between kisses. "You are actually insane and I love you so much."
Jack laughed as he tried to keep the tickets from getting crumpled.
"Yes, please try not to destroy them before the concert."
Haley didn't care.
She kept hugging him and kissing his cheek while grinning like she had just won the lottery.
At that exact moment, footsteps came from the staircase.
Alex appeared at the bottom, cello case slung over one shoulder like it weighed nothing. She stopped short when she saw the scene, sighed dramatically, and adjusted her glasses with her free hand.
"Seriously, you two," she said. "Get yourselves a room. Preferably one that is not the main living area where people have to walk through."
Jack pulled back so fast he almost toppled sideways on the couch. He cleared his throat twice and raised a hand in a quick wave. "Hey, Alex."
Alex gave him a small, amused smile despite herself. "Hey, Jack."
She walked to the main door and opened it just as a familiar silver SUV rolled to a stop at the curb outside. Cam hopped out of the driver's seat first, waving enthusiastically with both arms like he had not seen them in years. Mitch climbed out more slowly, already shaking his head at Cam's energy.
Alex glanced back over her shoulder. "It is Cam and Mitch. Looks like the whole family reunion is starting early today."
Haley quickly jumped up and whispered, "Hide the tickets, now!"
Jack quickly put them back in his wallet and put it back in his back pocket.
"Don't even mention anything about the concert before them. Cam and Mitch are big fans of Beyoncé, and if they hear that we are going there, they'll get all gloomy and probably will continue to bug you for a ticket," Haley warned him quickly.
//Haley's Confession//
Haley sat on the couch...
"Okay," Haley said, holding up a finger like she was about to present evidence in court. "Today was supposed to be perfect."
She began counting on her fingers.
"Mom and Luke? Gone. Dad? At work. Alex?" She nodded with deep satisfaction. "Finally going to her cello class."
For a moment, she just sat there, smiling at the sheer beauty of the plan.
"That meant," she continued, leaning back against the couch cushions, "Jack and I were going to be alone for the first time in like… a month."
She sighed dramatically.
"Between exams, his injury, physical therapy, and my cheer schedule, our dates have basically been: 'Hi, how are you?'"
She mimicked Jack's voice.
"'Good.'"
Then she waved a hand dismissively.
"'Okay bye.'"
Haley leaned forward a little, lowering her voice as if the couch itself might judge her.
"So today I had plans."
She nodded to herself, confident.
"Making out plans."
A beat passed.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I mean, like... a romantic moment," she corrected quickly.
Then she smiled in that slightly guilty way that suggested she absolutely meant making out.
"Maybe a few moments."
She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.
"And then, of course, Mitch and Cam show up at the exact worst possible second."
Haley threw her hands in the air.
"I swear they have some kind of supernatural radar for when people are about to kiss on the couch."
She dropped her hands back to her lap, still annoyed.
Then she leaned forward, lowering her voice to an intense whisper.
"And now we also have to hide the Beyoncé tickets."
She slowly shook her head like someone describing a disaster in slow motion.
"Because if Cam finds out…"
Haley let the sentence hang in the air.
"He will emotionally spiral," she said firmly. "Mitch will try to be supportive, but then he will spiral."
She gestured with both hands as if chaos were unfolding right in front of her.
"And suddenly our day becomes a three-hour discussion about the cultural importance of Beyoncé."
She sighed.
"Which, yes," she admitted, "she's iconic…"
Then she sat up straighter and pointed proudly to herself.
"But those are front row tickets."
Haley smiled with quiet triumph.
"And they're Jack's and mine."
//Haley's Confession End//
---
...[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
If you want to read early advance chapters and support me, you can join>:
patr*on.com/XcaliburXc
[I have > 15 advance chapters] > All chapters available for all tiers