[NO SMUT]
Fifteen minutes later, the large bathtub was filled with warm water and drifting bubbles.
Haley rested against Jack's shoulder with her legs stretched out beneath the water, looking far too relaxed. Her damp hair fell loosely behind her while Jack lazily traced circles against the back of her hand with his thumb.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The quiet felt comfortable.
Eventually, Jack let out a small breath and tilted his head back against the tub. "You know," he said, glancing sideways at her, "I actually had this whole day planned out."
Haley smiled immediately without even opening her eyes. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," he replied. "I was gonna let you rest for a bit after the flight first. Then lunch at that rooftop restaurant you kept sending me pictures of."
Her eyes opened slightly. "The fancy seafood one?"
"That's the one," Jack nodded. "After that, I planned a long drive through the city, then shopping because I already know you would've found at least six things you 'absolutely needed.'"
Haley grinned shamelessly. "Accurate."
Jack laughed quietly before continuing. "Then a quick yacht ride near sunset, walk along the beach later, come back here to check out whatever dresses we bought, and dinner at that seaside restaurant near the marina."
Haley stared at him for a second before her smile softened into something warmer. "Okay… wow."
"What?"
"That's actually really sweet," she admitted.
Jack shrugged a little like it wasn't a big deal, though the faint smile on his face gave him away completely. "Wanted your first day here to be good."
Haley looked down at the water for a moment, then bumped her shoulder lightly against his. "So I kinda ruined all your plans, huh?"
Jack looked at her like the answer was obvious. "Nope."
Haley raised an eyebrow.
"Sex was way better," he replied casually.
She immediately smacked his arm with a laugh. "Jack!"
"What?" he asked innocently while trying not to grin.
Haley shook her head, though she was still smiling. "Yeah, okay, it was fun and all, but now I've got cramps down there. I might walk weird for a while."
Jack instantly looked guilty and amused at the same time. "Sorry."
"You should be," she replied dramatically while sinking lower into the warm water. "I'm suffering here."
"You were literally the one who started it."
Haley pointed at him accusingly. "And you could've stopped me."
Jack stared at her for two seconds before laughing. "And deny us of an awesome sex filled with intense orgasms? There was absolutely zero chance of that happening."
That made her laugh too.
The sound echoed softly through the bathroom before fading back into the calm quiet around them.
Haley rested her head against his shoulder again afterward, her fingers lazily playing with his hand beneath the water. "Honestly, though," she murmured, "I don't even care that we ruined the schedule."
Jack glanced down at her. "No?"
She shook her head lightly. "I just wanted to be with you again."
Something about the way she said it made his expression soften immediately.
Jack leaned down and kissed the top of her head slowly before wrapping an arm more securely around her shoulders. "Good," he said quietly. "Because we've got the whole week."
...
Late noon sunlight spilled across the balcony in soft golden stripes while ocean wind drifted through the open glass doors behind them. The waves below rolled lazily against the shore. It was a peaceful scene that one could easily just stare at without thinking for hours and still never get bored.
Haley sat curled sideways in one of the outdoor lounge chairs with a fluffy white robe wrapped around her, one leg tucked beneath her, while she slowly stole fries from Jack's plate. Her damp hair was still slightly messy from the bath, and every few minutes she kept smiling to herself for absolutely no reason.
Jack noticed every single time.
"You've been doing that for like ten minutes," he said while cutting into his grilled salmon.
Haley looked up innocently. "Doing what?"
"That cute little smile."
"I can't help it," she admitted while stealing another fry. "I'm having a good day."
Jack laughed quietly and leaned back in his chair, stretching one arm across the table toward her. Haley immediately grabbed his hand without interrupting her eating.
For a while, they just sat there comfortably, eating lunch.
Haley glanced at him over the rim of her drink. "So…" she started carefully. "Are you disappearing again after this trip?"
Jack already knew what she meant.
The last couple of years had been brutal schedule-wise. Long shoots, constant travel, press tours, rewrites, meetings, location changes. Sometimes it felt like he lived more inside airports and hotel rooms than actual homes.
He rubbed his thumb lightly against the back of her hand before answering. "I've got another movie lined up," he admitted. "But not right now."
Haley's expression shifted slightly at the first half of the sentence before relaxing again at the second.
Jack noticed that too.
"I'm serious," he continued. "Right now, I'm mostly focusing on the promotion for Planet of the Apes. Interviews, premieres, all that stuff." He exhaled slowly and leaned back further into his chair. "After that, I'm taking a break for a while because I'm honestly exhausted."
Haley looked at him more carefully then.
Now that he mentioned it, she could see it a little. Not physically exactly, because he still looked good, annoyingly perfect actually, but there was tiredness in his eyes. The kind that came from constantly moving without stopping long enough to breathe.
"All that traveling messed you up that badly?" she asked.
Jack nodded once. "Vancouver almost killed me." He took a sip of his drink before continuing. "One week I was filming in freezing rain, then suddenly I'm in Hawaii sweating through three shirts a day. My body gave up trying to understand what climate we lived in."
Haley laughed quietly at that.
"I'm not kidding," he continued. "There were days I woke up and had no idea what city I was in for like thirty seconds."
"That sounds horrible."
"It kinda was." He smiled faintly afterward though. "Still worth it, but the experience was really horrible."
Haley studied him for another second before her expression softened again. "So you're really taking time off?"
"Yeah," Jack replied easily. "You're gonna be seeing a lot more of me from now on."
That immediately made her smile again.
"Good," she said while squeezing his hand once. "Because long-distance sucked."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You survived."
"I survived out of spite."
He laughed under his breath. "Fair."
Haley took another bite of her food before pointing at him with her fork. "Also, your schedule was insane. Half the time, I didn't even know when you were awake."
"You adapted."
"I had to." She shook her head dramatically. "Do you know how annoying it is to calculate time zones before flirting with your boyfriend?"
Jack grinned immediately. "You managed."
"Barely. I had to ask Alex for help. One time, I accidentally sent you a thirst trap at like four in the morning."
"You say that like it was a bad thing."
Haley laughed so hard she almost dropped her fork. "You replied with a shirtless mirror picture five minutes later."
"I was being supportive."
"Your next reply was I showed mine, now you show yours."
Jack looked very proud of himself. "I was horny, and I loved the pic you sent within a minute."
"Did you..." She gave a side nod. "You know... Do it?"
"Masturbate?"
"Mmm-hum."
"Yes."
Jack pointed a fry at her, "What about you?"
"Twice," Haley replied with a smirk.
The conversation settled again for a moment.
"What about you, though?" he asked. "How's work going?"
That instantly changed her energy.
Haley straightened slightly in her chair, trying and failing to hide the excitement that immediately appeared across her face. "Actually… really good."
Jack smiled faintly because he loved that tone... The proud one.
She tucked some hair behind her ear before continuing. "I'm officially handling parts of the seasonal design layouts now." There was obvious excitement in her voice now. "Like… actual decisions. Not just coffee runs and fixing mood boards."
"That's huge."
"I know." She grinned wider. "And people actually listen to me now. Which is still weird."
Jack tilted his head slightly. "Why weird?"
Haley shrugged a little. "I don't know. I guess because for a long time everyone kinda treated me like…" She paused briefly before laughing softly. "The pretty dumb one."
Jack's expression shifted immediately.
Haley noticed and pointed at him quickly. "Don't make that face. I'm okay."
"You were never dumb."
"Tell that to literally my entire school experience before you entered my life."
Jack shook his head lightly. "You think differently from Alex. That's not the same thing."
Haley looked down at the table for a second before smiling softly to herself. "Yeah… I know that now."
The breeze moved through the balcony again.
Jack watched her quietly for a moment before speaking again. "You seem happier lately." He noticed it a couple of months back when she got her promotion.
Haley looked back up at him. "I am happier lately."
"Because of work?"
"Partly." She smiled a little smaller now. "Because I finally feel like I'm good at something. Remember that talk back then? I finally found my spark, and it's awesome. I love my job."
Jack didn't answer immediately.
He just reached across the table and gently brushed his fingers against her wrist.
Haley's expression softened almost instantly.
"And," she added quietly afterward, "because every time I start doubting myself… you somehow make me feel like I can actually do things."
Jack leaned forward slightly with a small smile. "That's because you can."
Haley stared at him for a second before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "You know, sometimes you say things that sound really romantic without trying."
"I'm naturally talented."
She laughed again and threw a napkin at him.
Jack caught it easily before grinning. "See? Talented."
...[AN: Sorry about the slow updates. I was so exhausted after overtime at work that I didn't write anything in the last 5 days. Just started writing again today after wrapping up all the work. But still really tired. I don't want to do this, but I'm gonna take the week off. I really need some sleep lol.]
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