414Chapter 27
Jack smiled as Klara curled next to him on the train, she hadn't let go of his hand since leaving the communications office. Her hair smelled like fruit and vanilla, and her fingers were softer than he remembered. He was partially self conscious about the way he smelled and looked, but couldn't be held accountable for being held in a cell for more than two months. She sighed and giggled as she talked about Oliver, Katherine and the kids. He had missed her more than words could say, and couldn't wait to get back to Grandmere's house.
The door creaked as they entered together, Klara still gripping his hand for dear life. She walked in front of him for a moment, and he watched her hips sweep back and forth. He loved watching her walk, simple elegance and grace with every step. She turned back and smiled at him, dazzling him with her white teeth and bright eyes. Everything about her was the same, he was glad that he had been wise enough to send her away when he did. She had been untouched by the misery that had plagued him, thank God.
"So what would you like? Some dinner, a hair cut, a shower, a kiss?" Klara asked, shoving him into a chair.
"I think I'll start with the shower, then the hair cut, then dinner, and then the kiss. But, can I have more than one of those?"
"You can have as many of those as you want."
"Now go get in the shower, I'll fix dinner while you're doing that and then we can cut your hair."
"What's for dinner?"
"I brought some bread and cheese from Oliver's house. I know it's not much..."
"It's fine, and from the sound of it, it doesn't take much to prepare it...so how about you help me in the shower?" he said, deviously.
Klara blushed, and held out her hand to him. He lead her up the stairs, and they both stumbled into the shower. When Jack finally felt clean, they wandered back downstairs in their most comfortable clothes. Klara began to snip away at Jack's long, blonde hair, gently stroking his neck and face while she did. She snuck in a few well placed kisses before she was finished. Jack put a hand through his hair and felt like a new man. While Klara made dinner, he swept the kitchen floor, brushed off his back, and pulled on one of Grandpere's old cotton shirts.
Klara set the table for them, making Jack's portion a great deal larger than her own. He knew that saying something about it would do no good, so he ate the bread and cheese faster than he had ever eaten before. The bread was soft and chewy, and the cheese was flavorful and easy to swallow. Even though he had eaten a great deal of bread in his cell, he was glad for the freshness of what Klara had brought. Silence filled the room as they ate what was before them. Klara was through with her stories of his sisters and her brothers family, and Jack wasn't ready to explain everything that had happened in his cell.
When their plates were empty, Jack took several of Klara's promised kisses, making up for the ones he had missed while being away from her. It wasn't long before they were heading back up the stairs, this time to their bedroom.
He watched as she slept beside her, carefully stroking the dark wisps of hair that fell on her face. She sighed happily and burrowed deeper into his arms, he smiled outwardly, but was wondering how he was going to tell Klara what he needed to tell her. She stirred again, this time her eyelashes fluttered. Her eyes found him immediately, and her lips weren't far behind, gracing him with a kiss to start the morning.
"So I thought we'd go to Oliver's this afternoon, the girls will be absolutely thrilled to see you." Klara said groggily, her voice thick with sleep.
"That's fine." he sighed.
"What's the matter? I thought you'd want to see the girls."
"I do, that's not it, it's just..."
"It's just what Jack?" Her voice began to sound irritated. He knew that she was on edge, his being away had done far more than he had originally thought.
"We can leave today, but I won't be able to stay for very long."
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling herself up from the bed.
"When the Captain asked me to sign a release form, and you went outside...he asked me for some help, translating some of the files and translating communications coming through the radio frequencies. I told him that I needed some time to go see my sisters, and to recover from being in the cell. But I'm to report back to the communications office in one week."
"One week?" she whimpered.
"I know it's soon, but they need me, and I feel like I need to help if I can. They can't make heads or tails of half of the things in the office, things that could end the war faster if they knew what they were."
"Part of me wants to tell you no, be selfish and keep you for myself until the end of this horrible war. But, asking you to stay home would be asking you to change yourself, to change a part of you that I love."
"You are quite a girl Klara Eiffel."
"Do I need to ask you to be careful?"
"No." he laughed.
"Do I need to ask you to come home as soon as you can?"
"No, as soon as they're done with me, nothing will keep me away."
Despite the pout that was forming on her lips, he kissed her. She softened as he continued, and after a while, was giggling at his affection. They relaxed in their bedroom for a while longer, then went downstairs to finish up the bread before heading back to the train station. Jack could tell that Klara was trying to hide her worry by filling the train ride with conversation. He smiled the whole way back, letting himself forget that he only had a week to soak her in. The only consolation was that he would have a lifetime to be surrounded when he got home.
One more chapter for Klara and Jack! I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed thinking about it, and writing it! Not too sure about this chapter...it was a little hard to write, I'm liking the last chapter a lot more. Please, let me know what you think...any help is appreciated!
Also, I wanted to let you all know that I've just started posting a new story "Captivated" Here's a summary, I would love it if you checked it out! Please don't be put off by the long first chapter...I usually try to stay away from long first chapters, but it couldn't be helped!
Lilli is writing Joe, a soldier in France during WW2. She falls in love with the man behind the letters, and promises to love him no matter what when he returns to the states. When someone unexpected meets her at the dock, informing her of Joe's death, and admitting to being the man writing her, can she keep her promise? Can she forgive the man who's been lying to her for so long? Will love pass her by because of stubborn pride? - - Captivated