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“Can’t you stay?” Kim asked, face buried in Jack’s chest.
“I’m so tempted right now,” he murmured, dropping a kiss onto her head.
Her arms were wrapped around him tight and Kim never wanted to let go. When she was all tangled up with him, nothing could get to her. The safest place in the world was his bed or hers when he was with her. Now she was moving across the country from him and wouldn’t be in his arms again for months.
“But I can’t stay,” he said apologetically. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“It’s okay.” She still didn’t let go, she physically couldn’t bring herself to. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”
“Not as much as I’m gonna miss you.”
Kim lifted her head up, eyes welling with tears even though she’d promised she wasn’t going to cry. “I love you, Jack.”
He looked like he was going to cry too. “I love you more.”
“That’s impossible.” Smiling through her tears, Kim reached up to kiss him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything,” he told her. “You’re my favourite person in the world.”
“And you’re mine.”
“Five more minutes?”
“Whatever you want.”
They were currently curled up together in Kim’s bed for the last time. This was the last time Jack had snuck in through her window. The last time she curled her fingers into her sheets as he whispered in her ear that she had to keep quiet so he parents wouldn’t find out. The last time she’d stolen his hoodie partially because she was cold and partially because she’d always had a weakness for those unbelievably toned arms of his. Everything really was ending.
“Are you gonna miss me?” Jack asked.
Kim snorted. “What kinda question is that? Of course I am.”
“I’ve heard Penn State frat boys do it different.”
“If his name isn’t Jack Brewer, I don’t want him.”
“And that’s why you’re my favourite.”
“Also I’m your girlfriend and you love me.”
He kissed her forehead. “That too, baby.”
“So can I open the box?” she asked hopefully.
She’d been asking this question all week, always when he was in an extra good mood. But she never got the answer she wanted. She could convince Jack to do anything (even cut off that God-awful man-bun), but he still hadn’t budged on the box.
“I told you that you can only open it when you get there,” he said. “And besides, I already gave it to your dad to ship out.”
“Ugh, I hate you.”
“So should I go?”
“Don’t you dare.” Her arms tightened around him. “I just wanna know what’s in it.”
“Four years of my utter love and devotion.”
“Except for all the girls who kissed before me.”
“Hey, I’m not keen on all the guys you kissed before me either.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Just wait until you get there, okay? I promise it’ll be worth it.”
Kim was more than a little suspicious. As the only girl in a group of childish boys, she’d been on the receiving end of pranks too many times for her liking. But Jack had never once pranked her since they got together, so maybe it wasn’t that.
To distract herself from the potential doom packaged up in a cardboard box, Kim stroked Jack’s hair. It was almost obnoxiously soft and silky, just like Jack was annoyingly good at everything he tried. He might not have been the absolute perfect man, but God did he have perfect hair.
“I should just sneak into your dorm,” he said. “I can be your pillow.”
“You know how I like a pillow.” Kim bit her lip. “But you start college soon too.”
Jack was actually doing a degree in sports psychology at Seaford University while also working as a sensei at the dojo. Kim, however, was travelling across the country to Penn State to do a degree in sports journalism. It had been her dream since she was a kid and it was finally coming true.
“I know,” he said. “And we’ve done long distance before.”
“Yeah,” she said. “And it’ll be nice to have more than one phone call a month.”
“And Penn State has that awesome stadium.”
“And you’ll get to be some kid’s Rudy.”
“I don’t know about that.”
Kim smiled. “We’ll always be connected, remember?”
He reached for her throat, tracing the pendant of the necklace he’d got her. Engraved on it was the date they met in the cafeteria when he caught her apple. Jack had an identical one hanging from his neck, but his was silver instead of gold. A coincidence if you’d believe it.
Jack kissed her collarbone. “Always.”
One last hug before they got out of bed. They’d agreed that he wouldn’t come to see her off because if he came, she wouldn’t go. It had been the same when she left for the Otai Academy a year before. If Jack was there, she wouldn’t have got on the plane. It wasn’t because he’d force her to stay, but because she’d worry about leaving him and missing him too much and not be able to bear the thought of being away from him.
Call her codependent, but everything was easier when she had Jack at her side. He reminded her of her fight, pushed her to try harder, and never let her hold back. Her personal cheerleader who was always pushing her out of her comfort zone. But leaving him and losing the security of Jack being there to catch her when she fell and help her up again was really fucking scary.
They stood next to Kim’s window, foreheads touching one last time. They used to do this before every tournament, even before they were dating.
“I love you so fucking much, baby,” Jack told her, voice cracking. “Call me everyday, yeah?”
“Every single day.” Kim’s voice was shaking too. “I love you more than anything.”
Their last kiss was gentle and sweet, just like the one last year. When Kim listened hard enough, she could hear both of their heartbeats. She liked to think that they were in sync, that their heartbeats had aligned perfectly the day they met and now beat to the same rhythm of a song no one else knew.
“Bye, Kim,” he whispered, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
“Bye, Jack,” she whispered, gently caressing his face.
He took a piece of her heart when he climbed out of her window and she felt a piece of hers go with him. He’d had her heart since they were thirteen and she’d had his for just as long, but it didn’t stop the ache in her chest as she watched him walk away from her house.
“What’s that?” Missy asked, looking up from her phone.
“It’s from my boyfriend,” Kim replied. “He’s been very mysterious about it.”
Their parents had finally left, agreeing to grab coffee together before Missy’s parents drove Kim’s back to the airport. Kim had been texting the other girl ever since roommate assignments came out and she was relieved to find out that they got along well.
“Ooh, exciting.” Missy put her phone down and turned to face her.
Kim pulled the box onto her lap and used a pair of scissors to slice through the thick brown tape to open it.
Oh.
This couldn’t be real.
How had he done this?
The flaps of the box were covered in various pink stickers. The letter K, a pink karate belt, a pink gi, pink milkshake icons, pink lipsticks and more. The inside was filled with items that made her heart ache a little.
“Girl, where did you buy him?” Missy demanded. “Oh, this is so cute! Oh my God, should I film a reaction for you to send to him?”
“Er, okay,” said Kim, unlocking her phone and handing it over.
“What’s his name again?”
“J-Jack.”
God, it was like he was here in the room, whispering filthy things into her ear while at a social event to make her blush and stammer. Of course, she always got him back by letting her hands wander up his leg underneath the table while he was talking
“Hi, Jack!” Missy said, hitting record. “This Kim’s roommate, Missy. She is utterly amazed by your box and I am wondering if you have a brother who has the same craft skills.”
Kim started sorting through the items in the box. A pink copy Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen which she said she wanted to read ages ago, but never got round to. Pink lip glosses, a strawberry body wash and a body scrub. A pink sweater because it gets cold out East. The red and pink box of Mike N Ike candy. And then the thing that made her almost burst into tears.
A pink picture frame holding a photo of them at one of the very first tournaments they went to. It was a candid photo, but you would’ve thought it was staged. Had they really always looked at each other like that? Like there was no one else in the room and it was just them.
If the picture didn’t make her cry, but the envelope at the bottom was sure going to.
“Okay, you are actually the sweetest man on the planet,” Kim told the camera. “When did you do all of this? How did you do the flap things? Ugh, Jack, I love you.”
“You guys are my favourite couple already,” said Missy.
“You can stop recording,” Kim told her. “I’ll send it to him now. Thanks for doing it.”
“No problem,” she replied. “But does Jack have a brother?”
“Way older and way married.”
“Bummer. Any other crafty friends back home?”
Kim laughed. “Jerry and Milton can’t craft to save their lives. I didn’t even know Jack could do this.”
Missy leaned over to run her finger along the pink stickers on the flaps. “I think this is, like, Cricut.”
Kim frowned. “Cricket?”
“No, Cricut. You know those machines that can cut things out?” Missy pulled out a photo on her phone. “People do bookbinding and sticker making with them. They’re pretty cool, my mom has one.”
“I didn’t know Jack had one,” said Kim. “He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy.”
While Jack was a whiz at science and psychology, art class had been his own personal hell. He never claimed to be creative, even using a stencil to carve Halloween pumpkins. But now he had a Cricut and was making her care packages and writing her letters? It made her heart flutter a little bit.
She read the letter after messaging Jack.
Kim
unboxing video.mp4
you’re actually the sweetest cutest guy alive
i love you so much and thank you for everything xxx
you’re the best bf in the whole wide world <3
Jack <3
Anything for my girl xx
I love you more baby x
Dear Kim,
Now you’re at Penn State!!!! Even though you’re so far away now and I know I’m gonna miss you more than anything, I’m so fucking proud of you. Kim Crawford world domination here we come.
So I was at the mall the other week (so surprising, right? I literally never go there) and I saw this raffle going on for charity. It was for kids with cancer who can’t afford treatment so (like the amazing guy I am) I paid and got a bunch of tickets for the chance to win these prizes. I didn’t even care about them, I just wanted to donate, but I ended up winning this Cricut — photographed on the right. It’s a photogenic son of a bitch, isn’t it? Don’t tell Jerry/Milton/Rudy, but it’s now my second best friend after you.
At first I was like what the fuck is a guy like me gonna do with one of these? I was planning on just taking it to the thrift store or asking one of the kids at the dojo if they wanted it. Then I had this idea. !!ELITE JACK BRAINWAVE ALERT!! I could make you care packages (and Jerry and Milton if I’m feeling extra extra nice but mainly you). So I looked up all these tutorials and I went to Sephora (it’s so scary in there) and I talked to this lady about lip gloss and I got you the stuff then I went to all the other places.
And then I was like damn I’m winning the boyfriend games this year. By the way, the winner gets the best girlfriend in the world and I already won because I have you.
So that’s how you ended up with the box and I admit, yes, I did have fun teasing you about it. You look so cute when you’re annoyed and thinking. You’re gonna get one every month and every month there’ll be a different colour and a new letter from me. It’s so you can have a piece of me with you and so I have something fun to do when I’m not teaching or at school.
Also wouldn’t it be really fun if we put all this stuff in a scrapbook?? Like to show our kids and stuff. Not that I’m pressuring you. I just thought it would be cute to show a mini Kim what I did for you when we were at college.
That’s all for this month then because I’m running out of things to say and ink in my pen (I need to buy new ones before school starts).
I love you, baby, and I can’t wait for you to have the time of your life at college and have all your dreams come true.
All the love in the whole entire universe (and then some), Jack xxxxx
P.S when you take over the world, make me your vice dictator. I’m good eye candy for the posters, remember? X
Kim smiled at Jack’s letter, feeling her cheeks heat up. She couldn’t stop smiling or rereading it even in the darkness, her smile widening every time she reread the part about a mini Kim. He was right, that was a cute idea. She messaged him again, reaching for her phone in the dark as quietly as possible so she wouldn’t wake Missy.
Kim
i’m gonna cut off the flaps and keep the letter forever
we can make the scrapbook next time i’m home xx
Jack <3
I’ve already bought the book x
Falling asleep in a strange new place so far away from home was a little easier with his letter tucked underneath her pillow. A piece of his heart hung from her throat and now another piece was underneath her pillow. Their connection was as strong as ever and Kim couldn’t wait until the next month.