tying up loose ends ☆ a jack harlow fanfiction

2014 fall & winter

Jack and Beth didn't talk for four months following their fight. Now, not only did they avoid each other at school, but at home too. Whenever their parents wanted the two families to do something together, either Jack or Beth would conveniently be busy. Beth could see Jack's front door from her bedroom window, and she would often see him sneaking girls in while his parents weren't home. What hurt is when he brought the same girl home more than once, because Beth knew that that girl could be building the connection with him that she had. Part of her hated herself for speaking out. All she ever wanted was for him to love her back. She should've just accepted the sentiment, even if she didn't believe it. However, the other part of her knew that if she didn't say anything, it would hurt even more to hear him say he loved her while he continued to act  like he didn't. 

Then, November 7 came. It was a Friday and the crisp fall air was met with a light rain that made the weather miserable. Weather like that always made Beth tired, and by the time she returned home from school, she was ready for a nap. She changed into plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt advertising her middle school football team that had long ago been retired from her closet. She was pulling back the comforter on her bed when the doorbell rang. Assuming it was just someone trying to sell something, she ignored it, but it rang again. Beth sighed and went back downstairs to answer the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Jack on the other side.

"Hey," he said simply, looking at her with a nervous expression.

"Hi," Beth responded.

"Can I come in?"

Beth shrugged and stepped aside so that Jack could walk past her into the house. Instinctually, he headed straight for her bedroom, the place where he had spent so many afternoons that spring and summer. Beth was too tired to stop him, so she followed and they both got settled on the bed, siting cross legged and facing one another.

"Can I help you with something?" Beth asked, still having some built up resentment against Jack. 

"Yes actually," Jack had a plan in mind when he came to the house today, but he suddenly felt stupid. "I um...my mixtape comes out tonight. I've been working on it forever, but I don't know. I just...I wanted do share it with you first. Will you listen to it with me?"

Honestly, all Beth wanted to do was take her nap, but she never quite learned how to tell Jack no. She was too tired to try to resolve things between them, and she thought this was the closest to an apology from Jack that she would ever get.

"Yeah, let me hear it."

For the next half hour, they sat on the bed with the ten tracks playing from Jack's phone. He looked up at her occasionally, hoping to read her expression and determine what she thought. Once again, he had no idea what she was thinking. As the last song, entitled Family Vacation, faded out, he paused the music and looked up at her, their first true eye contact since that July day. It made Beth's heart physically hurt, looking at him like this, as if they were okay.

"So, what did you think?" 

"It was great Jack. You could really do something with your music."

She smiled at him and he knew she meant it. She was truly proud, and Jack hated himself for ever hurting her.

"Thank you for letting me play it for you."

"Of course, any time. I was actually about to take a nap but..."

"Do you mind if I stay?" 

"Oh um...yeah sure."

Jack removed his pants and shirt and put them in a pile on the floor. Beth had been in this situation with Jack many times before, and she expected him to try to seduce her. She knew she would've let him. But he didn't. He simply turned off the light and got in the bed under  the covers. Jack was unsure of how close Beth would let him get to her, so he kept his distance, but when they woke up from the nap an hour later, their bodies were intertwined.

...

The next morning, Beth went out to check the mail and found a dozen roses on the front porch. She picked them up and removed the small card.

Thank you for listening to the mixtape with me. It means a lot. By the way, I'm sorry.

-Jack

P.S. I still love you

She smiled and held the card to her heart. She snuck the roses upstairs, not wanting her parents to see them and ask questions. 

Just like that, things were back on between Jack and Beth. They hung out nearly afternoon after school, but they didn't always have sex. Some days they watched movies and others, Jack helped Beth prepare for the SAT and ACT. She had already taken both and had scores that Jack assured her would get her into Yale, but it wasn't good enough for Beth. Some afternoons, he would surprise her with fast food or overpriced iced lattes. He never got her coffee order wrong. Regardless of the coffee shop, he had her order memorized. At school, Jack sometimes smiled or said hi when he passed her in the hallways, but no one would guess that they were together. In fact, Beth didn't even know if they were together. She assumed that Jack was still sleeping with other people, but she didn't ask. There was an understanding between them that they loved each other but they didn't say it, both fearing the conflict it caused last time. Jack's mixtape gained some traction in the area. Him and Beth were in the car together when they heard one of his songs on the radio for the first time. They turned it up, riding around town with all of the windows down. It was perfect, but Beth feared that as Jack's music gained popularity, she might lose him once again, for good this time.