when jack harlow left louisville, kentucky after high school, he knew he was on to bigger and better things. he only regretted leaving behind one thing - beth, his life-long next door neighbor, his first everything, the girl he could never make his...
Beth was a wreck for the next 24 hours. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. She couldn't abandon Christian, but she also couldn't close the door on her and Jack's relationship forever. Eventually, she decided she needed to go, for closure if not for anything else. It seemed impossible to explain to Christian that the day after he got back in town, she needed to go home to Louisville indefinitely, but that he could not come with her. Beth decided to tell him that her parents had decided to downsize and sell her childhood home, and she needed to go help them and decide what things she wanted to keep from the house. Christian was skeptical, especially when she couldn't provide a date when she would be home. Beth knew she was being weird, but didn't know how to act like everything was normal when her future hung in the balance.
Jack didn't reach out after leaving New Haven. He wanted to give Beth the space to make the decision she truly wanted to make without his interference. After leaving, he felt slightly embarrassed for what he had done. She wasn't going to come. She had established an entire life without him in it; she had no reason to come back to the city where they fell in love all those years ago, but if she didn't come, at least he would finally know it was really over. Then he could heal from the information he had learned without being focused on pursuing Beth.
Despite his low expectations, Jack showed up at Louisville International Airport the following evening with a bouquet of roses. As people descended down the elevator to reunite with friends and family, Jack felt awkward standing there alone. He positioned himself on a bench and unlocked his phone to appear busy. The guide said her flight landed 13 minutes ago. If she wasn't there in the next half hour, he would leave. At least that's what he told himself, but after 36 minutes, he was still sitting in the exact same spot, the roses slumped by his feet. She wasn't coming; he knew she wouldn't. Why would she give up everything she had built to attempt a relationship with a boy she loved when she was a teenager? Jack had just put his phone back in his pocket and had stood up to leave when he saw Beth approaching him.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I couldn't find my luggage and then I got a Starbucks. I didn't know you were meeting me here."
There was no response for an uncomfortably long period of time. Jack was stunned to see her there in front of him, her suitcase in one hand and her coffee in the other.
"Of course I came to meet you. Let me take your bag," he grabbed the rolling suitcase from her hand and remembered the flowers. He picked them up and placed them in Beth's now free hand. "Oh, these are for you."
"Oh my gosh thank you. You didn't have to..."
"What'd you tell Christian?"
"What?"
"Where'd you tell Christian you were going?"
"To my parents'. I said they were selling the house."
Jack nodded. He hadn't really thought of what he was going to do if Beth actually showed up.
"So we're doing this?" He wrapped his arms around her neck and closed the gap between their bodies.
"Yeah, we're doing this, very slowly," Beth said with a smile, kissing him on the cheek and walking towards the exit.
...
Slow wasn't really Jack's thing. He had been moving slow with Beth since the day they broke up. All he wanted was to be with Beth in every aspect of the word. He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her lips and make love to her and be able to tell her he loved her and for her to know that he meant that he was in love with her. Beth must have wanted this too; she didn't come all this way for nothing. Yet, when they returned to Jack's apartment, she sat awkwardly on the couch, carefully watching his every move.
"You hungry? We can order food," Jack offered.
"Yeah sure, food sounds good."
"I'll order a pizza."
"Cool."
Jack sighed.
"Beth, what're your doing here?"
"You asked me to come see you."
"Right, to work on us."
"And we are."
"No we're not, you're acting the same around me as you always act."
Beth stood up from the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I mean what do your expect from me Jack?"
"I expect you to want me! That's why you came isn't it?" he shouted, catching her off guard.
"Oh please, you know not a day has gone by when I didn't want you."
"Then show me!"
He grabbed her by the collar of her sweatshirt and pulled her close, connecting their lips. After a moment, Beth pulled away.
"Jack..."
"Don't. I love you Beth."
Jack kissed her again, and this time, she didn't protest.
"I love you."
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