tying up loose ends ☆ a jack harlow fanfiction

jack

Beth was silent on the drive to the hotel. She didn't know if Jack wanted her to say anything and if so, what she would say. When they got to the hotel room, Jack headed directly for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Jack?," Beth called sheepishly. "Do you want me to help you clean up?"

"Nah I got a handle on it."

"You sure? I want to make sure your nose isn't broken or anything."

"Beth, I said I got it," Jack answered shortly. "Maybe you should head back to yours. It seems like you and Christian still have some shit to work out."

"I have nothing to say to him right now."

"Fine. Take my credit card. Go get a Starbucks or something. Just give me some time to clean myself up."

"No I don't want to leave you alone."

"Jesus fucking Christ Beth just go!"

Everything was quiet for a minute, but then Jack heard the door slam and knew he was alone.

"FUCK," he screamed out, slamming his fists on the mirror.

His nose had to be broken based on the way that the bottom half was set off center from his face, and blood from the cut on his forehead had dried in his eyebrows. Worse than any of that, Christian made a good point. Beth and Jack had only loved each other very briefly six years ago. She had been with Christian three times as long as she was ever with him. They had things in common — they went to the same college, were going into the same profession, loved the same reality TV shows and bands that Jack had never heard of. Hell, they were even raising a dog together. Jack couldn't help but believe that someday soon, Beth would come to her senses and go back to Christian. She loved Jack more as a memory than a person, and he feared that he could only hold her attention for a short amount of time.

•••

When Jack got out of the shower and investigated his now clean but still battered face, Beth wasn't back. He debated calling her, but ended up calling Urban instead. Covered with nothing but a towel over his lower half, Jack flopped onto the bed and listened to the phone ring. Finally, his long-term friend answered.

"Yo."

"Urban, I think I might've fucked up."

Jack could hear him sigh. "Fuck Jack what'd you do?"

"I asked Beth to marry me."

"Beth? Like your Beth?"

"Yeah."

The line went quiet for a second, and Jack took the phone away from his ear to make sure the call was still going on.

"Did she say yes?" Urban finally asked.

"Yeah."

"Dude...you're getting married?"

Jack shook his head and ran his fingers through his wet curls.

"I don't know man...Lowkey feel like she just said yes on instinct because she was shocked. I don't know if she'll go through with it."

"Her? What about you? You're not ready to get married. You haven't even had a girlfriend since Beth."

"Yeah I...I'm not sure. I had to do something bold to get her back. Her boyfriend was gonna propose and I had to beat him to it so I didn't lose her forever."

"So why're you calling me Jack?"

"I don't know. Just had to get it off my chest I guess. Didn't know who else to call."

"Look man, it's your life, but I know you. I'm not sure that you can be someone's boyfriend, much less someone's husband. But hey, maybe it'll be different with Beth. I know you've always been hung up on her. Just...be careful. Can't have you fucking up your career because you're still hung up on the first girl who let you hit."

Jack thought Urban's perspective would help him, but it seemed they were so similar that they were equally conflicted. The old friends said their goodbyes and promised to catch up soon before hanging up. Jack debated getting up and getting dressed for several minutes, but after his fight with Christian, just getting cleaned up and showered had been exhausting. He laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling until Beth returned half an hour later. He thought proposing would fix everything, that he and Beth would automatically become the teenagers they once were again. They had lived a lot of life since then, both made a lot of mistakes. Jack wanted so badly to be a man who Beth would be proud to be with, but he just didn't know if he had it in him. At a loss of what to do, he put on a song he wrote when he first felt this way, after he first lost Beth.

Sometimes I wish you could meet me again
I know you always believed in the kid
And my music and that I'd succeed and go big
And subsequently, I'll be bringing you with
We would get married, and we would be rich
Everything changed, I wasn't the same
Now you think that you believed in a myth

•••

When you go to college and I chase a dream
Eventually, you'll find a man of integrity
Someone that's better you think I could never be, uh
Probably a guy with some muscles
The type that be smokin' and drinkin' that liquor
Probably a guy with a beard, probably a fella whose penis is bigger