let the light in | jack hughes

Chapter 70

[February 28, 2024]

Beatrice

Around midnight I hear whispers coming from a few people and footsteps that are supposed to be quiet. I should be worried but I know it's my friends coming by to spend the entire day with me. I pull Ringo to my chest, kissing his head when my friends open the door to my bedroom. "Happy Birthday!" They yell, turning on the lights and popping confetti poppers. I keep my head to my pillow with a big smile, before getting up to hug them. 

I wrap my arms around Devon, rubbing her back and kissing the side of her head. Then I go to Dorothea and Nico, thanking them the same way. Last but not least Jack comes over to me, wrapping me up in the warmest and tightest hug. "Happy birthday, Stargirl," he says and I don't flinch away from it, I invite it. Instead of kissing the side of his head like I did the rest I give him a sweet little peck on his lips. 

"Not too much, Jack gets all blushy after a single peck," Devon teases, making Jack rub his cheeks to hide how red he gets when I initiate affection. They run off to the couch and an air mattress they brought while Jack gets in bed with me. He takes his pants and shirt off, scooting in behind me. I turn over to rest my head on his chest and take a deep breath. God, does he always smell this good? Jack starts squirming beneath me, making it really hard to fall asleep. 

"Are you alright?" I giggle, getting off of his chest, sitting up beside him. "Yeah, I just can't believe it. I get to hold you like this and it's making me giddy," he smiles, leaning up to kiss me. The kiss starts off slowly, just remembering the feel of each other's lips. I hold his neck with one hand, toying with the longer pieces of his hair. He hums into my lips each time I tug on those pieces, making me smile and break away from the kiss. 

Each time we break away to smile and breathe he tells me how much he missed me, and runs his nose along mine to just feel me. I kiss the tip of his nose making him blush more than four minutes ago when we were just making out. "It's the little things you do that give me chills. I've never experienced this kind of love. Like I just feel incredibly deeply for you. I can't wait to give you your presents," he says, intertwining our fingers and kissing them. 

Oh Kyndall you fucking fool, how could you let this boy go? But thank you for letting him come to me. We've only been trying this whole thing out for a few days but it's been the best. He sends me good morning texts, and poems, and steals kisses when we're at work. He looks behind me, getting out of bed to push my curtains open. I follow him to my window, looking at all the little stars in the sky he's staring at. "Look that one's twinkling extra bright, that one is for you," he points it out to me, moving to the side so I can see it. 

He holds onto my waist, drawing stars onto my lower back. I smile, thinking of the star as my Dad, and take Jack back to bed. "Did you get any new tattoos since I've been gone," he asks, running his finger over the R on my middle finger. I tell him about my finger tattoo, explaining to him the night I had with my friends in Italy. He doesn't stop running his finger over it as I tell the story. Then I lift my shirt up to my ribs and show him my Devon tattoo. "Oh, I adore this," he says, pressing a kiss to the ink, kissing his way down to my other tattoos.

This is already so different than when I tried telling these stories to Harrison. I ask him if he's gotten any tattoos and he shakes his head no. He'd like to but hasn't thought too much about it. As he talks I draw stars on his ribs, just like he was doing to me. I look at the way the moon illuminates his face and eyes, showcasing every freckle to me. Getting to watch his lips move this close, makes me want to pinch myself to make sure I'm not imagining this. 

We talk for the rest of the night, getting to know each other with no boundaries. I get to ask him questions about his family and kiss him as he answers. He asks about my childhood, asking questions about my Dad without knowing he isn't on Earth with us. "So he's the one who first called you his Stargirl? That's the cutest thing I've ever heard," he says, kissing the side of my head. He asks for more stories about him since he wants to be prepared to meet him, I don't have to heart to him he won't be properly meeting him until many, many years later.