Lean on Me || Jill Roord

25. Germany

The flight into Munich wasn't terrible, as I slept almost all the way through it, not because I was tired but more so because I was bored. Nothing was piquing my interest, and I couldn't text Jill, so I resorted to sleep.

It was early in the afternoon when my plane landed, and hunger had started to gnaw at my stomach because I had missed breakfast this morning. I was busy saying goodbye to Jill.

Deciding to find a quiet restaurant within the airport to wait for Jack, whose flight was only thirty minutes behind mine, I turned my phone back on to let Jill know I had landed. Her response was almost immediate, and it made me smile knowing she was waiting for me to text her the moment I landed. Before I forgot though, I took out my computer and went through my emails, making sure I was all caught up and didn't have any brand deals over the holidays. That occupied me until Jack's plane landed and I sent him my location.

"You look like a homeless person." A voice caught my attention since I only had one AirPod in, and when I glanced up, a smile took over my face.

"Shut up, Jack Frost. It's good to see you." I stood up and gave him a quick hug before he took the seat in front of me. I hadn't seen him in person in ages, and I was glad both our schedules lined up for the holidays this year.

"What time do mum and dad's flight get in?" Jack asked with a silly American-German accent he had picked up while living in America for college.

I hummed while putting my laptop away, "Not until 17:45, I believe." This caused Jack to groan, and I snickered.

"That means we won't be at the house until after dinner time," he complained, and I only rolled my eyes at him. "I'm going to fall asleep before then." Jet lag had never been Jack's friend, if I was being honest.

"Oh, I'll keep you awake, don't you worry."

"Do NOT pour water on me again." He gave me a pointed look, and I gave him an innocent one back that made both of us laugh.

In the time we had to spare, we caught each other up on our lives and all the crazy things that were happening in the world. We talked about my knee briefly, and he was sad that I couldn't go snowboarding with him this year, but I told him we could do stick handling and light shooting. He told me about the girl he'd been chasing a majority of the year and how they got along really well. Telling me that she actually made the first move on him once he'd asked her on a date. Apparently she was the women's hockey team captain, and that gave me the perfect thing to tease him about. Something he didn't enjoy.

I told him how I went to Australia and the issues I caused, but how I'd fixed them as best I could for the time being and would continue to work on them from now on. That led him to ask about Jill, and I couldn't help the smile that took over my face. He asked if I was in love, and I think he already knew the answer.

By the time our parent's flight had landed, we were stuffed with the amount of shareable foods we'd ordered. Closing out our tab, we headed towards baggage claim, where we met our parents, who seemed visibly exhausted from the jet lag. I couldn't help but laugh about how I'd lucked out in that department.

The train ride from Munich to Hammersbach was filled with chatter between the four of us; all tiredness brushed to the side as we enjoyed each other's presence and discussed a week's worth of plans for the holidays. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and we decided on going out into town and enjoying good food and beer before spending Christmas Day cooking up a proper Christmas dinner the following day. The days following would be spent most likely at the slopes, where I'd probably spend time with my mum in the village at the base of the ski resort. I wish I wasn't injured, but I'd make do with it.

—

"Caroline," a voice whispered in my ear, making me jump out of bed. I'd never been more scared in my life; if I hadn't realised it was Jack beside my bed, I would've swung at him.