𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐋², jack champion

038, '𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧

038, '𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧
irl
(song for this chapter is 'tis
the damn season' — taylor
swift)

THIRD PERSON +
december 8, 2024

The sun was low in the sky, casting a golden light over the city as Juniper walked aimlessly, weaving her way through Central Park.

The crisp fall air bit at her cheeks, and she tugged her maroon scarf a little tighter around her neck, breathing in the scent of leaves and earth. Her AirPods hummed softly with Taylor's "evermore' album, and the moment ''tis the damn season' started, her heart gave a painful thud.

The lyrics seemed to mirror her thoughts, like the song had been written for her exact moment of confusion and heartbreak. The last five months had felt like both a blur and an eternity. And as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, the one constant in her heart remained Jack. No matter how much she had tried to bury the feelings, to move on, he was always there—lingering in her thoughts and haunting her memories.

She was reminded, with each verse, of the times she and Jack had spent together and how much she craved those moments again.

The small, stolen moments last Christmas: hands intertwined as they wandered through snow-dusted holiday markets, the way they'd tangled up on the couch under blankets, sipping hot cocoa and laughing as they watched Love Actually for the fifth time that week. She'd thought they would have that forever.

And maybe, in some strange, impossible way, she still wished for it.

The thought of ever loving someone else other than Jack felt unfathomable. After Louis, she'd been able to move on, finding herself falling into Joshua's arms within three months. But Jack was different. She knew it now more than ever, after months of sleepless nights and empty days that only seemed to stretch longer the further he drifted away from her life.

By the time she looked up, she found herself standing at the edge of her apartment building. The journey back had blurred, lost in her wandering thoughts. She took a deep breath and walked up the steps, heart pounding as Vinnie's words echoed in her mind. The parting words he'd told her as he headed off to the airport to go back to L.A.

Just listen to it, Juni. Even if it's only for closure.

When she entered her apartment, the emptiness was almost comforting. The silence wrapped around her like a cocoon, offering a brief refuge from the emotional whirlwind of the past few days. She tossed her keys onto the table, kicked off her shoes, and wandered into the living room, sinking onto the couch as she looked around, as if the walls might hold the answer to her confusion.

Her gaze fell on her phone, lying on the coffee table. She bit her lip, the knot in her stomach tightening as she remembered the voicemail Jack had left. For a couple weeks, she'd avoided it, letting it sit, untouched and unheard, as if ignoring it would make the pain go away. But Vinnie was right.

She needed to hear it, if only to find some semblance of peace.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she picked up her phone, her hands trembling as she scrolled to her voicemail inbox. Her thumb hovered over Jack's name, her heart racing.

She closed her eyes and pressed play, bracing herself.

The first word crackled to life, his voice low and raw, filling the room and pulling at her heart in a way only he could.