𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐋², jack champion

061, 𝐢'𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬...

061, 𝐢'𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬...
irl
(song for this chapter is 'the
view between villages' — noah
kahan)

JACK +
april 23, 2025

The airport buzzed with life, but it all blurred into static. My leg bounced uncontrollably as I sat by the boarding gate, gripping my phone so tightly it was a miracle the screen didn't crack. Los Angeles felt like a distant dream, though I was only hours away from being there.

Hours away from seeing Juniper again.

Two months. That was how long it had been since the Beetlejuice premiere in London. Two months of distance, late-night phone calls, and text messages that felt too short no matter how long they actually were. Things had been... good, better than I'd let myself hope, but there was still this gnawing fear in the back of my mind. What if it wasn't enough? What if she'd moved on from the idea of us while I'd been thousands of miles away?

For the first time in months, I wasn't on a plane headed to a film set in New Zealand or back home to Virginia. I was going to her. For good.

The thought both excited and terrified me.

I shifted in my seat, thinking over every detail of my plan. Jenna and Vinnie were meeting me at LAX. I'd already booked a hotel close to the venue where she'd be performing her second-to-last show of the US leg. The next morning, Jenna would sneak me backstage before Juniper left for the arena, and I'd be there, waiting for her. Waiting to see her face when she realized I was back—not just for a weekend, but to stay.

I'd spent the entire flight from Wellington to here in Auckland rehearsing what I'd say to her, a speech I'd rewritten a dozen times. But every version of it felt inadequate. How do you sum up months of regret, longing, and love in a few sentences? How do you convince someone to take a chance on you again, when you know you've already hurt them once?

The truth was, I loved her. I still love her, more than I'd ever admitted to myself before.

The announcement for boarding snapped me out of my thoughts. I grabbed my bag and headed to the line, nerves coiling tighter with every step.

As the plane ascended into the sky, my mind drifted to the past—moments that felt like lifetimes ago, moments that had changed everything. I thought about the way she'd inspired me, pushed me to be better even when I didn't realise it. She'd been my biggest cheerleader, my partner in crime, my safe space. And I'd taken that for granted once. I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

The first time I met Juniper was etched in my memory like a favorite scene from a movie. The Scream cast had been at that tiny café, the one tucked away near the studio, and she had come rushing in, running late for an interview with Spotify. She'd hugged everyone quickly, her energy chaotic and radiant, and when she got to me, I swear my heart skipped a beat. She barely said any words to me, too preoccupied with the time, but that brief hug left a mark. It was ridiculous, honestly, how someone could have that kind of effect in just a few seconds.

Then there was the Scream Six premiere. That was the night everything changed. She'd been wearing this dress that made her look like she'd stepped out of some ethereal dream, and I couldn't stop staring. Of course, I ruined any chance of seeming cool by knocking over a stack of napkins at the concession stand. She'd laughed, this warm, teasing laugh that made me both want to disappear and bask in it forever.