Union Jack (Jack Harries)

Four

(A/N: all names of people here minus Jack Harries are fictional, any similarities with a non fictional person is highly coincidental)

JACK 

"Your girlfriend....she's American?" 

"Yes, Eliza. For the tenth time, she's American."

"So, what are you guys going to do when she goes back at the end of the summer?" 

Jack was ready for all of his cousin's questions. How old is she, how'd you meet, blonde or brunette?

Except that. 

He hadn't exactly thought about how they'd be come fall. It wasn't him he was worried about; it was her.

Almost everyone at the program knew that the only reason Sovi was at the Summer program was to get into the Film programs at NYU or to get into LFS in general. But he hadn't pictured her not staying in London. He didn't see them going into a long distant relationship-- her in Maine, him in London...

He just couldn't picture it.  Or rather, he didn't want to. 

Eliza smiled and hooked her arm with her cousin's right before dragging him.

"Yeah, well I do. Let's go."

SOVI 

"Yes way! I'll have the letter with me when I fly there!" 

"You're the best friend ever. See you then." 

Sovi had just hung up on Viber with her best friend, Min, who was still back in Maine. She'd just told Sovi that a letter from NYU had arrived from her and Sovi was more excited than ever. She turned around to catch Jack behind her with a smile on his face and a bag of goodies on his arm.

"I take it, you and Eliza had a good day?" she asked, pocketing her phone.

"I take it you had a pretty good day yourself." Jack smiled, sneakily putting his arm around her waist, "so, who's the best friend ever? when exactly is see you then?" 

"Well, if you must know" Sovi sighed, with absolute delight as she put her hand over Jack's, "my best friend, Min, who's in Maine, told me that a letter from NYU came for me today! She's flying over in two weeks and we'll spend the rest of the Summer on a Euro trip after the Film Festival." 

He tried to put a smile on his face, but it came out more forced than  he'd meant for it to. And if there was anything Sovi knew she could never go wrong with, it was when she could tell that a smile was genuine or not. In this case, it obviously wasn't genuine.

But Jack genuinly was happy. He really was. Sovi was one step closer to achieving her dream and who was he to stand in the way she'd worked so hard for?

Sometimes, he just wished time would go slower so she wouldn't have to leave him so soon.

They were out in the open; in the lounge just before the residence halls. And yet, Sovi carefully took his hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't get your goodbyes ready just yet." she said.

Instantly, Jack perked up and smiled. "I wasn't going to" he said, "but I...well, Eliza, got you a couple things so that..." he trailed off and picked something out of the bag. 

As hipster as Sovi seemed to other people, she always had a charm bracelet on. She's had it since she was 13 as a gift from Min; it was a bronze, chain looking slave bracelet with 6 charms.

And now, 8.

He handed her a charm of Big Ben and a camera designed as a Union Jack. 

"So that London would always have that special place in your heart...or rather, wrist."