"Are you sure?" Rianne asked. I had just told her and Madison about my plans for the summer and next year. I hadn't shared them with anyone yet, not even Jack. I didn't know if it was going to be a good idea or if I would regret it immediately, but either way, it was what I had decided to do. "I'm positive," I replied, nodding my head.
"I guess if it's what makes you happy then you need to go for it," Madison said. I had only a few days until my plan started. Which meant time was running out and I was going to have to quit stalling, I'm going to have to tell Jack sooner or later. I had just decided that later would be better. I didn't want him to try and talk me out of it, even though he always says you need to follow your dreams, I didn't think he'd want me to follow this dream.
***
I sat with Jack in his room. My heart was pounding and I was deciding whether or not I should tell him. He must have known something was up because he kept staring at me. "Why are you staring at me?" I asked. "You just seem worried. What's wrong?" he asked grabbing my hand and kissing the back of it.
I smiled decided I'd tell him eventually. Right now, all I wanted to do was just be with him and not worry about the future. "Nothing. I was just thinking about stuff," I shrugged and leaned into him.
***
More days had gone by than they should've without me telling Jack my plans. I finally decided one day while I knew Jack was on his way to my dorm that I was going to have to tell him. We were going back to Omaha tomorrow and there were only a few more days I could keep this from him.
There was a knock on the door and I stood up. My hand was shaking when I lifted it to the door knob. "You look worried again. Lakyn, something is definitely wrong. Tell me," was the first thing Jack said when he walked into the door. "I'm leaving," I blurted.
"Leaving to where?" I explained to him my plan and he listened intently.
"I wake up day after day and I do the exact same things over and over again. It was fine for a while because it was something new, but it's so dull now. The only good part of my day is getting to see you."
"So where exactly are you going?" Jack asked.
"I don't know exactly. Anywhere? Everywhere. I'm going to finish school abroad again then we'll see where I end up. I don't like being at the same place for too long," I told him. "Things start getting predictable and I don't like predictable."
"Lakyn. Are you going to do this forever?"
"No, not forever. Just until I'm ready to settle down or once I have nowhere left to go."
"What about us?"
"That's why I waited so long to tell you. I don't think there can be an us if I don't know where I'm going and you stay here."
Jack's face was a mixture of grief and anger and I was waiting for him to explode, but he never did. Not for a while anyway. He was silent for a few minutes, letting it sink in. Then he finally got up and silently walked out of the room. I felt my heart break in my chest and tears welled in my eyes. It was the worst part about not being a stable person, leaving the people I loved behind.
***
I hadn't talked to Jack since the day I told him I was leaving, which was almost two months ago. I knew he was still here in Omaha, and I knew he knew I was leaving today so I was hoping he would finally come out of hiding. I wasn't leaving until tonight. I spent part of the time with family and part of the time with my old classmates. Everyone thought it was amazing what I was doing and that they had the balls to leave everything behind, but I was so scared. What if I wanted to come back as soon as I got there?
The drive to the airport seemed like forever, although it was less than forty-five minutes. I sat in complete silence, other than the sound of the car and other cars on the road, with my mom. She didn't say a word since she knew I was upset about Jack not talking to me, which I was thankful for. After half of the ride the quiet was too much and I turned on the radio. Blank Space by Taylor Swift was on and I smiled a little. I loved this song and no matter how mad I was, I was going to sing along.
I caught my mom off guard when I started singing along but I saw a smile form at the edge of her lips and she joined me. My mom and I sang along to the radio the rest of the way there and it was the best thing that had happened to me in two months.
"Bye. I'll see you..." she paused, "sometime."
"I'll see you sometime, too. I love you," I told her and gave her a hug.
"I love you, too, Lakyn. Be careful on your journey," she said, smiling at the end, although she looked like she was going to cry, which only made me want to cry. We let go of each other and she started to get back in the car and I started to walk into the airport.
I walked in and started towards the place where I needed to go to get my ticket and check my bags when I saw a familiar face. It was Jack. My hear fluttered and I practically ran over to him. "What are you doing here?" I asked wrapping my arms around him. He had a big smile on his face when he saw me and it felt like the past two months hadn't happened. "I have a question for you," he said, pulling away from me.
"Okay?" I said, the uneasy feeling returning. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it in a fist.
"Lakyn, can I join you while you travel the world?" he held his hand flat now, exposing what was in his hand. It was a ring. I didn't realize what had just happened. Did Jack just propose to me?
"Are you asking me to marry you?" I asked.
Jack chuckled, "Yes, it was my corny way of asking you to marry me."
"Okay, then the answer is yes," I smiled and wrapped my arms around him again. He squeezed me then slid the ring onto my finger. "Are you actually going to travel with me? What about your music and stuff?"
"I can take care of that stuff and travel with you, I already talked to Jack about it," he explained.
I got a big smile on my face and at the moment I wasn't sure if it would ever go away. "We'll let's go then."
"Let's go," Jack repeated. Hand in hand Jack and I walked together, ready to take on the world side by side.
