The Thing About Flip Flops

Chapter Thirty Eight - Corrections and Confessions

The familiar, dark-haired figure sits on top of a hill, looking out into the distance. The little spot sits behind a clump of trees and a clearing.

I know he hears me approach but he doesn't turn.

I sit down in the grass beside him. My eyes focus on the woods down beneath us. The woods in which we sat together, just like this, only a few days ago.

"Jack..." I want to ask if he's okay, but think better of it.

He turns to look at me and I see that his beautiful eyes aren't how I thought they would be. They aren't sarcastic or amused, but they aren't sad or hopeless either.

He just looks tired.

"How did you find me?" He asks me.

"Footprints."

"No."

The grass is cold and slightly dewey under my hands.

"What do you mean?"

He doesn't answer.

His dark hair looks unkempt as usual, and I sit on my fingers so they don't reach up to touch it like they want to. Not the time or place, Audrey.

We are quiet. I brace myself, because with the two of us, the most important moments come from the quiet. The two of us.

The two of us?

Maybe one day we'll be able to tell each other exactly what's on our minds instead of hiding it, waiting for the perfect time.

His eyes catch mine and don't let go. My heart stops.

Jack repeats what he said earlier, except this time I can tell he doesn't mean it the same way. "How did you find me?" When I move to speak, he says, somewhat angrily, "You can't see anything."

"I just..."

"No. Every time, I looked at you and waited for you to notice that I was seeing you, the real you, but it was like you couldn't even comprehend what I was trying to show you. Guess how many other girls I've taken to my house to watch movies and cuddle on the couch? None. Guess how many other times I've comforted someone with a fucking food fight, in the middle of the night, because they're going through a breakup? None. Guess how many other people I've confessed my undying fucking love for?"

His voice cracks as he continues. "Because I can't think of any, okay? I tried to make it obvious, Audrey."

The sound of my real name from his mouth stings even more than the other words.

"So what I'm asking," he continues, "is how exactly you found me here when you never even opened your eyes."

The silence is ringing in my ears, demanding an answer I don't know if I have.

Jack closes his eyes and sinks back into the grass, rubbing his face with his hands. He looks tired, nervous, stressed, and everything I don't think of when I think of Jack. He lets out a deep sigh.

So I don't think.

I lean down over him so that our faces are inches apart. He feels my breath and opens his eyes wide. They look shocked and slightly hopeful.

I lean my mouth towards his and whisper, "Jack... You're a great person. You make me laugh, even when I'm upset. You get me. And you're the sweetest guy I know."

"A?"

"Yeah?"

"I get it if you don't feel the same way I do." He pulls back and looks down at his hands, avoiding eye contact. I'm confused. Does he seriously think I don't care about him?