Nine Lives

The Classics

Tomorrow is my boyfriends birthday...and the irony is not lost on me.

Jackson and I have been together for two years, our winter romance starting when Immy introduced me to her boyfriends friend from the states. Patrick and Immy are inseparable - they have been lock and key since primary school, his parents relocating to the outskirts of London from Florida when we were 7. Ever since the first day they met, both of them had each others hearts. Best friends for 7 years, lovers for 4. Immy and I used to spend nights on end talking about Pat and his life in America, how different the schools were, the people, the lifestyle. We fantasised about moving there one day, sunbathing in the hot sun and being trophy wives to Pat and one of his hot American friends. Little did I know, that I would meet one of his hot American friends, and that friend would eventually become my boyfriend.

Jackson was staying with Pat for 3 weeks at Christmas. He lived in the same small town as Pat in Florida, the two staying in contact and spending holidays together whenever they could. Two years ago, Jackson came to England by himself for the first time. He was a football player back home, all muscles and height, with a cheeky smile and a stylish blond head of hair. We all lived in Pats summer house that Christmas. Me and Jackson hit it off, while Immy and Pat teased us about our obvious attraction to each other. And finally, after weeks of flirting and failed moments, we found ourselves alone at one of the parties Pat was throwing.

It was New Years Eve, the clock had just struck midnight, and everyone was celebrating under the confetti of party poppers and shouts of new beginnings.

Everyone except me and Jackson. We were huddled up on the broken bench outside, a blanket around my party dress and his unbuttoned shirt. His tufts of yellow hair shone in the reflection of the explosions, his cheeks stretched into a massive grin. For what felt like hours, we watched the neighbours fireworks - greens and pinks highlighting the dark, midnight sky. Jackson was going home the next day. It was our last moment together.

"Ammy, can I tell you a secret?" Jackson was undoubtedly shitting himself.

"Of course." I snuggled closer to him, his arm growing tighter around my shoulders.

"I can't remember a time a girl ever made me this happy and sad at the same time."

I remember stiffening at his words, my heart dropping into the pit of my stomach. "What do you mean?"

He sat up, dropping his arms into his lap and shoving the blanket off. "You make me so incredibly happy. These past 3 weeks have changed the way I look at life, and I care about you way too much to let you slip through my fingers. But, I go home tomorrow. And having to leave you behind..."

I grasped his hand in mine as I let a tear fall down my cheek, butterflies escaping the zoo inside me as I moved his face towards mine and kissed him for the first time. We stayed like that all night, the fireworks crackle long gone. The kiss was the only answer we both needed. We would make this work. He went home the following day, with a girlfriend I might add. We FaceTimed every day, we made plans to meet whenever we could and devoted our loyalty to eachother. We made long distance look easy, even though it was incredibly hard.

Luckily for us, the distance was beat a year into our relationship. Jackson's parents got a long-awaited divorce, and his mum ended up moving out of state. With the split in his family, Florida no longer felt like home for Jackson. He made a deal with Pat to move down here for the summer, the boys living in the summer house. As it happened, Jackson never went home. He loved the life he had in England - with Pat, with his friends, with me. After weeks of heated discussions and overloads of paperwork, Jacksons dad agreed to let him stay in England full time with the agreement of Pats parents. He moved into the summer house full time, paying rent with his overtime hours at a local bakery. He joined our school and obtained a visa that gave him all he'd ever wanted. Time.