autumn |KARL JACOBS X FEMALE OC|

4

"one more hour, luke."

saying it out loud suddenly made everything feel so real. in one hour they'd be back in what was, or what used to be, their favourite place in the world. with their favourite people in the world. four years of absolutely no contact, and now, finally connected again. it made her stomach flip with nervous anticipation.

the whole drive over, claire thought about everything that had changed. for starters, they had never driven here before without their parents present. instead of their father in the driver's seat, it was claire. two siblings instead of their full family of four.

but more than that, how much had claire changed herself? she found it hard to self-analyze. it's hard to open yourself up and examine the contents that lie beneath. but overall, she didn't feel like she had changed too much. or, if she had, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

she knew karl and jess would be different, too. she wondered if jess was still obsessed with the hunger games like she used to be. she remembered when they'd play in the woods and jess would pretend to be katniss. she wondered if she still had a copy of the series in her bedroom at the cabin.

she wondered if karl still made the goofiest jokes. silly puns, always delivered with a straight face, then followed by a contagious giggle that always made you laugh along with him. sometimes, you'd forget what the joke even was, only laughing at karl's over-the-top reactions. it was something claire always found cute; his sense of humour, his love for making others laugh. she admired that about him.

she wondered if he still had his kind soul. the one that would always make sure that luke felt happy and included. the one that waited patiently as claire tied her shoes or struggled while climbing up a tree. the one that showed a true, genuine interest to what everyone had to say. the one that always, always carried her bags up to her room upon arrival.

it was kind of a tradition. karl and jess would be waiting on the front porch. the second the thompson's car was in view, they'd start jumping up and down, waving and running to meet the vehicle. then they'd hug, talk about how excited they were. and then, every time, karl would say, may i take your bags?

and claire would say, yes please, good sir.

and they'd walk up through the house together, their own moment alone, just for a minute. he'd take the bags into her room and they'd smile at each other. they would ask each other how they were, and what was new. then they'd return downstairs and lunch would be ready on the table.

it was always that way, and claire loved it.

now, as they drove, the minutes melted away. an hour turned into 45 minutes, which turned into 30, then 20. 20 quickly became 10, which quickly became 5.

then 4.

"oh my gosh, i'm getting such nostalgia from this." luke said, staring out the window. "this is so insane! look, that house with the red roof? we passed it every single time we came, and i always knew it meant we were close."

claire was feeling exactly what luke was. "i know, it's so crazy driving through here again. i can't wait to get there!"

3 minutes, then 2, and then 1.

the cabin was in sight now, just down the road. seeing it filled claire with so many emotions, it caught her off guard. there were too many memories and feelings for her heart to contain, and it made her feel like she was about to burst.

"look, i see them!" luke pointed, and sure enough, karl and jess were on the porch, waiting for them, just like they used to.

driving forward, the jacobs siblings caught sight of their car and started doing what they did all those years ago; jumping and running to greet them. it was a little ridiculous, but it made claire laugh. this was her first time seeing them in four years. she couldn't believe it.

as she got closer, she began to notice how much they had grown up. she focused on parking first, before she could get a good look.

"CLAIRE!" jess yelled as she bombarded claire with a hug the second she got out of her car. "how are you? oh my gosh, you've grown so much! it's been so long. and you look so gorgeous! ugh, i'm so happy to see you!"

claire laughed at jess' enthusiasm. "thanks, jess. it's so great to see you too. i missed you so much."

they hugged one more time, then claire caught sight of karl. she was in shock at how his features had changed, though remained so clearly him. he was much taller now, hair grown out as well. she couldn't believe he was standing right in front of her.

karl stared at her, taking in her features as well. claire couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

"hi, karl." claire said, a smile spreading across her face.

"hi, claire." he replied, then stepped forward and hugged her.

claire closed her eyes as she embraced him. years apart, brought together in this hug. it came crashing down on her just how much she missed him all this time, but here he was. they were together again.

they broke apart, their smiles never leaving.

"it's so good to see you again." karl said, slowly and genuinely so claire knew he meant it.

"you too." she said back, keeping eye contact.

karl gestured at the car. "may i take your bags?"

claire felt something inflate inside of her. he remembered. maybe karl hadn't changed so much, after all.

"yes please, good sir." she almost whispered, swept up in the shock of all that was coming back.

karl smiled, grabbed her bags from the trunk, and they entered the cabin.