the smell of bacon welcomed a sleepy claire into the early hours of the morning.
she had slept great last night.
nothing beat going to sleep so perfectly and completely happy. she felt very well rested. good thing, too, because she would need the extra strength today.
looking around sleepily, claire realized that she had been the last one to wake up. she got up and made her way up the flight of stairs and into the kitchen.
"morning, sleepy-head." karl said, smiling at her fondly as he stirred some scrambled eggs on the stovetop. "eggs?"
"yes, please."
"how many pieces of bacon do you want?"
"two, please."
"whatever you like."
claire smiled as she joined luke and jess at the kitchen table.
here they were again, but on the last day this time. there was a feeling in the air that was almost palpable. she could see it on her friend's faces:
they didn't want to go home either.
as if reading her mind, luke slumped onto the table, head in his right hand. "ugh!" he exclaimed. "i don't wanna go home."
jess smiled at him. "aww, me neither, buddy. but hey, we had a super fun week! aren't you glad we all got to do this?"
"yes, very." claire said, and she meant it.
"and don't worry, we can come back here again. eventually, right? in the meantime, we can hang out around town. go to restaurants and movies and stuff."
it sounded like a great idea, one claire was excited about for sure, but there was something extra special about the cabin that she would miss whenever she was away from it.
"yeah." claire agreed.
karl brought the food in at that moment, and it looked delicious as usual.
"thanks, karl." luke said, digging in first.
"yeah, thanks." the girls added.
they ate in a comfortable, yet slightly heavy, silence. just taking in the last breakfast there.
when they were finished, they each spent some time in their own room, getting changed, ready, and packed up. claire felt emotional as she looked around her princess themed room, looking once more bare without her clothes and belongings spread across the space. she would miss it.
once they were finished, they went through the entire cabin, turning off all the lights and making sure nobody had forgotten anything.
"well, i think that's everything." jess said, meeting the others by the front door, holding luggage of her own.
they went outside next. the day was gorgeous, perfectly sunny and warm.
they loaded their bags into the trunks of their cars, and just like that, they were ready to say their goodbyes.
they gathered on the lawn, looking up at the cabin. so many memories lived in that building: the old ones from years earlier, as well as the new ones from they week they'd just shared.
"this is it." claire said, willing her voice not to break. she truly hadn't expected to be this emotional, yet she was already dangerously close to tears.
they four came in for a group hug, laughing so they wouldn't cry.
"y'all get me so emotional . . ." jess said through a wobbly smile and laugh, wiping her eyes with her sweater sleeve.
"i'm really gonna miss you guys." claire said, looking from jess to karl.
"we'll miss you too." karl said.
"this week has been so fun, i'm so glad we did it." said luke.
"and we have to do this again, okay?" claire confirmed. "promise?"
"promise." karl and jess spoke in unison.
claire was trying so hard not to cry, but it was getting harder with each second she spent standing there with her best friends.
"well, we should probably go now . . ." luke said.
"right." jess nodded. "goodbye guys." she stepped forward and embraced claire in one of her signature-jess-bear-hugs. claire squeezed her tight, this time her tears really did escape.
karl hugged her next.
"bye claire." he said, pulling her close.
claire hugged him tight, crying silently into his shoulder. he hugged her back, grounding her, keeping her safe. she never wanted to pull way from him; she much preferred to stay here in his arms forever.
"i'll miss you." she whispered.
"i'll miss you, too." he replied. "but i'll see you again soon, okay? i'll make sure of it."
claire nodded. "okay." she said.
they stepped back from each other.
luke and jess stood expectantly; clearly they had been waiting for them to finish having their moment. it made claire blush faintly.
"goodbye guys." claire said, the others echoing her words. she waved as she walked away from them towards her car.
even more tears fell down claire's cheeks.
"hey." luke said gently. "want me to drive?"
though she loved denying her brother this privilege, claire was more than grateful for the offer. she didn't feel like driving at all. she wanted nothing more than to sit, stare out the window and think about things. maybe cry a little more.
she nodded. "thank you, luke."
she got into the passenger seat and looked at the cabin through the window.
she was genuinely so grateful for everything that had happened in her life this past week. she was reunited with her best friends in the world, and she was so thankful for that.
she got to see karl again, and she fell for him.
just like when she was seven, just like when she was fourteen, just like every year between, she fell for him. she chose him. she was beginning to realize just how much she was drawn to him, and maybe that would never change. maybe she was okay with that.
claire couldn't help but think about their last departure from this place. it was very different from this one; it had been angrier, sadder.
as they pulled away, claire thought about everything.
about karl.
about their week here.
about the last time she left this place.
about the incident.
YOU ARE READING
autumn |KARL JACOBS X FEMALE OC|
Fanfiction"she realized something with a sudden clarity as she lay there. claire was falling for karl all over again." in which: claire had known karl jacobs and his family for as long as she could remember. they saw each other all the time, but it was at the...
