𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ✰ jenzie

{twenty-seven}

lil bit of a long chapter to make up for the month it took me to update 😬

Did we make it seem
More than what it was?
You said you wanna leave this town
But no one ever does
The summer's turning cold
We bent until we broke
You're sick of writing letters
So you started letting go

So stay with me, stay with me
Why don't just vacay with me
Run away for the day with me
Honest, that's okay with me
Just stay with me, stay with me
We ain't got no place to be
Hotel rooms and memories
Honest, you should stay with me

- ayokay, Jeremy Zucker, "Stay With Me"

j o h n n y

I pull my beanie down over my bedhead, messy hair and roll my suitcase out of the gate. The airport is bustling - families reuniting, friends bidding each other goodbye, businessmen making their weekly flights - the activity swirls around me. I'm just tired, ready to finally be home...and to see the girl I left behind.

My tired eyes scan through the people, looking for a familiar face.

"Hey, loser."

I turn around quickly, my face lighting up as I wrap my arms around the dirty-blonde haired girl in front of me. "Hey, you. I missed you. Who knew that was possible?"

Lauren pushes me playfully, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "Wow. I was gonna say it back until you decided to turn it into a roast."

"Aw, you didn't miss me?"

She huffs. "Okay, maybe I did. Just a little bit."

Laughing, I ruffle her hair, and she pulls back, glaring at me. "Come on, I want to get home," I say, "I'm here to see Mom and Dad, not just you and your stinky attitude."

"Hmmm, I think you're here to see someone else." Lauren gives me a look. I flush.

"Who?" I demand, even though I know who she's referring too.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe her name starts with a K?" When I blush further, she adds, "...and ends with enzie...?"

"I don't know how to answer that." I laugh.

Lauren turns away laughing. "Just admit it. You're head over heels in love with her."

+++

Being home feels amazing. Seeing all the familiar sights and knowing I'm home is the best feeling ever. When I first got home, I was greeted by my dogs, Bentley and Leo, who were so excited to see me they wouldn't stop shaking for a good half an hour afterwards. My parents hugged me and told me how much they had missed me. Over the home-cooked dinner I've missed so much, I told them how life in New York had been and what I had been up to.

But lying in my bed after the whole family's gone to bed, I still have something I need to do. There's someone I need to see. My exhausted brain tells me I need sleep, but my heart tells me otherwise.

After a long while of inner struggle, I come to the conclusion that I can't wait until morning. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep if I tried.