Rapunzel Bennett (Jackunzel)

Chapter 22

"I... I hope it's real." Jack confessed.
Without thinking, Zel responded, "I hope so too." she then paused and looked at the ground. She furrowed a brow thinking over what she just said.
Did she mean it?
Why would she just say something like that?
After all... This whole ordeal only brought her stress and misery but
It also brought her Jack. A man whom she had mixed feelings about.
Jack lightly tucked some hair behind her ear as she was lost in thought. The action had returned her to reality, "We... we should head home. I haven't finished packing."
Jack pursed his lips and nodded, standing back up and holding out his hand.
Zel almost grabbed it but stopped herself, she stood up on her own and waited for him to open the doorway to home before accepting his hand.

At her house, Jack left Zel to pack. He figured he wasted enough time on this girl as it was. Nothing was going to come of it.
But in mid-flight, he glanced through her window and watched her bang her head onto the suitcase.
He wanted to do one last thing.
The thing he promised three hundred years ago.

"Zel, wait." Jack said as he opened her window.
She jumped and looked at him while clutching her now rapidly beating heart.
"You almost gave me a heart attack! What are you doing? I thought you were gone."
Jack looked down at the grass below him then once he gained his confidence he looked back to the brunette, "You're coming back, right?"
Zel looked at him, focusing on the line, where she knew it from, "Hey... I'm coming back. And I'll always come back, Jack, I promise I'm never going to leave longer than I have to." she recited.
Jack let out a silent chuckle, "No, seriously. Am I ever going to see you again?"
Zel walked over to the window and looked into Jack's eyes once again. Giving the only answer she could, "I don't know if I can." she tried to muster as her eyes reddened.
Jack let out a huff of air and reached into his pant pocket, "Well... I guess this is technically yours." he said handing her the purple ring from before.
Zel gently grabbed it and held it in a fist, "Jack... This was never meant for me."
"Well, actually... Originally it was meant for one of my ancestors." he joked.
Zel laughed through the hurt, "Jack... This is meant for someone you love. You have to give it to them."
Returning to a serious facial expression Jack looked at her, "I did."
Zel blinked a few times and held the ring to her chest, "You... you love... but we only just-"
"I know."
"But Jack-"
"And I've already accepted you don't feel the same. It would be crazy to believe you-"
Mid-sentence, Zel grabbed the strings on Jack's hoodie and pulled him into the room catching him off-guard for a passionate kiss. Her warm lips smashed against his cold one's. The two melted into the other's touch, moving in sync. Jack ran his hand through her hair, losing himself in the moment.
She stopped it abruptly and looked at the boy who was now out of breath and still processing what had happened.
He looked up at her and smiled with his mouth hanging open.
"I don't want to lose you." Jack confided.
Zel smiled with teary eyes, "I don't want to lose you either."
"Run away with me."
"What? I can't-"
"YESSSS, THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED!" screamed a small but loud voice behind them.
It was a child who had just spent lord knows how long on the ladder watching the twos awkward conversation.
"S-Sophie!" Zel jumped.
Sophie quickly moved her head down so she couldn't be seen.
"Sophie, what were you- We already know you're there."
Sophie admitted defeat and climbed up revealing herself, "Why not?"
"Huh?"
"Why not run away? You're leaving tomorrow as it is. You already have a packed suitcase. Go."
Zel shook her head, "No, I can't. I've put so much work into my education. I can't just waste it all."
Sophie furrowed her eyebrows, "Why not? This was never the life you wanted. This was the life mom wanted for you. You wanted to see the world. Experience everything. And now... You can."
"Well, I-"
"The rest of us were probably never going to see you with mom's plan. And this way you can always secretly visit us. It's your chance to live life how you want, not how others want. If you love him, go with him. Because you'll never see him again otherwise." Sophie walked closer to the two, "So I guess the real question is, do you love him?"
Zel darted her eyes around the room feeling one way but having spent all this time preparing for one thing. Even if what she's been making herself wait for isn't what she wanted, should she really make herself waste all of those years she could have spent doing the things she enjoyed?

"I--Yes. Yes, I do."
Jack was so surprised all he could do was let out a laugh. He couldn't believe it.
It was all he wanted and he finally had it.
Zel placed the ring on her left-hand ring finger and turned around to pull Jack into a tight embrace.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning then?" Zel clarified.
Jack smiled while leaving, "Yeah."