the anatomy of love [BxB] COMPLETED

50

"Mijo!" his mother calls from across the airport. Or somewhere. Jackson can't see where she is in the crowds of people waiting.

"Over here, idiot!" That's his sister. He sees Avery waving her arms and his mother, a couple inches shorter than her, smiling with tears in her eyes. Elena always gets emotional when her son returns home, even though this isn't the first time they've gone through it.

Jackson strides over to them, hugging his mother first and kissing her cheek.

"My baby," she whispers, choked, into his chest. He pats her hair.

"Don't get too excited. I leave Friday night," Jackson says.

"Why?" Avery asks. "I thought classes wouldn't start until next Monday."

"Soccer," Jackson says with a grin, and Avery rolls her eyes. She played soccer before high school, but never as much as Jackson. When her high school formed a girl's lacrosse team, she joined immediately, and is an absolute terror on the field. Now she considers soccer an easy, childish sport in comparison. That's the thing. People always think Avery is shy and cautious, but shy and cautious is not the same as quiet and serene, and she proves that on the field.

"My amazing boy, captain of the soccer team," Elena praises with conviction, like she's introducing him to the airport.

"Co-captain with Caleb, technically," Jackson adds. His mom just waves her hand at him, and grabs his suitcase. "Mom, I can take that. I'm the one who lifts weights here."

"Actually," Avery says, snatching the suitcase from their mom, "I can take them." She raises an eyebrow at Jackson as if daring him to challenge her. He just shrugs and Avery pulls it ahead of them. Works like a charm every time, Jackson thinks, amused at his older sibling superiority.

Their car is parked in a nearby lot. Elena holds her son's arm the entire way there, asking how the flight was and about his classmates and what they were up to recently. After everything with Caleb and Lauren went down, he called his mother quite a bit asking for advice, something he rarely does. Jackson can sense the worried searching his mother subtly does even now when he's not looking at her.

"But you are okay? You are happy?" his mother asks before they get in the car.

Jackson looks at his mother's face and wonders how many nights she's been sleepless with anxiety over him. He gives her a genuine smile. "I'm happy, mama. Don't worry."

Elena sighs, content. "I always worry."

☆★☆

The next few days he spends relaxing and sleeping in, playing video games, and running a few miles each day to make sure he stays in shape. By Thanksgiving he's itching to throw a party, but unfortunately he and Avery have to go through an awkward Thanksgiving lunch with their dad and his new girlfriend and then a small, quiet dinner with just their mom, who has never really understood the point of the holiday and doesn't want to.

Avery stands next to Jackson on the porch of their dad's house. Their mom had just dropped them off, as Jackson had left his car at school. As younger siblings typically did, Avery insisted on being the one to knock for no apparent reason.

"Are you gonna knock or what?" Jackson says after she hesitates.

"Hold on." Avery glances at the door and then at Jackson nervously. She turns to him. "We have to promise not to leave each other alone with the new girlfriend."

Jackson rolls his eyes, but since he honestly wouldn't want to be alone with this random person either, he agrees. "Fine. I promise. Now knock."

Avery takes a deep breath and then knocks.