Isabelle
After exiting the Maple Leaf Cafe, I adjust my scarf and hug myself for warmth as I walk ahead. The cold New York wind feels like icy needles against my body, but nothing can compare to the throbbing pain I'm feeling in my chest right now.
Did Jackson not believe that no matter what, I'd be there for him and that he didn't need to be perfect?
He only said he wanted to break up with me in the spur of the moment, right? I don't believe he really wants to end things with me.
Leaving the conversation with him hadn't been ideal, but Mom had texted me saying that there was something urgent and for me to call her, and I thought that maybe Jackson just needed some time.
Taking a deep breath, I cross the road to a slightly quieter space on the street and dial my Mom's number.
"Hey Mom," I say when she picks up. "I got your message. What happened?"
"Ivy's at the hospital right now," she responds. "She got into a car accident."
I freeze, taking in the news. "Oh my god, is she okay?"
"It looks like she might have a broken arm but thank goodness it's nothing life-threatening."
"Okay, that's good that there isn't any further damage."
"Can you come to the hospital right now?"
I hesitate for a moment, my gaze shifting to the direction of the Maple Leaf Cafe across the road and checking the window seat Jackson and I had been situated only minutes ago.
A sinking feeling fills my heart when I realize that I can't see him inside the cafe anymore. He must have left. Does he really want to leave me?
"Isabelle?" Mom's voice jerks me out of my thoughts.
It takes me a moment to regain my composure. "Okay, I'll be there. Which hospital?"
Mom informs me of the relevant details and soon after, I'm on my way to finding the nearest cab.
In no time, a cab drives by and stops at the curbside where I'm standing. Just as I'm about to get inside the cab, I hear a familiar voice from behind.
"Bella!"
Turning around to the source of the voice, I see Jackson, panting and all out of breath. He looks like he's just sprinted a marathon.
"Hey," I slowly say.
"Bella," he repeats, and I don't think I've ever seen or heard him look as vulnerable as this. "I was trying to find you just then and—"
"Do you still need a ride or not?" the cab driver suddenly grumbles while rolling down his car window.
"No, she won't," Jackson immediately and firmly answers, turning to the driver. "Sorry, and thanks."
I shut the car door and flash the driver an apologetic smile. With a grunt, he rolls his car window back up and drives off. Then, with my undivided attention, I turn to glance back at Jackson.
"Everything I just said back then..." He exhales and shakes his head. "I can't do it. I promised myself that I'd be the perfect boyfriend for you and that there would be no slip-ups. And I know my life is a mess right now but...I'm still too selfish to let you go."
I'm unable to contain the tiny smile that crosses my lips. "Jackson, you don't have to be perfect to be my perfect fit. Did you really think I agreed to break up with you?"
"When you left the cafe, I thought it was over," he confesses, fear and vulnerability in his voice. "I thought that I'd pushed you away forever."
"I wasn't going to leave you," I explain. "I got a text from my mom and had to call her. Ivy got into a car accident and is at the hospital. I was going to quickly check up on her and call you again."
A sheepish but relieved look immediately enters Jackson's face. "Oh, that's good. I mean, not the part about your sister getting into a car accident, but—fuck."
He expels a breath and runs a hand through his brown locks, disheveling them completely.
I stare at the man in front of me, the man I'm so madly in love with. The revelation of Andrew as his birth father has taken a toll on him both physically and mentally. I can see small dark undercircles in his eyes and I know he hasn't exercised at all, shaved properly or slept well in the last week.
Yet to me, he's still the most handsome man in the world.
My man.
He's my man and he's the biggest idiot if he really thought that I'd agree to end things between us, knowing that he's going through a difficult period in his life right now. That I wouldn't remain by his side. That just because he's forgotten a few things in terms of his "boyfriend duties", it overshadows every single other thing he's ever done for me.
I mean, he's found out this past week that his mom cheated on his dad, and that his birth father is someone else. On top of that, I know he's battling feelings of guilt for resenting his dad for sending him to boarding school. It's all a lot to take in, and it's not a surprise that it's impacting him and causing him to want to push me away.
"I panicked back inside and was so scared that I messed up," he adds. "I wanted to tell you about resigning from my CEO role last night, but it was like all these thoughts were swirling in my head and I—"
"Hey, it's okay," I gently interject.
He runs another hand through his hair. "Maybe it's because I've never had a girlfriend before but...fuck."
I tilt my head, needing to make sure that I heard that correctly. "Hang on...you've never had a girlfriend before?"
The Jackson Carter, who'd always received so much attention from the female population has never had a girlfriend?
He touches his neck, an almost shy look crossing his face. "You're my first girlfriend, Bella."
I'm really his first girlfriend?
"It's not that I never wanted a relationship," he elaborates when he sees the shock on my face. "I've dated a lot but there was never anyone I could see myself being with long-term and ultimately wanting to start a family with."
I stand still, my breathing becoming shallow as his words echo in my head.
Jackson surveys my reaction and stares into my eyes with a look that's firm and steady. "And I now know, more than ever, why that's been the case."
My mouth drops slightly open, and I'm still in shock as I process his words. We'd talked about our futures together, our goals and aspirations but now as I think about it, I'd never asked Jackson about his dating history. I'd just assumed that he'd probably had girlfriends before me.
He takes another step toward me and gently cradles my face. "Because it's you. It's always been you, Bella. I'll spend eternity letting you know, that I will always be in love with you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and if you'll have me, I won't be foolish enough to ever let you go again."
At that moment, it starts snowing. The first snow of the new year, and the first snow in New York this Winter.
Drops of white snow drift gently from the sky, and I watch as some specks linger on Jackson's black coat.
Jackson shyly tilts his head to the side when I don't say anything. "Is it a turn-off that I've never had a girlfriend before?"
"Of course not," I gasp, finally finding my voice again. "I'm so happy to be your first girlfriend."
A smile with the smallest hint of his dimples spreads across his lips and I think it's the first genuine smile I've seen from him this past week.
"Even when you weren't formally my boyfriend, you did so many things for me," I add. "You showed me not just through your words, but also your actions how much you care for me. And now, when you're going through a difficult time, I want to do the same for you. I'm not going to let go or run away, no matter how hard you might try to push me away. Because for me, it's always been you too. And it always will be you."
Jackson is silent for a moment as he takes in my words, the smile on his lips wider than before. Then, he ever-so-softly adjusts a strand of my hair. Drops of snow fall around us, and I feel as though I'm the main character of a movie right now.
It's just me and him. Him and me.
His gaze lingers on my lips, and in no time his mouth crashes against mine in a loving and longing kiss. A kiss that's akin to a promise. A kiss that tells me that he's not going to let go of me, no matter what happens, and no matter what crazy plot twist life might suddenly throw at us.
I tightly wrap my arms around him, not wanting to let go. He has my whole heart. Always has, and always will.
"No more saying silly stuff like breaking up with me," I say once we pull apart. "As I said, you're not getting rid of me."
"I'm sorry, baby," he breathes. "I got scared, but I'm never going to say or do anything to let you go again. I'm sorry for making you cry."
I shake my head and let out a smile. "Stop apologizing."
"We better check up on your sister, then," he says, returning the smile.
"Oh, yes, that's right," I sheepishly reply. "I'd almost forgotten."
Thirty minutes later, we arrive at the hospital just in time to see my mom and Ivy walk out, a cast on her right arm.
"You made it," Mom nods.
"Hey Mom, hey Ivy," I greet. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Ivy responds, a cheery smile plastering across her face. "It's just a broken arm. I'll be healed in no time."
"That's good," I say. "I'm glad you're okay."
"The accident was entirely my fault," she confesses. "I shouldn't have been driving with my lack of sleep. Thankfully, the other driver is okay too."
Mom clears her throat, her gaze shifting between Ivy and me. "Ivy, you said you wanted to talk to Isabelle?"
Ivy takes a deep breath and her eyes meet mine. If I'm not mistaken, there's almost a look of nervousness tainting her face. "Yeah. If that's fine with you?"
"Sure thing," I respond. I have no idea what she wants to talk to me about, but I guess I'll find out soon.
I turn to face Jackson, who gives a nod to signal that he'll be waiting for me when our conversation is over.
When it's just Ivy and I, there's a long and awkward pause, as though she's contemplating how to begin this conversation. I adjust my coat and place my hands in my pockets. "So what did you want to talk about?"
She takes another deep breath. "I...owe you an apology."
Taken aback by her words, my gaze immediately darts to hers. Ivy apologizing to me?
"I broke off the engagement with Ben," she adds, clearly sensing the confusion on my face.
Surprise shoots through my body at her confession. "You did?"
"That time when you texted me that you'd seen him with another woman wasn't the first time he cheated on me," she explains. "The first time I found out, he begged me to take him back and I gave him a second chance. When he proposed, I thought it meant he'd really changed, but I caught him cheating on me again last night."
"What an asshole," I remark, feeling my blood boil. "You deserve better than him."
"Last night, I lay in bed thinking about all my relationships when I couldn't sleep," she sniffs. "I felt like such a shit person with how I've behaved towards you all these years. I lied about my engagement party coincidentally being on the same date as your fashion show. You're a good person, and you didn't deserve any of that. And then today, when my life almost flashed before my eyes, I knew I would have major regrets if I never apologized to you."
I want to tell her that all those years, I lived with the knowledge that my sister hated me and that I'd felt hurt by her behavior. But instead, with my head spinning, I ask the one question which has pressed me the most. "Why did you act like that toward me?"
"I've always been jealous of you," she admits.
I stand there in stunned silence. Ivy, jealous of me? Growing up, she was the one with perfect grades. She was the one who our parents were proud of, and who would Mom would boast about at gatherings with extended family and family friends. If anything, I was the one who had been jealous of her as a teenager.
"No way," I manage to say. "You're the star child of the family."
"It started when you had your first boyfriend," Ivy confesses, and I'm instantly reminded that that was when our relationship had begun to deteriorate. "I was jealous that you were dating and weren't afraid to go against Mom's wishes. And then you started your own business and were chasing your dreams while I felt that I was...nothing. You're always so confident and not afraid to take risks, and I've always admired that about you."
"But...you always dreamed of being a lawyer from when we were still kids," I state, still taking this all in.
Ivy glances into the distance, her face deep in thought. "At first, yeah. But as I grew older, I wasn't so sure if it was my dream or the dream that Mom had instilled in me. But I never questioned it—following our parent's footsteps into a career in law seemed like the only pathway to take. I didn't have the courage to choose something else because I was afraid that I'd disappoint Mom."
I study my sister carefully, reminded that not everything is as it seems from the outside. Ivy has said and done things that had been hurtful, but I'd also never really made an effort to communicate to her about how I'd felt. Of course, at the end of the day, she needed to realize herself the impact of her behavior. Nonetheless, if things had been a little different, we could have supported each other growing up.
"I was always afraid of disappointing Mom, too," I confess. "Even after starting my business. But I've learned that there's never only one pathway. We should be able to choose whatever makes us happy."
Ivy lets out a wistful smile. "I'm sorry it took a shitty breakup and me breaking an arm for me to apologize to you."
I can't help but return the smile. "I'm just glad it didn't take you breaking an arm and a leg."
Ivy lets out a tiny laugh, and there's a twinkle in her eye. She's pretty when she smiles—I'd forgotten that.
"In all seriousness, though, are you going to be okay?" I add.
"I'll be fine," she chirps, waving a hand. "Trust me, things could have been way worse."
"I know it sounds cliche but time does heal all," I say. "I know it did for me."
A small look of gratitude radiates across her face. "Thanks sis. Well, see you around, I guess?"
"Definitely," I nod.
This conversation obviously isn't going to mean that our relationship is instantly repaired, but it's a start and she does appear genuine. She's being vulnerable and taking accountability, which I appreciate and we've managed to have a mature conversation about it. Trust takes time to build, and any kind of healthy relationship is a two-way street.
When Jackson and I part ways with Ivy and my mom, I turn to face Jackson, a mischievous smile crossing my lips. "I have an idea of something we can do right now...if you're keen?"
Jackson takes hold of my hands in his, a look of nothing but certainty flashing across his face. "Wherever you want to go, Bella, I'll happily follow. No questions asked. No exceptions. Forever and always."
* * *
I can feel my stomach almost instantly doing a turn the moment we reach The Rink at Rockefeller Center. Sounds of laughter and happy chatter fill the venue, with couples, families, and groups of friends skating together.
"I thought you didn't like ice skating," Jackson muses.
He's not wrong about that. It's been about nine years since I've last gone ice skating and let's just say that any activity requiring good coordination and balance isn't my favorite.
Nonetheless, I grab his hand and smile. "I've changed my mind about it. Come on, it'll be fun!"
He lets out a tiny chuckle. "Okay, let's do it, baby."
Ten minutes later, both of us are in our rented skates and slowly gliding along on the ice hand-in-hand. More specifically, Jackson skates seamlessly whilst I'm the one slowing us down as I try to maintain my balance. If it weren't for Jackson holding my hand, I'd be desperately clinging onto the rails like they were my lifeline.
Whilst ice skating isn't exactly my perfect idea of fun, I know it's something Jackson has missed. And right now, it's not about me—I want to do something to help take his mind off everything that's been happening, even if it's just for a small while.
And I'm happy to report back that it looks like it's working. Playfulness glimmers in Jackson's soft brown eyes and a dimpled grin taints his lips, accentuating his already ever-so handsome features.
At one point, I lose my balance and nearly trip, but Jackson catches me in an instant.
"Thanks," I blush.
"I know you really didn't change your mind about liking ice skating, Bella," he says, gratitude filling his expression. "You did this to help take my mind off things."
"Okay, you've exposed my scheme," I playfully tease. "But I want to let you know that no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."
He faces me with a smile, not letting go of my hand. Then, with his other hand, he moves a strand of hair away from my face. "And I promise that I'll always be here for you too, Bella."
"It's a deal," I happily say.
Author's Note
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter!
With one more chapter and an epilogue to go, we're so close to the end which still feels so surreal 😭
If you follow me on Wattpad and/or Instagram, you may have seen me post about this already but I wanted to also share here that A Perfect Fit won a 2023 Watty and a Grand Prize award in the 'English Ongoing' stories category!! Thank you for all your support, it means the world to me 💜
And if you don't follow me on Wattpad / Instagram (it's @ lilyvictoriawrites), I'd love to take this opportunity to give a shameless plug hehe - I post writing updates, teasers, with more to come (such as plans for my next book? 😉🤗)
Thank you so much for reading!!