Two days after her conversation with Kylie, Kaycee sat across the table from Jack at a small diner in Northeast Los Angeles. They'd been there for a total of five minutes and neither had said a word to each other, staring at their menus in complete silence. It wasn't until after they'd ordered their drinks and the waitress brought them over that a conversation started.
"So, what have you been up to?" Jack asked sweetly.
Kaycee jammed her straw through the lid of her drink. "What do you mean?"
He chuckled without much humor, the look on his face remaining neutral. "I mean, you haven't really been talking to me much these past two weeks. I don't really know what you've been up to."
"I really haven't been up to anything." She replied, twirling the straw around in circles in her fingers.
"You've been acting weird." Jack stated flatly. "Ever since that Christmas party when you left without so much as a goodbye."
Kaycee shrugged, "I don't know what to say to that."
"Did I do something that I'm not aware of?" The tone in Jack's voice grew more urgent with each word he spoke. "Because all you have to do is tell me, I'll fix it."
You can't change people. She remembered Kylie saying that a few days earlier. If Jack isn't compatible now, he never will be; it would be selfish of Kaycee to string him along, waiting for him to change.
"You can't fix it." She answered honestly, keeping her eyes on the straw in between her fingertips. "People can't change."
"Kaycee, what's going on?" Jack pulled the drink away from her, forcing their eyes to meet. "Why are you talking like that?"
She had been trying so hard to not meet his eye, she knew once she did, her newfound confidence would go out the window. And of course, that's what happened; she looked into his dark eyes, the ones that she'd grown to trust, defeat radiating from his irises. It broke her heart.
Kaycee could feel her walls breaking down, every brick that she'd set was crumbling beneath her, leaving her vulnerable and afraid again. As silly as it seemed, she couldn't remember what her life was like without Jack in it. She felt like if she lost him, she'd lose a lot more than just a boyfriend, she'd lose one of her best friends, she'd lose her number one supporter.
But that wasn't true. Her best friend and number one supporter was her partner, the one who'd always be there to pick her up when she fell, the one who knows everything about her, the one that she physically couldn't live without, even if she tried. The one who wants her to be happy no matter the circumstances, the one who said her happiness was dulled when Jack was around. Sean is her rock, he's someone who she trusts with her life, and if he feels that Jack isn't good for her, then she needs to find the strength to cut the ropes.
"Kayc, are you in there?" Jack stuck his hand in her face, waving it around frantically.
She sighed, mustering up any strength she had to speak. "Where do you see this going?"
Jack froze, "What do you mean?"
"Where do you see us in the future?" Kaycee swallowed the lump in her throat. "Where is this relationship going?"
Jack's shook his head, his gaze falling to the table. "So you've been thinking about it, too?"
Kaycee was taken aback. "Thinking about what?"
Jack exhaled, "The whole 'soulmate' thing. After however many months we've been together, you'd think if we were soulmates, the writing would've shown up by now."
Kaycee stared back at him blankly, not sure what she should say next. She didn't expect him to have the same doubts about their relationship that she did.
"So, what should we do?"
Jack lifted his head up again to look her in the eyes. "Well maybe you should tell me why you've been avoiding me and we can kind of go from there." The inflection in his voice was more serious now, his words almost coming out as monotonous.
"Well I guess I should start with what happened on Christmas, because you said that's when I started acting funny." Kaycee suggested.
Jack nodded, "That would make sense, yeah."
"So I was talking to Taylor, and she brought up World of Dance and all that stuff." Kaycee paused, trying to recall every detail of the conversation. "Then she told me how when you introduced me as your girlfriend, she was shocked. She said she couldn't really picture us together, I guess."
Kaycee took a deep breath, exhaling it through her nose before continuing. "So I needed to get out of there, because, like you said, I had been thinking about the whole 'writing on skin' issue as of late and what she said really freaked me out."
"I should've known she said something to you." Jack laughed. "You practically ran away from her."
"You're not a mindreader." Kaycee smiled lightly. "But anyway, then I went to Central Perk with Sean and Bailey, which I told you."
"Yeah." Jack responded. "Continue."
Kaycee waited a few more moments, trying to figure out a way to word the story so she wouldn't have to bring up any details about Sean. She didn't want Jack to think Sean was the bad guy.
"So Bailey and I started talking about relationships and stuff, which is relatively normal." She lied. "But then she brought up you and me, asking how we were doing after our break. I told her it was because I feel like we have so much potential together."
She sighed, "And she told me that I should want to stay with you for more than just our potential as a couple. And I took that as her saying that I shouldn't be waiting around for writing to show up on my skin. Because if it isn't here now, when will it be?"
"So I was avoiding you because I was scared." Kaycee continued. "I didn't know what to think so I needed some time to figure it out. I'm still not completely sure I know what to do, but I know that this sucks either way."
Neither of them spoke for several minutes. The waitress made her rounds and set their food down in front of them, but neither of them touched it. They simply sat across from each other, not making eye contact in fear of what was to come next.
Jack finally broke the silence. "So, I don't want you to think this is one-sided. I definitely haven't had as much of an epiphany as you've had, but I've had my fair share of doubts."
Kaycee slowly looked up to meet his eyes, which was an invitation for him to continue. "You're one of the best people I've ever met, and I was really, truly hoping that we'd end up together in the long run. But these past couple of months, all we've been doing is fighting. I was jealous of your partner because I know that you guys have something so special, something more special than we would ever have."
"Fighting isn't fun for anybody. And quite frankly, I'm glad that we've been able to have this conversation without getting at each other's throats." Jack joked. "But I think we're both done fighting now. We're done fighting each other, and we're done fighting for each other.
Kaycee felt the knot in her stomach tighten, she knew what was coming, and though it was for the best, it was still going to hurt. "I'm glad we're on the same page." She whispered, picking at her cuticles.
They finished their meal in silence, the only sounds coming from the other guests that filled the small diner. When the waitress brought over the check, Jack snatched it, saying he'd pay for "old times sake," and something that used to make her heart flutter suddenly didn't even phase her anymore.
Jack stood up to leave first, urging her to follow him, which she did. They waited outside on a bench for Laura, eerily comfortable silence still falling upon them, that was, until Jack spoke.
"As much as this really hurts, I'm glad we're ending things on a positive note." He began, his voice cracking slightly. "I'll still be supporting you, just from behind the scenes instead of the front row."
Kaycee smiled a real, true smile. "Ditto."
Laura's car pulled up to the curb a few moments later, which was the two teenager's cue to stand. Before Kaycee could take a step toward her mom's car, Jack grabbed her arm, gently pulling her closer.
"Something tells me that you won't have to look too hard to find that soulmate of yours, and I hope when you find them, you find everything else you've been looking for." Jack whispered. He smiled at her once more, planting a final kiss on her forehead, before turning and walking to his own car down the street.
****
Kaycee was wrapped in a ball of blankets on her bed, her face flushed and tear-stained when she heard a knock on her door.
"Go away, Kylie." She croaked, burying herself further into her blanket burrito. "I don't want any more of your pity."
Much to her annoyance, she heard the door to her bedroom creak open anyway, Kylie closing it behind her and padding over to the side of her bed.
"What about 'go away' don't you understand?" Kaycee reluctantly moved the blanket that was covering her face and gasped, realizing that the person in her room wasn't Kylie at all.
There stood Sean Lew, hands in his pockets, staring down at her with concern in his eyes. "You didn't answer my calls, so I called Kylie and she told me what happened." He set himself down on the corner of her bed.
Kaycee groaned, throwing the blanket back over her head. "Why can't anyone just let me wallow in peace?"
"Kylie said you haven't talked about it, maybe talking about it will make you feel better." Sean spoke quietly.
Kaycee shook her head, which to Sean, just looked like the blankets rustling. "No. No talking. I'll start crying."
He sighed, "Fine, but will you at least scoot over so I can watch The Office comfortably?" He asked, grabbing the remote from her bedside table.
Kaycee shuffled herself over a few inches so Sean could sit beside her, still hiding herself among her blankets. After a few minutes of Sean turning up the volume and laughing too loudly, Kaycee started to peak out of her blankets and watch the show as well.
By the time the third episode was starting, Kaycee was almost fully out of her blanket burrito, only her legs still remained inside.
Sean took this as an opportunity. "So will you tell me what happened now? Or are you going to go back into hibernation?"
Kaycee snorted, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen. "We broke up, that's really all there is to it."
Sean's brow furrowed. "You guys broke up before, what makes this time any different?"
She rolled her eyes. "We both realized that we're not compatible, so we ended things. It's for the best."
"It doesn't look like you think it's for the best." Sean teased, poking at her tear-stained cheeks. "How long have you been crying?"
She smiled, turning to face him now. "Long enough to realize that breakups suck, no matter how necessary they are."
"Why do you think it was necessary?"
Kayce shrugged, "We're just too different. Everything about our relationship was manufactured. And after so many months of being together, I could never really say that I felt like I loved him."
"And to think," she giggled, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. "I thought he was my soulmate. Hell, I've met strangers on the street that made me happier than he ever did, that's not soulmate material."
"Did what I said have any influence on this?" Sean asked meekly. "I'd hate for you to have broken up with him because of one opinion."
"It definitely wasn't just one opinion. I've been hearing no end of shit since we got together in the first place." She griped. "And since I'm stubborn, that only drew me to him more. But after you said something, I started really thinking about it, I started going over things that people have told me and everything kind of fell into place. So, while you were kind of the catalyst for my thinking, it's not your fault, don't ever think that."
Sean fell silent, processing every word she said with the utmost caution. He wanted to ask so many more questions. What did she mean when she said that everything about their relationship was manufactured? If she wasn't happy, why did she stay with him for so long? Why did she only start listening to the warnings after he said something?
"But anyway," Kaycee spoke through the silence. "You said you called me, why?"
Sean nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized he hadn't told her the good news yet. His smile grew until Kaycee was sure it was stretching from ear to ear.
"So I got a call today," he started, shaking his leg in excitement. "From Charm La'Donna."
Kaycee instantly sat up straighter. "Seriously? About what?"
"So she's directing a music video for Meghan Trainor's new song 'After You.'" Sean replied, pausing for dramatic effect. "And she wants me to choreograph for it."
"You're kidding! Sean that's amazing!" She exclaimed, reaching forward to give him a hug.
Sean pushed her backwards, earning a confused look from the brunette. "There's more." He said, his smile growing impossibly wider. "She wants to use us in the video. Just the two of us."
"Shut up." If it were humanly possible, Kaycee's jaw would've hit the floor. "You're messing with me."
"Why would I intentionally try to hurt your feelings when you just got your heart broken?" He asked rhetorically. "She wants us to start choreographing as soon as we can because we're filming on the sixth-"
Sean was cut off by the small girl launching forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and tackling him. He caught himself just in time before both of them toppled off of her bed and onto the floor.
Kaycee tightened her hold around Sean's neck. "I can't believe it, I'm so excited!"
Sean sat upright, wrapping his free hand around her shoulders while his other arm stabilized both of them from falling. He rested his chin on her head, a megawatt grin adorning his face.
Kaycee pulled herself backward, her arms still entangled behind Sean's head. Their faces were inches apart, so close that she could see the golden flecks in Sean's irises in full clarity. Her entire body was on fire now, but she couldn't look away, looking into his eyes enveloped her with so much peace, like he held the answers to all of her problems.
But Sean looked away. "Um, so yeah, that's all I had to tell you." He said, frantically disentangling himself from her and standing. "I'll text you, we should probably get together tomorrow to start rehearsing. But, I-uh, I have to get home."
Kaycee didn't even get another word out before Sean shot out of her room and down the stairs. She heard his truck start and she walked over to her window just in time to see him pulling out of her driveway and onto the main road. She stood at her window for several minutes, physically feeling as though she was unable to move.
He did this to her every time, he'd make her feel as though she was floating, and then he'd leave and her world would come crumbling down. No one made her feel that way, and now that she wasn't with Jack, she was going to figure out why.
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Author's Note: Hehe peace out, Jack. I PROMISE he doesn't come back into the picture.
Also, my school has sent everyone home for the remainder of the semester due to the coronavirus. That means I'm doing the rest of my semester online, and my professors have said they're going to be more lenient and the courses will probably be watered down slightly, that's the good news. The bad news is that I've been moping around my house for the past few days missing my suitemates, so to sum it up, I've been having a very hard time adjusting so far lol.
But anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter, I love you all sm <3