15

"love aint ever been so closebut so far awayit's like your mind is telling you tojust back off and your heart says just stay

whats a love that doesn't keep you up,all night and all day?"

sierra mumbles the lyrics to down for you by kehlani as she washes her face. she runs the exfoliating brush in a circular motion across her skin for a minute, and then rinses with cold water.

after she's done, she puts on her moisturizer and then pulls her hair back into a loose pineapple bun on the top of her head. sierra walks out of the bathroom with her phone and heads into her kitchen. she grabs a bowl out of the cabinet and pours herself some goldfish before grabbing a water out of her fridge and heading over to her sofa.

sierra turns on the tv to a random channel for background noise and then begins scrolling aimlessly on her phone. she scrolls through instagram and quickly switches to twitter for better entertainment. retweeting and liking a few tweets, sierra responds to a few mentions and DMs.

she's in the middle of replying to a tweet jack made a few hours ago when she gets a call from him. sierra answers quickly, a small smile on her face. "hey, jack!" she says excitedly.

"sierra, i just landed and im headed your way," jack says, his voice far from excited. it's serious and rash, stressed and clipped. sierra frowns at his tone and shifts on the couch.

"what's wrong?"

"my grandpa had a heart attack, and i'm going home to kentucky. can you pack a bag?"

"jack- sierra, please. i need you with me right now," he says, his voice extremely strained like he's trying to hold back tears. sierras heart hangs in her chest, thousands of emotions running through her mind. but after hearing how broken his voice was when he said 'please', her mind was already made up.

"okay. i'll be ready when you get here," they don't say goodbye, just hang up. sierra gets off the couch and runs into her bedroom and starts packing haphazardly. she throws a ton of winter clothes into a suitcase and a few pairs of shoes. it's only when she steps back to assess the situation that she remembers that it's the middle of the week and she has two more days of work and three more days of school.

sierra grabs her laptop and loads up her email, firing off messages to her professors and supervisor about a family emergency. obviously, none of them respond given that it's 9pm on a tuesday.

entering her bathroom again, she grabs all of her toiletries and throws them into large ziploc bag, and then transfers it into her suitcase.

by the time she finishes packing her carryon bag, her phone buzzes with a text from jack.

jack: here.

she shoves her feet into the first pair of sneakers at the bottom of her closet and grabs all of her belongings, as well as her keys. she checks her apartment quickly and then rushes outside to meet jack.

he barely acknowledges her as she emerges from her house, giving her an unenthusiastic upnod. she tries not to take it personally, given the circumstances, and quickly throws her bags into the back of his car before hopping into the front seat.

jack pulls out of the parking space without a word, and she messes with the strings of her jacket, unsure of what to say to him. she doesn't know his grandfathers condition, but it must be serious if he's in the hospital and jack is hopping on another plane after just getting home.

sierra opens her mouth to says something but closes it and instead places her hand on top of right one that rests on the gear shift. she pats it and looks over at him while his eyes stay locked on the road. he anxiously chews at his bottom lip and grips the steering wheel tightly.

"i wish you could drive right now," he mumbles as they come to a stop. he leans forward in his seat and looks out the back windows before swerving around traffic and illegally, but safely, getting them on the freeway. typically, sierra would scream at him for driving recklessly, but she keeps it to herself because she knows it wont do her any good to chastise him.

"sorry," she says, unsure of what else to say to him. jack doesn't respond, just moves his hand from the gear shift and holds the wheel at ten and two. sierra feels helpless sitting in the front seat—she's a natural problem solver, and this is something she knows she can't fix. there's no way she can make his grandfather feel better from the front seat of jacks car in atlanta. all she can do is be there and support jack.

after twenty minutes of silence, they arrive at the airport on the back side. a jet sits alone on the runway, stewardesses and the pilot waiting outside for them.

jack parks and they both get out. he grabs their bags from the back, and a stewardess takes them from him and drags them to the back of the plane. sierra doesn't ask questions, just gets on the plane and thanks the pilot as she passes. sierra chooses a seat near the back of the plane and puts her purse in the adjacent seat.

jack gets on the plane shortly after and they close the door behind him. sierra expects him to sit away from her, to take time for himself, but he walks over to where she is and moves her purse before sitting down. he places her bag at her feet and places a hand on her knee, not speaking.

the action lets her know that he appreciates her and that his frustration was misdirected tonight. nothings personal, and that it's a hard time for him. sierra turns towards him and wraps her arms around him, pulling him close. jack holds her tightly at the waist and lets out a deep breath. "it'll be alright," she says quietly, holding him by the head. she holds him for awhile longer and then kisses him on the cheek before pulling away.

his eyes are rimmed red, like he forced back tears and sierra frowns. she pulls him down onto her chest and holds him there. it's uncomfortable because of the arm rest, but she doesn't say anything and neither does he, both just being okay with being held.

-

a car picks jack and sierra up right when they land. they quickly hop in the back with all of their stuff, and then the driver starts driving towards jacks childhood home. it's not too far from the airport, and it being so late the drive is only thirty minutes.

sierra and jack hold hands the entire time, still not saying anything. sierra looks out the window and watches the city pass by her. she's been to kentucky with jack a handful of times, but she's never come here on her own. but she likes coming with jack to see parts of him that he doesn't necessarily show or himself. besides, his accent gets thicker, and she likes southern boys.

the driver turns down jacks street and comes to a stop in front of his driveway. "thanks, man," jack says to the driver. he nods and the two of them get out and jack retrieves their bags from the trunk. sierra reaches for a bag and he waves her off. "i got it."

they walk up the driveway and to the door, and sierra feels an impending amount of anxiety. for all she knows, his parents expect them to be broken up. the last time time she even spoke to one of his parents was on christmas, and it was polite and brief, and neither of them mentioned jack.

jack pulls out his house keys and unlocks the door. they step through and take their shoes off and sierra finally takes her bags from him. "mom?" jack calls, leaving his stuff by the door. sierra follows him further into the house, a knot in the bottom of her stomach. with every step, her stomach twists into a tighter knot and she ties to remember to breathe.

"jack? what are you doing here?" his mom, maggie, emerges from the kitchen, a mug in her hand. jack opens his arms and pulls her into a tight hug, and sierra hangs back and watches their interaction. she can hear them mumbling, but can't make out what either of them are saying.

the two of them pull apart and maggie smiles up at her son. she pushes his hood off of his head and pats him on the shoulder. maggie starts to turn away, but catches sight of sierra in the corner. shock and recognition simultaneously cross her face and sierra gives her an anxious smile. "hi, mrs. harlow," she says.

"sierra! what a surprise—and i told you to call me maggie!" jacks mom pulls her in for a bone crushing hug, and sierra allows herself to relax for the moment. she got along with his entire family well, they're just nice and welcoming people. when she met them for the first time, it was after a show in atlanta, and they were perfectly excited and curious to meet her. they didn't hound her with questions and didn't make sierra feel extremely anxious. needless to say, she made a good impression on them. "how've you been, sweetie?" maggie asks, releasing sierra from her hold.

"ive been alright, and yourself?" sierra asks politely.

"well, i'm doing fine. how's school? are you still working in the hospital?" sierra and maggie fall into conversation and the three of them walk into the kitchen area. jacks dad come out of the bathroom at that moment, and another round of greetings and repeated conversations ensue.

"how's grandpa, mom?" jack asks after a moment of silence. maggie puts her hand on jacks arm and gives him a small smile.

"he's stable, sweetie. grandma is staying overnight with him, he'll be okay," she says reassuringly. jack visibly relaxes at her word and maggie pats him on the arm. "you should get some rest, sweetie. sierra, there's a guest room if you'd like to sleep there." she suggests, but they both know that sierra will be sleeping in jacks room.

the four of them head upstairs and say their good nights as they part ways. jack and sierra head into his room with their bags, and he closes the door behind them. sierra smiles as she looks around his childhood room that hasn't changed since she was last here. the curtains and bedspread still match, and the same posters of NBA players still line his walls. stacks of CDs are on the corner of his desk.

jack flops face down on his bed and lets out a heavy sigh that he's been holding in all night. "fuck," he groans, sounding exhausted.

sierra sets her stuff down and takes off her jacket. "wanna do a face mask with me?" she asks, trying to cheer him up because it helps her when she's upset.

jack snorts. "miss me with that," he says. sierra makes a face at his attitude, confused as to why he's still acting a way.

"well damn, i was just offering," she says, her tone matching his.

"i'm good."

"you could have just said that."

he sighs. "don't start this, sierra. i'm not in the mood," jack says, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes. sierra scoffs and grabs her bag from off of the floor. for someone with a real attitude, he has a lot of nerve telling her to lose the one he gave her.

"i know you're upset, but you need to talk to me with a little more respect. i'm not about to argue with you, with your parents down the hall, but don't think i'm above going there," she says before taking her belongings and quietly exiting his bedroom and heading downstairs into the guest room.

"sierra," he calls out to nothing. jack sighs and rolls over when he gets no response. he closes his eyes and lets the exhaustion take over.

-

sierra wakes up early on purpose and annoyed. she didn't plan to sleep alone last night, but she wasn't going to lay down next to a person who acted like he didn't even care if she stayed or left.

she rolls out of the bed and makes it up nicely before stretching and sliding her feet into slippers. she only grabbed her carryon bag and not her suitcase, so she has to go upstairs to get dressed. sierra hopes that jack is knocked out so she can just get her stuff and change in the restroom—she doesn't really want to speak to him unless he apologizes.

entering his room, she's grateful to find him knocked out, but annoyed that he's able to sleep so peacefully, knowing that she slept alone and downstairs.

she quickly, and as quietly as possible, grabs her cloths from her suitcase, along with her toiletries. then she quickly leaves his room and takes over the bathroom while it's empty. she changes into the black sweats and matching sweatshirt, and then starts on her hair.

the door to his parents room opens, and then footsteps pass the bathroom and then fade away. sierra is thankful to know that at least someone else is awake, someone that she can stand to be around at the moment.

when she finishes her makeup twenty minutes later, she takes her stuff back into jacks room and finds him still asleep. she's grateful for that fact and puts her stuff away. he stirs and she freezes, looking over her shoulder at the bed. she relaxes once she sees his eyes are still closed, and then leaves his room to go back downstairs.

maggie is washing her hands at the kitchen sink when sierra comes downstairs. maggie turns around when she hears footsteps and smiles at sierra. "morning, sweetie!"

"good morning," sierra notices the carton of eggs on the counter, as well as plank cake mix. "do you need help with breakfast?" she asks.

"sure! my mom is on the way—she should be here shortly—and then we can start," maggie says with a bright smile. sierra returns it and nods, taking a seat at the island.

"how's grandpa?" sierra asks. she doesn't actually know the names of jacks  grandparents on his mother's side, so she just calls them by their familial title.

"he's in stable condition, but he's spending another night at the hospital so they can monitor him," maggie replies. sierra nods thoughtfully and maggie trains her eyes on sierras face, looking at her in that motherly way, like she knows something is up. "how's it going, sierra?" she knows she's referring to her and jack.

sierra shrugs and gestures vaguely in the air. "it's fine, we're fine. just working on it," she says, slightly bowing her head. if jack hadn't pissed her off, her answer might've been different, a little more enthusiastic.

maggie nods. "well, i wish the best for you two. you guys are adults and older now," she says, just as the doorbell rings. "i'll be right back." sierra is left alone in the kitchen and she hears maggie and jacks mother in the foyer.

the two women come back into the kitchen and sierra slides off the chair to greet his grandmother. "oh, i know that's not who i think it is?" sierra gives his grandmother a big hug and pulls back.

"hi, grandma."

"okay, sierra, last time i heard, you and jack were broken up. whats going on here?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at the young woman and holding her an arm length away. his grandmother is a spitfire woman who says whats on her mind, but that's all underneath a nice old lady.

sierra shrugs and lets out a light laugh. "we're working on it," she says simply. his grandmother scoffs and rolls her eyes dramatically, letting sierra go.

"oh, whatever! is that what you young people are calling it nowadays?" she pulls off her scarf and sets her purse on the counter. "let's just get this breakfast started."

the three women get started on breakfast, falling into a rhythm. sierra manages the stove, maggie on the griddle, and his grandmother cutting up potatoes and fruit.

"morning," jack says, coming into the kitchen and yawning. his voice is sleepy and raspy, and if sierra was weak, she'd take his voice alone as an apology for the way he treated her last night.

jack makes his rounds and sierra tenses up when she feels him next to her. she focuses solely on the task in front of her and ignores him when he puts his hand on her side. "can i talk to you real quick?" he asks.

"sure," she mumbles, turning to maggie. maggie takes over the stove without a word from sierra, and jack and sierra walk out into the hallway. sierra crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the wall.

"i just want to apologize for last night. it wasn't cool, and i was just in my feelings yesterday. it's not an excuse, but i don't feel right knowing i pissed you off before you went to bed," he says, uncrossing her arms for her and grabbing her hands. jack bends down to meet her eyes.

"thank you," sierra says plainly, but she really is glad that he apologized and recognized that he fucked up.

"are we good?" he asks, straightening up. sierra nods.

"we're good," she says. jack pulls her close and kisses her forehead. "you really tried it last night." she says, shaking her head.

"i know, we can do facemasks tonight," he says. sierra smiles up at him and kisses his cheek. they walk back into the kitchen and his grandmother looks at the two of them over her shoulder.

"jack, tell me what you two have going on, i am very confused."

jack looks down at sierra before looking back up at his grandmother. "we're... working on it," he says.

"what is there to work on? you like her, and she likes you. it's that simple!" she says. "i say, that's enough reason to get together."

she does have a point.

•

liked by theestallion, jackharlow and 30,209 others

iamsierra hot girl but i'm still the coldest 🥶💙❄️

view 3,921 comments...

jackharlow fine as shitiamsierra liked this comment user23 YES I PREDICTED THISuser09 WHAT ABOUT US, JACK? WHAT ABOUT EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH?

dejavu girl u in the mountains???iamsierra no... kentucky 🤢🤢🤢jackharlow ???? bro

user89 BRUH THAT WAS U ON HIS STORY?

jackharlow why u aint post the other onesiamsierra bc jackharlow give me ur phone RN

druski2funny your shoes are dirty af iamsierra and so is that tired ass vest you've been wearing since 2019 get out of my face

user12 THE MATH IS MATHING RN

yagirljas MY PRETTY LIL BABY WE DONT DESERVE Uiamsierra I LOVE U SM

_colebennett_ neck froze liked by iamsierra

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hey yall hope u like it!