16

laying in his bed and facetiming her friends, she snuggles deeper under the covers. "oh, this bitch is gone!" jasmine cries, referring to sierra.

"i'm DTN for life, fuck you mean?" she says, but there's a smile on her face as she says it. as much as jack pissed her off last night, she can't help but he giddy to be with him and in his presence. she should have known she was going to cave this fast.

"yeah niggas. not jack," deja corrects. sierra rolls her eyes while the two girls laugh. "but seriously, sierra. he got you in kentucky of all places."

"his grandpa had a stroke, of course i was going to be there for him," sierra replies. deja and jasmine seem to look at each other through the phone and sierra scoffs. "what? you'd do it too if you had a man." she says.

"oh, so that's your man now?" jasmine questions, a smirk on her face. sierra hadn't even noticed she said it, it just slipped out so naturally. "and don't think i aint catch that shade either, bitch. you're not slick."

sierra shrugs and glances at the closed bedroom door. jack isn't even here—he's picking his little brother, clay, and urban up from the airport. she looks back at her phone snd sticks her tongue out at her friends before propping her phone up against his lamp on the nightstand. "i mean, he's not my man, but hes my man, you know what i mean?" she says.

deja scoffs. "nope. i dont play that—we're either together, or we're not," she says. sierra can respect that, but it's not that simple sometimes. "so what is it, si?"

"why do we have to put a label on it?" she retorts. deja starts to go on about how labels aren't always a bad thing and that they create understanding and establish boundaries between a couple, and sierra wholeheartedly agrees, but drowns out her friends voice as a picture peeking out behind a stack of notebooks on his desk catches her eye.

"this bitch not even paying attention," deja complains. sierra mumbles a noncommittal "yes i am" and gets out of the bed to retrieve the familiar looking photo. the white polaroid edges are too familiar, and she already knows what the photo is before she pulls it out of the stack.

jack and her own reflection stare up at her, smiling wide, happy smiles. dozens of mardi gras beads hang around each of their necks. an alcoholic drink is pushed poorly out of frame on sierras side because, at the time, she was underage and obviously wasn't supposed to be drinking, especially not in photos she'd bring back to share with family.

the memory is clear as day for sierra. it was almost an entire year ago, when she was still twenty. it was a spontaneous trip taken amongst their mutual friends, spanning a week. it's the most school sierra has ever missed, and she doesn't regret it at all. they're memories she'll never forget and wouldn't trade for anything.

the picture was taken by urban on a polaroid he bought. the trip was shortly after "whats poppin" was released, and jack was getting noticed a lot more than usual. walking around in new orleans, though, they were able to be lowkey and just enjoy an impromptu vacation. they bar hopped all night, drinking the cheapest to the most expensive things, and enjoying the jazz that was audible from outside.

sierra had felt so happy in that moment, and urban was taking pictures of everyone. the smiles in the photo were real and genuine, hardly staged. he had snapped the picture at the perfect time, thus producing one of sierras favorite photos ever.

"look," sierra says, taking the photo and walking back over to the bed, putting the photo in front of the camera.

"was that in new orleans?" jasmine asks, recognizing a few elements of the photo. sierra nods and sets the photo on his nightstand before crawling back into jacks bed. "you're in his hometown in his old house, curled up in his bed and finding old pictures of y'all. where do we go from here?" jasmine asks.

"that is not up to me," sierra says, closing her eyes. but she knows she holds all of the cards in her relationship with jack. he's still timid with her in a way, not trying to overstep and piss her off or ruin a good thing. but it still isn't up to her if her and jack are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend again. that is up to him.

the front door opens and closes, and several sounds of footsteps audibly travel up the stairs. "he's back, yall. imma call you later," sierra says. the girls say their goodbyes and hang up seconds later.

a few moments later, footsteps sound outside of the room and the door opens. jack steps in, a smile taking over his face when he sees sierra. "hey, princess," he says walking over to the side of the bed. he sits next to her and grabs her hand.

"hey," she says. jack leans down and kisses her forehead but pulls back when he catches sight of the polaroid on the nightstand. he picks it up and examines it for a moment before looking at her.

"where'd you find this?" he asks.

sierra points to the desk. "it was just there," she says. jack looks back at the picture, running a hand through his hair. before all of the overwhelming fame (at some points), it was so simple between them. they could take trips like this, be a real couple without people wanting to know too much, and just be with each other. "what?" sierra asks when jack continues to stare at the polaroid.

he shakes his head. "nothing," he kisses her lips and puts the polaroid back on the nightstand. sierra puts her hands on his shoulders and pulls him closer to her. jack puts his hands underneath her back and pulls her upright, hugging her close. he pulls away from her and puts his chin on her shoulder and just hugs her tightly, cradling her in his arms.

sierra plays with the hair at the nape of his neck with one hand and rubs his back with the other. jack lets out a breath and places a chaste kiss on her neck. he knows what he wants to tell her, how he feels, and what she means to him. it's too soon for him to express all of that, so he hopes that the way he's handling her right now says everything he can't.

-

"come on," jack says, motioning for sierra to follow him. they got back from visiting his grandfather in the hospital. it was a short visit, but he was sitting up and talking, and stable. sierra felt awkward at first, but his grandparents were always welcoming, though sometimes they were too open.

sierra felt the most awkward when she went to say hello to his grandfather and he grabbed her hand and told her to take care of jack, in front of everybody. jack tried to save sierra by explaining that they weren't necessarily together, but he insisted that they'd always find their way back to each other, and that he predicted that the two of them would be together again. they left shortly after that.

she looks at him with an expression of despair. "it's cold," sierra whines. jack waves her off.

"cmon, it'll be quick," he says, holding out his hand. sierra sighs and pushes herself off of the couch and grabs her jacket and purse. she grabs his hand and he leads her out of the house and outside into the cold.

"shit," she mumbles, quickly walking down the sidewalk to where his cars parked because he can't park in the driveway. sierra gets into the passenger seat and adjusts the heat before jack even starts the car, turning on the seat warmers as well.

jack gets in behind her and quickly pulls off of the curb and drives a short distance out of his neighborhood and across the street to an elementary school. sierra looks at him in confusion when he stops in the middle of the road and puts the car in park. "what are you doing?" she asks. he takes his seatbelt off and she immediately starts shaking her head. "hell no, jack."

"sierra, you need to learn," he says. sierra scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest, unmoving. "cmon, just for five minutes. i'll help you."

"no."

shes had a fear of driving ever since she was sixteen. she got her permit easily, but froze up when she got behind the wheel, and never tried again until her senior year of high school, and even then she still couldn't relax. she gave up completely when she got to college and realized that a car wasn't entirely necessary and could manage without one. sierra has lived off of an expired permit for 5 years.

jack sighs and puts a hand on her shoulder. "do you trust me?" he asks, looking her in the eye.

sierra sighs heavily and nods after a few silent moments. "yeah, but—then that should be enough. just try, for me." jack interrupts, pleading. she sighs again and adjusts herself in her seat. "sierra, i won't let anything happen to this car, and i damn sure won't let anything happen to you, or myself. i promise." he adds, squeezing her arm.

she chews on the inside of her cheek and looks at the steering wheel. it's tempting because everyone around her seems to know how to drive—it shouldn't be that hard.

sierra uncrosses her arms and grabs her knees. "fine," she sighs. jack smiles and gently shakes her by the shoulders. "but i'm only trying for five minutes." she adds. jack confirms and quickly gets out of the car, and sierra takes his spot.

"seatbelt," jack instructs when he gets in the passenger side. sierra rolls her eyes at him and pulls her seatbelt across her chest. she places her hands on the steering wheel and just stares out of the windshield, unsure of what to do next. "press on the brake." he says, reading her mind. "and put the car in drive." he instructs once she presses the brake.

"now what?" she asks, the car starting to roll forward. "what do i do?" she asks, her voice rushed and panicked.

luckily, jack is calm enough for the both of them. "press on the brakes and keep your foot there," he instructs. sierra slams on the brakes and the car stops but they both lurch forward. "not that hard, shit." he chuckles.

"jack, i can't do this," she complains, her voice doing that dramatic wobble.

he sucks his teeth. "yes you can, sierra. just listen to me and you'll be fine," he says. sierra huffs in annoyance and reverts her gaze to the road. "now, slowly ease your foot off of the brake." jack says. sierra does as he says, and the car starts rolling again. "just hover above the brake now. let the car roll, and stop when we get to the end, okay?"

sierra nods, her pulse going wild. she forgets to breathe momentarily, wanting to hyperventilate. but she actually does want to try and succeed, so she keeps her focus on the road.

her braking isn't any better, but she stops when they get to the end. "okay, i said press on the brakes, not slam. use your big toe," he says.

"how are you so good at this?"

"i taught clay," jack says with a shrug. sierra sighs and drops her head onto the steering wheel, her foot stuck on the brakes. jack rubs her back encouragingly and squeezes the back of her neck gently. "you're doing well, sierra." he says.

she lifts her head up and presses her back into the chair. "how long has it been?" she asks.

"not long enough. come on," he says. he tells her to put the car in reverse and she does, sighing dramatically the whole time. "okay, now everything is backwards, so if you want to go right, turn the wheel left." jack says. sierra barely turns the wheel, but presses hard on the gas. jack grabs the 'oh shit' handle and leans across her and turns the wheel for her.

sierra takes her hands completely off the wheel and lets up off of the gas and watches him take over. she looks at him instead of watching the road, her brain unable to focus on anything other than the way he's controlling the car with one hand from the passenger seat.

once jack successfully get the car pointing in the right direction, he leans back in his seat with a sigh. he points at the road and tips his chin. "put the car in drive," he says. sierra just looks at him, a small smirk on her face. jack looks over at her and rolls his eyes, biting back a smile. "cmon, sierra. focus."

"can we just stop?" she whines, looking at him with big, pleading doe eyes. when she looks like that, jack wants to cave in so badly and give her what she wants, but there is a life skill on the line. "please?" she asks, laying it on extra thick.

jack shakes his head, being strong and sticking to his goal. sierra scoffs and rolls her eyes extremely hard. "just circle around the school and then we'll go, okay?" he reasons.

"you piss me off," she says, putting the car in drive. she presses on the gas and starts driving them around the block.

sierra gets to the first turn which is a left, and jack braces himself against the door. "turn, turn, turn!" he says when she gets too close to the curb. he reaches across her again and grabs the wheel, fully turning the wheel and getting them away from the curb. "when you turn, turn the entire wheel." he comments.

she looks over at him and sighs. "jack, i don't want to do this anymore!"

the car keeps turning because she never straightened out the wheel, and jacks eyes go wide at the realization. "brake! sierra, pay attention!" he yells, as the car get closer to the building. she doesn't act fast enough so she just screams as he grabs the wheel again. "press on the goddamn brake, sierra!" he yells, anxiety taking over him.

they come to a lurching stop, meters away from ending up in a bush. jack puts the car in park as he breathes heavily, his life flashing before his eyes momentarily. "you're done," he says, getting out of the car. sierra stays frozen in the drivers seat, her hands clamped on the wheel and her heart pounding. her foot is stuck on the brake, pressing it into the earth.

sierras eyes gloss over as jack pulls open her door. "come on," he says to her, prying her hands off of the steering wheel. he notices a tear slip down her cheek and shakes his head, wiping it away. "don't cry. we're fine." jack says, leaning over her and unbuckling her seatbelt.

"i'm sorry," she mutters, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. jack pulls her out of the car and then wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly. she keeps her arms at her sides as she starts to cry, the stress and anxiety of driving taking over her.

"you're okay," he mumbles, regretting making her drive. he only wanted her to practice because it's a skill she needs to have.

sierra pulls herself out of her grasp and wipes her nose and eyes with her hand. she sniffles once before walking around to the other side of the car. jack gets the car straightened out and drives them the short distance back to the house, both of them completely silent.

-

jack lies in his bed aimlessly scrolling through instagram, stalking his fan accounts and liking posts and commenting on a few. he doesn't do it often, but he tries to interact with his fans on the internet as much as possible so they know that he sees them and cares about them. it's important to him that he has a solid relationship with his fans—they're the reason he's here anyway.

he looks up from his phone when his bedroom door opens. sierra enters in her pajamas and a facemask on. she holds a jar and an applicator in one hand. "my turn?" he asks. sierra nods and jack lays completely flat on the bed,and she crawls on top of him. jack puts his hands on her thighs as she leans over him and starts applying the face mask with the wooden stick.

"don't move," she tells him. jack looks up at her as she goes to work on his face, running his hands up and down her thighs. she adjusts herself on his lap and scoots up so she's practically sitting on his hips.

jack grips her legs tightly and looks up at her with a knowing look. "don't do that," he says.

"don't move."

"you don't move," he says. sierra rolls her eyes and leans down again, pressing her chest into his. jack sucks his teeth at her and she shushes him.

"done," she says a few moments later, leaning back on him and placing the face mask container on his chest. she holds onto his sides and looks down at him. jack puckers his lips and she bends down and places her lips on his gently. jack places his hands on her ass and holds her in place. "you're about to mess up my facemask!" she says, pulling back from him.

"sierra, please stop moving," he says, just as she feels something hard against her ass. he raises his eyes brows at her and she rolls off of him, taking the products with her. "where are you going?" he asks, sitting up.

sierra twists up her face as best as she can without cracking her mask. "to put this away, damn," she says, twisting the lid onto the jar and putting it in her bag.

jack pats his legs when she turns back around and she rolls her eyes. "i thought you didn't want me on you?" she asks, crawling on top of him again. jack wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her lips.

"i always want you on me," he says, resting his hands on her hips. sierra puts her hands on his chest and sighs.

"sorry about earlier," she says. shes apologized a dozen times since it happened, and she started losing sight of what she's apologizing for—but she feels like she did something wrong.

jack shakes his head. "we're all good," he says. sierra looks down and messes with the strings on her sweats. "seriously. don't worry about it." jack says, squeezing her side. sierra sighs and puts her hands on his shoulders.

we're all good.

•

location: louisville, kentucky

•

liked by druski2funny, dojacat, and 312,402 others

jackharlow don't knock this lifestyle until you try it... 🤞

view 39, 024 comments...

dojacat your feet are fucking terrifying.            user07 LMFAOOOOO           jackharlow you're terrifying.

druski2funny no invite?         jackharlow next time 😘                 druski2funny after that thanksgiving i'll pass good looks tho 😬

user12 I FEEL LIGHTHEADED

user02 JACK WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?          user23 hes really cuffed i cant breathe right now

iamsierra i look good here          jack harlow You always look good bae         dojacat TRUE                 user15 what is happening

user21 WHO IS THISSSSSSS           iamsierra his worst nightmare 😈 jk but he be singing about me! get into it

user01 I FEEL SO HURT          user06 join the club

user31 jack what about US???

user90 crying and throwing upjackharlow liked this commment

yagirljas TW ON THE FIRST PIC NEXT TIME!!!!! PLEASE AND THANK YOU

——

AHHH YALL IM SO GRATEFUL FOR 1K VOTES I LOVE YALL SM AND IM SO GLAD THE BOOK IS LOVED LIKE THIS

also i threw in some fan favorites... purrr... yeah