Mira stared at her phone before thumbing out a text just as her professor started to wrap up.

To: Yi En

I miss you.

From: Mira

She hit send before scrolling through the conversation. She was talking to herself, parroting back parts of her day or funny stories but getting no reply because the person on the other end didn't exist anymore.

Putting her phone away, she waited until the class was dismissed before shoving her things in her bag. She thought that wearing Jackson's sweater to class would make her feel better about being left alone in the morning but it did the opposite. The smell made her nauseous and bitter because she knew she wouldn't be able to get the scent of him out of her mind when she managed to return it to him.

Then she'd have to go back to living like the month before she called Jackson over. She'd have to be miserable and lethargic. The mere idea exhausted her. She wanted to feel the same way she felt when Jackson kissed her at her door. Happiness? No. She felt safe. Like it would somehow all work itself out. She should've said something to him last night. Just something to let him know that she wanted him to stay.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she lifted her bag over her shoulder and wanted to get back to her apartment as fast as she could to change into something else until her phone buzzed. Frustrated, she pulled her phone out, prepared to ignore the person and put it on silent when she saw the name of the sender.

Yi En sent you a message

"No way." Her voice shook as she stepped into the corner of the classroom. She opened it up and held her breath.  

To: Mira

Hey, I'm the new owner of this number. I just got it today. Thought I should let you know, I don't think that last text was meant for me.  

She knew it would happen.

It was eventual.

His phone was the police's property, once it wasn't to their use anymore, they'd dispose of it.

She just didn't think it'd hit her like this. She knelt down and ignored the inquisitive stares of the students who passed by her and just hugged her knees. She stared at her phone before typing out another message.

To:

Sorry about that. Won't happen again.

She didn't cry as much as she used to.

Maybe she was just emptied out or maybe the shock numbed her. Instead, she stood up, cleared and walked out the door as if nothing affected her.

But then she saw him.

Leaning against a pillar with closed eyes with his head leaned back.

She could walk away.

He didn't see her.

She could make it back to her apartment without him even realizing it.

"Jackson."

His eyes snapped open at the soft prompt and felt his heart melt at the sight of her. "H-Hey."

"What are you doing here?" She muttered, pretending not to notice the people walking past them, slowing down to try to get a listen in on what the unlikely pair of them could possibly be talking about.

She wanted to laugh.

If only they knew.

He scratched the back of his neck, "I was just waiting for a friend."

"Oh." Humiliation crawled up her face when she saw his eyes dart down to what she was wearing and she had expected a snarky comment but he said nothing.

He nodded, "So I guess I'll see you arou--"

"I love you." She blurted out.

Jackson froze and for a second, thought he had heard wrong,"W-What are you tal--"

"I-I think I love you or…or maybe I don't. Maybe I'm just really attached to you. Maybe I just care about you a lot more than I would a friend. Maybe I really ing like you. I don't know yet. I think I could love you, though. I just…I just know that things are so much better when you're around. That it's half as bearable and I just want you to be around more."  She caught her breath before meeting his eyes, "So…yeah. I mean--I guess…yeah. That's all I wanted to say. So I'll--I'm--I'll go." She stuttered, heat rushing to her face as she spun on her heel and tried to walk away.

"Wait." He barked before running after her. He pulled on her arm so that she'd stop speed walking away from him."Give me a ing second to digest this. You can't tell me that you might love me and want me to be with you and basically tell me what I've been fantasizing about hearing you say to me for the last 2 months before just walking away. Okay?"

"I--uh….okay."

He cupped her face and pressed his nose against hers and smiled incredulously at her, "Tell me exactly what you want from me. Just tell me. I'll ing give you everything you want."

She gripped her cold hand around his wrist and closed her eyes, basking in his warmth and the scent that she was prepared to force herself to forget. "I just want you to be here. I want you around me. I want you to hold my stupid hand and say stupid lovely nonsense to me. I want you to date me."

He was absolutely shaking, "Do you want me to kiss you?"

"Yes."

Jackson wasn't one to cry but he was damn well near tears when he finally got to taste her. It was completely different than any other time he kissed her. It was all these little hidden secrets, tucked under her tongue that rolled into his mouth.

She was a different person every time he kissed her.

And he loved every single version of her.

-----

Mira proved to be a lot of firsts for Jackson.

It was strange for him to wake up to the same face, the same smile, the same scent of her on his skin even after he showered, the same feeling when he touched her skin or kissed her lips, but good strange.

She was good strange.

It was hard at first, being comfortable with each other, feeling out their boundaries and figuring out how to go from estranged to dating. It took a lot of mistakes and blindly reaching out in hopes of feeling the right thing but they made it work. They had to tread carefully, more than a regular couple because the only way to walk through a minefield was on your tippy toes.

It resulted in a lot of awkward silences and hesitant advances but they passed by the rough patches with time and a lot of understanding that they still had flaws that weren't fixed. But it wasn't just figuring out their own personal situation that was hard, it was seeing other people react to news of their relationship, having something they barely understood being public knowledge among their peers.

There were rumours that she was the reason he quit swimming and he was the reason her grades went from a 4.0 to a 3.2. It was a lot of spiteful hate that swirled around and it was hard but they learned how to block it out.

After scraping off the rough edges and finally settling into a relationship that worked for both of them, a new liveliness burned in them.

"You look really pretty today." He murmured as he kept her pinned against the wall, tucked in the most abandoned part of the campus. It had been a few days since he'd seen her, the pair of them buried in essays and exams. Seeing her know was a breath of fresh air had ever needed one, his eyes lidded as he bore into hers. "I saw you across campus this morning and holy you looked beautiful then, you look gorgeous up close."

Mira's body started to run warm as she stared up at him. He always made her feel like her blood was on fire just by standing next to her, "So do you."

He chuckled before leaning against her, "Can I kiss my girlfriend?"

"Please do." She said before tilting her head up.

But Jackson just nodded and patted her on the head before turning away, "Okay great, I'll go find her."

"Hey!" She exclaimed before reaching out and grabbing Jackson by his jacket and yanking him back forcefully towards her. Jackson didn't put up much of a fight and just laughed before letting her pull him back to her body.

His arms shot out and braced against the wall next to her head before nudging his forehead with hers, "Yea?"

"You have one girlfriend, got it?" She growled playfully against his mouth.

He smirked and bit down on his lip, "Prove it, baby."

"Gladly." She whispered before placing his hands on his shoulders and jumping up so that her legs could wrap around his waist. Jackson's head tilted back with a cheeky laugh as he took her in.

"My girlfriend is a stunner." He breathed out in awe. "I missed her."

She raised her brow challengingly, "Really? Maybe you should go find her."

"No, I like this girlfriend more." He rumbled while squeezing her thighs.

She scrunched her nose up, before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close, "Are you coming over tonight?"

"My first night off with no deadlines? yeah, I'm coming over." He scoffed as he tried to lean forward for a kiss.

But Mira leaned back just far enough that his couldn't reach, "Are you sure? You might be tired, maybe it's best if you take a rest at your place instead."

"You're evil." He muttered when he saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Pure, beautiful, y evil."

 She giggled and his cheeks tinged with a soft blush, his entire body felt giddy just by her bubbly glow before she finally leaned down to kiss him gently. It was so calming, the sound of the rain pattering against the window of the building and complete silence other than their breathing. She pulled away slightly so their noses were still touching and stared at him tenderly, her fingers coming up to touch his cheek in an act of  adoration.

"I want you to meet my mom."

Mira froze, her entire body turning rigid before pulling away to gape at him, "Are you being serious?"

"Yes." He whispered while staring at her. He saw the panic fill her eyes. "Just dinner. Nothing serious. I just…this is real, Mira and I know you're waiting for it to be a joke but it's not. You mean something to me. So…please?"

1 Month Later

"So, she's your girlfriend." Jackson