Seeing her cry was something Jerome had never intended to make her do. But he just didn't feel that way for the small dark girl he'd fallen for during their last year of high school.

Now they were off to college. They'd packed their belongings, under the tearful eyes of their watching housemother.

Jerome had hated to say goodbye to her, to the place he had called his home for thirteen years. But the girl crying on her stripped mattress, he'd never intended to hurt her that much. She could barely breathe, but Jerome truly felt that it was best for them both to go their separate ways. And he couldn't tell her this, but he still had feelings for a bright girl, with the raven hair who he had so unintentionally cheated on.

His Beansy Boo. His Mara.

Of course she was now in a relationship with the school's resident guy brain box, Fabian.

They were about to have a graduation ceremony, so Jerome needed to tell Mara how he felt. He'd never really meant to hurt her, just as he'd never meant to hurt Joy. He needed advice, but there were just no possible ways to get it. There were some people who would help him, once, long ago. But even they had given up on him.

The only one who had remained true to help was too busy bawling her eyes out into a cushion on her bed as if they were all on their deathbeds and there was no way of saving them.

Joy sobbed "You better not still be in here." She choked and her voice broke.

"I'm sorry, Joy. I just think that this'll be better in the long run, that's all."

"Get out, Jerome. I don't want you either, get out!" She sobbed, trying not to get hysterical.

Outside her room, he bumped into a very tearful Mara.

"What's with you?" He asked her as kindly as was possible.

"I just got dumped. Said that he still had feelings for Nina, that I was very nice, but Nina was still the one for him and he didn't want to lead me on. It was a gentle, explanatory way, but that still hurt."

She fell on Jerome with open arms. He accepted her and carried her down into the living room.

Their housemother was baking, singing a sad song quietly. After thirteen years, Jerome knew her sad songs off by heart.

But Mara... He felt a warmth, a love, something no other girl had ever made him feel. She'd struck that spark in him when he met her, she had been eleven, he'd been twelve.

Willow had kept that spark alive, and so had Joy.

Now that he held Mara, that spark had turned into an all out flame. He couldn't describe the passion he felt, holding his little Beansy Boo, Mara.

Mara was holding Jerome, her heart filled and burning with love as she held him. She'd never felt this with anyone, why was it burning so much? She needed experienced advice. But there was nobody to go to who would give her that answer.

It wasn't a bad burning, she liked it. She'd just never had it, even when she'd held Jerome like that before. She had read so many romance stories, looking for characters to tell her what being in love felt like.

But they hadn't mentioned this kind of burn in the heart that made her heart feel like she was bonded to Jerome in ways she never would be to anyone else. Her Jerome, his Mara.

With one look into each other's eyes, they told each other everything with three simple unspoken words.

I love you.

A song was played at that moment over the radio.

A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri.

That made their moment perfect.

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Aw, Jara! Got to love them. Next chap will be Peddie. I love them as well. Review if you enjoyed, PM me with any ideas. Until next update, Random Dizzy. :)