December 30
Besides the Christmas Eve reflection, Sarah also wrote down her New Year resolutions in that same journal. Normally they were things like eating less doughnuts or being able to run at a certain speed, but this year, she felt that she would deal with things that were closer to the heart as well.
She had a list of ten things that she tried to aim for every year.
1. Look into studying for the GED.
2. Spend more time calling family members, maybe once a week.
3. Read a book every month, maybe even get Jareth involved in that too.
4. Try a new yoga class for some down time.
5. Learn self defense.
6. Watch less TV, limit to 2 times a week.
7. Keep a steady journal for at least once a week.
8. Donate blood more often if possible.
9. Be more kind to others. Don't try to pass judgment and cut them some slack because you have no idea what they're going through.
10. Be honest and tell Jareth I love him.
She felt pretty good about that list. There were things about self care on there, things she should do and needed to do, and to improve herself so she was a better person. She leaned back and sat comfortably, wondering what Jareth wrote down.
Love was something terrifying to her. She never loved anyone before, not truly. Maybe she had a budding sort of love for Jareth for a long time but it wasn't until the mistletoe kiss that she really allowed herself to think of that love for him. He meant so, so much to her. She wanted to be consumed with her love for him and to bask in his own love for her. She was pretty sure now that he loved her but she was still scared of being wrong.
She thought of the way he gently held her the night before and kissed her face when she woke. The way he danced with her and put his arm on her. The way he stood up for her against her cousins and did things for her. The way he was imperfect but was willing to learn and get better. The way he teased her but always made sure she was smiling.
But most of all, the way he promised to be there, and had actually been there, when her world fell.
He made her a priority and she made him hers. She thought of how handsome he was but also how when she looked into his eyes, he radiated sincerity. He made her happy and she never took their time together for granted. She had been scared that he would tire of her, but every new day was an adventure for them. Even when she would just sit by his side studying, not speaking to him. It felt good.
It felt like home.
"Oh Jareth, how I love you more than anything." She sighed.
Closing her book, she went downstairs to be with her family, thinking of her own Jareth as she watched her dad and stepmom share a sweet kiss while playing a game together.
Jareth opened up his Christmas Eve book again. He thought of what his New Year resolutions should be as Sarah encouraged him to do it every year. She told him ten things but he always did 13 just to annoy her.
He usually wrote down silly jokes and while he would still do that, he did have some serious things he wanted to do.
1. Get more glitter on my clothes.
2. Try to find hair products to make my hair more "poofy" as Sarah calls it.
3. Find more ways to sneak peaches in desserts for Sarah.
He chuckled at the list so far, putting the jokes on top. Now for the real ones.
4. Work on my sparring techniques.
5. Try to find a new way to improve the irrigation system in the western villages.
6. Work on my temper, try to not get so snappy at people.
7. Keep a weekly journal as Sarah suggested.
8. Find ways to keep the throne room more clean.
9. Maybe audit a class in Sarah's university with her, to learn more and to keep up to date with Aboveground stuff.
10. Learn a new language Aboveground.
(He really didn't need to learn languages as he could use magic to translate but he found that a lot of things got lost in translation, and he was a quick learner to why not?)
11. Practice piano more.
12. Spend more time with family.
13. Tell Sarah I love her.
That last one was important to Jareth. Sarah was his love, and he was sure that he would love no one else. He had his pride, knowing that she had rejected him years ago. But at the same time, it really wasn't fair for her. He didn't tell her that he loved her, just for her to love him.
He had to learn to be more vulnerable with those he cared about and while he was better at that with Sarah, he was still awful at it. He wanted to be the best he could be for her. Not completely change himself, but to be the best version of himself. She already liked him for who he was.
And he did with her too. She was just so sweet, so caring. She even helped him heal after the fire gang incident. She felt perfect in his arms, as if she was made for him. And he loved her with everything he had. He would never tire of her for every single moment was lovely. It wasn't always perfect and sometimes they drove each other crazy enough to have space, but he always found himself wanting to be with her again. The way her green eyes shone and her little smile made his cold heart melt. The way her smaller body fit in his was a perfect fit when he hugged around her.
He felt a bit possessive now, and he was going to have Sarah. The only way he could be stopped was Sarah herself. No one would tell him that he couldn't be with her except for her. He would fight tooth and nail to make her his queen, to be immortal with him. He told her that it was possible, that she had already passed a test, but to get approval was even harder because of the prejudices of the other courts Underground. But she would and could do it.
He put his book down and smiled. He felt so happy when she called him her boyfriend. He loved her so much, and he was glad that she was proud of having him on her arm, ready to show him to her friends and family.
"I love you, Sarah." He whispered into the air.
I will be posting the next and last chapter pretty much immediately but there will be one more after that for an epilogue! Thanks again for reading!
