I laughed—really laughed—as I dropped my suitcase and ran into his hug.
God, it felt good. Warm. Safe. Like home should’ve felt but never did.
"You’re so tiny!" he said, holding me at arm’s length. "We’re feeding you up, first thing."
We spent the drive from Logan Airport blasting old pop songs and screaming along at the top of our lungs.
His Benz smelled like french fries and peppermint gum, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
---
Jasper's dorm at Harvard was exactly how I imagined it—messy, loud, full of life.
His roommates shouted greetings at me from their rooms, and there were textbooks and laundry everywhere.
It was chaos. And it was perfect.
The first night, Jasper took me to a little diner just off campus.
We sat in a red vinyl booth and he ordered two burgers, a mountain of curly fries, and two chocolate milkshakes before I could even glance at the menu.
"Jazz," I protested. "You know I can’t—"
"You can," he interrupted firmly. "And you will."
He grinned. "Doctor's orders."
I hesitated, feeling the old panic crawl up my spine. But the way he looked at me—like I was precious, not a project—made it easier.
I took a fry. Then a bite of burger.
Then another.
And another.
"See?" he said, watching me with a proud smile. "You’re still you, Britt. You’re not broken."
I blinked down at my plate, swallowing the lump in my throat.
I hadn’t felt like ‘me’ in years.
---
The days blurred together in the best way.
Jasper dragged me all over Harvard Yard, pointing out the dorms, the lecture halls, the coffee shops he swore served the best muffins in Massachusetts.
We had picnics by the Charles River, tossing breadcrumbs to the ducks.
We stayed up late watching dumb horror movies, screaming and laughing so hard I thought my ribs would snap.
He introduced me to his friends — real people, not the fake L.A. smile-on-command people I was used to.
They didn’t care what I looked like or who I modeled for. They cared about what books I liked, what music I listened to.
For the first time in forever, I wasn’t "Brittany the Model."
I was just... Brittany.