152 ·^ COSMOPOLITANWhen I first met Jack, I was a barmaid and he was
desperate for me to serve him a drink. He was
wasted, so I said no. Still, he intrigued me. I was
19 and had just returned from a trip abroad, so
I was working at my local to save up for university. I was
bored and a bit lost and then this odd guy came along.
The next day, I saw him hanging around in the village
looking a bit worse for wear. We got chatting, had a few
drinks and decided to climb trees. The day ended with a kiss.
We were together pretty much from that moment forward,
and it always felt adventurous. It was us against the world.
We had a very dramatic ‘We love each other but can’t be
together’ break-up after spending the summer together. We
both had to focus on our careers and he was moving back
down South. I’d spoken to him more than anyone about
what I wanted to do with my life, and it would have been
wrong if we’d sacrificed everything we’d talked about.
The night before he travelled home, we each wrote down
our favourite things about our relationship and read them
out loud, like a story. We cried and hugged. I’m yet to have
such a positive break-up with anyone else.
We’ve kept in touch on-and-off over the years, through
texting and occasionally bumping into one another. He’s
one of the few people I can be totally honest with.
We were both visibly
nervous at the start of our
date. There were a couple of
minutes of awkwardness, but
we soon relaxed. He seemed
really focused and is working
on some great projects. It was
good to see him so happy.Laura Hartley, 28, is a trainee lawyer from Lancashire
“I can be totally honest with him”
AS TOLD TO RUTH LAWES AND DANIELLA SCOTT. PHOTOGRAPHS ANTONIO PETRONZIO. HAIR AND MAKE-UP EMILY-JANE WILLIAMS. STYLING SAIREY STEMP. LAURA WEARS: TOP, REISS. JEANS, RIVER ISLAND. SHOES, DR MARTENS. JEWELLERY, LAURA’S OWN. JACK WEARS: JACKET, WRANGLER. T
-SHIRT,ZARA. JEANS, H&M. SHOES, GO ASK ALICE BOOTS. LAURA AND JACK ATE AT EASTWAY BRASSERIE AT THE ANDAZ HOTEL (EASTWAYBRASSERIE.CO.UK)Would you see him again?
“Definitely – but both of us
are clear that it wouldn’t be
in a romantic capacity. It was
just really lovely to see how
much more confident he is
in himself now.”A younger
Jack and Laura