how could a heart like yours, ever love a heart like mine?

how could i have been so blind

JJ and Kie had put the neck of the ukulele on the body, and were attaching the strings, when John B and Sarah came in. The first two had not been working very intently because they had been arguing.

"Hi guys!", came Sarah's lilting voice.

"Hi Sarah," Kie said, immediately jumping up and running towards her friend and wrapping her in a hug.

JJ's eyes followed her with exasperated fondness until he snapped himself out of it. He noticed Sarah smirking at him over Kie's shoulder. JJ got up and walked towards the kitchen where Sarah had followed John B and Kie, who had their arms wrapped around each other's waists, discussing their days.

It warmed him to see her so chummy with their friends when she had been so scared before.

"What are you two up to?", John B asked.

"We're putting together a ukulele JJ picked out for me, but he's being difficult," Kie replied.

"I'm being difficult? She won't leave me alone to put it together. She won't stop hovering," JJ cut in.

"Because you're doing it wrong," Kie shouted back at him.

JJ raised his hand to say something back but ended up turning it into a fist and turning to John B who was looking at them with a laugh in his eyes.

"Why do I even try?", JJ questioned.

John B let out a loud laugh and Kie rolled her eyes but Sarah leaned over and whispered, "I can think of a few reasons."

"So we were thinking hotdogs tonight," JJ said quickly to John B.

What had gotten into Sarah.

"Yeah sounds good. We have hotdogs, but no buns but I can run out and get those. Maybe I'll go now to make sure I get there before it closes. Sarah you wanna come?"

"Nah. You should take Kie though so she can pick out some of those drinks her and I love so much," Sarah responded.

"Yeah, okay," Kie said.

"Great! That way I can finish the ukulele without interference."

"Yeah, if you break it, I'll break you," Kie said walking out the door.

"Why? I picked it out!," JJ shouted after her.

The door slammed shut.

"You picked it out?", Sarah said with her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. We couldn't decide what to get so we picked something out for each other," he replied, giving her a weird look as he turned his back to look at the ukulele again.

"Doesn't she already have a ukulele?"

"She threw it out when we cleaned the Chateau. Guess she didn't feel like playing it anymore, but she was talking about how she wanted things to get back to normal so I thought a ukulele would help with that."

"Ah I see."

JJ nodded.

"So when are you going to ask her out?"

"What?," JJ laughed out, spinning around.

"Don't act like it's so absurd. I see the way you are with her," Sarah said very accusatory.

"I am not a specific way with Kiara. We're friends, I treat her like a friend."

"Yeah right. You don't treat the boys like that. You don't treat me like that. But you also don't treat the random girls you meet at parties like that, because Kiara is different. Different than me, different than the boys, different than all the other girls. Different because you love her," she said like a lawyer making her case in court.

"Love her? Are you on something?," JJ said. He tried to play it off but his voice was starting to give him away.

"I am not on anything. I'm right and you just can't admit it."

"There's nothing to admit, okay?"

"Yes there is, you're in love with her," Sarah practically sang the last part and started dancing around.

"I'm not in love with her," he said just loud enough to be heard over her.

"You're in love with her," she sang loudly.

"I'm not in love with her."

"You're in love with her," she sang looking at him, now only a coffee table between them.

"I'm not in love with her."

"You're in love with her."

"I'm not in love with her."

"YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HER!"

"OKAY GOD FINE! YES, SARAH! I'M IN LOVE WITH HER!"

He paused. The words sat so heavy in the air. He just stared at Sarah who was looking at him with accomplishment written across her face.

"But it doesn't really matter does it. I'm not breaking up the Pogues and I'm not giving Kie a reason to hide from me."

"Right, cause she totally hid from Pope-"

"Right, Pope," JJ interrupted, "He's be so pissed."

"Pope couldn't give two shits," came a voice belonging to Pope, who was standing in the doorway of his room, where he had been napping.

"Oh morning sunshine," JJ grumbled, trying to ignore him.

"I've been watching those two dance around each other for months, and personally I'm sick of it. I've moved on from Kie, I've got someone new, it's time for you to have your shot."

"You have someone new? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yes I have someone new. I met them at the Boneyard that one night and we've just stayed in touch since then. They're non-binary and they're cool, now stop changing the subject."

"Pope," JJ whined.

"See JJ, the only thing holding you back is you. You're too much of a chicken," Sarah cut in.

"Yes, because Kie's feelings don't factor into the equation at all," JJ said dryly, sitting down on the couch.

Sarah's voice softened, "Kie's in love with you JJ," she said sitting down on the coffee table in front of him.

JJ looked up at her skeptically.

"She is! I've seen her with every guy she's liked and the way she's acted around them has only had a fraction of the emotional connection she has with you."

"Emotional connection, really?," Pope said disgusted, sitting down on the floor beside the coffee table.

"YES! Emotional connection!," Sarah scolded, "Kie is careful, she's cautious with her feelings. She's never shared so much of herself with anyone the way she has with JJ. Not me, or Pope, or John B."

JJ knew this. He had tried not to notice this. He knew Kie better than anyone and he wasn't the only one to see that. He sat in silence for a bit. He could see Sarah looking between him and Pope.

"Just," Sarah started, "think about it," she said cautiously.

JJ nodded.

He moved from the couch to the table and started work on the ukulele. Before, he had been thankful for Kie's leaving, but now he cursed it, because his head was too stuffed for him to actually focus.

...............

Pope's new partner is an original character of mine