ISSUES II outer banks

JJ and Iz

"You make me a better person." 

❥

"J, are you here?", I ask walking through the door to his dad's house. I wouldn't just enter someone else's house if I hadn't messaged and called JJ a ten times before and knocked the door. He neither answered my call nor messaged me back and there's also no one opening the door although it's half open. 

I begin to worry if something has happened to JJ and his dad, maybe they were robbed or worse.. But who would even break into a pogue's home? Weird. "JJ?"

"Iz?", I finally hear JJ's raspy voice from the living room and immediately go there just to find him laying on the ground. He's got a blue eye and bruises all over his face and arms and he's slowly trying to move up. I quickly step closer to him and give him my hand to pull him up.

"JJ, what happened? Did someone break in?", I ask him worried when he stands in front of me and I take a closer look at him. Someone has hurt him badly. He only shakes his hand and gasps sharply and I instinctively lay my hand on his cheek taking a closer look at the bruises in his face.

"Who did that to you?", I whisper. "It doesn't matter, Iz", JJ replies shaking his head again. "Jay, you can tell me anything. I'm here. There's nothing that you would have to hide from me." "Iz-"

"Where's your dad?" Instead of replying, JJ looks to the side and I follow his eyes to see blood on the couch. "Did you dad do this to you?", I ask him and JJ slowly nods and a tears leaves his eye. I can clearly see how he's trying not cry so I pull him into a tight hug. "JJ, it's only me. You can cry if you want to. I'm here."

"I'm just glad you're here right now", JJ sobs. "Come, I'll bring you somewhere else. You can't stay here", I tell him as soon as we let go off each other and take his hand, "And I have to clean your bruises."

"The Wreck?", JJ looks at me skeptically as I stop the engine of the car when we arrive in front of my uncle's and aunt's restaurant. "It's already closed so we're alone here and I've got the keys. Plus, I can clean you up easily." "Iz, I-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me, J." JJ nods lightly and follows me to the inside where he sits down while I'm heating up some soup for him and take care of his bruises. "This is probably the best food I've eaten for the past weeks", JJ admits as he's craming the soup into himself hungrily, "Thanks Iz."

"JJ, we're best friends, there's no need to thank me. I would do anything for you." "It's.. more than I usually get." "Has your dad done this before?", I finally ask him but JJ shakes his head again. "Can we not talk about this, please?" "Whatever you want. Just know that you can also talk to me whenever you need or want to."

"I know. Why have you been there anyways?" "I wanted you to know that I've broken up with him", I inform JJ about breaking up with Rafe without mentioning his name so JJ doesn't try to make Rafe pay for hurting me, "And thank you for being here for me when I needed you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" "Not really." "Sure", he nods but then smiles at me and points to the sound system, "Hey, can you turn the volume up?" I do as he asks and also let him grab my hand and take me to the free area where he lays his arms around my waist. 

"What are you doing?", I whisper but instinctively let my hands rest in his neck. "I know how much you love dancing and now we're dancing together." "JJ, that's romantic." "I'm not as bad as you think", he chuckles but I look at him seriously. "J, you're better than everyone else claims. They're just jealous because they know how much of a good guy you are. I just didn't expect you to be so romantic."

"I can be anything for you, Izzy. You know.. I was always afraid of becoming like my dad, maybe that's why I macked on tourons and stuff.. but with you I am different. I even dance to romantic music." "Wow, JJ, that's-" JJ looks like he doesn't even listen to me but I get why. Just like him, I'm not concentrating on what we say or how we dance but my eyes wander from his eyes to his lips and back again. And then we finally kiss again. This time, I don't pull away. I enjoy it.

❥

"What were you and Rafe talking about today?", JJ asks me with a hint of anger in his voice as soon as we meet at the beach. I'm not quite sure but it's possible that his voice also sounds a bit jealous. "Nothing important", I honestly reply as Rafe was only trying to apologize but I've asked him to stay away from me for some time. "Didn't look like nothing", JJ insists on finding out more.

"Why do you even care, J? We're only hanging out, kissing, drinking", I reply bluntly as I would prefer to not talk about the past or anything that has to do with Rafe. Whenever JJ and I hung around, I loved that it's easy with him. "No, we're not", JJ snaps at me suddenly so I furl my eyebrows wondering what's going on with him. "What do you mean?"

"Iz, do you still not get it? I've got no idea what's going on with me but I've never been trying harder to be a better man and I never felt more calm around someone than with you. I've never been so serious and protective of someone like I am around you." "What are you trying to say? I'm sorry if I make you feel like you can't be yourself around-"

"Shut up, Iz", JJ interrupts me harshly but also presses his lips onto mine and quickly deepens the kiss until we both have to gasp again. "That was surprising", I whisper biting my lip shyly when JJ let's go of me. "Surprising?", he chuckles, "We've not been doing it for the first time." "Yeah but right after you said that to me and-"

"Iz, it's okay if you don't feel the same. I.. It was stupid of me to think you could like me, too." "You like me?", I susurrate shocked. "That was what I was trying to tell you. All I think about is you and whenever you're talking to someone else, I'm freaking out. All I want is you to be mine." "JJ Maybank, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Would you say yes?", he smiles at me shyly, "A definite yes", I chuckle still shocked that JJ Maybank would ask anyone out and especially me. I never had the intention to become JJ's girlfriend and I thought that we've only been flirting and joking around sometimes but now that he did, I realize how much I wanted this to happen. 

"Take this please", JJ tells me as he takes his bracelet off and lays it around my wrist, "I want to make sure that you've always got me with you." "You're someone special, JJ Maybank", I whisper and laugh and cry at the same time as I still don't realize how real this situation is. But him pressing his lips on mine again helps me realizing all of this.