𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝘐'𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬

♥ ♥ ♥

I let my feet sink into the mud in the garden of the Chateau. Some of my dad's old contacts from the OBX had told us that it's been raining for days on the island which wasn't surprising since it was fall season.

I didn't mind though. All that time in New York had me used to the damp feeling of my clothes glued to my body. I was walking the driveaway of what almost a year ago used to be my second home. I fought to hold back tears.

I reached the backyard of the Chateau and I heard some noises coming from the porch. The sound of the rain kind of muffled the voices but it didn't take me two seconds to recognize Kie's sweet tone. An excited smile appeared on my face but then it dropped as someone else spoke. Someone I thought I would never hear again: John B. I fastened my steps and arrived at the porch in the blink of an eye. I moved my wet hair away from my face to see better but when I saw him, standing there with Sarah wrapped around his arm, my heart stopped.

He was laughing for sure at something Pope said but as soon as we locked eyes, he went quiet. Everyone else did too and they moved their gazes, following the direction John B was looking in. Kie and Sarah squeaked as they recognized me and the boys just stood there, frozen. There was another girl with them. She looked like a badass but to be honest I didn't want to pay attention to her right now.

I opened the screen door and walked on the porch.

"Holy shit, John B?" I whispered more as a question 'cause I just couldn't believe he was standing right there before me.

"Hi, Y/n"

I chuckled and in a second I jumped in his arms. He held me tight, his hands around my waist. When he put me down I didn't want to stop the tears anymore so I just let them run on my cheeks. I shifted my gaze to Sarah and wrapped my arms around her as well.

"How the fuck are you guys here?!?" I ask-yelled, trying to make sense out of the situation.

"It's a long story," Sarah said in a chuckle, sitting down on the couch. John B did the same.

"Which they can tell you about later. Holy fuck Y/n! You're back!" Kie yelled, jumping in my arms. "I'm back!" I hugged her back, holding her tight and Pope joined the hug too. God, I'd missed those hugs.

"First, presentations.. Y/n this is Cleo, Cleo this is Y/n" Pope said, pointing at the two of us. I held my hand out for her to shake it which she did, smiling. "So this is the girl that blonde one won't stop talking about" she commented, sitting back down in her chair. I blushed slightly. Hearing JJ's name made me realize he wasn't there with them.

"He's working," John B said, reading my mind. "He'll be here in a couple of hours"

"In the meantime-- let's catch up!" Sarah said excitedly. I nodded agreeingly and sat down on the couch, next to her. In an hour they managed to tell me everything that had happened to them since I left; how they survived and Cleo's part in that. The next hour we used it to catch up with the Pogues.

"You have to know this." Pope started, a serious look on his face. "JJ hasn't been the same since you left." Kie continued. "He reacted pretty badly when you stopped writing to us.."

A wave of shame and guilt rushed through me because it was true. When I arrived in NYC I settled in pretty harshly since of course I didn't know anyone. So I found comfort in writing to my friends in the OBX. We used to write to each other basically every single day of the week but then, around May, I became overwhelmed with exams and the two jobs I was working in order to pay my ticket to go visit my friends, so I stopped writing. I thought of JJ every day; what he was doing, who he was with, how he was doing etc. And now that I finally had the chance to ask him myself, I was sinking in guilt, as I should've.

"I'm sure you had your reasons and please know we're absolutely not mad at you. Just be prepared for JJ's reaction" Kie said, placing a hand on mine. I stroked it, smiling and trying to hide the fact that I was seriously scared of his reaction when he was gonna see me. 

The rain that had stopped an hour ago, started again hitting the screen door so hard we thought it was gonna break. John B said JJ would be there in a couple of hours yet he still wasn't back.

Just as on cue, the sound of a motorcycle echoed in the rain. We heard footsteps in the house and everyone went quiet, recognizing that it was JJ.

"Jeez Louise, it's raining as shit out there!" My heart jumped in my chest as his voice filled the air around us. He opened the back door and came out on the porch.

"Why are you acting so weird?" he asked, leaning on the wall. I sighed loudly and gestured to Kie to move away from me so that JJ could finally see me. When we locked eyes, he straightened his body, jaw on the floor.

"Hi" I whispered, taking a few steps forward, unsure of how to act. He stood there, frozen. But then his expression changed and I saw rage in his eyes, burning as never before. He scoffed loudly before turning around and stepping down the porch, in the pouring rain.

"Told you" Kie said sadly as her eyes followed JJ outside. I smiled bitterly and of course, followed him out.

"JJ!" I yelled, squinting my eyes trying to see something because of the rain. I saw him, finally stop in the middle of the yard. I stopped too but kept my distance, unsure of what was about to happen.

"Where the fuck have you been for the past six months?!?" he shouted, tilting his head to the side but still not turning around to face me.

"I know I ghosted you and I'm so so sorry. Truly, I am. Studying at that school was harder than I thought and work too-- I just didn't have any time for myself. I was short on time on everything. I know this isn't enough of an excuse I know and I'm sorry. Just know that-"

"Stop talking." JJ growled and the next thing I knew, his lips crushed on mine. I eagerly kissed him back, welcoming that warm feeling his kisses used to give me and I realized just then how much I'd seriously missed him. He moved his hands down my waist, pulling me closer as my hands ran through his wet hair. We pulled away breathless and he rested his forehead on mine. I closed my eyes, absorbing the feeling of having him near me again.

"I know you had your reasons. But I also have the right to be a little pissed, I mean.. my girlfriend stopped writing to me just like that. You have any idea how stressful it is to not know what the heck is going on with you? You could've been screwing some rich new yorker for what I knew. It was bad" he said, caressing my arm. I nodded, understanding. "I know J.. I'm sorry."

He kissed me again and wrapped his arms around my body.

"Fyi that rich new yorker you were talking about wasn't that bad" I joked with his arms still around me. He pulled away quickly and looked at me confused. But when he realized I was just messing with him, his confused expression left its place to a cute smile. "You little devil"

"A little devil that loves you more than anything and would never cheat on you. Don't even think about it again" I said, looking up at him. He chuckled and then took my hand, guiding me back to the Chateau.

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hey guyssss!! oh my god you have no idea how sorry i am for updating this late, i really am. School is starting in two days here in Italy and its been keeping me so busy ugh!!
Also, because of that, im afraid i wont be able to update that frequently anymore :(((

its breaking my heart to leave you guys hanging like this but i will be back, promise
Thank u for understanding... love you 3000
-Fran <3