Heart at War // JJ Maybank

3

Lena Boggs

           The sound of birds chirping and the morning sun is what I woke up to this morning, groaning I rolled over and swing my arm out to feel for JJ.

"JJ, you felt the window opened last night," I whine, but much to my surprise, I don't feel him in bed next to me.

I frown as I sat up, looking towards my bathroom door wondering if he had just gotten up to use the bathroom... The bathroom light was off and the door was wide open, "JJ?" I quietly call out in hopes that he'd answer. My heart broke realizing what had happened, JJ left this morning without waking me up.

He has never done that before, in all the months he has been spending at my house. He always woke me up in some kind of way, whether it was throwing a pillow at my face or tickling my side, he never left without saying goodbye. I thought that maybe after the other morning, when he woke me up with kisses that things were beginning to turn out the way I had always hoped- But here I lay, naked and alone.

Despite the ache in my chest, I pushed myself out of bed and grabbed a bikini from my dresser and an oversized sweater to pull over top. I knew JJ didn't work today, it was Friday and JJ always took Friday to Sunday off so I could only assume the only place he would be right now it the chateau.

As I pulled a hairbrush through my hair, I jump at a sudden loud noise coming from downstairs. I rush to my door, swinging it opened and but as I go to shout if my parents are okay- The yelling I heard left me speechless.

"How could you be so heartless, Logan!" My mother screams, and I feel like the air has been knocked out of my lungs. My hand tightens around the door, I have never heard my mom scream that way at my father before.

"Can you please just get off my case, Coreena? I am not in the fucking mood." My dad's voice comes out so cold and loud. "No, fuck that and fuck you. Get the fuck out of my house!" My throat ran dry at her demand, my parents have never been one to fight. It was just so unlike them.

"Who do you think you are? I pay the fucking bills around here, have you forgotten that?" I flinch when the sound of glass breaking fills our home. "Lena is upstairs. So I suggest you settle down before she fucking comes down here. Clean this shit up, Coreena." My father sneers, and just as I hear footsteps making their way up the stairs, I quietly but quickly shut the door before whoever it was made it to the top.

I threw the covers over top of my body and turned on my side, facing away from the door just as it began to open. "Lena baby?" My father says, his voice gently. I clench my jaw before pretending to yawn as if I had just woken up, "Yeah dad? What's up?" I sit up.

My father smiles lightly at me, "I'm going to work. I love you bug, I'll see you later tonight." I stare at him for a second, my parents have never come into my room before heading to work in the morning- I knew he was only checking to see if I heard the commotion downstairs.

"Oh, okay... Is everything alright?" My dad jumps at the sound of the front door slamming closed before giving me a half-assed reassuring smile that I could see right through. "Yeah bug, everything's fine. I'll see you later." With that, he left.

It took only a few moments before I heard the front door open and then close again, leaving me wondering what they could have been fighting about.

As I make my way through my house, I notice one of our family picture frames had been thrown off the wall and onto the kitchen floor. I gulp as I step over it, making my way to the front door.

I sighed as I left my house, my only thought was talking to JJ about what happened after he left this morning- And find out why he didn't wake me up.