PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

TEN

T E N

[age 16]

JULIETTE WAS SITTING BY THE DOCKS WITH A BRAND NEW MODEL SHIP IN HER HANDS. She'd been wanting to buy one for the longest time ever to begin her collection, and today was the day it finally happened. She chose not to keep this one in her room, however, and decided she wanted her very first one to be given to Rafe, the person she held closest to her heart.

     She turned the boat in her hands, grazing a thumb lightly over the letters professionally engraved at the hull — S.C., JULES.

     Starling-Cameron, Jules.

     A smile tugged her lips upwards as Juliette thought back at the memory of just three days ago when Rafe gave her the ring adorning her finger. They've been dating for two years now, and had discussed the prospects of marriage in the future — perhaps when Juliette turned twenty, and Rafe twenty-one.

     He'd bought a ring with the help of Sarah who knew what Juliette would like, although he did begrudgingly insist he could do it alone. And when they both took a boat out to watch the stars that night, Rafe had given her the ring with the promise that he would always love her no matter what happens between them, and that as long as she wears the ring: it would mean the same for her that she still and always will love him. 

     Rafe had spent the last three days calling her his future Jules Starling-Cameron, and had practically talked everyone's ear off about how he was going to marry her one day. She'd roll her eyes and tell him to quit bothering people, but she had the biggest smile on her face with so much fondness in her gaze at him.

     Juliette had been so deep into her thoughts, she didn't realize someone was calling her name until she felt water splash at her direction. She shrieked at the sudden wetness, her head snapping up to see JJ Maybank further ahead in the waters on a motorboat.

     He was grinning widely at her, waving as he steered the boat closer to her and slowed to a stop.

     "Hey, stranger," Juliette greeted, holding a hand up as a shield over her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. "Nice boat you got here."

     "Yeah, you like it?" JJ said with a proud thump of his chest. "Borrowed it from the Thorntons not too long ago."

     A corner of Juliette's lip quirked up to a smirk. "You mean you stole it?"

     "No, no, no," JJ corrected her with a playful wag of his fingers. "I silently borrowed it. Not stealing, no, ma'am."

     She knew theft was no laughing matter, but she did so anyways. She could only imagine the look on Topper's face when he found out his speedboat was missing. "Okay, I'll take your word for it then."

     The boy beamed at her, his eyes dropping down to her licking her lips subconsciously as she chuckled again at the idea of a cartoonized angry-Topper with steaming ears.

     "Come with me," JJ blurted out, his blue eyes even lighter in broad daylight as it matched the color of the sky.

     "What are you talking about?"

     "I don't know, let's go somewhere and sit out under the sun." JJ extended a hand out for her to take. "Come on, Julie, spend an hour with me."

     Juliette hesitated, glancing down at the model ship in her hands. "I don't know, JJ, Rafe's supposed to meet up with me in a while — "

     "Twenty minutes," he bargained, ignoring the stinging in his chest as he tried not to sound too bitter thinking about her and the Kook. "Thirty minutes at most, and I promise I'll get you back in time before your boyfriend gets here."