PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

ELEVEN

E L E V E N

JJ DIDN'T KNOW IF SHE LOOKED MORE BEAUTIFUL UNDER THE SUNLIGHT OR THE MOONLIGHT. All he knew was that Julie Starling was standing right next to him with a smile on her face, telling him how she was thankful for taking her to the hospital just in time when she'd fallen into the water.

JJ could barely comprehend the words coming out of her mouth. His eyes skimmed her blonde hair, those green eyes of hers, the full lips that make a smirky kind of mouth. He took in the roundness of her cheeks and how it made her look so much like an angel.

He blinked stupidly. "Julie, why are you thanking me?" His face burned as he thought back to that day and he tore his gaze away from her, still full of regret and self-loathe. "If I hadn't forced you to come with me, then you would — "

"I wouldn't have this better life, JJ," she said softly.

JJ nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt her reach over to rest a hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped towards her, electricity running down his spine from that simple touch — and suddenly he yearned for more. More of Julie.

She was smiling at him, and she didn't have an ounce of anger or any sort of resentment towards him. "JJ, I can swim now. I can run, I can do all the things I wasn't allowed to before." His heart skipped a beat at the way she was looking at him, as though he saved her. "You made me feel alive, and I'm so thankful for that."

His throat bobbed, his eyes casting down to momentarily shut so he could relish in this moment. Every single person blamed JJ for what had happened to Julie, especially himself. But here she was, thanking him for everything that had happened that day because it made her alive — it gave her a new life.

"Do you really mean that?" JJ asked after a pause, his body slightly gravitating closer to hers without him even realizing. They were standing so close to each other, her hand still on his shoulder.

What she did next caught him by surprise — it was the last thing he expected her to do.

Getting on her tiptoes, Julie wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him into an embrace. She smelled like the ocean and her dumb ex-boyfriend's aftershave. Her lips unknowingly brushed against his skin when she said, "Yes, I really do mean it."

     Before she could pull back just yet, JJ went all in for it. He snaked his arms around her waist and drew her in closer so she was flushed against him. His eyes fluttered shut as he buried his nose into her hair, breathing her in as he held her in his arms. All those months of blaming himself melted away — it drifted off into the ocean as he allowed himself to be forgiven.

     "Thank you," JJ was muttering, opening his eyes and catching movement further ahead. He looked to see John B and Pope waving at him to grab his attention, and then hugging each other as they pretended to mimic JJ and Julie. Kie was laughing at the two boys, trying to conceal her snickers as she set their table and brought over Julie's crab legs to theirs so she could join them.

     Pope was making kissy faces at him from afar, and JJ flipped him off before he and Julie pulled away from each other.

     "So, I hope you're hungry," he said with a rakish grin sent her way. "Because Kie's serving us a feast."

     Julie was smiling right back at him as they walked to the crew. "I'm always starving for seafood, Maybank. Five bucks on who can eat the most shrimp?"

     "Yes, ma'am, you are so on."

𓆉

     Rafe stepped on the gas, gravel crunching under the tires as he sped down the road to The Wreck with nothing but murder on his mind. His knuckles had gone white from how tightly he was clenching the steering wheel, taking sharp turns and reckless passes on four-way stops. He'd taken his truck today, figuring it'd be easier to take her home with it rather than have her jump out of a motorbike.