June sat on a seat on the boat, her knees pulled to her chest and her head leaned against them, the girl trying to get over the unbearable pain in her chest that came from feeling cheated. After some conspiring with Tyler, and multiple conversations about whether or not it was the right decision, she had retired to a spot as they stopped at the dock, her mind exhausted from worry.
Before she could really delve into the depths of her mind and the fact that one of her biggest fears was coming true, on top of the fact that she had been kidnapped, witnessed a murder, possibly committed one, and placed into one of the most strenuous circumstances as of late, she felt a hand drop onto her back, her head lifting to see who it was. She fully expected Tyler, but was surprised when the hand connected to her shoulder was none other than JJs.
Her face fell, JJ looking down at her with worried eyes. They held each others gaze, Junes eyes searching his for some kind of indication of where this was going to go. He pulled his hand back, sliding it down her arm and to her hand, the boy kneeling in front of her. June felt a ache in her chest, unsure of what he was going to say. The nervousness in his eyes led her to believe that he was going to admit what he had done, and they could possibly move on. He looked down at her legs and then back up at her, his lips parting as she watched him with uncertainty.
"Baby, I'm sorry for earlier." Her eyebrows furrowed, and she thought of words to test him.
"Okay." Was all she could manage. JJ looked at her, trying to gather his next words as he worked on his own test. Did she or did she not know? "For what exactly?"
There it was.
JJ sucked in a breath, seeing two options in front of him. He could come clean about everything, they could have a crucial conversation, and maybe they could solve some problems. But he had already been ridiculed one to many times today, and he wasn't sure if he felt like defending himself again. The other option was to assume she didn't know, assume that Pope was only threatening and he didn't actually tell her because at the end of the day he would never do that to JJ and he was crazy for thinking he would. The decision was clear.
"For trying to start an argument." June bit the inside of her cheek, the steps of her plan starting to culminate in her head. He looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. The anticipation of it all made his heartbeat pound in his chest, and he wasn't sure which way this was going to go.
June nodded only slightly, her eyebrows twitching together and then a smile crossing her lips. The smile was like a flag waving him towards the finish line, he may actually get away with this apology. She brought her hand up, running her fingers over his hair and then smiling a little wider.
"It's okay. I forgive you." The words brought ease to him, and he felt his heartbeat slow as she pulled him into a hug. His head pressed against her stomach and he let out a sigh of relief, Junes jaw clenching as she held his head to her stomach. Tears pricked at her eyes and she hurried to blink them away, not quite wanting to make it obvious. He had had the chance to come clean, to tell her...he had chosen not to. And she wouldn't forget that. She sucked in a few breaths to keep herself from losing her cool, JJ feeling the guilt press into him. But June just had to hold on until they got back to the Outer Banks. That was the first part of the plan. Solid ground. There was nothing she could do while in the middle of the ocean.
June pulled her arms back, using her hands to detach JJ from her. He looked up at her with sad eyes and she didn't smile like she usually did, instead standing up and almost making him fall. His eyebrows furrowed as she took a few steps away, turning to look at him and speaking.
