Head Over Heels - 𝖩𝖩 𝖬𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗄

20 | 𝕄𝕚𝕕𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕣 ℙ𝕥.2

｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡Chapter 20 ｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡

The sky had darkened to a deep, velvety night, lit only by the ambient lights from the event below and the stars and moon above. Kiara and Frankie had moved away from Pope, letting him focus on his work. Kiara was off mingling elsewhere, while Frankie stood by herself, her arms crossed in front of her. Despite the earlier excitement of the event, the night had been relatively peaceful this far. For now at least.

Richard approached Frankie, holding out a drink for her. "Hey there, peach. Got you a drink," he said, handing her a goblet with a vibrant blue liquid. Frankie looked at the glass questionablely, "What is this?" Richard responded with a smile, "It's bubblegum-flavored vodka mixed with lemonade. It's actually pretty good, and I think you might like it."

Frankie grimaced slightly as she took a small sip of the drink, the burn on the back of her throat momentarily catching her off guard, but she quickly composed herself. "It's... interesting," she said, pulling the glass away from her lips. Richard chuckled at her reaction and leaned against the table beside her, their eyes drifting toward the Kooks dancing nearby. Richard turned his gaze towards a young blonde-haired boy chatting with Pope, and then casually grabbed Frankie's drink from her hands.

"Richard? What the hell-" Richard held up a hand, signaling for Frankie to be quiet. "He's here," he whispered, motioning discreetly toward JJ, who was making his way through the crowd. Frankie quickly turned her head, catching a glimpse of JJ's figure moving away from Pope. Her heart raced as she slowly pushed herself forward, her eyes fixed on JJ.

"JJ!" Frankie called out, her voice filled with urgency. JJ's head snapped in her direction, his body stilling as he saw her rushing towards him. "Frankie..?" he whispered, taking a step forward as her body collided with his. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, her arms encircling his neck in a tight embrace. He held her body close, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Frankie's palms slid from JJ's neck to cup his face, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of his bruised lips and the cut on the side of his face. "What happened to your face?" she whispered, her voice filled with concern. "Why didn't you call? I was worried about you! You...you idiot!" Her words were abruptly cut off as JJ leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, pulling her flush against him, his hand pressing against the small of her back as the other tangled in her hair.

The kiss was gentle, yet filled with a mix of passion and relief. Frankie's hands rested tenderly on his face, her thumbs gently tracing the contour of his jawline. She could feel her heart thudding. As their lips parted, thanks to JJ reluctantly pulling away, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked down at Frankie's flushed face. "I promised I'd explain everything later, okay? I just need to take care of something first," he explained, stepping back and removing his hands from her. "Just be patient and wait for me, princess. Then, I'll take you dancing."

Frankie watched as JJ stepped back, intending to leave. Her hand moved up to brush her brown locks back. "Hey, Jay!" she called out, her voice soft. JJ turned back to look at her with a slight tilt of his head. "I love you..." she whispered, her words filled with tenderness. A flicker of surprise crossed JJ's features before a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Love you too, princess," he replied, walking off.

JJ navigated through the crowds, searching for Sarah Cameron. Once he spotted her, he made his way over and danced beside her, delivering a note from John B. With his mission accomplished, he set his sights on returning to Frankie, but his plans were quickly interrupted when he bumped into Rafe, Topper, and Kelce. The three tried to gang up on him, but JJ dodged their advances and darted into the building, trying to lose them so he could get back to the main event.