Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Forty Two.

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I held onto JJ's trembling body for a little while longer, waiting until he was ready to pull away and not wanting to rush him. He kept his arms firmly around me as I stroked the back of his head that remained buried into my shoulder, grateful that he had finally come to find me after his outburst earlier.

I knew he was hurt and lying when he shouted at me, but that didn't stop the sting of his words when I heard them. But him finding comfort with me now, and saying that he didn't mean what he said instantly soothed the pain away.

His sobs had stopped a few moments ago, but we remained held in our embrace until he slowly pulled away. He coughed awkwardly when he lifted his head from my shoulder and I could tell he felt embarrassed about looking so weak in front of me. But I didn't see it like that at all.

I instinctively reached for his hand, knowing he wouldn't want to dwell on the moment any longer. "Come on, let's go to sleep. It's been a long day." His blue eyes looked at mine for the first time. They were bloodshot and red, but the tears had stopped. He nodded timidly, still too unsure to speak just yet.

With our hands linked, he followed silently behind me as we walked through Nana's house to my bedroom. I grabbed a change of clothes for myself from my drawer before making my way to the bathroom, but not before I turned to see JJ sat on the edge of the bed, slowly untying the laces of his shoes as if he was drained of all his energy.

"I got you a water." I said quietly as I placed the glass on the side table when I walked back into the room. He was already under the covers, but leant up on his elbows to pick up the glass for a sip as he mumbled a thanks back at me.

I climbed in beside him, shutting off the light and letting the room fall into a dark blue shade with the glow from the moon. I was about to say something to break the silence, but JJ's voice whispered cautiously. "Abby..."

I hummed, turning to lay on my side and face him. "W- why me?" His voice was so quiet I could barely hear it as he kept looking up to the ceiling. I furrowed my eyebrows, unsure what he meant. My silence encouraged him to continue. "Why do you like me? Of all people."

My heart sunk at his obvious low self-confidence. A side to him that he disguises so well. But after seeing what I saw today between him and his dad, I could see exactly where it came from and why it was at the forefront of his mind.

"There's a lot of reasons, JJ." I tried my best to ease his mind. "Trust me."

He rolled onto his side to finally face me as a large sigh fell from his lips. "But I come from a shitty home."

I paused, confused as to how he thought that affected me. "I don't care."

"I have a shitty job and basically no money."

"I don't care." I repeated, a small smile pulling at the edges of my lips.

"I have a 25 thousand dollar restitution to pay." He was still trying to find reasons why he wasn't good enough.

I let out a little chuckle as I repeated the words again. "I don't care."

"Then why do you?"

"Because you're the most loyal and strong person I think I've ever met. You've had to make your own family, and you've picked a pretty incredible bunch, if I do say so myself." I laughed gently, butterflies erupting inside me when I finally saw a small smile creep onto his lips.

"Because you've helped heal me, without even knowing it. Without even trying. Just by being you." I carried on more seriously. His eyes remained fixed on mine. It was as if he was thinking over my words, trying desperately to believe in them. I gulped down the sudden dryness in my throat when I realized the words I couldn't stop myself from saying next. "And because I think I'm falling for you." My voice was now a tiny whisper, suddenly feeling self-conscious and exposed.