PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

FOURTEEN

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"Popcorn gets in my teeth, that's why I don't really eat it when I watch a movie," Juliette said, walking amidst JJ, Pope, and Kie with a picnic blanket tucked in her arm. "I wonder what movie they'll be playing tonight."

"Me too," Kiara said, throwing Juliette a glance as she led the way to a good spot on the grass with the other Kooks. "I'm so glad that they're still doing this."

"Yeah, for real — I thought they'd cancel it. Thank God they didn't."

"Keep calm. Carry on. Back to OBX life, you know?" Kie shared a grin with Juliette as she said, "Aren't you boys glad we made you come?"

"Ecstatic," Pope said in a voice that showed otherwise.

JJ sent Juliette a deadpan look, clearly not liking having gone here. "I can't believe you convinced me to come here," he mumbled under his breath for only her to hear.

     Juliette slowed down her pace so that Kie and Pope were walking ahead of them. She grinned at him and said, "Well, I did say you didn't have to if you didn't want to."

     He made a face at her, playfully sticking a tongue out, an act that made her laugh. "See now, if you didn't go, then I wouldn't have either."

"Too bad, Maybank, suck it up."

"Yes, ma'am," he said in faux grumpiness. "Watch your step." His arm shot out to latch around her waist, holding her steady as he pulled her back from nearly stepping over someone's ice cooler on the ground. JJ chuckled, shaking his head to himself as he walked with her to where Pope and Kie were already waiting for them, keeping his arm around her.

"Pope, you good?" Juliette asked in a quiet voice as they both neared the boy.

"We're out of the green zone, you guys," he said, panic lacing his tone. "We're in the middle of Kooklandia. This is the last place I wanted to be."

JJ was helping Juliette spread out the blanket on the grass when he hissed, "Shut up, Pope."

"I'm gonna go get something to drink," Kie piped up, unaware of the conversation that just took place. "Julie boo, come with?"

"Yes, coming." Juliette left JJ to finish setting up the blankets and snacks as she hurried along after Kie to loop arms with her.

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Rafe was watching them from the distance. He watched the way Jules was smiling and laughing with that Pogue. He watched the way he put his arm around her waist to keep her from "tripping" over an ice cooler, even though it was so obviously far away from her. He watched the way she was comfortable around him.

Most of all — he watched the way they looked at each other.

It was almost similar to the way he and Jules used to look at each other. Almost. But not quite.

"She seems happy with them," Topper murmured from next to him, his eyes constantly shifting from Jules to Rafe as he took note of the way a muscle feathered on Rafe's jaw and his fingers balling up to fists by his sides.

"It's a phase, Top. Give her a week before she gets bored of them," Rafe said in a strained voice, his chest constricted when he watched her spread out her picnic blanket with the Pogue. It was the same picnic blanket she used with Rafe when they'd lay out under the stars.