JJ Maybank imagines

a forever thing

"Uh, yeah, yeah, texted her earlier," I stuttered my words, still worried the wrong ring would be bought.

I was worrying because out of all the things I've messed up in our relationship, I need this to be perfect. They were small mess ups, but they mattered to me. Like when I took Y/n out to eat not knowing she was allergic to sea food. Or when I took her surfing and she had no idea how to surf. She always shrugged it off and told me it's the thought that counts, but she deserves perfection.

Before I had realized it, we were knocking on the front door of Y/n's house, "JJ!" Her mom exclaimed and pulled me into a hug, then Pope, then John B, "Where's the ring?"

"That's the thing..." Pope trailed off.

Y/n's pov

"My mom is being weird." I said as I looked at the texts. When I left the house earlier she told me dinner would be ready at five but now she's saying seven, "I should go check on her, maybe something is wrong."

"No!" Kie shouted, Sarah and I jumped at the sudden raise of her voice, "No, we haven't, uh, we should get ice cream."

Sarah shrugged, "That sounds good." She continued walking and we followed suit. Something was off, I could feel it. First it was Kie hanging back in the jewelry store telling us she would catch up, now it's her avoiding me going home.

"Kie, I should seriously go check on my mom," I said as we walked. I was worried about the change of schedule, she was strict about her itinerary, rarely ever straying from it, "I have a weird gut feeling."

"Then we'll go with you," Kie checked her phone before sliding it back into her pocket, "I haven't seen Julie in awhile." Her arm linked with mine and soon enough we were all walking in the direction of my house.

JJ's pov

"Mom!?"

I froze when I heard my girlfriends voice. My eyes looked to Pope, then John B, then Y/n's mom. We were all lighting candles in the backyard for the date they helped plan. It would be a candle-lit picnic when it started getting darker, which is why Julie texted Y/n saying dinner would be late.

"This can't be happening," I ran my hands through my hair, "I don't even have the ring, Kie has it!"

"New plan," Pope placed the lit candle onto the ground and pulled John B and I behind some bushes as Julie went inside to greet her daughter, "Regular picnic, no candles." His voice was now hushed.

"The candles are what make it romantic," John B argued and looked up, "jump the fence."

"What?" I asked, "If we jump the fence she's going to see us."

"I can already see you," Y/n's shadow cast onto us as she looked over the bushes, "and hear you, what's going on?"

My stomach dropped, the worry on my face being obvious as I stood up and pulled her into a hug, "Hey, cupcake." With Y/n now facing the other way in my arms I held one hand out to Kie, silently asking her to give me the ring, "How was your day?" I didn't have time to make sure it was the right one as she pulled away from me and I sneakily slid it into my back pocket.

"It was good, now I'm just trying to figure out why the three of you are hiding in my bushes?" She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We were just playing a game..." John B began trying to think of a reason we were here.

"Hide and seek!" Pope said nervously over my shoulder.

"But, look at that, we've been found!" JB laughed and the pair ran out from the bushes towards the girls.

"We're gonna go. Have fun, lovebirds!" Kiara pulled the guys and a confused Sarah back into the house as they watched from the glass door. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked down into Y/n's eyes, hers still holding confusion.

"We weren't playing hide and seek," I admitted and she snickered.

"I kinda figured that," She paused and turned to look at the candles, "I'm guessing I ruined some type of surprise date? I'm telling you, JJ, you can't surprise—"

"You sure about that?" I slid the small box out of my back pocket and when she turned back around it was open as I held it up for her to see. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it was the ring I originally wanted. I'll have to remember to thank Kiara later.

"Oh my gosh," She held her hands over her mouth and gasped, "It's gorgeous!" I grabbed the ring out of the box and slid it into her ring finger, which is where her mom told me they're worn.

"It's a promise ring, a forever thing." I smiled at her as she held the ring into the sunlight, watching as the stone reflected the light in awe, "A promise to love you, protect you, comfort you, and to fight for us, forever. One day I'll be replacing that with an engagement ring."

"I love you," She stepped onto her tip toes and wrapped me in a hug, "so much."

"I love you, too." All the anxiousness was replaced with love as I nuzzled my head into the crook of her neck.

———

This was a bit rushed but I'm anxious as hell today for some reason and it's so bad. Anywho, I hope everyone likes this imagine <3

Also, I didn't reread this for mistakes because I physically cannot sit still long enough to (my fingers literally have to be moving) so I'll come back and edit any errors tomorrow :)