SINCERELY, YOUR DARLA. || ~ jj maybank.

🌊| Impulses. (47)

"Yeah? Bad how?" He eagerly asks, wanting every detail so he can try make my life better. He's always been a problem solving guy.. but he still manages to be so bad at that job.

I don't really know how to explain, looking over at the group that are on the deck downstairs.

They all use the 'elaborate' motion with her arms, encouraging me to trauma dump some more.

I hesitate. "We've been.. after this family heirloom of Pope's, which is why we were gone, And we ended up losing it." I begin to choke on forced tears. "Uh, unbelievably, we may be able to get it back tonight. So that's one upside."

He blinks, trying to understand what I'm getting at here. "What part do I play in that?"

I purse my lips together. "You'd want to help?"

"Of course, of course I would, Darla." Tanner laughs.

I shake my head, looking out onto the sea. "I couldn't ask you.. ask you to do that."

"No, seriously, Darl." He tries getting my attention again.

"Tanner, If I ask you, knowing the person you are... you're a giver. And that's great about you, but I wouldn't want to take advantage of that." I sigh.

He grabs my shoulder. "Anything you need."

I look up, I seriously don't want to ask this.

"Darla..you know Ill do anything, I've been like that since we first met and you know.. it's just the way I was raised.."

"I need your truck." I spit out.

His arm slowly lowers from my shoulder.

"My.. my dads truck?"

I swallow.

"By god, he'd literally kill me." He rubs his forehead. "He's like.. super anal about it."

My eyes widen when he says the word 'anal'. I really do not understand that context of that, not like I want to, but I just repeat it.

"So are we? We're super..." I choke on a little bit of laughter. "We're super anal."

He sighs, gripping the railing as I stare at him with hope.

He looks back at me. "We ended off.. on .. not the best terms."

I bite my gum, nodding a little and looking to the side.

He exhales. "Why do I feel like I'm gonna regret this?"

A huge smile paints across my face as I throw myself onto him for a giant hug.

He falls back, but catches himself.

I look at the others who are on the deck below us, nodding.

I see them all smiley and holding up their thumbs, except JJ.

Mission make him jealous accomplished.

___________________________

"Let's go with Topper." JJ immediately decides after both Sarah and I got transportation for the cross.

I stand, jaw agape.

"Topper may be a little more trustworthy." Pope shrugs.

"You're just saying that cause you got in a... altercation with him." I turn to JJ, knowing there's no more reason as to why.

"What does altercation even mean?" He mutters under a short breath.

"What! I just did all that for nothing?" I groan.