Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Forty Two.

I hadn't felt this way about anyone before, and I didn't even notice it happening. But saying it felt natural, like I knew it was true. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. JJ's body tensed slightly beside me. Even from the tiny distance between us, I could feel it. Subconsciously, I held my breath as I waited for him to react.

His body relaxed again almost as quickly as it had tensed up, when he swiftly pushed himself forward, closing the gap to kiss me. The suddenness of it knocked the air from my lungs, not prepared for him to react like that. I reached for him, pulling my body closer to his as I kissed him back. The stress and worry from the day instantly vanished as our lips moved perfectly together.

My hand slid from his arm to his waist as his found their way to tangle in my hair and pull me closer. The kiss deepened as our legs entwined together, and I found myself squeezing onto his side tighter at the sensation of his tongue colliding with mine. But the pained groan that left his lips startled me as he suddenly pulled away.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I- I forgot..." My words trailed off as I remembered the dark bruises scattered across over his body. JJ chuckled at my panic, leaning in to peck my lips before retreating again.

"It's ok." He rolled onto his back, pulling my body with his. I rested my head on his chest, my fingers gently rubbing circles over the fabric of his t-shirt where I knew his body was sore, while his thumb stroked my arm as he held me close to him. The silence was comforting as we both laid there content, happy. After such a rollercoaster of a day, we had somehow made it out the other end.

"What are you thinking about?" I broke the silence after a couple of minutes.

I felt JJ lift his head off the pillow slightly to look down at me before he spoke. "How after we get this gold out tomorrow, and become crazy fucking rich, I wanna take you out somewhere." I could feel him smiling, which only made me smile wider.

"Like a date?" I lifted my head from his chest to look up to meet his gaze.

He bit his lip as he looked away from me with a chuckle. "Maybe. If you play your cards right." I couldn't help but laugh, glad that his carefree cheeky personality was starting to come back. I had missed it.

"Mmhmm." I laid my head back down on his chest. "And where does the infamous JJ Maybank take girls on dates?" I teased.

"Well, normally I prefer to skip the date and head straight for the..." He started to say before I playfully whacked him, earning another groan as he clearly pretended I hurt him more than I actually did. "But... I'd probably take you somewhere like the beach, or even that café we went to when you first got here. I've been dreaming about those milkshakes ever since." I smiled at the memory of the first time we hung out together, just the two of us.

"But since we're becoming millionaires tomorrow, I was thinking that we could take a private jet to New York. Get some insane penthouse with 360 views of the city and hire some Michelin chef to cook for us." I laughed at his eagerness and unexpected extravagance, feeling him gently chuckle beneath me.

"Or one of those hot air balloon rides you said you wanted to go on." I lifted my head to look at him again.

"You remember that?"

"Of course. You told me how you had always wanted to do it one of the times I found you out on the dock in the middle of the night looking all adorable and sad and..." This time I cut him off, pushing myself forward and gently placing my lips on his. I felt him smile into the kiss for a moment longer until I pulled away, placing my head back on his chest and snuggling into him.

"Did he hurt you?" I furrowed my brows at his unexpected words, trying to figure out what he meant. "Earlier? M-my dad? When he shoved you."

"No." I shook my head as I looked at him, concerned that he had moved back onto this topic. "I just bumped my head, but I'm fine." I studied his face as I spoke, hoping my words wouldn't make him angry again. He momentarily looked away so I nestled my head beside his, encouraging him to pull me closer as he kissed my head before relaxing again.