Only one more chapter after this one and then it's over. :)
Being high and playing video games at the arcade is a first for me. With that being said, we will definitely be doing this again. The games are just so much more fun, and it doesn't matter how terrible we are at the games or how bad we mess up. Everything is just so funny. I'm sure more than a couple people gave us some weird looks, but we could both care less. I think 'Dance Dance Revolution' was a bad choice though. I'm pretty sure we got all the steps wrong, but we had so much fun doing it. I kept looking over at JJ and couldn't contain my laughter, every single time.
After that debacle, J decided to get us some drinks. I chose a table for us to sit at and pulled out my phone. I see that I have a text from Sarah. I'm about to respond when I feel J sit down beside me. He places a water bottle in front of me, which I don't hesitate to drink from. After a few sips of water, I turn my head towards him. He's already looking at me and I find myself smiling. I open my phone camera and we take some selfies. I uploaded the one of us kissing to my Instagram story.
He scoots my chair closer to him and kisses my cheek. "So, are you enjoying this date so far?"
I wrap my arms around his neck and bite my lip. "I'm having the best time. I always have a good time when we're together."
He glances down at my lips. "It's not over yet. There's one more thing I want us to do."
"What's that?" I look at him.
"It's a surprise. Are you ready to go?" He gets up and holds his hand out.
I grab my water bottle and take his hand. I make sure my phone is in my pocket before we leave. JJ leads me to his car, and I don't question it. We'll figure out how we're going to get my car later. He opens the door for me, and I smile as thanks before he closes the door and walks to the driver's side. I respond to Sarah's text as we're pulling out of the parking spot.
JJ switches the radio to this pop station he knows I like, and I can't help but to smile to myself. It's the little things. Before I know it, I'm having my own little concert in the car. J doesn't know the words, but he sings along anyway and that has to be the cutest thing of all. We've just finished our fourth song when he pulls into this secluded spot on the beach. I don't see anyone else, so I wonder what we're doing here.
J turns to me with a smile before exiting the car. I do the same and wait for what to do next. He comes over and wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Here comes my favorite part."
I look over at him. "What's that?"
"We're going for a swim. C'mon." He starts taking his shirt off.
"I didn't bring a bathing suit.." He lifts a brow at me but keeps shedding clothing.
"You don't need one. Start stripping, Kie." He's just in his boxers and socks now.
"What if someone sees us?" I look around making sure no one is lurking in the shadows.
He turns my face toward him. "It's just us. I promise."
I hesitantly step out of my sandals and lift my dress over my head. I'm in my bra and underwear now. I don't miss the way J examines my body. It makes me feel wanted, but I'm still worried about someone seeing us. I reach up to free my hair from its confines and wear the scrunchie around my hand. J steps close to me and wraps his arms around my waist. He smiles and starts leaning in. I meet him halfway when our lips connect. I lift my arms around his neck, and he pulls my body closer to his. His hands are resting on my waist and slowly make their way down to my ass. He gives it a squeeze and slowly pulls away.
"Follow me." He winks and leads us toward the ocean. He removes his socks before his feet touch the water. We both walk into the water until it's a little over waist deep. I come up behind him and wrap my arms around his middle.
"I love you, J. So much." I kiss the back of his shoulder and take in this moment.
"I love you more, princess." He turns around so we're face to face. My arms are still around him and he cups my face between his hands. "You're so beautiful Kie." He presses his lips to mine in a searing kiss that takes my breath away. I can't even think straight right now, and he is the only thing occupying my mind in this moment. He pulls away and he's just as breathless as that kiss left me. He leans his forehead against mine as we catch our breath.
"I thought we were supposed to go for a swim?" I ask in between breaths.
"Yeah. But all I can think about right now is getting you naked and having my way with you." That makes my heart rate pick up again.
"Shit." I look down and meet his eyes again. "I forgot to tell you my dad wants us home for dinner. What time is it?"
"I don't know. Does it need to be tonight?"
I look back up at him. "He insists that you come over tonight. So yes."
He sighs and looks into my eyes. "Fine. But we will continue this another time."
I kiss him again. "I'm counting on that." He smacks my ass as I'm walking away. I walk back over to our clothes and put my dress back on. He's almost fully dressed as I'm sliding my feet back into my sandals. He meets my eyes as I'm putting my hair back into a bun. When we're both decent, he takes my hand, and we walk back to his car.
I check my phone when I'm in the car and see that it's 6:30PM. I text my dad letting him know that we're on the way. I lean back in the seat and look out the window on the way home. I feel JJ grab my hand and I lock my fingers with his. He gives my hand a squeeze and I do the same. We're going to be okay. He loves me and I love him.
In no time at all, J is pulling in front of my house. I take a breath as I'm removing my seatbelt. I look over at J and see him running his hand through his hair. "Are you nervous?"
He meets my eyes before flashing a smile. "Nah, it can't be that bad right? It's not like I'm walking into my execution."
I turn towards him. "It's okay to be nervous, but he promised me that he would be on his best behavior. You have nothing to worry about. It's us against the world, okay?"
He leans over to kiss me and we're both smiling when he pulls away. "Let's get this over with."
We both open the door and get out his car. I grab his hand as we're walking up to the front door. I take a breath before opening the door and letting us in. My senses are immediately bombarded with the smell of my dad's famous seafood gumbo. He rarely cooks that, so I know he considers this a special occasion. I smile to myself at the thought of my dad making an effort like he told me that he would.
I walk inside the kitchen with J, hand in hand, to see my dad in front of the stove throwing one of the towels we keep on the counter over his shoulder. He's occupied stirring the gumbo to acknowledge our presence.
"Dad?" he whirls around at the sound of my voice and eyes my hand that's wrapped around JJ's.
"Dinner will be ready soon. Why don't you kids set the table in the meantime?" He glances at us both before placing some cornbread in the oven.
I grab enough plates for us from the cabinet next to the sink and motion with my head for JJ to follow me. We finish setting the table in no time and decide to sit in the living room until the food is ready. I plop down on the couch with J not too far behind me. I scoot closer to him, and he rests his arm on the back of the couch behind me. I hand him the remote and he begins to leisurely surf the channels. While this is happening, I try to discreetly watch him. He doesn't look worried about how this dinner may go, but he's really good at acting like nothing is wrong. I turn my attention back to the tv when I fail to decipher anything from his face.
I'm watching some stories on Snapchat when I feel him press a kiss to my cheek. I smile and meet his eyes. "What was that for?"
"Do I need a reason to kiss my girlfriend?" I roll my eyes but lay my head down on his shoulder. He turns up the volume on some show he's put on and we are twenty minutes in when dad tells us it's time to eat.
I quickly turn the tv off and follow J to the kitchen table. We take a seat next to each other as my dad slides into a seat across from me. I look at JJ then at my dad before resting my eyes on the empty plate in front of me. I hear dad clear his throat.
"I appreciate you joining us tonight, JJ. If you're going to be dating my daughter, I want to get to know you a little better. Are you a fan of seafood?"
I glance at J. His face isn't showing any emotion, but I don't miss the way he's tapping his foot under the table. If I wasn't sitting right next to him, I wouldn't be able to tell. "I'm not picky at all, sir. Food is food as far as I'm concerned." My dad gives a small smile before setting a good portion of the gumbo on his plate then passes the bowl to me. I give myself a modest portion and pass it to JJ. I quickly grab two rolls from the basket and then begin eating.
"So, dad," I tear off a piece of my roll before shoving it in my mouth, "I think I'm going to take your word for it and try to move past what happened with mom. I don't think I'll be able to forgive her right away, but I do want to try. I don't want to be mad at her forever." I gather some gumbo onto my fork and place it inside my mouth. I close my eyes and smile at the all too familiar taste. Dad knows I love his gumbo. I'm chewing a piece of shrimp when I hear my dad speak up.
"I'm happy that you're deciding to move forward sweetie. I think it will be a good idea for you to grab lunch with her before the summer is over. You know, baby steps. Anytime you want to go see your mom, I'll always support that." He looks at me over the rim of the cup he's drinking from.
I scarf down some more gumbo and run a napkin across my lips. "Don't hold your breath for me to spend weekends with her once a month or live with her in the summer, but I do agree that grabbing a meal with her won't be too bad. There's that one Italian place she's always liked so we could go there, or we can just eat at your restaurant in case things go south and I need a familiar face to calm me down."
Dad wipes his mouth with a napkin. "It doesn't matter where y'all decide to eat. Just go in there with an open mind and hear her out. She's trying and I want you to give her a chance. I don't expect for things to be resolved immediately; it would just give me some peace of mind knowing that you guys are heading in the right direction."
I look at my dad. "Okay dad, I'll hear her out." I look over at JJ to find his eyes already on me. He gives my hand a squeeze under the table, and I smile at him in return.
"What have you been doing this summer JJ?" my dad suddenly asks him.
"Um, the shop has been keeping me busy. You'd be surprised at how many people experience car trouble every day." J takes a drink of his glass of water.
"How did you get into cars?" I swallow another piece of my roll and eye my dad.
"My dad had this car that he would always work on, and I guess I picked up on some things while I was watching him. That was the only thing we managed to bond over." He shrugs while plastering a tight smile before looking down at his plate.
"Do you have any plans after graduation?" I should have seen that one coming.
"Dad!" I exclaim and give him a hard look.
"What? I have the right to know more about who my daughter is hanging out with."
I give JJ's hand a squeeze. "Don't feel obligated to answer him, J. Not all of us have our lives planned out like Pope." I glare at my dad before turning my eyes toward J.
"It's okay, Kie. I'll be the first one to say I have no clue what my future looks like. School hasn't exactly ever been an option for me." He keeps his eyes on me as he says this.
"I'm not feeling school either. We can just take a gap year after high school; doesn't that sound nice?" I look between him and my dad before my eyes land back on my dad.
Dad doesn't say anything more, but I can feel his eyes on me as I shovel more gumbo into my mouth. The rest of dinner goes by fairly uneventful. My dad asked J a few more questions but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Only when dad gets up to do dishes do I turn towards JJ and ask him if he's okay.
"I expected nothing less from your dad, Kie. I'm surprised it wasn't much worse than this if I'm being honest. He went easy on me." I stand up and sit down in JJ's lap. I know that my dad could literally walk in on us any minute now, but I don't have it in me to care right now.
I wrap my arms around his neck and lean my head against his. He wraps his arms around my waist and absentmindedly starts rubbing circles on my back. I bask in the feeling of being wrapped in his arms. He's my safe place. My safe harbor. I'll never feel this way with anyone else. I lean down to kiss his cheek and hug his head to my chest. My dad calling my name breaks the moment. I sigh and look at JJ once more before walking in the kitchen to see what my dad wants.
He's drying the last dish and setting it down to dry when my footsteps gain his attention. He turns to face me and crosses his arms, leaning against the sink. "I don't entirely improve of this relationship you have going on with that boy, but I know how you feel about him. And because I know that I won't attempt to change your mind about him. I will say though, I would feel better if you had feelings for someone that's more like Pope. He has a future ahead of him and is going places unlike your friend in there." Dad sets the towel down on the counter beside him.
I sigh and close my eyes briefly. I'm so tired of people writing JJ off like there's no hope for him. They don't even try to get to know him, which is more infuriating than anything else. "Dad, I love you, but it doesn't matter what you think about our relationship. JJ is the only person who I can completely be myself with. He doesn't judge me. He makes me so happy. The things I feel for JJ I'll never feel for anyone else. You don't have to approve, but you should know that we're going to be together regardless of what anyone else thinks." I'm leaving the kitchen and notice JJ isn't sitting in the chair anymore. I walk into the living room and notice he's standing by the door, keys in hand.
"J? Where are you going?" I'm walking towards him and reach my hand out to touch his arm when he moves out of reach. I try to meet his eyes, but he won't look at me.
"John B texted me saying he needs help with something. But don't worry, I'll be back in a couple hours to drop your car off. Can I borrow your keys?"
I wordlessly handed him my keys from the bowl beside the front door. "Are you okay? You're being kind of weird right now. Did I do something?"
"No no, it's all good. Everything's good." He briefly meets my eyes before swinging the door open. I grab his arm and he halts for a second.
"I love you. Don't go disappearing on me again, okay?" His back is facing me, but I see him lift his head up towards the sky before taking a breath. He turns around to give me a quick kiss before closing the door and leaving me to replay everything that happened leading up to dinner and everything that happened after. I lean my head back against the door and exhale. I don't know what just happened.