Hey guys! New part! I know it's not writing well, but I can't write for a while and thought I would add what I had? I may have to look over it again and fix things up. Anyway, what Ki's feeling here has to do with the Additional Part 1: Five Weeks Later... I don't know if I got that out well, but I will go through it again. Hope this just passes... wish I had more time to write but has been so hard to get anything written these days. Sending you all hugs
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"So, how's Sarah?" Ki questions, stretching her arm out to reach into the pizza box that lay open at the center of the heavy wooden dining table in the middle of the dining room. They had opted for pizza that night, after the evening hadn't turned out quite as she'd expected. Now JJ sits across from her, trying to enjoy the takeway pizza they would present as dinner, at their dinning table, with a soda by his side.
Her eyes roam over JJ curiously, her mouth curves into a smile. Though... she can't quite describe to you that something else had been happening inside her... she can't describe the unease pooling into her gut... maybe it had been partly due to the 'situation'... the one she's in, sitting across from JJ, Rafe pacing the kitchen, refusing to join them... the 'situation' she may have put upon herself, but either way she'd have to deal with. JJ was here. That was good. That was it, and she needs to be greatful.
She feigns the soundness of the situation, her placidness of having JJ over... because she's aware the atmosphere hadn't felt like that at all.
The way Rafe glances over, and stares JJ down with hardened looks, was one of the things that was setting her off... but the other- kind of baffling to her at this moment- was her stomach... how it had been reacting...?
Rafe had been pacing the kitchen, almost seemingly pretending to be unaware of Ki's disapproving looks from across the room. He rolls his shoulders, cocking his head a little to the side, assessing JJ with scathing sideway glimpses. The tension between the two was palpable, she couldn't lie... she couldn't see past the energy the two gave off being in the same room... particularly, from Rafe. JJ, she could tell, at least was trying to put on a veneer to get through.
JJ's lips roll into a curl, and he nods. His eyes travel to Rafe quickly, who is still pacing the kitchen, rubbing his hand over his mouth, almost like he'd been prepping for things incase they were to go down. When their eyes cross, Rafe trains his eyes on JJ, heaving in a deep frustrated breath, and squaring up his shoulders. He lets his breath out and shoulders come dropping down, slowly going back to pacing, digging his hands deep into his pockets. He holds JJ's gaze for a short while longer, before Rafe can feel Ki's eyes move onto him, and he lets his back turn to the pair, easily escaping her glare, finding his back to lean up against the counter, and listen in.
"Good. She's good." JJ pauses, paying attention to how Rafe listens in. "You ahhh... received her message?"
Rafe peers over his shoulders, shooting a hand up to bite his nail, other hand clasped firmly under his other arm.
Ki's smile breaks into a sure grin. She sits back in her chair, relaxing her shoulders down into the chair, releasing a sigh. "Yeah..." she says sweetly. "About Cleo? Arriving tonight, right?" she adds. Her tone is sweet like honey, and it pulls JJ's attention back to her from Rafe... eyes transfixed for a moment, studying her face intently. He nods, pulling his gaze away and back on his food... ignoring what her voice did to him... or how it ignited something in his chest... just a little, anyway... his chest tightens. He picks up another slice, engulfing it practically in a go, and sculls some soda down with it to help bring it down- pushing himself on- his mind needs to let go- move on. "She invited me to grab food with them... at some restaurant... Surfside, I think?" she continues. She pauses, pink spills her cheeks as she thinks on it. "I can't wait, you know, to see them again. I can't tell you how much I miss them." Her expression painted with joy, radiated her cheeks with color for a short while.
Rafe tilts his head, running a look over his shoulder. He's still gnawing on his nail, pensively. He was also wondering now why she hadn't mentioned this bit of information to him earlier. He turns slightly and reaches into a cabinet below him- rifles through it until he's pulled out a beer. Does she prefer Sarah's time over him- why does everyone always prefer Sarah? Why is Sarah so damn special? Really, but why?... no- but, no- those thoughts don't ever help him, he reminds himself. He pries the cap open, frustrated, and starts taking it down.
"Yeah, heard." JJ says casually. "Sarah yammered on about it yesterday." he jokes. "Think she's probably more excited about it than, maybe, you." Her eyes meet him as he's bringing his soda up to his lips and taking down another sip. She's intrigued- surprised at how he seems a little more relaxed, his movements a little more fluid... he lets out a snort on a thought, and mirth spills into his eyes as he looks away. Was he finally starting to feel himself around her again? The bubbles in her stomach may have soothed just a little.
"Will the others be there?"
JJ licks his lips, wary of Rafe again, glimpsing at him now and then.
"Nah... just the girls... Sarah, Cleo... you." he clears his throat, eyeing Rafe stubbornly, who has now taken a break from his beer, and tuned in.
Ki bobs her head understandingly. She takes a moment, collecting herself, rubbing her palms against her thighs, prepping for her next question, being a little cautious before asking what she'd wanted to ask. She takes a moment, a little scared to hear the answer. "How... how are the others... Pope... JB?" What she'd kind of meant was- how pissed are they, with her still- are they done with her, are they still even her friend?
JJ shrugs his shoulders dryly, occupying his hands with another slice. He'd almost completely consumed two entire boxes on his own within the half hour he'd been sitting across from her... could have been his nerves, Ki considers... but, also, it could have just been JJ being JJ, he'd literally consume entire meals in just under a few seconds- his gut could be compared to a bottomless pit- something she'd known about JJ.
"Busy." he replies simply. No need to elaborate, he reminds himself... especially with Rafe in the room, within earshot range. But... he also couldn't figure out if he'd ever really trust Kiara again. JJ's eyes travel up narrowing onto Rafe, stiffly. Rafe can't possibly know a single thing of what they'd been up to... nothing about their mission, nothing about them, nothing about the treasure hunt... nothing at all. He clears his throat and tries to change the subject quickly, but his tone comes out a little more pressed, or a little firmer than he'd intended. "So... Barbados... you're still here..." he puts down his soda, abruptly. "Why? Why haven't you packed, and left... why are you both still here?" He questions, sounding a little cold.
She couldn't help feel the bite... the sting that came with his question... his tone icy and bitter, seeps into her. It felt like he didn't care... about her... like he'd wanted her gone... maybe that's how he felt- and she believes she deserved it...
"Ahh umm..." she begins replying, her throat feeling a little tight now, and locked up. She massages her forearm to relinquish some stress that came after his words and welled up in her body. Her gut swirls a little more. "Well... we need really to sort some things before we can go... Rose hasn't been-"
Rafe hums over her loudly, trying to silence her. "Ki." he growls a warning. His tone deep and domineering, and it sets her cheeks to fluster. Her attention pulls to him, intensely scouring him with a look. His eyes shift over his shoulder, finding her gaze on him already, and his eyes flick over her with a pissed off look. Talking with their eyes, Ki deciphers what he tries communicating with her- and she knows exactly what he wanted to say. She pries her eyes away, and turns back to JJ, tightening her lower lip, a little peeved at the situation. She understood- got what he'd wanted to convey. JJ smirks her way.
"What... Rafe done something wrong again?" he jabs. "Evade some law, or something? Is Shoupe out for him again?" JJ's eyes travel between Ki and Rafe, humored. He bites back his lip, eyes wide, waiting for a reply with mock suspense.
"Umm... no." Ki swallows thickly, her mind too caught up to reply properly.
JJ just clicks his tongue, pulls his gaze away, with disbelief. He goes back to downing the rest of his second soda. "Kinda wished you had somethin' strong, you got vodka, or a beer?"
"You wanna beer-"
"Nah, we're all out, shithead."
Ki thinks she will lose her shit... she's trying to reprimand herself at this point... all the back and forth was doing her head in... all the tension... she can't think anymore... it was all building up something incredibly awful in her gut. It felt taut, and miserable... her gut was more nauseated then ever. She doesn't know how much longer she could keep it in, all the content in her stomach... how much more she could take... her stomach felt like a whirl of waves, tumbling around insider her... more so now than before... she'd had this impending feeling in her gut all day- nothing as strong as this. She'd summed it up to stress, but now, only really now had it felt like it could really all come up...? she touches her hand to her lips... She tries to calm her mind and let herself ease.
JJ watches Rafe boredly, unimpressed, dropping back into his chair, kicking up his feet onto the table. "Hmmph... ok, wasn't asking you, dickwad, but whatever." He searches his pocket and pulls out a joint, lighting it when it meets his lips. Ki squeezes her eyes shut and presses her lips together, concentrating... praying for her stomach to stop tormenting her... she's tiring of this situation... her gut is irate and intense... this 'whole atmosphere' was becoming insufferable... but, I mean, what else could she expect? She'd asked JJ over, to join them... this was really on her... she really wanted him here, but maybe not when she felt like this. She turns to Rafe, smoothing out her expression for him not to detect how queasy she'd felt... though her complexion, if he'd picked up, began to pale a little.
"You gonna join us at some point?" she questions, tiredly.
Annoyed, Rafe pushes himself off the counter, ignoring her question, whistling for Otis to come to him.
"Come on boy, come 'ere." Rafe whistles again. Otis bolts to him. Rafe directs a leaping Otis to join him out through the front door and onto the verandah, then down to the front lawn. With his beer still in his hand, Otis chases him around whilst Rafe, in his flip flops, teases Otis with a ball. Otis bolts after it in the dark once Rafe has thrown it far. Rafe watches on, sipping his beer quietly.
JJ's eyes pry away from Ki, her expression saddened as she holds her gaze on Rafe. He clears his throat, dropping his feet from off the table, and shifting in his chair. He leans forward a little.
"So, can I use your restroom?" he questions, eyeing her.
Ki's eyes sparkle at him with some slight confusion, her mind a little hazy. "Yeah, sure. Just down the corridor."
"Thanks." he pulls back his chair and gives her a strange smile before lifting to his feet.
He puts his joint out in the empty brown cardboard pizza box, and wanders toward the corridor. Ki's eyes follow him as he leaves the table... she sinks into her chair a little, sticking up a hand to cover her mouth, watching JJ disappear down past the darkened hall as the feeling comes up over her again... hoping he wouldn't turn and see her feel like she could hurl. What was happening to her? Her stomach was so weak. The pizza couldn't have done this... and the stress, I mean, could it? Why the hell had her gut felt so wretched... so strong? She doesn't need this... not today of all days... Her brows scrunched in thought... and why had she felt like JJ had been up to something... she wants to groan with pure frustration... but no... I mean, no, she had no time to wander on that- he was just using the restroom... wasn't he? The waves in her gut rock.
...oh, god... she covers her mouth again, thinking her stomach could giving in...