pleasing a storm
the pogues and I finally got back to the chateau at two in the morning, which was later than usual for a kegger. nonetheless, my body was still wired with energy and I still hadn't forgotten about my conversation with Rafe. John B and Kiara practically chase each other into the house while Pope goes to crash on the pullout, seemingly more exhausted than any of us.
I decide to go lay in the hammock for a little while to enjoy the cool night until I felt relaxed enough to go to sleep. "are you not tired?" I hear JJ ask as he comes up to stand next to the hammock. my hand pats the open spot next to me and he lays down as well, the hammock swaying from the movement.
my body naturally leans into his, and I hear him sigh as he gets comfortable. "I feel like I'm wired." I tell him as I toy with my fingers. he notices and reaches over to take my hand before starting to play with my fingers himself. "do you ever feel like it's one thing after another?"
"always." JJ mutters under his breath, his focus on my hand unwavering.
"when my dad died, my mom started taking antidepressants. I was prescribed them too, but never got to take them." I confess, making JJ stop what he was doing to look at me intently. "most of the time, when mom finished her prescription too fast, I just let her have mine. then after antidepressants came the pain meds. I broke my arm once and she took my medicine."
"I am so sorry." JJ told me, and I know it was sincere. growing up, part of me knew he had a shitty home life, but he hid it well. "you shouldn't be the one dealing with this."
"who else is going to deal with it?" we both go silent as I realize how much I just revealed on accident. sure, Rafe has helped me take care of my mom on multiple occasions, but he never really understood or knew how it was. neither him nor Sarah ever heard me talk about it in detail. "do you want to go inside? it's getting windy. maybe from that storm Kie's dad mentioned."
"yeah, you can take the bed and I'll scoot Pope over on the pull out." he rolls off the hammock before handing me his hand to help me off as well. I remember the last time we had spent time out on the hammock, more importantly how I drunkenly face planted trying to get off.
we both walk into the house, finding Kiara on one couch and Pope on the pull out, and John B's door closed. I head into the extra room and practically fall onto the bed. the whole house smelled like boy, but it was oddly comforting. JJ comes into the room to see what I'm doing, and I sit up. "need something?" I question as he leans against the door frame.
"nope. nothing at all." I stand up from the bed and step closer to him, heat creeping onto my cheeks. it was dark, so if he could tell I was blushing he didn't mention it. "whatcha doin?"
"I need a distraction." I whisper while placing a hand on his chest. we both jump slightly at the sound of thunder outside, and the rain starts to hit the roof loudly. "if you say no, nothing will change. but I won't lie and say I've never been attracted to you."
"if you need a distraction, I'm happy to supply." we both grin, and I start to feel a little too giddy for a simple distraction.
when JJ kisses me, my body grows warm and I smile into it. god, he was a good kisser. as he backs me towards the bed, I grab the bottom of my shirt and start to tug it upwards, and he eventually helps me before removing his own.
we both climb onto the bed as the storm rages on outside. maybe it was a stupid metaphor. what I was doing could potentially cause a massive storm.
————
the next morning, I wake up the feeling of JJ rolling away from me and leaving me feeling colder. I groan and reach out for him, trying to get him to come back. he obliges, but pulls me into his chest instead of moving himself. "what time is it?" I mumble, rubbing my face to try and wake up.
"it's ten in the morning, too early to get up." JJ says, causing me to laugh. I pull the blanket off of me and he sighs. "well, I'm assuming it isn't too early."
"I have to go meet Sarah for lunch and I need to shower." I explain, standing up from the bed and stretching. at first I don't notice that I'm only wearing underwear and one of JJ's t-shirts, but I'm not fazed by it after flashes of last night pop into my mind.
"I'll join, we can save water." he jokes as he also gets up to sit on the side of the bed. "are you really going to meet the kook princess instead of hang out with us today?"
I ruffle his hair when I walk by and say, "it's only lunch, JJ. and you forget that I'm considered one of those awful kooks too." he grabs my hand from his head and pulls me between his legs.
"you're more than that, Lyv. you know that, I know that, the rest of the pogues know it too."
"well, Sarah is still my friend, kook or not. I can enjoy both sides sometimes." the idea of somewhat living a double life sucked the life out of me, but it was better than trying to juggle them both at the same time. I walk out the bedroom to John B's bathroom and start the shower. part of me protests against the idea of JJ joining, but a small voice in the back of my head urges me to allow it.
just a distraction my ass. I'm going to get myself into some deep shit. "water hot yet? storm hit pretty bad last night so it might be cold." JJ tells me as he walks into the bathroom. I test the water before pulling off my shirt. "I'll take that as an answer. and a damn good one at that."
we both climb into the shower together, but I soon realize that it was a bad idea. my mind immediately goes to the wrong places as I try and keep my eyes on his instead of letting them travel lower. or god forbid if I let my hands travel, I would never stop. "what are you guys doing today anyways?" I question as JJ hands me some shampoo and gesturing for me to scrub his hair.
"I think we're going to go explore some of the houses of the figure 8, the unfinished ones anyways." I smack his arm in protest, causing him to yelp. "what? it was John B's idea."
"you guys really need to be careful, JJ. if you guys get arrested-"
"don't you worry your pretty little head, we won't get caught." JJ wraps his arms around my body and my stomach does a flip. "and if we do, I'm sure you'll be so happy to see me in handcuffs." he kisses me as I back up against the wall. "truthfully, I'd be more than happy to see you in cuffs."
well, I fucked myself into this mess.
————
as I walk up to the front door of the Cameron's, I try to scrub away any memory of JJ and I. the last thing I need was Sarah to notice something happened, or with my shit luck for Rafe to figure it out. Mr. Cameron answers the door with a smile. "Olyvia, so nice to see you! I'm glad Sarah invited you to our little family lunch. we were just talking about you."
family lunch? fucking hell Sarah. "yes, thank you for allowing me to join in on all the fun." I lie through my teeth as we walk into the small dining room, and I want to die when I see Rafe sitting next to an empty chair. don't say it, please don't say it.
"we saved you a seat next to Rafe." Rose points to the exact seat I was dreading. I fake happiness, all while giving Sarah a death glare who mouths an apology, before sitting down.
Rafe's cologne washes over me, giving me an odd sense of comfort. I swear under my breath, something no one but him notices. I'm sure this was just as hard for him as it was for me. "so tell us, Olyvia, how is your mom?" Ward asks me as he takes the seat at the head of the table. Rafe goes completely still next to me, probably thinking back to the last night I called him.
"oh, she's doing better now. I really think she's starting to improve!" was this lunch going to be full of lying? Rose starts to pass numerous bowls and platters around, so I load my plate up hoping to keep my mouth full to avoid any more unwanted questions.
"I was so sad to hear about your father, he really was a smart and one of a kind man." sadness washes over Ward's features, and I watch as Rose almost completely mimics his face. Wheezie and Sarah stay completely oblivious as they spoon helpings of food to their dishes, but Rafe watches me. "we had such great times together, he and I. there was this one time-"
"dad, I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about this right now." Rafe warns, causing Ward to leave his mouth gaping open. I expect a scolding to come from his mouth next, but when I look at the older man he nods and stays quiet.
for most of the meal, I eat in silence while they have small family discussions. every fiber in my being is screaming at me to make up an excuse of why I have to leave, but really I wanted to finish the food. "so I heard that we are supposed to expect some nasty weather soon. there's even talks of a hurricane starting." Rose chimes in, and I wonder if she's correct. if that was the case then I knew I would need to not only help John B prepare the chateau but also make sure everything was sorted out at my house.
I clear my throat and set my napkin on the table. "if you'll excuse me, I just got a text from my mom. she's taken up baking and I'm afraid she's started a recipe and ran out of milk." that was a shitty lie, but it was the best I could do.
"of course! if you need anything, know you are always free to give us a call, sweetie." Ward offers before looking too Rafe. "be a gentleman and walk her out, son."
"oh I can see myself-" Rafe cuts me off by scooting his chair on the floor, and I groan internally. we walk together to the front door, and once we're out of earshot I look at him and say, "okay, you can go back to your seat now."
"can you please just let me drive you wherever you need to go? I know it's not home and I don't care but it will give us a chance to talk." Rafe pleads, already pulling out his keys from his pocket. "and I can't sit there for another second."
"fine," his mouth curves into a smile before I hold my hand up to continue, "but if you say one thing that's even slightly rude, I will jump from the vehicle. even if it is moving."
"deal."
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