𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 {𝚓𝚓 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚔}

𝚜.𝟷 𝚎𝚙.𝟻 -𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛-

~
"summer will come by / then it will leave / why am I wearing my heart on my sleeve?"

Tate sat in the back of the parked van with Kiara, JJ, and Pope while John B went to meet Sarah Cameron. They'd all been mostly silent since the argument at the campfire. There had been some minor skirmishes before John B left, but Tate mostly stayed out of them. She was too angry to say much of anything and she knew John B wouldn't give her a solid answer on anything anyways.

She folded her legs under herself and wished she'd thought to bring normal clothes like JJ. The dress was getting uncomfortable. "Hey," JJ said from across the floor, he reached out a foot to tap her lightly on the leg. "I brought you something." He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped pack of cigarettes. The same brand Tate always smoked.

She couldn't help grinning ever so slightly. "You're the best," she said in a soft voice, catching the pack when he threw it.

"You have to go outside to smoke those," said Pope. "They smell awful."

Tate winked at him and slid out the door. "Aye aye, captain." JJ followed her. Together, they walked to the back of the van and leaned against the bumper. Tate pulled out a cigarette and JJ pulled out his lighter to light it for her. She took a long drag and then passed it over to him.

"You really do look amazing tonight," JJ said in a low voice when he handed the cigarette back. "I mean, you always look great, but-"

"It's all Kie's work," Tate said with a tired smile.

JJ shrugged and gave her a half-smile. "No, it's just you. I'm glad you guys are getting along, though. It's nice."

"Yeah, it is. So, are you sure you're okay?" She turned to face him, wrapping one arm over her stomach. "Your face looks really bad."

JJ shrugged and plucked the cigarette from her hand. "It's... nothing that hasn't happened before. And yeah, I'm fine. I'll figure it out, you know?"

Tate nodded and turned back to lean against the van. "Hey, um... back at Midsummers..."

"Yeah?"

"You said you loved me."

She didn't look at JJ when she said it, but she could hear the nervous smile in his voice when he answered her. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Did you mean it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did."

At this, Tate did turn to him. JJ turned faced her too, and she could tell from the look on his face that he meant it. He really did love her. Not in the way that Rafe loved her- like she was an accessory or a pet, but in a real, true way. "I love you too," she whispered.

JJ hadn't expected her to say it back. He'd known Tate long enough now, however, to know to always expect the unexpected. He did love her, though. He loved her in the way that he thought love was supposed to feel. He loved being around her. He loved the look on her face when he said something that both annoyed and entertained her. He loved the way she never reacted how he expected her to and how she always said exactly what she meant without sugar coating it. JJ couldn't keep the smile off of his face as she said the words back to him. I love you too. In one motion, he stepped forward, set a gentle hand under her chin, and kissed her softly in the light of the full moon. Thunder boomed above them, making Tate jump and then laugh.