𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫 | 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

58. kale crisps aren't good.

F I F T Y - E I G H T
kale crisps aren't good.

I'm still mad at JJ. He fucked up on an insane level, but I'm not letting him sleep in that house, waiting to get evicted. That's like some purgatory shit, he doesn't deserve that.

I don't hate him, and that's something I'd only let happen to someone I hate.

My Mum hugs JJ tightly. I think she loves JJ more than she loves me. And I think JJ likes my mum more than he likes me.

"You're not allowed to go missing, either," She smiles when she pulls away. "I'm so glad you two have each other. I'm sure it was a rough time, having someone makes that easier."

I let out an awkward, strained chuckle.

"Looking better than ever, Eunice," I see JJ wink at my Mum, who laughs and waves him off.

"You are something else, JJ. Now, you two must be exhausted, with all the gold hunting and deserted islands, go take a nap. I'll have dinner ready, you two come and eat it whenever you'd like, I'm going over to Robbie's to babysit, if you need me, that's where I'll be," She explains. I appreciate her more than I can express. Even know, when she has all the reasons in the world to be, she's not breathing down my neck.

As JJ walks off, my Mum pulls me in, "You good?" She asks.

I nod, "I'm home. Nothing can be better than that." She smiles at my comment, pulling my head down to her level, she kisses the top.

"Go take a nap," she shoos me off, "I know the look of exhaustion on my child."

I  ascend the stairs, I am fucking exhausted. Walking into the room, I see JJ standing awkwardly. He really is all awkward since we had the fight, which is weird; he isn't an overly awkward person.

"Do you have a spare set of sheets?" He asks, and I stare at him like he's from another planet.

"JJ, you do know you're not sleeping on the floor unless you want to. The bed is big enough for us to stay in our own lanes." I give him a raised eyebrow. So damn awkward.

He scratches the back of his neck, "That's actually relieving, because my back is all kinds of messed up."

"I'm actually going to take a nap, you can do whatever," I announce, pulling my shoes off, dumping them next to the door, taking off JJ's shirt, putting that down next to the bed.

"I'll take a nap with you."

"No. You take a nap and I take a nap, different naps. Separate naps," I tell him, he raises his hands in defence. "The bed is big enough for separate naps."

"Figure of speech. My bad. Seperate naps it is." I know he's treading on eggshells. He knows he's walking a very thin line, one he is seemingly hell bent on not falling from.

"Glad we got that sorted," I say, getting on the bed, on my side. Separate sides, separate naps. He lies down as well, we're painfully far apart, both of us are on the verge of just falling off. This is ridiculous. I push back a little, just enough that I'm not going to fall off at the slightest movement.

It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep; an actual bed has me out cold.

When you're an experienced napper, you know there's a certain level of consciousness that you come to every so often, it gives you the option of waking up or going back to sleep. As my body comes to that level, I feel JJ shuffling. Shuffling concerningly closely. It takes a few seconds for my mind and body to reconnect, but when they do, I realise we are no longer taking separate naps.

And the shuffling? That's JJ trying to move away.

I sit up instantly and look at him. He looks freaked out.