JJ's biggest flaw was his recklessness, and his bad ideas. Honestly, that didn't seem that bad to Bexley.
Rafe's biggest flaw? Jealousy. Pure, uncontrolled jealousy.
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tw: mentions of abuse, trauma (I think this is probably the first chapter I've written without Rafe in it since the prologue)
Her wet hair dripped down her shirt as she walked down JJ's hallway. He had gone outside, making sure there was still a fire lit under the water tank so that she wouldn't run out of heat in case she took a long shower. She didn't.
She was quick, feeling too exposed to stay naked for too long. She didn't even dry her body off completely before pulling on the clothes picked out for her. She wanted to be covered. She wanted her skin to be hidden. From others and herself. Bexley then folded her dirty clothes. For a moment, she hesitated, feeling something in her pants pocket. She realized she had checker pieces in there.
In the Bahamas, when she was playing checkers by herself, and Rafe threatened to barge in, she packed the game up as fast as she could. Realizing she left a few pieces out, she'd put them in her pocket, hiding them, her paranoia convincing her that if they were seen it would set Rafe off even more. They stayed in these pants ever since.
Then, feeling further in the pocket, her fingers pulled out a ring. A gold ring.
Rafe had given it to her, less than ten minutes before she decided to leave him forever.
He gave it to her because he loved her. And he wanted her to have something that meant so much to him.
She winced, and pushed it back into he pocket, not wanting to look at it anymore. Bexley walked herself to JJ's room. She set her clothes neatly on the floor in the corner. This is where her stuff could go, she thought to herself. In the corner. If she was going to stay here a while, she might as well have a corner, right?
...Was she going to stay here a while?
Out the window, Bexley noticed JJ had moved to something new. He was kneeled down in front of his bike, tinkering with it.
She felt uneasy, picturing how often Rafe did the same thing. JJ's bike was the same color red as Rafe's, except JJ's had some blue on it. She got caught up thinking about that color, and how it was Rafe's favorite. Her heart ached for a moment.
...Everything was going to remind her of him, wasn't it? For a long, long time.
She forced herself to look away. Bexley pulled on her sandals, and kept hold of the towel she'd been lent. After a moment of consideration, she found the confidence to step outside. She opened the back door, stepping onto the porch. JJ heard the old wooden door creak open, and he looked over. He put down his tools when he spotted her. Slight surprise was evident on his features, like he was genuinely expecting her to lock herself back in that room all day.
His gaze slipped lower than her face. She noticed this, and for a moment she felt uncomfortable, wondering if the clothes were clinging to her slightly wet body in an inappropriate way. They weren't. He just liked the shirt on her. The colors looked better on her than they did on him, in his opinion.
