❛ how long can you wait to breathe deep? how long can you stay underneath? ❜
━━ in which despite their best intentions, they find themselves being pushed off the edge of the cliff again.
（ jj maybank x female oc ）
status...
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The cool, late summer breeze swept through the air, shifting JJ's hair across his forehead and causing a shiver to crawl up his back. He blindly batted at the loose strands of hair, aching to chase just a few more minutes of sleep. Even with his eyes still firmly squeezed shut, he could tell the sun was rising. Just as he was about to shift positions, throw an arm across his eyes and fall back asleep, a lilting giggle filled the air.
JJ's blood ran cold, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter for just a moment. His heart rate picked up in his chest, knowing exactly what he would see when he opened his eyes. He'd recognize that laugh anywhere.
Rylee.
There she sat, sharing the hammock in the yard of the Château with him. Still dressed in the clothes she was wearing the day John B and Sarah got lost at sea, she was the picture of ease as she lounged back into the hammock, her arms folded across her chest. Her green eyes shone brightly in the early morning sun, almost mischievously, like when she had a secret.
JJ let out a shaky breath as he stared at her, filled to the brim with both relief and confusion. He wanted to sit up, pull her into him, hold her and ask her where she'd been, but his body felt frozen in place. He stayed where he was, but the words he wanted to say flowed freely, "Where did you go?"
Rylee's eyebrows narrowed, a frown filling her face as she tilted her head to the side, "Go?" She repeated, "I didn't go anywhere, J."
"Why did you leave?"
Rylee laughed again, light and breezy, like she had no idea what he was talking about, "JJ come on," She said, though this time her mouth moved but the voice that came out sounded exactly like Kiara's. When she spoke again, it was back to her own voice, "I wouldn't leave without you, you know that. Pinky promise."
Frustration and confusion filled JJ as Rylee spoke, and just as he opened his mouth to speak again, a pair of unfamiliar hands reached out and shook him so vigorously that he finally sat up, sucking in a deep breath.
He was alone in the hammock, the place Rylee had just been sitting completely empty. Kiara stood beside him, "JJ," She repeated, "You ready?"
JJ reached a hand up, scrubbing it loosely over his face with a tired groan. The open weave of the hammock had left an imprint on his face. He had dreamt of Rylee again, not much of a surprise. That had been the case nearly every night since she'd gone, "Ready for what?" He asked groggily, his throat dry and his head pounding from the hangover.
