Can It Always Be Like This?

"See you at the shop tomorrow Bree." JJ says as he pats John B bye on the shoulder.

"Night bird!" John B yells as he gets into the Twinkie.

"Night bird shit!" JJ hollers and sarcastically waves from the dock.

JJ watches the Twinkie drive off, and then heads back up to where Kiara is on his boat.

As he gets back on the boat he sees Kiara cleaning up the many pizza boxes and red solo cups that the rest of the Pogues left behind.

"Hell of a night huh?" JJ says.

Kiara smirks, "Yeah, but I think we all needed it. I mean I feel like ever since we got back from South America, we've all been busy trying to get our lives in check, and haven't got to hang out pogue style as much."

"pogue style" JJ repeats with a smile.

"Well, I think we could use some cleaning up music." JJ says as he heads into the cabin and turns on the radio.

~🎶"Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding begins playing.🎶

JJ begins using a broom as a microphone and begins lip syncing the lyrics.

Kiara can't continue cleaning up because she's belly laughing at JJ's "performance".

To JJ, the sound of her laugh is more beautiful than the music. He doesn't want to ever go a day without hearing that laugh.

JJ then points the broom towards her, to get her to lip sync along with him.

Kiara refuses at first, but JJ keeps bugging her to do it, so she gives in and begins mouthing along to the song, 🎶"...it's two thousand miles I roamed, just to make this dock my home."🎶 she points down and dances as JJ comes up behind her, and reaches his head around to kiss her on the cheek. She leans back into him, hips still swaying to the beat of the song, as they share the "mic" to close out the song together.

Commercials begin playing on the radio as Kiara kisses JJ back on the cheek and resumes cleaning.

After about five minutes, the music resumes and goes into another slower song.

JJ recognizes the song...🎶"Please Forgive Me" by Bryan Adams🎶 he thinks to himself. He used to hear the song a lot as a kid, because Bryan Adams was one of his mothers favorite singers, and she had all his albums on vinyl. A small ache stings towards the bottom of his heart at the thought of his mother. He hasn't heard this song since she last played it on their home record player a week before she left.

JJ shakes the thought and replaces it with an idea.

He looks back over his shoulder at Kiara who's folding up chairs and catches her eye.

She has a wondering look on her face, as she knows that look in his eye all too well. The "idea look".

"What?" she says with a curious tone.

JJ approaches her and gently grabs her hand.

"Wanna dance?" he says peering into her big brown eyes.

Kiara raises her eyebrows, "JJ Maybank wants to slow dance?" she asks sarcastically.

"Only with you." he says softly.

Kiara's heart swells.

She places her hands behind JJ's neck, and he rests his on her mid back.

Kiara turns her head and rests it on JJ's shoulder and listens to the lyrics, as they sway to the music.

🎶"It still feels like our first night together
feels like the first kiss
It's getting better baby
No one can better this
Still holding on
You're still the one
First time our eyes met
Same feeling I get
Only feels much stronger
I want to love you longer
Do you still turn the fire on?"🎶

Her head still resting on his shoulder, Kiara swears she's never felt more safe and calm, than this moment right here.

With her heart swelling, and her exhales, she can literally feel how in love with JJ she is. She doesn't ever want this moment to end. She wants to feel this way with him for the rest of her days.

She pulls her head off JJ's shoulder and looks in his eyes and smiles.

JJ looks back into her eyes, and notices one tear fall from her left eye. He takes his thumb and quickly swipes the tear away.

"What's wrong?" he says softly.

She shakes her head.

"Can it always be like this?" she says.

"What do you mean?" JJ asks.

"Us, this feeling, this moment, this night, everything right now, is just...it's perfect."

"You know when you're in a moment and you just know that you're going to remember that moment for the rest of your life?" Kiara says.

"I do now" JJ says smiling at her.

JJ puts his hands on the side of her face and pulls her lips to his. The kiss is deep and meaningful, one of the most passionate they've ever had.

Kiara breaks the kiss to come up for air, and presses her forehead to his.

As they are both trying to catch their breath from their brief make out, JJ brings her back into him and continues swaying back and forth.

"I think we may have found our song." Kiara says.

JJ ponders what she just said and wonders what his mother would say if she saw them dancing to one of her favorite songs.

"I couldn't agree more." he says smiling into her hair.

"I love you Kie." he pleads softly into her ear.

He can feel her smile against his shoulder.

"I love you too Jayj." she says as she tightens her grip on him.

They are both silent as the end of the song nears.

🎶"I can't stop, loving you"🎶

As the song ends, Kiara pulls back slowly from JJ, "thank you for that" she says giving him a peck on the lips.

"You're most welcome." He says with a wink.

"Who knew JJ Maybank was such a romantic?" Kiara says teasingly.

"I mean, going to rescue girls from wilderness cuckoo's nests, to kissing them in front of a bunch of people, to slow dancing on a charter boat. To..." Kiara lists until she's interrupted by JJ.

"Whoa whoa whoa, now don't go around telling everyone that, I have a reputation to maintain you know..." JJ says very jokingly stoic while adjusting his backwards hat.

"Mhmmm" Kiara says raising one eyebrow.

They smile at each other and continue listening to the music on the radio while getting chores on the boat done.

JJ looks out at the water glistening under the moonlight, looks back at Kie, and looks up to the sky.

"Yeah, I'm gonna remember this night forever" he thinks out loud.