One Stupid Thing

2:2:46

I stretch my arms out and yawn. I must have been really exhausted last night to not even remember falling asleep. However, the person responsible for bringing me to bed is nowhere to be found. Wouldn't be the first time. Does he always just get up earlier than me? As I sit up in bed, a delicious smell wafts into the room. Curious, I swing my feet off the edge of the bed, stand up, and mosey my way out of the bedroom.

When I open the door, my eyes have to adjust from the dark bedroom to the sunny kitchen. JJ is scrambling around at the oven cooking. Well, attempting to cook. He hears the bedroom door creak and whips his head to see me.

"Oh, mornin'" JJ greets me briefly. I laugh softly at how frantically he is multitasking between different dishes: scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and even some coffee being brewed.

"Good morning." I walk over and reach for the spatula to stir the eggs.

"Nuh uh! No touchy," JJ protests, slapping my hand away.

"JJ-"

"Nope! Let me make you breakfast," he insists.

"Okay, okay!" I laugh. I move away from the stove and hoist myself up onto the island countertop. I sit there, swinging my legs, admiring him cook from up here. As I lean back, my t-shirt rides up and I look down and realize that I have no pants on. Not only that, but I am also not in the same clothes as last night. My soaked tank top had been replaced by one of JJ's tees. I quickly pull his shirt down to my knees and I feel my face flush with embarrassment.

JJ turns around with loaded plates of food and smirks at my expression. "Oh, yeah... that. I wasn't gonna let you sleep in those wet clothes," he shrugs and sets the plates down on the counter next to me.

"So... you, uh, saw me in my underwear?" I grimace.

"Yeah," he replies nonchalantly. I search his expression with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Nah, I'm just messing. That was all Kie. I wish it had been me though."

"JJ!" I push him back playfully, but he barely stumbles. He just walks right back up to me and stands between my legs. I press my hands to his cheeks and lean down to kiss him. JJ's hands snake around to my lower back and pull me into him.

When we pull away, I rest my arms around JJ's neck and interlock my fingers. JJ reaches up and fiddles with the sun-catcher pendant hanging from the chain around my neck. I haven't taken it off since he gave it to me that night on the beach.

"So..." JJ approaches carefully. "How are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" I reply cluelessly.

"Stella... I mean about last night," he says. He stops playing with the necklace and holds such intense eye contact that it makes me nervous.

"I-I'm not gonna say that I'm fine, because I'm not..."

"—and you don't need to be."

"...but I will be. Eventually. It helps knowing that I have you guys here to support me through it all," I gush.

"And we'll always be here." Kiara's voice breaks through the silence as she and Pope enter from the porch. JJ and I must have been too wrapped up in conversation to notice them come in.

"Dude, did you make us breakfast? That's so sweet of you!" Pope teases. JJ ruffles his hair in embarrassment.

"There's enough for you two if you want some," JJ tells them.

"No, it's okay. We just came in to see what the burning smell was," Kiara jokes. JJ rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"C'mon, I'm hungry and our food is getting cold," I remind him. JJ wraps his arms tightly around my waist and I wrap mine around his neck as he lifts me off the table and back onto my feet.