Meant to Be - Brianna Routledge x JJ Maybank

7

A/n - Guys listen to Roslyn. It made me cry 😁

JJ pov

If this asshole thinks taking her out and buying her flowers is gonna make up for everything he's done to her over the past week, then I really hope he's wrong. He won't be though. Bri's blinded by him. I don't get what it is. I take a step back and he gives her an awkward hug.

"These are for you." he says, handing her a bouquet of red roses. He doesn't even know her. Her favourite flowers are daisies, closely followed by pink tulips. But, as every good man knows, the best bouquet you can get any girl is a handmade one. Duh. Bri turns to me and I can see her big smile. I frown slightly. She hands me the roses and gives me a quick, tight hug. My frown evaporates and my smile appears.

"Have fun. Don't be a dick. Bring her home at an appropriate time. Thanks, see you later." I say, gesturing for Rafe to leave. Bri follows behind him but I grab her hand. She frowns. "If anything goes wrong, you let me know and I'll be right there. Be safe." I say, not letting her eyes leave mine. She smiles, just as big as before.

"I will, I promise." she giggles and her hand slips out of mine as she joins Rafe in his car. I look at my hand, missing her touch. She really does look gorgeous tonight.

She's done her hair in a blowout. She put on some really nice earnings, necklaces, bracelets and a few rings. They match her outfit perfectly. She has a black bag which is tiny and definitely not gonna fit anything but somehow she has everything but the kitchen sink in there. She's wearing this perfume which smells so stunningly amazingly gorgeous. That asshole better compliment everything about her. And if he doesn't, then I won't mind making up for him later.

Bri pov

He took my hand and held me back. He wanted for me to be safe and he wanted it bad. I can't help but think that I'm making a mistake going out with Rafe tonight. JJ is hurting after he and Kie broke up. He's my best friend. I should be there for him. Not going out on a date with one of the people who he hates most in this world.

"Bri?" Rafe shouts.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Oh my fuck I've been calling you name for like ages now. Anyways, why did JJ take your hand? Why did you hug him?" he asks. Fuck me.

"He just wanted to tell me to have great night and to be careful. I hugged him because he's one of my best friends and I was excited." I explain.

"Was? So you're not excited anymore?" Rafe asks.

"No, of course I am." I say, not daring to finish what I want to say.

"Good." he says with almost no emotion in his words as we pull into the parking lot of some Italian restaurant. 

"I love this place!" I lie. I hate this place. It's my least favourite restaurant in the entirety of the island. It sucks balls. The food is shit. Worse than my Dad's cooking, and that's saying something cause he could not cook. I find myself wishing I was back home, eating Sarah's famous spaghetti and meatballs. She said she'd save me some though.

"It's my favourite restaurant." he says and I try to hide the horror I'm feeling. How do I like this guy? We both get out of the car and make our way inside. The host sits us down at his reserved table. At least he tried. 

"What do you normally get here?" I ask, hoping it's a pizza of some sort.

"Basic margherita pizza. It's good, trust me. A classic." he says and I giggle.

"Ok. I'll keep that in mind." I say. It doesn't actually sound that bad. Maybe my tastebuds have changed. I need to go into this with more of an open mind.

"Well, if you can't make up your mind, don't worry. I'm not that hungry. I could share something with you." he says sweetly. I smile at his generosity. 

"Thanks. I've only been here like three times. And I'm also not that hungry." I lie. I just keep lying. I've been here many times while my Dad was missing and on days when John B didn't show up. It's cheap. But the food is shit. And, I'm actually really hungry. I barely ate today cause I thought that he was gonna take me to some kook restaurant with really good food. But here we are, at this dump.

"Perfect." he says with a smile. It's moments like this that make up for him have been so bad to me the past week. I look at the drinks menu. I don't feel like alcohol. Plus, it's even worse than the food here. I think I'll keep it simple and get a sprite to be honest.

"What would you get drinks wise?" I ask. He smiles again.

"Normally, I'd get a beer but since I have to drive you home and be responsible, I think I'll just get a sprite or something." he says and I smile, again.

"I was thinking the same." I say and we laugh lightly.

"That settles it then. Two Sprites and a margherita pizza." he says with a smirk.

"Done." I say cooly.

...

It took a really long time for the food to come. Like, why do they need that long? It's basically just shit on bread that has shit mixed in the dough. Fucking hell Brianna just shut up. Open minded. Remember?

I take a bit of the pizza and try my absolute hardest to keep a straight face. It's not as bad as I remember it being but it's really spicy. They added way too many spices into the sauce. I watch Rafe eat it. He seems to be perfectly fine. I wash down each slice with some Sprite. It helps, but not a lot.

"What do you think?" he asks after taking a sip of his Sprite.

"It's good." I lie. I wish I had the guts to be honest with him.

"Are you telling the truth Miss Routledge?" he asks, raising an eyebrow, "Because you know I can't punish you." he whispers.

"Well, to be really honest with you. I actually hate this restaurant, I've been here many times, I'm really hungry and this pizza tastes like a piece of ass." I whisper. He smirks.

"I appreciate your honesty. Do you wanna get out of here?" he asks. I nod. He chuckles as he throws some cash on the table and leads me to the car. He opens the door for me. I smile at him as I get in. Then his phone rings.

He takes a step back to answer the call. I look into his backseat. There's a teddy bear lying on the floor. I wouldn't have expected this from Rafe. I pick it up. The bear is holding a sign that says 'Be Mine'. How cute. Why didn't he give it to me though? I'll ask when he gets in the car. Only a moment later he does.

"What's this?" I ask, smirking at him. His face drops.

"Nothing." he says quickly, taking the bear from me and throwing it back to the ground. I stare at him blankly. "Fine, I got it for you but I just thought it was corny if I gave it to you. So, I chucked it in the back of my car and forgot about him." he says.

"Ok." I say, smiling at the thought. He takes me right back home, his hand resting on my thigh. When we get there, he gives me a gentle kiss on the lips to say goodbye.

"Thank you, for tonight." I say, "I had a great time. And for the record, I don't think it's corny." I say, giggling as I make my way inside. 

I go straight to the kitchen and heat up a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.