𝑾𝑯𝑰𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑾𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑺 /𝑗𝑗 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑘

𝟎𝟏𝟏.

___________________
𝑪𝑨𝑻'𝑺 𝑨𝑺𝑺
𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑤𝑜，𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟
𝟏𝟔:𝟐𝟒 — 𝟑𝟐:𝟑𝟓
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AS I SLOWLY woke to the warm sunlight peeking through my eyelids awakened me from my slumber. I wasn't sure if the others had gotten any rest, but the sound of laughter still lingered in my mind as I drifted off in JJ's arms. "Anyone else starving?" JJ asked, his voice muffled by the morning fog.

I raised my hand, rubbing my eyes with the other, and muttered a sleepy "Yeah."

JJ chuckled into my neck, I felt his smile against it. "We need to grab some sort of breakfast."

After a few minutes of everyone getting up. We didn't take long to find a dock to tie up our vessel, and as we stepped off the boat, I offered out my hand to help Sarah and Kiara onto the dock. "We're gonna find some food." Sarah said to the boys, her voice husky from sleep.

I winked at the group, "Patience, boys."

JJ's smirk mirroring my own. We decided to take matters into our own hands and grab some grub, partly so we could give the others some space to... well, discuss whatever it was they'd been chatting about when we weren't around. My jaw still ached when I took deep breaths or touched it, but overall, I felt marginally better than the day before.

As we waved goodbye to our friends and set off on our search for food, we walked in silence for a while until we stumbled upon a vegetable garden. We glanced around cautiously, making sure no one was watching, before exchanging mischievous glances and parting ways to search for something edible. Sarah and I drew a blank, but Kiara's triumphant cry caught our attention.

"Jackpot!" she exclaimed, holding aloft a watermelon like a trophy.

It seemed we'd struck gold – or at least a bounty of fresh fruit. There were plenty more where that one came from, but we decided to indulge in just one each for ourselves. It took some effort and strength to split it in two, but they handed it to me with a grin. Kiara and I shared one half between us, while Sarah savored her own half portion.

As we lounged in the warm sun, our laughter and chatter flowed like a gentle stream, carrying with it the weight of our experiences, our struggles, and our triumphs. But then, Sarah's words dropped like a stone into the calm waters, sending ripples of shock and surprise through me. John B and Sarah are married.

I coughed, choking on a piece of watermelon, as Kiara's hands came up to pat my back in a soothing motion. Sarah's eyes locked onto mine, her expression a mix of mischief and vulnerability.

"I'm sorry, you did what?" I asked, my voice hoarse from the sudden interruption.

Sarah shrugged, her smile twisting upward at the corners. "You heard me." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.