Alone in winter / JIARA OBX FANFIC

-9-

❅
Love is a state about not knowing and wanting to know more.
It can be confusing and frustrating, but what's the point
of loving if there's nothing complicated about it?
❅

He parks his bike near his house. It is already very late, in the neighborhood that is usually full of people and joy, a quiet silence  flies around. JJ can't hear anything, not even the midnight crickets.

He pauses to think about his life, how it started and how it's going now.

He used to be a kid who couldn't leave his home without a few cuts or bruises, a kid who took refuge in his best friend's house many nights, a kid who didn't think he was capable of being loved, a kid who was never good enough for anyone.

What has changed on this? He's rich now, and his dad is nowhere to be seen. But for some reason he still felt empty, until tonight.

Now is when he realises, that the only thing that was missing was her.

JJ walks through the snow, still trying to process what happened tonight. Still being not able to process how the person who he tried not to love was still here for him.

He didn't thought he would be able to see those bright eyes so close again. He tried a million ways to push her away, but even so, she remained still, ignoring the pain of the blows.

He opens his front door, and quickly goes inside, now that she's not by his side everything feels colder.

He wonders if they are going to be together again. It's not that he doesn't want to, but he is sure that he doesn't want to mess it up.

The truth is that he doesn't know if they should start again. Because he knows he wouldn't be able to be far away from her again.

❅

Kiara contains her excitement as she enters her old house, she's a little bit touched because she missed the family dinner, but she's glad she found JJ.

"I'm home!" She shouts. "Hi honey!" Mary exclaims as she opens her arms. "Grandma!" Kiara approaches her and hugs her. "It's been awhile, how are you doing?" Asks Kiara.

"Great dear, but it's you who should tell me about your life now! Come on, I'll prepare some tea, so you can fill me up on everything!" Mary and Kiara go to the living room with their arms linked.

Mike peeks from the kitchen, he cannot understand how can his mother-in-law be so hypocritical, he won't say anything, but he knows she's up to something, he knows her too well.

It first happened when Anna presented Mike to her parents. He used to be a pogue, he came from a normal wealth family, but still didn't have enough to pay for the light or gas after hurricanes, his family also couldn't afford much clothes or an expensive lifestyle.

Mary didn't like him, it took years for them to be able to get along, it wasn't after Kiara was born and the wreck opened that Mary started liking him.

But Mike will never forget what she did to him.

Summer 1992, Mike was working as a bartender at the island club, Mary Rhodes was a frequent customer there, her family too.

When she found out her daughter, the kook princess, was dating a pogue, she lost her mind. Her family reputation would be ruined if the people from the island found out as well.