SUNBURN | JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

039

As Gabriella and John B walked in silence, the weight of their unsaid words hung heavily between them. The sky, which had been overcast all day, began to release a steady stream of rain. The droplets fell in sheets, drumming on the pavement and creating a symphony of sound that matched the turmoil in their hearts.

John B finally broke the silence, his voice barely audible over the rain. "What's it going to be like when we get back?"

Gabriella, sensing the significance of the question, looked at him. "With what?"

John B hesitated, then said, "Well, you know... like, um..."

Gabriella realized what he was getting at and responded softly, "This? Us?"

John B's voice dropped to a whisper. "Yeah."

Gabriella's response was tinged with hesitation. "Well, you know the pogue rule."

John B stopped abruptly, his expression one of frustration and longing. "Wait, wait, wait. That's it? You're just going to walk away like you can't feel what's happening between us?"

Gabriella, feeling a mix of confusion and fear as her emotions began to spill out, asked, "What do you expect?"

John B, rain-soaked and fervent, shouted back, "Gabriella, ever since I saw you sleeping at the Chateau, my life has changed. I don't care about the pogue-on-pogue macking rule or anything. Look, I didn't even know who you were not that long ago, and now? All I want is you."

The rain continued to pour harder, but John B stood defiantly in the downpour, his declaration echoing through the storm. "And honestly, in my limited experience with people, that's rare. That's like... eclipse rare."

Gabriella, who was a few feet away, felt her heart racing as the rain mingled with her tears. "Shut up!" she shouted back, her voice breaking through the storm. "I feel it too, and it's so real! I can't keep pretending this isn't happening."

The intensity of the rain mirrored the intensity of their emotions, and as they stood there, drenched and vulnerable, the world around them seemed to vanish. All that remained was the profound connection between them, raw and undeniable.

He didn't reply as he ran his hand through his wet hair, his strides powerful as he marched across the port. He was looking straight at Gabriella, there was no one else around, no one else but her. The sky above was a tempest, but the moment between John B and Gabriella was a sanctuary of intense, unspoken feelings. His clothes clinging to him, his hair plastered against his forehead. His eyes, usually filled with youthful bravado, were now softened with vulnerability and yearning. His heart pounded in his chest, syncing with the relentless rhythm of the raindrops.

Gabriella, her curls tangled and wet, looked at him with an expression of raw emotion. Her face, illuminated by the glistening of raindrops, seeming to capture every emotion she was feeling, hope, fear, and an undeniable love. Before she could get her last words out, both of her hands gripped all the way around her waist, pulling me in against his front side.

The rain cascaded down their faces, mixing with the tears that threatened to spill. He reached out, cupping Gabriella's face gently in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the water that clung to her cheeks.

Closing the final gap between each other, his lips unexpectedly crashed right into hers that seemed to make the rain itself pause. The kiss was urgent, desperate, as if they were trying to express all the words and emotions they had kept hidden. John B's lips were warm and firm against Gabriella's, his passion translating into a gentle yet fervent embrace.

Gabriella responded with equal intensity, her hands finding their way to his hair, pulling him closer as the electric feeling drizzled down his entire body. The rain danced around them, creating a blanket of intimacy as they lost themselves in the kiss.

Gabriella could feel shocks of electricity shooting through every single vein in her body, from his touch. They kept the same kiss, butterflied enveloping every inch of their stomaches until it hurt. His plump lips latched onto her bottom lip, smothering as the rain pounded onto them. John B's shirt was wet against her dress, but that didn't his hands from travelling up her back. He just needed to feel her, he needed to be close to her, he just needed her.

There was fireworks crackling inside the pit of her stomach when his mouth moved against her lips delicately. The fire brewing more and more inside of John B's chest the closer they got. Her lips sent a chill down his spine, it was a feeling he had never felt before, but all he knew was that with every single cell of his body, he didn't want it to end.

He pulled away, leaving his forehead against hers and breathing out unsteadily. Gabriella still had her fingertips tangled in his hair. John B just focused on her face with his pure intense gaze, wishing he could just convey through his eyes just how beautiful he thought she was.

If only she could spend a day, an hour, even a second in his head, Gabriella would know how much he was feeling for her.

The widest of smiles was plastered on Gabriella's face as she took her fingertips out of his hair, and he just looked at her. With a smile from ear to ear, his hands fell from her waist but quickly grabbed onto her hand. He placed a small kiss onto her knuckles, keeping his eyes locked with hers as he began to walk forward, guiding her onto the ferry.

She couldn't help but bite her bottom lip, she needed to know this was real. With her stomach still doing backflips, John B was her first kiss.

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authors note!

omg omg omg it finally happened! they finally kissed! i hope you bubs love this chapter as much as i loved writing it.

can i also just say, a big, big thank you for reading this and getting this far. thank you. from the bottom of my heart. i love you all <33

- xoxo, LEE.