One Stupid Thing

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The early morning sun shines across my face. It's warm but certainly not welcome. I'm not ready to wake up yet. So, instead, I bury my face into JJ's neck and try to fall back asleep. I clutch the blanket up to my chin, the thick fabric keeping out the brisk spring air, the only thing preventing both of us from public nudity.

JJ's splayed out on his back, one arm beneath my head, the other gripping my bare leg that is slung over him. And he is completely out, snoring softly, unfazed by the light.

I inhale deeply, soaking in his musky, earthy scent. I groan softly. Yeah, I'm not going back to sleep am I? I lift my head off his shoulder, sitting up on my elbow to look at his face. His jawline looks like it's been cut from stone at this angle. I resist the urge to kiss it. Instead, I reach up and brush the hair off of his forehead, my other hand pressing the blanket against my chest.

I sit there and watch him sleep. Usually this would be seen as creepy, but I find it peaceful. The way his bare chest rises and falls with each breath, my eyes drift downwards to where the blanket has been pulled away from his body. Where his toned abdomen transitions into his hip bone. My face flushes, recalling last nights events.

It feels like a fever dream. I look back up to where my hand was tangled in his golden locks, just to double check that the ring is actually there. It is.

"Mmm. Don't stop," JJ whines softly, taking me by surprise.

I laugh and go back to raking my fingers through his hair. "Good morning to you too."

He blinks his eyes open. "Hi."

"Hi."

"What time is it?" he asks me groggily.

"Uhh I don't know. Why?"

"John B said if we're not ready by 10:00 they're leaving without us." He pulls his arm out from underneath me, leans off the bed, and rustles through his pants for his phone. "Shit. It's quarter to nine."

"What do you mean leaving? Leaving to go where?" I ask him.

"Uh, Goat Island," he replies, having no shame in throwing the blanket off of him and frantically pulling on his clothes. Even though I know I don't have to, I avert my eyes. Seeing JJ without any clothes, even though it's a magnificent sight, is still quite new to me.

"Wait, you mean Wes Genrette's place? The guy from yesterday?"

"Yep," he nods.

"Shit, okay." I wrap the blanket around my naked frame, searching for my clothes that were thrown and scattered all over the boat. From beneath the comfort of the blanket, I step into my underwear and slide them up my legs with one hand. "Jay, do you know where my dress went?" I ask him, desperately searching the deck.

"Oh, here," he picks up the ball of fabric from the floor and hands it to me. He's almost fully dressed already, the only thing missing is his shirt, which he hurries onto his body and doesn't even bother to button up.

I unfurl the dress, but that's as far as I go. I still have the blanket clutched around me. "Uh, can you turn around?" I ask him.

JJ rolls his eyes. "Stella, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Yes, but it was dark then and it's not dark now," I shoot back.

"Okay, okay. Fine. I'll go get the anchor."

—

We make it back to the Chateau with barely a half hour to spare and both of us are in yesterday's clothes. We scramble to dock The Snapper and we hurry towards the house.