Tides of grace

The hearts truth

The next few days passed in a blur. The group seemed to find its rhythm again-laughing together, teasing each other, and for the most part, returning to the easy camaraderie that had always existed between them. But Grace couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. There were moments, fleeting but undeniable, when the air between her and the boys seemed to crackle with unspoken tension. She could see it in their eyes-the way they looked at her when they thought she wasn't paying attention.

It was JJ who noticed it first, pulling her aside after a long day of hanging out. They were sitting by the fire at the Boneyard again, the sun just dipping below the horizon.

"Grace," JJ said, his voice low. "We need to talk."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

He hesitated, glancing around before settling his gaze back on her. "I don't know what's going on, but it's obvious something's changing. Between us. Between everyone. And I'm not sure if we're handling it the right way."

Her pulse quickened. She had been avoiding this conversation, but now that it was here, it felt inevitable. "What do you mean? Are you saying that we're not handling things well?"

JJ leaned in closer, his tone almost quieter, like he was afraid of saying too much. "I'm saying that I'm not sure we know what we want. It's not just about what's happening between you and me-it's between all of us. I don't want things to get messy, but it already feels like they are."

Grace closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of his words. "I don't want to hurt anyone, JJ. I don't want things to get messy either. But I can't keep pretending like nothing's going on when it clearly is. Every time I'm around you guys, it feels like there's something more, and I don't know how to handle it."

JJ's expression softened, and he reached out, placing a hand on hers. "Grace, we've all been walking around with these feelings, and none of us know what the hell to do about it. But I want you to know this-you're not the problem. None of us are. We're all just... confused. But I can't pretend anymore, and I'm guessing you can't either."

Her heart raced as she tried to process his words. The tension between them wasn't just in her head. It was real. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much she had started to care. About all of them. But she couldn't-she *shouldn't*-let it get too complicated. Not with everything else at stake.

"I don't know what to do, JJ," she admitted, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't know how to choose between all of you, or if I even should."

JJ's eyes held hers for a long moment. Then, slowly, he pulled his hand back, giving her some space. "You don't have to choose, Grace. Not now, anyway. We'll figure it out when we're ready."

Grace nodded, her mind racing with the implications of his words. Things were far from settled. The storm might have quieted for now, but she knew that the next wave was coming. And when it hit, everything would change again.

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