Anchor // JJ Maybank

8.

"Get up lovebirds. I've gotta talk to John B,"

Cassidy slowly opened her eyes, grimacing because the light from the sun stung her eyes. She felt someone shuffle beneath her and panicked until she realized it was just JJ. She glanced at the boy awkwardly and climbed out of the hammock only to be greeted with the judgemental stare of Sherriff Peterkin.  

"Good morning, Sherriff. You said you were looking for John B?" Cassidy questioned, scared that it might have something to do with the incident the night before.

"Yes, is he inside?" Peterkin questioned her. Cassidy didn't want to betray John B, but she had a feeling that Peterkin would search the house no matter what she said.

"Yeah, he's inside," Cassidy mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"Perfect. Thank you very much," the sheriff said coldly before stepping into the chateau.

Cassidy turned back around to look at JJ who looked just as awkward as she felt. The moment between them had been great, but she had no idea where that left them now. She wasn't even sure if he liked her the way she liked him. Before she got a chance to ask him, JJ put a finger over his mouth signaling for her to be quiet and walked to the open window attempting to eavesdrop on John B's conversation with Peterkin. 

"Get away from there," whispered Cassidy, pulling the boy away from the window he was crouched under. "There could be news about his dad. Or about DCS. Just give them some privacy," she scolded. JJ nodded in acceptance and walked back towards the hammock.

"Fine then, what should we talk about? Huh, maybe last night?" he asked with his signature smirk on his face making Cassidy immediately feel uncomfortable.

"I don't know what you're talking about. What part of last night are you referring to exactly? You mean when you pulled a gun on a kook in public?" Cassidy asked, playing dumb and picking at her fingernails in stress.

"Nah, I'm talking about when you made me possibly the happiest person in this entire world," he responded grinning and laughing at how uncomfortable he was making the girl.

"Oh, yeah that part. I remember," she mumbled but was secretly very excited that she made him feel that way. "You know we broke the rule. What do you think we should do?"

"I think we should break the rule again," JJ smirks at the girl who's cheeks were burning up at his comment.  He got up from the hammock and walked towards the girl, making her back up into the deck's wall. He gave her a look of confusion as to why she would back away fro him as if she was scared.

"I want to break the rule again too," she starts, making him smile. "But it also really scares me how much I do like you. Every time I let someone in, they just walk all over my heart and leave me to pick up the pieces," she whispers.

"I promise you, that's never going to happen again," JJ assures her in a whisper, continuing to walk towards her. 

"Okay," Cassidy whispers as the boy is now right in front of her.

"Okay," the boy grins at her before placing his lips on hers slowly. While this kiss was much shorter than the one they shared last night, it still gave Cassidy the same amount of butterflies.

"Finally!" John B calls out, walking out onto the porch and seeing the couple intertwined.

..............

"Look, I'm calling it off alright?" John B announced to the group. Cassidy was seated next to JJ on a flimsy table set up on the lawn, avoiding Kiara who was on the porch playing her set of bongos. Cassidy wasn't upset with Kie but she needed a bit of space and felt uncomfortable around the girl. "Peterkin said if I stayed out of the marsh she'd help me with DCS," he continued.