Starting Over •JJK• ✔️

Thirty

It was early. Very early. The sun hadn't even begun to show itself yet. I normally wouldn't ever drag myself out of bed so early, but it's different when you know that you can crawl back under the covers anytime and stay there for as long as you want.

I woke up and immediately remembered where I was. This would officially be the first of five full days away from the rest of the world. No meetings, no emails, and no conference calls. It was just me and JK seemingly out in the middle of nowhere with nowhere else to be. I couldn't put into words how relaxed I was. After all of my recent ups and downs, it felt amazing to shut my mind off and decompress with my favorite person, who also needed some rest.

I quietly slid out of bed to head for the kitchen, careful not to wake him. But I couldn't help but watch him sleep for a few moments, thinking back on the first night he'd stayed at my place. It was crazy to think about how that night was only a month and a half ago. So much has happened in such a short period of time. To call it a whirlwind would be an understatement.

I looked in the cabinets and refrigerator to see that everything was fully stocked for the week. He really pulled all the stops to make sure we had everything we needed for our stay. We weren't far from town, only about fifteen minutes, but he made it clear that we wouldn't be leaving the house until it was time to head home.

I leaned back against the counter and closed my eyes when the smell of coffee hit my nose. I opened them when I heard shuffling feet, and JK appeared around the corner. I smiled at the sight of him. Even in his confused early morning state, he was gorgeous.

The fact that he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants added to it.

His hair was messy and he was rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm, his other eye squinting from just waking up. He made his way over to me and, without a 'hello' or 'good morning,' he cupped my cheeks and leaned down to kiss me. He pulled back after a few seconds and hugged my shoulders with a low, tired groan as he laid his head on top of mine. "It is way too early to wake up and not have you in bed with me."

I chuckled and slid my arms around him. "I want to see what you were talking about last night. You said that I should see what it looks like out there when the sun is up."

"I didn't mean this early." He yawned and hugged me a little tighter. "But if that's what you want to do, that's what we'll do."

I rubbed his smooth back, feeling the muscles under his skin. He's so tall and strong that I'm sure he could do some damage if he was provoked. But I knew that it would take a lot to get him to that point. I'd never seen him as anything other than sweet, caring, and gentle. I felt safe and cared for with him. I felt calm just by being around him.

This is what a relationship is supposed to be like.

I smiled up at him when he lifted his head. "Go grab a sweatshirt. It's getting lighter out." I was already wearing one of his sweatshirts. He let me borrow it one day when we were hanging out and I never gave it back. "I'll meet you out there."

He nodded and kissed me again before turning to walk away. My eyes never left him until he disappeared around the corner. I could never get tired of looking at him.

I turned the coffee pot off once it was done perking and opened the curtains to the sliding glass door. It was still dark but the sky was slowly getting lighter. I stepped outside and filled my lungs with the crisp air. There was still a breeze, which I assumed never stopped, and it felt great against my face.

I walked along the balcony towards the door to the bedroom and leaned against the railing, watching as the curves of the tops of the mountains gradually started to appear. I heard the door open and close and JK stepped up beside me. The crickets had stopped and the birds started chirping. Everything about it was serene.

The sun quickly started to rise now. The mountains revealed themselves to us more as it got lighter, and I just watched in awe. They were covered with trees, creating a rolling sea of different shades of green. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, creating a blue that I'd never seen before. It was breathtaking.

JK put his arm around me and I turned to lean against him, resting my cheek against his chest like I always did. "It feels like we're the only two people in the entire world."

"I know. That's why I wanted to bring you here." He played with the ends of my hair.

I tore my eyes away from the view before us and smiled at him. "Thank you for this."

He slowly grazed his lips over mine. We stood in the cool air just gently and sweetly kissing each other, knowing that no one could stop us. His kisses in this moment held more emotion than any other time he'd kissed me. Something about them felt slightly different than the rest. They were soft, lingering pecks, almost as if he was kissing me for the first time all over again.

My eyes fluttered open to look at him and his eyes roamed my face before staring back into mine. A faint smile rested on his mouth, and it looked like he was searching for something to say.

My hands moved up and down along the sides of his torso, and I slightly tilted my head. "What?"

And what JK said made my heart burst with a whole different level of happiness.

"I love you, Maddie."

I exhaled with what was probably the biggest smile of my entire life. He continued speaking before I had the chance to respond.

"I know that we've only really been together for a couple of weeks." He brought his hands to my cheeks again. "And most people would think that it's way too soon for me to say it, but I do."

"Nothing about our relationship has been conventional." I moved my arms up and around his neck. "I've thought those words before but they scared me a little. I thought that maybe I was moving too fast and I didn't want to scare you away."

JK leaned down with his arms around me and pressed me against him. My feet left the ground when he stood up straight. "Nothing can make you scare me away." He gently kissed me. "You are the light in my life that I never knew I needed, and all I want is to make you as happy as you make me."

"I've never been more happy. No one has ever made me feel the way I do when I'm with you." I pressed my forehead against his, and a tear trickled down my cheek when I closed my eyes. "I love you, Kookie. More than anything."

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Damn! Thirty chapters! When I started writing this back in May, I never thought it would turn into anything substantial, and I certainly didn't plan on sharing it with the world. I did it mainly as a fun way to use my brain again. Now with 2K+ reads, I'm amazed and humbled. Thank you for all of your reads, votes, and comments. They all make me want to keep going. 💜💜