Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Forty One.

A/N

Once again... I am sorry for the pain this chapter will cause you xx

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Burying my feet in the warm sand, I sat back on my hands as I looked out at the ocean in front of me. My mind was running in circles at a hundred miles per hour, while my heart was still racing as I replayed JJ's words over and over in my mind. Somehow being robbed at gunpoint hadn't been the most traumatic part of my day.

I watched as the families played in the ocean together around me. How couples cuddled and kissed on the sand and groups of friends surfed and joked around with each other. I couldn't help but think about how much I missed my mom right now and how Nana was still away on what felt like the longest vacation ever, and I didn't want to bother her.

I sat on the beach listening to the waves crashing into the sand for what felt like hours when my phone buzzed from my pocket, pulling me back from my trance-like state. Looking at the screen, I noticed how I had just one small bar of service as the beach was at the halfway point between the Cut and Figure Eight. Kiara's name flashed up, so I swiped across to read the message.

How did it go with JJ? – K

I chuckled lightly to myself, feeling the smallest amount of warmth return to my heart. I hadn't told anyone I was going to see JJ, yet somehow they just knew. I clung to that tiny amount of hope, thinking about how moving back here didn't just mean that I got to reconnect with John B and Nana, or that I got to meet JJ. But it also meant I met Kiara and Pope. My understated friendships with them both suddenly meaning more to me than I realized. I no longer had to deal with everything on my own. They cared. So I swiped the screen, finally feeling ready to type a reply.

He's spiraling. And he didn't want to see me.
I think I made it worse. – A

I sighed, locking the screen as I looked up to watch the last of the tourists walking back to their cars, leaving me alone in the darkness on the beach. My phone buzzing in my hands again only moments later.

Meet me back at yours. We can have a girl's night.
Pope can take over JJ-patrol. – K

I nodded at the screen, finally getting my thoughts and emotions under some sort of control in my mind as I stood up to brush the sand from my legs. The walk home didn't take as long as I thought it would, and I appreciated the quietness of the evening. Apparently another storm was heading our way, but you would never guess that on a night like tonight.

I saw Pope's truck pull onto the drive of the Chateau in the distance when the houses eventually came into my view, letting out a breath of relief that at least Kie would be there in case I had any awkward run in with JJ. I heard the two car doors slam as I walked a little faster to catch up to them.

But the colorful glow of string lights scattered around the trees turning on made me pause in surprise. I stood frozen by the road when I spotted JJ's dirt bike parked up between my car and Pope's truck. He was here. Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breath again. Unable to find my voice, I silently watched as Kie and Pope walked towards the yard, and to where the lights were leading to.

"What did you do, JJ?" I heard Pope's voice quietly in the distance, but I couldn't hear his response. I forced my feet to move me closer, and for some reason I found myself trying to keep as quiet as possible as I crept around the edge of the truck. The closer I got, the more I noticed the sound of running water and the whirring of a generator.

"How much did this cost?" I could see Pope and Kiara stood side by side, their faces illuminated by the amount of lights scattered around them. But what they were looking at was hidden from me behind bushes. I quietly walked closer when I froze at the sound of JJ's voice.