tension//JJ Outerbanks

chapter five

meanwhile jj and y/n

jj and i headed towards the grills and bar set ups. we both carried trays to make it look more natural. many people tried to stop us with orders. we'd quickly listen then head on our way. there ended up being an open spot on the porch where no one could see us. we threw the trays down and quickly ran behind the house.
"you *huff* okay? anyone no- *huff* notice you?" jj asked out of breath.

"no..*huff* no i think we're okay"

"good" he stood up and walked over to the railing. we had a perfect view of the lake. "i see why all the kooks chose to live in this area. the marsh is a lot prettier here. it doesn't even look like a marsh."

"i know what you mean. ki has a perfect view from her bedroom window. my bedroom doesn't even have a window. my bedroom isn't even a bedroom, it's a laundry room. she falls asleep to the sound of the water, and i fall asleep to the sound of the washer!" i explained.

jj burst into laughter, "better than waking up with a black eye."

he said it as a joke but it was reality. the mood turned harsh. i walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "i know jj, i know"

he turned to me, "y/n, if anyone ever does something like that to you, promise me you'll let me know." i was confused what he meant. "promise me you'll never let anyone hurt you. no parents, cousin, friend, or .. or boyfriend" his eyes saddened as he turned away.

i lifted my hand to his face and rubbed his cheek with my thumb, "i promise jj"

he looked back up at me, "i don't know what i'd do if someone did something to you. i don't think i could live with myself if someone treated you the way my dad treats me" i could feel my heart speed up. jj never opens up like this, to anyone. was he just having a moment, or was this because we were alone? i had never been alone with jj, partly because he was hard to handle in a group, let alone one on one. but this was a different side of jj. he wasn't this tough guy who didn't have feelings. he was letting his guard down.

"why would you say that?" i asked quietly.

"because you deserve better. i'd give you the whole world if i could," he said almost in a whisper. was this really jj? was jj THIS cheesy? i had to hold back my laugh, but at the same time i loved how serious he was. but then i heard shouting. it sounded as if it was getting closer and closer.

"they went that way!"
"why are they not working? i pay then GOOD money to do this!"

"they never got me my beer!"

a group of men came from behind the corner. in the front was ward cameron, and beside him was rafe, his son.

"wait a minute, i didn't hire these two!" ward said.

"it's those damn pouges! they snuck into our barbecue!" rafe exclaimed.

me and jj looked at each other, "run" he whispered. so that's what we did we ran through the house and every coroner we turned there was another pair of men. we ran up the stairs and split up. jj climbed down the gutter out of the bathroom. i checked every room until i found one that had a window opening directly above the roof. i hopped out then slid down a banister. i eventually found jj. we went back to the dock and hid. eventually the men gave up and assumed we had left.

"i wonder if the others have had this much trouble"jj wondered aloud.