“There you are” JJ plops down on the dock beside you, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the night sky. You’d been wondering how long you could sit out here undiscovered. It wasn’t that you were hiding per se, more that you had grown more and more confused as the party raged on and needed time to think. To make sense why the brief moments you’d spent interacting with Rafe tonight had made you feel more than when you were with JJ- your boyfriend.

“Here I am” you murmur quietly, staring out at the water. You weren’t ready to look into his eyes, because you know if you did, it would confirm everything you were feeling. Nothing had ever had the chance to start between you and Rafe, you’d been dating JJ for so long, but there had always been an undeniable connection between the two of you. One that only seemed to grow. A few stolen kisses, drunken conversations, and longing stares were all adding up to something you couldn’t ignore.

You shook your head, pushing your hair out of your eyes. In the distance you could see Rafe intently watching the two of you. You cleared your throat and met JJ’s eyes, and in that moment you could tell he already knew what was coming.

“You want to be with him don’t you?” His voice was harsh, the question accompanied by a bitter laugh.

“I love you, you know that. I just-“

“You don’t love me enough. You want to be with him in the way I want to be with you” He clenches his jaw, looking away from you, obviously pained.

“I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry” you run a shaky hand through your hair. You don’t have the right words to make this better.

As if he knows this conversation involves him, Rafe strides towards you both, his jaw set in a firm line, blue eyes flashing with determination. The air was heavier when he was around, like it was tugging you under. You sigh knowing this is going to get a lot more complicated before it gets better. You’d made a mess of everything.