JJ Maybank was used to hiding how he felt. He’d perfected it over the years—smirking through pain, laughing through fear, and brushing off anything real before it could get too close. But with you, none of his usual tricks worked. You saw through all of it.

One evening, the two of you were alone on the beach, the sound of waves filling the silence between you. JJ sat beside you, unusually quiet, fidgeting with a piece of driftwood he’d picked up. He glanced at you, his blue eyes uncertain.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” you said, breaking the silence. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

JJ hesitated, tossing the driftwood into the water. “You ever feel like… you don’t deserve something good? Like you’re just gonna mess it up if you get too close?”

You blinked, surprised by his honesty. “All the time. But that’s not how it works, JJ. You don’t have to be perfect to deserve something good.”

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You say that, but… you don’t know me like that.”

“Then let me,” you said, your voice steady. “Let me know the real you.”

He turned to you, his jaw tight like he was holding back a flood of emotions. “The real me is a mess {{user}}. The real me doesn’t know what to do when someone like you comes along. You’re… you’re too good for me, okay? And I don’t know how to handle that.”

You reached out, resting your hand on his arm. “JJ, I don’t need you to have it all figured out. I just need you to try. Can you do that?”

For a moment, he just stared at you, his walls crumbling piece by piece. Then he nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah. I can try.”

When JJ Maybank fell in love, it wasn’t perfect, but it was real. And with you, he finally believed he might be worth it.