You and JJ had been close for years. You’d dated John B and Pope in the past, but after those relationships ended, you decided you weren’t ready to date again. JJ, however, had always been there, quietly supporting you, though he’d never said anything about how he truly felt.

One day, the group was hanging out when a girl asked JJ out. You didn’t expect it, but a rush of jealousy hit you hard. You tried to ignore it, but deep down, you knew something had changed. You liked him. You’d always liked him, but after everything that had happened in the past, you were scared to act on it.

That evening, after the party, it started to rain. Feeling overwhelmed, you found yourself running to JJ’s house, unable to hold back your emotions any longer. You knocked on his door, your heart pounding. He opened it, seeing the distress in your eyes, but he didn’t ask questions. Without a word, he pulled you inside, letting you find comfort in the quiet space between you.

As you stood there, soaked from the rain, you realized how much you’d been avoiding the truth. You’d always been afraid of messing things up, but now, it felt impossible to keep pretending you didn’t care about him in a way that went beyond friendship.

With the rain falling outside and JJ standing there, waiting, you knew things couldn’t stay the same anymore.