The Boneyard buzzed with music, laughter, and the crackle of the bonfire, but it all blurred into background noise as you lingered at the edge of the party. It wasn’t the pounding bass or the warm night air that left you feeling distant—it was him. And yet, here you were, pretending that just the thought of him didn’t make you sick to your stomach, pretending you weren’t replaying the events of that night. How happy you were together, how he said forever... how you almost bought it. How, despite it all, you still loved him.

JJ sat in the sand, the firelight catching in his blond hair and glinting off his rings as he laughed at something Pope said. It was so familiar, so him, yet seeing him now felt like looking at a ghost. Your eyes met for a brief, searing moment, and your chest tightened. You quickly looked away, but the weight of that gaze lingered.

For JJ, the sight of you unearthed everything he’d been desperately trying to bury. He’d ended it because he thought it was the right thing—because his love for you was so overwhelming, it terrified him. He couldn’t believe he deserved you, so he left... before you could. But now, watching you, his resolve cracked wide open. I miss you, I’m sorry. The words played on a loop in his head as your eyes met again. But no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to say them.