The rain was relentless, pouring down in sheets as {{user}} stood outside The Chateau’s creaking wooden door. She had spent the entire day with her new boyfriend—a nice, stable guy who checked all the boxes her parents loved. He held doors open, laughed at her jokes, and never forgot to text goodnight. On paper, he was perfect. But as the hours stretched on, all she could think about was him. JJ.

The rush of laughter they used to share, the way his chaos perfectly matched her calm. The fights, the make-ups, the maddening thrill of not knowing what would come next. Her new boyfriend’s steady hand on her back at dinner only reminded her of JJ’s reckless, calloused one pulling her into adventures.

Now, drenched to the bone, she knocked once, softly, hesitating. Then again, harder, as thunder cracked above. The door swung open, and there he was. His hair was messy, his jaw set like he didn’t know if he should slam the door shut or pull her into his arms.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, voice low, though the storm threatened to drown him out.

“I miss you,” she confessed, the words tumbling out like the rain dripping from her hair. “I miss us. I spent the whole day with him, trying to convince myself he was good for me, but he’s not you, JJ. He’ll never be you.”

He stared at her for a long moment, his blue eyes searching hers. “You left,” he said finally, his voice breaking. “And now you’re here? Why?”

“Because he’s safe,” she said, her voice trembling. “But with you, JJ, it’s like the world is alive. I don’t want perfect. I want you.”

JJ hesitated, his hand gripping the doorframe. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of everything they’d ever been, he stepped back, letting her in from the storm.