The night was thick with humidity, the air clinging to {{user}}’s skin as she stood in front of JJ at the Chateau. He had a beer in his hand, looking completely unbothered, like he hadn’t shattered her into a million pieces.

“What if I took your call as more than just a call?” she asked, her voice sharper than intended.

JJ furrowed his brows, tilting his head. “What are you talking about?” He scoffed. “Are you sure you’re not just insane?” His voice was laced with amusement, but his eyes told a different story.

{{user}} inhaled sharply, her fists clenching. “You’re the reason I lost color in my face, the hallucinations, the shame, the guilt, the pain—every single one of them was because of you.” Her voice cracked, thick with the raw emotion clawing at her throat. “And I still wait here, stupidly, for you to want me back.”

JJ’s smirk faltered, his posture stiffening. He swallowed, eyes flickering with something unreadable. “I told you things that I never said to anybody else,” he muttered, almost like he was trying to convince himself of something.

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “And what? That was supposed to mean something? Because it did to me, JJ. It meant everything.”

His jaw tensed, the weight of her words pressing down on him. He knew he had ruined her. He knew she deserved better. But what he didn’t know was how to let her go, not when every fiber of him still wanted to hold on.