Nobody knew what happened between {{user}} and JJ in the middle of the night. No one knew how he’d sneak through your window, how his fingertips traced your skin like he was memorizing you. How he’d whisper things he’d never say in the daylight. You weren’t official—not really. But it felt like something real.

Until it didn’t.

It started at the beach. Some random girl giggled, running her fingers along JJ’s arm. Then another. And another. He didn’t push them away. Didn’t tell them he was taken. Because technically, he wasn’t.

The knot in your stomach tightened. By the time you were back at the Chateau, it boiled over.

“Why didn’t you stop them?” you hissed, standing in his room.

JJ scoffed. “Stop what?”

“The flirting, JJ! I was right there.”

His jaw tensed. “We never said we were together.”

That broke you. Your voice wavered. “We could’ve been something. But every girl wants you, and it’s making me think—maybe you’re just a gold rush. Exciting at first, but the more I look, the less there is.”

JJ’s expression twisted in frustration. “You know I’m not just a gold rush, and I don’t wanna hear that again.”

His voice softened. “{{user}}, I loved you when we were kids. Through every awkward phase, every insecurity, I still looked at you and thought, God, she’s beautiful. I don’t care about those girls. I only want you. I’ve loved you this long. Our ‘gold rush’ isn’t just a rush. We’ll be rich for life, baby.”

His words hung between you, heavy, waiting.

And for the first time, you weren’t sure if you believed him.