Word Count: 3.0 K

We pull up to John B's house, and I grip Pope's hand tightly, nervous. John B is in the hospital, and Pope decided to stay at his house until he gets back. He refuses to let me go home, since he knows what my parents do to me.

"I told you, Pope, it's fine, really. They're not—"

"Don't say that. Don't say that they aren't going to hurt you, because your body says something completely different." He tells me, his dark eyes boring into mine.

I break eye contact and glance over my shoulder, seeing JJ and Kiara huddled together, whispering to each other. They glance up at Pope and I at the same time, and JJ smiles sheepishly when he sees they've been caught.

Pope gently takes my face in his hands, turning my head so I'm looking at him. "Don't worry about them. Listen, it doesn't matter to me whether your parents are done putting their hands on you or not. I'm not willing to take that chance, and I'm not letting you put yourself in danger. We're just going to stay here until John B comes back, okay?" He bends his knees slightly so his eyes are level with mine, and I nod.

He smiles and straightens again. "Good." He takes my hand again and intertwines our fingers, leading me into the house. Of course, it's not what I'm used to, as a Kook. But one thing I know, just from one glance, is that this is truly a home. It's not like my house—huge, modern, and has so much space that it feels like a castle. It's lived in, used. There are pictures of John B and his dad on the walls, yearbook pictures. It's not just a house, but a true home, and I love it.

Pope gently nudges me. "Hey, are you okay?"

I nod. "Yeah. Just, uh, admiring the house." I admit. I'm not going to tell him about the difference between here and my house, though. Then I'll just sound like an ungrateful rich bitch.

He smiles down at me. "Is it okay if you and I share a room? I'll sleep on the floor or whatever if it makes you uncomfortable. I just figured you would be more comfortable being in the room with me than JJ. Or you can stay with Kie, if you'd rather."

I shake my head quickly. "With you is good." I'm quick to assure. I don't think my anxiety will be able to handle it if I'm with Kiara or JJ instead of Pope.

He gently squeezes my hand and leads me to one of the rooms. He has me sit on the bed while he rifled through his bag, coming up with some clothes. "Okay, I have an extra t-shirt and some shorts you can wear." He holds up what I know are the only extra clothes he has.

I immediately shake my head. "You need something to wear."

"I'm not going to let you sleep in that dress any more than I'm going to let you go home so your abusive parents." He tells me seriously, placing the clothes in my arms. "Please just change." His voice is soft now, and I remind myself that he's doing his best, for me. He's trying to make sure I'm comfortable, and safe.

I relent, because I know he's trying. "Thank you." I lean up to kiss his cheek quickly before hurrying out into the hall to find the bathroom.

"First door on the right." JJ calls out, not even looking up from his phone as he says it. I give him a thumbs up, not even sure if he sees it, and close and lock the bathroom door behind me.

I ate the clothes down and brace my hands on the counter, taking a look at my reflection.

I look like a mess. I am a mess. My hair is all over the place, strands falling in my face and i on ver my shoulders, all chaos. My makeup isn't any better; mascara smudged under my eyes, lipstick gone. And my dress is not the same dress I put in this afternoon. It's ripped in a couple places and dirty, due to running around; both down the beach and to John B when Topper pushed him.

I sigh and slowly undress, taking my time in changing. Pope's clothes are a little big on me, but I don't mind. It means no material will be rubbing right up against my sore body, and that's a plus any day.

I throw my hair up in a messy ponytail and ball up the dress before rushing back to the guest room, not wanting Kiara or JJ to see me. I don't really want Pope to see me like this, either—a mess—but I don't have a choice.

I slip into the room and see Pope sitting on the bed, phone clutched tightly in his hands. His back is tensed, and he looks upset. I drop the dress to the floor and sit down on the bed next to him, gently prying the phone from his fingers so he doesn't break it. He doesn't even react as I turn it off, setting it on the bed between us. "Pope? Are you okay?" I ask quietly.

He tilts his head slightly to face me, but doesn't meet my eyes. "My dad is pissed because of me running out on him tonight, and my mom is worried because I'm not at home. But I can't go home, not yet, because John B is in the hospital. Plus, I'm not going anywhere until I know you're safe." He explains, but I can tell how much he hates doing this to his parents. I wish I could convince him to go home, that I'll be okay and so will John B, but I know he isn't going to listen.

I put my arm around him, gently rubbing his back, and he turns his body so he's facing my side, and moves to rest his forehead against my shoulder, his eyes closed as he relaxes against my touch. I take advantage of his comfort and use my free hand to stroke his hair. He makes a content noise and lets me do as I please. He whines slightly when I stop gently scratching his scalp with my fingernails, whispering for me not to stop, so I don't.

We stay like that for a while, and when I eventually stop, he gently scoops me up and lays back on the bed, cradling me carefully in his arms. I just lay there, tracing random patterns on his chest as he holds me. Typically, I would be uncomfortable with having someone I don't really know holding me, but this is different. I know Pope cares about me. And it feels like we've known each other for a lifetime with how comfortable I feel with him.

"Things are gonna work out, I promise." I tell him. And they will. Once John B is out of the hospital, Pope will go back home, and so will I, and things will go back to how they were before.

"Are we going to be like we were before? When we go back home? Where we didn't talk. You hung out with your friends, and I kept to myself. Are we gonna do that again?" I ask carefully, not looking at him. I can't look at his face when he responds.

"Of course not. Y/N, you're one of my closest friends now. I know we don't know a lot about each other, but I want to get to know you. I want to spend time together. And as your friend, I really don't like the idea of you going back home. I'd rather you stay somewhere you're safe." He replies.

"I understand that, Pope. But I'm not going to let myself become a burden that weighs you down. You're going places. I'm not." I whisper. I try to pull out of his arms, knowing that it's time I go home and stop holding him back, but he tightens his arms around me. "Let me go." I whisper, but he shakes his head stubbornly.

"You're not going back there, not if I can help it. You can stay at my house. Anything but go back there. Please, Y/N." He begs me.

I think about it. Is it truly worth it, going back home? When all my parents are going to die I'd put me down, again and again, and hurt me? No, it isn't. I don't know why I've put up with this for so long, but I'm done now. Pope is right; I deserve better.

"Okay. I'm not going home." I relent, but before he can say anything, I continue. But I want to work or something for your parents. And that's if they let me stay with you."

"Of course they will." He automatically agrees. "And you can work with my dad and I. He will love the help, honestly." He sighs. "What's going to need to happen is we're gonna have to talk to social services so your parents won't have custody of you anymore. Then my dad will just tell them that you can live with us, and we'll be you foster family, in a way."

"Pope, I don't know if I want to do this. Not if it means it brings so much more pressure on your family. That's the last thing you need."

He reaches up to cups my face between his hand so I can't turn my head; I have to meet him head-on. "Please just stop fighting it. You need a support system, people to take care of you, be the parents. People your parents aren't. I'll make sure you're safe, if you'll just trust me."

"I do trust you, Pope. That's the thing. I know that if I let you, you'll do everything in your power to help me, to make me happy. But I can't let you do that. That makes me selfish, that makes me—"

"Human." Pope finishes. "That makes you human, and that's okay. Let yourself trust me. Let me make sure you're happy, that you're safe. You deserve that more than anyone I know." He whispers, rubbing over my cheeks with his thumbs. "Please. Let yourself be selfish, just once. For me."

I bury my face against his chest, and he takes that as my answer and runs his fingers through my hair. "You're not going to regret this, okay? I'll take care of you."

"I know you will." I respond, voice muffled against his chest. He just wraps his arms around me and hugs me against his body, letting me relax. It isn't long before I fall asleep, comfortable in the warmth of his arms.

. . . . .

"Do you think we should wake them up?"

"What? Are you crazy? Look at how adorable they are. I'm not going to be responsible for ruining that."

"You're the cause of anything being ruined. Name one thing you haven't ruined, JJ."

"You know what, Kie—"

"You know what, JJ, if you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to have to make you." Pope says threateningly, probably not even opening his eyes. "Go away."

"Fine, Mr. Wedgie-Making-His-Undies-Go-Up-His-Hairy-Ass." JJ sasses, and I almost laugh at his absurdity, but I don't want to give Pope a reason to stop holding me. I'm sure he will if he realizes I'm awake. "Have fun with that thing in the front of your pants, though. It looks real comfortable."

My eyes go wide, revealing my being awake. JJ just cackles at the two of us, closing the door behind him with a shit-eating grin. What an ass.

"Sorry he woke you up. Did you sleep well?" Pope asks, letting go of me like I expected him to. Though it might be more due to JJ's comment than my being awake. I don't move from my position, though. I'm curled up against his side, head resting on his left arm and leg thrown over his hip. And, yes, there is something that's a little harder than normal down there, but I'm not going to call him out on it. He can't help it.

I bring my hand up to rest against his chest, and I smile when it lands on his heart, which is beating just as fast as mine. Pope tenses slightly, but finally relaxes, bringing his arm back to wrap around me, as if me touching him have him the permission he feels he needed.

The door opens again and I don't even have to lift my head to know it's Kie, since there's no yelling. "Hey, Y/N. I have some face masks, and I'm about to do one if you want to join me." She offers, and I tilt my head back to look at Pope.

"You can go. I won't hold you back." He tells me, but he doesn't let go of me. Just slightly loosens his hold on me. I'm not gonna lie, I don't mind.

"How about I put a face mask on you, too?"

His eyes widen slightly in mock fear. "Are you insane?" He demands playfully, reaching down to tickle me. I laugh, jerking away from him, and he grins up at me. "Fine, I'll do one." He grabs me by the hips and lifts me and moves me to the bed beside him, sitting up. He smiles at me and stands, taking my hand and following Kie.

He lets me put one on him, and take dozens of pictures while it dries, making funny faces to make me laugh. I can't help but wonder how I lived life without him before. Pope makes me so happy, and he has absolutely no idea.

Once it's dry, Pope leads me to the bathroom and sits on the toilet as I peel it off of his face. He wrinkles his nose, complaining how it hurts, and I just giggle at the sight. I mean, the boy is wearing a hot-pink face mask. How could you not laugh?

"Hey, Y/N?" Pope asks, his hands on my hips. He rubs his thumbs over the sliver of skin that's exposed, making me shiver.

"Yeah?" I focus all of my attention on peeling the mask so I don't get flushed from the attention. That's the last thing I need.

"Can—can you look at me?" He lifts his hands to grab ahold of mine, gently pulling them to rest on his lap. I lock my eyes on his, knowing that whatever he wants to talk about must be serious.

He seems nervous, and it's worrying me. "Are you okay?" I ask.

He nods quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just. . ." He turns his head to the side, avoiding making eye contact, as he asks the question, "will you be my girlfriend?"

My heart stops in my chest. Or it at least feels that way. "You—you—" My eyes are wide, and I can't finish a sentence. The most coming out is one word, and even that seems to be a miracle.

It's Pope's turn to look worried. "Shit, I'm sorry. I though that maybe you felt the same way, but I guess not." He let's go of me and gently pushes against my hips to move me back, wanting to make a clear path for him to escape. But before he can, I make a decision. It's a split-second one, and one I'll probably yell at myself for later, but right now I don't care.

I just lean in and kiss him, not giving him time to escape. It takes a few seconds, but then he's kissing me back, looping his arms around my waist and bringing me to sit on his lap. We stay like that for awhile—exactly how long, I have no idea—just making out, like we're the only two people in the world.

We break apart when we hear someone clear their throat, and Pope hugs me against his chest, my face buried in his neck. "JJ, I swear to God. . ."

"Okay, okay, I'm gone." JJ says, and I hear the sound of the door shutting behind him.

Pope lets go of me, moving his hands to rest on my hips again. "Are you okay?" He whispers, running his fingers soothingly through my hair.

I nod against his shoulder. "And, in case it wasn't clear, my answer is yes."

"That you're okay?"

I lean back, rolling my eyes at him. "For how smart you are, sometimes things really do fly over your head." I tease. "To being your girlfriend, I mean. I want you to be my boyfriend, and I want to be your girlfriend."

"Really?" He asks, his voice displaying his disbelief.

I nod. "Really. It's like. . . I don't know, almost like my anxiety, my self-consciousness, you make it easier to deal with. When I'm with you, I find it hard to really care. And you're so smart, and attractive, and fun and protective of me. I'd be an idiot to say no."

He laughs light-heartedly. "I really didn't think you would say yes. But I'll take it." He kisses me quickly. "I'm the luckiest guy in the OBX."

. . . . .

What did y'all think? I think this was a good sequel to the first part of Midsummer Dreams. So, what would y'all think about me adding Kiara and Sarah in? I'm straight, so I've never written an imagine or anything with two females (assuming most of my readers are females, of course), but I mean, if y'all are interested, then I'll try my hand and see what you think. Let me know what you want me to do. Also, once this chapter has enough reads, I'm going to move this so it's with the first part, that way it will be easier to read. Comment what you thought about this chapter, vote, and go follow me if you don't already 😁 I love you all, and have an amazing day 😘

~Bryn