After a shower, which we take together innocently enough, we get dressed and head to the living room. The power has started to flicker, and despite it being the middle of the afternoon, it's quite dark out.

"You think Netflix will still work?" JJ asks as he plops down on the couch. He grabs the remote and turns on the tv.

"Even if it does, I don't think it's worth it to try to start anything. Look outside. It almost looks like nighttime, but it isn't even 3 o'clock yet." I step to the back door and peer out the glass. A loud crack of thunder makes me jump, and JJ laughs.

"Come over here," he says, patting the couch beside him. I cross the room and sit next to him, swinging my legs up on the couch and extending them across his lap. I lean my head on his shoulder as his arms wrap loosely around me. Another loud clap of thunder rumbles outside, vibrating the house.

"Was it like this during the hurricane?" I ask.

"It was louder. And John B didn't tuck himself into me as comfortably as you do," he jokes.

"Shut up," I say as I nuzzle his neck. He chuckles.

"You know what?" he asks.

"What?"

"I love how we can just sit together like this, like we didn't just have mine blowing sex an hour ago," he says, and it's my turn to laugh.

"Mind blowing, huh?"

"Don't confuse quantity with quality. Sleeping with you is like... a whole different ball game," he says.

"You're just saying that," I say, my chest stinging slightly with the left over jealousy of his previous conquests.

"I'm really not. I swear. You know that saying 'why go out for burgers when you have steak at home?' You're the steak I didn't have at home until recently," he says, proud of his on-the-fly analogy.

I groan and chuckle. "Oh my god, you're so dumb sometimes! You just compared me to a piece of meat! Literally!"

"I mean, when you think about it, it makes sense... pink center, juicy, you taste great..."

"Stop!" I say as I giggle and swat at him.

"Wait, I had more!" he says. I give him a look that says 'continue'. "You go good with a baked potato," he says, dissolving into laughter.

"Why do I date you?" I say, unable to hold in my own raucous laughter. "You're goofy as hell."

"Because you love me," he says sweetly.

"Yeah, yeah," I say, turning my face towards his. "Just shut up and kiss me you idiot."

"Yes ma'am," he says, ducking his head to plant a chaste kiss on my lips. The power goes out as he pulls away. "Now look what you did," he says, gesturing to the blackened screen of the tv.

"Yeah, all me," I say sarcastically. I move from my spot on the couch and wander into the kitchen to grab a few candles from the cupboard. Spying a pack of playing cards in the junk drawer as I pluck out a book of matches, I grab them, too, before heading back into the living room. I place the candles, matches, and cards on the coffee table and take my seat next to JJ again. He eyeballs me as I light the candles and open the cards. "We're going to play a game," I say as I begin to shuffle the deck.

"Like poker?" JJ asks as he shifts on the couch.

"No. It's called... I don't know. I'm making this up off the top of my head right now." I split the deck in two and shuffle the cards into each other.

"Sounds exciting," JJ jokes.

"You know I'm no good at card games. I never remember all the rules. And we need something to do while it's storming."

"I know of some things we could do," he says suggestively.

"We'll get to that," I promise, I say, giving him a wink. I stack the deck, evening out the cards. "So here's how this'll work. I'll deal us each five cards. Face cards equal a dare. Numbered cards are... questions."

"This sounds like truth or dare," JJ observes.

"Okay, maybe it is, but here's the catch - the other person's hand decides what you will have to do. For example, let's say I have two face cards and three numbered cards in my hand. That means I get to come up with two dares for you, and ask you three questions."

"You're going to make me talk about my feelings, aren't you?" he asks warily.

"Maybe," I say slyly. "But come on! Even though we've been best friends for years, you're still so closed off sometimes. You told me you loved me, what's harder to say than that?" He gives me a look. "Is it so wrong that I want to really know you?"

"You do know me, Sunny!" he whines.

"No. I know what you want me to know."

"You know me better than anyone," he replies.

"There's more in there, I know it," I say as I tap the edge of the deck on the table. "So will you play this game with me?"

He sighs. "Only because I love you," he says finally.

I smile. "Good. Now, I'll deal us out."

I pass out the cards to both of us and pick up my hand. I have one face card and four numbered cards. "What do you have?" I ask casually.

"Five regular cards," he says as he spreads the cards in his fingers. "You?"

"One face card. The rest are regular. You can go first. Lay your card face up by the deck," I instruct him.

He lays down the three of diamonds. "Okay, what do I want to know about you that I don't know already?" he says to himself. It's quiet for a moment as he thinks. "What is your earliest memory of me?"

"I remember the day we met. First day of kindergarten. The teacher was calling roll and said 'Jonathan Maybank?' and you shouted 'hey lady, my name is JJ!' at her and she was so surprised at your outburst. I remember looking at you and your sweet little baby face, with your big blue eyes and your perfectly combed hair and I couldn't believe someone that looked like you could have an outburst like that."

He laughs. "I remember that. She got flustered at a five year old yelling at her. Do you remember when she got to John B and she called him Jonathan, too, and I corrected her again on his name?"

It's my turn to laugh. "Yes. And when you called him John B, I thought you meant like a honey bee, and I thought it was so strange." I smile to myself at the memory of little JJ and John B. "You always corrected the teachers when it came to that."

"Only for myself though. You know, once you left us for the Kook Academy, it wasn't as fun to yell at the teachers because you weren't there to laugh at me anymore."

"Aww, you missed me at public school," I tease. "Okay, my turn." I lay down the five of hearts. "Do you remember spin the bottle at Melody's party?"

"Our super fucking awkward first kiss that everyone witnessed? I remember," he says with a chuckle. "That was my first kiss ever."

"Yeah, mine too," I say.

"I know," he says simply. "I'm proud of that."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because you never forget your first kiss," he replies.

"I couldn't forget you if I tried," I say honestly.

He smiles and looks down at his cards, clearly satisfied with my comment. "Okay," he puts the seven of clubs on the table. "If I had told you I liked you when you were still dating Tyler, what would you have done?"

I blow out a puff of air. "That's a loaded question," I say as I try to form a coherent answer in my mind.

"Is it?" he asks.

"Yeah. I mean, I started noticing you were cute when we were in like fourth or fifth grade, but ya know, I was like ten, so I wasn't really into boys like that yet. When we kissed during spin the bottle I realized I had a little tiny crush on you, but I just kind of put it in the back of my mind because you were my best friend. Then you developed this whole biggest flirt on the island persona, and it intimidated me, so I just put you in the friend category in my mind because I'm not flirty—"

"Oh bullshit, you've been hardcore flirting with me for years," he interrupts with a scoff.

"Anyway, I would waffle back and forth about whether I liked you as more than a friend or not, but you flirted with everyone and never dated any girls so I assumed that having a girlfriend wasn't on your agenda, so I looked elsewhere for a relationship, and when Tyler showed obvious interest in me I jumped at the chance for a serious boyfriend. If you had told me when he and I got first got together that you liked me, I wouldn't have believed you. You started banging anything that walked, and I just thought, okay, my best friend is a fuckboy." He laughs loudly. "I actually liked Tyler the first few months, so I wouldn't have done anything. Maybe apologized and felt awkward. I don't know."

"What if I had told you after one of those hundreds of times you ran to me to cry about another fight with him?" he asks.

"Depends on which fight, I guess. I realized I actually had feelings for you that one night after I called him by your name." I can laugh now at that memory. "If you had told me you liked me then, I would've left him in a heartbeat."

"I should've done it then," he says. "Hindsight's 20/20," he muses.

"Yeah..." I look down at my cards and place the five of spades on the table. "Why did you kiss me at John B's after you beat up Tyler in the yard?"

"What do you mean, why?" he asks, confusion taking over his features. "I had wanted to kiss you for months."

"I meant like, why then? Why that moment? What made you do it?"

"That stupid episode of The Office," he says with a laugh. "You were so emotional about it, and... I dunno. It just kind of hit home, ya know? I felt like Jim. And I still had all this adrenaline from the fight, and I was thinking about how he asked if you broke up with him because of me and... you didn't say no. I know you didn't say yes either, but I thought, here you are tucked up under my arm, your head on my shoulder, with me, when you had been given a choice of who you could spend your time with. And you chose me," he says with a shrug. "I was scared as hell to shoot my shot, but the way you were looking at me... I felt like maybe I had a chance."

I smile and lean forward, connecting my lips with his. "I'm glad you took a chance," I tell him as I lean back.

"Me too," he says, giving me a small smile. He lays down the four of clubs. "If you're parents didn't approve of us being together, would you break up with me?"

"Of course not! And for the record, they love you. My mom was actually happy when I told her we were together."

"Rose does love me. David? Not so sure. I don't get a hate vibe from him though," he says with an amused look.

"He does the protective dad thing, but I think he gets us. He knows you've been my best friend practically my whole life." I grab another card and place it on the table. "What do you want to do after high school? Like for real. Don't just say you want to get the fuck off this island."

He fiddled with the cards left in his hands. "I... think I want to go to college."

My eyebrows raise in surprise. "Really? You don't even like school."

"Well, not really, no, but in college you actually choose your classes and you learn stuff that you're interested in. I like to learn about stuff I like." He seems self conscious about what he's saying.

"What do you want to major in?" I ask, intrigued by this information. I had always assumed that if JJ furthered his education, he'd want to go to a trade school and work with his hands; he's so knowledgeable about auto mechanics.

"I don't want to say. You'll laugh at me."

I scoff. "I would never. I mean, I have to say I'd be thoroughly surprised if you said you wanted to be a teacher or something," I say with a laugh. "I can't picture that."

"You swear?"

"If you say you want to be a gynecologist I swear to god, JJ..."

"A what?" he asks.

"Never mind. Just tell me?"

"I want to be a social worker," he says after a long silence.

"A social worker?" I repeat.

"Yeah, you know... like... I want to help kids. Like me. Help them get out of a shitty life and start living a better one, help them fix their problems. I know what it's like to live that way, and it fucking sucks, and I just... I feel like I could be good at that, ya know? I think I could help them because I know what it's like."

I feel my eyes well up with tears. "JJ," I whisper as a tear spills over my cheek.

He looks at me, bewildered. "What? Why are you crying?" He moves closer to me.

I reach over and grab his hand as I wipe the fallen tears from my face. I sniffle once, collecting myself, before I speak. "For someone who deals with as much shit as you do, you have the biggest heart."

"Well don't cry about it, it's not that big a deal." He shrugs it off, embarrassed now. "Listen, don't repeat that to anyone. They'll think I've gone soft."

I chuckle. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Okay, no more crying over my big heart." He jokes. "Fourth question for you: fuck, marry, kill - me, John B, Pope."

I laugh loudly. "Shit, talk about a 180." I sigh. "Okay, so, I'd fuck Pope—"

"Hold up, what?"

"Listen, dude's never been laid. It would be more of a favor to him, as a friend," I explain, trying not to laugh.

"Why didn't you pick me for fuck?" he asks.

"Because I'll marry you!" I exclaim. "As my husband, it would be your job to fuck me regularly. When we're talking fuck marry kill, it implies the 'fuck' choice is one time."

"I'll allow it I guess," he says with mock seriousness. "So you kill JB? Damn Sunny."

"I couldn't even hypothetically fuck him. It would feel like incest. Just, ugh," I say with a shudder. "He's like my brother."

JJ laughs. "I don't even know why I asked that. But it turned out to be funny."

"Okay, my turn again. This is your last question before your dare," I say, showing him the face card I have left in my hand as I place the two of hearts on the table. I think for a moment. "Tell me one of your life goals. Not related to work or careers."

He sighs in thought. "You always ask the deep ones," he says as he searches through his thoughts. "I want to live a happy life."

"That's a little vague."

"I mean like, when I get married, I want it to last forever. I want to have kids who love me. I don't want to be a kook but I want to have enough money to be comfortable. Cute little house, white picket fence, golden retriever to fetch my newspaper in the morning. You know, all that shit."

I move forward and wrap my arms around him tightly. He hesitantly returns the hug.

"Okay?" he says as I let him go.

"You're just so precious and pure sometimes. It's easy to forget," I say with a shrug.

"It's not like I can tell the others this stuff. They'd make fun of me so bad," he says. "But I don't really mind telling you, I guess. I know you won't sell me out. But if you did, I'd probably have to kill you."

"That's the JJ I know," I say with a smile. "Now go, I'm getting antsy for your dare."

"Oh? Why's that? You gonna dare me to elope with you or something now that I've told you all this?" he jokes.

I laugh. "No, we're kids. Come on."

"I dunno, you're looking a little starry eyed right now," he teases.

"Shut up. Put your card down and ask me your last question."

He places his last card on the table. "Why did you choose me when you could have any guy you want?"

"Because your sweet and thoughtful, even though you pretend you aren't. You're so loyal to your friends, and you make me laugh. You've always watched out for me and taken care of me. You're impulsive and passionate and I love that I know you better than anyone. I feel special that you've let me in, even though I know you keep stuff hidden from me sometimes. You've always been my closest friend. My best friend. And I love you. I always have. Not in the same way that I do now, but I've always loved you."

He smiles and his cheeks redden as I finish my speech. "I love you so much, Sunny."

"I love you, too, JJ." I place my last card, the face card, on the top of the stack. "Take me to the bedroom."

He moves slowly from his seat on the couch, grabbing both of my hands to pull me up with him. He walks backwards to the bedroom with me, my hands still in his. He shuts the door behind us once we enter the room and gently guides me toward the bed, kissing my softly, his movements slow and lazy.

Every kiss, every graze of his fingertips, the way he undresses me, then himself - every moment is slow, gentle, deliberate, emotion-filled.

I hate the term making love, it's so old fashioned and cheesy, but that's exactly what we do. He's careful and attentive and sweet - a gentleman, even. Lips gently press against my skin, hands trail lightly over my body, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He fills me slowly, withdrawing smoothly before repeating the action over and over, with us whispering I love you's to each other throughout. My whole body tingles with pleasure mixed with a pure, soul-crushing, earth-shattering, once-in-a-lifetime type of love that I know I was meant to experience with him.

I love JJ Maybank with my entire being; I know this for certain. I love him; all of his flaws, all his perfections, with every fiber of my existence, and I hope with all my heart and soul that I get to love him for the rest of my life.

AN: so I thought I'd try out some fluff since I went in so deep with the smut the last few chapters lol. I figured there needed to be something sweet/cute before the next drama situation. I found out not that long ago that there's a whole group of people who think JJ's real name is Jesse Jameson... what even...? I'm a firm believer it is Jonathan James although idk why.

Also, over 1k reads! Wow! Thank you for reading!