When I wake the next morning, my head feels... empty. I should not have vaped as much as I did. I untangle myself from JJ's hold and sit up.

Sweet JJ. I had flirted with him so hard last night; I said so many suggestive things to him that I would never have the courage to say without being under the influence of something. I was so messed up and I was laying it on so thick. He could've suggested literally anything and I would've done it, and yet, he "resisted" me, as he called it.

The whole exchange hadn't really registered at first, but as I sit here now, I realize the gravity of last night. Tyler has never given two shits about either of us being sober when we hooked up. The first time we slept together, we had been drunk. I had basically given JJ the green light for anything last night, but he clearly cared about me enough to not take advantage.

He stirs behind me. "Hey," he says, his voice gravelly from sleep. He sits up beside me.

"Hey," I reply. I reach over and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze. He gives me a questioning look. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asks, looking down at our intertwined hands.

"For... being a gentleman," I say, feeling my cheeks redden.

A small smile plays across his lips as he looks at me. "You're welcome." He squeezes my hand.

My phone rings from somewhere in the floor. "Shit," I say, climbing out of bed and fumbling around through my clothes to find it. "It's my dad," I tell him as I look at the screen.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Morning Sunny. I need you to come home soon. I'm planning something, and I need your help," he says excitedly.

"Okay, like how soon?" I ask.

"As soon as you can. It's already almost ten," he informs me.

"Okay, um, I'll see you in a bit, then," I tell him.

"Okay, see you soon. Bye!"

"Bye." I hang up. "I gotta go. Dad needs help planning something," I tell JJ. I step into my shorts and pull them up. I grab my tank top from the floor.

"Just keep the shirt for now," he says. He swings his feet over the side of the bed and stands up. "Come here," he says, reaching for my hand. He pulls me closer and wraps his arms around my waist. I wind my arms around his neck as I stand on my tiptoes, letting myself enjoy the hug against his bare chest. I feel a pang of disappointment when he releases me. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," I say, going for the door.

"Okay," he says. He sits back down on the bed as I leave the room.

Everyone else is still asleep. I grab my backpack from the floor of the living room and stuff my tank top inside. I head out to the Jeep and make my way across the island.

My dad is waiting for me on the front porch when I arrive. "So what's the big plans you need help with?" I ask.

"Listen, I don't have much time," he says looking around. "Your mom and I have our twentieth anniversary coming up tomorrow, and I'm throwing a surprise party for her. I wanted to let you in on the secret."

"Oh, cool! She'll love it!" I say sincerely.

"Yeah, I think so, too. Anyway, I wanted to tell you now so you don't make plans for tomorrow night. You can invite your friends. It'll be casual. I'm having it out in the storage barn. I've got a few people working on decorating and getting everything ready today and tomorrow. And I've got some others making sure to keep her out of the storage barn so she doesn't see what's going on in there. So, keep it hush hush. It'll start at 7:00."

"Yeah, cool. I'll tell my friends. I'm sure they'll want to come for the free food," I joke.

He laughs. "Probably. So anyway, I need you to help keep her distracted while I bring everything together."

"What do you want me to do?" I ask.

"Whatever you can think of," he says. "Just keep her focused on whatever. Girl talk or something. I don't know."

"Okay... I'll come up with something," I tell him.

"Great. Thanks, Sunny. I gotta get going. Gonna work on catering and stuff. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'll keep her busy. See you later."

I head into the house and take a quick shower as he leaves. After I'm dressed, I send a message to the group chat.

Sorry I bailed early. Dad called
and needed me home to distract
my mom because he's planning
a surprise anniversary party for them.
Y'all are invited. 7:00 tomorrow
night, just come to the house.

The replies start rolling in.

Kie🏳️‍🌈
Sweet. I'll be there.

Pope🤓
Me too

JJ🌊
Same

John B🤡
Yup.

Thanks guys. It'll be twenty
years for them

Kie🏳️‍🌈
Aww, that's so sweet. I hope
someone loves me for twenty years
and throws me a party.

Might want to get a boyfriend first

Kie🏳️‍🌈
Or girlfriend, lol.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, gotta start thinking
of ways to distract my mom.
If I don't see you guys before
then, I'll see you tomorrow night?

JJ🌊
We'll be there

***********************************

I spend the rest of the day and all day the next day helping to prepare for the surprise party. The plan is all in place. Dad is letting mom think they're going to have a quiet dinner at the country club. They'll get dressed for the occasion, and on the way out the door, one of the farmhands will call Dad and tell him there's an issue out in the storage barn he needs to come check out. He'll want to get it over with quickly so he'll drive out there real quick before dinner.

While all this is going on, everyone attending the party will be gathering in the barn and waiting for their arrival. When they come in to "check on the issue" we'll all yell SURPRISE! Then after the party, he's taking her to the honeymoon suite at one of the resorts in the tourist district. She's going to love it.

As with everyone else, my friends have been instructed to come to the farm through the delivery entrance and park behind the barn. Dad had tasked me with helping the caterers get settled and getting everyone parked while he and my mom got ready. He had sent me off earlier, having me pretend I was going to help Kie at The Wreck for the evening.

Kie and Pope arrive with the caterers, helping them carry in some of the food. I'm surprised when John B arrives alone.

"Where's JJ?" I ask him as he gets out of the van.

He shrugs. "I dunno. He left from my place this afternoon, and I haven't seen him since. He'll be here soon, I bet."

I frown and look down at my phone. It's 6:55. He better hurry or he's going to be late. I get a text from my dad, telling me they are leaving the house now. I rush in the barn and get everyone's attention. "They're leaving the house now. We've got about three minutes til they're here!"

Everyone runs to their places and someone shuts off the lights. We wait out the next few minutes in silence. I hear the car pull up in front of the barn and the doors open. As the garage door opens on the barn, light spills in through the opening door. I hear someone hit the switch for the decorative lights, and at my mother's gasp we all yell, "Surprise!"

"Oh my god! David!" Mom exclaims.

"Happy anniversary darling," he says, leaning over to kiss her cheek. Her hand is clutching her chest. She's genuinely surprised and happy.

The party is awesome. We eat good food from The Wreck, we sing, we dance, we have an absolute blast. JJ never shows though, which disappoints me. He also doesn't answer any of my calls or texts. Here I had been thinking that there had been a shift between us after the other night, that maybe we were one step closer to.. whatever it was I felt like we were becoming. Maybe I had interpreted it all wrong. I can't imagine what he could find to do that could be more important than coming to the anniversary party for the parents of his best friend, but I try not to let my disappointment sour the mood of the night. I enjoy my time with the friends who actually showed up, and with my parents, celebrating twenty years of marriage.

Kie, John B, and Pope stay to help me and the other farmhands clean up after the party. It takes us a couple hours, and my parents are long gone to their honeymoon suite at Turtle Bay by the time we finish up for the night. John B offers Kie and Pope a ride home, and as they climb into the van, he puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know why he didn't come. I'm sure he has a good excuse though," he says to me.

"Yeah, I hope," I say with a sigh.

"You know he'd never do anything to disappoint you on purpose." He gives my shoulder a squeeze. "He'll turn up eventually." With a wave, he climbs in his van and drives off the farm.

One of the farmhands drives me back up to the house on his way home, and I head inside the house, exhausted. It's after midnight when I get to my bedroom for the night. I check my phone one last time to see if JJ has called or texted and I somehow missed it. Nothing. With a huff, I plug my phone into the charger and dig in my dresser for something to sleep in. I pull out some cotton shorts and a faded, long sleeve shirt boasting the logo of the country club. I change quickly and climb into bed. I turn on my tv and navigate to Netflix, putting on a movie I've seen a million times that I don't mind falling asleep to. I barely make it past the opening credits before I'm out.

I'm startled awake by my phone dinging, indicating I have a new text message. Disoriented, I grab my phone and open the text.

JJ🌊
Come outside please. I'm
on your front porch.

I put my phone back on my nightstand. What the hell is he doing here at this hour? I head downstairs. When I open the front door, I see JJ sitting there on the porch swing.

"Hey," he says softly, looking up at me as I approach the swing. As I sit, he turns to face me, and I see one whole side of his face is bruised and cut.

I gasp and lean forward to get a better look. I grab his chin and turn his face towards me. "Who'd you get in a fight with?" I ask as I examine the damage.

"Dear old dad," he says sarcastically.

"Why? What happened?" I ask. My hand drops to my lap.

He shrugs. "I don't even know this time. He was drunk, and so fucking mad."

My hand drops to my lap. "Why didn't you call? Or text me?"

"Because I knew you would be sad for me," he says. He looks down and fiddles with his rings. "And I hate when you're sad."

My heart breaks at his words. His dad hits him and he doesn't want me to be sad. I reach for his hand and thread my fingers through his. "Don't worry about me."

"I just didn't want to ruin your night, you know? Your parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary. I wanted you to be happy with them, not worrying about me and my fucking dad." He kicks at a pebble on the porch with the toe of his boot.

"You didn't answer any of my calls or texts. Honestly, I was pissed. I thought you blew it off, but I didn't know why."

He sighs. "I'm sorry." He looks down and fiddles with his rings again. "I know this is kind of out of the blue, and feel free to say no, but can I stay with you tonight? I don't want to be alone. I'll climb a ladder to get to your room if I have to."

I let out a small laugh through my nose. "My parents are at Turtle Bay for the night. I'm alone here. I can walk you right through the front door."

"Oh. Well, can I stay?" he asks, his voice sounding small.

My anger and disappointment has completely faded away, with sadness replacing it. I can't just send him away. The way he's looking at me waiting for an answer makes my heart hurt. "Of course you can." I rise from the swing and pull on his hand. "Come on." He gets to his feet and follows me into the house, watching me as I lock up. Through the house, up the stairs, and into my bedroom we go. I shut the door behind us and turn on my lamp. "Let me see your face again," I say, turning the bad side towards the light. The bruising looks even worse in here. I frown. "You've cleaned the cuts up already."

"I went to John B's after I knew he was gone. Cleaned up my face and changed out of my bloody shirt." He walks over to my bed and sits on the edge. "I left again not long after that."

"Where were you between then and now?" I ask.

He starts unlacing his boots. "I went to the Gold Coast."

"And did what?" I ask.

"Just sat there. Smoked a joint. Did some thinking." He lets his boots hit the floor.

"About what?" I switch off my lamp. My room is lit up by the glow of the Netflix profile screen.

"You."

"Oh," I say. I walk slowly towards the bed. "What about me?"

"Just... a lot of things, Sunny. Are you gonna lay down with me or just stand there?"

I drop a knee onto the bed and crawl behind him so that I'll be between him and the wall. I push back the covers so I can get underneath and lay on my side, facing him. JJ leans back on my pillows and pulls his feet up from the floor, scooting underneath the comforter. I hear his bike keys jingle as he gets situated.

"You don't have to sleep in your shorts," I tell him.

"Are you trying to get me to take my clothes off for you?" he asks jokingly.

I roll my eyes. "Don't be an ass. I just thought you'd be more comfortable without keys digging into your leg."

"You're probably right." His hands rustle around under the covers, and he wiggles around a bit. I hear his shorts hit the floor with a soft thud. "Yeah. This is better," he says.

"I'm glad," I say to him.

He turns over to face me, tucking one arm under his pillow. He reaches out and brushes my hair off my face, then traces down my cheek with his fingertips before letting his hand fall between us. I put my hand on top of his and squeeze it reassuringly.

"Can you do something for me?" he asks. He scoots forward and pulls me into his chest.

"Anything," I tell him. I feel him tuck my head under his chin and his arm wraps around me tighter.

"Tell me you love me," he says softly.

Unsure what could possibly prompt this, or what it could mean, I simply comply, knowing that if this is what he needs to hear, there's no way I'd deny him that. "I love you, JJ." I feel his whole body relax as I say the words.

"I love you, too, Sunny," he says in a whisper. My heart lurches at his words. He may not mean them in the way I want him to, but the words resonate nonetheless. I snuggle deeper into his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart be the lullaby that sings me to sleep.