Amelia

Fourteen days. Fourteen days came and went without seeing, hearing from, or even saying his name out loud.

That all ended on day fifteen while sitting on Blake's couch watching the news as the officials blabbed on about the vandalism, hollering that they would catch the person who was behind it.

Well, there I was. Sitting on the couch sipping an Arnold Palmer with Blake just chuckling at the stupidity of what I heard on the news. Blake side eyed me, smirking at my proud expression.

"They don't have enough brain cells to know that showing the images of what I did over and over on the news only spreads my message further," I cackled, taking another sip of my tea before capping it and placing it back on the coffee table where it originally sat.

Yes, Lawrence got into a bit of trouble when the security footage was nonexistent. Layla and I just stood back watching as the cops chewed him out, and he managed to weasel his way out of that conversation by promising he'd get a new one installed promptly. I felt better knowing the cops moved on from Lawrence Hardware, and I was not worried about the footage showing JP purchasing the gloves because that was not what they were looking for.

The trains never recorded anything, I was observant and always took note of my surroundings. There was not a camera in sight ever, unless it was hidden well. I chose not to explore that possibility, instead trying to move on and not worry so that I would not become anymore anxious than I already was.

I'd been working at the Hardware store a lot, pleased that it was taking up a good majority of my time which lessened the amount of spare time I had left to overthink. Besides that, doing well in my classes was a priority. I focused on trying to pass my finals, which I ended up doing and the semester then ended. Just when I began to feel human again, I opened my mouth to ask Blake a question.

"Have you hung out with JP at all?"

Blake stopped crunching the popcorn he was eating for a moment, turning to look at me for a moment. "No."

"Liar," I accused, pointing a finger at him.

There were days where I would walk into Blake's house to two Xbox controllers sitting on the table, or two cans of Coke. Sometimes when I would sit on the couch, the lingering scent of Jay-Parker's masculine cologne would still be there, and I always scolded myself for remembering his scent so vividly.

"Am not," Blake defended weakly, he was an awful liar whereas I was a good one. "And I don't think you should see him again. I agree with you. You can't risk it, Amel." he brushed his dainty fingers over where my tattoo rested on my upper arm, and I sighed.

It took me a couple days to finally show Blake my tattoo. On top of that I relived my traumatizing day with David my official, and Blake was irate by the time I finished speaking. He wondered how a man could be so vile and put his hand on someone who was mentally ill, a woman at that.

"Blake," I whispered, clutching his fingers and taking them off my arm. "I appreciate you thinking of me, but this is my life. You don't have a say in what I'm willing to risk."

What was I saying?

"Okay," he agreed softly.

"Now, has he asked about me at all? Be honest."

"Do you think we sit around braiding each other's hair while sharing our deepest desires?" Blake joked, earning himself a slap on the thigh from me.

"That's not what I asked!" I yelled, my lips then narrowing into a straight line.

"No, he hasn't," Blake answered confidently, and I felt my heart sink a little.

Even though part of me still wanted to believe he was lying again.

The following day I just arrived home from another day at work, and I was laying on my bed texting back and forth with Layla. She became a great friend of mine really quickly, and our personalities complimented one another's well.

Just then, my text was interrupted by Blake's name popping up on the screen. I rolled my eyes at his timing, answering the phone with slight annoyance in my tone.

"Hello?"

"Amelia!" Blake shouted, which made me jolt upright.

"What? What?"

"It's an emergency, you gotta get over here ASAP!" he shouted, and I was already running out of my bedroom when the word emergency slipped through his lips.

Hanging up without saying anything else, I ran out of the house and down the driveway. Different scenarios made their way into my brain as to what the emergency could be. I felt sick, mostly because I was running all the way to Blake's, but also because I was scared that something was truly wrong.

Finally seeing Blake's house in my sights, I jogged up to the door breathlessly and shoved it open, flinching when it slammed behind me. Expecting to see some sort of bloody, and or violent scene playing out when I entered, I was shocked by the sight of Blake sitting with his feet up on the coffee table waiting for me. He was on the phone with somebody, and hung up once he saw me.

"W-what's...the..." I leaned against the wall, inhaling and exhaling sharply a few times. "Emergency..."

Blake looked amused with himself, and my worry soon turned to anger as he lifted up his arm to count the seconds on his watch, bobbing his head with each one. "Three...two...on-"

Another person came barging through the door  right on cue, looking around frantically at what he too expected to be an emergency, I assumed. Still trying to catch my breath, I was met with a familiar set of coppery hazel eyes. My stomach instantly sank, and I shot Blake a piercing look, one filled with turmoil.

"I'm gonna beat your ass," I remarked, starting to charge at him. Blake stood up, grabbing hold of my wrists before I could lay a hand on him. Ripping away from his grasp, I gestured towards JP. "Really? This is the emergency?"

"Yeah, what the hell man?" JP echoed, crossing his strong arms over his chest.

"I'm tired of hearing you two whine about each other to me! That is an emergency," Blake explained, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I thought you said you two didn't braid each other's hair and share your deepest desires? What happened to that?" I tested, my stance now mimicking JP's.

"Alright you caught me, we pull it back into little ponytails," Blake laughed, faking like he was just outed.

"I've never touched his hair," JP defended himself, shaking his head. "And no offense, but I'll pass if you're offering."

"I'm offended," Blake clutched his heart, pretending to be in pain.

"I don't have time for this," I muttered, attempting to head for the door.

Of course I was cut off by Blake, who blocked the way with his body which left me no other choice but to stay. "Now, you're both angry at me. That's something you can talk about while I take a walk around the block. You two stay here, and if you aren't made up by the time I get back we're gonna have a problem."

I guess Blake knew deep down what I was willing to risk, despite the believable front I put up for the previous sixteen days.

Blake walked backwards out the door, winking cheekily at me and shutting himself out. I watched out the large living room window as he walked down the block, at grandma speed of course. Turning to study JP, I noticed that he was already looking at me. He appeared to be jittery, his body shaking while he swallowed harshly.

"H-hi," JP breathed. 

"Hey," I said, shoving my thumbs down into my jean pockets awkwardly.

"Wanna sit?"

I nodded in agreement, walking over to the couch with JP and sitting down. JP sat in the spot where I always smelled his cologne, confirming that it was him. He ran a hand through his hair, and that's when I noticed the purplish tint underneath his eyes. It stood out greatly beneath the copper, my heart breaking at the sight.

"Amelia, I'm so sorry," JP said frailly, gulping a second time with fear. "You were right, and I was so wrong. I shouldn't have kicked you out that night...I was just, embarrassed and I-"

"JP," I cut him off. "You don't have to apologize. What happened to you that night, you can't control it. I understand that. You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me, either."

"God, I don't fucking deserve someone like you," JP cursed, leaning forward and cupping his face in his large hands before slowly allowing them to slip down his cheeks.

"You deserve better," I whispered, staring down at my lap in shame.

"Amelia, no," JP refuted. "I was wrong in my thinking, and you were right. You said I needed someone to stop me from looking back, and I..." his voice trailed off for a moment, and he seemed to be gazing off into space before refocusing. Taking my hands, he finished his sentence. "I want that to be you."

"Really?" My eyes never left his, which appeared to be glassy for a moment. He quickly blinked it away, offering my hands an encouraging squeeze.

"Yeah," JP said, his voice quiet yet believable. He let go of my hands, opening his arms and allowing me to scoot in them.

Engulfed in his warm embrace, I inhaled that scent I secretly longed for. This time it was not second hand from the couch, and I could hear his breath as he rubbed up and down the small of my back. Even though I was curious, I chose not ask JP any questions about his nightmare or past, wanting him to just relax.

"How are you doing?" I asked instead against his shirt, burying my face deeper into his chest.

He didn't let go of me for a single second, my shirt sliding up just above my waist. I shivered at the sensation of his cordial fingers brushing against my bare skin.

"Okay, I guess. As good as it gets." JP sounded tired, and it made me want to curl up to him further.

Despite JP and I figuring things out, I was still marked. Part of me pondered coming clean to him right in that moment, but when I felt him pulling back from the hug I knew what was coming next.

Dragging his pointer finger along my jawline, he eyed my lips before leaning in. When our lips collided, it felt like time stopped around us. For the first time in days, I felt satisfied and my stomach erupted with butterflies. He prodded my bottom lip with his tongue, and I allowed him access without hesitation.

"I...missed...you," JP said in between breaths.

"JP..." I warned, feeling his exhale tickle my neck.

His breath was hot, and he soon had both sides of my face coddled in his large hands. Things heated up from there, his hands lowering from my cheeks and sliding down my arms to my waist. Before I knew it, I moved even closer and swung my leg over him. Now straddling JP, I deepened the kiss even further and rocked my hips teasingly while his hands found my bottom. Our moment was soon shattered by someone speaking, that someone being Blake the professional cock block.

"Well, looks like you guys had no problems making up," Blake observed, and my face heated up with humiliation.

Both of us were so into the moment and each other that neither JP nor I heard Blake enter the house again. JP planted a small kiss on my cheek, lacing our fingers together and assisting me in climbing off his lap.

"To be continued," he taunted, and it felt like my entire body lit up in flames.

"Not in my house!"

"Blake," I urged, but he only laughed.

I hoped that Blake would not talk about me being marked in front of JP, though I did need to figure out a way to tell him myself. I could not hide it anymore, if I was going to engage in this forbidden relationship he had to know exactly what it was. Exactly what he was getting himself into. Nothing about us was going to be easy, but I was okay with it.

Easy was hardly in my vocabulary anymore.

-

authors note: Woooo JP is back! Are you excited? Also, that little make out scene though.

Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to comment any predictions or feedback or just general reactions.