𝟎𝟔𝟓.            𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐱

paris           ────              the chainsmokers

( brooke is unbelievably awkward in the beginning . . . )

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖨'𝖵𝖤 𝖭𝖤𝖵𝖤𝖱 𝖥𝖤𝖫𝖳 𝖳𝖧𝖨𝖲 𝖶𝖠𝖸 𝖡𝖤𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖤．

I don't feel as if I'm in my body, like I've taken a life-altering trip and left my body behind. I feel surreal, almost like I'm dead and I'm just waiting for my body to wake. Every nerve in my body is tingling, waiting for me to make some kind of movement but I'm frozen, staring at a ceiling that definitely does not look like the Eiffel Tower. 

The sheets are pulled up, covering me, but I'm still very aware that I'm not wearing clothes and it's a strange feeling, I'll be honest, because it's not just me who's not wearing clothes. There's a boy next to me and he's also not wearing clothes. Obviously.

This has never happened before.

I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say. I'm just lying here, finding that we are definitely not in Paris but in JJ's house.

I just lost my virginity and now I can't move.

Don't take that in the way it sounds, alright.

Yes, my legs do feel a little... sore, as expected. In fact, my entire body feels like it's on fire. If the water bill had been payed, I'd douse myself in cold water. Anyway, I can't move because I'm practically glued to this bed, unsure on how to act now that we're... done.

God, I'm being so fucking awkward.

JJ is probably waiting for me to say something as I'm the one whose life changed── if you want to say that. He's already done this, and from what I know, none of the girls ever stuck around after, but I'm his girlfriend. I'm required to stick around and speak, right?

Or do I do what all those past girls did and make a run for it out of awkwardness?

Suck it up, Brooke.

I cringe internally, hating myself for that inner comment as I couldn't have thought of a worse thing to think at this given moment. I need to refrain from making jokes, that much I know as right now would be a terrible time to crack a joke.

I sneak a glance at JJ, finding him to also be staring up at the ceiling. He must also be realising that we are absolutely not in Paris but in his bedroom where he rarely ever slept.

I clear my throat, knowing I need to be a big girl and speak.

"Do we, like, high-five or something?"

So much for not cracking a joke, Brooke.

JJ looks in my direction, eyes no longer on the ceiling, and the moment blue meets brown, all those insecurities and worries weighing on my chest fade away. Heat flares up my neck, warming my already red face as his eyes now hold a whole new meaning.

He held my eyes the entire time, keeping me from completely freaking out. Without those eyes watching me from underneath him, I would've chickened out of something that was otherwise incredible. I don't regret it, not in the slightest, but I am really, really glad I had those eyes on me the entire time. There was lust and desire deep within that sea of blue I love so much.

I'll likely close my eyes later and see that look he offered me while holding my gaze.

"High-five?" His entire body shakes with laughter, and I can't bite back my own laugh as I watch him, truly in awe that he is all mine. "That's what you wanna do?"

"I don't know," I exclaim, feeling a little less awkward as laughing seems to be easing all that tension I feel. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Go for round two?"

I groan, smacking my hands over my face, feeling like I'm about to die just for the hell of it. JJ continues to laugh beside me, not making me feel any better about how truly awkward all this is. If I had known what it would be like after, I'd have not bothered, I'll be honest.

Not that I'm opposed to, you know, another round, but even if we go again, what are we supposed to say after the second time? Seriously, high-fiving one another would not be a bad icebreaker.

I feel a hand wrap around my wrist, forcing me to bring my hands away from my eyes. I blink, peering over at JJ who is now lying on his side. He looks irresistible, and if he really is serious about round two, I'm definitely down.

Now I sound like a horny teenager.

You are a horny teenager.

If I had any control over my head, I'd shut it up.

I lower my hands from my face, my smile timid as our gazes meet. He still has that look── that look that's full of hunger and passion. I, on the other hand, have a look in my eye that is afraid and shy instead of my usual look that is normally confident and straight-forward.

He's rendered me a mess.

I can't think straight, not when he's looking at me like he wants to devour me all over again. I feel sick in the best possible way, like a thousand butterflies are gnawing at the lining of my stomach. My heart is beating rapidly, unsure how to adjust to this new, unfamiliar feeling.

"Hey." He tilts his head, his fingers pushing a couple strands of hair behind my ear. "Jokes aside, how are you feeling?"

"Really good," I say, and I can't pretend like I don't see that smile creeping onto his face as he realises he was the one to make me feel like this. "I feel really, really good, JJ, like I just left my body and went to the... sun."

His knuckles brush along my cheekbone. "Yeah?"

I press my lips together, my body feeling warm from the inside out. "Yeah."

His head drops, a relieved breath falling from his lips as his head hits my shoulder. "Good," he exhales, lips glossing over my shoulder, and I feel just about ready to pull him back onto me.

I bring my hand up, placing it against his hair. "Was I, uh..." I'm unsure if I can ask such a question when all I did was, well, lie there. He did all the work, so I don't know if I can really ask this as I may sound insecure. "Was I good?"

His head lifts, his eyes softening as he peers down at me. Without saying anything, he leans in. His nose brushes against mine as he places his mouth over mine. It's a short, delicate press of his mouth, and the kiss is so fleeting that I barely feel it before he's pulling back, but it answers my question before he actually utters the words.

"You were perfect," he tells me, but I find that word to be a bit of an overstatement. "I mean it, you were everything I waited for, Brooke."

Well, I can't ignore how that makes me feel.

I mean, despite hearing him whisper all sorts of praises and gentle words in my ear and talking me through everything during, it feels extremely rewarding to hear him hold the same view after.
I feel even more valuable right now, and it's a damn nice feeling.

I lean in again, pressing my lips over his quickly. "Thank you," I say, hoping that wasn't an odd thing to say. "I'm really glad you were the first."

"And the last," he comments, and I smack my hand against chest gently, but I don't deny it because I think that's true. I can't imagine ever being intimate with anyone else in this way. I've been holding onto the idea of us for so long that nothing will ever compare now that we've pulled ourselves off that cliff.

I turn on my side, facing him. I scrunch my face up, feeling a small fusion of pain. JJ reaches for me, slotting his hand against the dip in my waist. "Are you okay?"

"Just a little... sore." I'm pulled towards him, chest pressing into his. "You know, that sex ed class in the ninth grade did not prepare me for this."

"That's because in order to teach sex ed, you have to actually have sex first." I huff out a laugh, still remembering the fifty-year-old teacher who taught us sex ed. Miss. Driscoll put this notion in our heads that sex was terrible and it should never, under any circumstances, "be performed", as she so brazenly put it.

I lean my forehead into his. "It definitely wasn't as bad as she made it out to be." I lift my arms, hanging them over his shoulders. "It was fun."

"It was a lot of fun."

He presses his mouth over mine, hand drifting from my hip to my back. Pushing against the small of my back, he manoeuvres me, pulling me on top of him. My legs straddle his lap as he sits himself up with his hand cupping the back of my head. I close my arms around his neck, clinging onto him as we fall right back into that steady rhythm of kissing and moving together.

His lips detach from mine, skimming across my jaw and down the expanse of my throat. His teeth nip at my collarbone, causing a pleasurably sting, and a moan stutters out of me. "JJ," I breathe out, pushing my hands into his hair. I dig my fingertips into the base of his skull, knowing I don't need to hold back the noises I make but biting down on my bottom lip regardless.

His lips continue to descend, kissing the column of skin between my breasts. I inhale a sharp breath, still not used to the feeling of having him like this── in a passionate, vulnerable way.

"Hey." His mouth ghosts over the middle of my chest. "Do you..."

"Yeah," I exhale, nodding. "Yeah."

His head lifts, forehead meeting mine. Together, we breathe steadily, laughing softly and smiling at one another as we realise we've reached a new stage in our relationship.

With his fingertips pressing into my hips, he lifts me up, slotting our lips together once again. He brings me closer, pulling me flush against him, and just when I'm about to sink myself back into the feeling of us, I hear something pounding from just outside.

We jerk away from each other, shocked to be getting interrupted. "What the──"

"Whoever that is better be bleeding from the head."

I sigh loudly. "And if they're not?"

"Then they're gonna be."

I force myself to get off JJ, but I was absolutely not ready to stand up, not yet. JJ and I were supposed to stay in bed for a little while longer, perhaps for the rest of the day. Reluctantly, and with a lot of bitching, JJ pulls his clothes back on, telling me he's going to go answer the door. Whoever is at the door might be killed by him, but maybe they really are bleeding from the head.

It takes me a few minutes to actually get myself back into my clothes on account of my body aching, but when I step into the living room, I find Kiara. My eyes widen, a little surprised to see her of all people. "Kie?"

No offence to my best friend, but why did she have to interrupt?

"Oh, thank God." She barges past JJ, moving to pull me into a very tight, very needed embrace. "John B and your dad aren't at the Chateau," she tells me, pulling back with her hands on my arms. "I thought you'd gone with them."

My head rears back. "They left?"

I specifically told them not to leave. I should've known better that they wouldn't sit put, but some part of me hoped they just wait for me── the semi-responsible one. I know I was gone, distracted by JJ, but I would've come back in due time. Why did they have to leave so soon after getting back?

I feel a hand against my back. "You okay?"

I nod, feeling numb to my core. They left. They just left me behind. I expected that from my father but not from my brother. I mean, what the hell are they even doing? I can't believe John B ditched me. Bastard.

"Y-Yeah." I force myself to smile. "Um, so you, uh, know my dad's alive." I breathe out a laugh, afraid I'll cry if I don't laugh. I step past Kiara to sit down on the sofa.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I nod, peering up at JJ and Kiara who stand before me. "I'm fine. I just..." I don't wanna talk about it── not when it involves my father. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Rafe is back." If I had any strength, I'd shoot right off this sofa in frustration. I should've known that he would find his way back to the OBX. Oh, aren't I lucky?

"That's just what I need right now," I utter, wishing I could catch some kind of break. Both my father and Rafe in the same place, great!

"Sarah told me," Kiara says, moving to sit beside me. "She overheard Rafe saying that the cross is coming to Wilmington tomorrow night. Figure he must be trying to sell it."

"Does Pope know?" JJ asks, leaning back against the wall.

"Yeah, Sarah went to tell him," Kiara tells, nodding along. "I was in charge of finding you two. Why are you even here?"

I cast a glance at JJ, not really knowing the answer to that. I came here to check on him, make sure he was okay and to tell him about my father. We then ended up in his bed, peeling the clothes off our bodies. In all honesty, I hadn't expected that to happen, not here of all places, but it did. We pretended we were in Paris, under the Eiffel Tower, creating the only good memory JJ has of this house.

"I just came to, uh..." I feel a little awkward, especially since Kiara can absolutely see through me as I attempt to explain myself. She knows me really, really well, but she knows me on an intimate level too. This trio the three of us have created is a little... odd. I've kissed both JJ and Kiara. Huh. "I just came to check on him after we got back." See, that's not a complete lie.

Kiara nods slowly, looking from me to JJ, obviously seeing the situation. "Oh." She clears her throat. "Right, anyway, uh... John B and your dad went and got the Twinkie."

My mouth gapes. "What?"

"They're off to God knows where."

I've missed so much. I'm still missing stuff as Dad and John B are still gone. I now feel agitated, frustrated that my family just abandoned me even though I said I'd be back as soon as possible. How was I supposed to know that "as soon as possible" would turn into a few blissful hours?

I drag my hands through my hair, wishing to rip the hair from my scalp. "Yeah, I shouldn't be surprised. Sounds like something they'd do."

Forgetting about me sounds like something they'd do.

"If we know where the cross is gonna be, that means it's still here, on the field, meaning we can go in and swoop, right?" I peer over at JJ, appreciating him for moving past my obvious upset over the abandonment by my only family. "We gotta just get the gang together and decide from there."

I nod, needing the next distraction. "Okay."

"Hey, before we go running off, I have something else..." JJ and I glance at Kiara, waiting for her next words. "I've been replaced."

I raise a brow. "Replaced?"

"My parents have a new daughter," she exclaims, only confusing us more.

JJ shakes his head, lost. "W-What?"

"I come home, I hug my parents, I go upstairs and this girl just comes out of the bathroom. I ask who she is, she won't tell me. We just stand there, arguing, back and forth. Turns out, she's been sleeping in the guest bedroom and working at The Wreck for the past month!" JJ and I stare at her, understanding what she's saying but not getting the problem here. Kiara waits for us to speak but not a word comes out of our mouths. "Did you not just hear me? I've been replaced!"

"Okay," I reply, shrugging. "What's her name?"

"Emory," she answers. "But I call her bitch."

JJ huffs out a laugh. "How original, Kie."

"She is a bitch. She stole my life!" I can't help but laugh. "My parents love her. I can't believe I've been replaced."

"Well, you were gone a month."

"Uh, I'm their daughter. Their only daughter."

I smile widely. "Not anymore," I taunt, but she doesn't look amused.

"This is funny."

"It's kind of funny," JJ remarks, moving to sit on the other side of me. "Why's she living with your folks?"

"Oh, she got kicked out of her house or something, and my parents felt sorry for her. Whatever," Kiara grumbles, falling back against the sofa in a huff. "She's from Miami."

"Ooh, the beach." I know little to nothing about Miami, just that it has a beach, right? "What's she like?"

"A──"

"Besides a bitch," I interrupt. "What is she actually like?"

"She kind of reminds me of you but without the..." Kiara pauses, waving her hand in front of my face as she tries to think of the word.

"The sunshine," JJ answers.

Kiara nods firmly. "Yes, the sunshine."

"Gee, thanks," I deadpan, loving that Kiara is comparing me to the girl she called a bitch repeatedly in the space of five minutes. "Well, if she reminds you of me, does that mean she's pretty?"

Kiara shuts up, and that gives me all the answers. JJ takes a second to catch on, but once he finds that Kiara is not going to respond to that question, he realises quickly. I breathe out a laugh, knocking my knee with hers. "You think she's pretty," I state, amusement hidden in my voice.

Kiara scoffs, shaking her head. "No."

"You think she's pretty," I toy, laughing.

"Okay, shut up. We should get going."

"Aw, come on, Kie. Own it!"

"Never say that again," JJ mutters, his arm brushing against mine.

I appreciate this distraction a lot.

──────────────────────────

❀ soph speaks

brooke's a lil awkward heh

is "bitch" potentially pogue number 8??

you'll meet emory soon . . . idk who to cast her as so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

i think kie deserves a love much like jj & brooke

i love making kie, jj & brooke as a trio especially after everything lol

thankyou for reading!!