𝐖𝐄𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐒.
summary: jj was your first love. he was your first everything. but rafe was persistent on being your last. jj figured the relationship with rafe would run its course. he didn’t think rafe would get too far , but when you and rafe get engaged , he realizes he might’ve lost you for good.
this is based off the unreleased song ‘wedding bells’ by nick jonas ( obv written about #niley but wtv not my fight !! )
“ pardon my interruption. the drink’s just setting in and all of my reservations — a reason i don’t exist. she says ‘ can you keep a secret? a ceremony’s set for june. i know it’s a rush but i just love him so much. i hope that you can meet him soon. ”
The night air seemed to suffocate him. He felt like an idiot just sitting there , his fifth beer of the night thus far in his hand. He had been soaking it in. His eyes were entirely on you and he hadn’t tried hiding it , even though you had barely noticed.
You were over him. JJ could feel it. You weren’t searching the crowds for his eyes to see if they were also looking for yours. Your gaze didn’t linger on him when you danced , a playful expression on your face.
Instead you danced with yourself , the happiest smile he had ever seen on your face. The night sky seemed to love you , shining on the most attractive parts of your features. The aura around you was alluring , holding him captive.
He loved seeing you like this. So authentically beautiful and warm. He just hated that he wasn’t the cause of it— or a part of it at all , really.
Though JJ knew it had been his fault things were turning out the way they were. He was silly to think a girl like you wouldn’t have somebody better out there for him , snatching you up the first chance he got.
He was being selfish letting you go. He wanted all the things temporary happiness brought him , and it cost him you. JJ hadn’t thought it all the way through , he knew that. He didn’t know why he never thought of the day he’d see you loving someone else.
He watched as you lazily strolled over to him. Your eyes with facing low , red glazing over them. A silly smile on your face as the shots you threw back with Kiara starting to circulate through your bloodstream. “JJ! What’re you doing all the way out here?” You laughed , plopping onto the empty spot beside him.
JJ’s heartbeat quickened , avoiding making eye contact. “Just takin’ a quick breather.” He sniffed , rubbing an imaginary sore spot in his jaw.
You were too cross faded at the moment to notice the falter in his expression and distant tone of his face. A silly grin on your face as you stared at the stars , finding yourself becoming entranced with them. “Remember when we used to stargaze?” The memory still fond in your brain.
JJ nodded lightly , a sad smile on his face as he recollected the memories he held so dear with you. The ones he had taken for granted.
“Those were some good times.” You grinned. Absentmindedly , your head lulled onto his shoulder. A habit you had broken long ago but the drugs made you feel a bit hazy , the unspoken ridge in you and JJ’s friendship seemed non existent.
Even though you and JJ had broken up , you had found yourself in a place to let go of the hurt you had once felt. Finding Rafe— finding love elsewhere had shifted that for you. Now , you craved his friendship , the purity of what it was before then. The platonic , but comforting way that only two bestfriends that had grew up with eachother could feel. It was something nobody else could replace.
“They were.” JJ murmured back , closing his eyes at the feeling of you.
“I have to tell you something.” You whispered to him. You wanted to gush it to the world , you had been holding it in for weeks. The news would shock the island— the gossip going from person to person. It was supposed to stay a secret for a while but now seemed like the time to tell JJ. . . You had liquid courage and you wanted him to be the first one to know.
You weren’t sure how he would take it. While you were over the moon excited and happy— you couldn’t help that nagging guilt in the back of head stop ruining your mood about it.
You had nothing to be guilty about. JJ had broke up with you. JJ chose someone else over you.
But it still didn’t stop you from feeling worried about his reaction.
JJ sat up straighter and faced you. Drunk thoughts were real thoughts. He told himself.
“You can’t tell. . . anyone.” You emphasized , anxiously biting your bottom lip.
“Never a soul between us.” JJ swore , the old words you’d recite to eachother as children touching your heart.
“We’re thinking of a June wedding.” You gulped nervously , digging out the ring Rafe had given you out of your pocket , slipping it onto your right hand.
JJ’s chest nearly caved as he looked at it. The way it just fit your personality so well— it was exactly like something he’d see you choosing yourself.
That hit in for a multitude of reasons. One because Rafe had liked you enough to get to know you and see what you liked. He was surprised Rafe Cameron was capable to taking someone else’s feelings into consideration. Two because he knew how much you probably loved it. The small attention he paid to detail.
God , he felt as though he was going to throw up. His stomach immediately felt nauseous , thinking of you married to him , vowed to him. His girl. His Y/N.
“Isn’t it like. . . rushing into shit?” JJ kind’ve laughed , an awkward sound mimicking one left his throat instead. He tried to sound casual , not like he was panicking and on the verge of passing out.
You giggled like a school girl , awestruck. “I know it’s a rush but I. . . I just love him so much.” You gushed , your eyes turning into hearts at the thought of him. It made JJ feel disgusted.
He didn’t want to ruin everything for you. He didn’t want to open his mouth and made that silly , love drunk look on your face to change.
So he didn’t say anything. He just smiled and nodded. Ignoring the way he felt tears welling up in the corner of his eyes , blinking them away at your oblivious attention.
“ pardon my harsh reaction. you put me on the spot. but if i’m being honest , i’m hoping that i get caught showing you i’m unhappy. letting you see my truth. ’cause if you recall , our anniversary falls eleven nights into june. ”
The next time he had heard about this , his demeanor wasn’t all that cool.
JJ really wished it was all just a really , really , really bad nightmare. When he woke up the next day , he completely avoided talking about it again. He was hoping you were just drunk and it wasn’t actually happening. He did not want to visit those feelings.
But as you stood in front of him with Rafe beside you , telling the Pogue’s– breaking the news , the reality of the situation fell upon him.
“Are you two fucking crazy?” JJ sneered , standing up from his sitting position on the couch. Rafe took a protective stance in front of you at the sudden action , making JJ scoff. “You don’t need to protect her from me.”
“JJ maybe we should just—” Pogue tried to intervene. The way your face fell made him jump into action , but JJ shrugged him off.
“No! Pope. Man , ’cmon. Marriage? You can’t seeing think this guy is good enough for Y/N.” He waved a hand in front of Rafe. “This is coked out , crazy Rafe Cameron who literally beats the shit out of us.”
Pope grew silent , feeling JJ’s point.
You pushed Rafe to the side , boring daggers into JJ’s head. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me?” He scoffed. “What’s wrong with you thinking we’d wanna hear this?”
“I was thinking you guys were my friends! And you’d be happy for me.” You shouted back at him. Everyone was staring at the two of you cautiously , not wanting to see how this end.
Even Rafe didn’t feel like it was the time to hash out the past. You weren’t ready for that.
“God , Y/N don’t you think you’re being a little bit naive here?” JJ pointed at you. He could feel Rafe’s eyes glaring at him but he didn’t care. His focus was on you , the way your hair fell down your shoulders and framed your face. The way you had just looked so. . . grown up. He was just still so used to feeling like a teenager , like nothing was ever too serious. Nothing really mattered. You weren’t the little sixteen year old Y/N he knew. The one that made him daisy chains while smoking a joint behind John B’s house. The one who skipped school with him and make trouble on the Cut.
Things had changed and he hadn’t even been paying attention. He felt foolish.
“How am I being naive , JJ? It’s been a year since everything’s happened. He’s been doing good—”
“Do you not even remember our anniversary?” JJ said just above a whisper , clear defeat in his voice. “It’s eleven days into the month of June.”
You were taken aback at his words. They hit you like nothing had before. You were expecting alot of things , but the mere remembrance of the anniversary you two shared was not one of them. They seemed so distant to you now , the younger self of you and the weight it held. It had been a long time since things had been that way and you thought JJ had felt the same way about the situation.
But as he turned and pushed past all his friends and flew out the back door , you knew things wouldn’t ever be the same.
“ no , i don’t wanna love if it’s not you , i don’t wanna hear the wedding bells prove that we can’t try one last time. i don’t wanna hear the wedding bells. ”
“It hurts so bad.” JJ cried into Pope’s shoulder. It had been days since he’d seen you but he’d heard from other people and your decision hadn’t changed.
You were glued to Rafe’s side since. He had paraded you around the island with the ring loud and proud now that the news was out. His family were beyond happy , even if you had been a Pogue— Rafe’s change was enough to win them over. John B and Kiara weren’t fans of it , but they liked seeing you happy. And Pope did his best to support everyone.
But JJ was heartbroken. Time had left him , passed him without him even noticing. There wouldn’t be a time and a place where you were his , ever again. Marriage was deep. It planted a clear divide between you and Rafe , and you and him.
There would be no another time.
“I know.” Pope sighed , squeezing JJ’s shoulders. “But she deserves to be happy.”
“I know.” JJ sighed , feeling his heart squeeze.
“Even if it’s not with you.”
“Even if it’s not with me.”
