Revelations
After Penelope left that night, JJ fell asleep faster than she expected. The weight of the day, mixed with the comfort of Penelope’s words, pulled her under easily. When morning came, she woke up feeling… not great, but lighter. Like some of the ache had dulled.
She moved through her routine slowly — brushing her teeth, washing her face, pulling on fresh clothes. The mirror wasn’t exactly kind to her, though. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and dark circles hung underneath, a reminder of how much she’d been holding in. She didn’t look as bad as yesterday, but she definitely wasn’t at her best.
It was cold and cloudy outside, the kind of morning that matched her mood. She tugged on a blue hoodie and a pair of loose jeans, comfort over everything else.
After her talk with Penelope, she knew what she had to do. No more putting it off. She owed it to Will, to both of them, to stop pretending.
JJ didn’t bother texting. This wasn’t a conversation for a phone screen. She tugged on her shoes and walked to his house, the cold air biting at her cheeks, leaving them pink. Her stomach twisted the whole way there. The guilt sat heavy in her chest, but she forced herself to push through it. This was the right thing to do.
When she knocked, Will answered after a few moments. He didn’t say anything — just stepped aside to let her in. His face was calm, the same easy, steady look he always had. But there was something different now, something more guarded, more careful.
JJ stepped inside, crossing her arms over her chest. Their eyes met, and for a second, neither of them spoke. She broke the silence first.
“I need to talk to you,” JJ said softly, her voice steady but heavy. “Like… really talk.”
Will nodded, his expression unreadable. “Yeah. Of course. Sit.”
He motioned to the couch, settling down next to her. There was space between them — not much, but enough for JJ to feel the weight of it. The silence lingered, thick and uncomfortable, until Will finally spoke.
“I figured this was coming,” he admitted, his voice quieter than usual. “You’ve been… different lately. Distant.” He looked down for a second, then back at her. “I just… I didn’t know if it was me, or something else.”
JJ swallowed hard. The lump in her throat was suffocating.
“It’s not your fault Will, you didn’t do anything wrong. You are such a good guy and you’ve been nothing but kind to me, it’s just…” She exhaled shakily, running a hand through her hair. “It's just not the same and I can’t keep lying to you or to myself. I can’t keep pretending everything is fine, it’s not fair to us.”
Will's eyebrow furrowed, his voice quieter, more confused than upset.
“Why though? Did I offend you? I just don’t get it. I thought we were doing so well, I thought we could fix it.” His voice cracked at the last word and JJ felt her stomach twist.
“It’s not you, Will,” she said quickly, her voice thick with emotion. “I’ve tried — I swear, I tried. But I can’t force myself to feel something that isn’t there anymore.” She paused, letting the words sink in. “I care about you. I love you… but I’m not in love with you. You deserve someone who loves you the way you love me.”
Will stared at her, his face flickering with something unreadable. Sadness? Realization? She wasn’t sure. He let out a shaky breath and leaned back against the couch.
JJ’s throat tightened. This was killing him, and it was killing her to see it.
After a long pause, Will turned to look at her again. His voice was quieter, softer, and more vulnerable.
“…It’s Emily, ain’t it?”
JJ froze. Her heart sank even though she knew, deep down, that he already knew. She didn’t want to lie to him anymore.
“Yeah…” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s Emily.”
Will looked away like it stung, his jaw tight. He didn’t speak right away. When he did, his voice was rough around the edges.
“I had a feeling,” he murmured. “The way you look at her sometimes… you never looked at me like that.” He tried to force a small smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I guess I just didn’t want to believe it.”
JJ blinked back tears, her throat tight and her stomach in knots. “I’m so sorry, Will. I never wanted to hurt you.”
Will shook his head gently. “It’s okay, Cher,” his voice was warm and kind, even now. “You can’t help how you feel.” He paused, his voice dipping lower. “I just… I hope she makes you happy.”
JJ swallowed hard, a sad, grateful smile tugging at her lips. Even now, Will was being so good to her. “She does.”
Will nodded once and reached out for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Then that’s all that matters.”
JJ squeezed back, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Thank you, Will. For everything.”
He gave her a sad, lopsided smile. “Take care of yourself, JJ.”
She nodded, voice barely above a whisper. “You too.”
As she walked to the door, JJ felt her heart ache, but this time, it wasn’t from guilt. It was from saying goodbye to someone who really, truly loved her.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt like she could finally breathe.
JJ didn’t realize where she was going until she was already halfway there. Her feet carried her without thinking, and by the time she looked up, the diner was right in front of her.
It wasn’t busy. The bell chimed softly as she walked in, the smell of coffee and fried food surrounding her like a warm blanket.
Her heart stuttered in her chest when she saw Emily.
Emily was sitting in a booth near the window, the same one from last Saturday, her head down, a cup of coffee in front of her. JJ froze for a second. She wasn’t sure if she should go over — wasn’t sure if Emily even wanted to see her. This might be her only chance, Emily had been avoiding the and she needed to talk to her.
Before she could decide, Emily looked up. Their eyes met.
Emily tensed immediately. Her shoulders stiffened, and she started gathering her things like she was about to leave. JJ panicked.
“No, stay. Please.”
Emily froze, her eyes flickering with something JJ couldn’t place. Hesitation? Hope?
JJ swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath.
“Can I sit?”
For a moment, Emily didn’t say anything. Then, slowly, she put her stuff down.
“Free country”
JJ sat down across from her, heart racing.
The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable. JJ’s heart pounded in her ears.
“So…” JJ tried to sound casual, but her voice cracked. “How’s the coffee?”
Emily blinked, turning to look at her like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “Seriously?”
JJ let out a nervous, breathless laugh. “Yeah. No. That was dumb. Sorry.”
Emily didn’t laugh. Her eyes lingered on JJ for a second too long before she looked away again.
JJ’s chest tightened painfully. She felt like she was drowning in the silence.
“I, um… I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” JJ started, her voice trembling. “For avoiding you. For running away. I was scared, but avoiding you isn’t helping. It’s just making everything worse.”
Emily stared at her for a moment, her face unreadable. “Yeah. I noticed.”
JJ winced, feeling the weight of the words like a punch to the gut. She deserved that.
“Look, I get it if you’re mad,” JJ said quickly, her voice wavering. “I was a coward. I’ve been stupid. But I don’t want you to think you were a mistake.”
Emily leaned back in the booth, crossing her arms over her chest. Her voice was flat. “Okay.”
JJ blinked, thrown off by the short response. “Okay?”
Emily nodded, still impassive. “Okay.”
JJ leaned forward, desperation creeping into her voice. “It wasn’t a mistake. I don’t regret it — not for a second.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed slightly, her voice low and cool. “Good for you.”
JJ felt like her heart was splitting in two. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
“Emily, please,” JJ’s voice cracked. “Say something. Anything.”
Emily’s gaze hardened. “What do you want me to say, JJ? That it’s all okay now? That it didn’t hurt when you ran off like I meant nothing? Because it did. It really, really did.”
JJ’s throat tightened, her chest aching. “I know. I’m so sorry.”
Emily scoffed, shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter anyway. You’ve got Will. You’ll probably leave here and be glued to his side again on Monday.”
“Em—”
Emily leaned forward, her voice sharp and bitter. “Maybe you’ll make out in front of me again. That was fun.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Or maybe you’ll hold his hand in the hall while pretending I don’t exist.”
JJ’s voice came out fast, cutting through the tension. “I broke up with him.”
Emily froze. For a second, JJ thought she saw the faintest flicker of surprise — and something else — before her expression shuttered again.
“Oh.” Emily’s voice was quieter now, but still guarded. “Okay. That doesn’t fix everything, JJ.”
JJ nodded quickly, her voice trembling. “I know. I just… I was scared. Scared of how much I wanted it — how much I want you. I’ve never felt anything like this before, and I panicked.”
Emily stared at her, her voice softening. “You’re not the only one who was scared, you know. I spent all week trying to figure out what that kiss even meant. Why you ran. You kissed me, JJ. Not the other way around.”
“I know,” JJ whispered, her voice breaking. “I know. And I just… I need you to know it wasn’t a mistake. I really, really liked it.”
Emily let out a breath she’d been holding, her voice quieter. “Yeah. Me too.”
JJ blinked, surprised. “Yeah?”
Emily smirked faintly, a little of the ice in her voice melting. “Yeah. You’re not a bad kisser, JJ. For someone who seems like they have no idea what they’re doing.”
JJ let out a shaky laugh, her chest aching in a different way now. “I’ll take it.”
A beat of silence passed, but this time it didn’t feel so heavy.
“Can you accept my apology?” JJ asked, voice soft. “And maybe… maybe we could start over?”
Emily hesitated. Her expression faltered, something raw flickering behind her eyes.
“I want to, JJ. But I don’t know if I can. You hurt me. And I don’t want to be your second choice. I’m not going to sit around waiting for you to figure things out.”
JJ shook her head quickly, leaning in. “You’re not my second choice. You’re my only choice. I want you. I don’t have all the answers, but I know that.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Please, Em. Just… tell me there’s still a chance.”
Emily stared at her, her walls wavering. Her voice came out quiet, almost vulnerable. “I’m scared you’ll hurt me again. I’m so tired of people leaving.”
JJ swallowed hard, her voice shaking. “I’m scared too. But I’m more scared of not trying. I miss you, Emily. I miss you so much it physically hurts. Please. Let me try again. Let me fix this.”
Emily’s face softened, her voice barely above a whisper. “…Okay. But we take it slow. I need to trust you again.”
JJ exhaled a shaky breath, her chest light for the first time in days. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
Emily gathered her things, pausing at the edge of the booth.
“Hey, Em?” JJ asked softly.
Emily glanced back. “Yeah?”
JJ swallowed her nerves. “Can we hang out soon? Like… for real this time?”
Emily tilted her head, a slow, teasing smile tugging at her lips. “Is this your way of officially asking me out, Jennifer?”
JJ flushed, smiling despite herself. “Yeah. It is.”
Emily’s smile lingered, softer this time. “Yeah. Sure.”
She didn’t offer JJ a ride. JJ didn’t mind.
The rain felt lighter on the walk home.