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The meeting was an accident, but everything changed after you were walking passed JJ and bumped into him.
“I’m so sorry!” you told him, but JJ shrugged it off with a smile. He was in a good mood, a little buzzed, and now he had an excuse to talk to a pretty girl.
“No harm done,” he assured. “I don’t think we’ve met.” It was true, you looked unfamiliar. Maybe he’d seen you around school but at the moment he couldn’t recall.
“I don’t usually show up to things like this,” you revealed. “I’m Y/N,” you said, holding out your hand.
“JJ,” he introduced himself, taking your hand in his and giving a quick shake.
He was about to pull away, but he felt something cold against his fingertips.
You were nice and probably didn’t deserve to have your bracelet stolen, but JJ couldn’t stop himself from sliding the chain off of your wrist. He didn’t even know if it looked valuable or not, but years of impulsive behavior made it not matter. He palmed it in his hand and pulled back, looking nonchalant as ever.
“So you said you don’t really come to parties? Is there a reason you showed up tonight?” JJ was curious to get to know you despite the theft.
“A friend of mine actually asked me to come,” you replied. Looking off to the side, you pointed in a vague way. “She’s waving to me now, but maybe I’ll see you around.” JJ looked in that direction but got distracted when you playfully bumped into him, mimicking the accidental run-in that occurred before. You shot him a smile and a wink that had him letting out a small chuckle.
He watched you walk off into a group, a small spark rushing through him. You disappeared in the crowd and a sudden feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. The chain bracelet weighed heavy in his hand and JJ was already regretting what he’d done. Why did he have to be so greedy? He started to go after you, but stopped himself. If you had formed any sort of positive opinion of him, he was sure it would turn sour if the second time he talked to you was to confess to stealing off of you.
JJ frowned to himself, feeling stuck in a stalemate. Eventually he slid the bracelet into his pocket, thinking of a lie along the lines of “hey, I randomly found this and somehow know it’s yours" or “your bracelet accidentally fell into my hand” but nothing sounded good.
The bracelet fell into his pocket and JJ immediately registered it was the only thing in there. His eyes went wide.
Where was his wallet?
He whipped his head in the direction you had gone, realizing the side you’d bumped when you left had been the same side he carried his wallet in.
“What the hell?” JJ muttered to himself, the pieces falling into place.
He didn’t stop himself from going after you this time. He weaved his way through the crowd and spotted you easily. You were hard to miss, laughing at something some random guy had said.
“Hey, Y/N,” JJ greeted loudly, gaining your attention. He wasn’t angry, though. Not at all. JJ had been stunned at first but now he was just curious and impressed. There was a weird level of excitement, too, when you looked at him.
“Hey, there.” You focused on him, the random boy forgotten. JJ wouldn’t admit out loud that he enjoyed getting your full attention. “Lose something?” you asked knowingly, raising your brows a little and biting back a smile.
“Actually, yeah,” JJ replied, unknowingly matching your expression. The guy wandered off, leaving the two of you alone. “You seen a wallet? I’m guessing it might be in your pocket.”
“I’ll tell you what.” You crossed your arms, squaring up playfully. “I’ll trade the wallet for my bracelet.”
JJ’s cheeks felt warm all of the sudden. He didn’t think you’d noticed that—didn’t make the connection.
“That, um, that’s fair, yeah.” JJ pulled the bracelet from his pocket and placed it in your waiting hand. You slid it back on and gave him his wallet in exchange. “That was pretty smooth, by the way. Seems like you have some tricks up your sleeve,” he tried to say casually
“Takes one to know one,” you replied easily. “You were pretty slick, too. If I hadn’t pulled that same move before I probably wouldn’t have felt it,” you commented in a way that sounded complimentary.
JJ perked up. Maybe it shouldn’t, but it felt nice to get some praise for a skill people usually looked down upon. He wasn’t rich, he had to do what he had to just to get by sometimes—and that caused a habit. Sticky fingers were hard to get rid of, especially when it gave him a rush. But looking at you, the way your eyes held intrigue instead of distaste, he started to suspect you understood.
You did, and it wouldn’t take that long for you to show him that.
That meeting changed everything for both you and JJ. You started going to the summer parties more often. Every time you did, you and JJ somehow “ran into” each other, neither wanting to admit to seeking out the other.
The two of you had started playing a game—one for your own amusement (and at the expense of others). Well, less of a game and more of thievery, but you two made it into a game. Seeing how many people you could pickpocket, different methods, seeing if you could charm and swindle people into giving either of you what you wanted. That one you saved for the kook’s side of town.
And by the time the rich folks in the country clubs you snuck into caught on, you were gone like bandits.
One time you joked to JJ you were like outlaws, and he came back with, “How about cowboys? It sounds better.”
“Cowboys it is,” you agreed, heart leaping out of your chest when JJ swung his arm over your shoulder.
You had no idea JJ had already fallen for you, but you did know you were falling for him.
One night, the two of you decided to get some food and walk around town. JJ didn’t want to go home yet and you wanted to spend as much of the night with him as you could. There were no parties either, and the two of you just hanging out as friends had been normalized for a while.
You and JJ laughed and talked as you strolled around the familiar area. When you came upon a bar, a wicked idea popped into your head. When JJ looked at you, he knew exactly what you were thinking.
“They don’t card,” he said, trying to sound ambiguous.
“Interesting,” you replied with a cheeky grin, holding his gaze.
Based on a whim, the two walked up to the bar, deciding to finish the night by going after some low hanging fruit.
“Do you have a plan?” JJ wondered as the two of you entered, scanning the surroundings.
You spotted a drunk looking man sitting alone. You immediately noticed his wallet sitting on the counter in front of him and smirked up at your partner.
“They make it so easy,” you replied.
JJ watched, unable to tear his eyes away, as you waltzed over and took a seat next to the man. You were young—same age as JJ—but you could carry yourself with such maturity that you could fool nearly anyone. JJ would’ve been jealous of the way you laughed and flirted with the man, but in the end he knew you’d come back and it would be JJ who you’d truly be spending time and laughing with.
After you successfully snatched the man’s wallet and brought it to JJ like a trophy, your confidence was up. It was easy to mill about, convincing more than one drunken man that you could’ve been the one. Of course, what you were really after was their valuables. You got another wallet (after the man bought you drinks, which you snuck off to share with JJ), and then a money clip. You also snagged a watch that looked expensive by laying your hand over a man’s to undo the clasps and maneuver it off without him noticing. You were especially proud of that and gifted it to JJ.
“I bet this cost you a fortune,” JJ teased sarcastically, putting on the accessory. Maybe it was bold to put it right in after stealing it, but you had filled your pockets—and JJ needed his empty for what he had planned.
See, JJ took your winnings as a challenge and decided to go after older women who sat alone or in pairs. He used his boyish charm to get invited to the table and get access to their unsupervised purses. You sat back and watched, an amused smile on your face as they gushed over him every time.
He returned to you (naturally) flaunting his treasures before hiding them away, just as you had done with him.
“We should probably get out of here,” you suggested. You had a feeling the longer you stuck around, the more likely it would be that your new “friends” scattered across the bar would start to notice some missing things.
Instead, JJ did something you didn’t expect.
“Wanna dance?” JJ asked with a grin, riding high on the adrenaline.
“Dancing is a dangerous game,” you warned. It was the kind of thing that could make someone fall in love, but you kept that thought to yourself.
JJ extended the hand, beckoning you to take it. He tilted his head a little, and the grin remained. “But you love dangerous.”
You gave in easily, accepting his hand. JJ pulled you to the small dance floor and the two of you immediately fell in with the crowd. You and everyone around you danced to the upbeat music. Most of the crowd on the dance floor was couples probably in their late twenties. Amongst them, it made it even more obvious that you were teenagers.
It didn’t seem to matter much though, you were just two more faces in the group.
You and JJ danced together, somehow turning a random array of moves—lots of swaying and spinning—into rhythm. The song passed and shifted into a much slower, very romantic sounding song. You couldn’t make out the full words all that clear, but the ones you did made it obvious.
Neither you or JJ stopped dancing despite the change. The only thing that changed was your pace. You both slowed down and moved a little closer.
JJ had been in close proximity to you so many times, but this felt different. This made him just as nervous as it made him excited. He felt somehow more cautious but also more carefree. His mind was so full of contradictions that he had no choice but to push them aside and focus on dancing with you.
Truth be told, putting his attention on you was something JJ never found to be difficult.
JJ held your hand tight in his suddenly and spun you around, trying to impress you. You giggled, colliding with him when he pulled you in.
“Gotta say, we’re the best looking couple here,” JJ whispered in your ear with a small laugh.
You gave him a look. Not because of his odd way of trying to compliment both you and himself, but something else. Couple? you wanted to ask. You were maybe a little surprised by the comment, but you weren’t bothered. Far from it.
There was no time for you to actually ask him, though, because suddenly your moment was interrupted.
“Hey!” a man yelled, pointing at you and JJ. “You two! You stole my watch!” The two of you looked to him and sure enough, it was the man who’s watch JJ was currently wearing. He was more aware than you realized and maybe hadn’t planned on drinking the night away on an open tab like you expected.
A guy across the room perked his head up, attention drawn by the first. Neither of you saw it, but he must’ve felt his back pocket and realized it was empty. “That girl took my wallet!”
“He stole my ring!” a lady yelled, looking accusingly at JJ.
“Oh shit,” you cursed. JJ pushed you behind him, ready to take the brunt of the anger as they (and a few others) started closing in, realizing what had happened. The protectiveness that overwhelmed him would be something he admittedly felt a lot, but tried to not act on. You always insisted you could take care of yourself, but he couldn’t fight the instinct in the moment.
You looked around and spotted a back exit door. It was closer than the front and it was your only way to avoid your marks.
Suddenly, JJ felt your hand grasp his.
“Run!” you yelled, tugging him in the direction.
He focused on the door as you dropped his hand, squeezing through the crowd in your own paths. Then you met at the door and took off in a mad dash away from the bar. There was some yelling behind you and neither of you looked back. You only tore your gaze away from the road ahead to look at JJ, and he did the same for you.
The grin JJ gave you was wild, full of excitement. You felt the same rush. Not even the truck coming up behind the two of you could kill it. One of the barflies decided to be a hero and try to chase the delinquents (that’s what he kept screaming at you out the window) down.
JJ grabbed your hand this time, his grip much stronger than it had been in the bar. He ran perpendicular to you suddenly and yanked you off the backroad and soon the two of you were sprinting hand and hand off into a small field.
The truck’s owner blared its horn as it sped past, but you could hardly hear it over the sound of you and JJ’s laughter.
After slowing down, it took a moment of wandering to realize you’d ended up in a park.
The two of you ducked under a playground structure, keeping out of sight. You sat down and pulled JJ with you. He landed at your side and the two of you caught your breath. Soon, heavy breathing turned into more laughter as the absurdity of the situation set in.
“He was ready to run us over!” you exclaimed, equally shocked and amused. You laughed again to yourself and looked over to JJ. It felt like it was just you and him in the world, and you liked that.
JJ was smiling, but there was something else there. Something in his eyes as you watched him watch you.
He wondered if you could hear how fast his heart was racing, because it wasn’t just from the running.
JJ was suddenly aware of how close the two of you were sitting, how you’d grabbed his hand to run, how pushing you behind him to keep you safe felt so natural for him. Every moment he flirted with you and how you’d responded replayed in his mind and how he was desperate to be the one to make you smile and laugh. How when he was around you he felt nothing but pure happiness. How he’d been intrigued by you upon first meeting and every time the two of you were together that feeling only grew and morphed into something else. Something more.
JJ had never been in love, but he knew this is what it felt like.
“Earth to JJ,” you said teasingly, waving your hand in front of his face. “You’re not gonna have a heart attack, are you?”
He snapped from his daze to chuckle briefly at your joke. “Nah, I wouldn’t do that to ya,” he responded light-heartedly. In the back of his mind, all he wanted to do was kiss you as you laughed again.
“Good, because I don’t think I can carry you all the way back to town.”
JJ was half listening to you and half focused on trying to bring back the courage he felt in the bar when he’d asked you to dance.
“Pretty impressive that we’ve spent the whole summer together and this is the first time we got caught,” you mused in JJ’s silence, taking in your surroundings.
“Couple of cowboys on the run,” JJ suggested, smiling to himself. Then at you.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime,” you said, starting to realize his hand was still in yours. You gave it a light squeeze, which brought it to your full attention. His too.
There was a beat of silence where you stared at one another, unable to acknowledge the contact yet finding it to be the only thing either of you could feel.
“Remember when I asked you to dance?” JJ asked, seemingly randomly. But it wasn’t.
You let out a small, amused sound. “It was about ten minutes ago, so yeah.”
JJ felt a little more at ease due to the teasing tone. He wanted to say something about how it was fun, how he enjoyed the feeling of being with you, but he couldn’t force the words out. Instead, he asked, “What did you mean when you said it was dangerous?”
Suddenly, it was as if there was a spotlight on you. Like you’d been shoved onto stage front and center without knowing your lines. Of course, you knew what you had thought at the time, but could you really say that? If you did, would you pay for it?
“Dancing’s the kinda thing that can make someone fall in love,” you finally said, in that same warning tone that had been present in your own mind before.
Hearing you say that made JJ’s head spin. There were so many different ways he could take it, but there was a glimmer of hope as he wished for the best. Miraculously, his confidence returned. His heart was racing and his cheeks were flushed—and he couldn’t quite hold your gaze for an extended time—but JJ found the strength to say what he was thinking.
“It didn’t take us dancing for me to do that.”
His voice was low and a part of you wondered if you had even heard him right. But the nervous yet longing look in his eyes told you that you had heard JJ correctly.
“JJ—“
“Can I just… say something first?”
You swallowed and nodded, bracing yourself for what words came next. Except, it wasn’t words at all.
JJ’s free hand—the one that wasn’t still holding yours—rose to cup your face. You were sitting side by side, but facing each other already. JJ was able to close the gap between you easily, and you went willingly.
It was like sparks flew the moment JJ’s lips pressed against yours. A switch flipped for the both of you as longing and desire poured out as your lips moved against one another’s.
The kiss couldn’t have been more perfect. It was long awaited from both you and JJ. With so much build up in your minds, it was like magic when it finally happened.
Neither of you wanted to pull apart, but had to. Oxygen was pretty important, unfortunately.
Your eyes met and JJ’s seemed to sparkle, like they were full of stars, even in the evening light. He cracked a smile, unable to contain his joy, and you couldn’t help but follow suit.
“I, uh, know those weren't exactly words…” JJ started sheepishly, causing you to giggle. “I think it got the point across.”
“It definitely did,” you assured. “I never thought we’d be here,” you mused, not just about the park but about everything .
“Me neither,” JJ agreed. “But I couldn’t be happier.”
Like a true cowboy, JJ had stolen your heart. You never wanted love at first, but now you didn’t know what you’d do without it—without him.
You and JJ were destined to be partners in crime. And if he had it his way and you had it yours, it would stay that way forever.