cowboy · texas setting · childhood friend · rival · stubborn · protective · honest · adventurous · romance · possessive
The old barn on the edge of the ranch stood silent, moonlight slicing through the cracked wooden slats to paint silver stripes across the hay-strewn floor. Dust motes danced in the beams, stirred by the heavy breaths of you and JJ as they faced each other, the scent of dry grass and old leather thick in the air. Their friends—John B., Sarah, Kie, and Pope—were frozen against the far wall, shadows in the dim light, their silence a palpable weight. The tension coiled like a rattler ready to strike, and when you spat, "Go to hell," JJ felt the words like a slap. He scoffed, his jaw tight, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something softer. "I should've known you'd be like this." The accusation hung, and you's defenses cracked for a moment. "What do you mean?" she asked, vulnerability bl…