#waterworks

Water Works.

Dam on Cove Island as the tide rises.

5:45-6:00am

i don’t have any notes on this sooo🫰

part 3 soon !!

ENJOYYY!!!!

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the rest of dinner somehow felt better and after that comment, neither of you brought it up again.

instead, you brushed it off and talked about college.

about how your brother still somehow managed to survive despite forgetting to do his laundry until he had one shirt left.

about the time jordan accidentally set off the fire alarm trying to make frozen pizza.

you laughed so hard your stomach hurt.

the waitress eventually returned with the check.

before you could even reach for your purse

jordan had already handed over his card.

“jordan, no.”

“don’t.”

“i can pay for myself.” he looked at you for a second.

“i know you can.”

“then why are you paying?”

“because i asked you to come and if i didn’t pay i’d be a douche.”

you opened your mouth to argue.

“and..’cause i wanted to.”

“fine, thank you.” you sighed dramatically.

you guys finished eating and asked for a few boxes.

the drive home was quiet.

your playlist played softly through the speakers while the city lights blurred past the windows.

every now and then you’d catch him lightly tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat.

without realizing it you noticed every small detail about him

when you finally pulled into the driveway, neither of you rushed to get out.

“thanks for dinner.”

he looked over at you with a big smile plastered across his face

“thanks for coming.”

“of course j, i couldn’t leave you hanging”

you both got out of the car and walked inside

you looked at eachother and said goodnight

“goodnight, jordan.”

“goodnight, leah.”

you walked upstairs to the bathroom to start heading to bed and by the time you finished showering and changing into an oversized t-shirt, you were exhausted.

you heard jordan lock the front door downstairs before his footsteps disappeared toward the guest room.

the house became quiet and within minutes you were asleep.

the next day you woke up to soft music playing in the kitchen

“thank god it’s not 2hollis” you smiled to yourself

you stretched before lazily making your way downstairs, still half asleep.

“please tell me there’s breakfast…” you mumbled to yourself.

the second you walked into the kitchen you froze.

“…oh.”

jordan stood at the stove with his back turned.

gray sweatpants hung low on his hips.

he was shirtless.

he turned around at the sound of your voice.

“morning.”

your brain completely stopped working.

“…hi.” you cleared your throat

he raised an eyebrow.

“you okay?”

“yeah.”

you answered way too quickly.

“…why?”

“because you’ve been staring at me for like-”

he looked at the microwave clock.

“-seven seconds.”

“i wasn’t staring.”

“really?”

“i was…observing.”

“observing?”

“yeah.”

you crossed your arms.

“i was making sure you weren’t burning the house down.”

“that’s funny.”

you took one step toward the counter and immediately walked straight into the edge of the kitchen island.

“ow.”

jordan bit the inside of his cheek.

“don’t.”

“i didn’t say anything.”

“you were going to.”

“nope”

you rubbed your hip dramatically.

“i’m leaving.”

“you literally just got here.”

“this kitchen is a hostile environment.”

he started laughing

“you done?”

“…no, but i’m choosing peace.”

“that’s probably for the best.”

you grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

“made extra.”

you looked down.

pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit.

“you made all this?”

he looked at you and smirked

“what jordan.”

“well someone had to make sure you didn’t starve to death, if i didn’t cook we sure know where you wouldve been”

you rolled your eyes “whatever..”

“…this is annoyingly good.” you mumbled

he grinned.

“thank you.”

“don’t let it get to your head.”

before he could answer his phone started ringing.

“liam’s calling” jordan said “…speaker?”

you shrugged.

“what’s up?”

“yo!” liam shouted.

“how’s my favorite babysitter?”

“can we not.”

“and how’s my baby sister?”

“alive.” you said still chewing your pancake

“did jordan remember to feed you?”

“shockingly, he made breakfast.”

“he cooked?” liam sounded genuinely confused.

jordan sighed “thanks.”

“i’m just saying i’ve known you for like fifteen years and i’ve never seen you willingly make breakfast.”

“people change.”

“or,”

liam’s voice turned suspiciously amused.

“someone’s trying to impress somebody.”

you and jordan looked at each other.

“no one’s trying to impress anybody,” you both said at exactly the same time.

liam laughed.

“i’m just fucking with you guys”

“you’re ridiculous,” jordan said immediately. “i’m gonna hang up now you asshat”

“okay well love you guys, don’t do anything i wouldn’t do-“

jordan hung up.

you looked at eachother and started laughing.

you finished breakfast and headed upstairs to get ready for the day.

you told yourself you weren’t thinking about him being there but you definitely were.

you couldn’t convince yourself you didn’t like him

when you came back down, he was leaning against the hallway wall like he’d been waiting without actually looking like he was waiting.

“where are you going?”

“store,” you said, grabbing your keys.

“do you wanna to come…?”

he pushed off the wall.

“yeah.” he said almost immediately

on the drive there, you blasted music

you caught him looking over once when you weren’t looking.

then he looked back at the road like it didn’t happen.

a song came on that neither of you commented on.

you both started singing the lyrics at the same time without meaning to.

when you get to the store you force him to push the cart around while you look at clothes

“jordan can you pleaseee look at clothes with me it’ll take like one second”

“if im here longer than five minutes im gone”

and of course, you were in that isle longer than 5 minutes.

“okay one more shirt i just wanna see”

“wait leah i kinda like this”

“oh yeah? what is it-“ before you knew it jordan is towering above you grabbing a shirt

“oh shit” you thought

“wow nice shirt” you definitely weren’t thinking about the shirt “can we go actually grocery shop now, i want penne alla vodka”

“oh so now we’re just using fancy words” jordan said taking out the grocery list you gave him earlier

“Penne pasta, Vodka, Tomato paste,Canned tomatoes-“ jordan started reading

you couldn’t stop thinking about him and you couldn’t focus on anything.

you were zoning out just following jordan wherever he went.

“you ready to check out?”

“yeah, yeah” you said

you were messing with your rings on your fingers, anxiously

“still twisting your rings when you’re nervous?”

you immediately stop.

“oh i-uh didn’t know you noticed that”

“i notice a lot.” he says it like it’s nothing.

but it still lands weird in your chest anyway.

you force a small laugh, looking away from him first.

“that’s kind of creepy.”

“it’s not creepy,” he says easily, glancing over at you for half a second before scanning more items. “it’s just paying attention.”

“to my rings?”

“to everything.”

that makes you go quiet and leaves your face burning. you don’t know what to say after that, so you don’t say anything at all.

which is rare for you and jordan notices that too.

of course he does.

“you’re thinking too hard again,” he says after a moment

“i’m not.”

“you are.”

“you literally can’t know that.”

he gives you a look, quick and unreadable, while you guys are both heading out of the store.

“i can.” that shuts you up again. “you always do that when you’re nervous in new places too.”

“do what?”

he nods slightly toward your hands.

“mess with your fingers. rings. sleeves. whatever’s there.”

your stomach drops a little, even though it shouldn’t.

you stare at him for a second too long.

he doesn’t look away, he never really does when he’s talking like this.

you don’t know what to do with that, so you default to what you always do.

deflection.

“you’re kind of weird, you know that?”

a small smile tugs at his mouth.

“yeah.”

“that’s it? just yeah?”

“you asked.”

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The apartment was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the rain tapping against the bedroom window. Jordan had changed into one of his oversized T-shirts, his messy curls still damp from his shower.

As you finished your skincare, you looked at Jordan who was already in bed, one arm tucked behind his head as he scrolled on his phone. The second he saw you he looked up with a sleepy smile.

“There you are.”

You laughed.

“I was gone for like five minutes.”

“Longest five minutes of my life.”

You rolled your eyes as you climbed into bed, but before you could even pull the blankets over yourself, Jordan reached out and gently tugged you toward him.

“Jordan,” you giggled.

“What?”

“I haven’t even gotten comfortable yet.”

“I know.”

“So why’re you dragging me over there?”

“’Cause there is where you belong.”

You giggled as he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you against his chest like you could leave any second. One hand rested lazily against your back, absentmindedly rubbing slow circles that instantly made every ounce of tension leave your body.

“Much better.” he murmured.

“You know you’re clingy.”

“I’m aware.” jordan said, sleepily

“You’ll admit it?”

“Proudly.” You laughed, the sound muffled against his arm around you.

For a while, neither of you spoke. The room was filled only with the hum of the fan and the quiet rhythm of his heartbeat.

Jordan tilted his head just enough to press a soft kiss to the back of your head.

“You okay?”

“Mhm.”

“Comfortable?”

“Very.”

“Good.” His fingers slipped through your hair, gently scratching your scalp.

“You spoil me,” you whispered.

He smiled.

“i know”

“you don’t have to”

“I want to.” The answer was so simple, so certain, that it made your heart ache.

Your eyes began to grow heavy.

Jordan noticed immediately.

“Sleepy?”

You hummed softly against him.

“Go to sleep, baby.”

“What if I miss talking to you?”

“We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“And if I miss you?”

He chuckled quietly before tightening his arms around you.

“Not possible.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause I’m not letting go.”

You smiled into his chest, drifting into sleep

“I love you.”

“I know.”

A beat passed.

“…I love you more.”

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Transitional powder room photo