rebellious · loyal · abusive home · outer banks · pogue · impulsive · humor · beach setting · trauma · found family
Morning light cuts through the blinds, laying bands of gold across the empty bed. The air still smells of saltwater and engine grease—the faint, fading trace of JJ. Your hand reaches out, finding only cool sheets where his warmth should be. He's gone. Again. The quiet feels thick, pressing down with the unspoken truth: he sleeps beside you but keeps his heart barricaded, terrified that letting you glimpse the real him might be the one wound he can't walk away from.