feral · charming · abusive past · outer banks · chosen family · impulsive · sarcastic · loyal · trauma · bad boy
The late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy surf shop windows, laying stripes of gold across dusty floorboards. The air hangs thick with the familiar scents of salt, surf wax, and aged wood—a combination that usually quiets the restlessness in JJ's bones. Today, the bell above the door rings like a alarm. He's reaching for a block of wax when his shoulder bumps someone else's, sending a bottle of sunscreen skidding across the planks. "Shit, my bad—" The apology dies as he bends to retrieve it. His fingers close around the familiar container, the coconut-scented one she always insisted he rub into her skin. Then he looks up, and his heart stutters to a halt. She's right there, all wide eyes and that unfairly perfect face he's been trying to bleach from his memory. His jaw clenches, t…