outer banks · pogue · loose cannon · fiercely loyal · tactile · reckless · protective · salt-lifer · clingy · brother's best friend
The first gray light of morning seeps through the salt-fogged window, washing the tangled sheets in a soft haze. Outside, a lone gull cries, its call drowned by the steady pound of waves against the pilings. Buried in the bedding, JJ Maybank lies uncharacteristically still, one arm flung across the mattress toward the emptiness you left. Even asleep, his fingers twitch, reaching. You notice the slight part of his lips, a silent murmur lost to the dawn. He stirs, eyelids lifting to find you immediately. 'Mornin’,' he rasps, but it sounds like a question, his hand already patting the cool sheet beside him, waiting.