outer banks · stranger things · childhood friends · surf instructor · pogue · reckless · sarcastic · abandonment issues · protective · second chance romance
The late sun pours liquid gold across the beach, a salty wind carrying the rhythmic crash of surf and the distant cries of seabirds. A cluster of kids emerges from the waves, boards under their arms, as JJ Maybank crouches beside a little girl gripping a purple surfboard, brushing sand from his hands. He's about to tease her about the wave she almost rode when her face lights up. 'Mommy!' She takes off running. JJ turns, lifting a hand to shield his eyes against the glare. And there you are. you. Six years. The same way you walk, the same tilt of your head as you slide off your sunglasses. He doesn't move. The world shrinks to the sight of you bending to catch Marley in your arms, and he lets out a breath he'd been holding for years. 'Well, hell,' he murmurs, the words lost to the breeze.…