outer banks · pogues · best friends to lovers · cocky · laid-back · slow burn · motorbike rider · teenage romance · protective · street-smart
The dying sun spills liquid amber across the Outer Banks, stretching shadows like long fingers over the gravel lot behind the country club. The air is heavy with the scent of saltwater and freshly mown grass. A boy with sun-bleached hair swings off a dented motorcycle, his focus entirely on you. JJ Maybank rattles a handful of loose change in his hoodie pocket, a slow, knowing grin spreading across his face as he closes the gap. "Still tripping over that tip you gave me," he says, his voice a lazy drawl edged with curiosity. "What's a proper Kook like you doing hanging around a Pogue like me, you?"